USA > Kansas > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Kansas > Part 37
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5, 1900, at Westport, Mo., to Mrs. Ida May Barnes. Mrs. Howell was a widow and the mother of three children, as follows : Ralph Wackerhazen, resides in Kansas City, Mo .; Mary, the wife of Phil E. Davis, resides in Kansas City, Mo., and Gladys, married John Klinglan, Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Howell is one of the prosperous business men of Overland Park and lives in one of the neat residences of the town which he built since going there. He is one of the best workmen in his line to be found in the country and one of Johnson county's substantial citizens.
W. T. Linn, of Overland Park, Kan., is the chief engineer for the Strang railway line. Mr. Linn is a native of Johnson county. He was born at Lenexa. April 9, 1883, and is a son of F. B. and Rosa (Earnshaw) Linn, the father a native of Platteville, Ill., born in 1861, and the mother was born at Lenexa, Johnson county, and they now reside in Kansas City, Mo. They were the parents of three children, as follows : W. T., whose name introduces this sketch ; Anna, born at Lenexa, April 21, 1886, now the wife of F. L. Guy, Oak Grove, Mo., and Julia, born at Lenexa, in 1895, now resides with her parents in Kansas City, Mo. W. T. Linn was educated in the public schools of Lenexa and the Olathe High School. From high school he became manager of the Interstate Telephone Company of Lenexa, and held that responsible position for three years. In 1906, he entered the employ of the Strang line as con- ductor and four months later became a motorman, remaining in that capacity for three years. He then became assistant engineer under Walter Kaegi, who was chief engineer. In 1912, Mr. Linn became chief engineer and has successfully directed the intricate machinery of that mammoth plant to the present time. The neat appearance of the plant and the never-failing motor power of the Strang line bear ample testi- mony of the efficiency of the master hand and ingenious brain that directs this monster machine. Thirty minutes is the longest period that this power plant has been shut down since Mr. Linn has been connected with it. The power is furnished by gas engines and the two engines con- sume about 60,000 feet of gas per day. Mr. Linn has two assistants, one for night service and one for the day. Mr. Linn was united in marriage September 12, 1906, to Miss Sophia Scherman, of Lexena, and two chil- dren have been born to this union : Mildred, born July 29, 1908, and Mar- jorie, born January 21, 1912. Mr. Linn is one of the progressive citi- zens of Overland Park, and both he and his wife are well known in the community and have many friends.
John Nall, a Kansas pioneer and prominent Johnson county farmer, is a native of North Carolina. He was born in Chatham county, in 1832, and is a son of John and Dorcas Nall, both natives of Chatham county, North Carolina, who came from that State to Tennessee and then to Missouri at an early date. They were the parents of ten children, as follows: Wesley, Thomas Carter, Orville Eastland, Sarah, Mary, Atlas, Lemuel, Willis, Elizabeth and John. John Nall. whose name introduces
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this sketch, was educated in private schools and in the public schools of Tennessee and Missouri. In 1856, he came to Kansas from Missouri and settled in Bourbon county, near Mapleton. He remained there about two years and went to Bates county, Missouri, but returned to Kansas, March 18, 1859, this time locating in Mission township, Johnson county, then Shawnee township. With his brother, Thomas, he bought a claim of 160 acres of school land. He then bought a claim of eighty acres from a Shawnee Indian named Wash White, paying him $12 per acre, and also purchased forty acres from a Shawnee woman named Sarah Prophet for $1.25 per acre. This land is now worth $200 per acre. His last pur- chase was forty acres from Milton McGee, of Kansas City, Mo. This last forty acres joins the school land which he first purchased. There were a great many Shawnee Indians here when Mr. Nall came and Graham Rodgers was the chief of the tribe. He lived where John R. Foster now resides, about three-fourths of a mile from Milburn station. Mr. Nall resided on his place through the days of the border warfare and the Civil war, except while he was in the service for a short time. He served in Company D, Thirteenth regiment, Kansas militia and was in camp with his company at Little Santa Fe, Olathe Mission and Shaw- neetown. Mr. Nall's home is on an eminence overlooking the battlefield of Westport, which is about two and one-half miles distant. He was home on the day of the battle, and saw the charges and countercharges and not only could hear the firing but could hear the yells of the soldiers as the conflict was waged. Mr. Nall was married in 1857 in Bates county, Missouri, to Miss Nancy J. Sells, who died in 1870. To this union were born nine children, two of whom are living, as follows. Tabitha Josephine, married Philip C. Nall and is now a widow, residing in Shawneetown, and Benjamin Franklin, who resides in Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Nall was married the second time in 1872 to Miss Susan Emma Mooney, at Mission, Kan. She died August 19, 1915, and is buried in the Nall cemetery. Six children were born to this marriage, four of whom are living, as follows: Robert E. Lee is married and resides at Oakland, Calif .; Maggie Cornelia resides at home; Susan Asenith mar- ried W. J. McClellan and lives on the home place, and Thomas Raymond resides at home. Mr. Nall is well known in Johnson county and is one of the substantial citizens of Mission township. Thomas Nall, who came to Johnson county with his brother in 1859, died December 31, 1903, and is buried in the Nall cemetery. Orville Nall, another brother, lives with his younger sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Bowles, in Rosedale, Kan.
L. L. Uhls, M. D., Overland Park, Kan. There is no doubt but that the institution conducted by Dr. Uhls, near Overland Park, is of more importance to the happiness and well being of the human family than any other industry or institution in Johnson county. Dr. Uhls is a skilled physician and a specialist in nervous diseases and has been in a position in connection with his professional work to gain as much ex-
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perience along that line as any other physician in the State of Kansas. After having served fourteen years as superintendent of the State Hos- pital for the Insane at Osawotamie, Dr. Uhls resigned to take up the special line of work in which he is now engaged. August 1, 1913, he came to Overland Park, purchased ten acres of land, especially selecting the locality most suitable for his purposes and began to arrange for the construction of his hospital, preferring a surburban place to one in the crowded city. This place fronts on Seventy-fourth Street, Kansas City, and the Rock road passes by the west side and the buildings are about two blocks from the Strang line at the Seventy-fourth Street station. He opened his hospital as soon as he had the first building completed, and since that time has been adding additional buildings and improving and beautifying the grounds, and in the construction of additional buildings he has scarcely been able to keep pace with the demand for more room to accommodate the ever increasing patronage of the place. Treatment at the hospital and sanitarium includes board for the patients, and every convenience for comfort and entertainment, is provided. Fine rest places on the spacious lawns and even automo- biles are provided to give the patients frequent trips for recreation. The main building which was first constructed is 32x60 feet, two and one- half stories, and the men's cottage is a 40x64 foot structure, and Dr. Uhls' private residence is a one and a half-story, cozy bungalow. . All of the buildings are thoroughly modern in every particular with steam heat and modern lighting system and numerous bath facilities are pro- vided. Dr. Uhls has his own "egg plant" where he "raises fried chick- ens" and also has plenty of home-grown, fresh eggs for the table. So, taking this hospital altogether, it's an ideal arrangement for a place of rest and recuperation for tired nerves, under the capable care and direc- tion of Dr. Uhls. Notwithstanding that everything seems to be ideal and about as near perfection as possible, Dr. Uhls keeps right on improving and has many plans to improve, enlarge and beautify the place, which he is putting into effect as rapidly as possible. Dr. Uhls is a native of Illinois. He was born at Chester, March 25, 1857. His father, Alonzo Uhls, was a native of Tennessee and came to Illinois with his parents who settled at Chester at an early day. He mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Eyman, a native of Bellville, Ill. They were mar- ried at Chester in 1851, and were the parents of the following children : C. F., born in 1853, is an engineer, married Miss Callie Brown and re- sides at Spokane, Wash .; Melissa, born in 1855, married J. E. Stewart, who is department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic for Washington and Alaska and his wife holds a similar position in the Women's Relief Corps and they reside in Spokane, Wash .; Dr. C. C., born in 1861, married Miss Inez Nixon and they are residents of White City, Kan. Dr. H. A., born in 1864, married a Miss Ratliff, of Parsons, Kan., and they reside in Chicago, Ill .; E. E., born in 1867, resides in St.
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Louis, Mo., and Dr. L. L., the subject of this sketch. Dr. Uhls was reared in southern Illinois and received his literary education at Sparta, Randolph county. He then took up the study of medicine, taking a course in one of the great medical institutions of the country, Rush Medical College of Chicago, from which he was graduated in the class of 1884, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He began the practice at White City, Morris county, Kansas, remaining there seven years. He then went to Geuda Springs, Sumner county, and remained there four years. In 1895 he became assistant physician at the Osawotamie State Hospital for the insane, remaining in that capacity until 1897 when he lo- cated at Paola. Kan., and again engaged in private practice. Two years later, or in 1899, he was appointed superintendent of the State Hospital at Osawotamie and in 1913, resigned that position and came to Overland Park and founded the hospital and sanitarium as above set forth. Dr. Uhls was married September 13, 1883, to Miss Anna E. Bean, of Ches- ter, Ill. To Dr. and Mrs. Uhls have been born two children : Elizabeth, is gifted with musical ability of high order. and after graduating from Washburn College, Topeka, she continued her musical studies in Europe, taking a complete course of instruction at Berlin. She is now the wife of James D. Lindsay, Kansas City, Mo., and Kenneth, born Janaury 21, 1893, was graduated from the Osawotamie High School and now a sen- ior in Kansas University. Dr. Uhls in addition to his busy career is professor of pyschiatry of the medical department of Kansas University and delivers a course of lectures each year at Rosedale. Dr. Uhls is one of the foremost physicians of Kansas and in his particular line of work is the equal of any in the State. He prominently affiliates with the dif- ferent medical fraternities and is a member of the American Medical Association, and was formerly a member of its house of delegates, is ex-president of the Kansas State Medical Society and is a member of the Medico-Psychological Association of America. He is a member of the Academy of Medicine of Kansas City, Mo. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church and he has served as a representative in the National Council, or General Assembly, of the Presbyterian churches of the United States.
J. H. Cosgrove, postmaster of Olathe, is a native of Johnson county, born near Olathe, March 27, 1858. He is a son of Peter and Catherine (Kelley) Cosgrove, natives of Ireland, who were among the first set- tlers of Johnson county, locating here in 1857 on a claim two miles northeast of Olathe. The father died in 1866 and the mother passed away in 1912. J. H. Cosgrove received his education in the early-day schools of Johnson county and remained on the home farm until he was about twenty-seven years of age. He then engaged in buying and selling hay in a small way, and also handled coal. In 1885 he began his career as a contractor, and at the same time leasing large tracts of land and rais- ing hay for the market. He has met with unusual success in both these
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branches of endeavor and at the time of his appointment as postmas- ter of Olathe, he was the most extensive hay dealer in Johnson county, as well as the largest general contractor in that section of the State. Since that time the business of Cosgrove & Son has undergone no change with the exception that the junior member, Arthur P. Cosgrove, has as- sumed the active management. Cosgrove & Son are one of the most extensive employers of labor in Olathe, frequently employing as many as 100 men, with rarely, if ever less than twenty-five employees on their pay roll. They have completed some of the most extensive pavement contracts in eastern Kansas. In 1907-08, they paved forty-five blocks in Paola, Kan., this work amounting to over $120,000. Among some of their most important concrete work in recent years might be mentioned the waterworks dam at Olathe, which is one of the largest and most important pieces of concrete work in that section of the State. In addi- tion to their other varied interests, Cosgrove & Son have practically the entire transfer business of Olathe and conducted the exclusive ice busi- ness there until within the last few months. Mr. Cosgrove was united in marriage, February 15, 1886, to Miss Clara V. Ryan, of Olathe, and to this union has been born one child, Arthur P., the junior member of the firm of Cosgrove & Son. Mr. Cosgrove is a Democrat, and since reaching manhood has been actively interested in the welfare of his party. He has taken an active part in the local Democratic organization and has served as chairman of the Democratic county central committee. He has served one term as a member of the city council. On March 24, 1915, he was appointed postmaster of Olathe by President Wilson, and is now giving his best endeavor to the conduct of that responsible office, with the same degree of efficiency that has characterized his private career.
William Henry Harrison is one of the most progressive and prosper- ous farmer of Aubry township. Mr. Harrison is a native of Missouri, born February 26, 1860, near Weston, Platte county. He is a son of Thomas T. and Ruth (Robbins) Harrison, the former a native of Ken- tucky and the latter of West Virginia. Thomas T. Harrison was a son of William V. Harrison, who had two brothers: Veach and John. John settled in Indiana and Veach in Illinois. William V. Harrison settled in Platte county, Missouri, in 1848. Thomas T. Harrison was reared in Platte county, remaining there until 1866, when he came to Kan- sas and located two miles east of Stilwell. He bought 160 acres of land, engaged in farming and prospered ; he died in 1900. To Thomas T. and Ruth (Robbins) Harrison were born seven children as follows: William Henry, the subject of this sketch; Ada Oakley, Albuquerque, N. M .; Lee Reeves, Galveston, Tex .; Kathryn Walley, Sheridan, Wy .; Sarah Patterson, Kansas City, Mo .; George, Kansas City, Mo .; Arthur, Anthony, Kan. Mr. Harrison married Miss Martha A Taylor in 1876, and they had five children as follows: Dora Stark, Washington; Ore,
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Canada ; Ira, Belton, Mo .; Omer, Utah ; and Walter, San Francisco, Cal. William Henry Harrison was six years of age when his parents settled in Johnson county. He remained on the home place until 1883 when he rented land in Aubry township and followed farming for fifteen years. His wife, Mrs. Margaret (Conboy) Harrison, inherited 160 acres of land, which they still own. He moved to Olathe in 1904 and in 1910 bought his present place of 120 acres, making 280 acres in all, where he carries on general farming and stock raising and is recognized as one of the most progressive farmers of Johnson county. Mr. Harrison was mar- ried in May, 1885, to Miss Margaret Conboy, of Aubry, Kan. She was born in Westport, Mo., in 1862. She is the daughter of Philip Conboy, a native of Ireland and an early settler in Aubry township, where he came i11 1868. To Mr. and Mrs. Harrison have been born three children : Ruth, Leo, at home, and Mabel, who resides at home and is a teacher. Mr. Harrison is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and is a Democrat.
J. F. Hannon, of Olathe, has been a resident of Kansas since 1881 and is one of Johnson county's most progressive citizens. He is a native of New Jersey, born in Deerfield township, Cumberland county, November 5, 1839, and is a son of George F. and Mary Ann (Cake) ) Hannon, na- tives of New Jersey. They were the parents of fifteen children, as fol- lows: David F., Hannah Moore, Susan, Elizabeth, George W., Sarah, Lydia, Margaret, Amos, William, James, John F., the subject of this sketch, and two children who died in infancy, and one died at the age of six years. John F., Hannon was reared in his native State and received a good common school education. At the age of twenty-one he began life as a farmer in New Jersey, following that occupation there until 1881, when he came to Kansas and located on a farm two miles west of Olathe. He purchased that place at $40 per acre and two years later sold it at a fair profit, and then farmed in various places in Johnson and Miami counties for a time and later bought 170 acres west of Olathe. He was successfully engaged in farming there until 1900, when he sold out and removed to Olathe, where he has since been engaged in the stock business, and is now in partnership with one of his sons, and the business is being conducted under the name of Hannon & Son. They are among the most extensive cattle and hog breeders in Johnson county and do a large business. Their place is well equipped with a large stock barn, with all modern methods and conveniences for handling cattle and hogs. Mr. Hannon has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Susanna Johnson, a native of Salem county, New Jersey, who died eleven months after her marriage. Mr. Hannon's second wife bore the maiden name, Mary Caster, and was a native of New Jersey. Eight children were born to the second marriage, as follows: Julia Frances, died in infancy ; Jennie B., married James Heider and lives near Ottawa, Kan .; George F. married Miss Willa Wilcox and resides in Olathe ;
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Jacob C., unmarried, resides in Kansas City, Mo .; David N. married Grace Crook and lives in Franklin county, Kansas; Archie, died at the age of twenty-four years and his remains rest in the Olathe cemetery ; Win- field A. married Lillie Erwin and resides in Olathe, and John married Rosa Hoover and lives at Lenexa. The wife and mother of these chil- dren died in New Jersey in 1881 and her remains are buried in Deerfield cemetery, Cumberland county. Mr. Hannon has practically made his own way since early boyhood and what success he has attained is due to his own industry and unaided efforts.' He came from the far East, made a wise selection for his future home and has made good.
Miss Fern Jessup, who conducts a drug store and ice cream parlor at Overland Park, is a representative of the successful business women of the twentieth century. Miss Jessup is a native of the Sunflower State. She was born at Rosedale and is a daughter of Joseph B. and Asenath (Johnson) Jessup, the former a native of Henry county, Indiana, and the latter a native of Illinois and a pioneer of Johnson county. Joseph B. Jessup came to Johnson county, Kansas, in 1868 and bought eighty acres formerly belonging to the Baptist mission. He married Asenath E. Johnson in 1876, the ceremony taking place at the residence of D. B. Johnson, a brother of the bride and a Johnson county pioneer. Joseph D. Jessup died at his residence at Antioch, Kan., June 24, 1915. Joseph B. and Asenath E. (Johnson) Jessup were the parents of three children, as follows: Ralph Jessup married Della Rippee, of Mansfield, Mo., and they now reside on the home place at Antioch; Earl married Lennie Van Bibber, of Shawnee, Kan., and they also reside on the home place at Antioch, and Fern, whose name introduces this sketch. Miss Fern Jessup attended the common schools in District No. 61, and Hickory Grove School No. 40. After completing the public schools, she entered the Manhattan Agricultural College and took a five years' course. After graduating from that institution she spent about two years at home with her parents, In 1914 she purchased the drugstore at Over- land Park, from Dr. J. H. Stough, which she has since conducted. By her courteous manner and close attention to business, Miss Jessup has built up a profitable and permanent business and has proven herself to be a successful business woman. Mrs. Asenath Jessup, mother of Fern Jessup, came to Kansas in 1859. Her sister, Mrs. Anna Sloman, was ma- tron at the Quaker Mission from 1860 to 1863, while Mr. Stanley was at the head of the school.
A. G. Carpenter, a Civil war veteran and Kansas pioneer, has been a dominant factor in the development of Johnson county for fifty years. He was born at Indiana, Pa., December 16, 1831, and is a son of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Shryhock) Carpenter, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Pennsylvania. Ephraim Carpenter was a son of James Carpenter, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He served three enlistments and was with Washington at Yorktown when
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Cornwallis surrendered. On the maternal side Mr. Carpenter had a great uncle who was also a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Ephraim Carpenter was an attorney and practiced his profession at Indiana, Pa., until the time of his death in 1860, at the age of seventy-two. The mother died at the age of sixty-eight. They were the parents of eleven children, five girls and six boys, three of whom are now living, as follows: A. G., the subject of this sketch; Ephraim, Dodge City, Kan .; and John, Chanute. A. G. Carpenter was reared in his native Pennsylvania town, educated in the public schools and the Indiana Academy. He studied civil engineering and his first professional work was on the construction of the Indiana branch of the Pennsylvania railroad, where he was engaged two years. He then taught school two years in Indiana county and went to Mt. Vernon, Ohio, where he remained about a year. He then went to Dubuque, Iowa, where he was employed as contractor on the construction of the Dubuque and Sioux City railroad and was also employed by the same company in construction work at Freeport, Ill. After that he was engaged on the preliminary survey on a railroad from Portage City to Madison, Wis., and in 1857 came to Kansas, locating near Geneva, Allen county. He was engaged in surveying in that section and while there served as county surveyor of Allen county two terms. He made the plat of the original townsite of Iola and was a member of the townsite com- pany. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted in Company A. known as the "Iola Battalion," and he later was assigned to Company D, Ninth regiment, Kansas cavalry. He saw service among hostile In- dians and in the fall of '62 his regiment did considerable scout duty in Missouri. They operated for a time as an escort for army trains in Arkansas and most of their service was along the border between Kansas and Missouri. Mr. Carpenter's opinion is, that on account of political or personal differences between the officers of his regiment and General Lane, that the regiment was discriminated against on many occasions and such conditions were not only true of the Ninth Kansas but there are many other like instances that occurred during the Civil war which does not appear on the records. During the Lawrence raid, Mr. Carpenter's company was stationed at Oxford and he possessed much information about that affair and others, that was not generally known. His regiment was stationed at Pleasant Hill. Mo., for a time, also at Lawrence and later sent to Ft. Smith, Ark .. and from there to Little Rock where it served under General Steele. They were on the Red river expedition and at Duval's Bluff. He was mustered out of service in 1864 and returned to Allen county where he remained a short time, coming to Johnson county that year and in 1866 bought a farm in Shawnee township. He later sold that place and bought another west of Martin City, Mo., a part of the place being located in Missouri and a part in Kansas. He followed farming
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there until 1880 when he located in Olathe, where he has since resided but still owns his farm which consists of 370 acres of some of the best land in eastern Kansas. Mr. Carpenter has served three terms as county surveyor of Johnson county and was city engineer of Olathe for a number of years and served two terms as county treasurer of Johnson county. Politically he is a Republican, but, generously, gives the Democrats credit for his second election to the office of county treasurer. Mr. Carpenter has been twice married, his first wife being Margaret T. Duncan, of Jackson county, Missouri, to whom he was married March 1, 1865. One son was born to this union, John C., who lives near Houston, Texas. The wife and mother died January 17, 1870, and Mr. Carpenter's second wife bore the maiden name of Mary A. Freeman, a native of London, Ohio, and a pioneer Johnson county school teacher. They have one child, Margaret, who married C. C. Cammann, and they reside at Olathe. Mr. Carpenter is perhaps the oldest Mason in Johnson county, having been made a Mason at Greensburg, Pa., in 1853. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Franklin Post, No. 68, and is one of the grand old men of Johnson county.
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