A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 9

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 9

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much of its land was unclaimed and the greater part of it was still in its primitive condition. As the years have passed, how- ever, the wild prairie has been transformed into richly cultivated fields and the county has become the home of a prosperous and contented people, whose united efforts have gained Rice county a place among the lead- ing counties of the commonwealth.

JAMES HIBBERT.

Our mother country, England, has con- tributed to the United States an element of our population which has afforded an ex- ample of industrious endeavor and well earned success that has not been without its effect in many ways in our general pros- perity. Kansas has had her share of settlers of English birth and has been glad always to welcome them. One of the most prominent citizens of the class in Reno county under consideration is James Hibbert, who is a farmer on section 27, Hayes township, and whose postoffice is at Sylvia.

Mr. Hibbert was born in Lancashire, England, July 21, 1840, and was early in- structed in the engraver's trade, at which he worked from the time he was fifteen years old until he was twenty-five, in his native land. He was married October 27, 1864. to Miss Hannah McGillivray, of Manches- ter, England, who was born October 29, 1841. When he had attained to his twenty- sixth year Mr. Hibbert came to the United States. He went to Kansas without much means and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he lived eight years in a box house, one story high and of the dimensions twelve by fifteen feet. He then built his present large modern house. He grows corn, wheat and other grains, but gives particular attention to corn and wheat, often planting one hundred and sixty acres to corn and sowing two hundred acres to wheat. For many years he and his wife both worked hard, early and late, but during the last three years they have been resting from

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their labors. They have taken great pleas- ure in planting fruit and shade trees and in improving their home farm otherwise, and they have given some time to travel and have spent some weeks in Chicago, Illinois, where three sisters of Mr. Hibbert have lived for twenty-six years. Mr. Hibbert is the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of fine land, of which he cultivates all except sev- enty acres. In politics he is a Republican and he has ably filled the offices of township clerk and justice of the peace. He and his good wife are both communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church.

James and Hannah (McGillivray) Hib- bert have had eight children: Salina, who died at the age of ten months; Sarah E., who married Ferdinand Miller, of Okla- homa, and they have had three sons; Anna, the wife of Charles P. Miller, Jr .; John, who is married and lives in Oklahoma; William Emory, who was killed July 28, 1890, at the age of twenty-six years, by the explosion of a traction engine, and he left a widow ; Hannah, who married George Crapo a farmer of Reno county, and has one son ; Matilda, who is a member of her father's household, as is also the daughter Emily.

JAMES STEVENS MAY, M. D.

Few citizens of the city of Hutchinson, Kansas, are more highly esteemed than is Dr. James Stevens May, of this short biog- raphy, who bears the name of being a fine scholar, a ready and witty writer, a genial companion, and one who has long been dis- tinguished in the Masonic fraternity. He comes of honorable ancestry. His great- grandfather, William May, was a resident of Kentucky, at the time when Daniel Boone was fighting savages and civilizing that state, and Mr. May was shot by the Indians from ambush, and when his horse galloped into camp it carried his dead body.

Francis May, the son of William and the grandfather of our subject, was prominent in military circles, serving with General

Harrison. Andrew May, who was the father of Dr. May, was born in Kentucky and came to Indiana in 1816, the same year that it was admitted into the Union. As pioneers he and family cleared up a fine farm from the timber, succeeding where others failed, both on account of fine physical conditions and by the industry and energy which have char- acterized the whole family. Those were the days of rail-splitting, and our subject can recall his feat of splitting as many as two hundred and fifty in one day, doing twice as much as his brothers were able to accomplish in the same time. He was much interested in educational matters, and he contributed an acre of his land for the erection of a log schoolhouse, the windows having greased paper in place of unobtainable glass and puncheon floor and slabs for benches. In those days in that locality books were rare and it was almost as difficult then to get an education as it now is to escape one. The alphabet was learned by our subject from letters which were cut from paper and pasted on a board, other ingenious methods being also used. No advance is more marked than that which has been made in provision for the education of the children in the public schools. Mr. May became a local preacher in the Methodist church and was a most worthy and highly esteemed citizen. His marriage was to a most estimable lady, and our subject had a number of brothers and sisters, seven of the former being loyal and patriotic soldiers in the Civil war, two of them giving their lives to their country, -- Simon P., who was killed at Perrysville, Kentucky on October 8, 1862, and Henry, who was taken prisoner at Shiloh, and died about one year later.

Dr. May of this sketch was born on a farm in Orange county, Indiana, on April I, 1845, and was a son of his father's sec- ond marriage, with Mrs. (Stevens) Peters, whose first husband was a cousin of the late distinguished Judge Gresham, of Chicago, and was a brigadier-general in the Civil war. Our subject was given the best school privileges possible, as related above, and be- ing very ambitious applied himself so closely

It may M.D.

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that at the age of seventeen years he was engaged in teaching school, continuing for five years, in the meantime studying medi- cine, and was enabled to begin practice in the spring of 1868. In 1875 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the In- diana Medical College at Indianapolis. Until 1877 he followed his profession in Daviess county, Indiana, and then decided to try the great west, removing to Kansas and locating in Reno county. Here he took up a home- stead of one hundred and sixty acres in Langdon township, all wild land, and this he improved and operated until 1883. He has always taken an active part in politics, being an active Republican, and in this year he was elected register of deeds and is now engaged in the abstract business. For some eight years he has been secretary and chair- man of the county central committee and has frequently been a delegate to the various conventions of his party. During his four years' term of office as register of deeds his work was so efficient and he became so thor- oughly conversant with every detail that he has become an authority in the abstract busi- ness for Reno county. His personal deal- ings in real estate, however, have only been in the way of investment.

The marriage of Dr. May was in Indi- ana, in December, 1865, to Miss M. J. Crotts, and the children of this union were as follows: Ida, who is the wife of J. E. McMeen, of Chicago: Elmer, who died in 1900 ; Lizzie, who died in 1892; Vinnie, who is the wife of H. O. Skinner, and resides in Hutchinson : James P., a resident of Kansas City : Madge, who assists her father in his abstract business ; and Tressie, at home.

Dr. May is a leader in the Methodist church, where he is both beloved and es- teemed. He is well known in Masonic cir- cles throughout the state. His record com- menced in Moore Lodge, No. 303, in Indi- ana, where he received his first degree on April 14, 1870. On his removal to Kansas he affiliated with Reno Lodge, No. 140, A. F. & A. M .. and Reno Chapter, No. 34, at Hutchinson, serving as high priest in 1890; was annointed to the holy order of high 4

priesthood in February, 1890: received the cryptic degree in Newton Council, No. 9, R. and S. M., in 1885; and served as thrice illustrious master of Hutchinson Council, No. 13, during 1890-91. In 1895 he served as most illustrious grand master of the grand council of Kansas. He was created a com- panion of the order of the Red Cross in August, 1884, and dubbed a Knight Tem- plar on October 7. of that year, in Reno Commandery, K. T., No. 26, being its re- corder for ten years; entered the order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in Isis Temple, May 10, 1887; and was a member of the Jubilee class of one hundred and sev- enty who received the thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite, from April 15 to 18, 1901. in Wichita, Kansas. He has held the inter- ests of this order as one of the leading ones of his life and in its higher cireles holds a distinguished place.

From the annual address of Dr. May, delivered before the grand council of Kan- sas, at its session held in Wichita, February 17, 1896, and which has been most favor- ably commented upon by Masonic writers, we quote the following :

"Illustrious Companions-Some hun- dreds of miles to the westward lie the mighty Rockies, from whose glinting tops and rock- ribbed sides gush forth the waters pure and sweet, as if distilled in the laboratory of Heaven, which, rushing on their way to the sea, diffusing life and blessings every- where. uniting with other streams as pure, form the stream on whose peaceful banks and in whose fruitful valley sits the Peer- less Princess of the Plains-whose guests we are to-day, and whose hands are out- stretched everywhere to extend salutations to us as we come at the opening of this, our twenty-eighth annual assembly. Not many generations ago where you now sit encircled with all that exalts and embellishes civilized life, the rank blue stem nodded its tasseled head in the wind: the sunflower, the em- blem of our state, turned its face to the great orb of day, and kept watch of his journey- ings ; here lived and loved another race of beings. Beneath the same sun that rolls

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over your heads, gazing on the same fair queen of night, that smiles for all alike, an- other and far different council was assem- bled. To these poor sons of the then desert no light of the Bible had come, to them the laws of God were not traced on tables of stone, but in the book of nature, whose teachings are never distorted, in the stars that sank in beauty beyond the crimson west. where earth and sky touched each other, in the midday flame, from the blazing sun, in the flower that bloomed in the night-time and withered when day had again come, in the sighing of the flower-scented breezes as they came laden with the perfume of the sunny south lands, in his own majestic form, on the tablets of his heart-in all these were traced the revelations of the universe, and to whose mysterious source he bent in humble and silent adoration. A traveler. in jour- neying westward, came to the base of the mountain and saw before him nothing but impregnable rocky fastnesses, which he could not climb. But there came also a skillful engineer whose cunning was equal to the skill of the architect at the building of the first temple, and by following the mys- terious inclinations of his instrument he sought and found a pathway whereby the mountain's mighty crest was reached. The ribbons of steel were laid, the commerce of a continent was transported over what at first seemed an impassable barrier. So like- wise, in assuming the duties of the station to which you elevated me one year ago I felt as if there was no pathway by which I might reach the end of the journey, but with the assistance of the companions on whose wis- dom I confidently relied, the mountain heights have been climbed, the difficulties overcome, and now have we come to close the year's labor."

Among the pioneer settlers of Reno county Dr. May is regarded with approba- tion and affection. He is always ready and willing to tell the truthful tales of those early days, and his articles possess high lit- erary merit. It is related that at one time he was called upon to deliver an address upon this subject, his auditors the next day

scarcely believing that it was prepared over night for that occasion. His contributions to the press are widely read, his wit and hu- mor making them very enjoyable.

EDWIN S. ROOT.

Edwin S. Root is now living a retired life in Ellsworth. He has reached the ripe old age of seventy-three years and until 1900 he continued actively connected with business affairs. Such a record should put to shame many a man of younger years, who, grown weary of the strife and responsi- bilities of business life, would relegate to others the burdens which he should bear. Young in spirit, progressive and energetic, Mr. Root could easily pass for a man many years his junior. He has the respect of young and old, rich and poor, and wherever he goes he wins friends.

A native of Monroe county, New York, he was born nine miles west of Rochester, on the 24th of February, 1828. His pa- ternal grandfather, Thaddeus Root, was a colonel in the Revolutionary war, and the ancestry of the family can be traced back directly to one of the princes of England. The family was founded in the new world soon after the first settlement was made on the shores of New England by the Pilgrims who crossed on the Mayflower. Edwin S. Root, Sr., the father of our subject, was born in Massachusetts and removed to Rochester, New York, when that place was little more than a marsh. There was no mill within forty or fifty miles and the en- tire country around about was unsettled and gave little evidence of the development which would make it a large center of pop- ulation. Mr. Root built a tannery and also engaged in farming. He cleared several tracts from the timber and was thus actively connected with the substantial improvement and development of that section of the coun- try. He was also interested in the formation of schools and churches and aided in the erection of the Presbyterian church in Roch-

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ester. His influence was ever given to the causes which tend to uplift mankind and he was a valued citizen of his adopted home. He married Catherine Ensign, and they be- came the parents of five sons and five daugh- ters, but our subject and one brother are the only ones now living.

Edwin Sheldon Root, whose name in- troduces this review, was reared to agricult- ural pursuits and upon the home farm en- gaged in raising wheat, cattle and hogs. Soon after reaching his majority he started out in life on his own account. In 1862 he became a resident of Illinois, locating two miles from Dekalb, where he engaged in farming for nineteen years. In 1881 he came to Kansas and purchased a farm of three hundred and thirty-four acres, in Black Wolf township, south of the river. He after- ward bought a tract of one hundred and sixty acres and later purchased eighty acres and again one hundred and twenty acres. Kansas tested the faith of her people in her possibilities and her future. There were several years of drouth, when many settlers wished to sell and go elsewhere, but Mr. Root believed that a splendid future lay be- fore this rich section of country and he per- severed in his efforts, which were ultimately crowned with a high degree of prosperity. . In connection with the production of the crops best adapted to this climate and soil hie carried on the stock business quite ex- tensively, both raising and feeding cattle. In the spring of 1900 he sold all of his land to his son, with the exception of two hundred acres, and retired to Ellsworth, where he has purchased a comfortable home, in which he and his wife are enjoy- ing life quietly, having there a well earned rest. Mr. Root purchased a half-section of land, which he now rents, and the income therefrom provides him and his wife with all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. At the same time he has a substan- tial bank account. He carried on active work until 1900, feeding his own stock through all the seasons. His is certainly a record of a long, useful and honorable ca- reer.

On the 24th of February, 1850, in his native state, Mr. Root was united in mar- riage to Miss Susanna Fenner, a daughter ·of the Rev. James Fenner, D. D., of Mon- roe county, New York, who served as pastor of one of the churches there for sixteen years. Later he retired to New York city. where he spent his last days. He sent Mrs. Root the first sewing machine used in this section of the country west of Rochester. They also had the first kerosene lamp. Their oil was then crude and the lamp did not prove of great success until processes for re- fining oil were introduced. Mrs. Root has ever proved a faithful companion and help- imate to her husband, and he gives her credit for much of his success in life. Their home has been blessed with twelve children, but James F., the eldest, died in early childhood. Cara Matilda is the wife of A. L. Johnson. of Ellsworth, and has nine children ; Elmyra J. is the wife of James B. Lewis, of Iowa. and has four children; Clarence M. F. died in childhood; Cynthia W. is the wife of C. P. Wagonseller, of Nashua, Missouri, and has one child; William Freeman married Louisa Boots, and at his death, which came by drowning, he left a widow and two chil- dren; Edwin Sheldon, of Brookville, mar- ried Addie Stark, and they became the par- ents of five children, of whom their eldest son, Edwin Sheldon, represents the third living generation of that name; James L. married Daisy Carey and is living in Kan- sas City ; Susa Almina is the wife of J. W. Ross, of Herrington, Kansas, and has four children; Mary Elizabeth is the wife of G. A. Dow, of Burlington, Vermont, and they have three children ; Frederick F., a farmer of Barber county, this state, married Ollie Estes and has two children; Albert H. wedded Ada Allen and is now a farmer of Ellsworth county. There are thirty grand- children and two great-grandchildren living. In an early day Mr. Root was a silver-gray Republican, but is now a Democrat. He filled some local offices in both New York and Illinois and has served as clerk here. He was also a member of the school board from the time of his arrival in Kansas until

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he removed to Ellsworth. Mr. and Mrs. Root are a genial, hospitable couple. They have experienced many difficulties and en- countered many obstacles in life, but by de- termined purpose they have pressed forward and are now in possession of a very hand- some competence. While in the country they always kept open house and entertained freely. They have made it a point to have a Christmas dinner for many years and an- nually have entertained from twenty to thir- ty-five guests on that day. In 1900 they celebrated their golden wedding, which was an occasion greatly enjoyed by their many friends and relatives, who wish for them many happy returns of the marital anniver- sary. At length they decided to leave the farm and reside quietly in town, and from Christmas until the Ist of March they were never alone for a single day, so freely is their hospitality extended to their friends. Genial and kindly, this worthy couple have a circle of friends which is only limited by the circle of their acquaintances, and in the history of their adopted county they well deserve an honorable mention.

JOHN W. WEATHERD.

John W. Weatherd, who is filling the office of county commissioner, is one of the leading and influential farmers of Kingman county, his home being on section 4, Vinita township. He has been a resident of the county since 1883 and has therefore wit- nessed much of its development and prog- ress, taking his part in the work of ad- vancement and doing all in his power for the general good. He was born in Hen- dricks county, Indiana, near Danville, on the Ioth of October, 1853, and is of French de- scent, his paternal grandfather, Thomas Weatherd, being a native of France, whence he came to the United States when a young man. He served his adopted country as a soldier in the war of 1812. His son, Syl- vester C. Weatherd, the father of our sub- ject, was born in Madison county, Ken-

tucky, and was married there to Susan Bush, also a native of that county, where both were reared and educated, she being of German descent. After their marriage they removed to Hendricks county, Indiana, and in 1861 went to Missouri, settling in Gentry county. The father was a farmer by occu- pation and at the time of the civil war he put aside business and personal considera- tions, offering his services to the govern- ment. He was assigned to the Fifty-first Missouri Infantry, under command of Col- onel McPherris and proved a loyal defend- er of the Union. He died in Gentry coun- ty, Missouri, at the age of sixty-five years, but his widow is still living and has reached the age of eighty-two. In his political affili- ations he was a Whig in early life, and on the dissolution of that party he joined the ranks of the new Republican party, which he continued to support until his death. Of the Methodist Episcopal church he was a very active and influential member and was a steward in the congregation with which he held membership. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Weatherd were born eleven children, of whom seven are yet living: Nancy ; Sarah ; Virginia and America, twins; Thomas; John W .; and P. B., of Borwich, Kansas. Malvina and Susan E. both reached adult age but are now deceased, while two of the family died in childhood.

John W. Weatherd, whose name intro- duces this sketch, was a little lad of eight years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Gentry county, Missouri. He was reared on the home farm, and prac- tical experience soon made him familiar with the best methods of producing crops and caring for stock. He acquired his education in the schools of Indiana and Missouri, also adding to his knowledge through practical experience, reading and observation. He was identified with agricultural pursuits in Missouri until 1883, when he came to King- man county, where he has since made his home. He owns one of the best farms with- in its borders, a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land, on which he erected a modern residence, at a cost of two thou-

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sand dollars. It is comfortably furnished, indicating the cultured and refined taste of the owners. There are good barns and all necessary outbuildings for the care of grain and stock, feed lots, a windmill, orchard, pastures, a grove and every modern acces- sory for facilitating the work of the farm. He is quite extensively engaged in farming and stock raising, and everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appearance.

Mr. Weatherd was married in 1886, to Miss Mary Brady, a native of Pennsylvania, who was reared and educated in Pennsylva- nia and Kansas. She is a daughter of John R. Brady and accompanied her parents on their various removals, arriving in Kansas when a maiden of twelve years. Her fa- ther died in Cheney, Kansas, in 1901, at the age of eighty-one years, and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Catherine Owen, is living in Cheney, at the age of seventy. The Bradys arrived in Kansas in 1874 and for a number of years resided in Vinita township, Kingman county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Weatherd were born two daughters : Hazel and Elsie. Their only son Earl, the second.born, died in 1900, at the age of eleven years.

Mr. Weatherd has many times been called to public office, and his duties have been so faithfully and honorably discharged that he has won the commendation of all concerned. He was elected county commis- sioner and once appointed to fill a vacancy and then re-elected for the full term of three years. Elected county commissioner, he filled the position so creditably and satis -. factorily to his constituents that he was chosen for a second term and is the present incumbent, and no doubt will be again elect- ed, judging from the esteem in which the people hold him. He never wavers in his allegiance to what he believes to be for the public good and is both practical and pro- gressive in his endorsement of measures. He has served his township as trustee and as township treasurer four years, and was elected justice of the peace but resigned that office when elected county commissioner. Like his father, he believes in reform and

advancement in politics as well as other things. He believes in taking all the good and rooting out the bad, and the new he be- lieves is always the best. He affiliates with the reform party, but holds no malice against any party. Mr. Weatherd belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is an active and consistent member of the Methodist church, in which he has served as class-leader and Sunday-school superin- tendent. Education, temperance and moral- ity are causes dear to his heart, and he does all in his power to uplift his fellow men. His manner is open and free-hearted, and in his life record are no pages which will not bear the closest scrutiny and investigation. He is one of the most popular and honored cit- izens of Vinita township, Kingman county, as well as one of its most prosperous and practical agriculturists.

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A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. I, Part 9

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