James 0. Stotts

JAMES O. STOTTS, one of the most prominent citizens of Labette county, Kansas, has been a resident of Mound Valley township since 1870, and now resides in the southeast quarter of section 14, township 32, range 18. He is a veteran of the Civil War, and stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. He was born in Morgan county, Indiana, May 22, 1829, and is a son of Robert C. and Helen (Laughlin) Stotts.

Robert C. Stotts and his wife were born in Virginia, of Scotch descent. They were married in Virginia, and went at an early period, to Indiana, where the husband was engaged in farming until his death, at the age of sixty years. His wife also died in Indiana. They were parents of seven children, as follows: Virginia, Margaret, Sarah, John L. and Robert C., all of whom are deceased; James 0.; and Eliza (Smith), who resides in her native county in Indiana.

James 0. Stotts was reared on a farm and was engaged in farming until the Civil War, when he moved to Lewis county, Missouri, where he bought land and lived until 1870. He enlisted from Missouri in Company F, 21st Reg., Mo. Vol. Inf., and served in the 16th Army Corps. He was with General Sherman in one of his campaigns, but served mainly under Gen. A. J. Smith. He participated in seven of the most important engagements of the war, his first one being under General Prentiss, at Shiloh. His fighting was done mostly in Tennessee. He was mustered out at Eastport, Mississippi, in February, 1865, and went with the regiment to Cairo, Illinois, and thence to his home in Missouri. He followed farming in Missouri until 1870, when he moved to Labette county, Kansas, where he located on his present farm, - the southeast quarter of section 14, township 32, range 18. Two men, Rohrer and Honrath, had filed on the east half of section 14, and Mr. Stotts purchased their interests. He improved and cultivated the entire half section for several years, and then gave the northeast quarter to his son, who has since disposed of it. Aside from the breaking of a few acres, he has made all the improvements upon the place. There was no natural timber, even along the stream, and all the trees upon the property at the present time were set out by him. He set out a fine orchard of six acres, which is bearing well. The original box house was replaced by a comfortable eight-room residence in the fall of 1898, ample barns and outbuildings having been built a short time previously. Mr. Stotts has been very successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. In the early days he sometimes did his marketing at Ladore, but for many years past he has traded at Parsons.

Mr. Stotts was united in marriage, in Indiana, to Margaret A. Bailey, who was born in that state, in 1831, and died in Labette county August 26, 1898. Nine children were born to bless this union, as follows: William, a carpenter of Mound Valley; Robert, who died in Indiana; Ellen, wife of E. T. Jamison, who resides in the northeast corner of Mound Valley township, and has four children, - Ida May, Alfred, William, and Jennie; Jennie (Beebe), of Harlan, Iowa; John, who died in Missouri; Alice (Smith), of Mound Valley township, who has six children; Eliza (Beggs), of Mound Valley; James Andrews, who died in Labette county; and Edwin M., who married Rose Wallis, a daughter of N. W. Wallis, an early settler of Labette county, and they have four children, Lelia May; Omah Mildred, James Wallis, and Helen Gladys. William, Robert and Ellen were born in Indiana. In politics, the subject of this sketch is a Republican. He is a member of Mound Valley Post, G. A. R. In rligious[sic] views, he is a Methodist, and all of his family attend Hopewell church, in Labette township. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Stotts accompany this sketch.