USA > Kansas > Crawford County > A Twentieth century history and biographical record of Crawford County, Kansas > Part 39
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NEAL E. WOOD.
Neal E. Wood, of the real estate firm of Georgia and Wood, Pitts- burg. Kansas, is a real pioneer and first settler of this prosperous city, and has been identified with its business development since before it was even known on the map as Pittsburg. He has the reputation of being the first merchant of the town, although he was not the proprietor of the store, for he was the clerk and the real manager of the first mer- cantile house of the town. The oldest inhabitants cannot, therefore, re- inember a time when Mr. Wood was not connected in some way with the commercial affairs of the city. He has been a witness of the marvelous growth which has resulted in Pittsburg becoming a first-rate city, and that, too. in the period of a quarter of a century ; for Mr. Wood is him- self yet only in the prime of his life, although he has been here since the inception of the city. He has at all times been public-spirited in relation to the progress and welfare of his adopted city, and has always occupied an honorable place among his business associates and friends.
Mr. Wood was born at South Newberry, Geauga county, Ohio, De- cember 15, 1853. being a son of E. A. and Luciette C. (Bradley ) Wood.
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His father, who was born at Austinburg, Ohio, was a farmer, althoughi he learned and at times followed the trade of carpenter. In 1861 he re- moved with his family to Mason county, Illinois, and lived there on a farm until the spring of 1868. when he and his family embarked in a covered wagon and drove out west. He stopped at a little town called Neutral City, in Cherokee county, Kansas, about twelve miles southeast of the present city of Pittsburg. A short time later he moved up into Crawford county, locating on a farm two miles northeast of Girard, the county seat. He followed farming for several years in that locality, but his death occurred in California, in 1875. His wife died in Crawford county in 1873.
Mr. Neal E. Wood was reared to farming life, and in the pioneer days and conditions of Kansas life the opportunities for gaining an edu- cation were meagre, since the present unexcelled school system of Kansas had not been inaugurated. Nevertheless, by hard and self-sacrificing work, he gained a good education. He completed the regular course in the Girard public schools, and following that was one of the first students in the first county institute established in Crawford county. He entered the institute to prepare himself for teaching, and in this way got the best grade certificate that Crawford county could offer. He engaged in teach- ing for three or four terms, but then decided to take up the mercantile business. He became a clerk in the grocery store of W. G. Seabury at Girard. In the spring of 1877 Mr. Seabury decided to open up a store in the coal region in the eastern part of Crawford county. the develop- ment of the coal mines having just then begun. He and Mr. Wood load- ed a stock of goods on wagons and brought them over to where Pittsburg now stands. At that time there were only a few small dwelling houses scattered over the prairie, and the postoffice went by the name of New Pittsburg. Mr. Seabury erected the first store building in the town, on what is now the corner of Fourth and Broadway. Mr. Wood remembers the first transaction made over the counters as being with a little girl, who brought in a basket of eggs and exchanged them for some calico.
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Mr. Wood remained as a clerk in that establishment for two years, and the old-timers of the city always refer to him as the first merchant. Mr. Seabury is now deceased.
Mr. Wood then engaged in the grocery business with Mr. A. J. Georgia, under the name of Georgia and Wood, and when Mr. Georgia was appointed postmaster of Pittsburg Mr. Wood served as his deputy. For the following five years Mr. Wood represented the Adams Express Company, and for two years was agent for the Pacific Express Company. He then held the office of city assessor for three years, and for the past fifteen years has been successfully engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business with Mr. Georgia as a partner, the firm being known as Georgia and Wood.
Mr. Wood has been a prominent worker in the Republican party, which has honored him at different times. He is affiliated with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, having passed all the chairs of the local lodge and having been a member of the grand lodge of the state. He has also filled all the chairs in the local lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Mr. Wood was married at Pittsburg, June 16, 1878. to Miss Edith M. Georgia, a daughter of his business partner, A. J. Georgia. They had two children, Miss Alpha M. and Mr. Georgia N. Wood. Mr. Wood has since been bereft by death of his beloved wife, after a happy union of over a quarter of a century. Of her beautiful character and place in the esteem and affection of those around her let the fol- lowing memorial speak :
Headquarters Woman's Relief Corps, Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic. Iola, Kansas, June 25th, 1904.
IN MEMORIAM.
Edith M. Georgia Wood, Past Department President of the Woman's Relief Corps, Department of Kansas, was born November
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24th, 1861, in North Liberty, Iowa, and died in Pittsburg, Kansas, June 5th, 1904, at 4:30 p. m.
She came to Pittsburg with her parents when five years old and just at the close of the great war, where she was known but to be loved and honored. Her life was not long, as we count the years, but it was filled to overflowing with good and kindly deeds.
The heartfelt sympathy of this department is extended to the sor- rowing husband and children. Their home is left lonely and desolate. without the loving presence of one who has been its guiding star, but her "God was the Lord." May his tender love be "round about them." In memory of her beautiful life and devotion to our order, Corps Presi- dents will have charters draped for thirty days and will hold "Memorial services" at the last regular meeting in July. Memorial services will also be held for her at the next department convention.
Beautiful Toiler, her work all done : Beautiful soul into "Glory" gone : Beautiful life with its crown now wonl; God giveth rest.
AGNES A. HEIGELE, Department Secretary.
By Command of ANNIE A. APPLE. Department President.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM C. BECK.
Captain William C. Beck, a leading coal operator and a prominent old-timer of Pittsburg and Crawford county, has had a panorama of personal experiences and successes in southeastern Kansas and especially in the vicinity of Pittsburg covering a period of nearly forty years, em- bracing, in fact, the authoritative and established history of this region from pioneer days and conditions to the present. He grazed cattle over this section when Pittsburg and Girard were spots as wild and undevel- oped as could be found in any corner of the county at the present day.
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It is interesting to know that at that early time he discerned and indi- cated the limits of the coal outcrops which to-day make up the Pittsburg district, and prophesied the growth here of a large and important indus- trial and commercial city. In the work connected with the early settle- ment and upbuilding of the region now comprised within the limits of Crawford county he took a most important part, and his connection with all the subsequent activity and progress of this country has been by no means of a trivial character. Mr. Beck is a man of notable business acumen and ability and achievements, and as he has met opportunities in this life he has taken advantage of them and not only turned them to his own profit but added greatly to the sum total of general prosperity and welfare, so that his career is an integral part of the record of Craw- ford county and a most interesting phase of its worthy and progressive citizenship.
Captain Beck was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, April 26, 1837, his parents being Adam and Margaret J. (Gould) Beck, both of whom lived and died in Pennsylvania. On both sides of the house have been distinguished and patriotic men and women, active and prom- inent in the general affairs of life, and conspicuous for their connection with the wars of American history. Captain Beck's maternal great- grandfather, George Gould, was one of Wolfe's gallant army that fought and won at Quebec. His maternal grandfather and his paternal great-grandfather are of honored memory because of their participation in the war of the Revolution. His maternal grandfather, George Gould, was in the war of 1812, and was also a manufacturer of some of the powder fired by the American soldiers of that conflict. Adam Beck fol- lowed the occupation of miller in Pennsylvania, and was a highly re- spected citizen of his community.
William C. Beck was reared on a farm in Pennsylvania until he was thirteen years old, up to that age having laid a good educational foundation in the common schools of the neighborhood. His father died when he was thirteen years old, and he was then bound out to
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James E. Brown, a very wealthy banker of Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and for some time served as his bank clerk. He also clerked in a store and had some further opportunities of attending school. His career, be- ginning with the time he left home, has, in fact, been a varied experi- ence, not without its hardships. insufficient, however, to daunt for a moment the eager restlessness of his character or check him in his ad- vance toward better things. Among other things, he learned the trade of nailer in a rolling mill, and also taught school. He received an ap- pointment as a cadet at West Point, and spent about a year in that school, where the drilling and military instruction stood him in good stead at the outbreak of the Civil war which shortly followed. He had become an expert swordsman and rifle shot, and when the war came on his services were in great demand for drilling recruits, which he did with most painstaking care and contributed not a little to making the Pennsylvania forces of the highest standard of efficiency during the re- bellion.
After he had drilled several companies he organized and drilled the Finlay Cadets, the members of which, including himself, enlisted July 4, 1861, and were mustered into the service of the government on July 24, 1861, as Company D of the Sixty-second Pennsylvania Volun- teers. He was elected Captain of the company, and led it through the following battles of the war: Yorktown, April 5, 1862; Hanover Court House, May 27, 1862; Mechanicsville, Virginia, June 26, 1862; Gaines Hill; Malvern; Harrison's Bar; Gainesville: Antietam: Black- ford's Ford: Kearneysville; Fredericksburg, where Captain Beck was wounded; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg, where Company D lost half its men ; Rappahannock Station; New Hope Church and Mine Run, on November 30, 1863. In the winter following the last-named battle the company camped near Culpeper, and on the 5th of May, 1864, Captain Beck was captured near Robinson's Tavern and taken as a prisoner to Macon, Georgia, where he was held until Atlanta fell ; he was then kept at Savannah until the capture of that city, and was then moved to
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Charleston, where he and a large number of other officers who were prisoners were exposed to the fire of the Union army. Soon after, the yellow fever became epidemic at Charleston, and he was removed to Columbus, South Carolina, where, along with twelve hundred other officers, he received his welcome exchange. He had undergone the hor- rors of prison life for seven months, which was his most trying experi- ence during the war. On December 19. 1864, he was mustered out at Washington, with a most creditable record as a gallant, fearless and effi- cient soldier.
After leaving the army Captain Beck returned to Kittanning and entered the bank in which he had been previously employed. becoming its bookkeeper. His brother, Captain George A. Beck, was then cashier of the bank, he having also served through the war as Captain. When government troops were being hurried to the Texas border in order to thwart the machinations of Maximilian of Mexico, Captain George A. was offered a lieutenant colonelcy in the Mexican army, and he and his brother started out on this errant expedition to become soldiers of fortune. When they reached Texas, however, they decided to divert their military ardor in another direction and go into the cattle business. They purchased a large bunch of cattle in Llano county and started north with them, having the Chicago market as their destination. They drove their herds up through Indian Territory, and on June 6, 1866, ar- rived at Baxter Springs, Cherokee county, Kansas. Here they decided to rest themselves and their stock for awhile, and while there the broth- ers both made claims for government land in that county, although the official survey had not yet been made. On June 15, 1866, they crossed over what has since become the dividing line between Crawford and Chero- kee counties, and located at the spot where Opolis was afterward found- ed. This early settlement makes Captain Beck one of the earliest inhab- itants of the county, and he is certainly among the very few survivors of that pioneer period. During that summer of his and his brother's resi- dence within the present bounds of Crawford county he did a lot of pros-
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pecting, particularly for coal, his previous experience in the Pennsyl- vania coal fields giving him quick insight into the conditions here. He discovered the outcroppings where Pittsburg now stands, as also those at Midway and many other places in the district, and the Pittsburg coal region of to-day has almost exactly the same limits that he marked out at that time. after a rough examination. His far-sighted business and industrial sense foretold much of that growth and prosperity which now rank Crawford county among the richest in the state. He and his brother kept their cattle at feed on the luxuriant grasses of this county until the advent of the frost king, and then drove them to Chicago and disposed of them.
Captain W. C. Beck returned to Pennsylvania, but by no means abandoned Crawford county with its undeveloped wealth. In the early spring of 1868 he and his brother returned, and brought with them, as far as Pleasant Hill, Missouri, which was the end of the railroad at that time, the machinery for a saw and grist mill. Leaving their outfit at Pleasant Hill for the time, they came to Crawford county and laid before the settlers their plan for the establishment of a lumber plant at some point where it would be most convenient to the majority and there- fore of the greatest degree of usefulness. The settlers all welcomed the advent of this important addition to their industrial establishments, especially one so necessary to civilization and one which has always fol- lowed closely in the wake of the pathfinding and homeseeking pioneer. But considerable discussion arose as to where this plant should be lo- cated, and as constituting an event of such transcendent importance in the pioneer history of Crawford county it is worth while to notice with particularity the history of this valuable institution. It was finally de- cided to hold a public meeting of the settlers, called by Squire Cadwalla- der to assemble at the house of a settler on the county line between Cherokee and Crawford. There were present there on the appointed day the representative men of the new community, and a regular organ- ization was effected, with president, secretary, etc. Three locations were
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proposed for the mill. as follows: Neutral City, in Cherokee county : a point in Crawford county just this side of the county line, and at Iowa City, a settlement situated near the present site of Pittsburg. After pro- longed deliberation, the county line spot was decided upon as the most favorable for all parties concerned. Captain Beck and his brother ac- cordingly brought the machinery overland from the railroad and erected a mill at the designated spot, where they began sawing logs and grinding feed in May, 1868. They did a big business and remained in that locali- ty for one and a half years. There was no other means of getting lumber in this section, and the mill supplied the greatly needed material for the houses and various buildings of the settlers. Some of the first buildings of Girard were erected with the lumber made at this plant and hauled thither by ox teams. In 1870 the Beck brothers moved the plant to near where Pittsburg now stands, and in 1871 Captain W. C. Beck withdrew from the business, and his brother finally moved the out- fit to Lightning Creek. Thus Captain Beck was instrumental in giving Crawford county one of its most important industries, and one which was indispensable for the rapid progress of the community.
In 1868 Captain Beck paid seventeen hundred dollars for one hun- dred and sixty acres of coal land. on a part of which the city of Pitts- burg now stands. He did nothing at the time toward the development of the resources of this tract. as, indeed, the time was not ripe for such at that time, but returned to Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in busi- ness for twelve years. He came back to Crawford county in December. 1883. By this time the city of Pittsburg was well under way, and was just about to enter upon its rapid and permanent growth. He started a smal! grist mill in the town, but soon sold that and engaged in the work- ing of his own coal lands, having been one of the leading operators of this vicinity ever since. His largest coal interests are now at Midway. although he owns many acres of coal land both here and in Missouri, in addition to much valuable city real estate.
Captain Beck is a director in the First National Bank of Pittsburg.
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He has the reputation of being one of Pittsburg's most public-spirited citizens, often putting himself out and freely offering his time and ener- gies and pecuniary help towards getting new enterprises and industries located at this city. He has been a director of the public schools near Pittsburg, and was a member of the city council for two years.
Captain Beck is prominent in fraternal circles. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, is prophet of the Tonkawa Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men, and is treasurer of the order for the state of Kansas : he is the oldest member of the local lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, having held membership for thirty years.
It was mentioned in a preceding paragraph that Captain Beck be- came an expert rifle shot. He has a gold medal that he won in Penn- sylvania for best marksmanship in a contest between the rifle clubs of the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Mercer and Venango. That was the famous Bucktail region, productive of re- nowned sharpshooters, and the victory is the more creditable on that account. He has several other medals and trophies won in similar con- tests in other places.
Captain Beck was married at Girard in 1871 to Miss Sarah M. Houston, who is a member of another pioneer family that settled in this county in the year 1868. They are the parents of three children, Wil- liam G .. Earl Gould and Leonore E., the wife of C. A. Beck.
M. G. KAYS.
M. G. Kays, of Monmouth, is an old resident of this part of the county, having come here in 1873, and has since been known as one of the leading and successful agriculturists of Crawford county, being fore- most in the qualities of enterprise and progressiveness by which he has won his present position among his fellow citizens and business asso- ciates.
Mr. Kays was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, August 1. 1844.
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and when he was still in his teens he became a Union soldier, and throughout the remainder of the war proved his fidelity to his country. He enlisted in his native county, October 17, 1863, in Company H. Twelfth Ohio Cavalry. under Captain T. K. Parkinson and Colonel A. T. Ratliff; was in camp at Cleveland, and at Denison was equipped with a horse and other accoutrements ; thence crossed into Kentucky and went on to the Cumberland Mountains to fight General Morgan, who was then on his celebrated raid; at Lexington the regiment got a supply of fresh horses, and were in a number of operations in that state and in Virginia, getting into the skirmish at Crab Orchard, Kentucky, among others; towards the close of the war they were in pursuit of Jeff Davis, and were only two hours behind him when the Confederate president was captured; guarded the Weldon Railroad for some time; and some time after the actual cessation of general hostilities were hon- orably discharged, Mr. Kays coming out as corporal of Company H.
Mr. Kays was a son of Daniel and Martha (Milligan) Kays, his father a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, near Warren, and the mother also an Ohioan by birth. His grandfather, who was from Connecticut, was also a soldier in the Civil war, and lost his life at Corinth when six- ty-two years of age .. The mother died in Ohio at the age of forty-two, and the father, who was a member of the Baptist church and politically of strong abolition tendencies, died in Missouri at fifty-two. One other son was a soldier, W. M., in the Forty-second Ohio Infantry, serving for four years and four months. The other children were as follows : Isabeile, Sarah J., James A., Daniel, Martha, Ella, Etta, John.
Mr. Kays was reared on an Ohio farm, where he was taught indus- try among other valuable lessons necessary to success, and shortly after his return home from the war, in 1867, he moved west to Pettis county, Missouri, and later to St. Clair county, of the same state, remaining in both places about six years. In 1873 he came to Crawford county, and for the first eleven years lived on a farm five miles northeast of Mon- mouth, and then bought the beautiful little place of forty acres near town
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where he has since lived. He has a finely improved place, excellent build- ings, and he has been particularly successful in the raising and shipping of potatoes, which he has carried to the point of a very large enterprise.
Mr. Kays was married in Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1866, to Miss Caroline Slasor, and they have passed a most happy married life of near- ly forty years. She was born, reared and educated in Ohio, being a daughter of William Slasor, a native of Ohio. Her mother, whose maiden name was Penn, now lives at Newark, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Kays have the following children : William, Della, Susan, Ethel, Har- vey, Alta and four who died in childhood, Myrtle having been a bright girl of thirteen and the other three dying in infancy. Mr. Kays is a stanch Republican, and for five years served as constable and has also been a school director. He and his wife are devoted members of the Methodist church, and he is a church trustee. He is also affiliated with Shiloh Post No. 56, G. A. R., at Cherokee, and is popular in all circles.
CHARLES F. RUSSELL.
Charles F. Russell, so well remembered at Mulberry and in the eastern part of the county, where his death occurred on October 13, 1902, was one of the honored and respected citizens of this county, and a man of sterling integrity and such honest worth as to commend him to all with whom he came in contact. His widow now lives at McCune, where she has hosts of friends, and she is esteemed for her own noble character as also for the fact that she was the wife of a truly representa- tive Crawford county citizen.
The late Mr. Russell was one of the veterans of the Civil war, in which he served as a brave and gallant officer and soldier. He was liv- ing in Illinois when the rebellion broke out, and he was in the first enlist- ment in response to the call for men to put down the rebellion. He en- listed at Pana. Christian county, Illinois, in 1861, in Company M. Third Illinois Cavalry, and became first lieutenant of his company. He took
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part in numerous battles and skirmishes and hard campaigning. He fought at Pea Ridge and Vicksburg. While on a transport boat he was severely wounded, and until his death he suffered continually from this wound received in behalf of his country.
He was born at Amherst Massachusetts, April 23. 1835. being a son of Alvin and Sarah Russell, both people of character, industry and integrity. Mr. Russell received a good education, and then entered upon his varied career in different parts of the country. He was a hotel clerk for years. for some time holding that position with the old Tremont Hotel in Chicago, at the time one of the leading hotels of that city.
March 26, 1865, he was married to Miss Amanda C. Van Dewater. the wedding taking place at Rosamond, Illinois. Mrs. Russell was born at Knightstown, New Jersey, December 1, 1840. Her father, Rev. A. C. Van Dewater, was a chaplain of the Thirty-second Illinois Infantry during the war, and his father had been a soldier in the war of the Revo- lution. The Van Dewaters were of an old Holland family, three broth- ers having come to this country some generations ago and settled in New Jersey or Long Island. Two of these brothers remained bachelors, but the other reared a family, and from him descended the subsequent gen- erations. Mrs. Russell's mother was Margaret T. Sommers, also of Revolutionary stock. Mrs. Russell was one of four children. namely : Charles, who died at the age of sixteen ; Lewis, who was a soldier in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illinois, and is now a resident of Walla Walla, Washington: Wesley, who died in 1890 at Pana, Illinois; and Mrs. Russell.
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