USA > Kansas > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Kansas > Part 45
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS
sive laws that were enacted during that period, notable among which might be mentioned the law providing for the State publication of school books, the present so-called Massachusetts ballot law, corporation tax laws, the law placing State educational institutions under the manage- ment of a central educational board, and the law giving State aid to weak district schools and aiding and encouraging the teaching of do- mestic science and agriculture in accredited high schools. It would be impossible to review the great amount of work done by Governor Hodges in his capacity as State senator, and later governor, in a work of this character. During the last year he has been very active on the lecture platform throughout the country and is an orator of unusual merit, and is well known all over the country as such. He lectures at Chautauquas and his services as a prohibition speaker are eagerly sought by Prohibition organizations from all sections of the country. Governor Hodges was united in marriage March 8, 1899, to Miss Ora M. Murray, of Olathe, and two children have been born to this union: Georgia Feree and Murray Hartshorn. Mr. Hodges is interested in a number of local commercial and industrial enterprises, besides the lumber busi- ness. He owns several valuable farms in Johnson county and is a di- rector in the First National Bank of Olathe, and other banks at Stanley, Overland Park and De Soto, and is president of the Olathe Register Company. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows and is a thirty-third degree Scottish Rite Mason. He is a charter member of the Olathe Commandery and a charter member of the Kansas City, Kan., consistory and belongs to the Abdullah Shrine at Leavenworth. It is George Hodges' greatest pleas- ure to help people over the rough sides of life and no man worthy of his favor ever appeals to him in vain for assistance.
Frank Hodges, of Hodges Brothers, lumbermen, with main offices at Olathe, Kan., is one of the capable business men of the Sunflower State. He has been engaged in the lumber business, in partnership with his brother, former Governor George H. Hodges, for a number of years, and during the last ten years while his brother has devoted much of his time to political and public affairs the managment of the Hodges Brothers' extensive business has largely fallen to Frank, who is the general mana- ger of the Olathe yard and their ten other lumber yards in Johnson and adjoining counties, although they have a resident manager for each yard. Frank Hodges is a business man of broad and varied experience and is recognized by the commercial world as the best buyer in the West. This is a conceded fact by men who know and he is frequently spoken of as such by men who are in a position to know. Frank Hodges was born at Boscobel, Richland county, Winconsin, September 19, 1863, and was six years old when he came to Kansas with his parents and his brother George and a sister who is now deceased. His father, who was a school teacher, died a few years after coming to Olathe, and the sup- port of a widowed mother fell upon Frank and his brother George when
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they were mere children. Frank Hodges received a good education and in early life followed teaching for several years, and later engaged in the lumber business with his brother George in which they have met with unqualified success. While Mr. Hodges has had a busy industrial and commercial career, he has always taken a deep interest in public af- fairs. He served two terms as mayor of Olathe, and is remembered as "the mayor who took Olathe out of the mud." He started the plan of giving Olathe a water and sewerage system, and gave the streets a gen- eral plan of universal grades. He had the cooperation of some progres- sive members of the council who helped make possible the plan for a clean city for Olathe. During his administration the 20,000,000 gallon reservoir for the waterworks was built at the economical cost of $8,000. Mr. Hodges is a lover of out-of-door sports. He has won the champion trap- shoot of the State of Kansas, and in that contest both he and his oppo- nent broke the world's record. He broke every target during that con- test. Mr. Hodges is also one of the best rifle shots in the country. Dr. Cook, the Arctic explorer, is a great admirer of Mr. Hodges' shooting and made every effort to induce Mr. Hodges to accompany him on his re- cent expedition in Asia for the purpose of shooting big game and ob- taining moving pictures of the same. However, Mr. Hodges' business relations were such that he was unable to accept the offer. In addition to being a well known hunter of ordinary small game such as quail, plover, ducks, etc., Mr. Hodges is known as a big game hunter. He has been successful in hunting the deer, elk and grizzly bear. He has hunted large game from the Gulf of Mexico, to the frozen regions of the North, and is well known to men prominent in that high-class sport. Mr. Hodges has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Jessie McKoin, a highly accomplished woman and a member of one of John- son county's pioneer families. She died January 4, 1906. She was a brilliant woman and her untimely death was mourned by the entire community. She left two children, Frank, Jr., a student at the Coun- try Day School, Kansas City, Mo., and Jessie, a student in the Olathe High School. On August 26, 1913, Mr. Hodges was united in marriage to Miss Eunice Daniels, a native of Johnson county. Mr. Hodges is a member of the Hoo Hoo's, the Knights of Pythias and is a thirty-sec- ond degree Scottish Rite Mason. Politically he is a Democrat and has been identified with that party since boyhood, and has always taken an active part in the welfare of the Democratic party. He is not merely a fair weather Democrat, but one who has fought the battles of Democ- racy at all times, whether in the face of defeat or victory.
Jonathan Lewis Pettyjohn, banker and senior member of the firm, J. L. Pettyjohn & Company, Olathe, Kan., a prominent factor in the finan- cial world, who perhaps has been more intimately associated with the financial and industrial development of Johnson county than any other man within its borders, is a native of Missouri. He was born near Savan-
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nah, July 15, 1846, and is a son of Andrew Jackson and Mary Elizabeth (King) Pettyjohn, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Ken- tucky. The mother was born and reared near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The Pettyjohn family came to Johnson county in 1859 and settled on a farm which the father bought from the Shawnee Indians; the same place is now the Johnson county poor farm. The family remained here but a short time when they returned to Missouri. Here they lived in the midst of the stormy days of the Civil war and the border war and the Pettyjohn family paid its toll in blood to the great political dissention of those times. The father was murdered near Savannah, Mo., July 7, 1863, by a band of marauding highwaymen. The mother died in Mis- souri in 1908, at the advanced age of ninety-four. She was the mother of twelve children, nine of whom are full brothers and sisters to the sub- ject of this sketch. J. L. Pettyjohn attended the public schools of Mis- souri and Kansas; when the family first came to Kansas he attended school in the old Masonic hall at Olathe. He returned to Missouri with the family in 1862 and taught school for a time and in 1865 returned to Olathe, and served as deputy registrar of deeds until Jaunary, 1874. During this time he was also engaged in the abstract business. His health then failed and he went to Colorado with a view of finding a more healthful climate. He took a claim there and became interested in Colorado real estate and was a member of the Southern Colorado Improvement Company at Chacarrus, Colo. On July 15, 1874 he re- turned to Olathe and engaged in the real estate and loan business and his farm mortgage business had a rapid development from the start, and in a short time the firm of J. L. Pettyjohn & Company was doing an extensive farm mortgage and loan business throughout northeastern Kansas and western Missouri and today is one of the largest institutions of its kind in this section of the country. About fifteen years ago Mr. Pettyjohn became interested in the banking business and in 1903 was elected vice-president of the First National Bank of Olathe, and in 1907 became president of that institution, and still holds that position. The First National Bank is one of the substantial institutions of eastern Kan- sas. Mr. Pettyjohn's activity in the field of finance has by no means been confined to this institution. He organized the Overland Park State Bank in 19II, and has been president of that institution since. He is also president of the Farmers State Bank of Lelupe, and a director and stockholder in the Farmers State Bank of Spring Hill. He is a director in the State Bank of Morse and a stockholder in the Farmers State Bank of Blue Mound, an institution which he organized and served as its president for two years. Mr. Pettyjohn is also one of the most exten- sive landowners of Johnson county, his holdings amounting to upwards of 3,000 acres. Mr. Pettyjohn was united in marriage in 1867, to Miss Eveline Hendrickson, a native of Kentucky, who came to Kansas with her parents in 1867. Her father, Judge Hendrickson, served as probate judge of Johnson county for eight years. To Mr. and Mrs. Pettyjohn
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have been born two children : Charles Farris, born July 10, 1875, a mem- ber of the firm of J. L. Pettyjohn & Company, and Mary Grace married Loren W. Rowell, of Chicago. During the Civil war Mr. Pettyjohn was engaged in the services as a messenger, and served in that capacity under General Craig, General Fish and Colonels Plumb, Borris and Moonlight. His line of duty was one of the most hazardous of war and the fact that he was carrying important dispatches in a country infested by Quantrill's guerillas made it doubly so. In addition to his unusual military experience, Mr. Pettyjohn has experienced real pioneer life on the plains in early days. In 1873 he drove a mule team across the plains to Pueblo, Colo., and was thirty days making the trip. During the trip he came in contact with hostile Comanche Indians and the wagon train was compelled to return to Fort Dodge for protection. At this time buffalo, deer and elk were plentiful along the trail to Colorado and Mr. Pettyjohn has frequently killed buffalo. He has been a life long Demo- crat and for over thirty years has been one of the leaders of his party in Johnson county, never tiring of fighting the battles of Democracy and during that time has usually been in attendance at all State and county conventions. During Cleveland's second term he served as postmaster of Olathe. He cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. George B. Mc- Clellan in 1864. Mr. Pettyjohn is a Knights Templar Mason, and a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and is a member of the Congrega- tional church.
Henderson Lafayette Burgess, a leading Johnson county attorney, is a native of the Buckeye State. He was born at Hubbard, Trumbull county, Ohio, July 13, 1849, and is a son of Nelson and Rebecca (Bris- vine) Burgess. Nelson Burgess was born in Onondaga county, New York, February 28, 1813. He was a son of David Burgess (both David and Tristam having dropped one "S" from their name), a native of New England and a near relative of Tristam Burgess, the celebrated American jurist and orator, who was born in Rochester, Mass., February 26, 1770. David Burgess, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, spelled his name Burges. David Burges came to New York State from New Eng- land at a very early date and about 1818 removed to Canada with his family and located near Fort Stanley. He reared a large family, and was one of the the leading citizens in that part of Canada where he and his wife died. Nelson Burgess, the father of Henderson L. Burgess, of this review, spent his early life upon his father's farm in the Dominion of Canada and although a citizen of the United States received his early edu- cation in Canada and when the Mckenzie rebellion broke out in Canada he joined the movement against the English Government and served as an officer in that little army, was present at the bombardment of Navy Island. The rebellion was soon suppressed by the English Government and all commissioned officers who took part in attempting to throw off
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS
the British yoke were compelled to seek refuge in the United States or run the risk of being executed by the British Government for their part in the rebellion. Mr. Burgess succeeded in crossing Lake Erie and after a time settled in Trumbull county, Ohio. He became a Methodist minis- ter and preached in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia conferences and in 1856 came west, living for a time in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Kan- sas. In 1866 with his family he located on a farm in Johnson county and remained there until his death in 1886, at the age of seventy-four. He was a man of unusual ability and was a very able preacher. He was a Democrat in early life but voted for Lincoln and was a very strong supporter of the Union during the dark days of the early sixties. His wife, Rebecca Brisbine, was a native of Hubbard, Ohio, born June 14, 1820. She was a daughter of Samuel and Nancy Brisbine, natives of New England. She died December 12, 1894. To Nelson and Rebecca (Brisbine) Burgess were born the following children: Mary C. mar- ried Alexander Nelson, and is now deceased; Samuel Truman resides near Morse, Johnson county ; Henderson L., the subject of this sketch ; C. D. Burgess, Baldwin, Kan; William N., Olathe, Kan .; Jasper N., de- ceased ; Thomas resides in Olathe and David Chancy, deceased. Hen- derson L. Burgess was educated in the public schools in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Illinois at the various places where his father resided while engaged in the ministry. The family lived in Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois from 1856 to 1866, when they came to Kansas, locating about seven miles southeast of Olathe. The following year, on July 8. 1867, Henderson L. Burgess enlisted in Company D, Eighteenth regiment, Kansas U. S. volunteer cavalry. This regiment was sent against hostile Indians that were harassing a broad scope of the western country at that time. It operated with the Seventh and Tenth United States Regular cavalry against the hostile Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Comanche Indians in Kansas, Indian Territory and in eastern Colorado. Immediately after the first battalion was mustered into the United States service it was at- tacked by the Asiatic cholera at Fort Harker, and a large number of deaths occurred in camp and on the march from this fatal malady. The troops were employed in protecting wagon trains from the Indians and in guarding the builders of the Union Pacific railroad and they endured many hardships. The first battalion of the Eighteenth regiment was kept constantly on the move, either fighting, marching or guarding property and lives night and day. They marched over 2,000 miles in four months and on November 15, 1867, Mr. Burgess was mustered out of the United State volunteer service at Fort Harker and returned to Johnson county and followed farming until 1872, when he entered the law office of Col. John P. St. John, afterwards governor of Kansas. He read law under the preceptorship of Governor St. John until June. 1876, when he was admitted to the bar of Kansas and immediately en- gaged in the practice of his profession at Olathe, where he is still prac- ticing. Mr. Burgess has a very extensive law practice and is an able
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and successful lawyer. He is a close student of the law and a very ca- pable and ready trial lawyer. He practices in both the State and Federal courts and frequently is to be found in the supreme court. Mr. Burgess was united in marriage December 30, 1874, to Miss Sadie M. Shreves, a native of Tazewell county, Illinois, who come to Kansas in 1866, with her father, David H. Shreves and her step-mother, her mother having died in Illinois. The Burgess family consists of Henderson L. Burgess and wife and four daughters, Lucie E., Susie Lora, Hazel Lavinia and Marion Nadine. Lucie E. is a professional reader and she and her three talented sisters are now appearing on the Lyceum and Chautauqua plat- form under the title of the Burgess Dramatic Company. Miss Lucie Burgess has won an enviable position on the American platform. Pos- sessed of a mind that can keenly discern the author's purpose, a heart capable of deepest feeling and ability to make live, apparently without effort, one character after another, it is not surprising that audiences are delighted with her readings. After being graduated from Liberty Ladies' College and the Dillenbeck School of Oratory, Kansas City, Miss Burgess studied with several leading teachers in the East. She has had charge of the departments of expression in Sevens College, Colum- bia, Mo., La Grange College, La Grange, Mo .. Arnold Thomas School, Kansas City, and Standeford School, Kansas City, and has filled many important platform engagements. Miss Burgess is ably assisted by her sisters, Miss Sue Burgess, contralto, violinist and child impersonator. She completed her education in the University of Kansas. Possessing a clear, ringing voice and a charming personality she always pleases her audiences. Miss Hazel Burgess, pianist and alto, is also a student of the fine arts department of the Uuniversity of Kansas and a favorite with her audiences. Miss Marion Burgess bears the reputation of being one of the youngest and most pleasing sopranos on the Chautauqua plat- form. She has filled many important Lyceum and Chautauqua engage- ments and her beautiful voice with her natural ease and charm of man- ner won for her many friends. Mr. and Mrs. Burgess lost one daughter, Goldie Lillian, who died at the age of seven years. Mr. Burgess is a Republican and takes an active interest in political matters, but believes that the judiciary should be free from politics. He has served as city attorney of Olathe and has been a member of the school board. He is a member of the State Historical Society and the State Bar Associa- tion. During his career as a lawyer, Mr. Burgess has been identified with much important litigation. He was an attorney on the "Black Bob" land cases, which involved the title to a large part of the land in Johnson county in which the title to 34,000 acres was in question. Mrs. Burgess and their daughter, Lucie, are members of the Baptist church and the other three daughters are Congregationalists. Mr. Burgess is a public-spirited citizen, a good lawyer and courteous gentleman, who has made many friends.
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS
W. M. Pack, the veteran thrasher of Gardner township, has, perhaps, thrashed more grain than any other man in eastern Kansas. He has operated a thrashing rig for over half a century, long before steam power was applied to this branch of industry. Mr. Pack was born in Scott county, Kentucky, in 1836, and when a child of eighteen months his parents, Orville and Sally Pack, left their Kentucky home and re- moved to Missouri, locating in Platte county. Both parents are descend- ants of Kentucky pioneer stock. Orville Pack took up Government land in Platte county, and became a man of wealth and affluence for those days. At his death he owned a large tract of land in Platte county. W. M. Pack was united in marriage in 1861 to Miss Sidna Ann LeSeur, a native of Kentucky. Her father died when she was a child and her widowed mother removed to Missouri, and located in Clay county when Mrs. Pack was a young girl. After their marriage, W. M. Pack and his bride began life on a farm in Clay county and remained there until the spring of 1864. Mr. Pack joined an overland wagon train, the party consisting of about forty men and four or five women. They drove across the plains and through the mountains with Virginia City. Mont., as their destination. Virginia City was having a mining boom at the time, and the Missouri party went there for the purpose of prospecting and mining. After reaching Virginia City and spending one season there, they returned to their Missouri home, the trip resulting in a great deal more experience and hardships than gold. They were snowed in on the mountains of Colorado for a time, and the Indians were trouble- some in many places, wagon trains and immigrants encourtering a great deal of difficulty with hostile bands along the trail. Mr. Pack relates that he saw in many places where emigrants had been murdered, and that he has driven over dead bodies of Indians who had been killed during their attack on wagon trains. So the trip toi Virginia City and back was not without profit, if experience is of any value. After re- turning to Missouri, Mr. Pack followed farming until 1875, when he came to Kansas, locating ten miles west of Olathe, and has since made Johnson county his home. Mr. Pack followed thrashing practically every season for fifty-three years, in connection with farming. He bought his first thrashing rig, a horse-power, in 1852. After wearing out two horse-power machines, he bought a steam outfit, and has oper- ated steam machines ever since. He owned and operated the first trac- tion engine in Johnson county, and, although seventy-nine years old, he still has in operation one of the best thrashing outfits in Johnson county, and has thrashed millions of bushels of grain during his career. During the season of 1914, he thrashed 65,000 bushels. To Mr. and Mrs. Pack have been born nine children, as follows: Charles, Jasper, John, George, Albert, deceased; Clemmie, married Uly Smith; Mary Ellen, married H. P. Mullah ; Elizabeth, and Lucinde. Mr. Pack is a Democrat, but has never aspired to hold political office.
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, KANSAS
Johnson Mize is a Kansas pioneer and Civil war veteral, who has been in Uncle Sam's service for the past nine years, but this time is engaged in the peaceful pursuit of carrying mail. Mr. Mize was born in Iowa, in 1843, a son of C. J. and Elizabeth B. (Evans) Mize, natives of Kentucky. Johnson was one of a family of nine children, five daughters and four sons, all of whom are living. The Mize family located at Leavenworth. Kan., in 1855. This was about the time that the town of Leavenworth was founded, and the Mize family was one of the first to settle there permanently. The father had been on the site of the town of Leaven- worth even before the town was laid out. Johnson Mize .was a boy of about twelve years of age when the family settled six miles west of Leavenworth and here he attended school, remaining at home until he was about nineteen years of age, when he began life as a soldier. After the Civil war broke out he enlisted in Company A, Eleventh Kansas cav- alry, under General Ewing, in 1862. On September 26, 1865, after three years, one month and four days of faithful and efficient service, he was mustered out and honorably discharged. After the close of the war he re- mained about one year in Leavenworth county. He then came to Johnson county and settled in Monticello township. After remaining there about six years he removed to Lone Elm, Anderson county. In 1873 he was appointed postmaster of Lone Elm, serving five years. After remaining in Anderson county about two years, he went to Denver, Colo., and a year and a half later returned to Anderson county where he remained until 1896, when he came to Olathe and a year later located on a farm north of Olathe. In 1905 he returned to Olathe where he has since resided in his comfortable home on east Prairie Street. In 1906 he was appointed substitute mail carrier and since that time has served on the eight routes out of Olathe. Mr. Mize was united in marriage at Westport, Mo., December 31, 1865, to Miss Carrie V. Love, and to this union five daughters have been born, four of whom are living, as follows: Deborah Elena married Charles Sinclair and they reside at Mildred, Kan .; Anna, married Robert Tolliver, Pleasanton, Kan .; Fran- ces married Ralph R. Gillham, Dallas, Texas, and Carrie Elvie married Floyd J. Farber, and they reside in San Diego, Calif. Frances, the third daughter mentioned above, bears the distinction of having been the first child born in the State of Colorado after it was admitted to the Union. She was born in Denver. Mrs. Mize was born in McNairy county, Ten- nessee on a farm where the battle of Shiloh was afterwards fought. Sre came west with her parents in 1857. They located near Westport, and resided in that vicinity at the time of the battle of Westport.
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