USA > Kansas > Labette County > History of Labette County, Kansas, and representative citizens > Part 50
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eleven months. He has also had one head- end collision. This occurred September 3, 1897, and was caused by the supposed negli- gence of a brakeman, in leaving a switch open. Mr. Terrell was considerably injured; he had two ribs crushed and the muscles torn from one arm, on account of which he was off the road for six months.
He now pulls through freight from Mus- kogee to Parsons and Kansas City, in the chain gang, and is regarded as one of the most prom- ising and successful young engineers on the system. In politics he is a Populist, and uses his vote and influence toward advancing the interests of that party. He stands high in fraternal circles, being a member of Division No. 179, B. of L. E .; Great Western Lodge, No. 24, B. of L. F. ; and of the Order of Chosen Friends,-his wife was formerly a member of the auxiliary lodge. The family favor the doctrines laid down by the United Brethren church.
B EERI L. DENNISON, who is an architect and builder of great promi -- nence in Labette county, Kansas, is also engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising, and is located in section II, Mount Pleasant township. He was born in Oneida county, New York, in 1837, and is a son of Alexander H. and Charlotte ( Huntley ) Dennison.
Alexander H. Dennison was born in Oneida county, New York, in 1811, and died in Lewis county, New York, in 1896. He married Charlotte Huntley, who was born, in 1813, in Herkimer county, New York, and died in 1898, in Lewis county, New York. Their union re- sulted in the following offspring: Beeri L .; Amelia (Williams), of Washington county,
Kansas; Almon A., of Lewis county, New York; Zilpha, Samuel, Emily, Harriet, and Angeline, deceased; and Frankie (Gummer- son), of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Beeri L. Dennison resided in his native county until 1863, when he enlisted in a regi- ment of New York Heavy Artillery, for serv- ice in the Civil war. He became a non-com- missioned officer and was mustered out in 1865. He returned to Herkimer county, New York, where he remained until 1868, and then moved to Jackson, Michigan. In 1879 he moved to Neosho, Missouri, and there resided until 1890, when he settled in Labette county, Kansas, lo- cating on his present farm in section II, Mount Pleasant township. He has been very success- ful in agricultural pursuits, and has also raised stock quite extensively. For a number of years he has been an architect, and has been occupied in contracting and building. In this line he has attained a wide reputation, and is well and favorably known throughout the county. He is a man of high character, and enjoys the friendship of all with whom he has come in contact, both in a business and social way.
Mr. Dennison was united in marriage with Alice H. Peak, who was born in Montgomery county, New York, in 1851, and is a daughter of Daniel and Clara ( Sanders) Peak. Her father was born in Montgomery county, New York, in 1824, and died in Jackson, Michigan, in 1899. Her mother was born in Saratoga county, New York, in 1825, and is now living in Jackson, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Peak had the following children: Charles, a resi- dent of Jackson, Michigan: Lottie ( Wake- man) ; Alice ; Libby, deceased ; and George and Jesse twins,-living in Jackson, Michigan.
The subject of this sketch and his worthy wife are parents of the following children :
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY
Alvin H., of Labette county, who has two chil- dren,-Mabel and Harold; Hattie (Burns), who has three children .- Claude, Clarence, and Gail; George J. W., of Labette county. Kansas; Caddie; and Orra, deceased.
1 RVIN W. FOSTER, one of the most highly respected citizens and well known farmers of Fairview township. Labette county, Kansas, was born in Clinton county, Illinois, in 1844, and is a son of William H. and Mary J. (Low) Foster.
William H. Foster, the father of Irvin W., was born in Georgia, in 1804, and moved to Clinton county, Illinois, where he lived until 1851. He then moved to Marion county, Illi- nois, where he died in 1858. His wife, Mary Low Foster, was born in Washington county, Illinois, in 1806, and her death occurred there, in 1869. They reared the following offspring : George, William. John, and Jennie ( Nicolls), deceased ; Elizabeth ( Nicolls), of Patoka, Illinois; Jackson, a resident of Illinois : Henry C., of Marion county, Illinois; Irvin W .; Scott, of Marion county; and Pamelia, de- ceased.
Irvin W. Foster, the subject of this bi- ography, was educated in Clinton county, Illi- nois, and moved with his parents, in 1851, to Marion county, where he remained until 1876. He then located in Elm Grove township, La- bette county, Kansas, where he lived until 1879. and then moved to Labette township. In 1882 Mr. Foster located on his present farm in sec- tion 6, Fairview township, where he is engaged in general farming. His farm presents an at- tractive appearance. and shows the thrifty management of its owner.
Mr. Foster married Mary E. Wall, who
was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1860, and is a daughter of Samuel and Barbara (Acker) Wall. Samuel Wall was also a na- tive of Harrisburg, where he was born in 1833; he died in Labette county, Kansas, in 1879. His wife, a native of Harrisburg, was born in 1834, and is now living in the family of the subject of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. Foster have had six children: Lee F. and Anna, of Labette county ; Charles, deceased ; and Edgar M., Claude R. and Nellie B., of Labette coun- ty. The family is well known in the com- munity. Mr. Foster is a Republican, in poli- tics, and belongs to the Anti-Horsethief Asso -. ciation. In 1864 he enlisted in Company E, 136th Reg., Ill. Vol. Inf., served under General Payne, and was mustered out at Springfield, Illinois, in October, of the same year. Mr. Foster and his family are members of the Pres- byterian church.
A. WILKIN, a well known lawyer of Labette county, Kansas, is also engaged in the abstract business in Oswego and Parsons, and during his residence in the county has always lived in the former city. He has been located in this county since March 6, 1870, and has a good clientage.
Mr. Wilkin was born in Edgar county, Illinois, in 1854, and removed to Kansas when he was fourteen years old,-first locating at Fort Scott and afterward settling in Oswego. He studied law under the direction of Hon. David Kelso, then of Oswego, now of Leav- enworth, Kansas, and was admitted to the bar in 1878. He immediately entered upon the practice of his profession, in partnership with Jesse Brockway. He was subsequently asso-
ARD H. ELLIS.
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ciated with F. A. Bettis for a few years, and then with J. S. Waters. In 1873 the firm of C. A. Wilkin & Company, abstracters and title examiners, was established. The firm has two offices,-one in Oswego and another at Parsons,-and possesses the only complete set of abstract books in the county. As before mentioned, Mr. Wilkin has always resided in Oswego, where he still practices law, in addi- tion to the abstract business. He has been very successful in both branches of his work, and is one of the substantial citizens of the city.
Mr. Wilkin was united in marriage, in 1883, with Francis Tiffany, by whom he has three children, as follows: Maggie, Josie; and Fred. Fraternally, he is a member of Adams Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 63; Os- wego Chapter, R. A. M., No. 15; and of the Knight Templar Commandery, in which he has served as eminent commander for three years. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In politics, he is a Repub- lican.
H RD H. ELLIS, a prominent business man of Parsons, Kansas, where he has been located since 1877, is presi- dent of the firm of Ellis & Martin, leading furniture dealers of the city. He was born at Willstown, Alabama, in 1829, and is a son of Prof. Sylvester and Sarah (Hoyt) Ellis.
Prof. Sylvester Ellis was a native of Ver- mont, and was born in 1798. He was a teacher by profession, and followed that occupation throughout his active business life. He went to Willstown, Alabama, as a missionary teach- er among the Cherokee Indians, and in 1832 settled in Ross county, Ohio, where he resided until 1842 ; he then moved to Indiana, and lived
near Indianapolis until 1856. He next located at Vinton, Iowa, and resided there until a short time before his death. He died in Wa- bash, Indiana, in 1891. He married Sarah Hoyt, a daughter of Rev. Ard Hoyt, a native of New England. She was born in 1795 and died in 1869. They reared the following chil- dren : Charles S., deceased ; Anna, deceased; Cornelius, who now resides at Vinton, Iowa; Ard H., the subject of this sketch; Levi, de- ceased; Milo D., deceased; and Darius H., de- ceased.
Ard H. Ellis received his mental training in the schools of Ohio and Indiana, and fol- lowed the trade of a carpenter from early man- hood until 1865. He was then associated with his brother, Cornelius, in a lumber yard at Vinton, Iowa, which they established and con- ducted until 1876. He then sold his interest to his brother, and located in Parsons, January 25, 1877. In July of the same year, he bought out the furniture store of Wilson & Scarlet, which he operated under the name of A. H. Ellis & Company, until 1882. In the last named year, he took in a Mr. Thornton, and the firm name became Ellis & Thornton, which partnership continued until 1888, when the style was again changed to A. H. Ellis & Com- pany. In 1890, W. H. Martin acquired an interest in the business, and since that date the firm has been Ellis & Martin. They not only conduct a large furniture establishment, but also do undertaking. They receive the pat- ronage of the leading citizens of the com- munity, and the concern ranks among the lead- ing business houses of Parsons. Mr. Ellis is also a stockholder and director of the Parsons State Bank.
In 1856, Mr. Ellis was united in marriage with Miss P. P. Conant, a native of Vermont. Politically, he is a Republican. He is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, in which he
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY
has been an elder since his arrival in Parsons. A portrait of Mr. Ellis accompanies this men- tion of his life.
€ DWIN B. MORGAN, a prosperous young lawyer of Oswego, Labette county, Kansas, has recently rounded out a successful term as city attorney, an office to which he was elected in the spring of 1900. His ability in his profession is uni- versally recognized and he has handled the legal affairs of the city in a most capable man- ner and to the entire satisfaction of the general public.
Mr. Morgan was born in Pike county, Ohio, December 17, 1873, and is a son of Robert and Maria A. ( Daniels) Morgan. His father was a native of Pennsylvania but moved to Pike county, Ohio, when a boy. He was a farmer by occupation and followed farming in that county until his death, at the age of fifty- seven years. His widow now resides at Mound Valley, Kansas. They had five children : Marcus, who resides at Mound Valley, Kansas ; Thomas, who is in Ohio; John B. and Charles K., deceased; and Edwin B.
Edwin B. Morgan received his early mental training in the public schools of Pike county, Ohio, after which he attended high school at Wetmore, Ohio, and at Pleasanton, Kansas, whither he moved in 1892. He began teach- ing school in 1893, and continued until 1896, when he determined to enter the legal profes- sion. He then took a course of lectures in the law department of the University of Kansas, at Lawrence, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, in 1898. He immediately thereafter began practice at Oswego, with Hon. Nelson
Case,-remaining with the Judge until the spring of 1900, since which time he has prac- ticed alone. He is local manager of the Os- wego Telephone Company, and has served as such since November, 1899. He is an en- thusiastic Republican, in politics, and has cam- paigned for the party since he has been in this county. He was elected to the office of city attorney in the spring of 1900, and discharged the duties of that office in a most satisfactory manner. His term expired in April, 1901. He was made a member of the county central committee of his party for the years 1900 and 1901. He has attained the confidence and re- spect of his fellow citizens, and has many friends throughout the county.
Mr. Morgan was married August 1, 1899, to Florence O. Skinner, of Oswego, a daughter of Amos and Mary (Bird) Skinner. Mr. Skinner is a contractor and builder. of Oswego, Kansas. Religiously, Mr. Morgan and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
RED PERKINS, one of the best known business men of Labette county, Kansas, is president of the Oswego State Bank, and has been engaged in negotiating farm loans for the past twenty years. He is an extensive land owner, and has some of the finest farms in the Neosho bottom.
Mr. Perkins was born at Becket, Massa- chusetts, in 1845, and is a son of C. O. and Joanna Sarepta (Snow) Perkins. His father was a native of Massachusetts and lived there all his life, although he spent a considerable portion of his time in Oswego, engaged in the loan business. He died at the age of sixty- seven years. He married Joanna Sarepta
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Snow, who died at an early age. Their union resulted in the birth of one child, Fred, whose name appears at the head of these lines.
Fred Perkins received his primary school- ing in his native town and took an academic course at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, after which he spent a year in the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. He then returned to the East, and in 1868 went west to Bolivar, Missouri, where he was located on a ranch for a period of two years. In 1870 he moved to Oswego township, Labette county, Kansas, and engaged in farming and stock raising with great success. For several years past he has had the finest herd of Hereford cattle in South- ern Kansas, and was the first to introduce that breed in this section of the state. He is an extensive land owner and possesses some fine land in the Neosho bottom, made valuable by his perfect system of tiling which he also in- troduced in this vicinity. He was one of the organizers of the Oswego State Bank, in 1888, and has since served as one of its directors. He was elected to the office of president in 1893, the duties of which position he has since discharged in a most capable manner. By efficient management the bank has been made one of the leading financial institutions of this part of the state, and it enjoys a liberal patron- age from the leading citizens. Mr. Perkins has been engaged in the farm and loan busi- ness for about twenty years and has been finan- cial agent of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company for Southern Kansas and Southern Missouri,-placing all of that com- pany's loans in this territory.
Mr. Perkins was united in marriage in 1869 with Mary E. May, of Woodstock, Connecti- cut, and they are the parents of three children, as follows: Charles S., Kate S., and Eliza- beth M. Charles S. was educated in the Os-
wego High School and the State Normal School, at Emporia, and is now engaged in business with his father; he married Eleanor Allen, by whom he has two children,-Clinton and William Fred. Kate S. and Elizabeth M. were educated at the Oswego College for Young Ladies, from which they graduated. Fraternally, the subject of this sketch is a mem- ber of the blue lodge, A. F. & A. M .; Chapter No. 15. R. A. M .; and Commandery No. 7, K. T. Politically, he favors the principles of the Republican party.
AMES EMERY, an engineer in the service of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company, has been a resident of Kansas since 1875. He was born in Lancastershire, England, Febru- ary 22, 1857, and is a son of James and Mary (Vaughn) Emery.
James Emery, Sr., who was a native of England, in the early part of 1857 sailed for America, and landed at New York City. His family joined him in May of the same year, and for twelve years they made their home in Schenectady, New York, where Mr. Emery carried on farming. In 1867 they moved to Illinois, and located 12 miles north of Aurora, on the Fox river. Mr. Emery was engaged in farming there until May, 1869, when he moved to Kansas, making the journey by wagon, overland. En route he became ac- quainted with some friends of the Clark fam- ily, and was induced to look over the land in Labette county. Mr. Emery bought a claim 12 miles west of Oswego, on Hackberry creek. He subsequently sold this, and bought a farm on the edge of Neosho township, which, also, he disposed of afterward. He moved to Webb
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY
City, Missouri, where he and his wife died. They had five children, namely: Mary, the wife of Jerry Robinette, a farmer near Par- sons ; James, the subject of this sketch ; Alfred, who is mining near Webb City, Missouri, and has three children; Charles; and Sarah ( Har- ker), of Topeka, Kansas.
The subject of this sketch moved to Par- sons, where he worked on Charles W. Ben- nett's farm, and later was engaged with V. J. Knapp at like work. He then entered the service of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Rail- way Company, being employed in the round- house. This was in the spring of 1880; after working in the roundhouse for nine months, he was given a position as fireman, which he filled for fourteen months. Mr. Emery was then promoted to be an engineer, August 5, 1882, and ran a work and coal train on the Choctaw division until August, 1886. After being transferred to Parsons, he was placed on construction work for ten days, and pulled extra freight for two years. Then he was as- signed to a regular run, on engine No. 305. He ran No. 124 for nine years, and in May, 1899, he took charge of a regular passenger run from Parsons to Muskogee, on trains Nos. I and 2. Mr. Emery has had a very success- ful railroad career, having escaped injury and having lost no time on account of accidents.
Mr. Emery married Belle O'Hara, in the Indian Territory. She was born in Kentucky, in 1862, and is a daughter of C. W. and Nan- nie O'Hara, who were both natives of Ken- tucky. She was one of five children, the others being: Maggie (Blackmore); Mrs. E. A. Berry, who lives in South McAlester, Indian Territory ; Mrs. E. W. Berry, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Charles A., deceased. Mrs. O'Hara is now sixty-five years old, and lives with Mr. Emery and his wife. Mr. and Mrs.
Emery have no children of their own, but. have reared two daughters of Mrs. Blackmore.
Mr. Emery is a member of the Republican party. He joined the Masonic order at Sa- vanna, Indian Territory, and was made a. Knight Templar at Parsons. He and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star and of the Fraternal Aid Association. Mr. Emery is a member of the Brotherhood of Lo- comotive Engineers, Division No. 179, of Parsons. He is at present chairman of the local board of adjustment. Mrs. Emery is a member of the Grand International Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. The subject of this sketch and his wife attend the Methodist church.
H. WARNER, a well known farmer living in section 30, township 34. range 21, Richland township, Labette county, Kansas, was born in Union, township, Delaware county, Indiana, in 1845. He is a son of Elias and Celinda (Pierce) Warner.
Elias Warner was a farmer by occupation, and died in Indiana, in 1864. His wife also died in that state. They reared the following children: John. F .. who is in the state of Washington; Elmira (Gustin), who lives in- Missouri; Mary (Moffett), who lives in In- diana; T. H .; Rebecca, the wife of Felix Fra- zee, of Indiana; and Josephine (Constantine), whose husband is a railroad man in In- dianapolis, Indiana.
T. H. Warner was reared and educated in Indiana, where he remained until he was twenty-four years old. In the fall of 1869, in company with his wife and one child, he settled in Labette county, Kansas. He was
RESIDENCE OF LOWELL C. GREEN.
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a poor man, and his success has been due en- tirely to his own efforts. He entered a claim three miles west of his present farm, where he lived for a period of seven years. He then sold this farm, and bought his present one in section 30, in Richland township. This was originally deeded to Charles Quinby, from whom Mr. Warner bought the place. Mr. Warner has made many fine improve- ments on it, and now has 80 acres of farming land. He carries on general farm- ing and stock raising, and has set out a number of grove and fruit trees. Mr. War- ner has worked with untiring energy, and has never been assisted in any way; his success, therefore, is all of his own making. He is a good neighbor, and a public spirited citizen, and is highly respected in the community.
Mr. Warner married Lucinda Graves, who is a native of Indiana. They have three chil- dren, namely: Walter, who operates a thresh- ing machine, and is unmarried ; Otis, who mar- ried Annie Berkman, and is a farmer near Oswego; and Joseph, who is at home, and teaches in District No. 70. Mr. Warner was formerly a Democrat, but now votes an inde- pendent ticket.
L OWELL C. GREEN has been one of the most prominent farmers of Os- wego township, Labette county, Kan- sas, since 1892, and is one of the most successful agriculturists and stock raisers of the community.
Mr. Green was born in Lake county, Ohio, in 1845, and is a son of Ebenezer and Polly (Tallman) Green. His father was born in Lake county, Ohio, in 1798, and resided there until 1856, when he removed to Union county,
Ohio, where he died in 1862. He and his worthy wife became the parents of seven chil- dren, as follows: Amos, deceased ; Laura M., deceased; Lewis, who resides in Vermilion county, Illinois; Marietta, deceased; Martha, deceased ; Harriet (Boyd) ; and Lowell C., the subject hereof.
Lowell C. Green remained in his native county until he was ten years old, when he re- moved with his parents to Union county, Ohio. He received a primary education in the com- mon schools of Union county, and resided on the farm with his father until he was eighteen years of age. He then enlisted in Company H, 82d Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., November 23, 1863, and was attached to the Army of the Tennessee, under "Fighting Joe" Hooker, -- participating in the battles of Resaca, Buz- zard's ·Roost, and Peach Tree Creek. He was taken prisoner at Blackville, and confined in Libby Prison for ninety days, when he was paroled and sent to Camp Chase, at Columbus, Ohio, where he was mustered out in June, 1865. He immediately returned to his home in Union county, Ohio, and in the fall of 1865 went to Vermilion county, Illinois, where he rented a farm for one year. In 1866. he jour- neyed west, to Denver, Colorado, and spent two years prospecting in the mountains in that state. In 1868 he returned to Vermilion coun- ty, Illinois, where he purchased a farm of 400 acres, upon which he resided until 1892, when he moved to Labette county, Kansas. He bought and located upon a tract of 640 acres of land lying in sections 29 and 33, in Oswego township, and during his nine years residence upon it has been extensively engaged in farm- ing and in breeding and raising standard-bred horses. Among his stallions are Prince Alcy- mont, 3076, and Alcy Green, 34304. The former was foaled in 1894 and was bred by
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L. W. Green, of Indianola, Illinois. The lat- ter, also bred by L. WV. Green, was foaled in 1897, and can trot and pace better than 2:30 without handling. Mr. Green has been ex- ceedingly successful in his work, and is one of the substantial men of the township.
Mr. Green was united in marriage at the age of twenty-four years, with Lucinda Fisher, whose parents resided in Vermilion county, Illinois, and they became the parents of the following children: Fred, deceased; Fay; David; Mary, deceased; Lydia; Lowell, Jr .; and Maude. In religious belief Mrs. Green is a member of the M. E. church. Socially Mr. Green is a member of the I. O. O. F., of Sidell, Illinois. He is also a member of the G. A. R. Post, of Oswego, and of the M. W. of A. In political belief he is a stanch Re- publican, and while in Illinois held several township offices. A view of Mr. Green's resi- dence accompanies this sketch.
YRUS C. RICHART, deceased, was one of the prosperous pioneer farm- ers of Labette county, Kansas, where he took up his residence. in the spring of 1867. He was born in Akron, Ohio, January 5. 1838, and was a son of Thomas and Armina (Capron) Richart.
Thomas Richart was a native of Holland ; in 1825, when a lad of fourteen years, he em- barked for the United States, and upon his ar- rival located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade as a marble cutter. When nineteen years old, he wedded Armina Capron, of Brattleboro, Vermont, and they lived in Scranton until 1837, when he changed his place of residence to Akron, Ohio. There he remained until 1845, when he moved to
Hancock county, Illinois, where he passed from this life in 1893, aged eighty-two years. His wife followed him just ten days later, aged seventy-nine years. To them were born the following children: Oscar, deceased; Cyrus, deceased; Nelson, of Chicago, Illinois; and George, also of Chicago.
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