USA > Kansas > Butler County > History of Butler County Kansas > Part 77
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Shortly after the father's death the mother and D. R. Rodwell, the subject of this sketch, came to Kansas and located at Great Bend. In 1884 they came to Butler county and settled on 160 acres of land in Chelsea township, which is the present family home. They were poor and went into debt for their home and the first few years in Butler county were years of hardship and privation. At that time all their supplies had to be hauled from Emporia.
After having passed through the first few lean and uncertain years, they began to prosper and soon became numbered among the most sub- stantial people of Butler county. The mother, Sarah Rodwell, is one of the Butler county pioneer women who endured many hardships in the early days of Butler county's history. During the hard times of the early years and uncertain crops, she at times found it difficult to main- tain the home, but by good management and industry and with the co- operation of her son, they succeeded in getting a start in life. Soon after coming to Butler county, D. R. Rodwell engaged in stock raising. which has been his chief occupation to the present time, and he is one of the successful men in that line in Butler county.
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
Mr. Rodwell was married in 1896 to Miss Julia Graham, a daughter of Henry Graham. Mrs. Rodwell died, leaving one child, Daisy, who married Oscar Garabrandt, a native of Ohio, who now resides in Butler county. Mr. Rodwell is one of Butler county's substantial citizens and one of the Chelsea township pioneers who has contributed his part to making Butler county what it is today.
F. W. Seward, a prominent farmer and stockman of Glencoe town- ship. Butler county, is a native of Illinois. He was born March 14, 1872, and is a son of W. C. and Rebecca (Williamson) Seward, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Illinois. W. C. Seward, the father, was a stockman, and came to Kansas in the spring of 1876. when F. W., who name introduces this sketch, was four years old. The family located in Ford county, Kansas, and in 1884 came to Butler county. The Sewards are an old and prominent American family. W. C. Seward was a cousin of Secretary of State Seward, of President Lin- coln's cabinet, and Elizabeth Windsor, mother of W. C. Seward, traced her ancestry back to the Mayflower.
F. W. Seward is one of a family of eight children born to W. C. and Rebecca (Williamson) Seward, the others being as follows: Samuel, Laird, Colo .; Mrs. Elizabeth Fowler. Bridger, Mont .: F. M., Mountain Home, Ark. ; Mrs. Anna Marks, Leon, Kans. ; Mrs. Amy Bush, Tonkwa,
F. W. SEWARD'S RESIDENCE
Okla. ; Mrs. Florida Churchill, Denver, Colo .; Mrs. Ida Strickland, Law- rence, Kans., and P. W. Ft. Worth, Texas.
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
F. W. Seward came to Butler county with his parents in 1884, and remained on the home farm until he reached his majority. In 1898 he removed to Glencoe township and has since that time been successfully engaged in stock raising. He has 600 acres of land and is one of the ex- tensive stockmen in that section of the country.
Mr. Seward was married in 1900 to Miss Cora Parker, a daughter of Joel Parker, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Seward have been born the following children: Ruby, born in 1901, a student in the Leon High School; Ivan, born in 1902; Wayne, born in 1905, and Freeman, born in 1907, attending the public schools.
Mr. Seward is a Republican and frequently takes an active part in local political issues. He has served as assessor of Glencoe township, having been appointed for one year and elected to serve four years. The Seward home in Glencoe township is a splendid residence of beautiful and commanding appearance, and has all modern improvements such as are found in the modern residences of the city. Mr. Seward has in- stalled a gasoline engine, which is used for pumping the water supply to a tank, which affords sufficient water pressure to maintain a perfect water system for the residence, and the same power is used for the laundry, cream separator, etc. He has combined the freedom of the country with the conveniences of city life.
Mr. Seward is one of the successful farmers and stock raisers of Butler county and a public spirited and substantial citizen of the com- munity.
W. J. Case, one of the leading farmers and stockmen of Chelsea township, is a native of Michigan. Mr. Case was born at Coldwater in 1864, and came to Butler county from Michigan in 1879. Shortly after coming to Kansas, W. J. Case entered the employ of Judge Harri- son and worked for him on the Doornbos place. Young Case saved his earnings and began to invest in a small way, his first investment being in a mule colt, which he later traded for a mare and gave $40 to boot, and later traded the mare for a team, paying the difference. He and a brother, C. H. Case, then rented the Holderman farm in Chelsea township for six years. They carried on general farming and stock raising, and prospered.
Mr. Case was married in 1894 to Miss Allie T. Zuel, of Prospect township, and a member of one of the old pioneer families of Butler county. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Case went to Oklahoma and filed on a quarter section of government land and remained there until until 1900, when he sold his claim and returned to Chelsea township. Here he bought 240 acres of land and engaged in farming and stock raising, and in 1908 he bought the Jim Taylor place, which consists of 160 acres. He did not stop buying land at that, but in 1912 he bought 400 acres in Lincoln township, and is one of the large land owners of Butler county. Mr. Case has been uniformly successful in his business,
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
and is one of the prosperous and progressive men of the county. He is a self-made man, and has earned every dollar that he has. He is a typical representative of that class of men who do things. He came to Butler county when a boy and has seen much of the development of this section, from a great unpeopled plain to one of the important . counties of the State, and has done his part in the great work of devel- opment. Mr. Case has built up a reputation for honesty and straight- forward business methods. He has never permitted any desire to make money to be the dominant factor of his nature. He regards a reputa- tion for integrity of more value than a reputation for money making. And yet he has been fortunate in that he has always kept his word and at the same time prospered.
Mr. Case is a Democrat and has always supported the policies and principles of that party, and takes a keen interest in the welfare of the community. Mr. and Mrs. Case have one daughter living, Gladys, who resides at home. Jessie T. is deceased. The Case family is well known and prominent in the community.
C. E. Tillotson is a Butler county county pioneer and belongs to a Kansas pioneer family. He was born in Delaware county, New York, December 29, 1856, and is a son of McDonough and Sarah M. (Carpen- ter) Tillotson, both natives of New York State and descendants of prominent New York families. C. E. Tillotson has one sister living, Mrs. Lucy Ralston, of Augusta, Kans. Mr. Tillotson came to Kansas with his parents in 1869. They settled in Linn county, where the father bought 280 acres of land. After remaining there about five years they spent about two years in Illinois, when they returned to Kansas. This time they located in Cherokee county, where the father bought 240 acres of land. Three years later he exchanged that prop- erty for 800 acres of land in Butler county. Here he was successfully engaged in farming and stock raising for a number of years and finally removed to Augusta, where he died.
C. E. Tillotson, the subject of this sketch, began life for himself when twenty-three years of age on a quarter section of land which he had received from his father. He followed general farming and stock raising and has met with success. He sold his first farm and bought 270 acres southwest of El Dorado, and in 1905 he sold that place and bought 240 acres near Potwin. Two years later he sold that farm, when he bought 200 acres in El Dorado township, where he now resides.
In 1876 Mr. Tollotson married Miss Lizzie Ruark, a daughter of John Ruark, of Linn county, Kansas, and five children were born to this union, as follows: D. L., Ponca City. Okla .; David E., Groom, Texas, Coila E. Smith, Gage, Okla .; Sadie, Potwin, Kans., and Marion, El Dorado. Mrs. Tillotson died December 17, 1899, and Mr. Tillotson was married the second time, in 1909, to Isabelle Everding Harshman, a native of Michigan, born in 1860. She is a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Everding) Harshman. The father was a substantial farmer
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
and stockman of Butler county, who came here with his family in 1880. He was born in 1821, and his wife was also born that year. They were married in 1844 and the father died in 1902 and the mother passed away in 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Harshman were the parents of the following children: Taylor, Frankfort, Ind .; Mrs. Susan Gamble, El Dorado township ; Mrs. Sarah Thompson, El Dorado township; Mrs. Amanda Knapp, Frankfort, Ind .; Jasper H., El Dorado township; Mrs. Alice Thomas, South Pasadena, Cal .; Ida, El Dorado, Kans .; Weaver, Black- well, Okla,; and Isabelle, now Mrs. Tillotson.
Mr. Tillotson is a member of the Grange, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Tillotson are widely known throughout Butler county and are held in very high esteem by their many friends and acquaintances.
J. P. Ramsey, of Chelsea township, came to Butler county with his parents, when a small boy, and has therefore spent most of his life in this county. He was born in Coles county, Illinois, in 1865, and is a son of John Ramsey, a native of Ireland. John Ramsey came to America when he was about eighteen years of age, first locating in New York State. He was engaged in railroad construction work after com- ing to America and worked on the construction of one of the first rail- roads that were built in the State of New York. He came to Illinois at a very early day, and located in Douglass county, where he bought 160 acres of land, which he exchanged for 400 acres in Butler county, and in 1876 came to this county with his wife and family of five chil- dren, as follows: Henry, Dewey county, Oklahoma; J. P., the subject of this sketch: Bernard, El Dorado; Samuel, Elm Creek, Neb., and Mrs. Maggie Ford, who resides in Colorado. J. P. Ramsey was reared on the home place in Chelsea township, and was educated in the public schools. Farming and stock raising have been his chief occupation, and he began on his own account in a small way when he was still a youth. He first bought some cattle and later, when he had quite a herd, he rented a quarter section of land, which he afterwards bought. He now owns 440 acres of valuable land in Chelsea township, and is one of the prosperous and enterprising agriculturists of that section of the county.
Mr. Ramsey was married in 1898 to Miss Abbie Kenedy, a daugh- ter of Thomas and Mary Kenedy. To Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey have been born five children, as follows: Elva, John, Clara, Ray and Joe.
There are still fresh in Mr. Ramsey's memory many interesting in- cidents in the pioneer life of Butler county. He recalls a time when most of the supplies were hauled from Emporia. There were a great many deer and antelope here when the Ramseys first came, and Mr. Ramsey remembers a pet deer which his folks had and which frequently wandered away over the plains and in a day or two would return, ac- companied by a herd of wild deer, and Mr. Ramsey has killed a great many deer that had been inveigled into the range of his rifle by his deceptive pet.
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
Mr. Ramsey is a Democrat and for a number of years has been ac- tive in the councils of his party in Butler county. He has served as trustee of Chelsea township three years, and has been a member of the school board for twenty years. He is one of the substantial and pro- gressive citizens of Butler county.
A. F. Peas, of Chelsea township, ranks among the well known and successful farmers and stock raisers of Butler county. He was born in Boone county, Iowa, in 1861, and is a son of J. A. and Catherine (Johnson) Peas. They were the parents of the following children: A. J., Elk City, Okla .; Harvey, Boone, Iowa; Mrs. Phidelia Pritcherd, Boone, Iowa; Henry, Pasadena, Cal .; and A. F., the subject of this sketch.
A. F. Peas came to Kansas in 1885, and settled in Chelsea township, Butler county, where he bought 160 acres of land, and later bought an- other quarter section. He has been extensively engaged in general farming and stock raising, and has been especially successful in raising Shorthorns. He is also quite an extensive alfalfa grower, and alto- gether is one of the prosperous and successful farmers of Chelsea town- ship. His farm is well improved and he has an unusually fine farm residence, which he built in 1905, and his place presents a well kept ap- pearance with every indication of a prosperous owner.
Mr. Peas was married to Miss Mary Jane Diller, a daughter of John and Dorothy Diller. Mrs. Peas is one of the following children born to her parents: John Diller, deceased; Mrs. Dorothy Hoy, de- ceased ; George Diller, Morrowville, Kans .; Henry Diller, Cassoday, Kans. ; Mrs. Sarah C. Hoy, Burns, Kans. ; William Diller, Whitewater, Kans. The Diller family came to Butler county in 1873 and the mother purchased 760 acres of land in Sycamore township and engaged in general farming and stock raising and made a success of her undertak- ings until the time of her death, which occurred in 1877. The Diller family were Butler county pioneers and suffered the hardships incident to the early years of pioneer life here. Mrs. Peas says that when they came here game of all kinds was plentiful.
To Mr. and Mrs. Peas have been born two children, as follows: Mrs. Eva L. Moore, Acres, Kans. ; and Glayds. The younger daughter, Gladys, is a highly accomplished musician of unusual ability. She is a graduate of the Western Conservatory of Music of Chicago, having completed her studies in that institution in 1912, and now resides at home with her parents. The Peas family are members of the Lutheran church, and are well known and prominent in Butler county.
J. L. Hunt, a prominent farmer and stockman of Chelsea township, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Warren county, on November 16, 1864, and is a son of George W. and Sydney (Phillips) Hunt, the former a native of Canada and the latter of Ohio. The Hunt family came to Kansas in 1879, and located in Butler county, where the father bought 200 acres of land and engaged in general farming and stock
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
raising. He was successful in his undertakings and became one of Butler county's substantial citizens. He and his wife are now deceased.
J. L. Hunt was about fifteen years of age when he came to Butler county with his father, and he has a distinct recollection of the condi- tions that existed in Butler county in the early days and can relate many interesting incidents of pioneer life. He came here at a time when Butler county was in its early formative period and saw much of Butler county's history in the making, as it were. When he was a boy he worked for fifty cents a day, hauling rock. He had his experi- ences with the early day prairie fires and other elements of destruction and annoyance which seemed to beset the pathway of the early pioneers. With all the hardships and inconveniences, he experienced many amus- ing and enjoyable occasions, however. There was an abundance of game here when the Hunt family settled in Butler county, and Mr. Hunt tells of seeing a deer one day while he was deer hunting, as he supposed, but when he saw the deer, he not only forgot that he was deer hunting, but also forgot that he had a gun until the deer was out of range.
Mr. Hunt was married December 5, 1883. to Miss Sarah David- son, and the following children were born to them: G. R., El Dorado, Kans .; Mrs. Mattie Holderman, El Dorado; Effie. an accomplished musician and a graduate of music, having received a course of instruc- tion under Miss Alta Carter ; Leonard, El Dorado; and Hazel, attending school. The wife, and mother of these children, died October 8, 1915. The Hunt family is well known and highly respected in the community, and Mr. Hunt is one of the progressive and substantial citizens of But- ler county.
James C. Henrie .- In studying the development of any locality there is always to be found a leading spirit, a dominant factor, a per- sonal force that has been the chief element in the progress and develop- ment of that community. James C. Henrie, whose name introduces this review, belongs to that type of men. To his initiative and public- spiritedness is largely due the fact that the town of Benton has a place on the map and is one of the thriving little business centers of Butler county. When the Missouri Pacific railroad was built, Mr. Henrie donated thirty acres of land for the location of the depot and he gave the ground to the city which is the present site of the public school building, and every movement that has been inaugurated for the up- building and betterment of Benton has had the unqualified support and co-operation of Mr. Henrie.
James C. Henrie was born in Columbia county. Pennsylvania, June 8, 1844, and is a son of Joseph and Mary Henrie, natives of Pennsyl- vania. There is one other child of Joseph and Mary Henrie besides James C., now living, viz .: Mrs. Martha J. Rand, of Riverside, Wash. The parents came to Butler county in 1884, where the father died No- vember 18, 1892, aged ninety-one years, and the mother passed away i11 1913. at the age of ninety-seven.
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
When James C. Henrie was a child about one year old the family removed from Columbia county, Pennsylvania, to Kane county, Illinois, and here young Henrie grew to manhood and received a good common school education. He lived the peaceful life of the average farmer boy until the life of the Nation was threatened by the spirit of secession and breeders of rebellion in the early sixties.
Young Henrie had just passed the age of eighteen and on August 9, 1862, enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth regi- ment, Illinois infantry, and for three years and six days bore arms in defense of the the Union in the Southland. His first military service was under Grant in the Army of the West, and he was with his regi- ment on the march from LaGrange, Tenn .. to Yacana, Miss. They re- turned to LaGrange in December, 1862, and in the following January were on a campaign to Memphis, and from there to Lake Providence : thence to Millikin's Bend and Port Gibson, participating in the battles of Port Gibson, Raymond. Jackson, Champion Hills, siege of Vicks- burg, Fort Hill, Monroe, Brownsville, and was on a campaign in Mis- sissippi, and with Sherman's division on the Meridian expedition, Yazoo City, Benton, Jackson Cross Roads, White River, Memphis, Mobile, Montgomery, and the storming and capture of Spanish Fort.
During its period of service this regiment covered a distance of 4,100 miles, including the expeditions both by land and water. They participated in ten battles, fourteen skirmishes and two sieges, one siege occupying forty-seven days and nights, and the other, thirteen days and nights. They were under fire eighty-two days and sixty nights. At the close of the war and after having made a military rec- ord of which any man might be justly proud, he was honorably dis- charged August 15, 1865.
After the war was over, Mr. Henrie returned to his Illinois home, . and on April 15, 1872, came to Butler county, Kansas, locating on the northeast quarter of section 21, where he homesteaded, and he also bought 320 acres of school land on the deferred payment plan, and he says, even at that, the payments were not deferred enough. When he came to this county he was better equipped than many of the pioneers to begin life in a new country, and yet he had his ups and downs, the downs appearing to be more frequent than the ups. He had three horses to begin with, and earned his first money in Butler county by breaking prairie for a neighbor.
Mr. Henrie was a pioneer, in many ways, in Benton township. He erected the first windmill there, and built the first barn. He owned the first spring wagon in that locality, which was considered a real luxury in those days. This was in an age before there was any rivalry as to who should own the highest priced automobile in the neighborhood, and Mr. Henrie's spring wagon became a sort of neighborhood property. Any- boy who wanted to put on style for a day, took the wagon and no ques- tions were asked, and then kept it until some other neighbor wanted it,
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
and when the time came that Mr. Henrie wanted to use his wagon, all he had to do was to go and get it. He used the first barbed wire that was shipped into Wichita, paying nineteen cents per pound for enough to fence ten acres. In the early days he kept a "half way house," where travelers made themselves at home whether they had any money or not ; and at times the place was filled to its capacity. the weary wayfarers lying about one deep on the floor.
Mr. Henrie erected the first store building in the town of Benton. and conducted a general mercantile business for a number of years, and served as postmaster there from 1872 to 1886, for which he received SI per month, the Government being very considerate of its employees at that time and did not encourage extravagance. When Mr. Henrie came here there was a great deal of large game in this section, includ- ing deer. and antelope. He remembers when money was scarce and the early settlers practically had no market for their produce. He tells of selling corn at Wichita for ten cents per bushel, and after hauling it there he finally succeeding in finding a market for it in a saloon for fuel purposes, as corn in those days was a cheaper fuel than wood.
Mr. Henrie was married in 1868 to Miss Frances A. White, a daughter of Solomon White, of Illinois. To this union were born the following children: Mrs. Mary Luta Parks, now deceased; Joseph and Cull, both farmers and stockmen in Benton township, the father having given each of them 160 acres of good lind, in 1906, and they are now successful and prosperous farmers. The wife and mother died in 1903, and in 1906 Mr. Henrie married Mrs. Leo Lawton, the widow of Dr. Lawton, of Kansas City, Mo.
Mr. Henrie has the finest residence in Benton and is now living retired. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows/and . one of the men whose ability, foresight and industry have given them a place among the builders of Butler county, which should be an inspira- tion to the present and future generations. Mr. Henrie is a courteous and genial gentleman who has many friends and a large acquaintance in Butler and adjoining counties.
C. A. Glancey, of Benton, is a Butler county pioneer and Civil war veteran. He was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 18441, and is a son of Jesse and Jane Glancey, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New York. Mr. Glancey has a brother and two half- sisters living in Ashtabula, Ohio.
Mr. Glancey was reared on a farm, and after receiving a common school education, was living the peaceful life of the average boy of the carly sixties when the great Civil war broke out, and about the time he reached his majority, in 1862, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Fifth regiment, Ohio infantry, and served until the close of the war. He saw much hard service and participated in a number of important battles and a great many skirmishes and engagements of lesser importance. He was at the battles of Perryville, Chickamauga, Bentonville, Mis-
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
sionary Ridge and many others. At the close of the war he was hon- orably discharged and mustered out of the service and returned to Ohio.
On October 7, 1866, Mr. Glancey was united in marriage with Miss Jane Fish, a daughter of Lyman and Elizabeth Fish, natives of New York. After their marriage, Mr. Glancey and his wife followed farming in Michigan until 1870, when they came to Kansas, locating on Dry creek, Butler county, where they pre-empted 160 acres of government land. Here they proceeded to establish a home on the wild and un- broken plains. Mr. Glancey had very little capital when he came to this county, and he earned his first money by digging wells, digging the first one for Thomas Harper. Mr. Glancey managed to support his little family and make a living in this way while his first crop was growing. He had two horses when he came here, but had the misfor- tune of losing one shortly after coming here. He could do very little with one horse and was forced to make a strong effort and considerable sacrifice to secure another. He had sufficient money with which to buy lumber for his little home when he came, but he built it himself, and narrowly escaped losing all his lumber in a prairie fire as an intro- duction to Butler county. His first house was built of one thickness of rough boards and shingles, but there was no ceiling, either overhead or on the side walls. The only heat they had was furnished by a small cooking stove in which they burned wood, and with this frail shack and the inadequate heating facilities the family suffered much with the cold during the first winter. However, as time went on, he made ad- ditional improvements and soon had a comfortable home for his family. In those early days Mr. Glancey did his trading at Augusta. Game was plentiful, and it was not a difficult matter for the early settlers to ob- tain all necessary meat and it only required a short time to go out and kill any number of prairie chickens or any other kind of wild game, which could be found in abundance. Mr. Glancey went on two buffalo hunting expeditions in the early days, and secured an ample supply of buffalo meat on both occasions.
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