History of Butler County Kansas, Part 87

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 87


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


Clark Haskins went to Iowa in 1855, and settled on a claim of Government land in Madison county. This was at an early day in the settlement of that section of Iowa. He was engaged in farming there when the Civil war broke out, and in 1864, he enlisted in Company A, Third regiment, Iowa cavalry, serving until the close of the war, or about eighteen months, when he was mustered out of service and hon- orably discharged at Davenport, Iowa. At the close of the war he re- turned to Iowa, and in 1872, came to Kansas, locating in Walnut town- ship, Butler county. Here he entered 240 acres of land, and later bought additional land, at one time IIO acres and another forty acres. and still another 150 acres. When he first settled in Walnut township. he built a small cabin on his claim, which served as the family home for twelve years, when he built a substantial residence. He engaged in general farming and stock raising, and during his Butler county career, has given special attention to the cattle business. He has not only raised and fed cattle for the market, but has been an extensive cat- tle buyer as well. Mr. Haskins has not only been a financial success. but his influence has always been for the moral and civic betterment of his community and county ; and he is of that type of men who will leave his impress on the future civilization and development of Butler county.


Mr. Haskins was married, in 1865, to Miss Almera Purdy, of Mus- coda. Wis., and a native of Vermont. She is now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Haskins were born the following children: Charles; Mrs. Lydia Findley, Kettle Falls, Wash .; Frank, Seattle, Wash. ; Will, Van- couver, B. C .; George, died at the age of thirteen, and Herman H., liv- ing on the home place.


Charles Haskins, the eldest child born to Clark, and Almera ( Pur- dy) Haskins, was born in Grant county, Wisconsin, in 1858. When a boy about fourteen years of age, he came to Walnut township, in 1872, with his parents. He was reared and educated in Butler county, and has made farming and stock raising his principal occupation. He now owns and operates 150 acres of land, adjoining his father's place in Walnut township, and ranks as one of the successful farmers and stock- men of Butler county. He was married, in 1884, to Miss Gertrude Bruce, and three children have been born to this union : George, Charles and Herbert.


J. R. Crowley, of El Dorado, is one of the large land owners of But- ler county, and has been very successful in farming and stock raising. He was born in Barren county, Kentucky, in 1865, and is a son of S. R. and Mary (Burgess) Crowley, natives of Tennessee. They were the parents of ten children, nine of whom are living, as follows: W. B., Seneca, Mo .; J. R., the subject of this sketch; S. J., Wichita, Kans .; Mrs. Mary Elrod, El Dorado, Kans .; Dicie, unmarried, resides at An- gusta. Kans .; I. M., Rock Creek township, Butler county ; R. L. Bur- den, Cowley county, Kansas; W. S., Burden, Kans .; and Mrs. Ora Rhoades, Gordon, Kans.


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J. R. Crowley received a good common school education in his na- tive State, and at the age of sixteen years, left home and came to Kan- sas. He drove a wagon here for his board, coming with Taylor Haines, who settled on the Walnut river, three miles south of Augusta. After coming to Butler county, Mr. Crowley worked about a month on the railroad. He then entered the employ of J. W. Kibby, and worked for him eight years and three months, receiving for his services $15 per month at first, and later $20. He saved his money, and at the end of the above stated period, he entered into partnership with his former em- ployer, and this arrangement continued for nine years. Mr. Crowley then engaged in farming and the cattle business on Hickory creek, Bloomington township. He was one of the extensive cattlemen of the county, and bought, fed, and sold cattle on a large scale. In 1913, he bought his present home in El Dorado, where he has since resided. He also owns a home in Augusta.


Mr. Crowley was married in 1895, to Miss Flora A. Tague, of Bloomington township. She is a daughter of M. M. and Mary (Whit- bam) Tague, natives of Indiana, who came to Butler county in 1881, and settled in Spring township, and they now live in Bloomington town- ship. To Mr. and Mrs. Crowley have been born five children, as fol- lows: Hazel Irene, a graduate of the El Dorado High School, class of 1916; Marietta, a member of the senior class. El Dorado High School; Flora Verna, student in the El Dorado High School ; John R. and Fran- ces Audine, students in the El Dorado graded schools. The Crowley family reside in El Dorado during the school years, and spend the sum- mers on their ranch in Bloomington township.


Mr. Crowley is a member of the Masonic Lodge, of El Dorado, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America at Augusta, and the Anti Horse Thief Association, in Bloomington, and Mr. and Mrs. Crowley are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. The Crowley family is well known in Butler county, and Mr. Crowley is one of this county's substantial and prosperous citizens.


Peter Fostnaught, a prominent farmer and stockman, of Benton township, is a native of Indiana, and a son of Moses and Sarah Fost- naught. The father was the farmer and died there in 1865. The mother died in 1905. Peter was the only child by his mother's first marriage, and after his father's death, she married a man named Wolf. Three children were born to this union, as follows: Mrs. Sarah Blair, who lives in Michigan ; Sherman Wolf, lives in Indiana, and Adam Wolf. lives in Michigan.


Peter Fostnaught came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1879. and at first worked as a farm hand for $15 per month, and about ten years later, rented land, and engaged in farming on his own account. Dur- ing his first years in Butler county, Mr. Fostnaught labored under many difficulties, and had a hard time to get a substantial start in life. He had no capital, but he was industrious and thrifty and possessed a


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determination to succeed. Not unlike the experience of the average man, after he got a little start, success soon followed, and today he is one of the well-to-do farmers and stockmen of this county. He owns one of the best farms in Benton township, consisting of 240 acres, well improved and an ideal stock farm.


In 1889, Mr. Fostnaught was united in marriage with Miss Anna Miller, a daughter of John P. and Kate Miller. Her father was a native of France, and came to this country with his parents early in life. He died in Illinois, and in 1875 the mother came to Kansas with her children. and preempted 160 acres of land in Benton township, But- ler county. There were six girls in the Miller family, as follows: Mrs. Mary Long, deceased; Mrs. Susan Cole, Kingman county, Kansas : Mrs. Kate Hammon, Greenwich. Kans .: Mrs. Rosa Lane. Benton. Kans. ; Ada F .: Mrs. Lydia Campbell, deceased. .


After Mrs. Miller and her girls came to Kansas, they endured many hardships and privations, common to the lot of early settlers during the formative period of the West. But the experience of the Miller family was more difficult than that of their neighbors. There were no men in the family. and the heavy work of the fields fell to the girls and their mother. They all did the work of men, and bravely struggled to build a home in the new country, and were glad to have an opportunity to do so. The girls all grew up to be women of force of character, and an honor to American womanhood. The mother was a capable woman, and the possessor of high ambitions, and a spirit of industry. She possessed the courage of the typical pioneer woman. On one occasion while fighting a prairie fire which threatened to de- stroy her home, she was so severely burned that she nearly lost her life. Prairie fires were frequent in the early days, and, during their first year here, the Millers lost their hay in one of those periodical devastations of the plains. Another incident in the life of Mrs. Miller worthy of mention here, is that when she was a young woman and lived in Illinois, she was at one time in the employ of Abraham Lincoln, and was well acquainted with the great emancipator and his family.


A. C. Neal, a well known farmer and stockman of Benton township, came to this county when a mere boy, and belongs to one of the pioneer families of Butler county. Mr. Neal was born in Indiana in 1861, and is a son of J. W. and Christina Neal, both natives of Indiana. The father was a farmer in that State until 1865, when he went to Missouri with his family, driving across the country from Indiana. They located in Johnson county, Missouri, remaining there until 1872, when they came to Kansas and settled in Sumner county, and in 1877 went from there to Sedgwick county. In 1883, the Neal family came to Butler county, lo- cating in Benton township where the father spent the remainder of his life, engaged in farming and stock raising. He died in 1909 and the mother now resides on the home place with A. C., who has never married. The father was an invalid for a number of years and thus A. C. Neal has


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


been the mainstay of the family from early boyhood. J. W. Neal, the father, was a native of Kentucky and early in life removed from his na- tive State to Indiana, where he was married to Miss Brougher, a daughter of Jacob and Isabel Brougher, natives of North Carolina and of German descent.


A. C. Neal was only eleven years old when the family came to Kan- sas, in 1872, and therefore as a boy, he saw much of the pioneer life of this section of the State. In those days the children shared in the hard- ships and meager advantages of the new country. After coming to Kan- sas he worked for 35 cents a day and earned his first dollar binding wheat, which dollar he lost out of his pocket a few days later while thresh- ing. This seemed to him to be quite a loss at that time, and his financial loss really could not have been greater, for that was all he had. His first investment was the purchase of a colt, for which he paid $13.50, and later sold for $95, which was the turning point of his luck, and since that time he has met with a fair measure of success.


When the Neals first settled in Sumner county, that section of the State was considered well on the borderland of civilization and the prim- itive conditions of the plains largely prevailed. There were lots of deer and antelope and buffalo could still be found in large herds only seven or eight miles away. Mr. Neal recalls with a shudder the first buffalo that he ever saw. He was out herding cattle on the open range with his Indian pony and the buffalo bull appeared on the horizon and made a wild charge into young Neal's herd of cattle. The boy had never seen a buffalo before and was sure that the devil was after him and his cattle. His Indian pony was a faithful little animal but young Neal knew that he was not speedy, so in order to make time he dismounted and ran home, which was about a mile away. Mr. Neal is a modest man and is not inclined to be unreasonable in his claims, but he is sure that if that mile had been officially recorded that it would go on record as the fast- est mile ever made by a white man. He had many experiences in the early days, but this one is the prize winner.


J. W. Parsons, a prominent farmer and stockman of Sycamore township, is one of the very earliest settlers of Butler county, now liv- ing within its borders. Mr. Parsons is a native of Ohio, born in 1848, and is a son of Amos and Ruth G. (Barnes) Parsons, natives of Mary- land. They were the parents of the following children: Josiah Barnes Parsons, Cassoday, Kans .; B. A. Parsons, Potwin, Kans. ; and J. W .. the subject of this sketch.


J. W. Parsons came to Kansas in 1866 and settled in Butler county and homesteaded 168 acres of land in Sycamore township. This was a very early day in the settlement of that section of the county and at that time the settlers had to haul their supplies from Westport where Kansas City is now located. Mr. Parsons made two trips there with an ox team, the round trip requiring more than a week, and during these trips he has frequently slept alone on the plains with howling wolves


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


about him during the night. When Mr. Parsons came to Butler county the native wild animals of the plains were here in abundance. The buf- falo disappeared from this section of the State, going farther west, about the time that Mr. Parsons settled here. However, he saw one herd of buffalo in Butler county after he came. Indians frequently roamed over the plains and the noble red man was noted for stealing pigs. chickens, etc., an inherent trait of his character usually overlooked by American historians. Atfer coming here Mr. Parsons broke prairie with six yoke of oxen. He built a small log cabin and only had enough roofing to cover one corner of it. However, this sufficed for his residence for three or four years. He was in poor health when he first came to Kansas, but recovered shortly after coming here.


Mr. Parsons was married in 1881, to Miss Bessie Davis and three children were born to this union : Mrs. Elsie Grant, Rosalia. Kans .; Mrs. Irene Hunn. El Dorado, Kans .; and Mrs. Ruth Diller, Burns, Kans. The mother of these children died in 1891, and in 1894 Mr. Parsons mar- ried Ella Miller, daughter of Robert Miller and Catherine (Kyle) Miller, the former a native of Dublin, Ireland, and the latter of Scotland. The Miller family came to Butler county in 1876. Robert and Catherine (Kyle) Miller were the parents of the following children : James, a Pres- byterian minister; Robert, Jetmore. Kans. ; Allan, Jetmore, Kans. ; Mrs. H. W. Hinkle, El Dorado, Kans .; Mrs. James Teter, El Dorado, Kans. ; Mrs. Glick Scribner, El Dorado, Kans. ; and Ella, the wife of J. W. Par- sons, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Parsons' father died in 1914 and the mother is still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Parsons have been born the following children : Esther, Wesley, Russell, Katherine and J. B.


Mr. Parsons is a Republican and his wife is a member of the Pres- byterian church. The Parsons family is well and favorably known in Butler county where they have a broad acquaintance and many friends.


H. C. Bates, a Civil war veteran. like many others in serving through the Civil war, had developed within him that trained courage and spirit of adventure which so well qualified him for the task of play- ing his part in the opening up and developing of the then wild and iin- broken West. H. C. Bates is a native of Michigan, born in 1837. a son of Vrelon and Eunice (Wilhelm) Bates, the former a native of Massa- chusetts, and the latter of New Jersey. The Bates family consisted of four children as follows: H. C., the subject of this sketch ; Charles F., Dex- ter, Mich. : Mrs. Emma Litchfield. Dexter, Mich., and Mary A., unmar- ried also resides at Dexter, Mich. H. C. Bates was reared in Dexter, Mich., and received a good common school education, considering the times and conditions, and after leaving school was employed in the great lumber industry in his native State. His peaceful pursuit. however, was inter- rupted when the call to arms was heralded in 1861. At the president's call for 75,000 volunteers to defend the Union, Mr. Bates enlisted in Company K, Fourth Michigan infantry, and remained in that branch of the military service about a year, and after serving his time he en-


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


listed in the navy at Erie, Pa., and was a soldier of the sea for two and one-half years. He participated in a number of the important naval en- gagements of the Civil war, having served under Admiral Farragut.


At the close of the war Mr. Bates was mustered out at Memphis, Tenn., and after receiving an honorable discharge, returned to Michigan and re-engaged in the lumber business. He owned a mill at Dexter, which he sold in 1870, and came to Kansas, first locating in Franklin county. Shortly afterwards, he came to Butler county, locating in Augusta town- ship, where he took up a claim on the southwest quarter of section 9. range 27, township 4, and still owns this place to which he has since add- ed additional acreage. An unusual thing in the history of Mr. Bates' original claim is, that it has never gone through a single transfer since he received his title from the Government, and this is the only place. between Towanda and Augusta, of which that can be said. Immediate- ly, upon locating in Butler county, Mr. Bates began farming in a small way, after the plan of the average pioneer, but increased his operations rapidly and soon became one of the extensive farmers and stock raisers of his neighborhood, and is today one of the prosperous and well to do citizens of Butler county. In October, 1910, at the close of a period em- bracing forty years of successful activity. he came to Augusta and pur- chased three lots upon which he built a commodious and comfortable residence which is his present home.


Mr. Bates was united in marriage at Dexter, Mich., to Miss Nettie Negus, a native of that place, and a daughter of Vermont, parents, who settled in Michigan at an early date. Mrs. Bates is a sister of Col. E. L. Negus, who served with distinction in the Civil war, and it is recalled that the severity of loss which his regiment suffered at the battle of Get- tysburg is almost without parallel in the annals of the Civil war. Of his 1,126 men who answered at roll-call in the morning before going into action, only 138 were present at roll-call the following morning. One child has been adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Bates, William, who resides at Augusta. He married Maud Beaver, an Augusta girl, and to them have been born four children, as follows: Harvey, Blanche, Lena and Frank. While Mr. Bates was not one of the first settlers of Butler county, he came here at a time when many of the early pioneer conditions pre- vailed, and has seen the great development from that time to the pres- ent Butler county with her prosperous citizens and progressive institu- tions. When he came here the nearest railroad was at Emporia, and he remembers when there were only seven houses in Wichita. Many changes have taken place within the lifetime of this sturdy pioneer.


James W. Teter .- Butler county is far famed for its high standard of cattle, and back of this reputation of this section of the State is the industry and ability of the successful cattlemen. The cattle business is a big industry and requires business men of big mental caliber, as well as almost unlimited resources to get the best results and build up a na- tional reputation for a county, such as the leading cattle men of this sec-


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


tion have done for Butler county. "Jim" Teter is one of the big cattle- men of Butler county, and like many other successful men, he started with nothing and the progress that he has made in the business world is due wholly, to his own unaided efforts.


James W. Teter was born in Upshur county, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1849, a son of John and Lucinda (McCoy) Teter. The Teter family was poor and they came to Kansas in 1865 from Iowa, hav- ing driven the entire distance from West Virginia to that State, and from there to Kansas. They first located in Coffey county in this State where they remained until 1869 when they went west as far as Califor- nia and Oregon, but in the course of a few months returned to Butler county, settling at Cassoday, or where Cassoday is now located, which was then called Sycamore Springs and three years later came to Pros- pect township. The father, John Teter, was a typical pioneer. a big hearted, stalwart man, noted for his physical strength and endurance and he belonged to that type of men who were absolutely unconscious of danger. He was a cattleman and one of the pioneers of that industry of Butler county and met with considerable success: He died in April, 1904. his wife having passed away five years previously. They were the parents of eight children, two boys and six girls. The boys were: Washington, who' died at his home in El Dorado in 1915, and "Jim," whose name introduces this sketch. Four of the girls are now living.


When the Teter family settled in the vicinity where Cassoday is now located that was a wild, unbroken and sparsely settled country. Deer and antelope were plentiful and small game of most every kind was in abundance. However, Jim Teter says, he was never much of a hunter, although he has chased bobcats and wolves over the Flint Hills with his hounds when he was a boy, but his brother, Washington, won quite a reputation as a hunter in the early days. He killed a great many deer and bears in his time, and hunted buffalo and other big game, making several hunting expeditions to the Rocky Mountains and even to old Mexico.


Jim Teter received his education mostly in the rough and ready school of experience and has always been a student of men and affairs. He has studied conditions and reasoned from cause to effect, and today is one of the capable business men of Butler county and has met with well merited success. When the family first settled in Butler county great numbers of Indians were almost constantly passing through this section of the country and when Jim Teter was a boy he traded a roos- ter to an Indian for a pony. He says this was the beginning of his business career. He has always been a stockman and specializes in white faced cattle and he and his sons, who are associated with him, now have on hand about 800 head and at times hape had as many as 1,400. Mr. Teter is an extensive land owner and owns about 1,200 acres in But- ler county and 6,000 acres in Greenwood county. His home place, which is located about two miles from El Dorado contains 850 acres. He fol-


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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY


lows general farming in connection with his cattle business and raises large quantities of grain and hay which he feeds, and frequently has to buy considerable more for his cattle.


Mr. Teter was married in 1888, to Miss Mary Marshall and six chil- dren were born to this union, as follows: Ora, married Charles Mattle, Butler county ; Hattie, married Robert McCully, Butler county ; Letha, married Oliver Morley, Butler county; John, at home; William, and Merle, live in Greenwood county. The wife, and mother of these chil- dren, died November 19, 1890, and Mr. Teter married for his second wife, Miss Louise Ladd. Two children were born to this union : Gladys, now the wife of William Spencer, Kansas City, Mo., and James, resides at home. Mrs. Teter died October 9, 1904, and Mr. Teter married Miss Sadie Miller and they have three children : Ruth, Elden and Helen.


Mr. Teter is inclined to be independent in his political views, sup- porting public measures which meet with his approval and candidates whom he deems best qualified for the office which they seek. Mr. Teter is public spirited and progressive and also ready to cooperate with any enterprise for the betterment of his county or State.


H. W. Becker, a Civil war veteran who, for a number of years, has been a prominent farmer and stockman, of Chelsea township, and an active factor in the political affairs of Butler county, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born in the historic town of Gettysburg, in 1840, a son of John D. and Sarah (Smith) Becker. John D. Smith was born in Baltimore, Md., July 2, 1816. He learned the tanner's trade in early life at which he was employed for a number of years, but later was engaged in farming. He was of German descent. His wife, Sarah Smith, was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania.


H. W. Becker was educated in the public schools of Pennsylvania, and spent his early days on the home farm, and in 1862, enlisted in the Fifteenth Pennsylvania cavalry, under Col. William J. Palmer, who later became a brigadier general, and after the war, became a very wealthy man. Mr. Becker took part in many of the important battles of the Civil war with his regiment. He was at Antietam, Stone River, and was with Serman on his march to the sea. taking part in all the battles of this campaign, and, in fact, the Fifteenth Pennsylvania cav- alry saw as much service as any other regiment in the army. Mr. Becker has a map which shows the marches and engagements in which this regiment took part, and it seems as though it covered the entire fighting zone of the Civil war. The Fifteenth Pennsylvania cavalry holds an annual reunion at Philadelphia, Pa., and the members of this famous fighting organization of the Civil war have always kept in very close touch with each other.


Mr. Becker was married, in 1867, to Miss Margaret Shelly, a native. of Pennsylvania, and of German parentage. To Mr. and Mrs. Becker have been born six children, as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, Den- nis, Kans .; Mrs. Edna McMillen, Leeton, Mo .; Mrs. Elsie Cameron,


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