USA > Kansas > Butler County > History of Butler County Kansas > Part 89
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. Dillenbeck was born in Jefferson county, New York, in 1842, and is a son of Jacob and Catherine (Ostrander) Dillenbeck, natives of New York. He was one of a family of eight children, the others being as follows: John S., died in New York; Mrs. Amanda Nellis, died in New York; Menzo, died in New York ; Sophia, married a Mr. Simmer- man, who was killed in the Civil war, and she afterwards married Luther Dillenbeck ; and Jerome, now living retired at El Dorado.
Mr. Dillenbeck was educated in the public schools of his native State, and at the age of nineteen, enlisted at Watertown, N. Y .. in Com- pany M. Tenth New York heavy artillery. He served in the army of the Potomac, and took part in many important campaigns. He was with Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley, and was at the seige of Peters- burg, and was mustered out of service at Sacketts Harbor, N. Y., in July, 1865, after having served three years.
After returning from the army, Mr. Dillenbeck was engaged in farming in New York State until 1882, when he came to Butler county. reaching here September 19 of that year, and engaged in farming, stock raising and dairying on 640 acres of land west of El Dorado, which his brother had previously bought. Later C. B. sold his interest in that farm to his brother and bought the Van Slyke farm of 320 acres, and conducted his farming and dairy business there, but lived in El Dorado a part of the time. He bought this farm for $12.50 per acre in 1888. and ten years later, sold it for $27.50 per acre. He also bought another quarter section a half mile south. for $900, and sold it for $2,000 at the time he sold his other farm.
For the last fifteen years, Mr. Dillenbeck has lived in El Dorado, where he has been engaged in buying and shipping horses, and at the same time he has been engaged in the dairying business, and his son, W. E., is in partnership with his father. They have bred and developed some very high class and valuable standard bred registered trotting horses, among some of the well known ones are: Julia D., 2:1414; Harbor Master, 2:1714: Daisy Dorff. 2:1014. and Symbol Meath. 2:07 1/2. At the present time they have eleven head of standard bred registered horses which are undeveloped, but Mr. Dillenbeck has never yet raised a thoroughbred that was a failure. In March. 1916, he shipped three head of horses to Indianapolis, Ind., Symbol Meath,
805
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
2:071/2; Daisy Dorff, 2:1014, and Fair Margaret. While the Dillen- becks have been successful in developing thoroughbred horses, they have not neglected the pure bred cattle department of that business. Mr. Dillenbeck breeds Holstein cattle on the farmn, and at present, has thirty-seven head of high grade Jerseys also. The City Dairy herd is headed by "Katimas Sultan," which is one of the best registered Jer- sey bulls in the State of Kansas.
Mr. Dillenbeck was married in 1865 to Miss Helen R. Visscher, of Gouverneur, N. Y. She was a daughter of - William Visscher, who came to Butler county the same time that Mr. and Mrs. Dillenbeck came to this county, and he died here. His wife died in New York State. in 1863. To Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Dillenbeck were born the following children : Dr. F. E., El Dorado, Kans .: W. E., who is associated with his father in business, married Marie Olin, of Eudora, Kans., and they have three children, Helen, Charles and Doris. The wife, and miother of these children, died March 19, 1915.
Mr. Dillenbeck is one of Butler county's substantial citizens, whose efforts, since coming to this county, have been rewarded with success.
Mrs. B. A. Russell, now living in Logan township, belongs to that type of pioneer women who performed their part nobly and well, at a time when the great plains of Butler county offered many hardships and inconveniences and few comforts or luxuries. She can relate many in- teresting reminiscences of the early history of this section of Kansas, and knows what she is talking about, for she was here and received her in- formation by experience and observation. Mrs. Russell bore the maiden name of Smith and is a daughter of William R. and Narcissa (Bagley) Smith, natives of Tennessee. Her father was a prominent farmer and stockman.
The Smith family located in Butler county in 1871, and here Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Russell were married in 1873. B. F. Russell was a native of West Virginia, or what is now West Virginia, and was born in 1832. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell : Mrs. Myrtle Sopher, who resides with her mother on the old homestead. She mar- ried L. D. Sopher in 1899, and they have one child, Russell B., born in 1900; and Mrs. Edith E. Morris, resides in Wichita. Mr. Russell died in 1899 and his remains are buried in the Fowler cemetery, and since that time Mrs. Russell has continued to make her home on the old place.
Mrs. Russell relates, with much amusement, a careless incident in her career that developed into a romance which culminated in her mar- riage. When a girl she threw out a bucket of ashes, from which a prairie fire started and spread for miles. Among those who were at- tracted by the fire, and came to render what assistance they could, was Mr. Russell, and that was their first meeting, and they were married soon afterwards. Mrs. Russell frequently saw Indians, after coming to Butler county, as they traveled back and forth considerably through this
806
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
section of the country. Mrs. Russell distinctly remembers when the grasshoppers came and ate every vestige of green in sight on the place. and about all that she had left after the grasshopper scourge, was her chickens and they ate so many grasshoppers that they all died. So one calamity followed another. but early life on the plains seemed to be made up of calamities, and the early settlers became amused with them and were really not surprised unless something good happened. And yet, hardships and failures were soon forgotten by the hardy residents of the plains, and they had many good times, and enjoyed themselves with the true spirit of innocent pleasure. A neighbor at that time was a loyal friend and always stood ready and willing to accommodate and share anything that he had. with his less fortunate brother; and the bonds of neighborhood friendship seemed to be much stronger, and hu- man sympathy more abundant than in these days of over legislation and organized communities.
Mrs. Russell is one of the entertaining and interesting pioneer women of Butler county, and is truly deserving of due recognition in a work of this character.
Marion W. Jones, a prominent farmer and stockman of Rose Hill. Kans., was born in Georgia in 1859. He is a son of Hampton and Mary (Cox) Jones, natives of Georgia. They were the parents of seven children, as follows: Miles, died at Rose Hill; Mrs. Elizabeth Mitchell. lives in Pleasant township ; William, died in Texas; Mrs. Eliza Ketsler, Wichita. Kans .: John Nelson, died at Rose Hill, at the age of nineteen ; Mrs. Lucinda Wells, Portland, Ore. ; and Marion W., the subject of this sketch.
Marion Jones was educated in the common schools of Butler coun- tv, Kansas. and has followed farming and stock raising all his life. He came to Kansas with his father in 1865, and located first in Lyon coun- ty. In 1871, they came to Butler county, and located on Eight Mile creek in Pleasant township. The parents are both deceased. His father died in Arkansas, and his mother at Rose Hill, Kans.
Marion W., the subject of this sketch, fell heir to forty acres of land and later bought 280 acres, partly rich bottom land, and altogether he has one of the best farms in the county. He has forty acres under alfal- fa. He has made a success of stock raising. His land is leased for gas and oil.
Mr. Jones was married in 1882, to Miss Ella Davis of Rose Hill. Kans. Her father, John P. Davis, came to Butler county in 1878, and settled in Richland township, and later moved to Pleasant township. Two children have been born to this union: Willie, deceased, who was accidentally killed by a kick from a horse in 1906, and Oscar A., residing at home. He married Miss Gertrude Silkwater, of Rose Hill.
In 1872 a prairie fire came sweeping from the southwest, jumped Eight Mile creek, and caught George Herit, a school teacher, on the prairie, two and one-half miles east of Rose Hill. He had started to his
807
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
claim and the high wind carried the fire so swiftly that he could not escape. He was able to get to the creek opposite the Jones residence, and call for help. His clothes were almost burned off. They took him to the house and cared for him, but he died four days later.
Mr. Jones is a member of the Friends Church of Rose Hill and the Jones family is one of the representative pioneer families of Butler coun- ty.
Bruce Alexander, a substantial farmer and stockman and one of the representative citizens of Walnut township, is a native of Tennessee, although he came here with his parents when he was two years of age, and therefore comes within two years of being a native of Butler county. He was born in Macon. Tenn., in 1873, and is a son of Dr. E. H. and Matilda E. (Haynes) Alexander. They were the parents of seven chil- dren, six of whom are living, as follows : Mrs. Nettie VanArsdall, Still- water, Okla .; Mrs. Luella DeMoss, Stillwater, Okla .; Bruce, the subject of this sketch: W. F., Ira and Grace, all residing at home in Walnut township. Dr. E. H. Alexander came to Kansas in 1875 and located in Walnut township, Butler county, where he bought 200 acres of land, which is now the home place. He was a successful physician and prac- ticed his profession after coming here and at the same time was inter- ested in the development of his farm and stock raising. He died while yet a young man in 1883. His widow, who still survives him, is seventy-two years of age, and is unusually active, both mentally and physically, for a person of her age.
When the Alexander family moved here the county was wild and unsettled ; there were no railroads in this section, and Bruce Alexander, the subject of this sketch, recalls many early day conditions, which made indelible impressions on his mind, when he was a boy. The old stage line from El Dorado to Winfield passed the Alexander home, and he re- calls one time when a band of over 500 Indians from the reservation passed over the old stage line.
Bruce Alexander was reared on the home farm and educated in the public schools of Walnut township, and he also attended the high school at Augusta for three years. He is one of the substantial men of the community, and has an extensive acquaintance throughout Butler county. He takes a commendable interest in local political affairs, and has served as trustec of Walnut township one term. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Augusta. having been identified with that organization for the past six years.
J. P. Colyar, of El Dorado, is a Civil war veteran. and comes from a long line of military ancestors who have distinguished themselves in all the principal wars in which this country has been involved. J. P. Colyar is a native of Michigan, born in 1833, and is a son of John E. and Hanna (Reams) Colyar, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of Michigan. They were the parents of five children, of whom J. P. is the only survivor. After the death of the mother, the father married again,
808
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
and three children of this union are living, John and Newton, who live in Oklahoma, and Mrs. Hannah Romne, Kansas City, Kans.
J. P. Colyar enlisted at Burlington, Iowa, during the Civil war, in an Iowa regiment of infantry, and during the course of his military career served in many of the southern States. He was with Sherman on the memorable inarch to the sea, and at the battle of Bloomington, N. C. had his collar bone broken while constructing breastworks. At Co- lumbus, S. C., his knapsack was struck by a bullet. After the surrender of General Lee. Mr. Colyar was discharged at David's Island, New York Harbor. Mr. Colyar had thirty-two cousins from Cass county, Michigan, all of whom served in one regiment in the Union army during the Civil war. Mr. Coylar's father was also a Union soldier during the Civil war, enlisting at Humboldt, Kans., and served with a Kansas regiment until he was discharged on account of disability. His hearing was impaired, which was caused by the concussion of artillery firing. Samuel Colyar. grandfather of J. P. Colyar, served in the Revolutionary war. as did his father also, the elder Colyar having attained the rank of captain by the time the Revolutionary war closed.
J. P. Colyar came to Kansas in 1871, and settled in Chanute, his father having located there in 1850. which was a very early day in the settlement of that section of the State. Indians were numerous at that time, and there were very few settlers in that part of Kansas. In 1882, Mr. Colvar came to Butler county, while in the employment of a grad- ing gang, constructing a railroad into El Dorado from Ft. Scott. Since coming here Mr. Colyar followed constructing, and in later years was engaged in the draying and transfer business.
In 1858, Mr. Colyar was married to Olive M. Shelton, of Shelby county, Missouri. Her parents were Griffith and (Paris) Shelton, pion- eers of Shelton county, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Colyar have been born the following children: Mrs. Mary Virginia Lewis, deceased ; Mrs. Laura J., married and resides at Ft. Scott, Kans .: Mrs. Frances M. Smith, Chanute, Kans .; J. G. Okmulgee, Okla .; W. F., Emporia, Kans .; J. H., Salt Lake City, Utah ; G. W., Neodesha, Kans.
As a soldier and pioneer, J. G. Colyar has performed his part nobly and well, and is a citizen well worthy of recognition in a work of this character.
David Landis was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1847. and his parents moved to Indiana the same year and he was reared to manhood in that State. His parents were Frederick and Catherine (Holdeman) Landis. They were the parents of fourteen children. of whom the fol- lowing are living: Jerome Colwell, Allen county, Kansas; Mrs. Anna Culp. Constantine, Mich. ; Mrs. Barbara Kennison, Red Key, Ind. : Mrs. Christiana Staley, Elkhart. Ind .; J. H., Valpariso. Ind. ; A. J. and H. B .. Chico. Cal .: David, the subject of this sketch; Jennie Colwell, Moran. Kans.
David Landis was educated in the common schools of Indiana, and
DAVID LANDIS AND WIFE
809
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
for three years was a school teacher, teaching his first school in 1866, and his last term closed March 25, 1869. He then went to Missouri, re- maining two years, and returned to Indiana for nine years and came to Kansas in January, 1882. He located in Anderson county, where he remained four years. He bought eighty acres there from Andrew Cald- well, which he sold in 1885, and removed to Linn county, remaining for one year, coming to Butler county in 1887. He located in Richland township for two years, and removed to Walnut township, where he lived three years, near Hilton school house. He then removed to Pleas- ant township, remaining there three years, and then lived for six years in Rock township. He rented his present place and moved here in 1904. and still resides in this township.
Mr. Landis was married in January, 1872, to Marjorie Ann Wooden, of Whitley county, Indiana, and eight children were born to this union, six of whom are living, as follows: B. F., living in Jewel county ; H. W., at home: Ira O., Allen county, Kansas; Mrs. Dora Briles, Richland township; David Delta, Richland township, and Irene lives in western Kansas.
Mr. 'Landis, while an invalid, is cheerful and a most interesting talker. Eight of the Landis brothers and sisters each write a letter once a month, and the recipient forwards the letter to another, and then the letter is sent around to the others until all have read it. Mr. Landis usually writes his the next day after receiving the letter. He is able to get to the mail box when the weather permits. Mr. Landis is one of the old subscribers of The El Dorado "Republican," and was a great ad- mirer of the late "Bent" Murdock, who was editor of that paper for so many years.
Charles Love, who is engaged in farming and stock raising in part- nership with his brother, J. P. Love, under the firm name of Love Brothers, is a typical representative of the progressive agriculturalist of today. Charles Love was born in Martin county, Indiana, in 1867. and is a son of J. P. and Mahala (Smith) Love, also natives of Indiana. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs E. T. Rollins, Douglass, Kans .; L. M., Syracuse, N. Y .; A. C., St. Joseph, Mo. ; Mrs. Florence Emerson, Oregon; H. C., Scotts, Saskatchewan; Charles, the subject of this sketch; J. P., Gordon, Kans .; Mrs. Nora Thompson, Douglass, Kans .; Mrs. Amanda Elliott, deceased, and Mrs. Adeline Hinkle.
The Love family came to Butler county in 1876, and two years later the father homesteaded a claim in Walnut township, near where Gordon is now located. One of the sons, L. M. Love, came to Kansas before the other members of the family. He came to Augusta in 1874 and en- gaged in the grocery business in partnership with a Mr. Freeman, under the firm name of Freeman & Love, one of the pioneer mercan- tile firms of Augusta. The father, J. P. Love, became a successful farmer and stockman, and was prominent in the community. He was
810
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
a good citizen and was of material assistance in the development of But- ler county. He died July 5, 1893, and his widow now resides at Gordon.
Charles and J. P. Love own 360 acres of land, which are located one- half mile west of Gordon, and they also rent the Blood farm, which con- sists of 400 acres and adjoins their own property. They have operated that place in connection with their own farm for the past sixteen years. In addition to the well known value of farm property in Walnut town- ship, the recent development of oil and gas is revealing a source of wealth which at this time cannot be estimated, and the Love farm is within the undefined boundaries of this great oil and gas belt. There are now two good gas well on their place, and further tests are in op- eration.
Charles Love was united in marriage in 1892 to Miss Eldora J. Dugan, of Gordon. Kans., and the following children have been born to this union : Walter L., a graduate of the Augusta High School, class of 1915. an employee of Blood's bank at Augusta ; Ruby L., a graduate of the Augusta High School, class of 1916: Myrtle E., a student of the Douglass High School, and a member of the class of 1916, and Parkhurst L., at home with his parents. Mrs. Love's parents were Kansas pio- neers. They came to Marion county in 1870, and homesteaded near Lincolnville. In 1880 they came to Butler county and now reside in Gordon.
J. E. Hanes, a well known farmer of Walnut township, although a young man, is numbered among the pioneers of Butler county. The fact of the matter is, that Mr. Hanes was a very young pioneer when he came to this county with his parents, being only five years of age. He is a native of Tennessee, born in 1869, a son of Thomas and Mary (Pru- dence) Hanes, both natives of Macon county, Tennessee. They were the parents of five children, as follows : Mrs. Martha Long. Augusta, Kans. ; Mrs. Maggie Woods, Mulvane, Kans .: Mrs. Nora Black, Douglass, Kans .: Mrs. Kelly Black. deceased; J. E., the subject of this sketch. The father died in 1900, and the mother departed this life in 1899.
The Hanes family came to this county in 1874, and the father pur- chased eighty acres of land in the Walnut valley, Walnut township, for which he paid $1.300. At that time there were no railroads in this sec- tion and most of his supplies had to be hauled from Wichita, a distance of twenty-four miles, although they did considerable trading at Augus- ta, which was a small settlement at that time. The father engaged in farming and stock raising, meeting with a reasonable degree of success. He was a good reliable citizen and a man who by his straight-forward manner and honest methods, won the respect and confidence of his neighbors and those with whom he had business relations.
J. E. Hanes, the subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood on the home farm, and educated in the public schools. He was among the first to attend the first school established in that locality. The district where he attended school was known as Floral School District, No. 120.
8II
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
However, he attended school before the school house was built in that district when school was held at the old Baum residence, and taught by Hattie Tremak.
Mr. Hanes recalls, among the pioneers who were here in 1874, Clark Haskins, Daniel Baum, J. K. P. Carr and George Lang, who formerly owned the Hanes farm; W. H. H. Adams, Erastus Cease and Robert Ralston. J. E. Hanes owns the old homestead, where he carries on farm- ing and stock raising. The value of the Hanes homestead cannot be estimated at this time, as it is in the rich oil and gas belt of the Augusta field, and it is for future operations to divulge the hidden underground wealth of almost every foot of the section where the Hanes property is located. However, there has already been brought in one gas well on this property, the daily production of which is one and one-half million feet.
Ray Hammond, one of the progressive younger farmers of Butler county, who is making a record in the agricultural world, is a native son of Butler county. He was born in Towanda township in 1886, and is a son of Isaac and Rebecca Hammond, who were pioneer settlers of Towanda township. The family located four miles southeast of Towanda upon coming to this county. The father was a successful farmer and a good citizen. He died in Augusta in 1909, and his wife now resides in that town. They were the parents of the following children : Walter, deceased ; Harry, Towanda, Kans. ; Mrs. Jennie Val- entine. Greeley. Colo .; Sidney, lives in Augusta township: Isaac, also lives in Augusta township; Gladys, deceased, and Ray, the subject of this sketch.
Ray Hammond was reared on the home farm in Towanda township. and after receiving a good education in the public schools, engaged in farming, operating the home place for three years. He then began farming the Shumway place, one mile south of Towanda. He is exten- sively engaged in general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of Herefords, and he has a fine herd. Ile owns 400 acres of valuable land. 160 acres of which is a part of his father's old homestead.
Mr. Hammond was married in 1907 to Miss Nora B. Shumway, a daughter of Andrew J. and Johanna Shumway, natives of Ohio, and early settlers in Towanda township, and who are now deceased. The father died in 1908 and he mother passed away in 1913.
Mr. Hammond is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Towanda, Kans., and is one of the enterprising and successful farmers of Towanda township. He is inclined to keep fully up-to-date in the application of all approved modern methods in farming, but is not a faddist.
M. A. Wait, a member of the board of commissioners of Butler county, is a native of Livingston county, Illinois. He was born in 1856, and is a son of W. C. and Hannah E. (Putman) Wait, natives of New York. The father died at Whitewater, Kans., in 1913 and the mother died in 1879. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Mrs.
812
HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY
Ida 'L. Stearn, Towanda ; M. A., the subject of this sketch ; Ella E., died in 1884 on the old homestead; Mrs. Florence A. Pace, Whitewater, Kans., and Mrs. Maggie Cozad, who resides on the old Wait homestead.
M. A. Wait attended the public schools of Illinois in early boyhood and later attended the schools of Nevada, Mo., where the family had removed. In 1871 the Wait family came to Kansas, settling in Towanda township, about one and one-half miles west of town, where the father bought a homestead right of a quarter section of land from J. W. Tucker. The place was unimproved, with the exception of a small shack, 12x16 feet, of native lumber, which the Wait family occupied as their home on the prairie during their first year in Butler county. The old build- ing is still standing, but has long since ceased to serve the purpose of a residence. The elder Wait lived on this homestead for thirty-six years, and was a successful farmer and stock raiser. During the last few years of his life he lived retired at Towanda.
M. A. Wait is one of the successful farmers and stockmen of Butler county, and is quite an extensive feeder and has met with marked suc- cess in this branch of the cattle industry. His farm, consisting of 300 acres of well improved land, is located in Towanda township. and is one of the model farms of that section. Mr. Wait has taken a keen in- terest in political affairs since reaching his majority, and has served three terms as trustee of Towanda township, and in 1912 was elected county commissioner of the third district, which comprises twelve townships, for a term of four years, and is now serving in that capacity. Public affairs have always received from Mr. Wait the same careful at- tention and efficient management that he has devoted to his private business, and during his term as county commissioner his straightfor- ward and business-like method of handling the business of the county has met with the uniform approval of his constituents.
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.