A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. II, Part 43

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 43

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In the public schools of Ripley, Ohio, Mr. McCague of this review pursued his elementary education which was supple- mented by a course in the state university at Columbia. Missouri, in which he was graduated with the class of 1884. Thus pre- pared for the practice of law he entered upon the active prosecution of his profession and has since devoted his energies to his chosen field of laher. He was licensed to practice in Alva, Oklahoma, where he remained for five years. and with the exception of that

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period, he has resided continuously in Med- icine Lodge since becoming a representative of the legal fraternity. He is well informed on legal principles and his success is the merited reward of his close application and his devotion to his clients' interests.

Mr. McCague was united in marriage to Lucy O. Purcell, of Medicine Lodge, who was born in Illinois and pursued her educa- tion in the high school of Sterling, Kansas. She is a daughter of James D. Purcell, of Alva, Oklahoma, who came with his family to Kansas from Illinois. His wife bore the maiden name of Deborah Reed and by her marriage she became the mother of five chil- dren: Mrs. Jennie Brown, of Alva, Okla- homa: Mrs. Ida Bussy, of Savey, Illinois; Mrs. McCague ; Robert D., of Woods coun- ty, Oklahoma: and Ross R., also a resident of that territory. For a number of years the family resided in Sterling, this state. The home of Mr. and Mrs. McCague has been blessed with one child, Thomas Pur- cell, who was born January 3, 1902. In his political views our subject is independent and nevertheless he has been called to public office, serving as city attorney and police judge. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has represented the last named in the grand lodge. He has won for himself very favorable criticism for the care- ful and systematic methods which he has followekl.

WV. T. COLLINS.

I. T. Collins, who is filling the office of police judge of Medicine Lodge, is one of the well known officials of Barber county,- a man, who by the faithful performance of his duty, has gained the highest respect and confidence of his fellow townsmen. He was one of the boys in blue during the Civil war who fought for the defense of the Union and in days of peace he has been equally true and loyal to his country's good. He repre- sents one of the old families of Kansas, for with his parents he came to this state in

1856, a settlement being made in the north- eastern part of Doniphan county.

His father, the Rev. J. J. Collins, was a native of Virginia and belonged to one of the old families of that state descended from Scotch-Irish ancestors, who were noted for their integrity and patriotism. In the old Dominion Rev. Collins spent the days of his boyhood and youth, obtained his educa- tion there and afterward married Sarah Haynes, a native of Maryland. He was engaged for a long period in the shoe busi- ness and also devoted his attention to farm- ing. He likewise was well known as a min- ister of the gospel and was found as the champion of all measures for the uplifting of man and for the development of Chris- tianity among those with whom he came in contact. Strongly opposed to the practice of slavery, he became a stanch abolitionist and free-soiler. Coming to Kansas in 1856, he was the contemporary of John Brown, Jim Lane. Cyrus Leland, Sr., Dr. Pardee Butler and other prominent members of the Freesoil party, who in 1850 struggled so valiantly to make Kansas a free state. He was a man of fine physique, tall and weighing two hundred pounds, and by his upright life and fidelity to his honest convictions, he commanded the highest respect wherever he went. His wife, too, was loved for her many excellent qualities of heart and mind. Rev. Collins passed away in 1874 at the age of seventy-four years, his birth having occurred in 1800, and his wife died when sixty-seven years of age. This worthy couple were the parents of six sons and three daughters, namely : Mrs. Maggie Wells, of Rossville, Kansas: Mrs. Hannah Taylor, whose hus- band was in the Thirteenth Kansas Infan- try: Mrs. Mary Mansfield, who is living in Troy, Kansas; W. T., of this review: Jo- seph W., of Robinson, Brown county, Kan- sas; Charles, who makes his home in Col- orado; and three who have passed away. Of this number Daniel was a member of Company H. of the Eighteenth Kentucky Regiment, and died in Fort Smith, Arkan- sas. Major James Collins was an officer in the Confederate service and was also a beef contractor, furnishing beef to the army. G.

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T. Collins, who was a member of the Thir- teenth Kansas Infantry, died in Ottawa, this state, in 1898.

In taking up the personal history of our subject. we present to our readers one who is widely and favorably known in Barber county. He was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and was only nine years of age when he accompanied his par- ents to Doniphan county, Kansas. He was therefore reared among the scenes of the frontier and became a strong and robust boy. He obtained his education in the public schools and was yet in his teens when he offered his services to his country becoming a member of the Fourteenth Kansas Cav- alry, in which he served for two years, tak- ing part in many battles and skirmishes, in- cluding the engagements at Prairie Grove, Dripping Springs, Snyder's Mills, and at the last named place he was taken prisoner by the force under General Kirby Smith. Soon afterward he was paroled. He saw much active and arduous service in Missouri and Arkansas and at length was honorably dis- charged, returning to his home with a cred- itable military record.

Once more taking up his abode in Don- iphan county, Mr. Collins there engaged in working in wood and in wagon making. He also followed farming for a time and in 1874 he removed from Doniphan county to Richardson county, Nebraska. establishing his home in North Rural, where he con- ducted a wagon shop. Eleven years of his life were thus spent and on the expiration of that period he came to Barber county in 1885, settling in Medicine Lodge. Here he has since made his home and has occupied a very prominent position in public affairs, being a leading and influential citizen.

In the year 1871 Mr. Collins was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Kirk, who for thirty-one years has been to him a faithful companion and helpmate on the journey of life. She was born, reared and educated in Kentucky and is a daughter of Washington and Amanda ( Wells) Kirk. She had one brother, W. T. Kirk, who served in the Union army as a member of the Sixteenth Kentucky Infantry. The home of Judge

and Mrs. Collins has been blessed with four children, the first two being twins. These are Mrs. Sally Woodward, of Oklahoma, and Mrs. Anna Froman, of Medicine Lodge. The former was for three years prior to her marriage one of the successful teachers of Barber county. Mrs. Maggie McCorkle is a graduate of the high school of Medicine Lodge of the class of 1898. Kirk, the only son of the family, is now a student in the high school. In his political affiliations the Judge has been a stalwart Republican since attaining his majority and has never swerved in his fidelity to the principles of the party, believing that it contains the best elements of good government. In 1899 he was elect- ed and served as mayor of the city and is now police judge, Socially he is connected with Eldred Post, No. 174. G. A. R .. of which he has twice served as commander. Over his public and private career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, and wherever he has lived. he has command- ed uniform respect and confidence and gained a large circle of friends.

ROBERT CLARK.

Robert Clark, who owns and operates four hundred and forty acres of rich land near Jewell City, Kansas, is a most pro- gressive agriculturist, as is indicated by his well improved place, with its fine modern buildings. A native of Pennsylvania. he was born in Juniata county, that state, De- cember 14, 1854, and is a son of William and Margaret (Mccullough) Clark, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The father came to the United States when he was seventeen years of age, locating in Philadel- phia, where he followed different occupa- tions for a number of years. He was mar- ried in that city and soon afterward removed to Juniata county, where he engaged in farming and where he is still living. an . Id and honored resident of that locality. His wife was a maiden of only eleven years when she crossed the broad Atlantic to the new world, and her death occurred in Juniata county in 1890.

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In the public schools near his boyhood home Mr. Clark of this review obtained a good preliminary education, which was sup- plemented by study in Tuscarora Academy. at Academia, Pennsylvania. He engaged in teaching school in his native county for three years, and was a successful educator, having the ability to impart clearly and con- cisely to others the knowledge he had ac- quired. The year 1879 witnessed his ar- rival in Kansas, his first location being in Brown county. There he taught school for three years, and in 1882 he purchased his ' connection with the isuing of relief fund's to

present home in Brown's creek township, Jewell county, seven and one-half miles southwest of Jewell City. In 1883 he took up his abode upon this tract of land and soon largely devoted his attention to its fur- ther development and improvement. He taught school the first year he was here but since that time he has been actively and suc- cessfully engaged in farming and stock- raising. He has a splendidly improved place, upon which is a modern and attractive residence, two stories and a half in height and constituting one of the finest country homes in Jewell county. Upon the place there are also seen substantial and modern barns and outbuildings. The farm is four hundred and forty acres in extent and much of this land is under cultivation, while the re- mainder is devoted to pasture for the stock.

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A mile and a half north of his present home, on the 16th of April. 1884, Mr. Clark was joined in wedlock to Miss Melinda E. Wagner, a native of Cass county, Illinois, and a daughter of William S. and Lourana (Bonine) Wagner. Her father, who was a soldier in the Civil war, died in 1868, but her mother is still living and yet makes her home in Jewell county. Mrs. Clark was born on May 24, 1865, and came to Kansas with her mother in 1880. Before her mar- riage she had been one of her husband's pu- pils in the local district school. Five chil- dren have blessed their union, namely : William Newton, Margaret Blanche. Cloyd Lofton, Renwick Allen, and Amy Lourana. The parents hold membership in the Meth- odist church. They are people of literary

tastes, which is indicated by the large num- ber of books to be found in their home, and with the contents of which they are familiar. In his political views Mr. Clark is a Popu- list. believing firmly in the principles of the new party. In 1892 he was elected county commissioner of Jewell county, in which capacity he served for four years. That was a period of severe drought in this part of the country and in his official capacity Mr. Clark was called upon to exercise con- siderable business ability and judgment in the poor and needy. That he performed his work wisely and well is indicated by the fact that his administration universally proved a wise and strong one. At the pres- ent time he is a member of the local school board. Kindly, genial and large hearted, he has many friends throughout this section of the state and well deserves the high regard in which he is held. His property interests have all been acquired through his own efforts and his enterprise and progress have been the foundation stones of his success.

SAMUEL GRIFFIN.

Samuel Griffin is filling the office of county attorney of Barber county, to which he was first elected in 1898. In no profes- sion does advancement depend more entire- ly upon individual merit than in the law; not by gift, by influence, or by purchase may it be secured. It must depend upon intellectual attainment, upon keen discern- ment and strong reasoning powers and it is these qualities which have made Mr. Griffin well known as a leading practitioner in Barber county.

A native of Illinois, he was born in Warren, Jo Daviess county in January, 1872, a son of George and Emma ( Strong) Griffin, who were well known residents of Warren. He spent his early boyhood days with his relatives, his mother having died when he was about four years of age; but when still very young started out to make his own way in the world. He acquired his preliminary education in the public schools

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of Minds and Kansas and later became a student in the state university of Kansas. For six years he was engaged in teaching and was a most capable educator, having the al Bity to impart clearly and concisely to others the knowledge he acquired, but he regarded this as only a means to an end. ier he had determined to make the practice of law his life work. Accordingly he began studying and in 1898 he was ad- mitted to the bar, since which time he has practiced in Medicine Lodge. He has demonstrated his ability by the successful comoluet . f many cases and as the public have recognized his power as an attorney, it has accorded to him a liberal and constant- ly growing clientage.

On the 6th of November, 1901, in Medi- cine lo dge. Mr. Griffin was united in mar- riage to Miss Blanche E. Young, a daugh- ter of J. R. Young, who for years was a prominent business man, conducting a drug store in this place until his death. Mrs. Griffin spent her girlhood days here, pur- suing her education in the public schools and has a wide acquaintance in this city, as has Mr. Griffin, who has been in Medicine Lodge since 1885. He is an exemplary member of the Knights of Pythias, also be- longs to the Masonic order, and in his polit- ical views is a stalwart Republican, being aco unted a zealous worker in the interests of the party. In 1898 he was elected county attorney and on the expiration of his first term he had filled the position so acceptably that he was re-elected and is now the in- cumbent. He has the happy faculty not only of winning friends wherever he goes, but of drawing them closer to him as the years pass by. Possessed of laudable ambition and unfaltering courage, he has steadily ad- vanced in the line of his chosen work and his name during the past years has been as- seciated with much important litigation in his district.

AMOS PROUTY.

To this venerable resident of section IO, Macon township. Harvey county, Kansas, who receives his mail through Newton

rural delivery No. 1. belongs the honors of a pioneer. Amos Prouty who is now about eighty-seven years old, and who has lived in Kansas since 1871, was born in Ver- mont. December 21, 1815, and when a child of two years was taken to Worcester county, Massachusetts. James Prouty, his father, was born in 1787 at Spencer, Mas- sachusetts, where Amos was reared and married Huldah Whittaker, of Oakham, Massachusetts, about 1807. Soon after their marriage they removed to Vermont, but returned to Spencer, Massachusetts, where James Prouty died in 1837. Of their six children four married. William Prouty, the eldest son, born in 1808, died at New Boston, Mercer county, Illinois, aged about fifty-seven years, and left a wife and two children. Julia Ann Prouty married Robert Baldwin and died in the prime of life at Waltham Massachusetts, leaving no chil- dren. Amos Prouty is the immediate sub- ject of this sketch. Luria Ann married a Mr. Hunt, who died at Waltham. Massachu- sets, leaving a son and a daughter.

Amos Prouty received a meager pub- lic-school education at Oakham, Massachu- setts. At the age of eleven years he left home and worked for a farmer till he was seventeen years old, then became an appren- tice to the boot and shoe maker's trade at Spencer. He worked at shoemaking until 1839, when he removed to Mercer county, Illinois. He was married in Spencer, in 1835, to Mary Lucy Stone, who was born in 1816 and who bore him twelve children, two in Massachusetts and ten in Illinois, of whom eight are living: Amos, the first born, died in Illinois, in 1850, aged fourteen years. William H., born in Spen- cer. Massachusetts. August 16, 1838, be- came a farmer, lived two miles northwest from the homestead of the subject of this sketch, and had two daughters and a son and died March 17. 1902: Simon H., born March 2. 1840, also lives near Amos and has two daughters. Mary Ellen, born in Illinois, February 15. 1842, married a Mr. Moore, who died in Montana, leaving three children. and she again married and has four children by this marriage. John Mur- ray, born February 21, 1844, also a farmer,

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living in Macon township, and has one son and two daughters. Andrew Franklin was born February 1, 1846. Henry Wallace was born November 17, 1848. Maria A. was born April 3, 1851 and died when about one year old. Lewis A. was born October 20, 1852, who farms in Macon township. Alice Jane was born October 3, 1854, and married George Moshier, whom she has borne one son, and lives in Oregon. Luria was born June 14, 1857, and married Frank E. Streeter. Lewis A. had a twin sister, who died in infancy. The mother of these chil- dren, who was born February 7, 1817, died at her home in Macon township, Kansas, February 2, 1877, and in 1880 her husband married Mrs. Susan Hallowell.

Mrs. Hallowell was born in Indiana a daughter of Abel Summers, and was first · married to A. D. Cash, a native of the state of New York, who died in Illinois in the prime of life, leaving her with three of their four children, one of whom had died. Her son, George William Cash, of Rock Island, Illinois, has a son. Her son, Thomas Cash, of Nebraska, has five children. Her son, J. J. Cash, of Newton, Kansas, is a pop- ular railroad conductor. Mrs. Prouty, who was ten years younger than her husband, died suddenly November 26. 1901.

Mr. Prouty saw service as a soldier in the Civil war in Company G. Twenty-sev- enth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he enlisted in August, 1861. He entered the army as third sergeant and was hon- orably discharged for disability fifteen months later as first sergeant, after having been in hospital at Iuka, Mississippi, three months a victim of fever. . He was long an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Grand Army of the Republic. A Republican in politics, he for more than thirty years filled the office of justice of the peace in Illinois and Kansas. He was also four times elected county com- missioner in the two states mentioned, and has held important offices. He has been a Universalist since he was nineteen years old.

Beginning life without means he lo- cated in Kansas thirty-one years ago, bring- ing with him a capital of seven thousand dollars, and as an ex-soldier pre-empted one

hundred and sixty acres of virgin prairie land, on which there was not a tree. He now has fifteen acres of fine, tall timber, every tree of which he himself set out. and twenty-five acres of orchard land, on which he grows apples, peaches, pears, plums, apri- cots and cherries. His large garden is one of the best in its vicinity and he has a fine grapery. Since his retirement from active life he has rented all his land except his orchard and twenty acres on which he grows alfalfa.

JUDGE SAMCEL F. McGOWEN.

Samuel F. McGowen, the probate judge of Harper county, Kansas, was born in Carroll county, Ohio, on the IIth of Oc- tober, 1831, and is of Scotch descent. He is a son of Robert and Elizabeth ( Mitchell) McGowen, natives of Pennsylvania. The father, who was a farmer by occupation,. removed to Ohio in early manhood. and there his death occurred in 1839, but he was. survived by his wife until 1875, when she, too, passed away. In their family were six children: T. J., who followed the teacher's profession in Bushnell, Illinois, but is now retired from active labor; R. A., a promi- nent farmer of Harper county, Kansas ; Mattie J., the wife of C. C. Whitman, also of this county; Samuel F., the subject of this review; John C., who died in Bluff City, Kansas ; and Nancy, the deceased wife. of J. H. Millen.

Samuel F. McGowen remained on the home farm until his fourteenth year, and at. that time, having become proficient in the concert and rhyme system of teaching geography, he was tendered a position at that youthful age, receiving twenty dollars- : a month in compensation for his services,. the common wages then paid being from twelve to fifteen dollars. Before entering upon the duties of this position, however, he had spent one year at the Salem Eclec- tic Institute, and for thirteen years there- after he was engaged in teaching in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. during which time he also spent some time at the Car- roll County Eclectic Institute, at Carrollton,

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Ohio. In 1854 he located in Pike county, Illinois, where he taught the Kinderhook school for a time, and then for one year he was employed as a clerk in a store in that county. His next place of residence was at Fulton, where his maternal uncle, Robert Mitchell, then resided, and there he was engaged in teaching for two years. From there in April, 1859, he went to Ot- tumwa, Iowa, where he spent the following eighteen months as an instructor. In April, 1861, with two companions, he started on the long and arduous journey across the plains, his objective point being Denver, Colorado, and in that state he was engaged in mining and prospecting for two years, going from there to Montana, where he engaged in placer mining on his own ac- count, meeting with fair success in the un- dertaking. In the autumn of 1866 he start- ed from the Yellowstone Park on a flat boat down the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers to Sioux City, Iowa, thence returning to Fulton county, Illinois, where he again took up the profession of teaching, but on ac- count of ill health he was soon obliged to abandon that occupation, and again, in company with a friend, started on a west- ward journey, Oregon being their destina- tion. On reaching Greenwood county, Kansas, however, John Duncan (a cousin), who was then located there, induced the gentlemen to stop in the Sunflower state, and from that time until the following Sep- tember our subject made his home in Green- wood county. From there he removed to Emporia, where he was employed at the carpenter's trade, and he remained in that city until the year after his marriage, when he engaged in farming in Coffey county, Kansas. In 1871, however, he abandoned the work of the farm and for the following three years was engaged in the real-estate business at Burlington, Kansas, but in 187.f he again returned to his country home, and while there residing his wife died. Four years later he resumed the real-estate busi- ness at Burlington, but in 1886 he left that city and came to the newly organized coun- ty of Harper, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Silver Creek township,

and for the following ten years gave his attention to general agricultural pursuits and stock farming.

In Emporia, Kansas, in March. 1808, Mr. McGowen was united in marriage to May J. Hoover, a native of Indiana, and they had two children .- AArthur W., assist- ant treasurer of Harper county, and El- mer 11 .. a prominent teacher of this county. On the 22d of June, 1878, Mr. McGowen was united in marriage to Mrs. Carrie Brown. In the public life of his locality he has long taken an active and leading par :. and in 1896 he was elected on the People's ticket to the office of probate judge of Harper county, and he removed from his farm to Anthony to assume the duties of that important position, of which he was the incumbent for two years. After an in- terval of two years he was again elected to that office, and during the years of 1898-9 he served as police judge of Anthony, while in 1900 he was again made probate judge of Harper county. While residing on his farm in this county he served for about ten years as a justice of the peace, and during his residence in Coffey county he also serve. in that capacity as trustee of his township and village and in many other of the local offices. For the past fifty years he has been a worthy member of the Masonic fraternity. He has attained prominence in both busi- ness and social circles, while in private life no man in Harper county has more friends than he. and they have been won and are being retained by his attractive personality, his outspoken devotion to the best interests of the community and his mental ability, which is of a high order.

THOMAS MURPHY.

Thomas Murphy is the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Medicine Lodge township, Barber county, and there by legitimate business interests he is gradually acquiring a handsome compe- tence which is well deserved. for his career has been ever characterized by diligence, perseverance and straightforward dealing.

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A biographical history of central Kansas, Vol. II, Part 43

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