USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 48
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During the school years of Floyd W. Brooks, there were few available opportunities for acquiring an education. From early boy- hood until he was 27 years of age, his life was
spent in the hard work of the farm. In 1864 he enlisted in Company D, 60th Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., at Mount Vernon, Illinois. He was in the 14th Army Corps, Army of the Tenn- essee, and went to Chattanooga, Atlanta and Savannah. At Jonesboro, Georgia, he had his right thumb shot off, and was consequently given an honorable discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, in August, 1865.
After the war, Mr. Brooks returned to Southern Illinois, and in 1869 was married to Lucinda West, a native of Kentucky. To this union were born eight children, as follows: Merritt L., a wagon-maker of Sherman City, Kansas; Lillie Ann, wife of John Smith, of Sheridan township; and Tanserd, Grace, Mary, Rhoda, Hester and Arthur, who live at home.
In the fall of 1870, Floyd W. Brooks came to Kansas, driving through the country with horses and wagon and completing the journey in five weeks. He located on the farm of 80 acres in Sheridan township, Cherokee County, where he now resides. The land, uncultivated and without buildings of any kind, held little encouragement for the newcomer, but he pro- ceeded at once to erect a log cabin, and make for himself and family a home out of the wilderness. In great contrast to that first view of the new home, stands the improved farm of to-day, whose comfortable farm buildings and well cultivated soil speak of the years of per- severance, energy and hard toil spent to good purpose by the owner. The land produces all of the various grains raised on a Western farm, and in the pasture and barns are found the usual stock,-cattle, horses, sheep and hogs. Besides being a farmer, Mr. Brooks is a car- penter by trade, and has done a great deal of that work in various parts of the county.
He takes a great interest in politics, for many years voting the Republican ticket, but later becoming a Populist. In religious faith he is a Baptist and is a consistent member of
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the church. A man of strong character, in- heriting many of the traits of his father, he has made for himself an enviable place in the community, his acquaintance extending over the entire county, where he is held in the highest esteem.
ILLIAM PERKINS, a prosperous farmer and representative citizen of Shawnee township, owns a well improved farm in section 7, town- ship 33, range 25. He was born in Daviess County, Indiana, February 9, 1866, and is a son of Elisha and Zerelda (Gates) Perkins.
The Perkins family is of English stock. The great-grandfather, Elisha Perkins, came from England in Colonial days and settled in Virginia, where his son, Elisha Perkins, was born. The latter moved to Ohio, thence to Kentucky, and located in Daviess County, In- diana, in 1815, before the admission of Indiana to statehood.
The third Elisha Perkins, the father of William, was born in Daviess County, Indiana, April 21, 1832, and until his marriage culti- vated the homestead farm. Then he purchased a farm of 80 acres, and by a second purchase added 80 acres more. This farm continued to be his home until 1873, when he sold out and came to Cherokee County, Kansas, settling on a farm located two and a half miles north of Hallowell. He remained on this farm until 1876, and then moved to a point six miles west of Columbus, where he resided until 1882. Then he moved to Columbus, and lived retired until his death, on December 19. 1900.
Early in the Civil War, Mr. Perkins offered his services to his State, as captain of a com- pany of Home Guards. Subsequently, when he was convinced that the struggle would be a prolonged one, he enlisted in Company E, 27th Reg., Indiana Vol. Inf. At the battle of An-
tictam he was seriously wounded in the head, the injury removing a part of his jaw-bone. Mr. Perkins never fully recovered from this wound. He was well and widely known, and was so noted for his generous hospitality that his home became "Hoosier's Headquarters," a name given it by those who found a welcome to his table, which sometimes accommodated as many as 30 passing guests, who received "God speed" as they went their several ways. For nine years he was weighmaster at Colum- bus, and was probably as successful as any far- mer in his day in Cherokee County. Prior to the attack on Fort Sumter. Mr. Perkins was a Democrat in his political convictions, but that act made him the stanchest of stanch Republi- cans until the time of his decease. He was a man of intelligence, enterprise and public spirit, and the interest he took in educational matters was shown by his 10 consecutive years of serv- ice on the School Board. Fraternally, he was a Mason.
Elisha Perkins married Zerelda Gates. a daughter of James Gates, of Clark County, In- diana. They had a family of 14 children, the IO members who grew to maturity being as follows : Orlena, deceased, who was the wife of J. H. Kline ; Hattie, wife of J. H. Perkins, of Columbus; Mark, of Pittsburg, Kansas ; Ellen, manager of the Columbus House, at Columbus ; Rachel, wife of W. B. Henderson, of Columbus; Mary, widow of Oliver Waters, of Columbus; William : Minnie, of Columbus ; Louisa, wife of David Truxal, of Joplin, Mis- souri ; and Sally, of Columbus. The family were reared in the Christian Church.
The subject of this sketch attended the schools of Columbus, and afterwards, the State Normal School. At the age of 16 years he entered upon railroad work, becoming agent for, the "Frisco" system at Crestline. He was employed in this connection from October 3. 1893, until February 26, 1900, when he re-
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signed in order to engage in farming. His 40 acres of good land in Shawnee township are devoted mainly to truck farming, a ready mar- ket being found at Columbus. He has been continuously engaged here, with the exception of the interval between July 1, 1901, and Feb- ruary 7, 1903, when he was again in the em- ploy of the "Frisco" system, at Pittsburg, Kansas.
On August 20, 1890, Mr. Perkins was mar- ried to Minnie A. Varnum, who is a daughter of Albert Varnum, of Crestline, and they have had three children : William, deceased; Elisha Lee and Darrell. The family belong to the Christian Church.
Politically, Mr. Perkins is a Republican, but is not an office seeker. His fraternal asso- ciations include the Modern Woodmen of America, at Crestline, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at the same place, and in this organization he has passed all the chairs, and has served as a delegate to the Grand Lodge. Mr. Perkins is a man with many friends, for he possesses those sterling qualities which command respect and win esteem.
ONATHAN BRADLEY MERE- DITH, one of the prominent citizens of Shawnee township, who has been identified with the mining interests of this section for the past seven years, and who is one of the owners, as well as the super- intendent, of the Badger Mining & Milling Company, was born at Paris, Wisconsin, Feb- ruary 2, 1854. He is a son of Evan and Janette Ann (Bradley) Meredith.
The Meredith family is of Welsh extrac- tion. Rev. Evan Meredith was born on the family estate in Wales, was educated in his na- tive land, and before coming to America, at the age of 27 years, was an ordained minister
of the Baptist Church. He located in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where he took up land and was one of the pioneer ministers of his de- nomination. In Wisconsin he married Janette Ann Bradley, who was a descendant of one of the early settlers of Madison County, New York. They had two sons, viz: Evan B. and Jonathan B. The former, Rev. Evan B. Mere- dith, D. D., is a graduate of the Beaver Dam university, and of the Theological School of the University of Chicago. After ordination, he took charge of the First Baptist Church of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and subsequently became president of the Sioux Falls University, a position he filled for 10 years. In 1894, he became State missionary for Kansas, locating first at Topeka, but removing later to Kansas City, Kansas. He also is largely interested in the Badger mines of Shawnee township.
Jonathan B. Meredith had the advantages accruing from gentle birth, and a refined home atmosphere. His early education was pursued under his father's watchful eye, and was com- pleted at Wayland University, at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, an institution of note at that time. He became a teacher, and for a number of years followed that profession in Wisconsin. The years 1878 and 1879 were passed in Cali- fornia, where he was interested in the placer gold mines in the Dutch Flat district. In 1888, Mr. Meredith located at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he was engaged in the real estate business for about six years, and then resumed his educational work. He accepted the chair of history, science and mathematics, in the Sioux Falls University, which he re- tained until 1898, when he retired from pro- fessional life, and removed to Kansas City.
In the following year Mr. Meredith came- to Shawnee township, Cherokee County, and: took charge of the Badger mines. These mines- have been operated for the past seven years, and are considered by experts the best in this
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mining district. When Mr. Meredith and his associates organized the Badger Mining & Mill- ing Company, no mining had been done within four miles of their point of operation, and that the second drill hole struck a vein which, it is computed, will not be exhausted for half a century, speaks well for the judgment of those who invested in this property. The Badger Mining & Milling Company have a lease on more than 1,000 acres of land, including five farms, all situated in Shawnee township. The Badger and Red Rose mines have, each, a capacity of about 150 tons a day, per shift. The latter mine is operated by another com- pany, under the Badger Mining & Milling Com- pany's lease. The former company is work- ing on a 155-foot level, and running a pair of 10-inch Cross Neosho pumps, capable of pump- ing 1,200 gallons per minute.
Mr. Meredith is one of the few men who have attained success in several channels widely apart, proving very conclusively the value of trained faculties and a control of the intellect- ual powers, whether these be brought into play in professional or industrial life. When Mr. Meredith came to manage his large in- terests in Shawnee township, he was fully equipped to direct the work of others, and the progress made here has shown him to be the possessor, not only of business ability, but of a degree of tact and judgment which have brought about the most cordial feelings be- tween himself and his many subordinates.
In 1890 Mr. Meredith was married to Harriet H. Halteman, who is a daughter of Rev. D. E. Halteman, D. D., of Delavan, Wis- consin. The late Dr. Halteman was born at Germantown, Pennsylvania, and was four years old when taken to Ohio, by his parents. He took his academical degrees at Granville, Ohio, and received his thicological training at the theological seminary at Rochester, New York. At the time of his decease, in December, 1895,
he was ably filling the position of general missionary of the Baptist Church, for the State of Wisconsin. Mrs. Meredith is a lady of many accomplishments, and formerly was a teacher of mathematics, German, and vocal music. Mr. and Mrs. Meredith have two chil- dren, viz: Wayland H. and Gertrude Mary. Their beautiful home is one of great hospitality, one which abounds in the refining influences of life, where simple. unaffected manners make social intercourse a matter of enjoyment.
Mr. Meredith has been strenuous in his ef- forts to keep liquor and undesirable characters out of the company's mining camps, with the result that he has in his employ an unusually intelligent and law abiding class of men, who will compare favorably with those engaged in any other mechanical pursuit.
A NDREW HERMAN. a prominent agriculturist and pioneer citizen of Cherokee County, is pleasantly lo- cated on a fine farm of 230 acres in section 21, township 31, range 25, in Pleasant View township, where he has resided for the past 35 years. He was born in Germany in 1825, and is a son of George and Katherine (Schletere) Herman.
George and Katherine (Schletere) Herman were natives of Germany where they spent their lives, the father dying at the age of 65 years, and the mother, aged 70 years. George Her- man was a hand weaver by trade, and carried on that business long before machinery came into general use.
During the Revolution of 1849, so-called, Andrew Herman was a soldier in the Hun- garian Army. The year following he embarked for America with his brothers and sisters (eight in all). he being the eldest of the family. They settled in Tennessee, where Andrew was en-
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gaged in farming for a few years, and where several of the family contracted the yellow fever, from which they died. Mr. Herman is the only surviving member of the group. Dur- ing the troubles leading up to the Civil War he was a sympathizer with the South, and it was about this time that he thought to better his fortune by going to Arkansas, but, after a year's residence in that State, he found it was not the location he desired, and in 1857 he moved to Kansas. Soon afterward he went to Kansas City, where he carried on market gardening for six years, meeting with such suc- cess that had he kept the property until the present time, he would now be a multi-million- aire. As he did not then realize this fact, he disposed of it in 1863. and engaged in farm- ing in Andrew County, Missouri, near St. Joseph. He remained there until 1869, when he came to Cherokee County, Kansas, and set- tled on his present farm of 230 acres in Pleasant View township. At that time there were no roads laid out, and but four or five white men had the hardihood to settle, with their families, in the township. The prop- erty owned by Mr. Herman still consists of a large acreage of timber-land, but the portion under cultivation has yielded him abundant re- turns for the labor bestowed upon it.
In 1853. Andrew Herman was united in marriage to Elizabeth Vincent, a native of Germany. Six children have been born to them, namely : Minnie. wife of William C. Stirele, of Memphis, Tennessee, who has three chil- dren,-Sophia, Charles, and Willie ; Ella, wife of E. P. Douthitt, of Oklahoma, who has five children,-Cecil, Herman, Minnie and Bertha (twins) and John; Andrew; Louise, wife of J. B. Houk, of Pleasant View township, who has one child,-Howard; Amanda, wife of James Ross, of the same township, who has five children,-Isaac, Lizzie, Fern, Mildred and an infant; and Edward, also of Pleasant
View township, who married Rosa Bird, and has four children,-David, Lawrence, Alfred and Andrew. Mrs. Herman died in August, 1903.
Mr. Herman has been quite successful in business, and besides has won the esteem and friendship of all his acquaintances,-a circle that is growing larger year by year. He is a Democrat in politics, and has served as school director and township trustee for several years ; he has also been a most efficient justice of the peace.
ILLIAM HOFFMIRE, of Colum- bus, sales agent for the Laflin- Rand Powder Company, is a popu- lar and well known citizen of Cher- okee County, which has been his home since 1888. He was born in New York City April 13, 1828, of English, Scotch and Dutch an- cestry. The family is an old one in New York. His great-grandfather took part in the War of the Revolution, and his father served in the War of 1812, entering the army at the age of 16 years. His kindred on the maternal side still reside at Middletown, New Jersey. His great-grandfather. Edward B. McCullum, was a prisoner for nearly a year while the British held New York. His wife, Hannah Jones, who was of Welsh descent, lived to be III years old, lacking 15 days. All of her nine children lived to be upwards of 90 years old, except one, who died at the age of 89 years. All four of the great-grandfathers of William Hoffmire served in the Revolutionary War. They were,-Col. William Hoffmire, Col. Moses Dusenbury, Maj. W. B. Eagles, and private Edward B. McCullum.
Mr. Hoffmire was reared in the city of New York and lived there until he was 21 years of age. In 1849 he joined the great exodus to California, where he was engaged in mining
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and also worked at his trade of coppersmith, a craft he had learned from his uncle. He put up the first whiskey still on the American River, in California, and introduced there many East- ern ideas. Altogether, he spent about 16 years in that State, interrupted by three visits to New York. He made the trip around the "Horn,' and visited the Sandwich Islands, with little thought at that time that they would ever become a part of his native land. For the past 17 years, he has been in the employ of the Laflin-Rand Powder Company, acting as su- perintendent during the erection of the plant in 1888-89, and now occupying the position of sales agent.
This plant, which is situated four miles north of Columbus, is the only one of its kind in this part of the country. It was commenced in 1888, and completed in the following year. The works cover about 550 acres and cost, ap- proximately, $250,000. They turn out blast- ing powder, and their capacity is about 1.500 25-pound kegs per day ; 75 men are employed. The product finds its main demand in the imme- diate vicinity. The plant is operated now as the Walter G. Clark Company, its manager being Walter G. Clark, who has his headquar- ters at Kansas City, Missouri.
The powder produced by this establishment is the best that can be manufactured, and at a recent exhibition of powder the article manu- factured here was awarded the first premium,- a valuable testimonial to this Kansas product. The mine operators in this locality prefer this powder to any other, and under the new secret patent process the plant is able to compete with the world in the manufacture of blasting pow- der. Not only is it cheaper, but it is accredited with better results. Naturally a special effort is made to please the miners, and no more ad- mirably adapted agent to exploit its merits could have been found than Mr. Hoffmire, who is an agreeable gentleman under all circum-
stances. Much of the great success of these works must be attributed to his efficient man- agement, and his knowledge of how to deal with men and affairs.
In 1855, Mr. Hoffmire married, in New York, Mary A. Long, a native of London, Eng- land, who died in 1874, leaving four children, there of whom were born in California. One daughter, Florence E., formerly a resident of Cherokee County, died in 1902 in New York. The others are,-Mary A., who is the wife of P. L. Langworthy; Jennie Irene, who is the wife of Hubert G. Taylor; and William L., who is an official of the Hamilton Trust Com- pany, of Brooklyn, New York. P. L. Lang- worthy is president of the Deep Vein Coal Company, with headquarters at Weir City, Kansas. Mr. Hoffinire's other son-in-law, Hubert G. Taylor, is president of the Kings county (New York) Savings Institution, and also, of the Taylor & Fox Realty Company, of New York; he was formerly treasurer of Kings County, and at one time a member of the New York Legislature.
Mr. Hoffmire's second marriage, July 9, 1877, was to Oella P. Langworthy, who was one of the first white children born at Dubuque, Iowa, and a daughter of Dr. Stephen Lang- worthy, who located at Dubuque in 1834, a few years after his sons settled there. For a time. Dr. Langworthy occupied a position in the gov- ernment Land Office, during the administra- tion of President Van Buren. Dr. Langworthy was twice married and by his first marriage had four sons,-James L., Lucius, Edward and Solon. James L. and Lucius moved to Du- buque, Iowa, in 1828, when it was but an In- dian trading post, and it was Lucius Lang- worthy who gave the name "Iowa" to the Ter- ritory. James L. Langworthy was a captain in the Black Hawk War. The Langworthys owned much real estate in and about Dubuque, and were engaged in extensive mining opera-
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tions, and later in banking in Dubuque. Dr. Langworthy served in the War of 1812.
Dr. Langworthy's second wife, who was the mother of Mrs. Hoffmire, was the second white woman to cross the Mississippi at Du- buque,-the crossing being effected in a row- boat. Mrs. Hoffmire had three brothers,- Stephen C., William A. and Cyrus. The first two went to Nebraska in 1876, and located, re- spectively, at Seward and Osceola, where they engaged in banking. Cyrus followed his broth- ers in 1877, and established a bank at York, Nebraska, and all became successful business men. All died within three days, in March, I904.
Mr. Hoffmire has been a lifelong Democrat, belonging to a family noted for their Jefferso- nian principles. His great-uncle, Daniel D. Tompkins, was a noted politician of New York for many years. Fraternally, Mr. Hoffmire is a Mason. His portrait accompanies this sketch.
ILLIAM C. PENDER, a pioneer settler, prominent citizen and suc- cessful farmer of Lola township, who owns a farm of 320 acres in section 2, township 33, range 22, and section 35, township 32, range 22, was born at Ottawa, Canada, November 28, 1827, and is a son of Thomas and Isabel (Cavanah) Pender.
Thomas Pender was born in Ireland. He migrated to Canada at the age of 20 years, and located at what is now the city of Ottawa, where he followed the trade of stone-mason. In 1830 he removed to Watertown, New York, where he resided some years. His death was occasioned by robbers, at Detroit, who stole his money, took his life and endeavored to con- ceal their crime by burying his body in the De- troit River. His wife was Isabel Cavanah, who was born in Liverpool, England, and ac- companied her parents to Canada when 12
years old. She survived until the year 1900, lacking but 10 years of rounding out a century. The children of this family were: William C .. the only survivor; Mrs. Catherine Wandless ; James ; Thomas ; Mrs. Mary Webster, of Los Angeles, California; and Mrs. Margaret Hills.
William C. Pender was three years old when his parents moved to New York, and he lived in and near Watertown until he was 16 years of age. He then started out to make his own way in the world, crossing Lake Erie to Buffalo and Detroit, and spent 20 years at Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan. He worked 12 years at blacksmithing, and then went into railroad work on the Michigan Central Rail- road between Detroit and Chicago, being for two years a baggageman, and for eight years a passenger conductor. Mr. Pender then decided to try farming and bought 220 acres in Musca- tine County, Iowa. He hired two assistants, who probably understood no more about the science of farming than he did, and this ven- ture proved unsuccessful. Before again enter- ing into agriculture, Mr. Pender made it a subject of study, which resulted in an entire change of view, and when he located on his present farm in Cherokee County, in 1866, he knew something about soils, crop rotation, fer- tilizing and drainage,-enough to enable him to cope very successfully with the hard condi- tions which presented themselves to Kansas pioneers.
Mr. Pender received a "treaty right" for the tract of 320 acres that comprises his pres- ent farm, half being located in Lola township and half in Sheridan township. As the land had not then been surveyed by the government, he did little improving for three years, but then took more interest, and broke the prairie farm with his ox-teams, which he had brought from Iowa. Quite a little settlement was started at this point, as several neighbors had accompanied him, having II teams in all. It
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took six weeks for the party to make the jour- ney, and many grew homesick for the culti- vated farms and civilized surroundings they had left behind, but none turned back. Mr. Pender built his first cabin of logs, 16 by 16 feet, in dimensions, which, as his family in- creased, was replaced by another still larger, and again, by another ; but the first cabin was the family home for 12 years.
With rural free delivery of mail almost at his door, it seems a long way back when he had to travel 60 miles to Fort Scott, to reach a post office and obtain the letters so inexpressibly welcome, and the newspapers which told of the doings of the country then recuperating from the effects of the Civil War. When Mr. Pen- der or his neighbors had a load of corn to sell, they consumed 10 days in taking it 25 miles to Joplin and returning home. All food stuffs were very high during those days, and, al- though Mr. Pender came to Kansas with a cap- ital of $5,000, after living expenses were paid and his land entered, he had little left until his farm became remunerative. As soon as possi- ble he started to make a fine orchard, and set out 600 apple trees, which, in 30 years, have abundantly yielded the fine fruit for which Kansas is noted. In addition to its fertility. Mr. Pender's farm has developed a mineral value, a two-foot vein of coal having been discovered.
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