USA > Kansas > Labette County > History of Labette County, Kansas, and representative citizens > Part 82
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B. F. Howell was born in Pennsylvania in 1828, and was a farmer by occupation. He was united in marriage with Amanda Henninger, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1832, and they reared the following children : John W., the subject of this sketch; Mary: Susan; Lovie; and Clark.
John W. Howell resided in his native coun- ty and was engaged in farming until 1880, when he came to Montana township. Labette county, Kansas. He located one and a half miles north of Montana, in the northwest quar- ter of section 5. Montana township, and the
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MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH PRICE.
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southwest quarter of section 32, Neosho town- ship. He resided there until 1890, when he located in the town of Montana, and started there the first cheese factory in Labette coun- ty. He also had factories in Oswego and Chetopa, which he operated for a period of five years. He opened a grocery store in Montana in 1886, and has since engaged in that line of business.
Mr. Howell was united in marriage with Mary E. Goddard, who was born in Ohio in 1855. In politics he is independent. He is a member of Montana Lodge, No. 4, Home Builders' Union; and of the Masonic order. Religiously, he and his family are members of the Christian church.
OSEPH PRICE. Among the best known and most highly respected farmers of Mound Valley township. Labette county, Kansas, is the gentle- man whose name begins this sketch. He lives in section 20, township 33, range 18, where he carries on diversified farming. Mr. Price was born in Wales, in 1832, and when he was but three weeks old his parents died of cholera.
Mr. Price has no kin-folk in America as far as he knows. When his parents died, he was claimed by an uncle, whose name was John Pierce. Later, this uncle was accidentally burned to death. Mr. Price followed coal mining in Wales, and in 1861 came to Amer- ica, where he settled in Pennsylvania. There he also mined, and afterward followed the same occupation in Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri. In 1872, he removed to Labette county, Kan- sas, having visited in the Sunflower. State during the previous year. He took up in Mound Valley township the southwest quarter 40
of section 20, township 33, range 18, and sub- sequently bought a half section in Canada town- ship. This claim in Mound Valley,-his pres- ent home,-was the only one not claimed by the railroad company. He bought the farm from John Williams, and paid $750 for it. Later, he acquired title to the place. Mr. Will- iams had built a log house on the farm, and had broken about twenty-five acres of the land. Mr. Price has made many improvements and it is a very valuable piece of land. Pumpkin Creek enters near the center, on the north edge, and runs out near the southwest corner, thus affording a good supply of water. Mr. Price raises wheat, corn and oats, and cattle and hogs, having earned enough to buy other farms. He now owns 415 acres of land, and is a very prosperous man. He is a good man- ager, and much of his success has been due to that fact. He has been a diligent and con- scientious worker, and has just cause to be proud of his home, which is one of the best in the county. He set out a goodly amount of hedge and a large number of trees, which bear fruit each year.
Mr. Price was married, in Wales, to Char- lotte Andrews, who was born in 1825. They have been blessed with one daughter : Elizabeth Polly (Summers). She lives in the southwest part of Mound Valley township, and has five children, namely: William, aged twenty-one years; Olive, aged nineteen years; Eugene, aged sixteen years; Ray, aged twelve years; and Lorene, aged eight years.
Politically Mr. Price was formerly a Re- publican, and voted that ticket until Grant's second term. Since that time, he has been a follower of the Greenback party and the Union Labor party; and at present he is a Populist. Although he does not aspire to office, lie takes an active interest in local politics. He was a
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member of the I. O. O. F. fraternity, in Wales. He is liberal in religious views. There is no farmer in Mound Valley township and throughout Labette county, who is held in higher esteem than Mr. Price. He is a man who keeps posted on all topics of the day, and and is very fond of spending his leisure hours in reading standard literature. He is a good neighbor, and his friends are many. The following poem is appropriate in that it voices Mr. Price's sentiments in regard to the beloved Sunflower State:
" Old Empire is our father land, The home of long ago, Where in happy days of childhood We wandered to and fro, To pluck the meadow lily And the buttercup of gold, And thought the beauty of our home Could never half be told.
Long since we left that fairy spot To seek another clime, We found other lands more lovely With scenery more sublime. But the land that we have chosen And the one that we love besi Is the sunny land of Kansas, The glory of the West.
We have heard of 'bleeding Kansas,' Of pestilence and dearth, And had learned to look upon her As the Sodom of the earth, Where the red man and the buffalo At liberty did roam, And poverty and want Invaded every home.
But the red man and his war trail Have both passed away, And the ashes from their camp-fires Have smouldered to decay. Whilst the poor affrighted buffalo Finds not a place to rest In all the land of Kansas, The glory of the West.
Ambition is the keystone To influence and fame; It has raised up struggling Kansas And won for her a name. Her broad extensive prairies Are beautiful to view When clothed in Nature's verdure And flowers of every hue. While endless fields of cereals, The largest and the best, Grow from the soil of Kansas, The glory of the West."
Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Price accompany the foregoing sketch, being shown on a page in proximity to this.
AMES WILSON, a prominent mer- chant and grain dealer of Elm City, Labette county, Kansas, has been a resident of Elm Grove township since 1879. He was born in Ohio in 1833, and is a son of Hiram and Martha (Wallace) Wilson.
Hiram Wilson was born in Virginia in 1809, and was a carpenter and miller by trade. He married Martha Wallace, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1811, and they reared seven children : Margaret ; James ; Samuel; Daniel ; Henry ; Martha ; and George.
James Wilson learned the trade of a car- penter while young. He followed this until he enlisted, in 1863, in Company K, 78th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf.,-serving under General Sher- man. He was honorably discharged, at Colum- bus, Ohio, at the close of the war. He saw much hard service, and took part in the bat- tles at Savannah, Georgia, and Columbus and Orangeburg, South Carolina. He returned to Ohio at the close of the war. In 1879 he de- cided to remove to the West, and accordingly set out to make the trip by wagon. He con-
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sumed fifty-three days in making the journey. After reaching Labette county he settled in Elm Grove township, where he farmed for four years. He returned to Ohio in 1883, on ac- count of his father's failing health, and was engaged as a merchant until 1887. In 1887 he returned to Kansas, and opened his present store in Elm City, where he has since suc- cessfully carried on that business. He is also a dealer in grain. Mr. Wilson is a man of good business principles, and is quite promi- nent in Elm City. He is always interested in municipal affairs, and is one of the first to assist in any public enterprise.
Mr. Wilson married Matilda J. Thorne, who was born in Ohio in 1837, and their union has resulted in the birth of five children, name- ly : Margaret ; H. A .; Martha A .; Mary A .; and D. J. H. A. is in partnership with his father, and is also postmaster of Elm City. He married Estella Hays, and they have two chil- dren,-Howard and Irene. Martha A. and Mary A. are twins.
Mr. Wilson is a Republican in politics. He is a member of the G. A. R., Post No. 279, of Edna. He belongs to the Anti-Horsethief As- sociation. Religiously, he is a member of the Christian church.
A C. LIVESAY. Prominent among the many thrifty and successful farm- ers of Montana township, Labette county, Kansas, is the subject of this sketch. In 1873 he sought a home in the West and carved out of wild and rough material his present farm, one of the finest and best improved pieces of real estate in Montana township. Mr. Livesay was born in Maury county, Tennessee, in 1825, and resided there
until 1832, when his parents moved to Wash- ington county, Illinois. He is a son of Carter and Elizabeth (Wright) Livesay.
Carter Livesay was born in Virginia and followed farming. He was married three times and reared a large family of children. The following named were the fruit of his first union, that in which Elizabeth Wright, a native of Tennessee, was his wife: Charlotte, Polly, Thomas, Jesse, William, Caroline, George, Jane, A. C., Robert, Martha and John. By his second wife, Rachel Phillips, he had one child, Rachel. His third wife, Mabel Per- kins, made him the father of three children: James, Nelson and Louis.
A. C. Livesay spent his boyhood in Wash- ington county, Illinois, doing farm work, and when older learned the carpenter's trade, which he found of great service to him in building up his western home. He married Delinda Finch, a native of Jefferson county, Illinois, and moved to his present home in Montana township in 1873. Charles Williams, from whom he pur- chased his farm, had made some improvements on the land during his ownership, having built a cabin, sunk a well, planted Osage hedge on three sides of the farm, and broken 37 acres of ground. Since Mr. Livesay has had possession of the land, varied and modern improvements have sprung up on every side, making it one of the best farms in Montana township. In 1878 he built his present comfortable residence, a two-story, six-room structure. In politics Mr. Livesay is a Republican : he speaks with pride of the exciting scenes in connection with the elections of 1860-1864, and boasts of hav- ing cast his vote each time for Abraham Lincoln.
Mr. Livesay and wife have reared seven children. They are: William; Francis; Laura; Hicks; Edith; A. C., Jr. ; and Charles.
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A. C. Livesay, Jr., lives at home and over- sees the farm work,-he is a Republican in politics, and served in 1898 as clerk of his township.
Mr. Livesay has profited by the years he has devoted to the pursuits of agriculture, and has developed into a man of broad ideas, who is thoroughly informed on all points relating in the remotest fashion to his business. He is a man of good purpose and his private and public life elicits the profound respect of those with whom he comes in contact. His advanced years do not prevent him from mingling with younger men in the active field of business, nor from taking an intelligent interest in matters of moment to the township, county and state at large. He is a citizen of whom any county might well be proud, and Labette county is fortunate in being mainly settled by repre- sentative men from the different states of the Union, who have sought homes within its borders.
RS. MELISSA WOOD. It is al- ways a matter of the keenest in- terest to review the lives of pioneer settlers and note the changes time has made in their surroundings. The subject of this brief sketch is the daughter of John S. and Mary ( Forbes) Slater. Her father, who was an Englishman, emigrated to the United States when a youth, eighteen years old. He married Mary Forbes, a native of Ireland, who came to America when a girl. They set- tled down to wedded life in Mercer county. Pennsylvania, where he followed the combined pursuits of carpenter, wagon-maker and farm- er. . They reared a family of four children, viz .: Sarah, deceased : Melissa; Lydia; and Eleanor.
Melissa Slater was born in Mercer coun- ty, Pennsylvania, in 1835, and resided there until she was about twenty years of age. She then moved to Jackson county, Iowa, where she resided until she moved to Kansas, with her husband, in 1875. They located on her pres- ent farm,-the west half of the northwest quarter of section 30, Montana township, on which she has resided since that time. She carries on general farming and fruit raising.
Nathaniel A. Wood, her husband, was a native of Ohio, and was born in 1818. He was reared to farm life, and followed that hon- orable calling all his life. Death called him from labor to rest, in 1889, at the ripe age of seventy-one years.
Mr. and Mrs. Wood reared three children, who are well advanced in the walks of life. Maxwell is employed by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company, and resides in Denison, Texas; Alice lives at home with her mother, and is her comfort and solace in her leclining years. Frank A. is employed by the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway Company, and resides at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mrs. Wood is a devout Christian woman, and a consistent member of the -Methodist Episcopal church.
OSEPH W. BROWN, a prominent and influential farmer of Montana township, Labette county, Kansas, has been located on his present farm, in the northeast quarter of section 19, since 1867. He was born in Ohio in 1838, and is a son of J. and Mary A. (Myers) Brown.
J. Brown was born in Kentucky, and was a butcher and a blacksmith by trade, and fol- lowed these occupations at different times. He married Mary A. Myers, who was born in
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Ohio, and they reared the following children : Benjamin ; Joseph W .; LaFayette; Ellen ; Em- ma ; and Joshua.
Joseph W. Brown was reared in Iowa, and resided there until 1867, where his parents had located in Lee county. After residing there for two years he moved to Decatur county, Iowa, and farmed there until he came to Kan- sas; he also followed the trade of a carpenter for eight years. He came to Labette county, Kansas, in the spring of 1867, in wagons, leaving Iowa on May 7th, and arriving in La- bette county on June 15th. He located on his present farm, in the northeast quarter of sec- tion 19, Montana township, and entered his claim at Humboldt, Kansas. He built a cabin. 16 feet square, and broke some land the first spring. He has since resided on this prop- erty, engaged in general farming. He has a well improved farm and excellent farm build- ings, which are so necessary to a successful pur- suance of this calling.
Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Elizabeth Burket, who was born in Indiana, and died in 1864. They were parents of the following children : Psyche and Mary E., both deceased ; and Rerschel, who lives in Missouri. He formed a second union in 1866, wedding Martha Williams, who was born in Ohio; they are the parents of seven children, as follows : Minnie: Theodosia; Maud; Lloyd; Dallis; Murle; and Elsie. In politics Mr. Brown is independent, and has served on the school board of the township.
C. HILLIGOSS, a prominent citizen of the town of Montana, Labette county, Kansas, is a veteran of, the Civil War, and bears an honorable record for service in that struggle. He was
born in Fayette county, Indiana, in 1847, and is a son of R. A. Hilligoss.
R. A. Hilligoss was born in Kentucky, and became a minister of the Gospel. He was united in marriage with Elizabeth Justice, a native of Kentucky, and they reared three chil- dren, as follows: A. C., the subject of this sketch; Frank L .; and Lila.
A. C. Hilligoss attended school until 1862, when he enlisted in Company I, 7th Reg., Ind. Vol. Inf. He served with his regiment for five months, and then reenlisted in the 124th Reg .. Ind. Vol. Inf., in which he served until the close of the war, under Colonel Burgess. He participated in the battles of Stone River, Franklin, Peach Tree Creek, and the sieges of Atlanta and Fort Fisher. After the war he returned to Indiana and attended school for one year. He came to Kansas on September 23, 1869, and located in Crawford county, where he resided until 1874. In that year he removed to Howard county, Kansas, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1891. He served as under-sheriff there for two years, and was county clerk from 1883 until 1887. He came to Labette county, located in Montana, Montana township, in 1891, and has since made his home here. He built his present fine resi- cence in 1898,-one of the most attractive homes of the town. He also owns two sub- stantial business blocks in Montana. He is a man of good business ability and many fine qualities, and has many warm friends.
Mr. Hilligoss was united in matrimony with Nellie J. Wolverton, who was born in Montana township. By a previous marriage with Belle Mizeley, of Iowa, he had four chil- dren, namely: Dolly ; Charles, a farmer and stock raiser, of Montana township: William, a farmer in Kansas; and Lila, who lives at home. Politically, he is a stanch supporter of
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the principles of the Republican party. He is a member of Stone River Post, No. 74, G. A. R. Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America; and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. In religious views, the family favor the M. E. church.
REDERICK T. DIENST has been one of the leading farmers of Labette county since 1868, and resides in sec- tion 3, Labette township. He was born in Wayne county, Indiana, in 1853, and is a son of John H. and Henrietta (Gates) Dienst.
John H. Dienst was born in Germany, and was a tailor by trade. He married Henrietta Gates, who was also born in Germany, and they reared eight children : John L. and Caro- line E., both deceased; Benjamin F., who lives in Parsons, Kansas; Frederick T .; George E .; Daniel W .; Lola E .; and James M.
When Frederick T. Dienst was fifteen years old he moved with his father to Osage town- ship, Labette county, where they lived for six years. They lived three miles from the no- torious Benders, of that township. In Octo- ber, 1873, Mr. Dienst left Kansas, and went to Indiana, where he lived for ten years, dur- ing which time he was engaged in farming. In 1883 he returned to Labette county, and located in Labette township, where he has since resided. He is a thrifty farmer, and has been very successful.
Mr. Dienst married Sarah E. Keck, who was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, in 1857. She is a daughter of F. Keck, who was a German farmer. He married Miss McNeal, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana, and they reared two children, namely: Ellen and
Sarah E. Mr. and Mrs. Dienst have had seven children, namely: Daisy E .; Hattie; Lola E .; Frank T .; Earnest R .; Robert O .; and Mabel R.
Mr. Dienst is a public-spirited man, and has taken an active part in all township affairs. He has held the office of postmaster of Iden- bro some time, and has served five years on the school board. He is a member of the Pop- ulist party, has been trustee of Labette town- ship for one term, and served as justice of the peace for two years. Mr. Dienst is a Mason, and also belongs to the A. O. U. W. and Court of Honor. He is widely known in the county, and is an honest, upright man.
m ARTIN HAGGARD. Montana township, Labette county, Kansas, is composed mainly of representa- tive men from all sections of the Union, who have sought homes in the Sun- flower State. In every community there are men who have made farming a lifelong study, have finished their part in the arduous duties of daily life, and have fought the battle,- winning only after severe and exhausting ef- fort. Such men and such characters as above described make up the farming element of La- bette county.
Martin Haggard is one of the many promi- nent and progressive farmers of Montana town- ship. He was born near Springfield, Illinois, in 1836. The early part of his life was spent on a farm, and later in life he followed the carpenter's trade, thus doubly fitting himself for the battle of life. He came to Montana township, Labette county, Kansas, in 1866, and purchased his present home,-the north half of the southeast quarter of section 30.
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Using his own knowledge of the carpenter's trade, he built his house and improved his farm by his own labor. He is a member of the Anti-Horsethief Association, Labette Lodge, No. 23.
Mr. Haggard's parents, Aaron and Sallie (Steal) Haggard, were both born in Clark county, Kentucky. After their marriage they removed to Sangamon county, Illinois, located near Springfield, and engaged in farming. They reared 10 children, of whom all but three are deceased. Martin (second) is the only one living in Kansas. Zerilda Ruldey (Hazlett) lives on the old farm near Springfield, and Sallie (Robinson ) resides at Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Martin Haggard married Catherine Tiger, who is now deceased; the issue of this union was one child, Ada May, deceased. He mar- ried, for his second wife, Sallie Smalley, who was born in Ohio.
URELIUS BROOKS. Among the many influential farmers living in Labette county, Kansas, is the gentle- man whose name appears at the open- ing of these lines. He is living in Walton township, in the northeast quarter of section 29. Mr. Brooks was born in Wayne county. Indiana, in 1846, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Vorhis) Brooks.
Jacob Brooks was born in Virginia in 1795, but spent most of his life engaged in farming in Indiana. He married Mary (Vor- his) Felter, who was born in Ohio, in 1802, and they had eight children, as follows: Mary; Jackson; Martha; Thomas; Irene; Adeline; Josephine ; and Aurelius.
Aurelius Brooks lived on his father's farm
until he located in Kansas, in 1885. He had been a farmer in Indiana, and has always fol- lowed that occupation. Mr. Brooks bought his present farm, on coming to Kansas, and has lived there ever since. He carries on general farming and stock raising, and has been very successful. He is a careful, conscientious workman, and his farm presents a thrifty ap- pearance.
Mr. Brooks married Mary E. Miller, who was born in Fayette county, Indiana, in 1851, and they have been blessed with six children, namely: Harry, who lives in Parsons, Kan- sas, and is employed by the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company: Mary, who is a pupil at the State Normal School at Emporia, Kansas, and graduates with the class of 1902; Clarence ; Charles; Bertha, deceased ; and Irene, who is attending school. Mr. Brooks is a Democrat in politics, and takes an active interest in the political affairs of the township. He has served one term as township trustee, and has served on the school board for a period of eleven years. He is now treasurer of the school board. Mr. Brooks is a member of the Anti-Horsethief Association. He belongs to the A. O. U. W., Lodge No. I, of Parsons. With his family, he attends the Methodist church.
HARLES W. GUNTHER. This gentleman has been engaged in the horseshoeing and blacksmithing busi- ness for a number of years, and has been located at Parsons, Kansas. He was born in Morris county, New Jersey, in 1865, and is a son of John H. and Elizabeth (Smith) Gunther.
John H. Gunther, his father, was a na- tive of Germany, and was a woodworker by
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY
trade. He married Elizabeth Smith, who was born in New Jersey, and they reared : George; Smith J .: Charles W .; Harry; Lizzie; Mar- garet ; Fred; and Edward.
Charles W. Gunther lived in New Jersey until he reached the age of nineteen years. There he learned the trade of a blacksmith and horseshoer. He left New Jersey in 1885, going west, and locating in Parsons, Kansas. He worked a year and a half for Mr. Tyler, who owned a blacksmith shop at that time. In 1887 Mr. Gunther bought out Mr. Tyler's business, and his shop is now on Washing- ton avenue. He is a very good workman, hav- ing a thorough knowledge of his business, and employs competent men to assist him. Mr. Gunther bought his home, which is in the southeast quarter of section 23. Walton town. ship, southwest of Parsons. He built a com- fortable. seven-room house in 1895. Mr. Gunther was united in marriage with Alice Duval, who was born in Virginia, in 1870, and they have been blessed with three children, namely : Claude S .: Bessie M .; and Leslie A.
Mr. Gunther is a stanch member of the Democratic party, and takes an active interest in local politics. Both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church. They have a wide circle of friends, and are highly re- spected by all.
RS. HETTIE REED, a resident of Parsons, Kansas, and an extensive land owner in Labette county, was born on a farm in Illinois in 1863, and is a daughter of Albert G. and Lucy M. (Rice ) Burnett.
Albert G. Burnett was born in New York in 1823. He followed the occupation of a farmer, merchant and millwright. He moved
to Kansas, and located six miles south of Par- sons, where he bought a mill, which he operated until 1887. Mr. Burnett died in 1898: He was a Democrat in politics, and a very promi- nent man. He married Lucy M. Rice, who was born in New York in 1821, and died in 1895. They reared the following children, namely: Alvah; Hettie, the subject of this sketch ; Mary : and James.
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