USA > Kansas > Leavenworth County > History of Leavenworth County Kansas > Part 46
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
To James and Margaret McFarland were born thirteen children, as follows: John McFarland, subject of this sketch; Mrs. Annie Irvine, Leav- enworth, Kansas; R. G., deputy city assessor of St. Louis, Missouri; C. A., a sergeant of the United States Army, having enlisted during the Spanish-American War, was with the relief expedition sent by the United States to China during the Boxer uprising and he also saw service with Pershing in Mexico and later overseas in France, and was wounded and suffered from shellshock; Mrs. Lizzie Dinsmore, Scio, Oregon; Mark, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, at present foreman of the Soldiers Home boiler house; Willie, telegraph operator for the Associated Press at Hot Springs, Arkansas; Bell McFarland, Leavenworth, Kansas; G. A., general claim agent for the Wabash railway freight department at St. Louis, Missouri.
John McFarland received his education in the public school of Fort Leavenworth and graduated from the high school of Leavenworth in 1885. He was employed by the Great Western Stove Company for ten years and for fourteen years he was with the Leavenworth Fire Department. He served as deputy clerk of the District Court for one year, receiving his appointment from R. G. McFarland. He was then appointed deputy as- sessor under Stephen Meagher and finished his term under Mr. Hunt. When the office of assessor was abolished, Mr. McFarland was appointed deputy assessor and has held that position for eleven years.
Mr. McFarland was married June 3, 1891 to Annie Otto, a daughter of Fred and Mary Otto of Leavenworth, Kansas, both deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. McFarland have been born three children, as follows: Grace, wife of First Lieutenant E. K. Crowley of Topeka, Kansas; James, with the Gooch Milling Company, Lincoln, Nebraska; John, Jr., a student in the Leavenworth High School. He is sixteen years old and is first lieutenant in the Officer Reserve Corps at the Leavenworth High School.
Mr. McFarland is a member of King Solomon No. 10, A. F. & A. M .; Leavenworth Chapter No. 1, Royal Arch Mason; Commandery No. 1; Ab- dallah Temple Shrine; Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Fraternal Order of Eagles.
In his work as assessor, Mr. McFarland has perfected the most com- plete card index system of personal property for the taxpayers of Leaven- worth County. It is said to be the best made, and through this system he is enabled to put his hand on the assessment sheet of any taxpayer in the county instantly.
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
Leonidas C. Clark, the present county engineer of Leavenworth County, is a descendant of Taylor Clark, who came with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower. Leonidas C. Clark was born in Andrew County, Missouri, November 23, 1875, the son of George W. and Olive Ann (Carter) Clark. George W. Clark was born in Andrew County, Missouri and his wife in Fulton County, Indiana, on the banks of Lake Moreau. His father, Jere- miah Clark, was born in New Hampshire.
Jeremiah Clark, an early pioneer of Missouri, was one of nine brothers reared in New Hampshire. The great West called for men for government surveying and Jeremiah Clark responded to the call, the only one of the nine brothers who left his native state. He located in Missouri and had charge of the government field party who surveyed the northwest part of Missouri. He also was put in charge of and constructed the Indian mills in different parts of northwest Missouri. During his years of labor he became a warm friend of Joseph Robideaux, an Indian trader, who founded St. Joseph, Missouri. Jeremiah Clark and his wife were the first white man and wife to spend the night on the present townsite of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Jeremiah Clark married Elizabeth Duncan at Liberty, Missouri. She was a third cousin of George Washington. Jeremiah Clark and his wife died in Savannah, Missouri, where they were laid to rest.
George W. Clark, the son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Duncan) Clark, was educated in the Savannah public schools and he studied engineering under his father. He was a railroad contractor and did county work also. He and his wife live in Savannah, Missouri, and their ages are seventy- one and sixty-eight years, respectively.
They were the parents of the following children: A. G., a traveling salesman, who died in 1918; Kline, a contractor at Savannah, Missouri; Leonidas G., the subject of this sketch; Gertrude, the wife of Thomas Jenkins, St. Joseph, Missouri; Effie, wife of T. W. Rose, St. Joseph, Mis- souri; Goldie, wife of Elmer Howard, Savannah, Missouri.
Leonidas Clark received his education in the public schools of Savan- nah, Missouri. He graduated from high school in 1893 and accompanied his father in his engineering and construction work. When seventeen years of age he had charge of all the force account work of the Great Western railroad between Kansas City, Missouri, and Des Moines, Iowa. L. C. Clark has continued his contracting and building work all of these years.
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
In 1905 Leonidas C. Clark located at Leavenworth, on a farm where he remained until 1918, when he was recommended by the county board for county engineer. The State Highway Commission appointed him to the position and he has faithfully filled it. One of his important engi- neering constructions is the Fort to Fort road, a distance of twenty-six miles.
Leonidas C. Clark and Mattie Sanders, now deceased, were united in marriage in 1900. They had two children: Jack, now a junior in Leaven- worth High School, and Olive.
November 23, 1918, Leonidas C. Clark and Mrs. Agnes Benner Rems- berg were united in marriage. By a former marriage to Charles Remsberg Mrs. Clark has one son, John, a sophomore in Leavenworth High School.
L. C. Clark is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Leaven- worth, a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, a member of the York Rite and the Scottish Rite bodies of Masons, Eastern Star and Shrine. He is also a member of the Kansas Engineering Society, Kansas Engineering Council and National Good Roads Association, as well as a member of the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce.
Duke W. Hooper, the capable and well known county attorney for Leavenworth County, Kansas, is a native of this county. He was born in Leavenworth, September 9, 1895, the son of William W. Hooper and Sarah E. (Duke) Hooper. William W. Hooper was born in Nebraska, and is also a lawyer. He has practiced in Leavenworth since 1887. His wife was born in Olathe, Kansas, February 11, 1873, and is a daughter of John and Emily Duke, who were early settlers of Johnson County, Kansas, and later moved to Leavenworth in 1877. The Hooper family came from Eng- land and settled in Fremont, Nebraska.
Mr. and Mrs. William W. Hooper have had three children: Duke W., the subject of this sketch; Paul R., and Meredyth Louise Hooper, a daughter. .
Duke W. Hooper received his education in the public schools, and was graduated from the high school in 1913. He attended the Kansas City School of Law and was graduated in 1916, and on June 22, 1916, he was admitted to the bar and has practiced since that time.
Mr. Hooper was appointed city attorney of Leavenworth under Mayor James C. Davis' administration, on April 9, 1919. He made the race for
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
county attorney and was elected on the Democratic ticket by a majority of 991 November 2, 1920. Mr. Hooper is an able, conscientious young attorney and is meeting with well merited success. He is an active, am- bitious and wide awake young man and has a promising future.
Mr. Hooper is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Royal Arch Chapter, Leavenworth Commandery of Knights Templar and Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks No. 661, also the Thomas Hart Benton Chapter Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity of Kansas City, Missouri.
C. F. Mensing, a member of a pioneer family of Kansas, is one of the most widely known picture show proprietors in the state. He was born in Manhattan, Kansas in 1875, and is the son of J. F. and Clara Mensing, who were early settlers of that city, the former being one of the first merchants locating in Manhattan in 1865.
C. F. Mensing was one of the early men in the picture show business, and was first engaged in that line of work in 1897 at a time when the pic- ture show was in its infancy. He operated a show in Kansas City, Mis- souri, and instituted popular price ten cent vaudeville. He came to Leav- enworth in 1908 and remodeled the old McKelvery livery barn into the Hippodrome Skating Rink, and built the Casino picture house, where the Masonic Temple now stands. He then built the Princess movie house, where the Linck Sill and Kirmayer Clothing House is now located. He also took over the Coliseum skating rink and made a success of that busi- ness. He later bought the Palm and Fern Movie Show from Mr. Lansing, and the Airdrome Theater on Shawnee Street. He purchased the Or- pheum in 1912 from M. B. Shamberg, which he still owns and operates. In the same year he bought the Lyceum Theater, which was being fore- closed under mortgage. He also owns and operates this show.
The Orpheum has a reputation throughout the state for its fine pro- jection and excellent music. The capacity of the Orpheum Theater is 1,000 and that of the Lyceum is 750. These show houses are two of the best in Kansas. Mr. Mensing has a thorough knowledge of the business and the people of Leavenworth appreciate the result of his wide experi- ence in the amusement line, and an excellent and substantial patronage is given him. Mr. Mensing is wide awake and progressive and endeavors to give the people the very best and latest shows.
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
C. F. Mensing was married in 1900 to Goldie Helms, of Cherryvale, Kansas, and they have two children: John and Mary Lou. The family are highly respected citizens of Leavenworth.
Gus Schroeder, well known chief of the Fire Department of Leaven- worth, Kansas, was born in Germany, April 16, 1866, and came to Leaven- worth with his parents, August and Minnie Schroeder, both of whom died in 1874.
Gus Schroeder attended the public schools of Leavenworth, and after leaving school worked at different occupations, two years of which were spent on the plains as cow puncher. He began with the fire department on November 1, 1892, and was appointed chief on April 11, 1917, succeed- ing Michael Bahler.
The fire equipment of Leavenworth is as fine as any city of its size. It consists of two White combination hose wagons, one White service truck, one Fulton hose truck, and the chief's car, which is a Stutz road- ster. There are seventeen men in the department, serving twelve hours per day, and two stations. No. 1 station is located at Fifth and Shawnee streets and No. 2 is at Fifth Avenue and Spruce Street.
Among the big fires at Leavenworth the past twenty-five years Mr. Schroeder has a record of the following: The old sugar factory, cattle sheds, which covered four blacks, Ryan elevator, Broadway planing mill and the Kelly broom and corn mill. The above fires, with one exception, occurred prior to the establishment of the motor equipment, which demon- strates the value of quick service.
Mr. Schroeder's force not only serves the residential district inside the city limits, but, with the new equipment and chemicals, is enabled to render valuable assistance to property in suburban districts. Within three minutes, or less, from the time a call is sent in, a fire within one mile of the department can be reached, whereas, with the horses, at least ten minutes more would be required. Mr. Schroeder is a capable man, wise in the handling of men, a good executive, and, in fighting a fire, is always able to take advantage of every opportunity.
Gus Schroeder was married January 5, 1895 to Amelia Lentz, of Leavenworth, a native of Germany, but who came to Leavenworth with her parents when a small child. To Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder have been born seven children, as follows: Edward, who died at the age of twenty-
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
one years, and who was registered for United States service at the time of his death; Hilda, Elmer, Robert, Helen, Ida and Henry, all at home. The family reside at 630 West Seventh Street. Mr. Schroeder is a mem- mer of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Peter V. Taschetta, a member of a pioneer family of Leavenworth, is the well known assistant fire chief of the Fire Department, Station No. 2. He was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, December 29, 1865, and is the son of Peter and Elizabeth (Adam) Taschetta, now deceased. The former was a pioneer grocer of Leavenworth, his business having been located on Delaware, between Third and Fourth streets, and later he moved to Ran- dolph and Franklin streets. He was in business in that city for about forty years. He died on November 5, 1897, his wife having died twenty- one years previously. They were the parents of the following children: Charles A., who is now postmaster of Leavenworth; Elizabeth; Peter V., the subject of this sketch; Frank A., head bill clerk at the Great Western Stove Company; and Anna K., the wife of Thomas J. Brown, one of the owners of the Hippodrome Theater.
Peter V. Taschetta was educated in the public schools of Leaven- worth. At the age of twenty-three years he entered the fire department, with which he has served continuously for thirty-three years. He has been assistant chief since 1908, and for twelve years previous was foreman.
Mr. Taschetta was married October 23, 1901 to Anna Ode, of Leaven- worth, a native of Germany, who came with her parents to the United States at an early age and was educated in Leavenworth.
Mr. and Mrs. Taschetta's family consists of the following children: Hazel, graduate of the Leavenworth High School, and Dorothy and El- dred, both students. The family resides at 106 Fifth Avenue.
Ben H. Knipe, one of the leading and progressive men of Leaven- worth, is the manager of the Ben H. Knipe Transfer Company, which is located at Second and Cherokee streets. He was born in Leavenworth April 2, 1889, and is the son of Hubert and Sybila Knipe.
Hubert Knipe was a native of Missouri and came to Kansas before the Civil War. During the war he was in the Union Army, enlisting from Kansas. He returned to Leavenworth at the close of the war and opened
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
a grocery store at Sixth and Miami streets, and followed this business until 1900, when he opened up a transfer business, with offices at 321 Cherokee Street. He died in 1915 and is buried at Mt. Muncie. He was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His wife died in 1894.
Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Knipe were the parents of the following chil- dren: Hubert, Jr., of Portland, Oregon; Margaret, the wife of Dr. L. M. Barney, of Denver, Colorado; Henry C., the proprietor of the Sunny Side Floral Company, of Leavenworth; Edith, who is manager of the cloak department in a department store in Chicago; Nellie, the wife of R. O. Hinz, a florist of Leavenworth; and Ben H. Knipe, the subject of this sketch.
Ben H. Knipe was educated in the schools of Leavenworth, and was graduated from the high school in 1909. He then entered the transfer business with his father, and after his father's death he and his brother, Henry, succeeded to the business, and later Ben H. Knipe bought his brother's interest.
Ben H. Knipe is a wide awake, thorough business man and is meeting with gratifying success. The company has sixteen wagons and two trucks engaged in transferring, and they do all kinds of moving in Leavenworth and surrounding towns.
Mr. Knipe was married February 18, 1910 to Hazel C. Markel, a daughter of C. M. and Hattie B. Markel, of St. Louis, Missouri. They have a son, Charles, who is nine years of age.
Mr. Knipe is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Frank Crites, a well known and successful contractor and builder of Leavenworth, Kansas, was born at Maryville, Missouri, May 21, 1867. He is the son of John S. and Sarah J. (Reynolds) Crites, both now deceased. John Crites was a native of Pennsylvania, and his wife of Tennessee. He came to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1856, afterward locating in Maryville, where he enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. He and his wife came to Leavenworth'in 1881 and lived here for four years, when ยท they moved to Platte County, Missouri, returning to Leavenworth in a few months, finally going to Santa Barbara, California, where they settled. He died at Santa Barbara and his wife died at Santa Cruz, California.
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
Mr. and Mrs. John Crites were the parents of the following children: Frank, the subject of this sketch; Norton, deceased; and Elizabeth, the widow of D. L. Tarbox, the latter dying in California ; Isabella Lanter, of Santa Barbara, California; and Phoebe, of Seattle, Washington.
Frank Crites was educated at Troy, Kansas, and Omaha, Ne- braska. He was a journeyman carpenter practically all of his life, and the last year has been engaged in contracting. He came to Leavenworth in 1881, which has been his home since. For fifteen years he was with C. H. Boyd, and ever since September, 1919, has conducted his shop at 209 North Fifth Street. Mr. Crites is energetic and has been successful in his line of work. He is one of the substantial citizens of Leavenworth. -
Mr. Crites was married in March, 1912 to Mary Day, who was born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and reared in Missouri, but who was living at Leavenworth at the time of their marriage. They reside at 311 Spring Garden.
Mr. Crites is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Security Benefit Association, and the Carpenters and Joiners of America.
Floyd Hunt, proprietor of the Electric Fixture Shop, located at 408 South Fifth Street, Leavenworth, Kansas, is one of the progressive young business men of Leavenworth. He was born January 21, 1886 in Leaven- worth, Kansas, the son of Martin E. and Elizabeth (Hay) Hunt, the for- mer a native of England and the latter of Pennsylvania. Martin Hunt came to America when a child with his parents, who settled in Pennsyl- vania and later came to Leavenworth, Kansas. He is employed as a mine foreman. Elizabeth (Hay) Hunt is the daughter of William Hay, who came to Leavenworth in 1879 from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Martin Hunt are the parents of four children, as follows : Robert, Peoria, Illinois ; Albert, San Antonio, Texas, with the Santa Fe railway; Floyd, the subject of this review; and Bessie, at home.
Floyd Hunt attended the public schools of Leavenworth, including two years of high school. He has always been interested in electricity and was always experimenting with electrical appliances and learned the business. He purchased his shop in 1919 from Paul Geiler. He handles all kinds of electrical appliances, fixtures and also bicycles. Through his untiring energy and faithful work he has built up a very satisfactory business.
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
October 7, 1908, Floyd Hunt and Mabel Fullam were married in Leav- enworth, Kansas. She is a daughter of Richard and Rose (Roth) Fullam. They reside in Leavenworth and are the parents of sixteen children, eight boys and eight girls, as follows: Mrs. Cora Starnes; John R., of Chicago; Mrs. Anna Olsen; Mayme and Grace, deceased; Charles, Chicago, Illi- nois ; Mrs. Florence Leonard; Mabel; Mrs. Floyd Hunt; Walter, deceased; Helen, at home; Ed, Des Moines, Iowa; Leo, in the United States Navy, enlisting in June, 1920, and is with the Pacific Fleet; William, deceased, and three others who died in infancy.
To Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hunt have been born the following children: Madeline; Marcellus, deceased; Rosamond and Mary Ellen. Floyd Hunt is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Church, and is a progressive and enterprising citizen who is making good.
Floyd E. Harper, one of the leading attorneys of Leavenworth County, who is engaged in the practice of law at Leavenworth, Kansas, is a native of Illinois. He was born at Ross Grove, DeKalb County, Illinois, March 9, 1879, the son of James and Bertha (Patrick) Harper. James Harper is a farmer, living near Monte Vista, Colorado.
Floyd Harper attended the public schools in Illinois and graduated from the literary department of the University of Chicago, in 1903. He graduated from the law department in 1905. In June, 1905, he came to Leavenworth, Kansas and opened up his law office. Later, he was a member of the law firm, Atwood, Bond and Harper. A year later he dissolved his relations with this firm, as Mr. Atwood opened a law office in Kansas City, Missouri, and Harper. opened a law office where he is at present located.
In 1910, Floyd Harper was elected judge of the city court and re- elected in 1912. In the fall of 1914, he was elected county attorney, and re-elected 1916 and 1918, serving three terms. He retired from this office but has continued to practice law in Leavenworth.
F. E. Harper is a member of many orders, as follows: Fraternal Order of Eagles; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Turners; Knights of Pythias; a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 2, a Knights Templar Mason, No. 2, and the Abdallah Shrine and Topeka No. 1 Scottish Rite.
In April, 1908, Floyd Harper and Theckla Renz were united in mar- riage. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Renz. Three chil-
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harper, as follows; Eleanor, William and Floyd E., Jr.
Since F. E. Harper's admission to the bar in 1905, he has successfully continued his practice of law and is one of the leading attorneys of Leavenworth.
J. T. Fuqua, a well-known and successful wall paper and paint con- tractor, located at 700 South Fifth street, Leavenworth, Kansas, estab- lished this business in 1915. He came to Leavenworth in 1901 and was employed by a number of firms in his line of paper hanger and painter. In 1915 he established this business. He carries a full line of wall paper, paints and etc. His work covers all parts of the county, as well as the city of Leavenworth. He employs from three to six men.
J. T. Fuqua was born at Shelbina, Missouri, the son of Dr. Calvin C. and Mary (Warren) Fuqua, both deceased. Doctor Fuqua was a physician in Shelbina, Missouri for forty years. J. T. Fuqua received his education in the public schools of Shelbina, Missouri and graduated from the high school at Hannibal, Missouri. While at Hannibal, he explored the Mark Twain Cave, and managed to get lost in the intricate passage ways, which branch in so many different directions that it is impossible to keep the sense of direction in which one is going. After wandering several hours, J. T. Fuqua was rewarded by seeing the light of day and it was indeed a welcome sight.
J. T. Fuqua was married September 6, 1893 to Louise Boedeker, of Hannibal, Missouri. She is the daughter of Moritz and Catherine Boedeker, both deceased. Catherine Boedecker died in 1921, at the age of eighty-five years. Moritz Boedeker died ten years previously at the age of eighty-two years. Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Fuqua reside at 426 Olive Street, Leavenworth, Kansas.
J. T. Fuqua filled the office of alderman at Hannibal, Missouri, during his residence in that city. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons. He has won a reputation for honest and excellent work.
E. J. Lord, who conducts an electric shop at 708 South Fifth street, Leavenworth, Kansas, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, June 1, 1892. His parents, Charles L. and Inez (Boyd) Lord, came to Leavenworth, Kan- sas in 1900. Charles L. Lord is an electrical contractor, located at 432
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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
South Fifth street. While at Kansas City, Missouri, he built the first electric line, known as the Old Ninth Street Electric Line. E. J. Lord was in the employ of the government at Nitro, West Virginia, waiting to be transferred to Leavenworth, Kansas, when the strike occurred at the military prison, at Fort Leavenworth, and Mr. Lord was immediately transferred. He was at Fort Leavenworth for nine months, resigning to go into business for himself.
E. J. Lord attended the public schools of Leavenworth and graduated from the Oak Street High School in 1907. He learned the electrical work from his father while in his employ. He opened his present place of business May 1, 1920.
The marriage of E. J. Lord and Florence Olive Shoemaker occurred December 22, 1910. She is a daughter of George and Elizabeth Shoe- maker, the former living at Kansas City, Kansas, and the latter deceased. Four children, Dorothy, Eloise, Harriet and Charles, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lord.
E. J. Lord is a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 10. He is a pro- gressive and capable young business man.
J. L. Clark, proprietor of the plumbing and heating business at 710 South Fifth street, Leavenworth, is a progressive business man. He established his business here May 16, 1919, and does all kinds of plumb- ing, heating and is an experienced man in his line of work. From 1905 to 1910, Mr. Clark was engaged to do the plumbing for the National Military Home. He was city inspector of plumbing from 1912 to the spring of 1919, when he resigned his position to engage in business for himself. In the capacity of city inspector he worked under four different mayors, Mayor Albert Doege, Mayor W. E. Crancer, Mayor John C. Seitz and Mayor James C. Davis.
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