A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 111

Author: Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York Chicago: The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 970

USA > Kansas > A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I > Part 111

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Socially he is connected with the Occi- dental Mutual Benefit Association and in his political views he is a Populist. He keeps well informed on the issues of the day, but never seeks public office, preferring to de- vote his attention to his business affairs, in which he is meeting with creditable suc- cess.

J. W. RICKARD.

One of the prominent citizens and well known stockmen of Kingman county, Kan- sas, is J. W. Rickard, one of the self-made men of this section of the state. As one of the largest land-owners and most successful stock-raisers, he is widely known through Kingman county, while in a smaller circle his domestic virtues and pleasant and genial hospitality make him the center of a large circle of appreciative friends.

The birth of J. W. Rickard was in Ham- ilton county, Indiana, in 1861, and he was a son of John H. and Allie Jane Pickrell, the former of whom was born in Ohio but was reared in Indiana. During the Civil war he was a gallant soldier and was wounded in the service of his country. John H. Rickard married. Allie Jane Pickrell, who was born and reared in Indiana, and after marriage they moved to Vermilion county, Illinois, and in 1890 they came to Kansas, and Mr. Richard is one of the lead- ing citizens of this county.

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

The children born to John H. Rickard and wife were as follows: John W., of this sketch; Edward, of this township; Albert, of Chikaskia township; Arthur, of Belmont township; Charles, of Chikaskia township; Verty Nichols, of Woods county, Okla- homa; and two who died in infancy.

John W. Rickard, of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm in Indiana and early displayed a taste for stock-raising, re- sulting in his employment by some of the leading stockmen of that state. Thus early in life he became acquainted with a business which has been one of the greatest sources of wealth to the state of Kansas. His edu- cation was pursued in the schools of his dis- trict, but while still a youth in his 'teens he was learning lessons of experience in busi- ness associations which served to make him the keen, reliable man of affairs that we find him to-day. Few men were better judges of stock in that section than was this lad, and his services were in demand by the leading dealers in this commodity.

At the age of twenty years Mr. Rickard was united in marriage to Miss Cassie Shatell, who was born, reared and educated in Indiana and who was a daughter of Solo- mon and Kate Shatell, the former of whom died in Indiana, and the latter of whom is still a resident of that state. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Rickard were four sons and four daughters, namely: Nora May, Flora Belle, Pearl, John, David, Frank, Reece and Hazel.

In 1886 our subject came to Kansas with the intention of engaging in the stock business. With this in view he first settled near Garden City in Finney county, remov- ing then to Haskell county and for years was actively engaged in the short-grass country, finally coming farther east and find- ing in Kingman county the conditions and advantages which he desired for an exten- sive stock business. In 1890 he located upon his present farm of fourteen hundred and sixty acres of fine land, all of which is well adapted for stock and will produce an abundant yield of grass, hay and grain. Mr. Rickard keeps large herds of cattle and a | great deal of stock and has become one of

the substantial citizens of Belmont township. Few men in Kingman county are better posted on stock conditions or know more thoroughly the workings of a great stock farm. Mr. Rickard is an authority on this subject, and articles from his pen or ad- dresses at the various meetings of stock- men are highly valued. It has required much hard work and the exercise of much economy and care in the past to attain this present prominence, for Mr. Rickard is a self-made man, having won his success by his own endeavor. His home is one of the pleasant, hospitable ones of this prosperous locality, while its host is an esteemed mem- ber of the best circles of society and a val- uted comrade in the fraternal order of Wood- men.

ROBERT R. BEAN.

Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the residents of Kansas, for the fertile prairies of the state afford excellent oppor- tunities to those whodesire to engage in the tilling of the soil and the raising of stock. Mr. Bean is a successful farmer of Sterling township and as he is widely and favorably known in this locality his life record can- not fail to prove of interest to many of our readers. He was born in Pike county, Illi- nois, October 11, 1844. His father, John L. Bean, was a native of Kentucky, born near Marysville, in 1814. The grandfather, Richard Bean, also resided in the Blue Grass state for many years but eventually removed to Illinois in its pioneer days and extensively carried on farming pursuits there. His wife was of German birth. They reared two sons and two daughters, but Robert Bean left home at the age of twenty-one and was never heard from again. The other son is John L. Bean, the father of our subject. The sisters both married and had families, making their homes in Pike county, Illi- nois. One of them, Mrs. Mary Allen, is still living. Orpha and Lewis Barber live in Martinez, California.

In the state of his nativity John L. Bean was reared and at an early day went to Illi-

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mois. He married Miss Amy Bobbitt, who was born in North Carolina in 1816, their wedding being celebrated in Pike county, Illinois. The father became a well-to-do farmer there and his success in his chosen vocation enabled him to provide his family with all the necessities and comforts of life. They became the parents of seven chil- dren, of whom five reached mature years, namely: Robert R., of this review ; James F., who for the past twelve years has been an agent for the Santa Fe Railroad at Martinez, an important station on the Cali- fornia coast: Harriet, wife of J. S. Conk- rite who is living on the old family home- stead in Pike county, Illinois, which was purchased by the grandfather in 1832; Lu- cretia, the wife of George Van Syckle, of Crawford county, Kansas, who came from Pike county, Illinois, twenty-one years ago ; and Jolin H., who died in Pike county, Illi- nois. August 2, 1876, and on the same day and at the same hour the marriage of our subject was celebrated in Cherryvale, Mont- gomery county, Kansas. The mother passed away in Cherokee county, Kansas, in the same year. The father had passed away some years previous, having died in Pike county, Illinois, June 2, 1862. The first of the family to come to Kansas was John H. Bean and his brother-in-law, Mr. Van Syckle, who arrived in 1880.

Robert R. Bean was reared to farm life in Illinois, and there acquired a good com- men-school education. At the age of nine- teen years he volunteered for service in the Union army, enlisting in Pike county, May 25, 1862, and just three years afterward he was mnstered out at Mobile, Alabama. He served in Company K. Second Illinois Cav- alry, and he now draws a pension of twelve dollars per month.

Nct long after his return from the war Mr. Bean was married, on the 28th of De- cember. 1865. in Pike county, Illinois, to Miss Kate Hughes. Their two children died in infancy. For his second wife he chose Mary M. Anderson, the wedding being celebrated August 2. 1876, in Cherry Vale, Montgomery county, Kansas, and she was a daughter of Alpheus Paisley and

Nancy. ( Spencer ) Anderson, of Indiana. Her father was one of the men who fled from the "jayhawkers" and took up his abode in Franklin county, Kansas. He died in Allen county, this state, leaving his widow. and five children. Mrs. Anderson still re- sides in Allen county and is now seventy- one years of age. In 1870 Mr. Bean came to Kansas from his native county in Illinois and located in Cherokee county. Through- out his entire life he has engaged in farm- ing with the exception of five years spent in the lumber business in Allen county. He now conducts a farm of five hundred and forty acres owned by A. R. Clark, judge of the courts. He raises corn, wheat and cat- tle, keeping on hand about fifteen head of cattle and about .thirteen horses and mules. The land which he operates is in excellent condition and the well tilled fields yield to him golden harvests. In politics he is a Re- publican and socially he is connected with the Ancient Order of Pyramids.

DAVID W. LOGAN.

Among the well known and highly re- spected citizens of Rice county, Kansas, who have borne an important part in the development of the state is D. W. Logan, whose name is enrolled among the pioneers of this section of the country. He was born in Allen county, Ohio, near Lima, Decem- ber 4. 1834. and is of Scotch-Irish descent. His father, David Logan, was born in Ten- nessee and was a son of David Logan, Sr., of Scotch parentage. David Logan, the fa- ther of our subject, spent his boyhood days in Tennessee, and when a young man re- moved to Ohio. As a companion and help- mate for the journey of life he chose Eliza- beth McPherron, who was born in Tennes- see, a daugliter of William McPherron. This union was blessed with seven children, namely: Priscilla Jane. deceased: David W .: Martha, who was a successful and popular teacher for forty-five years in Terre Haute, Indiana, and for two years taught in the public schools in Des Moines, Iowa;

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James, deceased: Eli, a resident of Trilla, Illinois : Jarrett W., a mechanic of the Rose Polytechnic Institute, of Terre Haute, Indiana ; and Eliza, also of that city. The father of this family died at Terre Haute, Indiana, at the age of sixty years. He fol- lowed farming as a life ocupation and gave his aid to the support of the Republican party. His wife died at the age of seventy- five years, and both were members of the Baptist church.

D. W. Logan was taken by his parents to Clark, Illinois, when a boy, where he was reared to farm lite, there remaining un- til seventeen years of age. He then went to Terre Haute, Indiana, and in that city con- pleted his education. While there, in 1861, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, be- coming a member of the Fourteenth Indi- ana Infantry, Company F. He afterward became a member of the Twenty-second In- diana Infantry, and took part in the battles of Winchester, against Stonewall Jackson's troops, and Antietam. At the last men- tioned engagement Mr. Logan received a gunshot wound in the right arm and he was confined in the field hospital at Fred- erick City, Maryland, also at Washington, D. C., and in the general hospital sixteen miles from Fort Schuyler, New York. Af- ter regaining his health he again went to the front and took part in the battles of Chancellorsville. Culpeper Court House, Cold Harbor, the Wilderness and Gettys- burg. He became a member of the 22d In- diana Infantry on the 22d of September, 1864, in Jeff C. Davis' old regiment, with which he remained until his discharge. He was in the battle of Nashville, Tennessee, un- der General Thomas, and took part in many other engagements of less importance. He also took part in the grand review at Wash- ington, D. C .. the most magnificent pageant ever seen on the western hemisphere. After three years and eight and a half months of service he received an honorable discharge and returned to his home with a gallant mili- tary record.

Ir 1874 Mr. Logan took up his abode in Rice county, Kansas, where he now owns a well improved farm one and a half miles

from Raymond, Rice county, and is engaged in general agricultural porsuits. In 1869, in Terre Haute, Indiana, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Martin, a daughter of William and Sarah ( Evans) Martin, na- tives of Kentucky. The mother died at the age of thirty-seven years, and the father sur- vived until 1886, passing away at the age of seventy-five years, in Sullivan county, Indi- ana. He was also engaged in the tilling of the soil, and in his political views was first a Whig and afterward a Democrat. Both he and his wife were members of the Metli- odist Episcopal church. Their union was blessed with eight children, namely : Ben, William, Mary, Martha, Eliza, John F., Alexander and Ezra. William died' July 15, 1900. John F. was a valiant soldier during the Civil war and resided in Chase, Kansas, where he died August 4, 1901. There is also a half-brother, Rev. Abraham Martin, a minister of the Christian church at Muncie, Indiana. The union of our sub- ject and wife is graced with three children : Olive A., wife of John A. Shuff, and living near Sylvia in Reno county ; Ada R., a suc- cessful and popular teacher in the city schools of Terre Haute, Indiana, and a graduate of the Terre Haute Normal School; and Louise Martin, wife of Frank Kelly, who follows farming on the old homestead, and they have one son, Austin Logan. Mrs. Logan, the wife of our sub- ject, has been twice married, her first union being with Thomas Elliott, and at his death he left one son, George E., who has been an employe of the Terre Haute Street Railway Company for eight years, and during that time has never been late a single day. He died July 12, 1901.

Mr. Logan is now retired from the act- ive duties of life, and his rest has come to him as the result of unflagging industry. perseverance and indomitable energy. He has carved his way to affluence alone and unaided, by constant application and hard work. He is serving as a deacon in the Baptist church, and his Christian belief is exemplified in his every day life. Socially he was connected with Raymond Post, G. A. R., and has passed all of the chairs in

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the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is frank and genial in manner, and has the love and respect of all with whom he has come in contact from day to day. In gen- eral politics he has always been a Republi- can. He has never held office, but has been a township committeeman for several years.

CHARLES N. SENTNEY.

Among the most prominent and pros- perous merchants of Central Kansas is Charles N. Sentney, the vice-president. treasurer and manager of the Sentney Wholesale Grocery Company at Hutchin- son, and his record is one of which he has every reason to be proud. He entered upon his business career without capital and has steadily advanced through his own efforts, working his way continually upward until the position which he now occupies classes him among the most enterprising and influ- ential men in the trade circles of the state.

A native of Indiana, he was born De- cember 10, 1864. His father, John Sent- ney. also a native of that state, learned the blacksmith's trade in early life buit later engaged in farming, which pursuit he fol- lowed during the greater part of his active business career. He is now living retired and with his wife is spending his declining days in his native state. He participated in the Civil war, becoming a member of the Thirty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry and acting a part of the time as regimental black- smith. At Fort Donelson he sustained a wound which rendered him unfit for fur- ther duty and necessitated his discharge. In his political views he has been a stalwart Republican since the organization of the party and in religions faith is a Methodist. He married Charlotte Sullivan. He was the last surviving member of his father's fam- ily and had he died without heirs the fam- ily would have become extinct, butt unto Mr. and Mrs. Sentney were born thirteen children, six of whom are vet living. Charles N. and his brother. K. E. Sentney, who is secretary of the company, are the only ones living in Hutchinson.

In his early youth Charles N. Sentney had but limited educational privileges, for the public schools were in session for only about three or four months in the year. However, he made the best of his oppor- tunities and deciding to prepare for the teacher's profession he entered the Southern Indiana Norma! School, in which he pur- sued both the scientific and teachers' courses and was then graduated. He also took a commercial course in the Normal School at Valparaiso, Indiana, after which he secured a position as teacher and for four years de- voted his energies to that work. He had also been chosen to act as teacher in the same place for the succeeding year, but de- ciding that he wished to engage in mercan- tile life he resigned from the school and re- moved to Missouri, where he entered the employ of the Nave & McCord Mercantile Company, of St. Joseph, Missouri. Gradi- ally he worked his way upward through the various departments, promotion coming to him as the result of his close application, energy, fidelity and desire to please. After two years spent in the house he was re- quested to take a position on the road as traveling salesman and was assigned to territory where three other men had made a failure. This fact was known to him, so he hesitated somewhat in accepting the offer, buti finally decided to make the at- tempt and soon he proved that he had par- ticularly high ability as a salesman. With a determination to do the best he could he covered the main line of the Santa Fe Rail- road and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa- cific line to Liberal, stopping at the various stations along those routes and making sales where others had failed. The first year his sales amounted to forty-eight thousand dollars, and by steady hard work he built 11p a large and steadily increasing business. and in the last year it amounted to one hin- dred and eighty-seven thousand dollars. He had the satisfaction of making a record that has never been equaled, for he not only headed the list of twenty-five salesmen in the amount of groceries sold, but also in the sales of teas and cigars. When he be- gan to work this territory he established his

CHARLES N. SENTNEY.

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home in Hutchinson and had been here three or four years when the house which he rep- resented opened a stock here for the purpose of more quickly filling the orders.

In 1899 Mr. Sentney and his brother, K. E. Sentney, decided to engage in busi- ness on their own account. He laid_the matter before his old firm and they became part owners in the new enterprise, which was established under the name of the Sent- ney Wholesale Grocery Company. Start- ing in under favorable conditions they were not compelled to build up an entirely new business, as the wide acquaintance and pop- ularity of our subject contributed to the success which they have enjoyed from the beginning. Theirs is a record seldom equaled by a new concern-that of having all the business which they can handle. Preparations were under way to erect a building of their own when the Hutchinson & Southern Railroad plant was absorbed by the Santa Fe Company; but they are now contemplating the erection of another building, which will consist of three stories and a basement, fifty by one hundred and fifty feet.

Though a comparatively new enterprise. its growth has been steady and remarkably gratifying, far exceeding the prophecies of experienced men and of the proprietors. Each month of 1901 has shown an increase of from twenty-six and a half to forty-five per cent. over the corresponding month of

1900, and in the first year their sales were more than double what was anticipated at the time of the founding of the enterprise. They have six men on the road now, cover- ing all tributary territory extending into eastern Colorado and part of the Territory. The business now gives employment to twenty-five men.

On the 8th of September, 1891, Mr. Sentney returned to Indiana, and was there married to Nora, daughter of John and Louisa Beaty. Her father is one of the prominent men of his locality, largely inter- ested in farming and stock raising as well as merchandising. Mr. and Mrs. Sentney now have two children, Bernice and Ralph. Mrs. Sentmey is a member of the Christian

church and is a most estimable lady. In his political views Mr. Sentney is a stal- wart Republican, but the demands of his business leave him no time for active po- litical work. Socially he is connected with Hutchinson Council, No. 34, United Com- mercial Travelers of America. There is much in his life, although he is yet a young man, that is worthy of emulation. His bus- iness career is one which is creditable and his reputation for reliability, as well as tin- faltering enterprise and determination, is stich as any man might be proud to possess. Hutchinson numbers him among her lead- ing citizens and well does he deserve men- tion among the representative men of central Kansas.

WILLIAM C. BLODGETT.

Among the old settlers, public officials and highly respected citizens of Kingman county, Kansas, none deserve mention more fully than William C. Blodgett, the efficient postmaster and prosperous merchant of Basil, Kansas. Mr. Blodgett also com- mands respect as a surviving soldier of the Civil war. His location in this state was made in 1883, since which time he has been one of her most useful and public-spirited citizens.

The birth of William C. Blodgett was in Eaton county, Michigan, in 1846, and he was a son of Eber and Julia ( Hastings ) Blodgett, the former of whom was born in Vermont, of a mixture of Scotch and Ger- man ancestry. He learned the carpenter's trade in his native state and there married Julia Hastings, who was a native of the same place. After marriage they moved to Ohio, remaining there some years, and later went to Eaton county, Michigan, and there engaged in farming until his death, at the age of sixty-three. Mr. Blodgett was a man of reliability and prominence and left a most exemplary life record behind him. After his death his widow moved to Kan- sas, where she lived until the age of seventy- one, dying regretted by a large circle of friends.

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The early life of William C. Blodgett was passed on a farm in Michigan, where he learned the practical details of agricul- tural work, and had circumstances been dif- ferent he might have now been a citizen of that state. His education was as liberal as time and locality afforded, but before he had passed his seventeenth year the war alarm had sounded, and although but a lad he hastened to the succor of his country, entering Company H, Twenty-seventh Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and serving through eighteen months. During this time with his regiment he participated in some of the hardest-fought battles of the whole war,-those of the Wilderness, Cold Har- bor and Spottsylvania,-and was present at the great mine explosion in front of Peters- burg, Virginia. Here his brother-in-law, Warren Ashley, was taken prisoner and sent tr Andersonville, Georgia, where he died. Although our subject did not suffer such a fate, he did not entirely escape the for- tunes of war, being taken sick and sent to Mount Pleasant hospital, and was later sent to Chestnut Hill hospital near Philadelphia. In June, 1865, he received his honorable discharge, bearing with him a record for soldierly courage and achievement.

Mr. Blodgett was married in 1870, to Rachel J. Ashley, a very intelligent lady of Clinton county, Michigan, who had been born in Eaton county, that state, and who was a daughter of George and Charlotte ( Gavett ) Ashley, both of whom died in Eaton county. In 1879 Mr. Blodgett came to Kansas and settled in the northwest part, in Graham county, where he proved a home- stead claim. In 1884 he came to this coun- ty, locating in Valley township, on section 4. and here he remained engaged in farm- ing until his removal to the town of Rago and ran a boarding house and livery barn for eight years; then, in 1898, he removed to Basil, to embark in the mercantile busi- ness. This has grown into a very large and important enterprise and commands a stead- ily increasing trade. Mr. Blodgett carries a large and well assorted stock of dry goods, hardware, farm machinery, thresh- ing machines and groceries, and has built

up a reputation for honest and fair dealing that has enabled him to gain the confidence of the public to a gratifying degree.

Mr. and Mrs. Blodgett have three chil- dren surviving, viz .: Lewis, who married L. Young, has one child and resides in Rago, Kansas; Frank, who in 1899 married Flora Jane Wren, lives in Basil and is a prominent man in the township; and Earl, who lives at home. Three children died in infancy, one babe at the age of six months, Robert M., at the age of twenty-three, and Elmer. Mrs. Blodgett had four brothers in the Civil war, namely: Nathan, who re- sides in Michigan; Theodore, who died in Michigan in 1900; Warren, who died in prison at Andersonville; and Edward, who was killed at the battle of Bull Run.

In politics Mr. Blodgett is an active Re- publican and was made postmaster of this village in 1900, an appointment which gave very general satisfaction. His membership is valued in the G. A. R. post, and both he and wife are connected with the Methodist church, to which he is a liberal contributor. Mr. Blodgett is the type of man pleasing to know,-hearty, genial and hospitable,- a man who extends his hand in friendship to all who are worthy.

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A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 111

Author: Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York Chicago: The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 970

Author: Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York Chicago: The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 970