Alexander Wade

ALEXANDER WADE, one of the representative farmers and good citizens of .Mineral township, who owns a finely cultivated and well improved farm of 200 acres, situated in section 8, township 32, range 24, was born in 1845 in Virginia, and is a son of Govey and Susan (Bland) Wade.

Govey Wade was born in Indiana, and died in Lola township, Cherokee County, Kansas, in 1893, aged 75 years. His life had been devoted to farming in different States. In 1851 he went to the southern part of Iowa, where he owned property and followed agriculture until 1875, when he came to Kansas, where he first took up 160 acres of land in Salamanca township, and later, 160 acres in Ross township, both in Cherokee County. He married Susan Bland, who was born in Pennsylvania, and died in Lola township in 1895. They had 10 children, the survivors being: Lizzie Anna, Alexander, Thomas, Rachel, George, Palmira and Andrew. The two eldest, Elsah Jane (Baker) and Delilah (Harris), are deceased.

Mr. Wade was six years of age when his parents settled in Iowa, where he was reared and schooled, and was engaged in farming through the earlier part of the Civil War. In 1863 he enlisted for the war in Company G, 36th Reg., Iowa Vol. Inf., and was honorably discharged in September, 1865, at Davenport, Iowa. In 1875 he accompanied his father to Kansas and settled upon his present location, where he secured 160 acres, to which he added 40 acres in section 17, township 32, range 24. All this was wild prairie land, which the settlers had to break before they could begin to cultivate. Mr. Wade now has a very fine farm which produces abundantly the grains of this climate, and he also has considerable stock and fine orchards. His life has been a busy one, but he has been rewarded in a very satisfactory manner.

On January 1, 1864, Mr. Wade was married to Adeline Marchbanks, who was born in Missouri. They have had a family of nine children, the seven survivors being: Mary, born in Iowa, who married G. W. Paxton, and has seven children,—Florence, Grace, Annie, Blanche, Doris, Jesse and William; Elijah M., born in Iowa, who married Maud Russem, of the Indian Territory, and has five children; Alice, born in Iowa, who married Charles Wanger, and has one child,—Alexander; Jesse, who was born in Iowa; Laura, who was born in Kansas, who married Thomas Lotus, and has two children,—Mabel and John; Andrew, born in Kansas, who married Mary Shoopman, and has one child,—Lawrence; and Annie who was born in Kansas and lives at home.

Mr. Wade takes considerable interest in politics, and now votes with the Populist party.

History of Cherokee County Kansas and its representative citizens, ed. & comp. by Nathaniel Thompson Allison, 1904, transcribed by Carolyn Ward, instructor from USD 508, Baxter Springs Middle School, Baxter Springs, Kansas, 3/11/97.