W. H. Noble, proprietor of the J. M. Noble & Son furniture store of El Dorado, is one of the progressive young business men of Butler county, and the J. M. Noble & Son furniture store is one of the oldest and most extensive retail furniture stores in the county. This business was established in 1882 by J. M. McAnally, and later the firm became McAnally & Musselman, and in 1884 J. M. Noble bought Musselman's interest, and the firm became McAnally & Noble, and this firm continued to do business until February 10, 1913. Mr. McAnally died in 1910, but the estate retained his interest until the above mentioned date when Mr. Noble purchased the McAnally interest, and a strange coincidence in connection with this transaction was, that on the very day that the deal was closed, Mr. Noble died, suddenly, at Champaign, Ill., and since that time, his son, W. H. Noble, whose name introduces this sketch, has conducted the business.

Mr. Noble is thoroughly awake to the progress made in the various branches of the furniture business, and carries a much more complete and larger line than is usually found outside of the large cities. He aims to carry the best line of goods to be found on the market, among which might be mentioned the Sealy mattress, Liggett-Platt springs, Globe-Wernicke book cases, the Springfield model kitchen cabinet and the twin pedestal tables.

W. H. Noble is a native of Butler county and was born in El Dorado, December 5, 1887. His parents, J. M. and Sarah A. (Dickson) Noble were natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland respectively. Mrs. Noble came to this country with her parents when she was a child, and has made three trips across the Atlantic. She now resides in Wichita. J. M. Noble removed from Pennsylvania to Champaign county,

Illinois, at an early day and from there came to Butler county, Kansas, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1884, when he engaged in a furniture business, which he followed until the time of his death. He was sixty-one years of age. To J. M. Noble and wife were born two children, as follows: Jennie L., married George Anderson and resides at Alva, Okla.; and W. H., the subject of this sketch.

W. H. Noble was reared in El Dorado and educated in the public schools and Brumbach Academy and the College of Emporia. He was then employed about two and one-half years as clerk in the Missouri Pacific office in El Dorado, when he took over the management of the greenhouse and florist business which his mother had started some years previously. She is a great lover of flowers, and engaged in that work, first, for her own recreation and satisfaction, but by 1907 the constantly growing demand developed it into a commercial enterprise of considerable proportions, and at that time W. H. took charge of the business. He successfully conducted it until 1912, when he disposed of it, and after the death of his father's partner, he assisted in the furniture store until 1913, and since that time has devoted himself exclusively to the furniture business.

Mr. Noble was united in marriage September 15, 1907, with Mary Esther Tolle, a daughter of George W. Tolle, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Noble have been born three children: Billy, Jack and Mary Esther. Mr. Noble is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is a Democrat; and takes a keen interest in the affairs of his party, and has served as secretary of the Democratic central committee of Butler county.

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