A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 8

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 8

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About 1833 Hiram A. Ryther began op- erating a sawmill about twenty miles from Buffalo, New York, which he continued for the following ten years, and our subject now has in his possession a turning tool used in the first mill built by his father in Edentown, that state. On leaving the Empire state in 1843, with his wife and five children, Mr. Ryther drove to Michigan, spending about five weeks on the road, and on their arrival in that state the family located in Sodus township, Berrien county. There the father purchased forty acres of land in the dense timber, erected a log cabin and began the arduous task of clearing his farm and plac- ing his fields under cultivation. In addition

to his agricultural pursuits his time was also employed as a millwright, ship carpenter and house builder. In 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil war, he enlisted in Company L, Third Michigan Cavalry, entering the army in the fall of that year, and in the following spring he was discharged on account of dis- ability. He was confined in camp during a long period, and his death occurred six months after he had received his discharge. His son Frank also entered the same com- pany during that struggle, and was killed in a skirmish near Rienzi, Mississippi. An- other son, Solon, became a member of Com- pany L, in 1864, and was ordered to the front, but died of measles on the way. In that year James, our subject, answered to the last draft issued, but as his wife and sis- ter were both dangerously ill at the time a substitute was secured for him. The death of the mother of these children occurred in Nebraska, in 1890, while residing with her daughter, Mrs. Ellen D. Grey, passing away in the faith of the United Brethren church, of which he was a worthy and consistent member. Mr. Ryther became an influential and prominent citizen of his locality, and in his political affiliations he was first a Whig and afterward a Republican, ever taking an active interest in the progress and welfare of his party and was a great admirer of Grant. He held the office of justice of the peace while residing in Michigan, and throughout his entire career he did all in his power for the advancement and betterment of his fellow men.

James Ryther, the immediate subject of this review, enjoyed the educational ad- vantages afforded by the common schools of Berrien county, Michigan, and during his youth and early manhood he also assisted his father in the difficult task of clearing and improving new land. After the close of the Civil war he cleared a timber farm on the shore of Lake Michigan, the tract consist- ing of forty acres, fifteen acres of which he planted with fruit trees, and in 1871 he shipped three thousand baskets of choice peaches from his orchard to the Chicago market. Shortly afterward, however, a pe-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

culiar disease affected the trees of that lo- cality, almost ruining his orchard, and this, together with the financial crisis of 1872, compelled him to sacrifice his place. In Feb- ruary, 1874, he came to the Sunflower state, first locating at Emporia, where he was em- ployed as a gardener and in stone and brick work until July, 1876, when he came to the city of Hutchinson, and during the first two years and a half of his residence here resided on East A avenue, subsequently purchasing lots adjoining and thereon erected a mag- nificent residence, the structure costing thir- ty-one hundred dollars. It was located at No. 328 A avenue, and was beautifully and' tastefully furnished throughout. For a time Mr. Ryther conducted a large and profitable business in this city as a stone and brick contractor, employing many men, and he shipped into Hutchinson nearly all of the heavy stone used in the erection of its build- ings. He superintended the brick and stone work in the erection of the water works, built the Atwood flats, and many of the fin- est residences and public buildings of the town stand as monuments to his skill and ability. He also put in the first curb and gutter work in the city of Hutchinson. After building up a large and lucrative trade in this line he admitted a partner into the busi- ness, but the latter proved dishonest, and Mr. Ryther was again compelled to part with his beautiful home. The next resi- dence which he erected was on B and Elm street, built at a cost of fifteen hundred dol- lars, and afterward, on East Fourth street, he erected a one-thousand-dollar residence. His present residence, located at 328 East Ninth street, was erected in 1899, also at a cost of one thousand dollars, and is an at- tractive and commodious dwelling. Mr. Ryther has built in all five or six residences, but by a strange and fatal combination of circumstances, dishonesty of partners, sick- ness of himself and family and the bursting of the great boom in Hutchinson,-each one has been swept from him in turn, and eight years ago, on account of failing health, he was compelled to abandon his trade, after which he took up gardening, at one time

having as many as forty lots under his care. He has also devoted a portion of his time to the setting out of shade trees in this city, and thus has assisted not a little in adding to the atractive appearance of this beauti- ful little city. Another branch of his busi- ness has been that of a correspondent to sev- eral papers, including the Hutchinson News, the Kansas Workman, and the Select Knights. During recent years, however, he has been greatly troubled with fail- ing eyesight, and at one time he spent eighty-one days in Dr. Pitt's hospital at St. Joseph, where he underwent three opera- tions, but his sight is still very poor.

In 1862, in Berrien county, Michigan, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ryther and Miss Frances A. Millard, a native of New Hampshire and a daughter of Na- thaniel and Martha (Skinner) Millard, the former a native of Troy, New York, and the latter of Vermont. The grandfather of Mrs. Ryther, Charles Millard, was a native son of the Empire state, and his father, Jonathan Millard, was the first of the famn- ily to locate on American soil. With two brothers, Nehemiah and Thomas, he was driven from England to France on account of his Huguenot principles, and in 1638 they came to this country, locating in Martha's Vineyard. The family coat of arms con- sisted of a stag feeding on a hill and an ermine, and their motto was "Fortune fa- vors the brave." Mrs. Ryther has been called to her final rest. She was one of a family of eight children, namely: Charles O., who served throughout the Civil war as a member of the Fourteenth Brooklyn In- fantry, but as a result of his army experi- ence he became broken in health and his death occurred on the 10th of June, 1900; George B., who served in the Ninth Illi- nois Cavalry as a sergeant, and died of apo- plexy on his way home from the army; Frances A., the wife of our subject, who died on the 10th of February, 1900; Helen, who died at Caswell, New York, at the age of nineteen years; Louise, who is employed as our subject's housekeeper; Bessie, wife of Rev. S. Hendrick, a retired minister of

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

Hutchinson ; David J., who died in Clay- ville, New York, in 1852; and Armenia, who died when only eleven months old. The daughter Louise is a lady of much literary ability, and during the past twelve years has contributed many valuable articles to both eastern and western periodicals. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ryther was blessed with three children. The eldest, Charles S., a contractor and builder, is now traveling for his health. He is known throughout the west as big Tex, and since sixteen years of age much of his time has been spent in the southwest, largely among scouts and hunt- ers. At different times he has been em- ployed as a cowboy and stage driver, and he has also traveled with Buffalo Bill's show, encountering many thrilling adventures in the west. The second son, H. B., is em- ployed as foreman for the Grant County News, and the youngest child, Fred J., died in Hutchinson.

In political matters Mr. Ryther is an ardent Republican, and many times has served as a delegate to county conventions. Socially he is a member of the Ancient Or- der of United Workmen, the Select Knights and Ladies, and has attained a degree of honor in the Fraternal Aid.

GEORGE N. MOSES.

It is the enterprise and character of the citizen that enrich and ennoble the common- wealth. From individual enterprise has sprung all the splendor and importance of this great west. The greatest merchants have evolved from the humblest origins. From clerkships have emerged men who have built great enterprises. America is a self-made country, and those who have cre- ated it are self-made men. No influence of birth or fortune has favored the architects of her glory. Among those who have achieved prominence as men of marked abil- ity and substantial worth in Great Bend is the subject of this sketch, George N. Moses. who occupies a prominent position. No

man in this city has been more closely or prominently identified with its upbuilding and improvement. He has been the pro- moter of all of its most important enter- prises and from an early day has been a potent factor in the progress which has led to its present prosperity.

The wise system of industrial economics which has been brought to bear in the de- velopment of Great Bend has challenged uni- form admiration, for while there has been steady advancement in material lines there has been an entire absence of that inflation of values and that erratic "booming" which have in the past proved the eventual death knell to many of the localities in the west where "mushroom towns" have one day smiled forth with "all modern improve- ments" and practically on the next have been shorn of their glories and of their pos- sibilities of stable prosperity until the exist- ing order of things shall have been radically changed. In Great Bend progress has been made continuously and in safe lines, and in the healthful growth and advancement of the city Mr. Moses has taken an active part.

George N. Moses was born in Olean, Cattaraugus county, New York, April 15, 1844, his parents being Anson G. and Mary Ann (Bohn) Moses. The father was a mason by trade and engaged in contracting along that line, spending most of his busi- ness life in Philadelphia, New York city and at other points in the Empire state. He did much contracting for the New York & Lake Erie Railroad during the period of its construction. In 1855 he removed to Rock- ford, Illinois, but died while visiting in New York, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife passed away at the age of seventy-nine. They were the parents of fourteen children, and with the exception of two all reached mature years. They are as follows: Lou- isa ; Lucinda ; Francis ; Adeline ; Reuben H., who died in early childhood ; Anson ; Reuben H., the second of the name; Theodore; Mary : George N .; Emma; Laura; Charles and Edward.

George N. Moses pursued his education in the public schools until 1861, when, at

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

the age of seventeen years, he offered his services to his country, enlisting as a mem- ber of Company I, Fifteenth Illinois Infan- try. He was wounded near Memphis, Ten- nessee, having the fore finger of his right hand shot away. He was then discharged on account of disability, but re-enlisted in 1864, becoming first sergeant of his com- pany, and with that rank he served until the close of the war. He then went to Se- dalia, Missouri, where he was on the police force for a time. Afterward he made his way to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he joined a company en route for Arizona. He was then engaged in prospecting from April, 1867. until 1871. This brought him in con- tact with the wild west and he experienced all kinds of hardships; several months pass- ing in which the men of the party did not even see a hut. He engaged in hunting buffaloes and acting as scout over the plains. While in Saline, Kansas, he became ac- quainted with Luther Morris. of Quincy, Illinois, a man famous as a builder of towns. Mr. Morris sought the services of Mr. Moses to pilot him over the country, and to the site of Great Bend they at length made their way. Mr. Moses had ridden all over this country hunting buffaloes when these animals were seen in herds as far as the eye could reach, the herds being so dense that it was dangerous to drive through them. Our subject conducted Mr. Morris to Bar- ton county and they located on Walnut creek, near a spring, and established a town site on secton 34. Mr. Moses secured a quarter section of land where the town is now located and built a foundation for a building, but a combination of the railroad and land site companies was made, and this company concluded that Mr. Moses had a better tract of land than they could secure ; so he disposed of his interests to them and. took another quarter section further west. Here the Quincy Township Company built a shed, which was constructed by Lewis Fry. The men were then retained to erect other buildings, including a hotel, a store and a dance hall. Mr. Morris had his office in the hall. Among the first settlers were Mr.

O'Dell and P. Sneck, and T. L. Stone was proprietor of the first store which was con- ducted in the hotel. Thus the work of build- ing a town and promoting its interests was carried on. Mr. Moses secured the north- west quarter of section 32, now owned by D. W. Heizer, and planted a fine grove of shade trees. This was in 1872, and the grove to-day is the finest in the county. In con- nection with Samuel Hefty and J. F. Tilton he dug a hole, intending to make a dugout, and put on a log on which to pile the brush, but the work was never completed, although Mr. Moses slept in the hole for a long time. When it rained he had to sit up, but he never caught cold, the free out-door life enjoyed by the pioneers bringing to them iron con- stitutions. Their principal food was game, but as the years passed and the country be- came more thickly settled railroads were built and all of the comforts of civilization were added. After a time Mr. Moses erected a house, which he enlarged in 1886, and it still stands on the ranch now owned by Mr. Heizer. Since that time Mr. Moses has pur- chased and sold and partly improved many places, and his own home is a beautiful resi- dence of brick built in modern style of archi- tecture. This is one of the largest and most attractive homes within the county and was built by Mr. Heizer.

Since the time of his arrival in Barton county our subject has contributed in large measure to the progress and enterprises cal- culated to prove of public benefit as well as to promote the prosperity of those financially interested. He yet owns much property in Great Bend. He established the largest hardware store, and in this was associated with his brother, Ed R. Moses. After a time they added other lines of goods, thus introducing a department store, which is still carried on by the brother. Our sub- ject owns valuable farming lands and is connected with the ice plant and many other interests of the city. He is a man of excel- lent business and executive ability, and his wise counsel and sound judgment have been important factors in the successful control of many business interests in this place.

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Along another line Mr. Moses has been of great benefit to the city, by inducing sub- stantial men to locate here and found busi- ness interests and promote commercial act- ivity, whereon depends the welfare and progress of every town. He is one of the prime movers and is financially interested in the Lake Koen irrigation and navigation scheme, which will improve land in this vi- cinity and will also prove a pleasure resort, making the lake one of the finest bodies of water in central Kansas.

Mr. Moses was united in marriage to Miss Ida A. Mitchell, of Quincy, Illinois, and they have two adopted children,-Mor- ris and Susie. Socially Mr. Moses is con- nected with the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the degrees of the blue lodge and commandery. He is now a past master and has filled other offices in those organizations, while in the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows he is past grand. He was a charter member of the lodge and served for fourteen years as noble grand. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity and to the Fraternal Aid. He served as the first sheriff of the county, filling the position from 1871 until . 1875 inclusively. He has also been county com- missioner and has served as a member of the city council and as mayor of Great Bend. He is a man of splendid capability and broad resource-a typical representative of the American spirit which within the past century has achieved a work that once arouses the admiration and astonishment of the world.

SAMSON FULTON.

Samson Fulton, the efficient night fore- man of the Vincent Salt Works, of Hutch- inson, was born in Jackson county, Ohio, on the 27th of December, 1857, a son of Hugh and Catherine (Dixon) Fulton, and a grandson of Hugh Fulton, Sr., who was a native of Ohio, and was of Scotch de- scent. The father of our subject was reared. in the vicinity of Zanesville, Ohio, and in

early life was engaged at the carpenter's trade, but later turned his attention to farming, in which occupation he is still en- gaged, owning a valuable homestead of one hundred and seventy acres in Scioto county, Ohio. Throughout his entire life he lias taken a prominent part in the affairs of his locality, and in political matters he is a sup- porter of Republican principles, while in his religious convictions he is a Baptist. His first wife died when our subject was but a child, leaving a son and a daughter, and the latter, Lucretia, is now the wife of Frank Martin, an express messenger in Chicago. For his second wife Mr. Fulton chose Jane Shoemaker, and of their six children five are now living.

Samson Fulton, of this review, was left motherless when only two and a half years of age, and from that time until he was eight years old his home was in the family of his grandmother Dixon, in Jackson coun- ty, Ohio. He then returned to his father, where he remained until sixteen years of age, and he then again entered the home of his maternal grandmother, there continuing until his twenty-first year. Deciding to re- move to the west, he took up his abode in Barton county, Missouri, where he was en- gaged at farm labor for several years, and for the following two years he carried on that business on his own account on rented land. The year 1886 witnessed his arrival in the Sunflower state, locating at Cimar- ron, the county seat of Gray county, where for a time he was engaged in the manu- facture of brick. For a year and a half thereafter he was employed as a salesman in a general store; from that point went to Kansas City, where he had charge of a transfer company; went thence to Butler, Bates county, where for six months he was foreman of a livery stable; and from that city came to Hutchinson, Kansas. In July, 1889. Mr. Fulton became an employe of the Vincent Salt Works, in the packing depart- ment, but his energy, perseverance and well known reliability soon secured for him a pro- motion and for the past eleven years he has served as foreman of the evaporating de-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

partment. This long service with one cor- poration illustrates in no uncertain manner his trustworthiness and ability, and his en- tire business career demonstrates what may be accomplished when perseverance and de- termination form the keynote to a man's life. During the past five years Mr. Ful- ton has also been engaged on a limited scale in the breeding of fine horses.

In Barton county, Missouri, on the 25th of April, 1880, Mr. Fulton was united in marriage to Ellen J. Weir, a daughter of James and Mary (Hogland) Weir, and the parents and daughter are natives of Indi- ana. One son has been born unto this union, Charles S., who was one of the organizers and is now a member of the Globe Coffee Company, of Hutchinson. The Republican party receives Mr. Fulton's hearty support and co-operation, and in his social relations he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Fraternal Aid, and the Inde- pendent Order of Red Men. Both he and his wife are connected with the Rebekah lodge of the Odd Fellows.

WILLIAM E. PIERCE.

William E. Pierce, who since 1877 has been a resident of Rice county and for for- ty-two years has made his home in Kansas, now resides on section 20, Wilson town- ship, where he owns and operates a good farm. He was born in Greene county, Ten- nessee, on the 7th of March, 1852, and is a son of Isaac M. Pierce, a native of eastern Virginia. His mother bore the maiden name of Anna Robinson and was a native of Tennessee. For some time after their marriage the parents resided in the latter state, and then came west to Kansas by steamboat and rail, locating first at Leav- enworth, in 1859. A settlement was made in Atchison county, near Pardee, and they were pioneer people of that region. Sub- sequently they removed to Springdale, in Leavenworth county, where they remained

for two or three years, when they took up their abode in Leavenworth city, Kansas, there residing until January, 1867. In that year the family returned to Tennessee, and the parents died at Jefferson county, that state, the mother passing away at the age of fifty-one, the father at the age of fifty- four. He possessed considerable mechani- cal ingenuity and was a wagon-maker and machinist. Both he and his wife were mem- bers of the Society of Friends and were people of the highest respectability, enjoying the confidence and regard of all who knew them. They had eleven children, of whom nine are living, namely: Mrs. Mary Rus- sell, of Kansas; Mrs. Amanda Battersby, of Saline county ; A. K., who is living in Sa- line county and who served as a soldier in the Civil war; Mrs. Sarah P. Stanley, of Saline; George, who is living in the same county ; William E., of this review ; Joseph, of Arizona; Charles E., of Ottawa county, Kansas; Nate R., who is a resident of New Mexico; Casper, who died at the age of twenty-two years; and Martha, who died at the age of seventeen years.

William E. Pierce was reared in the city and county of Leavenworth and received his education in the district and city schools. He entered upon his business career as a cow boy in the western part of the state of Dakota. In the latter place lie was employed by a Mr. Powers, a well known cattle deal- er and drover of Kansas. In 1876 Mr. Pierce took up his abode in the southeastern portion of Ellsworth county, on Mule creek, where he remained for one year. He then came to Rice county, locating where the Ira Brothers now reside, there making his home until 1883, when he sold that farm and pur- chased a tract of land on section 20, Wil- son township. Here he has two hundred and forty acres of land. This is one of the farms first settled in the county and is a tract of rich land, splendidly improved with all modern accessories and conveniences. The house is substantial and the outbuild- ings are kept in good repair. Corn cribs and granaries are full of grain and everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appear-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.

ance, indicating the progressive supervision of the owner. Near the house is a good grove of five acres, for this was a timber claim. There is also an apple orchard con- taining three acres. Mr. Pierce follows general farming and stock raising, and luis labors are attended with a richly mer- ited success. He has witnessed the de- velopment in the county and has con- tributed in a large measure to its sub- stantial upbuilding. At an early day he spent several weeks on Little river, putting up hay on the old Hutchinson cattle ranch. He also carried the mail for the United States government from Lindsburg to Hutchinson in pioneer days, and while traversing his route he saw many buffaloes on the plains. He has watched with com- mendable interest the work of civilization and progress and in every way possible he has aided and abetted in the movements for improvement and upbuilding.

In 1882 Mr. Pierce was united in mar- riage, in Wilson township, Rice county, to Miss Frances Buckles, who was born in Lee county, Iowa, near Fort Madison, a daughter of Robert and Margaret (Anders) Buckles. The father is now a resident of Sterling. Kansas, but the mother has passed away. In the family were two children,- Mrs. Frances Pierce and Libby Rye, the lat- ter of Iowa. The father is a mechanic and harnessmaker by trade, but for a number of years has engaged in farming in Rice county. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Pierce has been blessed with two children : Olive E., who was born January 9. 1883 ; and George H., born March 31, 1885. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pierce hold membership in the Wesleyan Methodist church, and they take an active part in the church and Sunday- school work, doing all in their power to pro- mote the cause of Christianity among their fellow men. Their support is not withheld from educational interests and is given in hearty measure to all movements for the general good. One of the honored pioneers of the county, Mr. Pierce has witnessed its development from the days when this por- tion of Kansas was upon the frontier, when

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A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 8

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