History of Butler County Kansas, Part 76

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


USA > Kansas > Butler County > History of Butler County Kansas > Part 76


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96


Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are real pioneers of Butler county, and they can relate many interesting reminiscences of the early days, and with all the hardships they also cherish many pleasant memories and fond recollections. All of the Morgan children received the advantages of very good education. Five of them are graduates of. the Southwestern College of Winfield, and all of the others are high school graduates. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and all the children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.


I. G. Morgan of Spring township has witnessed the great growth and development that has taken place in Butler county, within the last forty-five years, and he has been a potent factor in building this county up to the point where it ranks as one of the foremost political subdi- visions of the State of Kansas. Mr. Morgan was born in New York in 1851, and is a son of Bradford and Sylvia (Gillett) Morgan. The Mor- gans are an old American family of Welsh descent, and a direct ances- tor of I. G. Morgan fought in the Continental army during the Revolu- tionary war.


I. G. Morgan has two brothers and one sister living, as follows : Henry Morgan, Leon, Kans .: Mrs. Cora Smith, Smith Center, Kans .; and Frank Morgan, Smith Center, Kans. The Morgan family came west and settled in Missouri in 1865. In 1871, I. G. Morgan came to Butler county, Kansas, and he and his brother each took a claim in Spring township, and he still lives on the place which he homesteaded at that time. He has followed general farming and stock raising, and has met with well merited success, having been ably assisted by his faithful wife.


However, when Mr. Morgan first located on his claim, he was un- married, and he and his brother "batched" for a number of years. They were young and strong, and really enjoyed the wild free life of the plains. They had plenty of buffalo meat at times, and Mr. Morgan had the reputation of making the best corn bread in the neighborhood. He relates one of his cooking experiences, which he kept a secret for a


696


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


number of years. He had a rooster all dressed and ready for the pot one day, and sat down to rest a little while before getting dinner, while his brother went to a neighbor's place on an errand. While resting, Mr. Morgan fell asleep, and the hogs came into the house and ate the rooster. Upon awakening, Mr. Morgan saw the situation and hastened to kill a hen which he had ready for dinner by the time his brother re- turned, and it was six years after this incident that he told his brother. He felt a little ashamed of himself for sleeping at the switch, and let- ting a dead rooster escape, at a time when roosters were so scarce.


After proving up on his claim. Mr. Morgan returned to New York State, where he was married to Miss Margaret Smith, a native of Eng- land, who came to America with her parents, when she was eleven years of age. She is a daughter of Richard Smith, a contractor and builder. Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan came to the home, which he had prepared in Butler county. They are the parents of the following children, all of whom are living: Mrs. Ethel Wheeler, Saskatchewan, Canada ; Mrs. Louise Kenyon, Augusta, Kans .; Frank, Augusta, Kans. ; Mrs. Susie Jones, Augusta, Kans .; Mrs. Jenet Gamble, Leon, Kans .; Joseph, Brawley, Cal .; Isaac, Jr., Brawley, Cal .; Mrs. Margaret Steviec, Des Moines, Iowa; Sadia B., El Dorado, Kans .; Lois, El Dorado, Kans. ; and Willard, El Dorado, Kans.


Mr. Morgan does not boast of a finished education, but the fact is that he is one of the best informed men in Butler county. He is a great reader, and keeps himself well posted on the world's current events. He is a progressive and thrifty citizen, who has made a success in life ; he has a broad acquaintance in this section of Kansas, and is one of the substantial citizens of Butler county.


B. C. Gamble, of El Dorado township, is a representative Butler county farmer and stockman. Mr. Gamble is a native of Indiana. He was born in 1843, and is a son of Dr. John and Jane (Thompson) Gam- ble, natives of Ohio. The father was a practicing physician and spent his life in Indiana. B. C. Gamble is the only surviving member of his family.


Mr. Gamble was united in marriage in 1872 in Indiana to Miss Susan J. Harshman, a native of that State. She is a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Everding) Harshman, natives of Indiana. The Harsh- man family consisted of the following children: Taylor, Frankfort, Ind .; Mrs. Sarah Thompson, El Dorado township; Mrs. Amanda Knapp, Frankfort, Ind .; J. N., El Dorado township; Mrs. Alice Thomas, South Pasadena, Cal .; Mrs. Bell Tillotson, El Dorado, Kans .; Ida Harshman, El Dorado, Kans. ; and Weaver, Blackwell, Okla.


Moses Harshman, the father of Mrs. Gamble, was a miller in early life in Indiana and came to Kansas in 1880. He settled on a half section of land in the southern part of El Dorado township, and followed farm- ing the remainder of his life. He was an industrious and thrifty citizen and became well to do, and one of the prominent men of the community.


697


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


B. C. Gamble and his wife came to Butler county at the time her parents came, in 1880, and Mr. Gamble bought 120 acres of land in the southern part of El Dorado township where he has since been success- fully engaged in general farming. His place is well improved and his land is under a high state of cultivation. He is also quite an extensive stock raiser and has met with success, generally, in his undertakings. To Mr. and Mrs. Gamble have been born the following children : Mrs. Mary Maxwell, Potwin, Kans .: Mrs. Nora B. Shoots, Bellefontaine, Ohio; B. F., El Dorado, Kans. ; Charles H., Leon, Kans .; Mrs. Louisa McDowell, Haverhill, Kans., and Mrs. Kate Bales, Augusta, Kans. All of the children received good education in the public schools, and the girls all attended the El Dorado High School, and all were teachers prior to their marriage.


Mr. Gamble has always taken a praiseworthy interest in local af- fairs and in the well being of the community. He has held a number of offices of trust and responsibility, and is now serving as trustee of El Dorado township. The family are members of the United Brethren church. Mr. and Mrs. Gamble are of that genial type of people who make many friends, and they are highly respected among their neigh- bors and acquaintances. Their children are all grown up and prosper- ous, and are splendid representatives of that high type of citizenship which makes for the betterment of the State and Nation.


W. B. Thompson, a representative Butler county farmer, of El Dorado township, is a native of Clinton county, Indiana. He was born November 3. 1848, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Byers) Thomp- son, natives of Ohio. W. B. Thompson's mother died when he was a child, and his father died a few years later. The boy was reared in Howard county, Indiana, and in early life, followed the occupation of stationary engineer, but in recent years has followed farming. He came to Kansas in 1883, and since that time, has been a resident of Butler county.


Mr. Thompson was married, August 12, 1880, to Miss Sarah . Harshman, a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Everding) Harshman, the former a native of Green county, Ohio, and the latter of Frederick, Md. The Harshman family are of German descent. Peter Harshman, Moses Harshman's great-grandfather, was born in Germany in 1742, and came to the United States in 1769, and fought in the Revolutionary war under General Washington. His son, Peter Harshman, served in the War of 1812. Moses Harshman and his wife were the parents of the following surviving children: J. N. Harshman, Mrs. B. C. Gamble, Mrs. C. E. Tillotson, and Mrs. W. B. Thompson, the subject of this sketch. In early life they resided in northern Indiana and Michigan, where the father followed his trade, which was that of a miller. The Harsh- man family came to Kansas in 1880, and the father bought the place where Mr. Thompson now lives, in El Dorado township. Here he was successfully engaged in farmning and stock raising until his death, Nov-


698


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


ember II, 1902. His wife survived him a few years, and died March 24, 1907.


To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have been born the following chil- dren: Earl, born in Clinton county, Indiana, married Anna Leedon of Butler county, and they have four children: Eldon, Elwood, Effie and Esther; Everett Virgil, born in Butler county, married Clara Arnold, a Butler county girl, and they have three children: Vadna Ruth, Virgil Pauldine and Albert Wayne. The Harshman and Thompson families are among the representative pioneers of Butler county, and are well known and highly respected.


U. G. Kennedy, a well known farmer and stockman of El Dorado township, and a member of a Butler county pioneer family, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born in Jefferson county in 1864, and is a son of H. H. and Mary M. (Shirley) Kennedy, both natives of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, and descendants of old Pennsylvania stock. The father was a school teacher in early life in his native State, and in 1872, the Kennedy family came to Kansas. They spent the first winter at Manhattan and the following spring came to Butler county, and settled in the southern part of El Dorado township, where the father preempted 160 acres of land, and followed general farming and stock raising until his death, which occurred in February, 1911, and the mother died in No- vember of the same year, the former being seventy-four years of age and the latter seventy-three. They were the parents of the following children: Alice, married T. M. Hopkins, Cushing, Okla .; U. G., the subject of this sketch; E. M., Harlem, Mont .; M. W., Oklahoma City, Okla .; T. H., Harlem, Mont .; Belle, married George Leedham, Spring township, Butler county; Blanche, married William Glaze, Grandee, N. M., and Erma, deceased.


U. G. Kennedy was about eight years of age when the family locat- ed in Butler county, and many of the events of pioneer days made a last- ing impression on his mind. Butler county was then comparatively a ยท wild and unbroken country, and considered well on the border, or in the vanguard of the westward march of civilization. Mr. Kennedy remem- bers seeing deer and antelope in the vicinity of his home, and recalls many other native conditions of the West. He received his education in the pioneer public schools and remained at home until he was twenty- three years of age, when he engaged in farming and stock raising for himself and now has a fertile and productive farm of 240 acres and he also operates the home place of 290 acres, in which he has an interest, where he successfully carries on general farming and stock raising and is one of Butler county's most progressive and prosperous farmers and stockmen.


Mr. Kennedy was united in marriage in 1889 to Miss Alda H. Ber- ner, a daughter of J. G. Berner, a Butler county pioneer, now residing on his old homestead in El Dorado township. To Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have been born five children, as follows: Vesta, married Ben Smith,


699


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


Leon, Kans .; Frank G .; Katie; Alice, and Icy, all at home except the married daughter. Mr. Kennedy is independent in politics and takes a keen interest in public affairs, and is one of Butler county's representa- tive citizens.


His place is located about half way between the recent oil develop- ment of the El Dorado and Augusta fields and promises a profitable future. This land is leased and, no doubt, operations will begin in the near future.


W. H. Irwin, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Prospect township, Butler county, is a native of Missouri. He was born in Jack- son county, and is a son of W. H. and Catherine (Yost) Irwin. The father was a native of Missouri, also, and was born in Cape Girardeau county, March 15, 1833. W. H. Irwin and Catherine Yost were the parents of six children. as follows: Charles W., Boyce City, Idaho ; Mrs. Ida E. Freeman, El Dorado, Kans .; George H., Augusta, Kans .; W. H., the subject of this sketch ; Mrs. Sophia M. Carter, El Dorado,. and Mrs. Ella Kate Milburn.


The Irwin family came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1883, and the father bought 230 acres of land in Lincoln township, nine miles north of El Dorado, and was successfully engaged in farming and stock rais- ing until the time of his death. November 15, 1903. The wife and mother departed this life shortly after the family came to Kansas. She died in 1884.


W. H. Irwin, whose name introduces this sketch, was reared on his father's farm in Butler county, and received a good common school education. In 1903, he purchased his present place of 480 acres in Prospect township where he has since been successfully engaged in farming and stock raising, and is one of Butler county's prosperous and most progressive citizens.


Mr. Irwin was united in marriage in 1899 to Miss Minnie Fox. a native of Morgan county, Indiana, born December 18, 1878. To Mr. and Mrs. Irwin have been born two children: Hazel and William H. Hazel is a student in the public school, and William H. bears the dis- tinction of having won the silver loving cup at the kafir corn carnival, held at El Dorado in 1912, as the prize baby. The cup, which is of beautiful design, bears the following description, "To William Harold Irwin, Prettiest Baby, Kafir Corn Carnival Parade, October 18, 1912."


Mr. Irwin's generous spirit and courteous manner have won for him many friends. He has spent most of his life in Butler county, and those who know him best are his staunchest friends. He is public spirited and enterprising, and is always willing and ready to co-operate with any movement for the good of the general public.


Peter Johnson, now deceased, was a Butler county pioneer, and one of the successful farmers and stockmen whose thrift, industry and fore- sight have built up a reputation for Butler county as one of the foremost stock counties of the State. Peter Johnson was a native of Denmark,


700


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


born at Easter Keeping, Denmark, October 30, 1841. He was left an orphan at a very early age, his mother dying when he was about two months old, and his father died a few years later. He grew to manhood in his native land and for a time served in the Danish army, and in 1867 immigrated to America and first went to Oshkosh, Wis., where he worked for a man by the name of Powell for two years. In 1869 he came to Kansas and for a time worked in the mines at Burlingame, Osage county, and while there he met William Jones and John and Henry Peters, and they decided to equip themselves with a traveling outfit and look for suitable government land for future homes.


Mr. Johnson bought a yoke of oxen and the other three men bought the wagon, and with this pioneer outfit they drove through to Butler county in 1870, and preempted claims in Prospect and Rosalia townships in this county. Their original intention was to get adjoining claims, but this they were unable to do. The first claim upon which Mr. Johnson settled was taken away from him by early day "claim jumpers." In those days it was not considered good judgment to argue over a little matter, like 160 acres of land, with a bad man who held a good gun. The next place on which Mr. Johnson located, proved to have no other claimants, and he settled where the present Johnson homestead is lo- cated in Prospect township. He walked to Humboldt, the nearest land office, which was about 100 miles distant, to file on his claim and he carried his shoes most of the way in order to save them, for shoes were scarce in Kansas in those days. He engaged in farming with his ox team, and kept the team for a number of years.


During the first few years in Butler county, Eureka was the near- est point at which he could get any milling done, and he frequently hauled a load of grain to the mill there with his ox team, the trip requir- ing two days. He worked hard and prospered in spite of bad years and other discouraging features of early life on the plains. He added to his original holding and at the time of his death owned 800 acres which now constitutes the family homestead. He was a successful stock raiser as well as general farmer, and was quite extensively interested in raising horses of a very high class. He was a great lover of the Morgan type, and bred and raised a great many of them, and he kept his cattle up to a high standard, the Red Durham being his favorite. Mr. Johnson was what might be called a successful and high class farmer and stockman, whom many others might do well to emulate. He took a keen interest in local affairs and served as treasurer of Prospect township, and was also school treasurer. Politically he was a Republican. He died January 16, 1903.


On March 7. 1882 Peter Johnson and Miss Lidia Heape were united in marriage. She was a native of Tamaroa, Perry county, Illinois, and a daughter of Levy and Lizzie (Knight) Heape, both natives of Somer- setshire, England. The Heape family removed from Perry to Jackson county, Illinois, and in 1879 removed to Montgomery county, Kansas,


701


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


where they remained about six months when the parents went to No- wata, Indian Territory, where the father died in 1897, and where the mother now resides. Mrs. Johnson did not go to Indian Territory with her parents, but remained in Montgomery county, Kansas, about three years, when she came to Butler county, and was later married to Mr. Johnson, as above stated. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born five children, as follows: Anna, married M. P. Hanson; H. P., lives in Boone county, Illinois; N. W., lives on a part of the homestead farm in Prospect township ; Olaf R., Walter, Okla ; and O. B., on the home place with his mother.


Since her husband's death in 1903, Mrs. Johnson has conducted the farm, which consists of 800 acres of productive land, under a high state of cultivation. She specializes in white faced cattle, and usually has on hand about a hundred head. Mrs. Johnson has also met with unusual success in raising corn, having raised as high as eighty-five bushels per acre, and she, also, ranks among the successful alfalfa growers of But- ler county. Mrs. Johnson is a Democrat and takes a keen interest in State and National politics. as well as in local affairs. She is a member of the school board, and belongs to the Enterprise Grange. Her hus- band was also active in the Grange Lodge, during his life time. Mrs. Johnson is recognized as one of the capable business women of, not only Butler county, but Kansas.


T. W. Holderman, one of the progressive young farmers and stock- men of Butler county, is a native of Illinois. He was born September 29, 1880, and is a son of A. J. and Josephine Virginia (Bashaw) Holder- man, the former a native of Illinois, and the latter of Virginia.


A. J. Holderman, the father, came to Butler county with his family in 1885, after spending about six months in Emporia. He bought 780 acres of land in Chelsea township, and since that time, has added 480 acres to his original purchase, and is one of the extensive stockmen and farmers of Chelsea township. A. J. Holderman was one of the leading horse breeders of this county for a number of years, and brought some of the best horses here to be found. However, he gradually drifted into the cattle and the hog industry, which he found to be very profitable. In addition to his extensive farming and stock operations, A. J. Holderman is an important factor in other industrial and finan- cial ventures in this county. He is president of the Farmers and Mer- chants Bank at El Dorado, and is president of the Butler County Tele- phone Company. He resides on High street. El Dorado, in one of the best residences in that city.


A. J. Holderman married Miss Joseph Virginia Bashaw, March 1, 1877, and the following children were born to this union : Mrs. Mary Ramsey. El Dorado, Kans .; T. W., the subject of this sketch ; Grace. El Dorado; A. J. Jr., El Dorado, and Curtis, El Dorado.


T. W. Holderman was reared and educated in Butler county, and has been more or less identified with farming and the stock business


702


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


all his life. He now owns and operates a 160-acre farm in Chelsea township, where he carries on farming, and is quite extensively en- gaged in stock raising, and is one of the successful farmers in that section of the county.


Mr. Holderman was married July 1, 1907, to Miss Mattie Lee Hunt, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah Belle (Wood) Hunt. The father was a native of Ohio, and came to Kansas with his parents when he was a mere boy. The mother, Sarah Belle Wood, was born in Kentucky. Mrs. Holderman was one of the following children born to her parents : George, El Dorado; Mattie L., wife of T. W. Holderman, the subject of this sketch ; Effie, El Dorado; Leonard, El Dorado, and Hazel, El Dorado, Kans. Mrs. Holderman's parents reside in Chelsea. To Mr. and Mrs. Holderman has been born one child, Alfred Donald.


N. B. Coggshall, a Butler county pioneer and successful farmer and stockman of Chelsea township, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Wayne county in March, 1841, and is a son of Caleb and Mary A. Coggshall. The Coggshalls came from an ancient and honorable English family, and trace their lineage back to 1144. The direct lineal ancestors of N. B. Coggshall. beginning in 1144. are as follows: Ma- tilda, the oldest daughter of the Grand Duke of Normandy, Sir William, First Abbott Coggshall Abbey, Lord Odo, Third Abbott. Lord Peter, brother of Stephen, Chancellor of Lincoln. Lord Thomas, Monk of Valle Dell. eleventh year of the reign of King Henry, third son of King John. Lord Ralph, Monk seventh, Lord Ralph De Coggshall, a Monk of the Cistercian Order, sixth Abbot of Coggshall. Sir Thomas, Knight. Sir Ralph, baron. Sir John, baron. Earl Henry, baron. Sir William, baron. Sir Thomas, baron. Lord John. Sir Thomas, baron. Lord John of Herndon. Sir Rodger, Knight. Lord John. The American line of descent is as follows: John. Joshua, aid-de-camp to Lafayette. John, commander in navy, Revolution. Caleb, major, War of 1812. John, captain in Mexican war. Tristram, farmer. Caleb, merchant. Nathan, lieutenant in Civil war, 1861-1865. Mary J., daughter of Caleb, and Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Mary Jane.


Mr. Coggshall was reared and educated in Indiana and when the Civil war broke out he enlisted at Richmond. Ind., August 8, 1862, in Company E, Sixty-ninth regiment, Indiana infantry, and served with his company throughout the Civil war, and was mustered out of service July 5, 1865, and received his honorable discharge. Mr. Coggshall came to Kansas and located in Butler county in 1868, and was one of the pioneers of Chelsea township. He practiced law for six years in El Dorado and for twenty-five years held the office of justice of the peace, although farming has been his chief occupation, and he has been an extensive cattle raiser. He and his wife now own 560 acres of land and rank among the prosperous farmers of Chelsea township.


Mr. Coggshall was married at Cottonwood Falls, Kans., December 22, 1867, to Miss Mary Ann Ellis, daughter of Archibald and Ann Ellis,


703


HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


natives of County Mayo, Ireland. The Ellis family were among the very earliest settlers in Butler county. They came here in 1869. For a more complete history of the Ellis family, see sketch of John Ellis in this volume.


Mrs. Coggshall is one of the pioneer women of Butler county. She came here when a young girl, and at first she felt as though she never would be able to adjust herself to the conditions of the frontier, as she found them in those primitive days, but she became accustomed to life in the great West and became very much attached to this section of the country after being here a very short time. She was one of the pioneer school teachers of Butler county, and in the early days taught school in a log school house in Chelsea township. Mrs. Coggshall has been actively identified with the life and development of Butler county almost since its beginning, and she and Mr. Coggshall rank among the leading pioneers and first families of Butler county. They are an esti- mable couple and number their friends in legion.


For years Mr. Coggshall was a supporter of the policies and prin- ciples of the Republican party, but in recent times he has been inclined to be liberal and independent in his political views.


D. R. Rodwell, a well known farmer and stockman of Chelsea town- ship, is a Butler county pioneer. Mr. Rodwell is a native of California and was born December 15, 1858. He is a son of John and Sarah (Hod- gen) Rodwell, both natives of England. The parents were married in their native land, and shortly afterward immigrated to America, set- tling in Wisconsin. The father was a miner and followed that occupa- tion in Wisconsin for a while and later went West. He followed min- ing on the Pacific coast and in the mountains, and was engaged in that line of work in Montana at the time of his death.




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.