USA > Kansas > A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122
clerk of the township board and as township he is independent, but has served as clerk of the township board and as township treas- urer. His advancement in business affairs has been creditable and gratifying since he came to Ellsworth county and he has never had occasion to regret the fact that he allied his interests with those of the Sunflower state.
CLAUDE DUVAL.
Claude Duval, who for fifteen years has been a resident of Hutchinson, is widely known throughout Kansas as a traveling salesman, and is no less honored and dis- tinguished in business circles than he is in the ranks of the Democratic party, of which he is leading member. He was born in Morganfield, Kentucky, May 19, 1859, and not only can he claim descent from one of the honored pio- neer families of that state but also from those who were among the first permanent settlers on the Atlantic coast. The first of the Duval family in America were two brothers, who came from France with Gen- eral La Fayette. Both served in the Revo- lutionary war and one settled in Maryland and the other in Virginia. It is from the latter that our subject is descended. Through his paternal grandmother, who bore the maiden name of Jane E. Russell, the family history can be traced back through several centuries to about 1000 A. D. The first of the name in America was William Russell. It has always been under- stood from tradition that he was a member of the family of Russell in England, rep- resented by the ducal house of Bedford, but of which particular branch of the family is not known. However, it is known that the Russell family in England is one of great antiquity and came originally from Nor- mandy, where the name was Du Rozel. Wiffin, in his memoir of the house of Rus- sell, says: "It derived its distinctive ap- pellation from one of the fiefs which the first chieftain of that name possessed an- terior to the first conquest to England. In
179
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
lower Normandy in the ancient bourey of Briquebec, in 1066, they occupied the castle and territory of Du Rozel, which was a portion of their appanage, as a younger branch of the Bertrands, barons of Brique- bec, a house the head of which took the title of sire, being accounted second only in rank to the barons of St. Sauvenr, who were styled vicomtes of La Manche. Hugh Du Rozel, who appears to have been the first of the name, was born about 1021. Soon after the Norman conquest the Du Rozels crossed the channel into England, where land was assigned to them in Northumberland and where the name was anglicized into Russell. In 1I4I Robert De Russell led his company of knights into the battle of Lincoln and distinguished himself in that conflict. The earliest coat of arms of the family in Eng- land bore a lion rampant ; gules on a chief sable ; three escallops argent."
William Russell, the first representative of the family in America, crossed the Atlantic with Sir Alexander Spotts- wood in 1710, arriving within the capes of Virginia on the Deptford, a man of war, of which Tancred Robinson was commander, the landing being ef- fected on the 20th of June. The following day they proceeded up the James river in the Bedford galley, commanded by Captain Lee, who landed his bcat at Jamestown. William Russell soon became a prominent character in the early history of the col- onies. When he left England for Virginia he was a young lawyer from the inner tem- ple of the court in London. As he was at that time twenty-five years of age, the year of his birth must have been 1685. Before embarking for America he obtained a con- mission in the British army. The old ac- count says he "was an officer in the British army of occupation and defense in Vir- ginia." Tradition says that he was one of the party of cavaliers who accompanied Governor Spottswood on his expedition across the Appalachian mountains, and that in consequence thereof he became one of the famous Knights of the Golden Horse Shoe. The old account says that he obtained large
grants of land from the British government and the records show that in 1735 two tracts of land in Frederick county, Virginia, one containing forty-nine hundred and fifty acres and the other thirty-six hundred and fifty acres, were patented to him from the King's office; also other tracts in Augusta. The records of the Virginia land office also show that in 1712 he purchased from Lord Fairfax several thousand acres located in several counties of the Old Dominion. He belonged to the church of England and was an active member of the old colonial church known as Buck Run, in St. Mark's parish. The Rev. Mr. Slaughton, in his history of St. Mark's parish, says: "Colonel William Green and Colonel William Russell were made church wardens for the ensuing year (1756) ; also that payments were made by the church to William Russell, Charles Mor- gan, R. D. Parks and others for providing for certain poor persons." In 1730 he was married to Mary Henley, and their children were William, Henry and Catherine. Will- iam Russell died after a few days' illness, October 18, 1757, when about seventy-two years of age. He was buried in the Buck Run church yard.
His son and namesake, General William Russell, was born in Virginia in 1735 and acquired a classical and scientific education in William and Mary College, at Williams- burg, Virginia, the oldest seat of learning in the United States, with the exception of Harvard University. He educated himself for the practice of law, but, owing to his marriage shortly after leaving college, lie changed his plans and settled on a planta- tion in Culpeper county, Virginia. He early became active in military operations and the greater portion of his life was spent in act- ive service, defending the colonies from In- dian attacks. The year 1775 found him captain of a company of rangers, serving under General Braddock. In 1765 Captain Russell was sent by the British authori- ties on some mission among the Indians in the section of country where Chattanooga, Tennessee, is now located. It took twelve months to execute the trust, during which
180
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
time he endured great hardships among the Creek Indians. Captain Russell was soon called into public service. At the battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774, he led his company : and of this engagement Col- lins, in his History of Kentucky, says: "It was probably the most severely contested conflict ever maintained with the northwest- ern Indians. The action continued from sunrise to sunset and the ground for half a mile along the bank of the Ohio was al- ternately occupied by each of the contend- ing parties in the course of the day. So sanguinary was the conflict that blood was found on each of the trees behind which the combatants were posted. The Indians un- der the celebrated chief Comstock aban- doned the field under cover of the night. Their loss, according to official report, ex- ceeded that of the Americans, the latter amounting to sixty-three killed and eighty wounded. This report was drawn up by Captain Russell, reported to be the best scholar in the camp."
In 1776 Captain Russell was promoted to the rank of colonel, commanding a regi- ment of mounted men. He was constantly engaged in repelling the attacks of the In- dians on the frontier of Virginia and Ten- nessee. It was during this year that Col- onel Russell lost his beloved wife, who in her maidenhood was Tabitha Adams. On his return from active service to his family he found that the home was left desolate through the death of the faithful wife and mother. Owing to the Revolutionary war Colonel Russell was again called into active service. In the section of the country in which his family of children resided the In- dians were carrying on the work of devas- tation by fire and massacre, so he removed his children to a farm which he purchased. adjoining the Aspenville tract, belonging to Colonel William Campbell, near the seven mile ford. He placed his children in charge of an old negro man and his wife, whom he selected from among his slaves because of their faithfulness and devotion to his fam- ily, and after committing the little ones to their care Colonel Russell gave his service
to the cause of liberty. The negro couple proved most faithful to the trust reposed in them, and though the children were many times in danger of capture by British raid- ers, yet the caretakers managed to keep them free from harm. In the winter of 1776-7 Colonel Russell received the appointment of colonel in the regular army and took com- mand of a Virginia regiment, which he re- tained until the close of the war. He was one of the colonels in the Virginia line in continental establishment and was brevetted on that account. He took an active and prominent part in the battles of Brandy- wine, Germantown, Monmouth, and the siege of Charleston, and when that place was captured was made prisoner and sent on a British prison ship to one of the West India islands. Subsequently he was released on parole and sent to Virginia, where he was exchanged and again took the field. In 1777, 1778 and 1779 he was in Wash- ington's army. He was also with the army at Yorktown and witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, October 19, 1781. There is abundant evidence that he exhib- ited great bravery and military tact as an officer and retired from the service with an honorable record. Because of having served through the entire Revolution he was brevetted to the rank of general and re- tired on half pay for life. For his services he was entitled to large grants of land, much of which was located in the Green river section of Kentucky. In his honor Russell county, Virginia, and Russellville, Kentucky, were named, the latter being built upon land originally owned by him. After peace was restored giving integrity to the republic, he returned to civil life and was soon elected to the Virginia senate, of which he was a leading and influential mem- ber for many years. He was a high type of the gentleman of the old school "without fear and without reproach."
After his return home General Russell was married, about 1783. to Mrs. Elizabeth (Henry) Campbell. the widow of General William Campbell, of Kings mountain fame, who died a few weeks before the
181
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
siege of Yorktown, in 1781. She was the daughter of John Henry and a sister of Patrick Henry, whose words of burning eloquence probably did more than any other agency to arouse the people to resistance of the oppressive measures of the mother country at the opening of the war. It was in 1788 that General Russell became a convert to the Meth- odist faith, uniting with that church. The Rev. T. Ware, speaking of this, said : "Our first conference in Holston was held in May, 1788. As the road by which Bishop Asbury was to come was infested with hos- tile savages so that it could not be traveled except by considerable companies together, he was detained for a week after the time to commence it, but we were not idle and the Lord gave us many souls in the place where we were assembled, among whom were General Russell and Lady, the latter a sister of the illustrious Patrick Henry. I mention this particularly because they were the first fruit of our labors in this confer- ence." It appears from the complete ac- count of Rev. Ware that when General Rus- sell enlisted as a soldier of the cross he did so with his whole heart and soul. Both he and his wife were zealous in their faith and consistent in their devotion. Family pray- ers were offered night and morning and they frequently had preaching at their house. Bishop Asbury was a frequent visitor and he says in his journal : "General Russell's home is one of the harbors of rest for the weary Methodist preacher."
Within a year or two from the time of his conversion the entire household, both white and black, were converted and brought into clurch. After an active life spent in serving his country as a legislator and sol- dier, he passed away Monday morning at four o'clock, January 14, 1794. His death was caused by exposure on his journeying to and from Richmond, where the general assemblies were held in the winter months. In his letters he expressed a dread of such exposure and when finally he contracted a severe cold on going to Richmond, and the next day became worse, so that a physician
was summoned, he felt that the illness would be his last. At the close of his hon- orable and useful life he exhorted his fam- ily and those around him to live according to God's word and frequently prayed that the grace of God might rest on all.
His son, John Coats Russell, the great- grandfather of Claude Duval, was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, in 1768, and in 1793 was married to Miss Amy Clay, of Chesterfield county, Virginia. In 1880 he removed with his family to Kentucky and settled on a portion of "Russell's Green river survey," which he inherited from his father. In 1809 he was elected and served as a member of the house of representatives from Muhlenberg county, Kentucky, and later he removed to Butler county, that state, where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away November 17, 1822.
His daughter, Jane E. Russell, was born July 30, 1794, in Virginia, and died in Union county, Kentucky, January 10, 1861. She became the wife of Claiborn Duval, one of the pioneer ministers of Kentucky, who was born in the Old Dominion, but at an early date went to the Blue Grass state to preach the gospel among the first settlers there.
H. C. Duval, the father of our subject and a son of the Rev. Claiborn and Jane (Russell) Duval, was a native of Kentucky and a farmer by occupation, following agri- cultural pursuits up to the time of the Civil war. He owned a large number of slaves and of course lost all at the time of the hos- tilities between the north and the south. For two terms he served his county as sheriff. He was a member of the Meth- odist church and was long regarded as one of the most prominent residents of the com- munity. He married Miss Mobley, a rep- resentative of an old southern family and they became the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living, one having died in infancy and Claibourn M., who was a member of Company K. Twenty-first Kan- sas Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish- American war, died at Phoenix, Arizona, December 13, 1901. His body was brought
182
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
to Hutchinson for interment. Our subject is the eldest of the family.' One brother, W. J. Duval, is grand chancellor of the Knights of Pythias fraternity of the state of Kansas, with headquarters at Wichita. A daughter, Mrs. K. B. Ringle, the wife of a well known stockman, is living in Reno county. The father died in 1894.
Born upon his father's farm in Ken- tucky, Claude Duval, whose name heads this review, spent his early youth in his native state and for three months in the winter season attended the public schools, while in the summer months he assisted his father upon the farm. At the age of sixteen he entered college in Morganfield, where he re- mained for three years, and then putting aside his text books he entered upon his business career as an employe in a mercan- tile house, where he remained until he went upon the road as a traveling salesman. For the past twenty-one years he has thus been engaged with the exception of a brief in- terval of two years. From 1882 until 1886 he was traveling representative for the Ohic. & Mississippi Railroad in Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee and at the latter date he came to Hutchinson, where for two years he was engaged in the retail grocery business. He was then one of the promoters in the or- ganization of the Hutchinson Wholesale Grocery Company, for which he traveled continuously until April` 12, 1900, largely augmenting its business through his introduction of its goods. At the last date hie accepted his present position with the Springfield Hat Company, which has its headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, and its factory in Orange, New Jersey. He represents this company throughout the en- tire state of Kansas, and has already se- cured a large patronage for the house. In. business affairs he is energetic, prompt and notably reliable, always courteous and ge- nial and succeeds not only in winning cus- tomers but also in gaining their high regard.
Mr. Duval has long taken a deep and active interest in political questions and is a well known factor in the councils of the Democracy. He is an entertaining, force-
ful and logical speaker, endowed with supe- rior gifts of oratory and his campaign ad- dresses are very effective. He always takes an active part in selecting delegates for the county, congressional and state conventions, so that competent men may be nominated for office and the principles of the party firmly upheld. In1 1900 he received the party nom- ination as candidate for congress, and al- though Kansas gave a very strong Repub- lican majority, he made a remarkable race for the office-acknowledged so to be by even the western Republican press. He was defeated, but it was a defeat that amounted almost to victory for he ran fifteen hundred ahead of his ticket, after making a canvass through thirty-six counties covering one- third of the area of the state. He assumes no credit for this, but modesty says the re- sult was due to the effective leadership of Hon. George T. Pitts, of Wellington, Kan- sas, chairman of the congressional commit- tee, and to the unswerving loyalty of Mr. Duval's personal friends, regardless of party; but his friends all believe and know that it was the personal popularity of the man and confidence so uniformly re- posed in him that gained for him such a flattering vote. He has the respect and confidence of many prominent men of the opposition, for his loyalty to Ameri- can institutions and his honest convictions are above question. Mr. Duval is a valued member of Byron Lodge, No. 197, K. P. and Hutchinson Council, No. 34. United Commercial Travelers. He has filled all the offices of the local U. C. T. Council, for three terms was grand treasurer of the state, has been elected grand counselor and takes a deep and helpful interest in the move- ments tending to advance the interests of the traveling men. He likewise holds mem- bership with Reno Lodge, No. 140, F. & A. M., and with the Iowa Accident Insurance Company. Fourteen years ago he joined the First Presbyterian church of Hutchinson, Kansas, and has ever since been an active working member, taking special interest in the Sunday-school work, and is now serving his third year as superintendent of the First
183
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Presbyterian church Sunday-school. Under his management the school has prospered and grown and is to-day one of the best and most active working schools in the city.
On the 26th of April, 1882, in Kentucky, Mr. Duval was united in marriage to Miss Cora White, a daughter of H. W. White, formerly a merchant of McLeansboro, Illi- nois, and later a traveling salesman out of St. Louis, Missouri. They have one daughter, Clara, who is giving considerable attention to the study of vocal music, in which direction she manifests pleasing tal- ent. Their home is noted for its cordial hospitality and their friends throughout the community are many. Reliable in busi- ness, considerate in the home, genial and friendly in social circles, loyal in citizenship, and above all without ostentation in manner -these qualities have gained for Claude Duval the respect and in many instances the warm friendship of those with whom he comes in contact.
MICHAEL MENG.
One of the prosperous and progressive farmers of Galesburg township. Kingman county, has so ably conducted his business in- terests that success has crowned his efforts and given him a place among the substantial citizens of his community. He was born in Seneca county, near Bellevue, Ohio, in 1850. His father, Martin Meng, was born in Alsace, on the Rhine, Germany, in 1818, and in his native country he attended school until his fourteenth year. He then learned the weaver's trade, following that occupa- tion for four years. On the expiration of that period, being then eighteen years of age, he left his home and native land for the new world, and after his arrival in this country he located near Bellevue, Ohio. In Seneca county, that state, he was united in marriage to Agnes Fritz, who was born in Alsace, Germany, but came to America when six- teen years of age, locating in the Buckeye state. Seven children were born unto this worthy couple, four sons and three daugh-
ters, namely : Michael, Leva, Anna, Mar- tin, Philip, Joseph and Mary. Philip and Joseph are twins, and the former now resides in Evans township, this state, and the latter still makes his home in Ohio. The parents are also living in that commonwealth, the father having reached the ripe old age of eighty-three years, while the mother died at sixty-three years of age.
Michael Meng, whose name introduces this review, was reared to manhood on an Ohio farm, and in that state he received his early educational privileges. He remained in the state of his nativity until 1880, and in that year located near Decatur, Adams county, Indiana, where for the following six years he was engaged in agricultural pur- suits. The year 1887 witnessed his arrival in the Sunflower state, and in Kingman county he first purchased a tract of one hitili- dred and sixty acres of land, to which he later added another tract of one hundred and sixty acres located one mile south of his original purchase, and still later he bought eighty acres on the southeast, being now the possessor of four hundred acres of excellent and productive land. As the years have pass- ed by and prosperity has rewarded his efforts he has placed many substantial improve- ments upon his place, and this is now one of the finest homesteads of the locality. Mr. Meng is also operating a threshing machine. which is the second one he has owned and operated in Kansas.
At the age of twenty-eight years Mr. Meng was united in marriage to Philopena Gerber, a daughter of Jacob and Barbara ( Heitz) Gerber. The father is still living, making his home in Ohio, but the mother has passed to her final rest. They became the parents of six chil- dren, four of whom are now living, namely: Jacob, a prosperous farmer of Evans township, Kingman county ; Mary. a resident of Ohio: John, who makes his home in Galesburg township. Kingman county ; and Philopena, the wife of our sub- ject. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Meng has been blessed with ten children, as follows : Leo, Christina, Otto, Charles, Emma, Mary, Minnie, Lucy, William and Lizzie. The
184
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
last named died when twelve years of age. The Democracy receives Mr. Meng's active support and co-operation and of the Catholic church he is a worthy and acceptable mem- ber. He served as a trustee of the build- ing committee for the new church, which was erected at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars, and in 1901 he took an active part in the building of the fine new edifice at Waterloo. As a citizen he is public-spirited and progressive, withholding his support from no measure or movement which he be- lieves will prove of public benefit.
WILLIAM POTTER.
William Potter, superintendent of the Reno county poor farm, has been a resident of the locality since 1877, and during that period he has so lived as to gain for himself by his honorable, straighforward career the confidence and respect of the entire com-
munity in which he lives. He was born in Drake county, Ohio, September 28, 1840. His paternal grandfather, Daniel Potter. was one of the very early pioneers of the Buckeye state, where he cleared a farm from the native timber. His son, Daniel Potter. Jr., also improved a farm in that state, and
became one of the prominent and influential early settlers of his locality. When he was nine years of age the Indians forced the family to take refuge in a fort and every- thing was then new and wild, while game of all kinds was so numerous that they would at times almost destroy the corn crops. The family made their sugar and spun and wove the material for their clothes, and if they raised crops sufficient to pay taxes and pur- chase their salt they were considered suc- cessful. Mr. Potter married Catherine Crumrine, of Pennsylvania, and our subject is the eldest of three living children. The father died at the age of fifty-two years, while the mother was called to the home be- yond at the age of forty-three years.
William Potter, whose name introduces this review, was reared on the home farm until he had nearly reached mature years. September 1, 1861, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of Company G, Fortieth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry. In 1862 he joined the army of the Cumberland, was with Garfield of the Big Sandy, took part in the Atlanta campaign, and was five times wounded, though never seriously. At the battle of Chickamauga, he was in the thickest of the fight, and in all the engagements in which the regiment took part he nobly did his duty as a brave and loyal soldier. On the expiration of the term of enlistment the army was disbanded, but Mr. Potter veteranized, and before the last figlit at Nashville his regiment consolidated with the Fifty-first Ohio and went to Texas, remaining in the Lone Star state from July until the following October, when they were mustered out at Victoria, that state, and were discharged at Columbus, on the fifth of November, 1865. That year, while in Texas he was ill with a fever, which finally
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.