USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 68
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Mr. Smith is a member, of the Masonic order, the Ancient Order of United Workmen
and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a well read, courteous, polished gentleman.
Mr. Smith was married June 27, 1885, to Esther Julia Pitkin, daughter of Edward P. and Julia A. (Gott) Pitkin of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Edward P. Pitkin is a direct de- scendant of William Pitkin, colonial Governor of Connecticut from 1766 to 1769. Two chil- dren have been born to them: Margaret Gott, born August 25, 1887; and William Bryce. born July 30, 1889. Mrs. Smith is a lady of education, refinement and pleasant personality. The family are church members.
ON. JOHN STAUFFER. On a farm in section 19, township 33, range 24, in Crawford township, lives ex- Probate Judge John Stauffer, for 34 years one of the leading spirits of the county, and a gentleman to whom all citizens unite in according a very high reputation. For four years he served the county faithfully and ef- ficiently as chief officer of the Probate Court ; he has also served as trustee of his township and held other offices. He was born in Mont- gomery County, Ohio, near Dayton, in 1834. and located on his present farm July 25, 1870.
Judge John Stauffer is a son of John and Elizabeth (Kelly) Stauffer, both parents being natives of the "Keystone State", the father, of Lancaster County, and the mother, of Dauphin County. With their respective families they, early in childhood, removed to Ohio, where they married, and where the mother died in young womanhood. In 1850 the father moved to Carroll County, Indiana, where he married again and continued to reside until his death. To his first wife were born three sons, of whom Judge Stauffer is the second in order of birth. The eldest was Samuel, who died in Indiana in
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January, 1903. The youngest, Henry K., is now a resident of the "Hoosier State." To the second marriage was born a daughter, now Mrs. Naomi Nelson, of Caney, Kansas.
In the common schools of his native State, Judge Stauffer received the basis of an educa- tion to which an unusually observant mind has added until men refer to him as a "well-read man." He is a thorough student of men and nature, and a most pleasing conversationalist. He has been a farmer the greater part of his life, although in his younger years he followed the carpenter's trade for a period. He remained in Indiana until matters had adjusted them- selves after the great Civil War, when he turned his face toward the undeveloped West. The land on which he located in Cher- okee County was virgin soil. Not a tree nor shrub, nor any improvement seen upon it to-day but is the work of his hand. As the years have passed, the farm has re- sponded to his intelligent efforts, and it now presents a most pleasing appearance in its well kept fields and commodious buildings. As be- fore stated Judge Stauffer has always taken a keen interest in affairs about him. He aided in the organization of Crawford, his home township, of which he has been a trustee at different times, aggregating about 15 years. Prior to the rise of the Reform party, Judge Stauffer had always been a stanch Republican, casting his first vote for the "Pathfinder", Gen. John C. Fremont. But in the late "eighties", he was among those who felt that relief could come in no other way than in the reformation of party lines, and he therefore became a Popu- list. His well known strength in the county brought him the nomination for the Probate judgeship in 1891, and again in 1893 he helped to carry the banner of that party to victory.
Judge Stauffer has always been a willing and liberal supporter of religious and educa-
tional institutions. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and has been an Odd Fel- low for the past 40 years, having been a charter member of the first lodge of that order at Columbus, and being instrumental in or- ganizing the second one.
Judge Stauffer was married on April 8, 1856, his bride, Elizabeth King, being his pres- ent companion. Mrs. Stauffer was born in Carroll County, Indiana, September 21, 1831, and is a daughter of James and Jane (Mc- Elhaney) King. She is one of three children born to her mother, who died young. The father married a second time, and is also de- ceased. Eight children have come to the home of Judge and Mrs. Stauffer, as follows : Jennie; Harriet; Eva; one, unnamed, who died in in- fancy ; James K .; Samuel K .; Thaddeus; and Millie. James K., a farmer of Crawford town- ship, married Lulu Crane, a daughter of A. WV. Crane, formerly of Cherokee County, but now of Missouri; her children are,-Lulu, Mollie, Samuel, Maggie and Imogene. Sam- uel K., who resides on the home farm in a separate house, married Addie Medlin, daugh- ter of Littleton Medlin, who resides with them. Their children are,-John, Juanita, Paul and Dorothy. Thaddeus is a clerk in the Roberts store in Columbus ; he married Maggie Thomas, and has one child,-Fleta. Millie is the wife of T. W. Thomason, former county clerk of Cherokee County, but now in the mining busi- ness at Galena; her children are,-Thaddeus and Madeline.
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A LBERT E. WENZEL, one of the prominent citizens of Garden town- ship, is township trustee, in which capacity he is serving with credit to himself and to the lasting good of the com- munity. He is enthusiastic in improving the
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country roads, working hand in hand with the road overseer, and it is to his credit that greater improvements along this line have been made during his incumbency than during that of any of his predecessors.
Mr. Wenzel was born in Franklin County, Missouri, February 25, 1869, and is a son of William and Mehala ( Roy) Wenzel, his father being a native of Germany and his mother, of Indiana. William Wenzel removed to Mis- souri at an early day and for some time en- gaged in merchandising. He engaged as gen- eral merchiant at Bloomington, Missouri, the goods being hauled from St. Louis. He lived in Missouri until his death, and his wife also died there at the age of 51 years.
Albert E. Wenzel was one of II children born to his parents, seven of whom are now liv- ing. He received his education in the public schools and in the Friends' School at Lowell. He came to Cherokee County, July 2, 1887, and has since engaged in mining with some suc- cess. He has also farmed some and is now lo- cated on the 160-acre tract of the Bonanza Lead & Zinc Company in Garden township. He is a Republican in politics, and has held all of the township offices, serving one term as clerk, one year as treasurer, three terms as road overseer, and for the past two years has been township trustee, for which office he is now a candidate, having been recently nom- inated on the Republican ticket. He frequently has been chosen as delegate to county and con- gressional conventions, and is an active party worker. As township trustee he has exchanged ideas with the road overseer, and working in harmony, they have been enabled to accon- plish the best results. One road direct to Galena has been surveyed and they are now cutting through the hill, an improvement others have sought to accomplish but failed. The season promises many other important im- provements, the different roads being graded
and graveled, particularly the road from the Lowell school house to Baxter Springs.
In 1893, Mr. Wenzel was joined in mar- riage with Prudence Rice, who was born on Tennessee Prairie in Garden township and was IO weeks old when her mother died. She was taken to raise by her aunt, Mrs. Rebecca Gross- man, who gave her a mother's care. Mrs. Grossman was born in Livingston County, New York, September 20, 1828, and is a daughter of Jonathan and Comfort (Shumuay) Agard, being one of five living children, four of whom reside in Galena. Her father was a native of Connecticut, and her mother, of Eastern New York. Mrs. Grossman came to Cherokee County in 1871. Religiously, she is a member of the Congregational Church. She first mar- ried Samuel H. Archer, who was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and died in Tennessee, and they had three sons : Cleveland, a resident of Galena, who married Margaret Lee and has five children : George D., who lives at home; and James A., who married Della Cook and has five children. In 1862, Mrs. Archer was mar- ried to William Grossman.
Mrs. Wenzel received the best of schooling and home training. She was graduated from the schools of Garden township, then attended Galena High School two years and Columbus Normal School three years, after which she took a three-years college course in music. She received a certificate of qualification to teach the piano, organ, guitar and banjo, and has since engaged in teaching. Our subject and his wife are parents of one son, Orval. Religiously, they are members of the Christian Church.
WVEN FINLEY, one of the early set- tlers of Mineral township, and one of its most respected citizens, was born in Ireland in 1843, and died in Kan- sas, February 5, 1904.
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PETER GRAHAM
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The late Mr. Finley had been a resident of the United States ever since he reached the age of six years, and of Kansas, for 35 years. His father died in Ireland and the mother, with her five children, came to America and located in Bureau County, Illinois. There the family lived until 1865, when Mr. Finley was married to Kate Murphy, a daughter of Patrick and Mary (McDonald) Murphy, both of whom died in Ireland. Mrs. Finley's brother, Wil- liam Murphy, had preceded his two sisters, Kate and Mary, to America, and had settled at Arlington, Illinois, where Mary still resides.
In 1869, Owen Finley and William Murphy came to Kansas. They selected farms in Mineral township, Cherokee County, which was then but sparsely settled. Mrs. Finley well recalls the loneliness of living in a box house, removed several miles from neighbors, and the other hardships which met the pioneer settlers. For miles and miles, as far as the eye could see, rolled the prairies, at that time unbroken by highways or by improvements of any kind. It took years of hard work on Mr. Finley's part to get into first-class condition his farm of 160 acres, but he was a man of great industry, and finally accomplished it, and was permitted to live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his hard labors.
Mr. and Mrs. Finley had a family of II children born to them, seven of whom grew to maturity, and of these six are living, as follows : Mary, born near La Moille, Illinois, who mar- ried Daniel Grant, and has four children,- Catherine, Lizzie, Daniel and John; Ann, born in Mineral township, who married John Toner, and has four children,-John, Joseph, Edwin and Anthony ; and Maggie, John, Edward and Kate, all of whom were born in Mineral town- ship, and still reside here. William died aged five years ; and Ellen, wife of John Grant, died aged 33 years.
Mrs. Finley still owns the homestead farm, where she and her husband spent so many years of hard work. She conducts the farm and is able to live at ease. Mr. Finley was known for his high character, and was universally re- spected. He reared a most estimable family, and gave them all the advantages possible in this locality, to fit them for the duties of life. Industry and frugality had been his lifelong characteristics, and these habits he instilled into his children. He was a man of kind heart and generous impulses, and gave in charity where he knew it was deserved.
B
ETER GRAHAM, postmaster £
at Scammon, and a popular and highly respected citizen whose portrait ac- companies this sketch, was born in Scotland in 1844, and is a son of James and Jeane (Currie) Graham.
Both parents were natives of Scotland, and the father died there at the age of 65 years and the mother at the age of 73 years. The father was a tanner by trade, and a much esteemed business man in his locality. He had three children,-Peter, Robert and Jennie. The last named is a widow, still living in Scotland. while Robert is a very prominent citizen of Glasgow, Scotland, where he occupies a posi- tion of trust and responsibility.
Peter Graham was reared in his native land, and there learned the business of a currier. In I87I, with his family, he came to America, seeking a desirable location in which to estab- lish himself and carry on his business. Not finding it in Boston, Massachusetts, where he landed, he came as far West as Chicago, reach- ing that city during the great fire of 1871. This of itself prevented his finding an opening there, and he removed to Milwaukee, Wiscon-
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HISTORY OF CHEROKEE COUNTY
sin. For a time he found work in dressing leather in a tannery there, and then went to Illinois and was employed in a blacksmith shop. He then secured employment in the mines about Braidwood, Illinois, where he continued until the great flood of 1882 wrecked the prop- erty and deluged the mines, causing the death of 68 people.
In 1884 Mr. Graham reached Kansas and settled at Scammon, Cherokee County, becom- ing a coal minen for the Keith & Perry Coal Company, now the Central Coal & Coke Com- pany, and worked for a year and a half. In 1886 he was called from the mines to accept from President Cleveland the appointment of postmaster at Scammon. Mr. Graham ac- cepted the office and efficiently performed its duties for 18 months, when a question of politi- cal preference arose and he was superseded by a stanch Democrat. The election of President. Harrison caused his reappointment to the office in which he was retained by President McKin- ley and President Roosevelt. The many years of his public service have demonstrated his usefulness to the good people of Scammon, who have learned to place implicit confidence in his integrity, and to feel grateful for the faithful- mess with which the duties of the office are performed.
Mr. Graham was married in 1866, in Scot- land, to Annie Kerr, who was born in that country. Three of their children were born there, and the others, five in number, were born in America. Those living are as follows : James C., who married Lee Ann Evans, of Weir City, Kansas, and has four children,- Ada, Tira, Peter and James : Jennie, who mar- ried Charles Quarton, of Scammon, and has two sons,-Robert and Thomas; Kate Smith, born in Illinois, who married W. P. Allen, of Scammon, and has three sons,-Peter, Gilbert and James ; and Thomas R., born in Scammon, who attends the Cherokee County High School
at Columbus. Four children died in infancy, -- Thomas dying in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Ann, Kate and a babe, in Illinois.
L OUIS SCHMELL, a prosperous farmer of Salamanca township, owning an 80-acre farm consisting of the north half of the southeast quarter of sec- tion 3, township 33, range 23, came to the county from the "Buckeye State" in 1880 and located on his present farm. He is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, born May 2, 1837.
The parents of Mr. Schmell died when he was a babe, and lie was reared by relatives. He was, however, well cared for, provided with a good schooling, and apprenticed to the black- smith's trade. At the completion of his term of apprenticeship he resolved to seek his fortune in the New World, and in 1860 becanie a citi- zen of Columbus, Ohio. There he obtained work in a brewing establishment, and was en- gaged in that business when he yielded to the promptings of patriotism, and gave his serv- ices for the suppression of the Rebellion. He enlisted in Company F, 85th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., in January, 1863. In this regiment, which became part of the 17th Army Corps, he did faithful service until October, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge at Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Schmell participated in several important engagements with no bodily harm. though the hardships of the service caused him to spend some time in hospital.
Mr. Schmell returned to Columbus, and re- mained in Ohio until his settlement in Cherokee County. His marriage occurred in Dayton. Ohio. The maiden name of his wife was Catherine Schmid. She, too, was a native-born German, her parents having been natives of Wurtemberg. She came to America in 1859. and died in Cherokee County November 18,
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1903, at the age of 61 years. She was a devoted wife and mother, and is sincerely mourned by her husband and children. She had three sons and three daughters, as follows : Callie, wife of Albert Cline, a farmer residing three miles east of the home farm; William, a stock-raiser at Yuma, Arizona; Henry, of Walla Walla, Washington ; and Louis, Bertha and Emma, who are still at home.
Mr. Schmell votes the Republican ticket. Fraternally, he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, John A. Dix Post, No. 59, of Columbus. In the matter of religion he is lib- eral in his views, not being a member of the church, but ever ready to give aid to any insti- tution, either religious or educational. His record in Cherokee County has been such as to gain the esteem of all classes.
€ MERSON HULL, deputy county clerk of Cherokee County, and the owner of a finely improved farm of 160 acres, situated a mile and a half south of Columbus, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1850, and is a son of Samuel and Maria ( Watts) Hull.
In 1880 Samuel Hull and his family re- moved to Russell, Russell County, Kansas, where he purchased a farm and was engaged in its development until his death in 1894. His widow still survives and resides on the home farm. Emerson Hull's three brothers and four sisters have homes of their own in different localities. Mrs. Elizabeth Weaver resides in Pennsylvania; Isaac is a farmer, of Russell County ; Levi conducts a hotel at Excelsior Springs, Missouri; Martin Douglas is a mer- chant, of Kansas City, Missouri ; Clara, wife of Lute Wilson, lives in Russell County ; Mrs. Ida Overholser resides with her mother in Russell County ; and Anna is the wife of Rev. E. Can-
non, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now residing at Lincoln, Kansas.
Mr. Hull lived in the State of Illinois for about eight years, becoming a resident of Will County, where, at the age of 21 years, he was married to Sarah Moyer, who was born in that county. He then came to Cherokee County, and resided on his farm until he accepted his present office, when he leased the farm and lo- cated in Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Hull have one daughter, Maude, nine years old, who was born in Cherokee County.
Politically, Mr. Hull was reared a Demo- crat, but is now identified with the Populist party. He is one of the trustees of the Chero- kee County High School, having first been ap- pointed when the school was started. Later, he was elected trustee, and has served ever since with the greatest zeal and efficiency. He is a member of the New Light Christian Church, in which he is an ordained minister.
Mr. Hull is one of the very successful farmers and fruit growers of Salamanca town- ship, and owns an ideal Kansas home. Dur- ing the winters, he was formerly engaged in teaching. He and his family are well known and popular residents of this section.
h ON. ROBERT MARION MARK- HAM, M. D., mayor of Scammon, an eminent physician and one of the most prominent men of Cherokee County, was born in 1862 in Illinois, and is a son of Dr. Wesley and Ann ( Minier) Markham.
Dr. Wesley Markham was born in Ken- tucky, came to Cherokee County in 1870, and is now engaged in the practice of his profes- sion at Lawton, Missouri. He married Ann Minier, a native of Tennessee, who died at Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1899. They had four children : Ella, born in Illinois, who married
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R. S. Gilfillan and has three children,-Dessie, Alvin and Pearl; Robert Marion, our subject ; Charles C., born in Illinois, who married Jessie Newberry; and Effie, born at Columbus, Kan- sas, who married Andrew J. Davis, and has three children,-Opal, Erma and John.
Robert Marion Markham came to Cherokee County with his parents and received his prim- ary education in the common schools, in early manhood beginning the study of medicine. He was graduated at a medical college of Kansas City, Missouri, receiving his degree in 1892, al- though he had done some practicing at Scam- mon as early as 1890. He has been in active practice ever since, although he has many out- side business interests. In 1896 he opened a drug business, mainly for his own accommoda- tion but its scope so expanded that in 1901 he incorporated the Markham Drug Company, of which he is president and his wife, secretary and treasurer.
In 1894 Dr. Markham married Jennie P. Mackie, daughter of David Mackie, Sr., an old settler and very influential citizen of Scammon. They have one son, David Wesley, who was born at Scammon.
Dr. Markham is one of Scammon's most prominent and enterprising citizens. He is a stanch Republican and in 1903 was elected on that party's ticket as mayor of Scammon for a term of two years ; his administration has been of such a character as to win him still greater public esteem than that which he has enjoyed for a long period. He has been very active in promoting the commercial interests of the town and has found time to take part in much of its pleasant social life. He was one of the organizers and is a director of the State Bank of Scammon; owns a half interest in the Fa- mous Dry Goods Company ; is vice-president of the Peacock Mining Company of Kansas; and is treasurer and a director of the Eisenhart Min- ing Company.
The Cherokee County Medical Society, the Southeastern Kansas Medical Association, and the Kansas State Medical Society all claim Dr. Markham as a valued member. and he is medi- cal examiner at Scammon for the New York Life Insurance Company, the Equitable Insur- ance Company of Iowa and various Kansas benevolent associations.
The Doctor's fraternal connections include the Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and he is serving in the office of president of the Scam- mon Commercial Club, an organization having on its membership rolls the leading business men of the place.
F. BUSH, D. D. S., who has been practicing dental surgery at Colum- bus since September, 1903, has gained recognition as a practitioner of skill, and has become very popular person- ally. Dr. Bush was born in 1876 at Meshop- pen, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Sylvester and Lavantia (Cole) Bush.
The Bush family is one of the oldest in Pennsylvania. The maternal line, which reaches back to England, has been established in the "Keystone State" for many generations. In 1888 Dr. Bush's father removed to Scran- ton, Pennsylvania, and still resides in that beautiful city, engaged in contracting and building. The family consists of the parents and two sons,-Dr. Bush and his brother, David V. Bush, who has made a reputation as a comedian on the stage.
Dr. Bush was reared and primarily edu- cated at Scranton, but when he had chosen his profession he went to Philadelphia and was graduated at the Philadelphia Dental College on May 1, 1903, although he has practiced for 12 years. He located at Columbus in the fall
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MR. AND MRS. PETER DRESIA AND FAMILY
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of 1903, and has met with the most satisfactory success. His well appointed offices are located in the Benham Block, where all modern im- provements in dental practice are made use of.
Dr. Bush was married in Scranton, Penn- sylvania, to Ella May Whitbeck, who was born in Scranton, and is a daughter of J. E. Whit- beck, a carpenter by trade, and a member of an old and well known family of that section. Dr. and Mrs. Bush have one daughter, Ruth Ger- aldine, who was born in Scranton. Both pa- rents attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Fraternally Dr. Bush is associated with the Masons, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Knights of Labor, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Heptasophs, and he is also a mem- ber of the State Dental Association. He was a very popular fraternal member while at col- lege, and was president of the Garretsonian Society, and a member of the Psi Omega Den- tal fraternity. During his senior year at col- lege, Dr. Bush was selected as demonstrator, a much desired position.
P ETER DRESIA. During the month of August, 1857, there came to Amer- ica, in the stream of emigration from Germany, the gentleman whose name is at the head of this review, who lives on the southwest quarter of section 16, township 32, range 23, in Ross township. He was born in Germany on January 17, 1825, and is a son of Francis and Agnes (Wimmer) Dresia. His father was a farmer all his life, which was spent with his wife in Germany. Peter Dresia is one of seven children as follows: William, Mathias, Peter, Anton, Henry, Cathrena, and Petronella. Of all this family, Peter is the only survivor.
Mr. Dresia was reared in the "Fatherland" and attended the schools of Germany, France,
and Italy. He worked on the farm while yet a young man. He served for three years as an officer in the Prussian Army, and was in the war of 1848, where he received two wounds. He is the proud possessor of a medal of honor, for faithfulness in the service under King Fred- erick Wilhelm IV. He was in several battles, among them being those of Frankfort, West Baden and Mogerstorm. In 1852 he left the army and went to Rome. He was there nearly four years, studying for the Catholic priest- hood, and at the same time studied medicine. He had to abandon his studies because of ill health, and went to he mountains for three months.
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