USA > Kansas > Butler County > History of Butler County Kansas > Part 92
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After the war, Mr. Smith engaged in farming in Armstrong county within three miles of his first place. He remained there until 1878 when he came to Butler county, Kansas, where his brother, J. E., had located in 1871, and had taken up a homestead. Here he settled on sec- tion 23. Plum Grove township, and later bought a half section of land which he still owns. He paid $8 per acre for this farm, which, at a con- servative estimate, is now worth $75 per acre. Mr. Smith has followed
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stock raising quite extensively, and has been successful in raising cattle and hogs. He has been quite an extensive feeder, which has proven very profitable. He began in Butler county with very little capital, and is now one of the well-to-do men of the community.
On March 16, 1865, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Susanna Wise, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Jacob and Katherine (Holden) Wise, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Holland de- scent .. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the following children have been born : Cora, married S. A. Markee, Plum Grove township; Clara, married R. M. Poe, Potwin, Kans .; J. E., Potwin, Kans .; Minnie, married R. L. Fowler, Marion county, Kansas; Edward, El Dorado, Kans., and Homer, Potwin, Kans.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and is commander of Potwin Post No. 377. He is a member of the Evangeli- cal Church at Potwin. Although he has never taken an active part in politics, he has supported the policies and principles of the Democratic party, and has served as township trustee three terms, and has been a member of the Potwin council, two years. Mrs. Smith died August II, 1914. Mr. Smith is now living retired, and is one of Butler county's most substantial citizens.
Benjamin T. Freeman, a prominent farmer and stockman of Lin- coln township, is a Kentuckian. He was born in Robertson county, Kentucky, May 9, 1859, a son of Benjamin and Miranda (Williams) Freeman, natives of Virginia, the former of English and the latter of Scotch descent. When Benjamin T., the subject of this sketch, was a baby, his parents removed from Kentucky to Illinois, settling about fif- teen miles north of Springfield, where the father died in 1860. The mother then returned to Kentucky with Benjamin T., who was her only child. She spent the remainder of her life in Kentucky and died at Bracken.
When he was seventeen years of age, Benjamin T. Freeman went to Missouri, locating at Kansas City, where he spent six years, most of which time he was employed by farmers in Jackson county, Missouri. in the vicinity of Kansas City. He had saved some of his earnings by economy and good management, and in 1883 came to Butler county. He came with W. H. Irwin, whose daughter he later married. They drove through from Kansas City to Butler county, and when they were passing through the Flint Hills, Mr. Freeman remarked that that was the poorest country he had ever seen, and when they reached the Wal- nut Valley, Mr. Irwin asked him how he liked that country, and he said that looked better. They came to El Dorado where they purchased some supplies, and then went to Mr. Irwin's place, which he had pur- chased the previous year, on the West Branch of the Walnut. Mr. Freeman worked for Mr. Irwin for two years and in 1886, he was united in marriage with Miss Ida E. Irwin, daughter of W. H. and Catherine (Yost) Irwin, natives of Kentucky.
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After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman rented a farm, and lat- er bought a half section of land in section 23. Lincoln township, to which he has added another quarter, and now owns 480 acres which is one of the best farms in Lincoln township. Mr. Freeman has been of- fered $100 an acre for part of his land. He raises hogs, cattle, alfalfa, . and grain, and has made it a rule never to sell any grain or feed from his place, as he finds it more profitable to feed cattle and hogs and rely solely upon that source of income, which he has found to be very satis- factory.
To Mr. and Mrs. Freeman have been born the following children : Miranda C., resides at home ; Bonnie E., resides at home; Nellie N., married Irvin Harrison, Keokuk, Iowa ; Annie L., married John Cherry- holmes, of Butler county; Frances, attending school at Hutchinson ; Edna, a Butler county teacher ; Sarah, attending school at El Dorado ; Grace, attending school at El Dorado; Lila, Albert and Alice, residing at home. Mr. Freeman is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at El Dorado, and is a Democrat.
Alex Hewitt, a prosperous farmer and stockman of Fairmount township, is a Civil war veteran and a Kansas pioneer, who first came to this State with his parents sixty-three years ago. Mr. Hewitt was born in Erie county, Pa., near the Ohio State line December 18, 1840. and is a son of Chauncey Commodor and Melissa (Herring) Hewitt, natives of Pennsylvania. Chauncey Commodor Hewitt was a son of Walter Hewitt, a native of New York, and of English and Scotch de- scent. In 1849, Chauncey Commodor Hewitt, with his family, migrated from Pennsylvania to St. Joseph, Mo. The father was a carpenter and millwright, and worked at his trade in that locality until 1853. when he removed to Jefferson county, Kansas, and filed on a claim of Govern- ment land. They were among the very first settlers of that section of the State. The father died in 1855, and the mother and children re- mained on the claim until they proved up and received the deed. In 1859 they removed to Doniphan county, Kansas, where the mother died in 1864.
Shortly after the family left Jefferson county, Alex went to Iowa, where he was engaged as a farm hand until August 12, 1862, when he enlisted in Company I, Fortieth regiment, Iowa infantry, at Springfield, Iowa. He joined his regiment at Davenport and immediately pro- ceeded to Columbus, Ky. After remaining there four months. they went to Paducah, and on January 15. 1863, were ordered south under Grant, in the vicinity of Vicksburg, serving in General Steele's brigade. They were then sent to oppose Johnson and to the relief of General Pemberton, and after that, returned to Vicksburg. After the campaign against Johnson, Mr. Hewitt was one of a detail sent to take a number of his company, who had suffered sunstroke, to a Northern hospital. After that he rejoined his regiment at Little Rock, Ark., and partici- pated in the Red River campaign under General Steele, where he took
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part in the battle of Jenkin's Ferry, which was a hard fought engage- ment, lasting from daylight until 3 p. m., when the Union army was victorious, and his regiment returned to Little Rock, Ark., which was the base of operations.
During his military service Mr. Hewitt had many narrow escapes incident to the life of a soldier. On one occasion while he was one of a detail of twenty men who were acting as guard on a transport, loaded with provisions on the Arkansas river, en route from Little Rock to Fort Gibson, the boat was attacked by a battery of Confederate artil- lery. They succeeded in landing their boat on the opposite shore of the river and then took to the tall timber and escaped. During this affair Mr. Hewitt's head was grazed by a bullet which singed the hair on the right side. After the close of the war he was mustered out of service at Ft. Gibson, August 2. 1865.
After receiving his discharge from the army, Mr. Hewitt returned to Doniphan county, Kansas, where he remained until 1866, when he went to Iowa and taught school during the winter of 1866 and 1867. He then engaged in railroad contracting and was meeting with financial success until he was injured in an accident, after which he was unable to superintend his work, which he was compelled to entrust to others. He met with considerable financial loss. losing about $3.000, which was quite an amount to him at that time. He then followed farming in Iowa until 1869, and in 1871, came to Butler county, Kansas, filing on a claim in section 32, Fairmount township, which he still owns. When he came here, his capital was limited. He had a team and wagon and about $75 in cash. He was very much impressed with the rich soil of Fairmount township as evinced by the luxurious growth of the tall bluestem, and he was not mistaken in his judgment. He built a small cabin, JOX12 feet, which was his first home in Butler county, and pro- ceeded to improve his land. He prospered and bought more land, and now owns 240 acres of some of the best land in Butler county, and is a prosperous farmer and stock raiser, and one of the substantial business men of Butler county. He has three residence properties in White- water besides several city lots, having platted an addition to White- water in 1914. He is also a stockholder in the People's State Bank of Whitewater.
Mr. Hewitt was married June 1, 1871, to Miss Martha Merryfield, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph Merryfield of that State. Mr. Hewitt is a Democrat and a member of the Masonic lodge, and the Grand Army of the Republic.
Charles A. Hufford is a Butler county pioneer and a prominent farmer and stockman of Union township. Mr. Hufford was born in Harrison county. Virginia, (now West Virginia) in July 1859, and is a son of Hiram and Mary Hufford, natives of Pennsylvania. He was one of a family of four children. as follows: Charles A., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Ella Ensley, Augusta, Kans .; Hugh, Grand Junction.
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Colo .; Mrs. Maude Burns, El Reno, Okla. The Hufford family came to Butler county, Kansas, in the fall of 1876, and settled on a claim in Clay township. Their first home there was a dugout, which was a com- mon type of habitation on the claims in the early days. Augusta was their trading town and after coming here the father began farming in a small way, and after passing the first few years of adversity, became a well-to-do farmer and stockman. He died May 12, 1915, and his widow now resides in Oklahoma.
Charles A. Hufford is a successful farmer and stockman and has made Butler county his home since coming here with his parents in 1876. Mr. Hufford was married in 1881, to Miss Ada Shervinton, a daughter of William and Emma Shervinton, natives of Canada, and of English descent. Mrs. Hufford is one of the following children, born to her parents : Mrs. Anna Spring, Ventura, Cal. : Ada, wife of Charles A. Hufford, the subject of this sketch; Watson, resides in Oklahoma; Robert. Salina, Kans .; Mrs. Lena Bailey, resides in Oklahoma; Mrs. Cora Blankenbaker, Latham, Kans .; Felix, resides in Idaho; Mrs. Ella Mannering, Elkville, Ill .; and Nola, Atlanta, Kans.
The Shervinton family came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1876, and were among the early settlers of Clay township, Butler county, where the father homesteaded 160 acres of land. He was an industrious and thrifty man and made a good home for his family in the new country, and became a well-to-do farmer and stockman. He died in October, 1912, and his widow now resides on the old homestead. Mr. Shervin- ton was something of a successful hunter in the early days and killed a great many deer and antelope, and hundreds of prairie chickens and other small game. Mr. and Mrs. Hufford have seen a great many bands of Indians, who frequently strolled over the plains in early days.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hufford have been born the following children : Walter, Latham, Kans .: Harry, Latham, Kans .; Loren, Clearwater, Kans .; Grace, Glenn, and Roy, all residing at home. The Hufford fam- ily is well and favorably known and Mr. Hufford is one of the progres- sive and substantial citizens of Union township.
J. J. Griffith, a prominent farmer and stockman of Rosalia township, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born in 1847, and is a son of Ben- jamin and Margaret (Haird) Griffith, natives of Pennsylvania. The Griffith family came to Kansas in 1874, and located on a farm in Rosalia township, where the parents both spent the remainder of their lives. J. J. Griffith has made farming and stock raising his life's occupation and has met with very satisfactory success and is one of the substantial men of Rosalia township.
Mr. Griffith was united in marriage in 1868 to Miss Mary E. Gray, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Michael Gray. To Mr. and Mrs. Griffith have been born the following children: William J., El Dorado, Kans. : Samuel M., El Dorado, Kans .: Mrs. Bertha V. Boucher. El Dorado, Kans .; Mrs. Alice Hart, El Dorado, Kans .; Mrs. Maggie
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Reed, Whitewater, Kans .; Rev., B. F., Winfield, Kans .; Mrs. May Burris, Keighley, Kans .; Mrs. Eva Nace, Emporia, Kans .; Mrs. Jessie L. Cannon, Rosalia, Kans., and Glen, Emporia, Kans.
Mr. Griffith is a man who has a deep comprehension of justice and always aims to stand for the right. His influence over his fellow men has been of a helpful and inspiring kind. He has given expression to the best that ivas in him, and in his happy and jovial way, he has al- ways helped to make others happy and showed them the bright side of life. In the early days when there was much suffering and many hard- ships to be endured, he always kept up the same cheerful mood and looked forward to better days, which finally came. Mrs. Griffith was one of the pioneer women who patiently and courageously bore her part in laying the foundation for the future of Butler county and the great West. She is an ideal mother, who sought to instill into the hearts of her children the principles of the Christian religion, and she has no doubt succeeded in a full measure. Her children have all grown up to be worthy Christian men and women. One son, B. F., is a Methodist minister, and Glen is preparing himself with a view of being a gospel singer. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are justly proud of their large family of boys and girls.
Henry Sensenbaugh of Hickory township is a pioneer stockman of Butler county and a prominent factor in that line of industry. Mr. Sensenbaugh was born in Pennsylvania, July 23, 1849, and is a son of Paul and Sarah Sensenbaugh, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in Bedford county, September 8, 1825, and the latter born June 21, 1825. The following children of this couple are still living: Mrs. Mary E. Campbell, Morrison, Okla .; Joseph, Reno, Nev .; and Henry, the sub- ject of this sketch.
Henry Sensenbaugh's parents left their native State in 1850, when Henry was about one year old. They came down the Ohio river on a packet boat and ascended the Mississippi as far north as Rock Island, Il1., and located on a farm in Henry county, Illinois, about forty miles east of Rock Island. Here Henry was educated in the public schools and in early life "followed the river" and when he was twenty-two years of age, he became second mate on the "Lizzie Gardner," a well known Mississippi river boat in those days.
In 1873 Mr. Sensenbaugh came to Kansas and settled in Hickory township, Butler county. He located on 160 acres of land and after get- ting four ponies, one of which was a spotted one, he proceeded to break his prairie land. His outfit might have seemed more appropriate in a circus parade, but he succeeded in tilling the soil and raising a crop with them. He also used oxen in the early days and frequently drove to dances with his ox team outfit. They had to start carly and the method of transportation was slow, but the party no doubt enjoyed themselves as well as if they had gone in an automobile and surely for a longer time in going the same distance. When Mr. Sensenbaugh came to this coun-
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ty, prairie chickens, antelope, deer and wolves were plentiful. He was hunting deer one day with a Mr. Huston, and shot at a deer which he wounded, and afterwards found that it was a pet, belonging to Mr. Hus- ton. On one occasion, Mr. Sensenbaugh hired a pony at Wichita to drive to Whitewater in the night, where his father lived, and the pony gave out on the way, and Mr. Sensenbaugh was carrying considerable money and did not wish to be delayed. He found a mule picketed along the trail. Taking the mule and leaving his pony and a note, saying that he would return the mule the next morning at eight o'clock, he proceed- ed on his journey. He lived up to his written promise, and returned the mule the next morning and all was well.
Shortly after settling in this county Mr. Sensenbaugh engaged in buying hogs which usually cost him about one dollar per head. He shipped about two thousand, and he and his pardner made about $17.000 on this project. He had always raised cattle and also dealt quite ex- tensively in them and for some years has made a specialty of raising Aberdeens. He now owns 360 acres of land which is well watered and an ideal stock farm.
Mr. Sensenbaugh was married in 1888, to Miss Ester Rose Guy. She is a daughter of B. F. Guy who came from Missouri with his fam- ily to Butler county and homesteaded 160 acres of land. The father died in 1914 and the mother now resides in Leon, Kans. They were the par- ents of the following children : Melvin, Leon, Kans. ; Mrs. Cora Harper, Newkirk, Okla .; Edward, Sacramento, Cal .; Ester Rose, wife of Henry Sensenbaugh, the subject of this sketch; John, Bartlesville, Okla .; Frank, Leon, Kans .; Mrs. Daisy Carter, Greely, Col., and Fred, Keigh- lev, Kans.
The Guy family were early settlers in Butler county and Mrs. Sen- senbaugh relates many interesting incidents of pioneer days. She tells of one time when one of the old fashioned prairie fires was sweeping over the plains and the barn caught fire. Her mother, who was home alone, endeavored to get the horses out of the barn, but she was unable to get them out of the door. However, she succeeded in lead- ing them out of a hole which the animals had eaten in the side of the straw barn. It will readily be seen from this that the straw barns of the early days had their advantages, as well as other features. Mr. and Mrs. Sensenbaugh have three children, as follows: Mrs. Francis Shinn, Mrs. Elizabeth B. Montgomery and Frederick P., all of whom reside in Butler county in the vicinity of Latham.
Clarence Morgan is a native son of Butler county, born at Douglass in 1895. and is a son of A. V. and Jessie ( Baum) Morgan. The Morgan and Baum families were very early settlers in Butler county. A. V. Morgan was born in Indiana and came to Butler county, Kansas, in the early seventies. Jessie Morgan, the mother, is also a native of But- ler county. Her parents, Lucas and Sarah Baum, came to Butler coun- ty about 1870, and settled on 160 acres of land.
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A. V. Morgan was one of a family of three children, as follows: W. J., Douglass, Kans. ; Mrs. Belle Stickman, Douglass, Kans., and A. V., the father of Clarence. Jessie Baum, the mother, is one of a family of five children, the others being as follows: W. F. Baum, Augusta, Kans. ; Momford Baum, Douglass, Kans .; Mrs. Rose Berry, Winfield, Kans., and Mrs. Stella McGuire, Winfield, Kans.
Clarence Morgan, the subject of this sketch, is one of a family of five children, the others being as follows: Irwin, Ruby, Pearl and Warren. Clarence Morgan was reared on a farm in Bloomington township and was educated in the public schools, attending the Douglas High School. Mr. Morgan is an industrious young man. and every indication is that he has a brilliant future. He comes of pion- eer Butler county stock which, among other favorable indications, would indicate that he possesses the courage and definiteness of purpose to make a success of his undertakings.
Francis M. McAnnally, a prominent pioneer of Kansas, now de- ceased, was born in Franklin county, Indiana, July 6, 1841, a son of William and Nancy ( Poe) "McAnnally. The mother was a native of Kentucky and a relative of Andrew and Adam Poe, known in the his- tory of Kentucky as famous Indian fighters. They were brothers, and in a desperate encounter with a band of Wyandottes, killed chief Big Foot, of that tribe. William McAnnally was a native of Tennessee, and grew to manhood in his native State, when he went to Kentucky where he met and married Nancy Poe. Shortly after their marriage, they went to Franklin county, Indiana, where they bought land and resided there to Franklin county, Indiana, where they bought land and resided until his wife's health failed, when the moved to Hardingtown, where she died. After that, William McAnnally resided at Brookville, the county seat of Franklin county, and was prominent in that county, and at one time held the office of sheriff. He died at Brookville in 1888. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom Francis M., the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.
Francis as about three years old when the mother died, and it devolved upon him in early life to make his own way in the world. As a boy he worked at almost anything which presented itself as a means of livelihood. His early opportuinties to obtain an education were nec- essarily limited under the circumstances, and when he attained the age of sixteen years, he worked on a farm for his board and attended school. While a boy in his teens, he realized the importance of an education. and determined to attend school. In 1858, he went to Hamilton county. Ohio, to care for a sick brother and remained there about two years, during which time he attended school, and in that way obtained an av- erage education.
In October, 1860, Mr. McAnnally was married, to Miss Rachel Hannah Boyles, a native of Hamilton county, Ohio, born September 13. 1842. She was a daughter of Cyrus and Mary U. (Crail) Boyles, the for-
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mer a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Kentucky. Cyrus Boyles was born in 1801, a son of John Boyles, who was a native of Ireland, and who immigrated to this country when two years of age with his father, Michael Boyles, came to America with his family before the Revolutionary war. Michael Boyles served in the American army during the Revolutionary war. John Boyles' wife bore the name of Margaret Jane Clifford, and was a native of Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Captain Clifford who held a commission as captain in the War of 1812. When Cyrus Boyles was sixteen years of age, he removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1817, and spent his life in that State. He died January 4, 1869.
Francis McAnnally and his wife lived in Ohio after their marriage until 1867, when they drove to Johnson county, Missouri, with a team and covered wagon. They remained in that locality two years, and in 1869, came to Butler county and homesteaded a quarter section of land in what is now Fairview township. After coming here, they camped on Harrison creek for four weeks while looking for a suitable location, and then after locating on their claim they lived until December of that year in a tent. when their little cabin was completed. Their first few years in Kansas were filled with trials and privations, but they were happy in the possession of good health, and confident in the future, and finally success came. The country, at that time, was one broad stretch of unbroken prairie, and the primitive animals of the plains were plenti- ful, and Mrs. McAnnally frequently went on short hunting expeditions with her husband, and has brought young fawns home which she raised as pets. Mr. McAnnally did some freighting in the early days between Florence and El Dorado.
Mr. McAnnally always took an interest in local public affairs and was prominent in the community. In 1881, he was elected trustee of Fairmount township, and also served as constable of his township. In 1882, he went to El Dorado and for two years was engaged in the gro- cery business, when he returned to his farm in Fairmount, where he died November 14, 1902. To Mr. and Mrs. McAnnally have been born four children, as follows: Thomas J., born July 4, 1861, in Ohio, and died October 3. 1893: A. J., born August 29, 1863. and died October 5. 1863 : Lemuel Albert, born December 17, 1871, now resides in New Mexico; and Ira Francis, born October 26, 1874, lives in Oklahoma.
M. T. Tague, a well known farmer and stockman of Bloomington township, was born in Indiana in 1851, and is a son of Samuel and Annie Tague. They were the parents of the following children: Jos- eph, lives in Oregon; David, Vinton. Iowa; John M. Lawton, Okla- homa : Mrs. Sarah Veyett. Kennesaw. Neb .: Mrs. Mary Jane Griss, lives in Colorado, and M. T., the subject of this sketch.
M. T. . Tague came to Butler county in 1882 and first located in Spring township where he followed farming and stock raising. In 1896, he bought 120 acres of land in Bloomington township, which are well
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improved, with a comfortable residence and other farm buildings. Mr. Tague is one of the men who came to Kansas with very little capital, and had a hard struggle to get a start, but, by economy and industry, he has accumulated a competence, and is one of the well-to-do men of Bloomington township. He bought two cows, which were his start in the cattle business. He raised and bought calves, which he fed for a year or two and then sold them at a good profit. While he went in debt for most of the purchase price of his farm, when his notes fell due, he was always there with the money. Although it required a great ef- fort to meet his obligations at times, he always made the sacrifice, and kept his credit good.
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