USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 60
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who is in the lumber business near Blytheville, Arkansas; Hazel A., deceased at the age of three years; and Clyde C., a former student at the Manhattan Agricultural College, now pre- paring for the teaching profession at the State Normal School, who has just reached his ma- jority.
Previous to his locating in Kansas, Mr. Davidson had made two trips to the State. In 1859 he followed the old Santa Fe trail as far west as the famous point known as Pawnee Rock. He crossed the Neosho River at what is now Council Grove, and while visiting there in later years was able to locate the ford by certain landmarks. Again, in 1869, he was in Cherokee and Labette counties, and visited for a period in Oswego. These trips so impressed him that in 1877 he decided to make this sec- tion his home. He purchased of a Mr. Brooks a farm in Sheridan township, three miles north of Hallowell. This he cultivated until 1891, when he made a trade for the farm of A. D. Watts in Ross township, consisting of 320 acres, which he sold prior to his removal to his present home. In his different farming ventures Mr. Davidson has always succeeded where others failed, as he is a most observant student of agriculture in its various scientific phases.
Fraternally, Mr. Davidson has been a life- lond Mason, having been initiated at Mount Auburn, Illinois, in Kedron Lodge, No. 340. He was also one of the organizers of the A. H. T. A. He was formerly a member of the Baptist Church.
Three score years and ten finds Mr. David- son in the enjoyment of good health, the es- teem of friends and neighbors, and the love of his children. The life he has lived has not been spectacular, but it has been that of a good, honest, loyal citizen, whose greatest satisfaction is in the high regard in which he is held throughout the county.
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EORGE BURTON, a prominent citi- zen of Cherokee County, has been for the past 24 years a resident of Hallowell. He is a member of the board of managers of the Kansas State Sol- diers' Home, and is identified with public offices and private business enterprises. He was born in Jasper County, Illinois, October 1, 1841, and is a son of Alfred and Hettie (Burch) Burton.
Alfred Burton was born in Greene County, North Carolina, in ISII, and was 10 years old when he accompanied his parents to Indiana, and went with them, in 1839, to Illinois. There he entered land in Jasper County, and died, aged 56 years. In early life a Democrat, he later became a Republican. He married Hettie Burch, who was born near Louisville, Ken- tucky, in 1812, and died in Montgomery Coun- ty, Kansas, aged 60 years. They had nine chil- dren, the four who survived infancy being : George; Wesley, who died 16 years ago, leav- ing a wife and two sons; John, deceased: and Mrs. Hettie Gooding, of the State of Wash- ington.
The subject of this sketch was reared on his father's farm in Jasper County, Illinois, and was living the quiet life of an agriculturist dur- ing the early years of the Civil War. On Jan- uary 11, 1864, he enlisted in Company B, 97th Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., under Capt. G. W. Armstrong and Col. Victor Bifquin, and served two years and five months, mostly in the South. Before seeing any active service, he suffered from an attack of smallpox, at Springfield. Illinois. Upon the close of the war, he returned to Jasper County and in the fall of 1866 re- moved to Coles County. There he was engaged in farming until March, 1870, when he came to Kansas and settled in Neosho County. He followed farming there for three and a half years, and then bought a farm in Montgomery
County. During his residence there, he served several years as trustee of his township.
In 1880, Mr. Burton located at Hallowell and embarked in the hardware business with Columbus Thompson, under the firm name of Burton & Thompson. This continued one year, when Mr. Burton went into the grocery line and conducted a store for two years. He then became interested in insurance and real estate, a business he successfully handled until the election of President Harrison made him the appointee of the administration, as postmaster of the town. After serving five years he re- sumed his real estate interests, in the meantime filling many responsible political positions.
He took a very active part in promoting the party harmony which resulted in the elec- tion of Governor Stanley, by whom he was later appointed a member of the board of managers of the Kansas State Soldiers' Home, at Fort Dodge. To the work of the board Mr. Bur- ton gave such faithful attention that his services were deemed necessary through another term and after serving five and a half years, he is still holding this responsible position. Other offices in which he has acceptably served the people are of a local character, mainly as trus- tee of different townships, but the duties of all have been faithfully performed.
On November 8, 1868, Mr. Burton was married to Elizabeth Harris, who was born in Jasper County, Illinois, April 11, 1843, and died June 26, 1903. She was a daughter of Daniel and Ellen (Van Natta) Harris, of Ken- tucky. The only survivor of their five children is Ellsworth L., who is the present prosecuting attorney of Labette County, Kansas.
Ellsworth L. Burton was born at Mattoon, Illinois, in April, 1868, but was reared in Kan- sas. He attended the common schools, spent one year at the Fort Scott State Normal School, and then began the reading of the law at Co-
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lumbus, with Col. A. S. Dennison. After being admitted to the bar, he engaged in practice, forming the well known firm of Wheatley & Burton, of Columbus. He then went to Scam- mon, where he served two years as city attor- ney. Later he served one year in the same capacity at Oswego, and in 1902 was elected county attorney of Labette County. He occu- pies a very prominent position in legal circles in Cherokee and Labette counties.
For the past 28 years, George Burton has been an elder in the Christian Church, during which time he had advanced its interests in many sections, founding churches and estab- lishing religious communities. For two years he traveled for the Southeastern Kansas Con- ference.
Politically he has been firm in his adherence to the Republican party, and is one of its con- fidential advisers in this locality. For more than 16 years he was a member, and a part of the time chairman, of the Republican County Central Committee and has had the pleasure of being a delegate to the conventions which nominated Governors Stanley and Bailey. He belongs to Colonel Givens Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Hallowell, and was a dele- gate to the National Encampment held at Chi- cago. His fraternal associations include the Masons and various insurance organizations.
ILLIAM NORTH, formerly propri- etor of a general store and postmas- ter at Faulkner, but now living re- tired, is one of the sturdy old citi- zens of this county, where he has lived for many years. He is a veteran of the Civil War. and bears an honorable record for service in the Union Army.
Mr. North was born in Randolph County,
Illinois, March 1, 1835, and is a son of Levi North. The latter was born in Maine, and re- moved to Illinois when a young man. He was a shoemaker by trade, and for some years man- ufactured shoes and sold them at wholesale. He conducted a general store at Horse Creek, Randolph County, Illinois, for several years, and then went to Evansville, Illinois, where he conducted the first ferry across the Okaw River at that point. He subsequently went to Baldwin and taught school, dying there in 1851, at the age of 65 years. He was captain of the militia at Kaskaskia, Illinois, and had numer- ous skirmishes with the Indians. He married Catherine Allen (a daughter of William Allen), who was born in Georgia, but at an early age moved with her parents to Ohio, and then to Ilinois, where she died in 1849, aged 43 years. Twelve children,-six sons and six daughters,-were the result of this union. Five sons served in the Civil War, Thomas being in Company K, 8Ist Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., and Levi, Robert, Jasper and William serving in Company A, 3Ist Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., under Gen. John A. Logan. The five boys fought over 500 days in all and, although all were wounded, four of them returned to their homes, Jasper was wounded in the battle at Fort Donelson, and died soon after, but not of his wounds.
William North was 12 years old when he moved to Evansville, Illinois, with his parents, and six years later located at Baldwin, Ran- dolph County, Illinois. He remained there until 1852, and then went to Perry County, Illinois, where he farmed, and worked at the trade of millwright and carpenter. In Septem- ber, 1861, hie enlisted as a private in Company A, 3Ist Reg., Illinois Vol. Inf., under General Logan, and participated in the following en- gagements : Belmont, Fort Henry, Fort Donel- son, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, Cut Levee at
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Lake Providence, Louisiana; Raymond, Fort Gibson, Ingram Heights, Jackson, Mississippi ; Champion Hill, siege of Vicksburg, Kenesaw Mountain, Duck River, and Decatur, Alabama. He participated in the Black River expedition, lasting 40 days, and took part in 100 days of actual fighting, all told. He was wounded in the right shoulder at Fort Donelson, and was shot through the right thigh at Kenesaw Moun- tain, after which he was in the Rome hospital until his discharge. After three years and 15 days of service, he was mustered out with the rank of sergeant. He also served in the re- cruiting office for six months prior to the war's close. He returned to his home in Perry County, Illinois, and followed farming and his trade until 1880, when he came West to Kan- sas. He first located in Cherokee, Crawford County, where he followed farming for a period of eight years, after which he came to Chero- kee County and purchased a farm of 220 acres in sections 3 and 10, township 34, range 22, in Neosho township. He was engaged in rais- ing stock extensively until about 1898, having about 100 head of Shorthorn and Durham thor- oughbreds. In that year he located in Faulk- ner, purchased a stock of general merchandise, and followed this business successfully until September 5, 1904, when he sold out, and has since lived in retirement. He was appointed postmaster during President Mckinley's first administration, and continued to serve until he disposed of his store.
In 1863, the subject of this sketch was joined in marriage with Nancy Maxwell, who was born in Missouri, June 10, 1843, and died July 12, 1901. They were the parents of the following children: John Jasper, of Kansas City : Charles A., born March 3, 1866, who was murdered on November 1, 1889: Malcolm James, of Kansas City; William Henry, of Kansas City ; and Emma May, wife of George Crosby. On March 5, 1903, Mr. North formed
a second union, wedding Catherine E. Schetzer. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Christian Church.
m RS. MARY J. KANATZER, a well known and highly esteemed resi- dent of Shawnee township, Cher- okee County, Kansas, residing on a finely cultivated farm in section 12, town- ship 33, range 25, was born in Greene County. Tennessee, November 10, 1850, and is a daugh- ter of Hiram and Esther ( Reed) Proffitt.
The great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Kanat- zer emigrated from England. Her great- grandfather was born in Sullivan County, in Eastern Tennessee. Her father, Jeremialı Proffitt, was born in Sullivan County, Tenn- essee, as was his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Cox. Jeremiah Proffitt's mother was born in Sullivan County and died there.
Hiram Proffitt was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, June 13, 1829. He re- moved in boyhood with his parents to Greene County, that State, where he was reared. The opening of the Civil War found him a loyal and patriotic supporter of the government, and he enlisted at Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, on October 1, 1861, in Company C, 2nd Reg .. North Carolina Vol. Inf., U. S. A., and was discharged on August 16, 1865, at Knoxville, Tennessee. On one occasion he was taken prisoner and was confined in a military prison at Mobile, Alabama, for eight months. Prior to the war he rented land and was engaged in farming. After the close of his military serv- ices, he bought a farm in Tennessee and oper- ated it until 1868, when he moved to Illinois. He continued to farm there until six years ago, when he moved to Neosho, Missouri, where he now resides, an honored citizen. Mr. Proffitt has been married three times. In
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1848 he was married to Esther Reed, in Greene County, Tennessee, who was born in that county and was a daughter of Solomon Reed. She died in 1873 in Illinois. A family of 13 chil- dren were born to this marriage; 10 of these reached maturity, as follows: Mary J .; Eliza- beth, deceased, who was the wife of Charles Alcorn ; Jesse E., deceased; Rufus M., of Mc- Loud, Oklahoma; Eliza C., who was the wife of A. J. Pitman, of Smithfield, Missouri; Mar- garet, the wife of Elijah Close, of Alton, Illinois ; Solomon; John and Daniel (twins) ; and Charles E., of Santa Anna, California. On the 13th of August, 1878, Mr. Proffitt mar- ried his second wife. On June 13, 1894, he married Mrs. Matilda Proffitt Morris. This was a "runaway" match, as the bride and groom went from Rice County, Kansas, to Oklahoma, and were there married without the knowledge of his family.
Mrs. Kanatzer was reared in Tennessee and accompanied her parents to Illinois in 1868. She was married on March 1, 1869, to Joseph Kanatzer. The two children born to them are, -John, of Neosho, Missouri; and Cordelia, who is the wife of John Phillip, and has two children,-Pauline and May. Mr. Phillip operates the farm in Shawnee township, left by the late Mr. Kanatzer, who was a successful farmer, and a much respected citizen. Mrs. Kanatzer was reared in the Baptist faith, her parents having belonged to that church.
e HARLES D. ASHLEY, of Columbus, was born in Colebrook, Ashtabula County, Ohio, May 3, 1854. His father, Rev. John Ashley, who was for 40 years a minister of the Free Will Bap- tist Church, was born in Canada, but his pa- rents moved to Huron County, Ohio, when he was three years of age. His mother's name
before marriage was Betsy Vaughn, but she died when he was but two years of age and his father married Francis S. Proctor, when he was three years old and she was always a good mother to him. During Charles D. Ashley's boyhood days, his parents resided in Ohio and Michigan at places where his father was en- gaged in his ministerial labors and he was sent to the common schools and given a Christian training at home. When he was 15 years old, his father gave him his time that he might earn money to go to school and he afterwards at- tended school for some time at the North West- ern Normal School at Republic, Ohio, and later spent one year at Hillsdale College, at Hills- dale. Michigan. He supported himself and paid his own way at school. He taught school for several months and afterwards began the study of the law with Wickham & Wildman at Nor- walk, Ohio. He took a two-years course and was a close student, enjoying the work of fit- ting himself for his chosen profession. He was admitted to the bar before the District Court, at Cleveland, Ohio, after a very thorough ex- amination which was conducted by five of the ablest lawyers of that city, four of whom had been on the bench in that State.
Soon after he was admitted to the bar, Mr. Ashley came to Kansas, arriving in Cherokee County, about the first of April, 1879, and that spring he formed a partnership with C. O. Stockslager, who had a good law practice at Galena. Stockslager & Ashley had a good practice, but only remained together for one year, when Mr. Stockslager gave up the prac- tice for a time that he might attend to his min- ing interests. Mr. Ashley continued in the practice with much success at Galena, until the fall of 1882, when he was nominated by the Republican party and elected prosecuting at- torney of Cherokee County. He then removed to Columbus, where he has resided and prac- ticed law ever since. He held the office of
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county attorney for two years and although a young practitioner at the time he made one of the best public prosecutors in the State and was very successful in his cases. He was not a candidate for renomination, but in the fall of 1888, while he was in Ohio, visiting with his wife and daughter, the Republicans again nom- inated him for prosecuting attorney and he was elected by a good majority, receiving 200 more votes than Harrison was given in this county for president. During the last two years that Mr. Ashley was the public prosecutor, he only lost two cases which he prosecuted before a jury in the District Court of Cherokee County, and during that time he convicted many who were sent to the penitentiary. He was always ready to try his cases when they were called and never prosecuted any one out of malice or to satisfy the spite of any complainant. He has always been in favor of the enforcement of the prohib- itory liquor law of Kansas, having ardently supported the amendment to the Kansas Consti- tution when it was adopted, and he believed that the law should be enforced and whenever he had the evidence that it had been violated he prosecuted the violator and convicted many of this charge, collecting several thousand dollars in this way for the school fund of the State. Mr. Ashley has had much experience during the past 25 years in the prosecution and defense of criminal cases and is considered one of the most successful criminal lawyers of the State.
Mr. Ashley has recently filled the position of assistant attorney general for Cherokee County, Kansas, and has prosecuted success- fully some 26 out of 70 cases wherein indict- ments were returned by the grand jury and there are some 25 yet to try out of the num- ber, who have been arrested for violations of the prohibitory liquor law. He has not yet had a single acquittal and out of 10 cases which were taken to the Supreme Court of this class of
cases he has won nine and one is still pending in that court. The Attorney General of Kan- sas requested him to take full charge of the cases in the lower and in the Supreme Court, which he did.
As a lawyer, whether in civil or in criminal practice, Mr. Ashley has few equals in South- eastern Kansas. The success which he has at- tained has given him a high reputation, and he is widely known among members of the bar of the State. He is a close student, is of keen and ready perception, thoroughly prepares his cases and is a very earnest and able trial lawyer. He is strictly honest and bears that reputation wherever he is known. He insists that it re- quires integrity as well as ability to make a good lawyer. He always guards the interests of his client with much care and never begins a case simply to get a fee.
Mr. Ashley was married to Clara B. Keefer, in Kansas City, Missouri, May 20, 1880. They have two children,-a daughter 22 years old, now Mrs. Stacy Haines ; and Charles Dickens, a son, nine years old,-and one grandson who is but a few days old, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Haines.
Mr. Ashley's family are attendants of the Presbyteran Church and have been for many years ; he is a member, but his wife and daugh- ter are not members of any church but are be- lievers in Christianity. Mr. Ashley is a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen of America, Woodmen of the World and Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has been successful in his business and has recently built a good, modern residence on his property, which is in the best part of the city. He has always taken an active interest in politics, being a Republi- can, but has refused every opportunity for office except that of public prosecutor, and he only accepted that as it was strictly in the line of his profession. He has a very high regard for his
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profession and believes that it furnishes as good an opportunity for usefulness as one could wishi. He thinks a great deal of his family and can be found at his home almost any evening.
ICHAEL FLEMING, a well-known and highly respected farmer and stock dealer of Cherokee County, resides on his finely improved farm of 160 acres, situated in section 3, township 32, range 23, in Ross townshp. He was born in County Kerry, Ireland, September 29, 1828, and is a son of William and Margaret (Mc- Guire) Fleming.
William Fleming and his wife lived and died in Ireland. The father was a large stock dealer in County Kerry, and was considered a man of importance in his neighborhood. The four children of the family were: James and Patrick, both of whom died in Ireland; Mich- ael; and William, who retains his home in Ireland.
The subject of this sketch remained at home, assisting his father in the business of stock buying and selling, until he was 24 years of age. He attended the local schools during his boyhood, and grew up intelligent and am- bitious. A great desire possessed him to own a home and farm, and, realizing that Ireland at that time offered few such rewards of labor, he determined to cross the ocean to America, where thousands of acres of rich farming land awaited settlement. He arrived, on a sailing vessel from Liverpool, in the port of Boston, Massachusetts, on June 10, 1852, but several years of hard work intervened between him and his goal. Landing with only $2.50, the home and farm seemed very far distant. Through the succeeding 14 years which passed before he secured them, Mr. Fleming worked hard and lived economically. He lived in many places,-
Worcester, Massachusetts, different parts of the State of Indiana, and Newton County, Mis- souri. Late in the year 1873, he reached Cher- okee County, Kansas, and secured the farm of 160 acres, where he still resides. He mort- gaged liis farm to stock it, but never had cause to regret this as he was soon able to put himself into comfortable circumstances, and free him- self of all debt. Mr. Fleming has bought and carried on general farming, producing wheat. sold much stock, has raised a great deal and has corn and oats. Out of wild prairie land he has miade one of the best farms in his section of the county. His first home was a small farm house, which he bought and placed on his land ; later lie built his present, comfortable residence. He has about 80 acres under cultivation, the rest being devoted to pasturage and other pur- poses.
Mr. Fleming was first married in Ireland. to Mary Reedy, who at death left one son. Patrick, now a farmer and stock dealer in Ire- land. The second marriage was to Johanna Denyen, of Cork, Ireland, who died without issue. His third wife, Hannah Sullivan, whom he married in Montgomery County, Indiana, was a native of Kings County, Ireland. They had four children,-Margaret, wife of Jolin Carlson, of Ross township; William, of Weir City ; Ellen, wife of Patrick Wiwn, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Mary, wife of James McNulty, who lives near Guthrie, Oklahoma. The fourth wife was Fannie O'Malley, a native of New Jersey. The children of this union are : John, who lives at Mineral; Michael, who mar- ried Maggie Ryan, and lives in Ross township; Theresa, wife of T. E. O'Brien, of Colorado; and Edward, Kate, Agnes and David.
The Fleming family are all members of the Catholic Church at Mineral. Politically, Mr. Fleming is a Democrat, but he has never sought office, preferring to give his time and attention to his personal affairs. He is widely known
MR. AND MRS. LEWIS R. WESTERVELT
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and much respected. While his life has been one of unremitting toil, he has reached a point when he can enjoy some ease and recreation. In 1884 he made a trip to Ireland and visited his brother and son, and the scenes of his boy- hood and early manhood.
L EWIS R. WESTERVELT, a well known farmer of Sheridan township, was born in Franklin County, Ohio, March 9, 1841, and lives on 160 acres of land in section 22, township 32, range 22. He is a son of William and Isabella (McMur- ry) Westervelt, who were Eastern people, the mother being a native of Franklin County, Ohio, and the father, of New York. The pa- ternal grandfather, Matthew Westervelt, of New York State, died in Columbus, Ohio, and the maternal grandfather, J. McMurry, died in Franklin County, Ohio.
William Westervelt was married in the State of his birth and lived there many years engaged in farming and fruit raising. The town of Westerville was named for him. The family came to Cherokee County, Kansas, in 1867 and settled on a 160-acre tract of land,- the southwest quarter of section 34, township 32, range 22, in Sheridan township. By his own unaided labor our subject's father im- proved the land and made for himself and his family a good home. A stanch Republican in politics, he always stood for what was to him the right. Both Mr. Westervelt and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The family consisted of 10 children, as follows: Lewis R., subject of this review ; Joseph, living in Bremer County, Iowa ; Ezra, who was drowned in 1868; William, a farmer of Labette County, Kansas; Israel R., who lives on the old place in Sheridan township; Clara (Mrs. Joseph Brown), of Lola township;
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