USA > Kansas > A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I > Part 107
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During his traversing of the country while engaged in freighting and the collec-
tion of bones, Mr. Bainum had become fa- vorably impressed with the character of the land to the south of Reno county, and in 1877 he induced a company of Ohio men to locate in the Ninnescah valley of Kingman county, among the number being Joseph McPeek, Charles McConnell, Angus Bain- um, Charles Cooley and Hamilton Watkins, all of whom entered claims in the rich bot- tom lands. After proving up on his claim in Reno county, Mr. Bainum disposed of the same and took up his abode on his present farm, to which he had entered claim in May, 1879. Here he built a good sod house with two rooms, the same being used as a resi- dence at the present time. It is in a good state of preservation and is probably the only remaining landmark of its kind to be found in the county, a reminder of the pio- neer epoch. Mr. Bainum now has a modern residence. Since coming to Kingman county, in whose organization he took a prominent part, Mr. Bainum has given his attention principally to the raising of live- stock, having one of the best stock farms in this section, the same being well watered by the Ninnescah river, the fertile bottom lands furnishing the best of pasturage, while our subject has never failed to secure a good corn crop, even in the years of greatest drouth. Our subject is favored also by an- other exceptional advantage, having on his place the only artesian well to be found in this section of the state. In July, 1898, while sinking a drive well he struck an artesian vein, and the same has since furnished an unfailing flow of excellent water, the well having a head of some forty feet and a vol- ume of water which completely fills a two- inch pipe, flowing forty gallons per minute. The overflow is conducted into a beautiful lake of four acres, and this has been well stocked with several varieties of fish. Mr. Bainum keeps on his place an average of about two hundred head of cattle, and he has kept as high as four hundred head, in- cluding stock which he pastured for others. His stock is all of high grade and is princi- pally of the short-horn variety. He also has a good herd of pure-bred Poland-China swine, and his live stock commands invari-
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ably the highest market prices. Prior to the advent of the railroad he used to butcher and pack an average of forty head of hogs each year, and he has always taken a deep inter- est in introducing a good grade of stock, doing much to advance this line of industry in the county.
In politics onr subject is a radical and uncompromising Republican, his first presi- dential vote having been cast in support of William Henry Harrison, and he has voted for every Republican presidential candidate since that time. During the greater portion of his residence in Kingman county he has served as a member of the Republican cen- tral committee of the same. During his resi- dence in Sangamon county, Illinois, he be- came intimately acquainted with Abraham Lincoln, and on the first case which the mar- tyred president tried in the courts our sub- ject appeared as a juryman. On one occa- sion Mr. Bainnm sold to the future presi- dent twenty-five cords of wood, delivering the last load on Christmas day. Mr. Lin- coln insisted on his pulling the load into the shed and taking dinner with him on the holi- day occasion. Our subject was attired in his working clothes and was entirely unprepared for a function of the sort, but yielded to the kindly importunities of his host and met at dinner a company of the elite of the city of Springfield and also other distin- guished guests, including the eminent law- yer. Roscoe Conkling. He received the same courteous treatment as did other guests, and recalls the incident with marked pleasure, as signifying the true democratic spirit and simple honesty of purpose which so charac- terized the noble Lincoln. The religious faith of Mr. Bainum is that of the Method- ist Episcopal church, and he is one of the prominent members of the church at Cun- ningham.
Of the ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Bainum we incorporate the following rec- ord: Josephus is a successful farmer, of Reno county; Phoebe J., who became the wife of Harrison Ball, is deceased ; John W. died in childhood, as did also Nancy; Mary was killed by lightning when twenty-two years of age, in Reno county; William G.
resides on the home farm and of him further mention is made in the appending sketch; Ellen Viola died in childhood, as did also Charles A .; Hannah is the wife of Thomas Branaman, a farmer of Dresden township; and Delia A. is the wife of Taylor E. UI- man, of Hutchinson.
WILLIAM G. BAINUM.
In the preceding paragraphs has been given an outline of the career of the hon- ored father of the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch, and a recapitulation of the data touching the ancestry and many of the events in which our subject was to a greater or less extent concerned will not be demanded at this juncture. William G. Bainum is associated with his father in the live-stock business, under the firm name of William M. Bainum & Son, and he is the owner of a tract of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the parental homestead and equaling it in fertility and general excel- lence. He secured this claim by pre-emp- tion, has made the best of improvements on the same and is known as one of the able and progressive young business men of this locality and as a worthy representative of the sterling pioneer family of which he is a member.
Mr. Bainum is a native of Noble coun- ty, Ohio, where he was born on the 17th of January, 1858. He was reared under the parental roof and his educational discipline was received in the public schools of Illinois and Kansas, to which latter state his par- ents removed when he was about ten years of age, in 1869, and thus he participated in the life characteristic of the pioneer days and noted somewhat more specifically in the foregoing article. While on the freighting expeditions there referred to he was often on the road for a week or more at a time. and during these intervals slept out of doors each night, being far removed from houses. The free life of the prairies, however, and the sturdy labors which fell to his share, gave him a robust constitution and a deep
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appreciation of the independence which comes to the man who holds himself "far from the madding crowd." At the time when his father took up his claim in King- man county our subject also made pre-emp- tion entry on the northwest quarter of sec- tion 27, Dresden township, but during his absence, while employed in connection with the construction of the line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad south of Wich- ita, his claim was "jumped," and rather than contest the title he abandoned the same, tak- ing up the southeast quarter of the same sec- tion, which is his present farm and which is operated in connection with that of his father, with whom he has ever since been associated in business.
In Kingman county, on the 22d of March, 1894, Mr. Bainum was united in marriage to Miss Effie Pinkston, who was born in Cole county, Missouri, the daughter of Rev. P. J. Pinkston and Bary ( Medlock) Pinkston, the former being a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has done effective service in the cause of the Master, having been a member of the Kan- sas conference for a period of sixteen years, after which he removed to Alva, Oklahoma, where he is now in charge of a church. In his family were fourteen children, of whom ten survive, the other four having died in infancy. The others are here named in or- der of birth : Louis, Rebecca. Effie. Thomas, Charles, Martha, Marian, Maud, Harley and Carroll. Mr. and Mrs. Bainum have two daughters,-Mildred J. and Mary Lucretia.
In politics our subject gives an unfalter- ing allegiance to the Republican party, and he has maintained a lively interest in public affairs of local character, having served as treasurer of his township, as constable and for several years as treasurer of the school board of his district. Fraternally he is iden- tified with the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica.
WILL R. MURPHY.
Not only as an excellent photographer and talented artist is Will R. Murphy known to the people of Newton, Kansas,
but also as a worthy citizen and pleasant and agreeable member of social circles. . Mr. Murphy was born in Jefferson City, Mis- souri, on January 5, 1867, and he was a son of Richard and Catherine (Fitzgerald) Murphy, both of whom were natives of Cork, Ireland, Richard Murphy was a con- tractor and builder previous to his location in the United States, whither he came in 1856. His first settlement was in Boston, Massachusetts, but later he removed to St. Louis, Missouri, and there built the great St. Louis reservoir, a most stupendous task. He was also the contractor and builder of one of the largest buildings in the United States and while at this work, superintend- ing the employes during winter winds, he contracted the cold which caused his death, in 1875, at the age of fifty-two years. His- widow survives, and both had been members of the Catholic church since youth.
Will R. Murphy, who is the subject of this review, was educated in the common schools of Jefferson City, and early began to be interested in photography. He later served an apprenticeship of four years, at the end of which period he was thoroughly acquaint- ed with every kind of photography. At the age of twenty years he opened up a gallery of his own at Osceola, Missouri. and re- mained there five years, and then went to Jefferson City for the succeeding year. The next six months he spent in a delightful trip through many states and as far south as the gulf of Mexico, during which time he filled many portfolios with sketches and views in- tended for filling orders from papers and periodicals, and also for speculative work. Returning to Missouri, he opened a gallery in St. Louis, soon afterward accepting a po- sition on one of the city papers as sketch artist; but, although this was both pleasant and profitable, Mr. Murphy was obliged to resign it on account of its requiring too much night work. In September, 1897, he came to Newton, Kansas, and bought the business which had been established here by W. E. Langan, in photography, and since that time he has had a most encouraging line of patronage, and engages in all kinds of photographic work, including the enlarge-
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ment of photographs. He has introduced all kinds of mechanical effects to render his pictures life-like and attractive, and has one of the best appointed studios in this local- ity. He has been selected as the artist for the work of the Commercial Club, of this city.
Mr. Murphy was married on October 10, 1894, to Miss Maggie Woodall, who was born in Osceola, Missouri, and she was a daughter of I. M. and Winnifred Woodall, now residents of Newton. Mr. and Mrs. Woodall had four children, viz. : J. D., who resides in Soda Springs, Idaho; William, who died at the age of thirty years; Mag- gie, who is Mrs. Murphy; and James, who also is employed in the studio. Two chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mur- phy,-Muriel Margaret and Catherine W. Mrs. Murphy is a most estimable lady and a consistent member of the Baptist church. Mr. Murphy is well and favorably known as an honest and upright citizen, is a Repub- lican in his political convictions and is fra- ternally connected with the A. O. U. W. and also with the Elks.
STEPHEN S. LEIGHTY.
One of the practical, progressive and en- terprising farmers and stock-raisers of Reno county is Stephen S. Leighty, whose valua- ble and attractive homestead is located in Lincoln township. He was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on the 20th of Feb- ruary, 1853, a son of Stephen S. and Eliza J. ( Hutson) Leighty, both also natives of the Keystone state. Stephen S., one of the twelve children, was reared to farm life on his parents' homestead in the east, and to the district schools of his native locality he is indebted for the educational advantages which he received in his youth. He remained upon the old home farm in Pennsylvania until 1882, in which year he came to Reno county, Kansas, and here purchased the quarter section of land which he now owns in Lincoln township, the purchase price be- ing fourteen hundred dollars. At that time the land was but partially improved and con-
tained a small house and barn. Here he at once engaged in general farming and stock- raising, and he is now recognized as one of the practical, progressive and enterprising business men of Reno county. He has placed his fields under an excellent state of cultivation, and in his pastures are found an excellent grade of cattle. In 1883 he erec- ted his commodious and convenient barn and in 1897 his present attractive and beautiful residence was completed, and everything about the place indicates the supervision of a thrifty and progressive owner.
On the 13th of November, 1872, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Leighty and Miss Nancy J. Harper. The lady was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Samuel R. and Sarah A. (Wadsworth) Harper. Seven children have graced their marriage, namely: Alice A., the wife of George Getter; Sarah E., who died in in- fancy : Harper, a farmer of Lincoln town- ship; W. G., Stephen S., Clyde W. and Se- bina E. The children have all received ex- cellent education in the schools of Hutchin- son and Wichita.
In political matters Mr. Leighty form- erly affiliated with the Republican party, but since 1890 he has given his support to the People's party. He has taken a very active part in the public affairs of his community and has served in many positions of honor and trust, having served for two years as township treasurer, as overseer of highways for one year and as a member of the school board for fourteen years, while many times he has been a delegate to county conven- tions. He is a member of the Congrega- tional church, and gives his support to all moral, educational, social or material inter- ests which he believes will benefit the com- munity. He is a man of sterling worth and justly merits the high regard in which he is hield.
PATRICK O. FORD.
Patrick O. Ford is now living a retired life in Sterling, Kansas, and his rest is well merited for he manifested marked activity
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and energy in business affairs, was a loyal defender of the Union and has ever been a faithful citizen and upright man. Surely his rest is justly deserved!
Mr. Ford was born in County Clare, Ire- land, a seaport town, May 4, 1840, and in October, 1848, he came to the United States with his mother and his stepfather, William and Mary (McNaughton) Custy, who were also natives of the same county. They came to the new world in order to escape the fam- ine which Ireland was undergoing, and, after reaching America took up their abode in Dayton, Ohio. The father, John Ford, died in early manhood, leaving but one child,- our subject, and the mother then married Mr. Custy. Our subject continued at home until eighteen years of age and during that period acquired a good education in the common schools. He then went to Kentucky and learned the carpenter's trade, which proved to him a source of livelihood in later years. He was in the Blue Grass state at the time of the inauguration of the Civil war, and on the 2d of October, 1861, he re- sponded to the call of the Union, enlisting as a member of Company C, Thirteenth Kentucky Infantry, with which he served for three and a half years, coming out as orderly sergeant. By the bursting of a shell at Peach Tree Gap, Georgia, on the 22d of July, 1864, the drum of his left ear was de- stroyed and his right ear was much injured. This of course brought on considerable deaf- ness and the government therefore grants him a pension of twenty-four dollars per month. He received an honorable discharge on the 12th of February, 1865.
In Kentucky, in January, 1868, Mr. Ford was united in marriage to Miss Ara- minta Edderington, of Adair county, Ken- tucky. She was then but fifteen years of age, but for nine years she brightened life's pathway for him, proving a pleasant and helpful companion on the journey of life. On the 13th of February, 1877, however, at their home in Sterling, Kansas, she depart- ed this life, and Mr. Ford has since lived alone.
He is one of the early settlers of Ster- ling. He engaged in contracting and build-
ing in Kentucky and followed the same pur- suits after coming to Kansas. He was also in the furniture business in Sterling for a number of years, and through his well direc- ted business efforts he won a competence which now enables him to live in retire- ment, enjoying a well earned rest. Mr. Ford was reared a Catholic, but by careful and close study of the Bible he was led to change his faith and is now a Protestant. In his political views he is a Republican but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, as he is content to per- form the duties of citizenship as a private citizen.
IRA H. CLARK.
Ira H. Clark is proprietor and editor of the weekly and daily Register, of Great Bend. This was the first newspaper pub- lished in Barton county and was established by A. J. Hoisington on the 9th of May, 1874. In 1883 it was sold to E. L. Chap- man, and was purchased by Morgan Cara- way in 1889. In 1893 Joe Borders became proprietor, and in 1895 it again passed into the ownership of the first proprietor, A. J. Hoisington, who sold the paper to Ira H. Clark in 1899. It has a circulation of nine- teen hundred, and is a wide-awake, progres- sive Republican sheet. In 1900 Mr. Clark and F. E. Brown printed the first daily, a small paper, but it has a good circulation and is fully up-to-date in every particular.
Mr. Clark was born in Harrison county, Ohio, May 23. 1866, and is a son of Oscar and Margaret ( Hamilton) Clark, who re- moved to Harvey county, Kansas, in 1874, and are yet representatives of its farming interests. Their son attended the public schools and the State Normal, of Emporia, and afterward secured a situation with the Walton Independent, having determined to become a journalist. After one year he pur- chased the paper, which he conducted for a year, when he removed to Frederick, Rice county, Kansas, and established a weekly journal, which he called the Independent. He continued its publication for a year, after
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which he brought out the first issue of the Dispatch, in Hoisington, remaining as its editor and publisher until 1899, when he came to Great Bend and purchased the weekly and daily Register. He is a young man of broad general information, who treats in a fair and impartial manner the questions of the day, and at the same time gives a stanch support to Republican princi- ples.
Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Nellie DeLong, a daughter of Garrett and Mary (Cole) DeLong, the wedding be- ing celebrated on the 27th of June, 1899. Their union has been blessed with five chil- dren, namely: Mary Hazel, Bessie Mar- garet, Ethel Gertrude, Flora Janet and Dwight De Long.
M. H. MCCANDLESS.
One of the honored residents of King- man county, where he is extensively en- gaged in farming and stock raising, M. H. McCandless is a native of the Keystone state, his birth having there occurred in Butler county in 1865. His father, Robert W .. was born within a half mile of our sub- ject's birthplace and was a son of William McCandless, of Scotch-Irish descent. Rob- ert WV. grew to years of maturity in the place of his nativity, and was there married to Miss Matilda Hays, a native also of But- ler county, Pennsylvania, and of Scotch- Irish parentage. She was a daughter of William Hays. Unto Robert W. and Ma- tilda McCandless were born ten children, seven sons and three daughters, but only six of the number are now living, namely : New- ton W., who was a gallant soldier during the latter part of the war; Martin L., Amanda, Maryetta. Emma and Milton H. The fa- ther was called to the home beyond at the age of sixty-five years, but is still survived by his widow, who has reached the seventy- seventh milestone on the journey of life.
M. H. McCandless, the immediate sub- ject of this review, spent his youth and early manhood in the county of his nativity,
and to its public school system he is indebted for his elementary education. The year 1893 witnessed his arrival in the Sunflower state, and since that time he has been num- bered among the leading farmers and stock raisers of Kingman county. At the age of twenty-two years he was united in marriage to Hattie Gruver, who prior to her marriage was a popular and successful teacher. She is a daughter of Philip Gruver, who loyally served his country during the period of the Civil war, having enlisted from Butler coun- ty, Pennsylvania. He still resides in that county. Unto the union of Mr. and Mrs. McCandless have been born three children, Mabel L., Mary H. and Merle G., aged, re- spectively, thirteen, eleven and eight years. Both Mr. and Mrs. McCandless are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church and in po- litical matters he gives an unfaltering sup- port to the Republican party. They are held in high esteem, and the kindly social qualities with which they are endowed win for them the friendship and good will of all.
E. J. DODGE.
People of the present period can scarcely realize the struggles and dangers which at- tended the early settlers; the heroism and self-sacrifice of lives passed upon the bor- ders of civilization ; the hardships endured, the difficulties overcome. Those tales of the early days read almost like a romance to those who have known only the modern pros- perity and convenience. To the pioneer of the early days the struggle for existence, far removed from the privileges and con- veniences of city and town was a stern, hard one, and those men and women must have possessed wisdom, immutable energies and sterling worth of character, 'as well as marked physical courage, when they thus selected such a life and successfully fought its battles under such circumstances as pre- vailed in the west.
E. J. Dodge is one of the honored pio- neers of Barton county and is now engaged in blacksmithing and carriage-ironing in
W. H. M:Candless Mrs. 2 H. IGandless!
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Great Bend. He is well preserved both mentally and physically and is a successful man esteemed by all. He has reached the age of eighty years, is five feet and four inches in height and weighs one hundred and sixty-two pounds. His vigor and en- ergy remain unimpaired and his activity is that of a man many years his junior. Mr. Dodge was born in Rome, Oneida county, New York, November 22, 1822, and traces his ancestry back to an Englishman who came from the merrie isle in the Mayflower The grandfather of our subject was Ozia Dodge and came to Massachusetts and fol- lowed farming, but was killed in early man- hood by a bull. His son. John Dodge, the father of our subject, was born in Talling- ham, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in 1783, and in the year 1806 married Miss Sarah Bullen, also a native of that state. Subsequently they removed to Oneida coun- ty, New York, where the father carried on business as a contractor and builder. In 1824 they went to Oswego, New York, and seven years later to Genesee county, where they remained for only a year. Their next place of abode was in Allegany county, and in 1836 they went with their family to Ke- nosha. Wisconsin, settling in Salem town- ship. There the father took up land and im- proved a farm, but ultimately located in the city of Kenosha, where he worked at his trade. In 1859 he removed to Port Wash- ington, Wisconsin, making his home with the subject of this review. He was a strong, hearty man, when one day, at the age of eighty-seven years, he walked to the door where he looked about him and said "amen." Turning he walked back to the bed, said that he was dying and lay down. In five minutes life was extinguished. His wife passed away when seventy-three years of age. They were the parents of eleven chil- dren, namely : Emeline S., Permelia A., Leander W., Philander W., Acsah, Edson, Edwin, Edward J., Lyman, Wallace and Susan.
In taking up the personal history of Ed- ward J. Dodge we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favor- ably known in Great Bend and Barton coun-
ty. In early life he learned the trade of car- riage-ironing and blacksmithing with his brother-in-law, David Crossett, at Kencsha, Wisconsin. He subsequently located at Port Washington, Wisconsin, where he be- gan business for himself, his labors bring- ing to him creditable success. While there residing he was married on the 31st of De- cember, 1846, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Possen. He remained a resident of Wisconsin until 1871, when he sought a milder climate, proceeding by rail as far as he could and then continued his journey into the interior of Kansas on a prospecting tour. After leaving Russell he encountered out- laws and saw men shot down. This rough, wild life almost discouraged him in his at- tempt to make a home in the west, but when he reached Barton county, saw its fine lands and recognized its possibilities he decided to take up his abode in this portion of the state. Accordingly he entered section 10, township 19, range 13. Through his land ran Walnut creek and there was a nice spring upon the bank. With characteristic energy he began the work of erecting a home. He made an excavation fourteen by thirty feet, put the body of a tree across, covered the top with poles and willow brush and then sod and dirt. The front was built up of sod and there were one door and two windows. He then built a barn in similar manner yet of greater extent, and securing mud from the creek he plastered this and whitewashed the walls. He made a stone fireplace in his home and was soon well prepared to return for his family, who reached Barton county on the 14th of November, having made the journey with wagon and two teams, bring- ing with them their household goods. Mr. Dodge also built a smithy and was the first person to engage in blacksmithing in Barton county. Mr. Dodge lived happily in the sod house for some time and then purchased a building which had been erected for a school-house, and into this he moved his family. In 1874 he built a new residence, the best residence in the county at that time. Buffaloes were to be seen in very large num- bers, for in immense herds they roamed over this section of the state. In the early days
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