A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 21

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 21

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In the state of his nativity Andrew Black Martin spent his youth, and his pre- liminary education acquired in the common schools was supplemented by collegiate training in Monmouth College, of Mon- mouth, Illinois, an institution under the auspices of the United Presbyterian church. In connection with his brother, John Mar- tin, he afterward established the Galesburg Business College, which became one of the best known and popular schools for business training in the state. This they conducted successfully for some time, but at length our subject abandoned educational work and turned his attention to commercial pur- suits. In the enterprise he was connected also with the firm of S. K. Martin & Com- pany, lumber dealers of Chicago, where they carried on operations until 1885, when Mr. Martin became identified with the in- terests of Rice county, establishing his home in Lyons. Here he opened a lumber yard and was soon in command of a good trade, for he carried a complete line of all kinds of lumber, and in his business dealings he was so reliable and straightforward that those who once became his customers re- mained as his regular patrons. He possess-

ed excellent and executive ability, keen dis- cernment and strong sagacity, and these qualities rendered him well worthy of the splendid success which crowned his efforts.

On the 17th of January, 1882, Mr. Martin was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Newman, who was born in Burling- ton, Iowa, but was reared and educated in Galesburg, Illinois , a daughter of Isaac and Salina ( Patrick) Newman. Her fa- ther was a representative of a prominent southern family and her mother was born in Michigan, her ancestors having removed from New York to the Wolverine state. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Martin were born three children: A. Newman, now a young man of eighteen years; A. B., a lad of ten summers; and Ruth Maxim, a bright little girl of five years. After the father's death Mrs. Martin removed with her chil- dren to a farm three miles southwest of Lyons, where they have a fine modern resi- dence, tastefully furnished in a manner that indicates the refinement and culture of the inmates. Both Mr. and Mrs. Martin held membership in the Presbyterian church, of which he was a very active and earnest worker. He served as leader of the choir and was also Sunday-school superintendent. His love of children was one of his most marked characteristics, and his superior manhood was indicated by the free confi- dence given him by the little ones. There is an intuition which seems to teach a child where its confidence can be placed, and this quality is more reliable than the judgment of our mature years. It was the most easy matter for Mr. Martin to win the love of children on account of the deep love which he bore for them and the interest which he took in their welfare. He was a man of strong temperance principles, and by pre- cept and example promoted the cause. So- cially he was identified with the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, and in his po- litical views he was a Republican. He found his greatest happiness in the midst of his family and counted no sacrifice too great that would promote the welfare of his wife and children. In business life he sus-

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tained an unassailable reputation, and in so- cial and home relations he was the soul of honor, so that he left to his family not only a handsome competence, the rich reward of his labors through many years but also the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. His death occurred February 13, 1900.

CONRAD H. PIEPER.

Conrad Pieper, a farmer, thresher and liveryman of Nickerson, Kansas, was born in Lippe, Germany, December 7, 1841, and when three years of age accompanied his parents, Antone and Dora (Hillkirk) Pie- per, to America in a sailing vessel. They landed at New Orleans and then came by river to Evansville, Indiana. The father was a cabinet maker by trade but after com- ing to America was mostly engaged in farming. He came to this country with scant means and borrowed money to begin life here. He proved up on a small claim of thirty-six acres and made several additional purchases until he owned one hundred and eighty acres, improved a good farm and stocked it with horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. Unto this worthy couple were born seven children, six sons and one daughter, and four of the number were born in Ger- many. The daughter and one son died in childhood and the other five sons are: Fred, a farmer living in Bicknell, Indiana; Conrad. the subject of this sketch; Her- man, who is living in Pratt county, Kan- sas. and has three sons ; Theodore, a farmer living in Indiana, who has a family of sons and daughters; and Charles, who died in Indiana in December, 1900, leaving a wife and four children. The mother of this fant- ily died in Indiana in 1872, at the age of fifty-six years, her birth having occurred in 1816, and the father died in 1896, at the age of eighty-seven years.

Conrad H. Pieper, whose name forms the caption of this sketch, was reared to farm life and labored at grubbing the land when a lad of ten years, and he and two of his brothers drew rails and wood by hand

on the little truck wagon, made by their fa- ther, before they had their first team of steers, which they raised. His educational privileges were very meager. He went to the little log school-house, with puncheon floor, seats and desks, the windows being single panes of glass rudely placed in space where a part of two logs had been cut out. The books were very few, reading, writing and arithmetic being the principal studies taught, and the methods of teaching were the most primitive and simple. He re- mained at home until August, 1862, when he enlisted in Company C, Eightieth Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry, and served three years or until the close of the war. He was wounded in the left side at Perryville, Ken- tucky, and was in the hospital seven weeks. At the battle of Atlanta, Georgia, he was taken prisoner while he was with Sherman and was held fifty-six days in the Ander- sonville pen in 1864, being captured on the 22d of August and not paroled until Oc- tober, when he joined his company at once. When the war closed he returned from Mosely Hall, North Carolina, to the old homestead farm near Bicknell, which is now owned by his brother Theodore. Mr. Pie- per has been a thresher since his youth, when the power and the separator had to be loaded and unloaded by hand, but now he owns two steam threshers in complete run- ning order. He purchased his first land, one hundred and sixty acres, in Linn coun- ty, Kansas, in April, 1866, paying four hundred and sixty dollars for it, and he later sold it for one thousand dollars. That in- vestment proved so profitable to him that eighteen months later he bought a quarter section in the same county, for four hundred dollars, which he sold in 1880 for fifteen hundred dollars, which amount he was offered for it within one year after purchasing it. His next venture was

in Sedgwick county, Kansas, where

he purchased a quarter section for

seven hundred dollars, which he sold in less than a year for eleven hundred dollars. He then went to the western part of Reno county and bought a claim of a half section for four hundred dollars, and proved up on

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

one quarter at a dollar and a quarter per acre and sold the claim to the other quarter for four hundred dollars. In 1888 he pur- chased a quarter section for sixteen hun- dred dollars, in 1890 another quarter ad- joining for sixteen hundred, and in 1893 eighty acres for eight hundred dollars, and in 1901 bought one hundred and sixty acres more, so that he now owns seven hundred and twenty acres in four farms, all improved with good buildings and the fields are under a high state of cultivation through the en- ergetic efforts and good management of the owner and his two sons.

On the 4th of December, 1858, in Linn county, -Kansas, Mr. Pieper was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jane Sproul, who was born in Iowa in 1849 and is a daughter of Thomas Sproul, a native of Ireland, who went to Ohio, thence to Iowa and then to Kansas in 1856, becoming one of the first settlers, driving over the country in a wagon with two yoke of cattle, and was one of the best farmers in Linn county. His wife died in 1863, leaving five children, two daugh- ters and three sons, all living but one daugh- ter. He died in 1894, at the age of seventy- two years. Mr. and Mrs. Pieper lost one daughter when she was seventeen years of age, and they have six living children, namely: Byron E., a dealer in groceries, farm implements and grain in Kingman county, Kansas, in which business he is making money; Theressa, the wife of Charles Wells, who is now living in King- man county and has three children ; Thomas A., a farmer of Reno county, who was mar- ried in March, 1901; Laura E., who mar- ried John Woodson, by whom she has three children, and they are living in Kingman county ; William Theodore, who is on the home farm; and Leonard S., also on the home farm.

Mr. Pieper is a stanch Republican in his political views and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has never sought or desired political office, but his fel- low townsmen, realizing his fitness for lead- ership and positions of trust, have elected him at different times as justice of the peace, road overseer and a member of the school

board, all of which positions he has filled with entire satisfaction to his constituents. He began the livery business in Nickerson in December, 1900, has since taken his son into partnership, under the style of Pieper & Son, and they are doing a fine business, keeping many rigs and boarding horses.

SAMUEL KAUFFMAN.

Samuel Kauffman, one of the well- known citizens of Rice county, who is de- voting his energies to agricultural pursuits and whose efforts in that direction result in making him one of the substantial citizens of the community, came to this locality in 1878, and here he has since made his home. He was born in Lehigh county, Pennsyl- vania, December 2, 1842, a son of Samuel Kauffman, Sr. The latter's father, Abra- ham Kauffman, was likewise a native of Pennsylvania and was of German descent. He married Miss Sarah Shantz, a native of the Keystone state, and both died on the old home farm in Lehigh county. Samuel Kauffman, Sr., was reared and educated in the state of his nativity, and was there mar- ried to Esther Musselman, who was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. Their union was blessed with seven children, namely : Mrs. Sarah Gehman; Mrs. Susanna War- ner; Elizabeth ; Abraham, who was a min- ister of the Mennonite church and is now deceased ; Samuel ; Milton ; and Mrs. Mary Ann Moore. The father of this family fol- lowed farming as a life occupation, and was honored and esteemed by all who knew him. He was an elder in the Mennonite church, and in his life exemplified his Christian faith. Politically he was an advocate of Republican principles. He was called from this earth in 1853, and his widow survived until 1894, when she, too, was called to the home beyond, at the age of eighty-nine years.

Samuel Kauffman, whose name forms the caption of this review, was reared on a farm in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, where he was early taught lessons of in-

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dustry, perseverance and economy. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges, but he has largely supplemented this training by practical experience, read- ing and observation. The year 1878 wit- nessed his arrival in Rice county, Kansas, whither he came from Michigan. He lo- cated on a tract of unimproved land, but his farm is now one of the finest and best im- proved places in the county, comprising seven hundred and twenty acres of rich and productive land. Here he not only follows general farming but is also extensively en- gaged in the raising of cattle, horses and hogs, and in both branches of his business he is meeting with a well-merited success. As time has passed he has secured all of the improvements and accessories of a model farm, erecting a good residence, large barn and all necessary outbuildings, and the school-house also is located on a portion of his place.

In the year 1866 Mr. Kauffman was united in marriage to Caroline Godshalk, who was born in Northampton county. Pennsylvania, a sister of the Hon. A. J. Godshalk, of Alden, Rice county, Kansas. On the 18th of October, 1874, in St. Joseph county, Michigan, Mrs. Kauffman was called to the home beyond, and her loss was deeply mourned, for she was loved and re- spected by all who knew her. In 1878, in St. Joseph county, Michigan, Mr. Kauff- man wedded Savilla, a daughter of John W. and Mary (Hile) Kline. The father, a native of Snyder county, Pennsylvania, is a well-known and honored citizen of Cen- ter township, Rice county. The mother died at her home in Center township, June 19, 1900. She was an affectionate wife and mother and was loved by all for her kind- ness of heart and mind. At her death she left six children, namely: Charles, Mrs. Savilla Kauffman, Mrs. Ella Coonfer, Mrs. Elizabeth Rathbun, Mrs. Catherine Miller and Albert W. Mrs. Kline was a worthy member of the Evangelical church, in which her husband also holds membership. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman have been born three children,-Eva Grace, Roy L. and

Floyd Earl. The family are members of the Evangelical church.

On the 5th of April, 1882, their resi- dence was completely destroyed by a cy- clone, and although the family were in the house at the time, none of the members were injured. Mr. Kauffman casts his ballot in favor of Republicanism, stanchly advo- cating the principles set forth by the party. His fellow townsmen have recognized his worth and ability and have called him to the office of treasurer of the school district in which he resides, and in this position he has served with credit and ability. He is a warm advocate of education, temperance and religion, and in all relations of life he has been true to principle and to duty.

BYRON L. CHURCH.

Among the leading and substantial citi- zens of Holyrood, Ellsworth county, Kan- sas, is Byron L. Church, farmer and stock- man, and also president of the Holyrood Bank. Mr. Church was born in Jackson county, Michigan, on January 26, 1854. being a son of Munson Church, who was born in New York, in 1825. and Charity (Clark) Church, who was born in Ohio, in 1827, and died in 1862.

Thomas Church, the grandfather of our subject, was a pioneer of Jackson county, Michigan, and was active in its early or- ganization, spending his whole life there. He married Mary Warner, and the five sur- viving members of his family are these : Munson, the father of our subject; Eli, a farmer in California; Alonzo, a farmer in Michigan; Bolona, the widow of Leonard Cutler, of Fulton, Illinois; and Sarah, the widow of Alonzo Cutler, of Laporte, In- diana.

While still a child Munson Church, the father of our subject, accompanied his par- ents to Michigan and there grew to man- hood and married. He was there engaged in farming until 1858, when he moved to Fulton county, Illinois. Here also he was

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engaged in farming for about six years and then returned to Michigan, locating in Cal- houn county, where he remained until 1879 and then followed our subject to Ellsworth county, Kansas. Mr. Church located on section 33-16-9, in Lincoln township, buy- ing one-half section of land, and here he carried on agriculture until 1884, moving at that date to the city of Ellsworth. Five years later he removed to a farm belonging to our subject, in Geneseo, where he now resides. His second marriage was to Mrs. Amelia Eldred. Through life Mr. Church has been one of the active members of the Methodist church and is a much-respected citizen. Five children have been born to Mr. Church, and our subject was the sec- ond in order of birth, the others being as follows: Lydia, the wife of C. G. Thomas, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Mary, the wife of Charles Chase; Edward, of Ithaca, Michi- gan ; Emma, who died at the age of twelve years ; and Richard, a stock dealer of Holy- rood.

Byron L. Church, who is the subject of this sketch, was about five years of age when he came to Illinois with his parents, and he was reared on a farm in that state until he was seventeen years of age, when he went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he found employment in a stove foundry, and remained there until he was twenty-one years old. Mr. Church was too ambitious and energetic to settle down to this life when adventure and land were awaiting courageous men in Kansas, and in 1876, with about one hundred dollars which he had been able to save, he bade his friends farewell and started out in the world to make a career for himself. His reading and investigation had given him a pretty fair idea of the part of the state in which he wished to locate, and upon reaching Ells- worth county he took up homestead and timber claims, the west one-half section of 32-16-9, and settled right down to hard work. This was in April, and during the first year he succeeded in breaking fifty acres, thirty of which was ready in time to put in wheat that same year.

For a home Mr. Church constructed a

dug-out of dimensions ten feet by sixteen, and in this place he kept what was termed "bachelor's hall" for about three years, working with all the energy and industry of which he was capable. He was fortunate in raising a good crop of wheat the first year, and in the second year was able to utilize the whole fifty acres for wheat, this also proving productive, and this encour- aged him to continue for seven years rais- ing wheat. It was some five years after lo- cating in the county before he had saved enough to buy another one-half section of land, and since that time he has done con- siderable land buying and selling, his ex- cellent judgment being rarely at fault in the matter. Mr. Church still retains five hun- dred acres of land in the home farm and owns eight hundred acres in other parts of Ellsworth and Rice and Barton counties.

In 1885, in company with his brother, our subject entered into the cattle business, in Ness county, where they fenced five thou- sand acres of good land, upon which they conducted an extensive business for six years, or until the law requiring the removal of fences from large grazing tracts made it impracticable. Mr. Church then continued in the cattle business to a large extent on the home farm, keeping some two hundred head, but during late years has more closely confined his attention to his farming inter- ests, mainly wheat, raising this cereal cn four hundred acres, and renting out the re- mainder of his land.

Mr. Church is a man of large ideas and progressive spirit, and in 1888 he purchased a controlling interest in the Holyrood Bank. which institution was founded by H. S. Westfall, and since that time our subject has served as president, his policy placing it among the safe, reliable and conservative institutions of the county. The capital of the Bank of Holyrood is twenty-five thou- sand dollars, and its officers are as follows : B. L. Church, president ; H. C. Trevert, vice- president; F. W. Thomas, cashier. and Philip Church as assistant cashier, and there is probably no business concern in this coun- ty doing a more satisfactory business. Lo- cated as it is in the heart of one of the best

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wheat producing sections of the state, and at a distance from other banks, it is not only a convenience but a necessity to the farmers, stockmen and business citizens. During the shipping season, when thousands of bushels of wheat are handled daily, the business amounts to an almost incredible sum. Then it is that an honest, reliable and conservative concern like the Bank of Holy- rood is appreciated.

In public affairs Mr. Church has always taken an active part in promoting all en- terprises for the improvement and advance- ment of the county and has been identified with every progressive movement. In poli- tics he is a Republican, but a desire for office has never disturbed the even tenor of his way, and he has accepted only that of town- ship trustee, for three consecutive terms, and has acted as treasurer of the school board. His interest in educational matters has been sincere and he has ever done his duty in promoting every measure looking toward any improvement.

Fraternally Mr. Church is a Knight Templar Mason, belonging to chapter, con- sistory and council in Ellsworth, and is a charter member of Wichita Consistory, No. 2, and Holyrood Lodge, No. 362.

The marriage of Mr. Church was on December 29, 1879, to Miss Mary Durr, who was a daughter of John P. and Cath- erine Durr, and she was born in Sheboygan county, Wisconsin. Seven children have been born to our subject and wife, namely : Ray, who was assistant cashier of the Bank of Holyrood and now carries on the work on the farm; Philip, assistant cashier ; Max; Levi; Munson; James; and Donald.

The home of the Church family is lo- cated five miles northeast of the town of Holyrood and attracts attention on account of the fine improvements and excellent cul- tivation.

Mr. Church is in a great measure a self- made man. He came when but a boy to this state and by the application of energy and industry founded his own fortune. He is held in high esteem in Ellsworth county and is justly regared as a thoroughly repre- sentative citizen of Ellsworth county.

JOHN SCHARDEIN.

A work purporting to give an account of the leading citizens of Reno county, Kan- sas, could not well omit adequate mention of John Shardein, a prominent farmer who lives on section 20, Salt Creek township, not far from Nickerson. He is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was born August 24, 1837. Bernard Schardein, his father, was a native of Alsace or Lorraine, Germany, who some time after 1820 came from his native land to New York city, making the voyage in one of the old-fashioned sailing vessels. He had then just been married, and he and his young bride went west as far as Ohio. He was a weaver by trade, but went to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1837 or 1838 and became a groceryman there. Later he went to Clarke county, Indiana. and became a farmer there and prospered. Mr. and Mrs. Schardein reared five sons and two daughters, all of whom grew to ma- turity and with exception of one son and one daughter all had children. Three of the sons fought for the Federal cause in the Civil war. Philip died of disease at Savan- nah, Tennessee, and is buried at Shiloh. Adam was wounded in the Shenandoah val- ley and died at Williamsport, Maryland. John, who is the immediate subject of this sketch, volunteered August 31, 1861, in the Eleventh Indiana Infantry, and served three years or until he was mustered out, August 31, 1864, at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. During the three years he was in the hos- pital at New Orleans, a sufferer from oph- thalmia. Though often urged to apply for a pension, he has never done so. He is an ardent Populist and is now the treasurer of his township and has served his fellow citi- zens as township trustee. He and his wife are members of the Christian church, in which he is an elder.

Mr. Schardein was married in Clarke county, Indiana, April 20, 1857, to Miss Nancy Mckinley, who died in the fall of 1862, while Mr. Schardein was in the army. and left a daughter named Luella, who mar- ried James Miller and lives in Floyd county, Indiana. In 1865 Mr. Schardein married

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Miss Eliza J. Grady, who has borne him eight children, seven of whom are living. Their son, John A. Schardein, is a merchant in Orange county, Indiana, and has one daughter. Their daughter, Emma Ade- laide, who married Frank Green, of Salt Creek township, has two sons and a daugh- ter. Their son Charles B. is a farmer in Salt Creek township and has two sons. Their daughter Clara L. married George Gillock, of Salt Creek township, and has two daughters. Their son William E. Schardein, of Nickerson, has three sons. Their daughter Hettie M. is the wife of Frank Johnson, of Medford township, Reno county, Kansas. Their son Fred G., a youth of sixteen, is a member of his parents' household.

After the war Mr. Schardein went to Macoupin county, Illinois, where he was a tenant farmer for thirteen years. In 1878 he went to Sterling, Rice county, Kansas, by rail and arrived there August 31. He brought with him stock and a cash capital of five hundred dollars and his belongings were conveyed in a chartered car. He bought a claim to a quarter section of land and proved up a soldier's claim on it, mak- ing a cash payment of one thousand dollars. The place was in a state of nature and his first house was a shanty, twelve by fourteen feet in size. The man who had lived on the claim before he had bought it had occupied a leaky shed of the same dimensions. For some time his style of living was primitive, but better things were in store for him and his family. His present residence is a sub- stantial and attractive farm cottage, built in the midst of a group of shade trees and an orchard of fruit trees. This sightly and rural home, with the large barn and other commodious buildings near by, stands some distance from the dusty street and alto- gether presents a very inviting appearance. Mr. Schardein takes pride in breeding good stock and he always has fine horses and good cattle. In every sense he is a pro- gressive and up-to-date farmer, who farms in a thoroughly business-like way and reaps a substantial and satisfactory reward. He has a wide acquaintance among the leading

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A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 21

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