James A. Rhodes, now deceased, a veteran of the Civil war and Butler county pioneer, was a native of Indiana. He was born in 1827 and died at Augusta in 1889. During the second year of the war, he enlisted in the Seventy-first regiment, Indiana infantry, and served about three years or until the surrender of Lee closed the last chapter of that

great conflict. During his term of service, Mr. Rhodes was twice captured by the enemy. The first time he escaped after being a prisoner for a short time, and the second time he was paroled.

At the close of the war he returned to his Indiana home. Mr. Rhodes married Miss Lucy P. Richardson at Clinton, Ind., in 1854, who survives him, and now resides at Augusta, Kans. She was born at Clinton, Ind., and was a daughter of William A. and Sarah Ann (Parker) Richardson, who were the parents of nine children, only one other besides Mrs. Rhodes is now living, Dr. John F. Richardson, a prominent physician of Hunnewell, Kans. To Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes were born William A., who died in 1891, aged thirty-five years, and Flora, who resides in Augusta with her mother.

Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1871, and took a government claim. At that time the Government land office was at Humboldt, Kans., and Mr. Rhodes walked from Emporia to Humboldt to file on his claim, and from there walked to Augusta. After living on the claim about six months they removed to Augusta, and Mr. Rhodes was engaged in the real estate business for a time, and was engaged in various business enterprises during his life time. He led a very busy life and was uniformly successful in his undertakings. He was city treasurer of Augusta for seven years, and had much to do with the early development of the town. Mrs. Rhodes has a remarkably retentative memory and relates many interesting incidents in the early history of Butler county. She says that Mrs. Augusta James, in whose honor the town of Augusta was named, was the first woman who called on her in her new Augusta home. Mrs. Rhodes was here at a time when Butler county was almost in its primitive state, and is a first-hand authority on much of the important history of this section of Kansas.

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