History of Butler County Kansas, Part 81

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

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Game, both large and small, was plentiful when the Myers family came here. The father often had to drive herds of deer out of his corn field at night, and antelope were here by the thousands. The main herds of buffalo were a little farther west, but occasionally a few wan- dered across the plains in this vicinity. Mr. Myers saw two buffalo pass within a few rods of his cabin. Prairie chickens were so plentiful that when great flocks of them rose in the air, they sounded like thunder. Coyotes infested the plains in vast hordes and it was a difficult matter to save chickens from them. At times they would come in such large num- bers that they would drive even the dog in terror to cover, under the house.

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Sylvester Myers and wife experienced all the hardships incident to such life in a new country and are well entitled to go on record among the true and brave pioneers of Butler county. They have both passed to their eternal reward, and now peacefully sleep beneath the sod of the land which they helped to reclaim from the great American desert. The mother died August 17, 1884, and was survived a number of years by her husband, Sylvester Myers, who passed away December 28, 1906.

Sylvester Myers was one of the brave defenders of the Union, who in answer to President Lincoln's call enlisted August 15, 1861, in the Twenty-sixth battery, Ohio light artillery, and on January 1, 1863, he reenlisted in the same battery and was honorably discharged September 7. 1865. after having served four years and twenty-three days. He saw much hard service and among other engagements he participated in the battle of Alleghany, Va., the siege and surrender of Harper's Ferry, Va., September 12-15, 1862, and the siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18 to July 4, 1863.

Joseph H. Myers, whose name introduces this sketch, was reared on the home farm and received a good public school education, and has made farming and stock raising his principal occupation. After his fath- er's death he bought the interest of the other heirs of the estate, and is now sole owner of the old homestead, which is well imporved and a thor- oughly modern farm .

Mr. Myers was married in 1904, to Miss Luella James, a daughter of Charles and Jane James. The James family were pioneer settlers of Sum- ner county, Kansas, having homesteaded near Caldwell at an early day in the settlement of that section. Mrs. Myers has one sister, Mrs. Alice Handle, who resides at Burt, Colo. Mrs. James, the mother, is deceased, and the father lives at Burt, Colo. To Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Myers have been born four children, as follows: Edith A., Charles S., Hazel M. and Frank L. Mr. Myers is a progressive citizen and is well and favorably known in the community.

J. H. Williamson, of Union township, is a Kansas pioneer and vet- eran of the Civil war. He was born in Clinton county, Pennsylvania. October 22, 1839, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth Williamson. The Williamson family are of Scotch descent, and Thomas Williamson was a native of New Jersey. In 1863, Thomas Williamson and his fam- ily migrated from Pennsylvania to Missouri, and three years later. came to Kansas, and settled in Cloud county, where the parents spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of the following children: J. H., the subject of this sketch; H. H., Le Garnde, Ore .; John. Parker, Kans .; Frank, Golconda, Ariz .; Martin, Clyde, Kans., and Mrs. Ellen Bills, Choctaw, Okla.

On February 29, 1862, J. H. Williamson enlisted in Company G, Twelfth regiment, Pennsylvania cavalry, and participated in many im- portant battles, among which were Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Winchester, besides being engaged in almost daily skir-

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mishes, during his period of service. He was honorably discharged, July 20, 1865, after having served over three years and a half, during which time he saw a great deal of actual service. In 1884, Mr. Williams came to Butler county and bought a quarter section of school land in Union township. He built a small cabin on his place, and the first few years in this county were spent in a struggle for existence, against the adversities and uncertainties of life in a new country. Not only he. but his family endured the many hardships incident to pioneer life. His children had to walk three miles to attend school, and other con- veniences of civilization were in proportion. However, Mr. William- son and his family were not discouraged, and finally success came to them, and they are now one of the prosperous and substantial families of Butler county.

Mr. Williamson was married in February, 1869, to Miss Margaret Stewart, a native of Indiana, and the following children were born to this union: S. M., on the home place with his father: Mrs. Minnie Rouse, 'Latham, Kans., and George, also on the home place with his father. The mother of these children departed this life in 1904.

In addition to their farming and stock interests on the home place, S. M. is also interested in the manufacture of brooms. He conducts a broom factory on the home place, which has proven to be a very pro- fitable industry. His power is supplied by a windmill, and during the winter season when he is not busy with his farm work he is engaged in the manufacture of brooms. He has found a ready market for the product of his small factory, and indications are that, in the near future, he will be compelled to increase his output, in order to supply the growing demand. His brooms have a wide reputation for their excel- lency of workmanship.

Edward Prosser was born in Butler county in January, 1873, and is a son of James and Susana Prosser, pioneers of Butler county, who came here in 1871. They were pioneer settlers of Union township, and two children of the family survive, as follows: Edward, the subject of this sketch, and L. L., of Latham, Kans. The father was a successful farmer and stockman, and died in November, 1914, and the mother now resides on the old home farm with Edward. She is an interesting pioneer woman, and talks entertainingly of early day events ; she pos- sesses a rich store of reminiscences. She says that her trip with her husband, from Emporia to Butler county, was her wedding tour, and was made across the plains in a lumber wagon. She recalls the first cyclone which she experienced in Butler county, and says that the next day after the storm everybody began to dig cyclone cellars. Mrs. Prosser bore the maiden name of Anderson, and is a descendant of a prominent family. After the Prosser family settled in Union township. Indians were quite plentiful in that section, and they frequently called at the Prosser home, begging for food, which was a common custom of the noble red man in the early days.

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While Edward Prosser is comparatively a young man, he remem- bers many of the early day incidents of Butler county, which took place when he was a child. At a very early age, he began herding cattle and horses on the home place, and became accustomed to the saddle shortly after he had graduated from the cradle. He remembers when wire fences were introduced, and says the first one he ever saw consisted of just one wire. When he was a boy, they frequently had to go as far as eighteen miles for fire wood. The father bought an acre of timber land on Grouse creek, which was eighteen miles away, and all of the timber which he could not saw into lumber, he hauled home for fire wood. The frequency of early day prairie fires kept the trees killed, and wood was very scarce. The father first settled on 120 acres of land, upon which he built a small house, hauling the lumber from Emporia. He began farming and stock raising in a small way, and gradually pros- pered, buying more land as he was able, and at the time of his death, he owned 350 acres. Edward bought the home farm after his father's death, and now owns over 800 acres, and is one of the large cattlemen of Union township. He is a progressive business man, and knows the cattle business from beginning to end, having made a life study of that industry.

In April, 1899, Mr. Prosser was united in marriage to Rhoda Bogue, a daughter of L. L. Bogue of Beaumont, Kans. Mr. Bogue came to Kansas in 1878. first settling in Pottawatomie county. In 1891, he came to Butler county, and settled near Beaumont, and now lives at Greenwich. His wife is now deceased. The following children of the Bogue family are living: Mrs. Minnie Canfield, Clare, Mich., and Rhoda, wife of Edward Prosser, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Prosser received her education in the public schools, and walked three and one-half miles to attend school. That was a time when physical training was unnecessary in the schools, as the pupils got all necessary exercise walking to and from school. To Mr. and Mrs. Prosser, have been born two children: Edith and Wesley, both of whom are attend- ing school. The Prossers are prominent in the community and rank among the leading pioneer families of the State.

John Erickson, owner and proprietor of "The Triangle Ranch," which is located in Union township, is one of the largest land owners, and most extensive stockmen in Butler county Mr. Erickson was born in Gotten- berg, Sweden, May 2, 1851. He received his education and grew to man- hood in his native land. One of his ambitions, when he was a boy, was to get into the cattle business. He thought so much about that line of in- dustry that at night he dreamed of it. In 1871 he immigrated to America and settled at Emporia, Kans. A few years after coming to this State, he bought 320 acres of land in Chase county. When he came to this country, he could not speak a word of English and he had only 50 cents in money. He came to Butler county and began to buy land, and en- gaged in the cattle business extensively. He now owns 7,000 acres, and

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

in addition of that vast tract, he rents 11,000 acres for pasture land. Mr. Erickson handles about 3,000 head of cattle annually, and is probably the largest individual cattle raiser and feeder in Butler county. He general- ly markets his stock in Kansas City and St. Joseph. His son, R. B. Erickson, is also an extensive cattleman and was in the West, engaged in that business for five years, and is now associated with his father on the "Triangle Ranch."

Mr. Erickson was married in 1883, to Miss Josephine Davis, a daughter of Joseph and Nancy Davis of Indiana. The Davis family came to Butler county in 1876 in a prairie schooner, and settled near Douglass, where the father bought 160 acres of land and engaged in farming. There were seven children in the Davis family, as follows: Mrs Mary VanPearce, Latham, Kans .; Mrs. Harriet Stocks, Clinton, Okla .; Reed R. Davis, Grandfield, Okla .; Mrs. Cynthis Citts. La Fayette. Ind .; Josephine, wife of John Erickson, the subject of this sketch ; John Davis. Edmond, Okla .; and Joseph A. Davis, McPherson, Kans.

To Mr. and Mrs. Erickson were born two children : R. B. who is as- sociated in the cattle business with his father, and John G., who is now deceased. He was a capable young man, and seemed to have before him a brilliant career, and was the pride of his parents. He died March 28, 1913, in the fullness of his manhood.

C. G. Amlong, a prominent farmer and stockman of Hickory town- ship is a native of Ohio. He was born in Youngstown in 1854, and is a son of James and Mary Amlong, natives of Pennsylvania. The family came to Kansas and located in Butler county in 1886. C. G. bought 160 acres of land in Hickory township. The parents spent the remainder of their lives in Kansas. The father was a Presbyterian minister and preached his first sermon at Hickory Center in the school house. He died in 1905, and his wife passed away in 1910. They were the parents of four children, as follows: C. G., the subject of this sketch ; L. W., Braid- entown, Fla .; Mrs. Myrtes Young, Los Angeles, Cal .; and Mrs. Wilda Thorp. Winfield, Kans.

C. G. Amlong has made farming the chief occupation of his life, and in recent years has met with well merited success. When he began farm- ing on the home place in Hickory township, the land was unbroken. He lievd in a two-roomed house at first and had a hard struggle against ad- verse conditions. He worked for fifty cents per day and stacked grain for a dollar per day. During the first few years crop conditions were bad and he did not produce enough from his farm to live on, and feed his horses and cattle, but the family managed to get along from the little in- come from butter, eggs and chickens and with the money that he earned at whatever work he could find to do. Finally prosperity came and for a number of years he has been one of the well-to-do men of Butler coun- ty. He raises cattle extensively, as well as following general farming.

Mr. Amlong was united in marriage in 1875, to Miss Idelia Scroggy, a daughter of Israel and Martha Scroggy, of Iowa. The father was a

HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

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native of New Jersey and the mother of Illinois, and the latter was a rela- tive of the late General Bragg, of Civil war fame. Mrs. Amlong has three brothers living, as follows : Frank Scroggy, Waterloo, Iowa ; Butler Scroggy, Wichita, Kans., and Mark Scroggy, Waterloo, Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Amlong have been born the following children : Mrs. Rose Bere- man, Leavenworth, Kans .; Mrs. Martha Hall, Rosalia, Kans .; Mrs. Oral McQuirk, Zeal, S. D., and Harry, Latham, Kans. The girls have all been school teachers and the son is at home, associated with his father in the conduct of the home place.

Mr. Amlong is a Republican and for a number of years was active in the councils of that party, and seldom missed attending a convention. He was never too busy to get on his horse and "round up the boys" at elec- tion time. His home is known far and wide as one of the hospitable places of Butler county, and is not only a home for preachers but for poli- ticians, as well, and one is just as welcome as the other .

William A. Clark, a successful farmer and stockman of Bloomington township, is a Butler county pioneer and has been a resident of Kansas for forty-five years. He is a native of England, and was born in 1842, a son of William and Mary Clark. He received his education in his na- tive land, and in his youth, learned the carpenter trade. In 1864, he emigrated from his native land to Canada. Two years later, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he spent about a year. He then went to Chicago where he worked at his trade until 1871, when he came to Kansas and lo- cated on a ranch in Sumner county. This was during the very early pioneer days, in the settlement of that section of the State, and Mr. Clark experienced much of real pioneer life.

The settlers in Sumner county had to haul all their supplies from Emporia at that time ad the trip required six days. Mr. Clark made this trip several times, and it was usually a dangerous, as well as a dis- agreeable journey. The country was infested by bad men, and not overly friendly Indians ; and the winter seasons were susceptible to the treach- erous blizzards of the early days. Mr. Clark being a carpenter says that on more than one occasion, he has made coffins for men who were killed by accident or otherwise along this trail. On one occasion a band of about a thousand Indians camped two miles from the freighters' camp, Mr. Clark being one of the freighters. He says they were suspicious of the Indians, and kept their horses saddled all night, ready for a hasty re- treat if they were attacked by the Indians, but it seems they were not molested.

In 1880, Mr. Clark came to Butler county, and bought 120 acres of land in Bloomington township, where he engaged in farming and stock raising. He has added to his original purchase, and now owns 453 acres of one of the best improved farms in the county. He is a successful stock- man and is an extensive feeder, and is well known in Butler county as a breeder. His place is very advantageously situated for the stock busi- ness, the Little Walnut river courses through his farm, and his land is

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not only mostly bottom land, but the stream affords excellent water fa- cilities. He has over one hundred acres of alfalfa, and usually raises about the same number of acres of corn.

Mr. Clark was united in marriage in 1880, to Miss Margaret Gunn, a daughter of George and Isabel Gunn. Mrs. Clark is one of a family of four children, the others being as follows: Donald, Commanche, Okla .; William, Tonkawa, Okla .; and Mrs. Ella Keena, Mulvane. Kans. To Mr. and Mrs. Clark have been born the following children: William, Augusta, Kans .; Donald, Ringwood, Okla .; George, Augusta, Kans .; Mary B., and Charles, at home. The Clark family is prominent in the community where they reside, and among the representative families of Butler county.

Sidney Blakeman, of Leon, a prominent Butler county farmer and stockman, is a native of Illinois. He was born in Cook county in 1857. When he was a child his parents both died, and he was reared by W. H. Riggs of McLean county, Illinois. With the exception of an uncle who resides in Chicago, Mr. Blakeman has no known relatives who bear his name. When he was eighteen years old, he came to Kansas and located on 160 acres of government land in Elk county and three years later, or in 1878, he went to Wichita to the government land office and proved up on his claim, receiving his title. He immediately began pasturing cattle for numerous parties for which he charged a dollar per head for the sea- son. In 1879, he pastured about 1,100 head of cattle. When he first lo- cated in Elk county he had many real pioneer experiences. His nearest neighbor was four miles away and he was fifteen miles from Howard City, which was his postoffice and trading point. His capital was limit- ed and his supplies for the season were bought on credit, to be paid for when he collected from his pasture patrons. The first $to which he received from his enterprise was from Aaron Clumb who sold ten head of steers and paid a dollar per head for their pasturage. Mr. Blakeman says he thought more of that $10 than of any money he ever saw, and that he put it in the family bible and occasionally would take a peep at it to see if it was still there. On October 10, 1879, he broke up the herd, the men for whom he was pasturing cattle came on that day and all paid for their pasturing, and at the close of the day Mr. Blakeman had $1,090. He invested this in 500 head of sheep. This proved a pro- fitable investment, and he was very successful in his sheep venture, with the exception that he lost a great many from the ravages of wolves, and in 1883, he came to Butler county and the following year sold his sheep and engaged again in the cattle business. He has, perhaps, pastured more cattle than any other man in Butler county since that time. In contrast to the early days it might be stated that instead of receiving $1 per head for the season he now receives $8, and has pastured as many as 1,900 head in one season. He owns 920 acres of land and operates several hundred acres which he rents. He has pastured cattle from Texas, Colo- rado and Utah. He and his son, on one occasion, went to Utah and loaded

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

1,400 head of cattle and shipped them to Pontiac and pastured them that season for $6 per head. This was in 1910, and in 1911 he pastured 940 head of cattle from Old Mexico.

Mr. Blakeman was married in 1878 to Miss Clara S. Peabody, a na- tive of Illinois and three children were born to this union, as follows : Mrs. Olive Cline. Danville, Ill .; Guy, Leon, Kans .; and Roy, Danville, Ill. The mother of these children died May 3, 1915.

Mr. Blakeman made two trips to Kansas in the early days. The first time he rode on horseback from Saybrooke, Ill., and the second time, he drove a team of mules to a sleigh. He is one of the pioneers who has seen much development since coming here, and through industry and good business management, has succeeded to a remarkable degree, and is one of Butler county's substantial men of affairs.

W. W. Clark, a prominent farmer and stockman of Rosalia town- ship, is a Civil war veteran and Butler county pioneer. Mr. Clark was born in London, England, September, 1846. and is a son of William and Dorothy Clark. The family came to America when W. W. was two years of age, and located in Lee county, Iowa. The father was a carpen- ter and worked at his trade there and in 1850 the family went to Illinois. Here W. W. Clark enlisted. February 29, 1864, and was mustered into the United States service as a member of Company D, Fifty-ninth regi- ment. Illinois infantry. He served with his regiment until the close of the war. and took part in a number of important battles and a great many skirmishes. After the surrender of Lee, he served in Texas until his dis- charge in 1866.

After returning from the army Mr. Clark located in Missouri where he remained until 1872, when he came to Butler county, Kansas, and homesteaded 160 acres in Rosalia township. He began life in Butler county under the adverse conditions of the average pioneer. He hauled lumber for his first home from Humboldt and was compelled to go fifteen miles for his fuel. The country was wild and unbroken when he came here, and game of all kinds was plentiful. He has seen herds of antelope and deer feeding in his wheat field. In the early days, he has fought prairie fires all night and day, without time to get food. When he set- tled on his claim here, he was practically without funds, fifty cents being all the money that he possessed. He worked for settlers in the neighbor- hood, sometimes over in Greenwood county, and took his pay in meal and other supplies. and between times would break a little prairie for him- self. The grasshoppers of 1874 destroyed all his crop except a little patch of corn which he saved by setting fire to some dead prairie grass on the windward side of the corn and smoked the grasshoppers out of the corn field. That fall Mrs. Clark returned to eastern Kansas, and spent the winter with her parents, near the old Shawnee Mission in Johnson coun- ty. Mr. Clark worked in Kansas City that winter, hauling ice and saved quite a bit of money and in the following spring, returned to Butler coun- ty with his family in a prairie schooner, and was five days en route. The

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adversity of the first few years in Kansas soon became a matter of mem- ory, and Mr. Clark is now one of the prosperous and substantial citizens of Butler county.

Mr. Clark was united in marriage May 10, 1872, to Miss Frances Ekenfelts, a daughter of Andrew and Sophrona Ekenfelts. Her parents were of German descent and died in Texas. They were the parents of the following children: Theodore; Frank; Joseph; and Mrs. Caroline Harnick, all residing in Dallas, Tex .; and Francis, the wife of Mr. Clark, who is the subject of this sketch. To Mr. and Mrs. Clark have been born the following children : C. S., a Methodist minister, Kildare, Okla .; Mrs. Mary A. Owens, El Dorado, Kans .; Edward, Marshall, Okla .; George, a minister of the Christian church, Randall, Kans .; Mrs. Viola McKill, Rosalia, Kans .; Lester, Rosalia, Kans .; Chesley, Springfield, Mo .; Mrs. Nellie Borger, Rosalia, Kans .; Harry, Rosalia, and Tillie May, Rosalia. The Clarks are well known and highly respected and rank among the leading citizens of Butler county.

J. H. Thomas, a leading citizen of Hickory township, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Morgan county in 1848, and is a son of James and Margaret Thomas. The Thomas family came from Maryland, and are descendants of Irish ancestors. The parents spent their lives in Ohio, and in 1885. J. H. Thomas came to Kansas. He learned the carpenter's trade in early life, which has been his chief occupation. For a number of years, he has been in the employ of the railroad company, as carpenter, and in 1906, he bought 160 acres of land in Hickory town- ship, which is operated by his sons while he is engaged in working at his trade.

Mr. Thomas was married, in 1875, to Miss Tobitha Johnson, a native of Ohio, and four children were born to this union, as follows: Charles M., who was accidentally killed on the roadroad: Harley A., was drowned at Beaumont ; Edwin and Edgar, twins. Edgar is in Topeka, employed in the general office of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, and Edwin, is employed by the same company in Kansas City. Ten years after her marriage, Mrs. Thomas died, and in 1889, Mr. Thomas was united in marriage with Miss Henrietta Smith, and they have two chil- dren, as follows: Mrs. Lulu M. Ohsner, Latham, Kans., and Clyde, Latham.

Since coming to Butler county, Mr. Thomas has taken an active part in local affairs, and has always co-operated with every movement for the betterment and upbuilding of the community. He has always stood for a square deal, and is regarded by those who know him best as an exemplary citizen. By his thrift and industry, he has accumulated a competence and can, if he so desires, spend his remaining days in ease and comfort. He has served as treasurer of Hickory township one term and refused to accept re-election to the office. He is one of the substantial citizens of Hickory township whose influence is for the better things of life.

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History of Butler County Kansas, Part 81

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