History of Butler County Kansas, Part 61

Author: Mooney, Vol. P
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Lawrence, Kan. : Standard Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 946

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J. M. McAnally, now deceased, was a prominent merchant of El Dorado, and during his career, was a leading factor in the commercial life of this city. Mr. McAnnally was born at Nicholsville, Claremont county, Ohio, June 17, 1845. He was left an orphan at the tender age of five years, and was reared in Ohio and educated in the public schools there. When he was about twenty-five years of age he removed to Champaign county, Illinois, where he was engaged in farming until 1878. He then came to Kansas, locating in Morris county, and in 1880, he came to Butler county, and located at El Dorado. Soon after coming here, he became associated with C. O. Beardsley, in the grocery business, and later he purchased the Musselman furniture stock, which was locat- ed in a small frame building on Main street. Soon after buying this stock, he sold a half interest in it to J. M. Noble, and the firm became McAnally & Noble, and they engaged in the furniture business on south Main street, and this partnership continued for twenty-eight years. They carried on an extensive furniture business in a two-story building on south Main street. Mr. McAnally died June 4, 1910, and the partnership was continued with Mrs. McAnally as the successor to her husband's interest, for three years, or until the death of Mr. Noble. All these years, the firm of McAnally & Noble was the leading furni- ture dealers of El Dorado.

Mr. McAnally was first married in Ohio, and shortly afterwards re- moved to Illinois where his wife died a few years later. Three children were born to them. His second wife was Miss Dora Jackson, who is al- so deceased. On October 4, 1904, Mr. McAnally was married to Miss Clara E. Hiatt, a daughter of Eli W. and Guinanna (Pore) Hiatt, the former a native of Bellefontaine, Logan county, Ohio, and the latter of Indiana.

In early life, Mr. McAnally was converted and united with the Pres- byterian church. After his marriage to Miss Clara E. Hiatt, he attend- ed the Baptist church, which was the denomination of her church, and Mr. McAnally became much interested in the affairs of this church. He served as a member of the building committee in the erection of the new edifice in El Dorado, and proved to be a valuable aid in a financial way. After the dedication of the new church, he united with the class, and was faithful to the end. Almost his last word was a Christian message to his wife and friends. At that time he called his pastor to his bedside and said, "I want you to tell all, that since last Saturday, I have had a new

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vision of the spiritual life, and a larger vision of the love of my friends, not only during this sickness, but through all my life. I want to thank all of them. My spiritual condition is perfectly satisfactory. Every- thing is all right. I confront the change with faith, confidence, and peace." Mr. McAnally's death exemplified his life. He died as he had lived, a Christian.

Mr. McAnally was also prominent in lodge circles. He was a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, El Dorado Lodge, No. 74, and had been a member of that order for over forty years, and passed all the chairs. He joined the lodge at Nicholsville, Ohio, and was a mem- ber up to the time of his death. He was also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. His widow, Mrs. Clara McAnally, resides on North Atchison street, El Dorado, where she has a modern and comfort- able home. She is an estimable lady, of a high standard of culture, and has many friends. Majorie McAnally is an adopted daughter of Mrs. McAnally, adopted in 1914. She is attending the graded school at El Dorado.

Daniel Weidman, a Civil war veteran and Butler county pioneer, is a native of Columbia township, Warren county, New Jersey. He was born in 1844, and is a son of Philip K. and Susan (Ryman) Weidman. The father was born in Easton, Pa., in 1803, and the mother was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1812. They were the parents of the following children: Thomas; Mrs. Clara Wait; Mrs. Lymell Thomp- son, and Daniel, the subject of this sketch. The Weidman family went from Pennsylvania to Iowa in 1856, where the father died in 1862, and the mother in 1872, in Fremont county.

Daniel Weidman was educated in the public schools of Pennsyl- vania, and the Waverly Academy, Waverly, Pa., and on July 30, 1863. he enlisted at Red Oak, Iowa, in Company A. Eighth regiment, Iowa cavalry, and was mustered into the United States service. His regi- ment took part in the Atlanta campaign, and the battles of Nashville. Tenn., and Waterloo, Ala., and a number of other engagements and skirmishes. Mr. Weidman had some very narrow escapes during his military career, but was never wounded. He was doing picket duty on the banks of the river, when General Hood attacked the Union lines and sent his first boat load of men across the Tennessee, at about the point where Mr. Weidman was stationed. Mr. Weidman says that he never ran so fast in all his life as he did that afternoon, to get away from the Confederates. During his hurry he threw his coat away, which he needed that night. The same night that the Union forces were attacked by Hood, and withdrew, they were reinforced by General Hatch, and returned to the fight which lasted a number of days and ended at Nashville. Mr. Weidman was on a raid in Alabama which lasted sixty-two days. At the same time, his horse was shot from under him, and fell on one of his feet which was in the stirrup, and in order to release himself, Mr. Weidman pulled his foot out of his boot, and left

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the boot under the horse, and ran about fifty yards to where there was another horse which he mounted, and succeeded in escaping. The Con- federates were so close on his trail at that time that they called to him to surrender, but he told them that he could not see it in that way, and succeeded in getting away. His army life was filled with adventure from start to finish, and after the war, and at the close of a brilliant, military career, he was mustered out of the United States service at Macon, Ga., in August 13, 1865.

At the close of the war, Mr. Weidman returned to Red Oak, Iowa, where he remained until 1869, when he came to Butler county and set- tled on Turkey creek about six miles south of El Dorado. Here he bought a quarter section of land of William Towsley. After remaining on this place about a year, Mr. Weidman sold it to Betts and Fraiser, and located in El Dorado. In 1873 he homesteaded a quarter section on the Whitewater in Fairview township. After remaining there fourteen vears, he returned to El Dorado and engaged in the hardware and im- plement business with Rogers Bros. and Conner, on the corner of Main and Central. A year later he sold his interest in that concern, and worked in the hardware store of C. L. Turner, about two years. He then entered the employ of the McCormack Harvesting Machine Com- pany, and was on the road for that company for five years. He then worked for the Champion Machine Company for five years, in a similar capacity, when he entered the employ of the Altman-Miller Company, and remained with them about one year. He then moved to a farm, and after remaining three years, returned to El Dorado and has since rented his farm, and resided in El Dorado.

Mr. Weidman was married June 19, 1867, to Miss Emazetta Gor- don, of Pleasant Hill, Mo. She is a daughter of George A. and Sarah E. (Dunn) Gordon, natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively. The father now resides at Eureka, Kans., at the advanced age of ninety-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were the parents of the following chil- dren : Heustes, was killed while serving in the Union army during the Civil war at Dallas. Ga .; Walter, died at Memphis, Tenn., while serv- ing in the Union army during the Civil war; Hypatia, lives at Seattle, Wash .: Mrs. Alice Kalb, Springfield, Ill .; Mrs. Robert Johnson, Den- ver, Colo .: Mrs. Emma Badger, Topeka, Kans .; Laura, resides at Eu- reka, Kans., and Emazetta, wife of Mr. Weidman, the subject of this sketch. To Mr. and Mrs. Weidman have been born six children, as fol- lows: George, Salt Lake City, Utah : Mrs. Ella Hurtt. Wichita, Kans .; Harry, a grocer, of El Dorado; Earl, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ray, El Dorado, Kans., and Frank, Western Union telegraph operator, Tulsa, Okla.

When Mr. Weidman came to Butler county, forty-seven years ago, this country was in a wild and unbroken state, and scarcely any of the improvements or permanent settlements had been made at that time. The native wild animals of the plains were in abundance, and in 1869,

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Mr. Weidman killed six deer south of El Dorado, and in 1870, 1871 and 1872, he went buffalo hunting each year, and returned with plenty of buffalo meat. There were lots of Indians in this section when they first came here, and they frequently called at the Weidman home, usually begging for chickens, and at one time, the Weidman family had an Indian girl in their employ as a domestic. Mr. Weidman planted the first cottonwood trees in El Dorado. He also planted the first apple trees in the county for Dr. White, and received twenty-five cents for setting out each tree, and the specifications required that he dig holes three feet deep and three feet in diameter for each tree, and set the tree in rich soil hauled from the timber. He made some money at this, but it was hard work. Mr. Weidman remembers many early day in- stances, and taking his career all together, both as a soldier and as a pioneer, he has had his share of interesting experiences, including many hardships and privations.

D. W. Ow, one of the leading merchants of El Dorado, has conduct- ed a grocery store here for over thirty-three years, and Mr. Ow's store is not only one of the old established mercantile institutions of the city. but is strictly in keeping with all modern improvements and methods, and he, perhaps, carries the largest exclusive grocery stock in Butler county.

Mr. Ow was born in Lancaster, Mo., in 1858, and is a son of John and Nancy (Grimes) Ow, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Missouri. They were the parents of five children, as follows : Mrs. Anne Phares, deceased; Mrs. Temperance Parsons, resides at Los Angeles ; Edward, Los Angeles ; Ray, Los Angeles ; and D. W., the sub- ject of this sketch.

D. W. Ow came to Kansas with his father and other members of the family in 1875. They settled in Benton township, Butler county, about a mile east of the town of Benton. Here the father bought 160 acres of land from Jesse Parsons, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1882, when the father removed to California. About this time D. W., the subject of this sketch, came to El Dorado, and engaged in the grocery business in partnership with Al Conley, under the firm name of Conley & Ow. Their store was located at 116 West Central avenue, two doors west of where Mr. Ow's place of business is now locat- ed. In 1894, Mr. Ow purchased his partner's interest in the business, and moved to his present location, and since that time, has been the sole owner and proprietor of the business, which has developed from a hum- ble beginning to its present proportions.

Mr. Ow was married in 1881, to Miss Lou McCune, of Benton, Kans. She is a daughter of W. H. McCune, who was a prominent farm- er of Benton township, and was accidently killed in an automobile acci- dent in El Dorado, at the age of seventy-six. His wife died in Murdock township. To Mr. and Mrs. Ow have been born the following children : Mrs. O. M. Burkholder, St. Louis, Mo .; Frankie, resides at home ; Elsie,

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bookkeeper in her father's store, resides at home; Lee, bookkeeper in the bank of Oklahoma, at Beaver, Okla .; Charles, died at the age of twenty- one, in El Dorado, Kans .; Birdine and Mildred, students in the El Dora- do High School. The Ow family is well known and prominent in Butler county, and Mr. Ow is one of El Dorado's most substantial, as well as most progressive business men.

James Atkins, a Civil war veteran, and one of the very early pio- neers of Butler county, who has spent nearly a half century of his life in this county, is a native of Michigan. He was born in St. Clair county, in 1844, and is a son of Alexander and Eliza (Lewis) Atkins, the former a native of Scotland, and the latter of Connecticut. They were the parents of eleven children.

James Atkins was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools of Michigan, and when the Civil war broke out, he was just reaching man's estate, and when he was twenty years of age, he enlisted in company A, First regiment, Michigan cavalry. He served in the Civil war, and when that great struggle was ended, he was sent west in a campaign against hostile Indians in Colorado and Utah, and received his honorable discharge and was mustered out of service at Salt Lake City, Utah, March 10, 1866. He then went to Helena, Mont., remaining there from April to August of 1866, when he came down the Missouri river from Ft. Benton to Omaha, on a flat boat. He was then employed by the Union Pacific Railroad Company about a year, and in 1867, came to El Dorado.

After coming to Butler county, Mr. Atkins bought a quarter section of land in El Dorado township, and he still owns that place. He has added more land to his original holdings, from time to time, and now owns a large acreage in Butler county. He lived in a dugout on his place the first year, and engaged in the cattle business and general farm- ing in which he has been very successful. When Mr. Atkins came to this county, there were few settlers here, no railroads in this section of the State, and trading points were a long distance away. When Mr. At- kins first came here, he went to Lawrence for his supplies, and later to Emporia, and the first cattle that he marketed, he drove across the coun- try to Kansas City. He drove the first bunch of cattle from Baxter Springs, Kans.

Mr. Atkins was here at the time that the cyclone devastated El Do- rado, when Dr. Mckenzie's child was killed, and he was also here during the big June flood of 1869, when Johnson, his wife and adopted daughter were drowned in the West Branch of the Walnut river. A man named Hobbs spent the night on the roof of their cabin, and was rescued in the morning.

Mr. Atkins was married in 1900, to Miss Eva Pool, of El Dorado. Mrs. Atkins was a daughter of Anthony Pool, and Matilda (Bennet) Pool, natives of Washington county, Pennsylvania, who with their daughter came from Kentucky in 1886 to Butler county. Mrs. Atkins is

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one of a family of five children. Anthony Pool Atkins, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Atkins, was born near El Dorado in 1902.

Mr. Atkins recalls some of the old settlers who were here in 1867, at the beginning of Butler county, among whom were Henry Martin, Archibald Ellis, Mrs. Cowley, Jerry Connor, Nathaniel Thompson, Croft, Hobbs and Donaldson. Mr. Atkins has seen Butler county develop al- most from the beginning. Mr. Atkins has fought with the bravest in the "winning of the wilderness" and to such men as he, men with courage and stick-to-it-iveness, Butler county owes its development. His several farms are equipped with good dwellings, barns, etc., and he owns and occupies with his family one of El Dorado's beautiful modern homes.

Mr. Atkins has a keen sense of humor and recalls with pleasure many incidents of his pioneer life, but he never regrets the hardships of the early days. He still lives a busy, quiet, happy life, enjoying the fruits of his labors and esteem of his fellow citizens.

Lester F. Winn, a progressive young farmer and stockman of Pleas- ant township, is a native of Kansas. He was born at Udall, Kans., No- vember 14, 1897, and is a son of Samuel and Mary E. (Cox) Winn. Two children were born to Samuel and Mary E. Winn : Lester F., the subject of this sketch, and Roscoe, who resides at Rose Hill. By a former mar- riage, the father had four children: George, Anadarko. Okla .; Coleman, Anadarko, Okla .; Mrs. Pearl Davey, Mulvane, Kans .; and Myrtle Davey, Mulvane, Kans.

Lester F. Winn was reared at Rose Hill and educated in the public schools, and since he was fourteen years of age, has been actively en- gaged in farming, having had charge of the Eli Cox farm. He carries on general farming and stock raising and specializes in Holstein cattle.

Mr. Winn was united in marriage at Rose Hill, Kans., March 8, 1916, to Miss Genevieve Cox, of Rose Hill, a daughter of Elvin Cox, of Richland township. Although a young man, Mr. Winn is one of the sub- stantial citizens of Pleasant township, and has won a reputation for get- ting results in whatever he undertakes. He is industrious and ambitious and his future bids fair to be a successful career.

Eli Cox, now deceased, was a Butler county pioneer, a record of whose career is well worthy of a place on the pages of a work of this character. Mr. Cox was born in North Carolina, March 23, 1824, and died in Richland township, December 4, 1893. He was a son of Steven and Hannah Cox, natives of North Carolina.

Eli Cox grew to manhood in his native State and on March 21, 1845, he was united in marriage to Miss Emily Stinson, a native of North Carolina, born December 21, 1827, a daughter of Robert and Mary Stin- son. Five children were born to this union, as follows : George W., de- ceased; John C., resides in North Carolina; Thomas M .; Hannah L .; and Andrew J., all of whom are deceased. The wife and mother died while Mr. Cox still lived in North Carolina, and he married for his sec- ond wife, Mary Ann Picket, a native of North Carolina, and a daughter

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of Jeremiah and Hanna Picket, also natives of North Carolina. To this union were born the following children: Mrs. Emily F. Ball, Richland township; Mrs. Lizzie D. Getchel, resides in Washington; Homer F., a minister in the Friends church, and resides in Montana; Jaben C., Wich- ita, Kans .; Mrs. Marietta Canfield, Derby, Kans .; and Jeremiah C., Douglass, Kans.

Eli Cox and family left Greensborough, North Carolina, February 21, 1871, with Kansas as their destination, coming by rail. They reached Lawrence on February 26, and from there went to Lexington township, Johnson county, where they remained one year. In March, 1872, they came to Richland township, Butler county, where the father homestead- ed 160 acres of land, where he made his home until the time of his death. He was an industrious, God-fearing man, and a good citizen. He and his wife were members of the Friends church, and among the charter members of that organization of Butler county.

H. M. Logan, a pioneer merchant of El Dorado, who still conducts one of the leading mercantile establishments of that city, is a native of Ohio. He was born at Columbus Grove, Putnam county, in 1850, and is a son of J. M. and Elizabeth (Hixon) Logan, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Ohio. They were the parents of eight children, three of whom are living, as follows: Joseph, Champaign, Ill. ; Martha. married Tyne Arnett, and resides at Wayne City, Ill .; and H. M., the subject of this sketch.

H. M. Logan was reared and educated at Gosport, Ind. His mother died when he was twelve years of age, and in 1867, when he was about sixteen years old, he came to Kansas with his two brothers. They first located at Humboldt, and soon after arriving there, H. M. obtained a position as a clerk in G. Y. Smith's dry goods store, remaining there four years. In 1871, he came to El Dorado, and after clerking a few years, engaged in the mercantile business for himself, and still continues in the mercantile business.

Mr. Logan was married in 1879 to Miss Flora Morgan, of El Dorado, Kans. Her father came to Kansas in 1865, and opened the first store in Lyon county, where Hartford is now located. He conducted his store there until 1873, when he came to Butler county, locating at Douglass, where he died. After the father's death, the Morgan family removed to El Dorado, where Mrs. Logan completed her education. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Logan, as follows: Olive, married Eldon Jarnagin, and they reside at Miami, Texas; Basil H., married Florence Wellwood, and resides in Wichita, Kans. ; and Bruce, is associated with his father in the store at El Dorado.

Mr. Logan is of a literary turn of mind, and notwithstanding his busy mercantile career, he has found time to write some very clever articles, some of which, in matters of merit, are far above the average. In 1912, Mr. Logan visited his old home at Gosport, Ind., and was re- quested to write the story of his trip, and in this article he gives his

H. M. LOGAN

MRS. H. M. LOGAN

RESIDENCE OF MR. AND MRS. H. M. LOGAN, EI DORADO, KANSAS

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impressions of the old home in such a masterful way that this little story is, of itself, a classic. He has published a little volume of his writ- ings, which contain the following articles, all of which are very ably written, and it's a great treat to read this little pamphlet from cover to cover : "A Call on the Phone"; "Joy Ride Through the Big Wheat"; "Boosters'. Trip for the Kansas Commercial Club"; "My First Trip to Arkansas"; "A Visit To the Old Home"; and "First Night in El Dorado." The last named article will be found reproduced, elsewhere in this work, by permission of Mr. Logan. The little volume, contain- ing Mr. Logan's writings can be found in the El Dorado public library.

Mr. Logan is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is treasurer of the local lodge, and the Anti-Horse Thief Association, of which he is president. Mr. Logan has taken a keen interest in the welfare and progress of El Dorado, where his home and interests have been for forty-five years. While a member of the city council, Mr. Logan was active in behalf of establishing the library here, and has always liberally supported every enterprise that has had for its object the betterment or upbuilding of his community. Mr. Logan is a Republican, but has never aspired to political honors, although he has been active in political affairs, and frequently been a delegate to county and State conventions. He has served on the local school board for a number of years and has been a member of the city council, as above stated.

W. S. Mitchell, of Pleasant township, is a sturdy Butler county pioneer who has spent over forty-six years of his life in this county. Mr. Mitchell was born in Stokes county, North Carolina, in 1845. He is a son of Moses and Nancy (Meadows) Mitchell, both natives of North Carolina. They were the parents of twelve children. W. S. Mit- chell attended school in his native State and in the State of Georgia, and when the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in the Sixth Georgia cavalry, and served under that great military genius, Gen. Joseph Wheeler, and every one familiar with the history of the campaigns of the Civil war knows of the activities and the fighting spirit of General Wheeler's division. Mr. Mitchell remained in the service in the Confed- erate army until the close of the war, and was with his command at Raleigh, N. C., when General Wheeler surrendered, and thus the struggle in behalf of the lost cause ended.

In October, 1866, Mr. Mitchell came to Kansas and settled in the vicinity of Hartford, Lyon county. He was engaged in farming there until 1870, when he came to Butler county and preempted 160 acres of land in Richland township. Four years later he sold this place and bought eighty acres in Pleasant township, which has since been his home. He now owns 280 acres in Pleasant township, and is one of the prosperous and progressive agriculturists of that fertile farming dis- trict.

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While Mr. Mitchell, like other pioneers of the county, experienced many discouraging features in the early days, he has on the whole been successful, and, today, is one of the substantial citizens of the county, who may properly be called well-fixed, or in easy circumstances. When the grasshoppers devastated the country in 1874, Mr. Mitchell did not sit down and bemoan the loss of his crops, but he went to work and did something. He went to Arkansas that winter and worked at whatever he could find to do, while his wife remained on the home place, and cared for the children, and they managed to get along. When Mr. Mitchell first settled in Butler county, Emporia was the nearest railroad point, and all their supplies had to be hauled from there.

Mr. Mitchell was married in 1866 to Miss Elizabeth Jones, of Union county, Georgia, a daughter of Hampton Jones. The Jones fam- ily also came to Kansas in 1866, where they remained until 1870, when they, too, came to Butler county, settling in Richland township. The southern part of Butler county was wild, unbroken and sparcely settled when the Mitchell and Jones families came here. The native game and wild animals of the prairie were still in abundance there, and even In- dians, some tame and others wild, frequently strolled across the country.

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History of Butler County Kansas, Part 61

Author: Mooney, Vol. P Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Lawrence, Kan. : Standard Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 946

Author: Mooney, Vol. P
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Lawrence, Kan. : Standard Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 946