A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. II, Part 10

Author: Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York Chicago: The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084

USA > Kansas > A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. II > Part 10

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In 1868 Mr. Brayton married Miss Em- ily Moore, who was born in New York, Oc- tober 22. 1844. a daughter of Daniel and Maria ( Prosser) Moore, both of whom were natives of the Empire state. Her father was a shoemaker by trade and followed that pursuit in early life, but afterward devoted his energies to farming. Both he and his wife died in the Empire state. Their chil- dren were: Addison, who died in New

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York : Messena, wife of E. Dickason ; Mari- the somewhat difficult task of preparing an adequate record of one of the distinguished ministers of the Congregational church. The Rev. Dr .: Snowden is now living in com- paratively quiet retirement upon a farm on section 7. Sterling township, Rice county, Kansas, but for many years his strong men- tality and forceful character have left their impress upon the lives of the intellectual activity connected with scientific research etta. the wife of E. Smith: Betsey, who married M. Truesdale: Emily. now Mrs. Brayton: Mariah, the wife of C. Penfield : and Minerva, who died at the age of twenty- one years. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Brayton has been blessed with three chil- dren : William D., born March 22, 1870: Robert. born September 23. 1874: and Frank, who was born on the 2d of October. 1881. Mr. Brayton is a member of the i and with the dissemination of knowledge Farmers' Alliance. In politics he was form- through the lecture platform and from the pulpit. erly a Republican, but afterward became a supporter of the Greenback party; later he was identified with the Reform party, or Populists, and is now a Socialist. He has filled the office of township trustee and as- sessor and other local positions, and no trust reposed in him has ever been betrayed : but. ever loval to duty and the right, he has worthily served his fellow townsmen in office and in all the relations of business and private life he has been found trustworthy and sincere.

DAVID H. SNOWDEN. D. D., LL. D .. M. D., F. R. S.

David H. Snowden, a man of wide fame, needs no introduction to the student of biog- raphy. His leadership in the line to which he has devoted his energies becomes known without the resident history ; but biography serves to perpetuate the record of brilliant achievements, of noble purposes, of success- ful accomplishments and of individual worth,-and where else can be found the inspiration and encouragement that is gleaned from the annals of a well spent life that has fulfilled its mission, leaving an in- fluence immeasurable as infinity. "The proper study of mankind is man," said Pope. and aside from this in its broader sense what base of study and information have we? Thus we understand the full significance of the utterance of Carlyle, that "biography is by nature the most universally profitable. the most universally pleasant of all things." With these thoughts in mind we undertake

Dr. Snowden was born at Fairview Court House. Virginia. April 25. 1840, and is of Scotch and Welsh lineage. His paternal grandfather. John Snowden, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war, and the fa- ther of our subject was William Snowden. In his youth Dr. Snowden did not manifest special aptitude at his studies,-in fact he was usually behind his class and was often therefore made the subject of rude jest, but fortunate for him he eventually came under the influence of Professor D. H. Yant, a successful teacher then located at Fairview Court House, who recognized his good qual- ities of heart and mind and that his possi- bilities were of a high order. His trouble heretofore probably arose largely from the lack of sympathy on the part of his teachers and diffidence in his own nature, but Profes- sor Yant won his love and co-operation and then stimulated his ambition. Dr. Snowden completed not only a classical course of training but made science and medicine a specialty. He began the study of medicine in 1856. under Professor Robley Dunglison. Sr .. of the Jefferson Medical College, where he attended lectures and was graduated in 1858. He won his degree of master of arts from Smithson College, in 1865. that of doctor of philosophy from Philander Smith College in 1890, and in 1888 received the unusual honor for an American of being made a fellow of the Royal Society of Lon- don. England. He began the practice of medicine in 1859. in Pittsburg. Pennsylvan- ia, and there remained until 1870, with the exception of a period of four years, which he spent in the Union army during the Civil

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war, as a member of the Twelfth Regiment of West Virginia Infantry and as a medical purveyor in the medical department of the Army of the Potomac.

Dr. Snowden was a student of theology, law and science in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in 1865, and the degree of Doctor of Divin- ity was conferred upon him by Wilberforce University in 1886, while that of Doctor of Law was conferred upon him by Paul Quinn College in 1890. He continued medical practice in Pittsburg until 1870, when he entered the Lutheran ministry. He has been pastor of several important churches in his denomination, in which he stands among the first in scholarship, as a writer and as a preacher. He was pastor of the Congre- gational church in Little Rock, Arkansas. from 1887 until 1890, and when he left that city the following editorial appeared in the Little Rock Daily Register: "The pastor of Pilgrim Congregational church of Little Rock has tendered his resignation and left the city to fill another appointment. Dr. David Harold Snowden is no ordinary man. Blessed by nature with a vigorous constitu- tion and a powerful physical structure, he is at once an attractive figure among men, with a heart, brain and conscience as pure, bril- liant and sincere as the physical structure is grand and dignified. With a clear voice and a mind well stored with knowledge, Dr. Snowden is an instructive and entertaining speaker. While he is a logician, his fund of information is not confined to ecclesiastic subjects, but ranges over a wide and varied field. Notwithstanding his high literary attainments he is humble as a child. As Theodore Tilton once said of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher-'credulous, like a boy.'

"During Dr. Snowden's residence in this city he has won the admiration of all men with whom he came in contact, and his life has been as pure as his disposition is amiable. As a lecturer and as a minister he is the peer of any man in Arkansas, and wherever he may go in the world's wide arena he will bear with him the admiration of the people of Little Rock and the love and devotion of his parishioners. Dr. Snowden has that peculiar fascination which holds

his audience and never fails to draw a full house .. His departure will be regretted and his place difficult to fill."

From 1890 until 1892 Dr. Snowden was pastor of the Congregational church at Ko- komo, Indiana, and in March of the latter year he accepted the pastorate of the church in Sterling, Kansas, where he remained until 1895. He then filled the pulpit at Nickerson for three and one half years, but during that time resided at Sterling. He has not since been actively identified with pastoral work, but his labors have been most effective. In this connection we cannot do better than quote from the biographical record which appeared of him in the Western World: "Being a man of broad and liberal cul- ture, his nature has imbibed largely of the divine principle-charity. His confidence in humanity as a whole is great, hence his popularity among the masses of mankind. He, like all other men, has enemies no doubt among the bigoted and jealous, but his friends among the other classes are legion. In the preparation of his sermons he takes time and pains, never writing hur- riedly or carelessly and always aiming to pro- duce the best at his command. His theology

partakes largely of the type of such men as Brooks and Parker and Farrar. In manner

and style in the pulpit Dr. Snowden stands among the best pulpit orators. He is grace- ful, fervent, clear and distinct in his enunci- ation, always logical and forcible and al- ways interests his audience, not only in him- self but in his subject. When he rises into the full dignity of his theme his eloquence is entrancing."

During the years of his ministry and even before he accepted a pastorate, the Doctor was widely known as a lecturer, and from the platform he addressed the people on va- rious subjects of broad interest. For several years past he has been a regular contributor to a number of literary and scientific jour- nals of this country. He has also written three books, now in manuscript form, en- titled "Materialism Under the Microscope." "Science. Bible and Christianity" and "The Seven most Prominent of the Twenty-five Bibles of the World." His sermons, many

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of which have been published in the news- papers, if put in book form would make sev- eral volumes. He reads much to keep abreast of the times. His lectures cover a wide range of subjects. To show his versatility and erudition we submit the titles of a por- tion of them: Evils of the Times, Unfold- ing of the Ages, Dignity and Labor, Work and Workers, The Expanded Life, The Beautiful, The Next Thing, and others. On scientific subjects: The Cell vs. Creation, The Air We Breathe, Ice, Hard Water, Heat, The Ocean-Its Relation to the Hu- man Race and What it Teaches, Geology and Mineralogy of the Rocky Mountains, the Arts and Sciences. On sacred subjects : History of the Bible, Literary History of the Bible, Socrates vs. Christ, Tekel Upharsin, The Now, The Then. Adam to Guiteau, and many others. On humorous topics: Abuse of the English Language and Professional Education and adresses to schools and col- leges on temperance, etc. The Doctor also finds considerable time to devote to scien- tific investigation and experiments, in which he has acquired a reputation among scien- tific men. A leading scholar and scientist recently, on being asked what he thought of Dr. Snowden, answered : "Well, mental- ly, morally and physically he is splendid. There isn't one particle of egotism in him. He is really one of the grand men of the day -lofty in thought and high in principle, while 'practice what you preach' is his every- day life." The Doctor is still a member of the Indiana State Medical Society and at one time was a member of the State Law As- sociation. Prior to 1896 he became a mem- ber of the State Bar Association of Kansas.

On the 2nd of December. 1874, Dr. Snowden was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Falconer. a daughter of the Hon. Robert S. and Mary ( Sill) Falconer. Her mother was born at Black Rock, New York, in 1811, and her father was a native of Brooklyn, born in 1809. He died at Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, in February, 1876, and his wife passed away in June. 1884. Mrs. Snowden has two brothers and one sister yet living. She was educated at Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, and in 1892 she re-

ceived the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Philander Smith College at Little Rock, Ar- kansas, and by her marriage has become the mother of two children, namely: Mary E., now the wife of William Wallace Ham- ilton, of Nickerson, Kansas: and David Harold, who is a youth of thirteen years and is now in school. In 1893 the Doctor pur- chased his present home farm in Sterling township, Rice county, becoming the owner of one hundred and sixty acres, and in 1896 he took up his abode thereon. He now has four hundred acres twelve miles away, in Rice and Reno counties, and this he rents. The Doctor is a member of the board of pen- sion examiners for Rice county, is presi- dent of the board of United States exam- ining surgeons for the interior, is a United States examining surgeon for the war de- partment, president of the Rice County Medical Society, and is the coroner of Rice county. He belongs to the Masonic fra- ternity. in which he was initiated in Ohio in 1865. He now has a life membership in Sharon Lodge, No. 115. of Sharon, Wiscon- sin, and he also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Sterling, Kansas. and to the encampment at Litchfield, Illi- nois. In the Masonic fraternity he has at- tained the thirty-second degree. Perhaps a better summary of his character and work cannot be given than in the words of Pro- fessor E. C. Tuttle, who says :

"As a lecturer he has but few equals and perhaps no superiors. While his statements may possibly be looked upon as somewhat ex- aggerated. it is nevertheless true that he is remarkably well qualified, both by nature and his requirements, for the platform. Though but in the prime of life, Dr. Snow- clen has acquired a brilliant reputation among lecturers. He has appeared in near- ly all the large cities and many of the towns of the United States. uniformly receiving a warm welcome and the highest encomiums. His return visits are more heartily welcomed than his first, which is an unmistakable evi- dence of his power and popularity as a lec- turer. As a thinker Dr. Snowden is held and original to a marked degree. He ac- cepts nothing, neither in science. theology

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nor philosophy that does not coincide with his exalted conception of right and truth. He is constantly seeking to bring out the great treasure-house of nature things both new and old, particularly the former. All the available portion of his life has been given to thought and study.

"As a scholar Dr. Snowden ranks high. He does not believe in any kind of surface work. He goes to the bottom of every- thing he undertakes, which accounts in part for his ripe scholarship. An editor himself said : 'Dr. Snowden is a man of rare ability and culture. Every sentence he utters in- dicates a thinker and a scholar .- one who not only studies but analyzes. In choice of language few public lecturers are his equals. The best words seem to have been chosen, while the sentences of his lecture impress the hearer as models of language. Added to this are sensible ideas, ease and grace in delivery, all combined to make a lecture that is thoroughly enjoyed by listeners, critics though they be.'

"As a logician the Doctor is clear, forc- ible and convincing. When he grasps a subject he is able to formulate and present it in all its force, to hearer or reader. In proof of this assertion we quote from the Milwaukee Sentinel's notice of his lecture, "Materialism Under the Microscope:" 'It was without doubt the best expose of the sophistry of the "cell theory" ever given to a Milwaukee audience. The Doctor is a deep and logical reasoner and has evidently stud- ied the subject well. By his trenchant logic he enabled his hearers to see the subject as he himself sees it.' "

JAMES A. DAVIDSON.

The state of Pennsylvania has sent out to the west a class of men who have been leaders in business enterprise wherever they have located and who in many parts of our comparatively new country have as pi- oneers most worthily opened the way to ad- vancing civilization. Kansas has been fa- vored in the manner suggested and most

earnestly acknowledges her obligation to that commonwealth. One of the best known native Pennsylvanians in Reno coun- ty. is James A. Davidson, the successful farmer and fruit grower of Plevna town- ship, whose postoffice is at Plevna.

James A. Davidson was born in Venan- go county, Pennsylvania, April 21. 1856, a son of William and Emily ( Condit) Da- vidson. His father was a native of Venan- go county, born about 1809, and he died in 1877. His mother was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Will- iam and Margeritte ( Gordon) Condit, and she married Mr. Davidson about 1852. Will- iam Davidson was an excellent farmer and before his death had succeeded in placing himself in good financial circumstances. His wife was a worthy helpmeet to him, and of their ten children they reared seven sons and two daughters, all of whom married with the exception of Fulton, who died in Kansas in 1886. The remainder of their sons and the daughters are living, as fol- lows: William W., who is a well known farmer of Reno county, and has four chil- dren ; Orlando S., of Sioux City, Iowa, and has two children : James A. and Robert, who are twins, the latter a farmer and lives one mile north from James A., and has a young daughter ; Samuel Curtain, who lives three miles south from James A., and has a son. Anna E., who married Martin Miller, by whom she has five daughters, and the family lives a mile and a half northeast of our sub- ject : Luella, who married Orville Axtell and has two children; Ira C., who lives two miles north of James A., and has a son and two daughters.

The first representatives of this family of Davidson in Reno county were James A. and Robert and Fulton Davidson, who came to the county from Illinois in 1882, James A. having removed to the Prairie state in 1880. Mr. Davidson is still farm- ing on his place of one hundred and ten agres, on which he located in 1882, when it was prairie land in a state of nature. Every fruit and shade tree on the place is of his planting. He has a good apple orchard cov- ering seven acres of ground, an acre of

MR. AND MRS. JAMES A. DAVIDSON AND FAMILY.

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grapes and a goodly number of cherry trees. He gives special attention to fruit and is one of the leading horticulturists in his town. He sold twenty-eight bushels of cher- ries in 1901 and other fruit in proportion. His house was erected in 1882, but was enlarged in 1900, and his barn was com- pleted in 1887. Mrs. Davidson is the owner of a half section of rich land on the Ninnes- cah river, which came to her as a portion of her father's estate and which was a part of the valuable tract on which he herded his many cattle.

Mrs. Davidson was in her maidenhood Miss Celestia Axtell. daughter of the late Pliny F. Axtell, and his first wife, who was Sarah Rice. Pliny F. and Sarah ( Rice) Axtell reared three daughters. Olive, their eldest daughter, is the wife of J. L. Snyder, of Sterling, Kansas. Celestia is the wife of the immediate subject of this sketch. Ophelia married Prof. L. L. Dyche, of the State University, at Lawrence, Kansas. Sarah ( Rice) Axtell died leaving the three daughters mentioned. Mr. Axtell's second wife was Martha Hitchcock, who bore him six children, of whom four grew to matur- ity. Lottie, who died at the age of seven- teen years; Orville C., a farmer in Reno county ; Burton F., who lives in Kiowa county : and Blanche, the wife of M. E. Hin- man and lives in Plevna township. Mr. Axtell's children are all located on his es- tate of two and a half sections in Plevna township and two hundred acres at Sterling, where he gave ten acres as a campus to Cooper College. He came to Kansas from Warren county. Illinois, in 1874, and farmed on an extensive scale. He began life in Illinois about 1850. without means and became a man of much wealth and influ-' ence. He died of consumption at the age of fifty-eight. His wife. Martha ( Hitchcock) Axtell, died in 1884. at the age of forty- three years.

James A. and Celestia ( Axtell) David- son were married in 1885, and have two sons and one daughter: Karl V .. a tall' youth of thirteen years, who holds out much promise of a useful future: Mildred W .. nine years old: and Elmer Scoville, who is

seven years old. Mr. Davidson is a stanch Republican, devoted to the prinicples and purposes of his party, and while not an ac- tive politician in the ordinary sense of the term he exerts a recognized influence in local affairs. His rule has been to keep out of office, but he was induced to take the office of justice of the peace and he adminis- trated it so ably and so satisfactorily that he was twice re-elected. He and Mrs. Da- vidson are members of the Congregational church, in which he fills the offices of trus- tee and deacon.

LEWIS F. SCHUMACHER.

The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in men are brought out and developed. Per- haps the history of no people so forcibly impresses one with the truth of this as the annals of our own republic. If anything can inspire the youth of our country to persistent, honorable and laudable endeavor, it should be the life record of such men as he of whom we write. The example of the illustrious few of our countrymen who have risen from obscurity to the highest posi- tions in the gift of the nation serves often to awe our young men rather than to inspire them to emulation, because they reason that only a few can ever attain such eminence ; but the history of such men as Lewis Fred- erick Schumacher proves conclusively that with a reasonable amount of mental and physical power success is bound, eventually, to crown the endeavors of those who have the ambition to put forth their best efforts, and the will and the manliness to persevere therein.

Mr. Schumacher is now engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in New- ton and his prosperity is the reward of in- dustry and diligence. He was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 5. 1850. His father. George Schumacher, was born in Germany in 1828, and when eighteen years

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of age came to America, the vessel in which he sailed being for fifty-six days on the water before dropping anchor in the harbor of New York. He there remained for sev- eral months, after which he removed to Erie, Pennsylvania. He was a cooper by trade, but in the Keystone state he began working as a farm hand by the month and year, being thus employed until his mar- riage. In 1849, when he was twenty-one years of age, he wedded Catherine Fuess- ler, who was also a native of Germany, but was not born in the same province as her husband. Her father. Ernest Fuessler, came with his family to this country when the daughter was twelve years of age. He followed the tailoring business and was also connected with the grocery trade in this country. In his family were three children, and Mr. Schumacher had three brothers and a sister, all of whom came to America after he had established his home in the land of the free. He is now the only sur- vivor and is living in the state of Wash- ington with his children. After his mar- riage he began farming upon rented land in Erie county, Pennsylvania, but in the fall of 1879 he came with his family to Kan- sas, going first to Osborn. In that locality he purchased a section of land of different parties. He brought with him ten thousand dollars, which he had made through his farming operations in the east and this he invested in Kansas lands. His wife died while they were residing in Osborn, de- parting this life in 1892, when nearly sev- enty years of age. The father engaged in stock-raising on quite an extensive scale and carried on the business until 1894, when he retired with a competency. He provided his children with good educational privileges and five of his sons and two of his sons-in-law have been teachers. He has also assisted them in other ways, ever being a considerate and liberal father.

In the family were ten children, seven sons and three daughters, of whom Lewis F. is the eldest. The others are as follows : Emma, the wife of S. H. Sprinkle, who with his family resides in Washington; Maria,

the wife of E. N. Keck, of Sioux City, Iowa, by whom she has two children ; George J., an Evangelical preacher located at Hia- watha, Kansas, who is married and has five children: Thomas E., a confectioner of Newton, Kansas, who is married and has eight children; Charles, who is extensively engaged in farming on the old homestead in this state and is married and has five children ; William, a twin brother of Charles, and now a general merchant of Edmonds, . Washington, where he resides with his wife and two children; Samuel B., a dealer in paints and glass in Everett, Washington, who is married and has three children; Frank, who is a Methodist preacher of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, is married; and Catherine, the wife of Harvey Zimmerman, a farmer of Osborn, Kansas, by whom she has one daughter.

The subject of this sketch spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Erie county, Pennsylvania, and in the winter months was a student in the public schools near his home, while in the summer seasons he worked on the home farm.' In 1868 he determined to improve the opportunities af- forded by the west and making his way to Benton county, Iowa, he was there engaged in teaching school through eight winter terms.

On the Ist of October, 1872, Mr. Schu- macher was married to Miss Mary A. Mickey, of Benton county, a daughter of Martin Mickey, of Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, who at the time of the great ex- citement in California concerning the dis- covery of gold crossed the plains in 1849. In 1851, however, he retraced his steps as far as Iowa and there took up his abode. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schumacher have been born eight children, of whom five are still living: Bertha E., the wife of David B. Reeves, of Newton, by whom she has three children: Blanche, the wife of Cyrus Stauffer ; Orlando, who assists his father in business; Harry, who is also in the store ; and Ethel, a little maiden of eleven sum- mers. Those who have passed away are Clementine Stella, who was the eldest and

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A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. II, Part 10

Author: Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York Chicago: The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York Chicago: The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084