History of Leavenworth County Kansas, Part 53

Author: Hall, Jesse A; Hand, LeRoy T
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Topeka : Historical Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 684


USA > Kansas > Leavenworth County > History of Leavenworth County Kansas > Part 53


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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sold and bought another farm. In 1911, he bought his present farm of 327 acres, on which he raises small grain, and feeds stock. Mr. Mottin is a progressive citizen of the community and has many friends throughout the township. At one time he served as road overseer for the entire town- ship, which position he filled very faithfully and acceptably.


Mr. Mottin was married April 19, 1898, to Mary Harris, who was born in Kickapoo Township, June 8, 1878. She is a daughter of Edward James and Mary Jane (Molly) Harris, who were natives of England and Ireland, respectively. They came to the United States in pioneer days and set- tled in Kickapoo Township. Mr. Harris is deceased, and Mrs. Harris lives in Kickapoo Township.


To Mr. and Mrs. Motton have been born the following children: Leon F., at home; Marie Josephine, the wife of John Burns of Kickapoo Town- ship; Leger E., Harry A., Katherine A., Raymond H., Claude L., and Mar- garet M., all at home with their parents.


Mr. Mottin is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodges; Catholic Church; and in politics he is a democrat.


Peter Burns, an honored pioneer of Kansas, and who for many years was a leading farmer near Potter, Kansas, was born May 6, 1833 in County Loud, Ireland, and died August 27, 1915, at his home two and one-half miles south of Potter.


In 1852, Mr. Burns came to New York from his native country. He herded sheep and cattle with John Hand, the grandfather of Roy Hand, in Ireland, for which work he received three cents per day. Mr. Burns came to Kansas about 1854, and worked on the Missouri River, steam -- boating from Leavenworth to Atchison, Kansas. He later bought a farm in Atchison County, earning the money with which to buy the land from freighting, driving oxen across the prairies to the west. He farmed in Atchison county for several years, meeting with success. He finally sold this land and moved to Potter, Kansas.


Peter Burns was married to Bridget Agnes Murphy, a native of Galena, Wisconsin. To this union were born six children: Mary E. and Alice T., who live at home; Katherine, the wife of August Wunderlich of Easton Township .; James P., George T., and John J., all at home. The Burns family are all consistent members of the Catholic Church.


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


In 1916, Mrs. Burns, with her children, moved to Kickapoo Township, Leavenworth County, and bought the famous old Eight Mile farm of 237 acres, where they now live. This place has a great history, as a num- ber of noted men have stayed over night here, among whom were Horace Greeley. The James brothers stopper here for a night. The house is built of native rock. It was a dividing point for the west and north points for the freighters and pioneers who came west in the early days.


The Burns family are highly respected citizens of Leavenworth County.


Peter Burns traveled very extensively, having covered all but three states in the union.


Otto Stein, a well-known farmer of Kickapoo Township, is a native of Leavenworth, Kansas, and was born September 5, 1878, the son of Anton and Johanna (Kruger) Stein, the third of eight children born to his parents, six of whom are now living. Anton Stein was born in Dussel- dorf, Germany, in June, 1842, and left his native country when thirty-two years of age. He came to Leavenworth County and was engaged in farm- ing for many years, and is now living retired. His wife, who is four years his junior, is also living.


Otto Stein received his educational advantages in the parochial and district schools. In 1900, he began working for himself, and moved to his present farm, which he rents. This place consists of ninety acres and is owned by Mt. Zion Association, and Mr. Stein takes care of the cemetery for them.


Mr. Stein is a democrat, and was township clerk for five years, having been elected in 1900, and, in 1915, he was elected road overseer, and then was appointed by the township board, and held this position very accept- ably for four years, during which time he made many acquaintances and friends throughout the township.


Mr. Stein was married October 3, 1900, to Mary Weis, who was born in Germany August 16, 1882, but left there when a child with her mother, her father having died in Germany. Her mother now lives in Kickapoo Township.


Mr. and Mrs. Stein have had three children: Clara, who is a sten- ographer and bookkeeper in Kansas City, Missouri, for the Anchor Loan and Building Association; George and Otto, Jr., who live at home with their parents.


Mr. Stein is a member of the Catholic Church, and of the Moose Lodge.


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Matthew C. Kennedy, a widely known and prosperous farmer of Kick- apoo Township, comes from a pioneer family of this section. He was born in Kickapoo Township, May 18, 1857, the son of Lawrence and Eliza- beth (Dunne) Kennedy; his parents were natives of Ireland, and educated there, his father receiving his education in the schools of Dublin. Law- rence Kennedy wrote several poems in Ireland, and also wrote poetry after coming to the United States, in 1854. He settled on a farm in this town- ship at that time, having pre-empted a farm of 160 acres, which he im- proved and farmed until his death, about the year 1898, at the age of eighty-six years. Lawrence Kennedy was one of the organizers of St. Joseph Church of the Valley. He is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and his wife, who died in 1870 at the age of forty-three years, is also buried in this cemetery.


Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kennedy were the parents of seven children, as follows: Maggie married Steven Meagher, and is now a widow living near Mt. Olivet in Easton Township; a child, who died in infancy; Eliza- beth, the widow of Julius Payeur of Kickapoo Township; Matthew C., the subject of this sketch; Lawrence, who lives on the home place in Kickapoo Township; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Thomas Wosser; and Sallie, the widow of R. Shields, and the youngest of the family. She is well known all over the county as a grand and noble character, and is noted because of her administrations to her friends who were ill or in trouble, as she was always willing to go and be of whatever assistance of which she was capable. She now lives in Perry, Oklahoma, with her only son, Rodger Shields. She is held in high esteem by her nieces and nephews.


Matthew C. Kennedy was reared on his father's farm, and attended district school No. 4, one of the first districts in the county. He recalls many incidents of his boyhood days, among which are the exciting times he used to have in helping the freighters whip their oxen up the hill. Mr. Kennedy is one of the most progressive farmers of the county, and is the owner of 500 acres of land, which is in three farms. He is a general grain farmer, and also raises stock. When he bought his farm in 1883, he had but $100.00 to pay down. He had rented the place for five years, but purchased it before the lease expired, and it took him two years in which to accumulate the $100.00. Mr. Kennedy rides a fine saddle horse over his farms, overseeing and managing his business.


Mr. Kennedy is a democrat. He has served on the school board of district No. 4 for twenty-five years, and, in 1902, was elected county com-


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missioner without any opposition and held this office until 1910. He is a stockholder of the Easton State Bank of Easton, Kansas. Mr. Kennedy is a well-read man, and is a man of fine principles, which accounts for the many friends he has throughout the township and county. He is a mem- ber of the Catholic Church; and Knights of Columbus and Modern Wood- men of America Lodges.


On May 15, 1883, Mr. Kennedy was married to Emma Herley, who was born October 11, 1862, at Eight Mile House in Kickapoo Township. She died January 26, 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy were school mates when children. She was a daughter of David and Mary Herley, early settlers of this township, who owned one-half section of land.


Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy were the parents of eight children, as follows: Mamie, the wife of Isaac McEvoy of Kickapoo Township; Sallie, the wife of Frank Hund of Kickapoo Township; Charles N., who married Claudia Swoboda and lives in Kickapoo Township; Joseph, who married Bernice Moses, and who lives with his father; Agnes, who live's at home; Irene, the wife of John Duffin of Kickapoo Township; Hettie, who lives at home and teaches in this district; Clare, who lives at home and teaches in dis- trict No. 4. Mr. Kennedy has thirteen grandchildren, and his daughter Irene has two daughters.


All of the children of Mr. Kennedy are well-to-do, have good educa- tions and stand high in the community.


Lieu Bodde, a prosperous farmer of Easton Township, and member of a well-known pioneer family, was born September 16, 1872, in Jefferson County, Kansas, on the eastern line. His parents were Henry and Anna (Guflar) Bodde, and they were the parents of ten children, Lieu Bodde, being the sixth child. Henry Bodde and wife were born in Germany, and came to the United States when young, and were married in Leavenworth County. He owned 2,200 acres of land in Leavenworth and Jefferson counties. He was an active member of the Catholic Church and helped organize St. Lawrence Catholic Church at Easton. Henry Bodde was born in 1832 and died in 1913; his wife was born in 1839 and died in 1919, and both are buried at Money Creek Cemetery in Jefferson County, Kansas.


Lieu Bodde was reared on his father's farm and attended the public schools when a boy. He remained at home until his marriage, when his


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father gave him 160 acres of land in Alexandria Township, on which Lieu Bodde made improvements. He then bought eighty acres, and his wife became heir to eighty acres, and they make this place their home, which is located in Easton Township.


Mr. Bodde has improved this place and it is one of the best kept places in the community. The barn is one of the largest in the country, being dimensions of 84 by 86 feet, with a basement under the entire barn, which shelters 150 head of cattle. He raises a good grade of stock, among which are the Shorthorn and Hereford cattle.


Mr. Bodde is shareholder of the Easton Telephone Company, and was the capable president of this company for twelve years, and is vice-presi- dent. Mr. Bodde is one of the substantial citizens of Leavenworth County. He is a member of the Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, the Farm- ers' Grange and the Central Protective Association.


In January, 1900, Mr. Bodde was married to Adaline Mayer, who is a native of Easton Township, and daughter of Jacob and Katherine Reich- ling Mayer, a sketch of whom appears in this volume.


Mr. and Mrs. Bodde are the parents of five children: Marie, of Leav- enworth, Kansas; Leo J., Catherine, Francis, and Florence, all at home with their parents.


Thomas J. Hennessey, a well-known farmer and stock raiser of Easton Township, was born in Kickapoo Township, November 3, 1865, the son of Michael and Mary (Schloo) Hennessey. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: John W., a hardware merchant of Easton, Kansas; Patrick of Oak Mills, Atchison County, Kansas; Thomas J., the subject of this sketch; M. F., of Anadarko, Oklahoma; Maggie, the wife of Frank Herkens, a farmer of Easton Township; Katherine, the wife of John Mc- Quillen of Pueblo, Colorado. Two of the children not named are deceased.


Michael Hennessey was born in County Clare, Ireland, and came to the United States when about forty years old. He worked in New Jersey for a short time, and in 1856 came to Leavenworth County, Kansas, where he rented a farm in Kickapoo Township, and, in 1865, he moved to Easton Township, where Thomas J. Hennessey now lives and which he owns. Michael Hennessey owned 400 acres of land, on which he made extensive improvements. He was a well-to-do farmer. He died January 2, 1910, at the age of seventy-five years, and his wife, who was also a native of


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


Ireland, died at the age of seventy-three years, in 1914. Both were mem- bers of the Catholic Church, and are buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Mi- chael Hennessey helped organize the old church at Easton, Kansas.


Thomas J. Hennessey has always lived on his present farm of 160 acres. - He is a stock feeder and is an enterprising citizen of the county. He assisted in organizing the Easton State Bank, of which he is stockholder.


In politics, Mr. Hennessey is a democrat. He is now township clerk, which position he has very capably filled for ten years. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Hennessey is unmarried.


Reinhart Mayer, a prosperous and progressive farmer and stockman of Easton Township, and president of Easton State Bank, was born Octo- ber 4, 1863, in Kickapoo Township, the son of Jacob and Catherine (Reich- ling) Mayer. His father and mother were the parents of ten children, as follows: . C. C., of Leavenworth, Kansas, a retired farmer; Reinhart, the subject of this sketch; Theodore and Mary, deceased; Katherine, the wife of J. P. McEvoy of Kickapoo Township; Tressia and Lena, deceased, who were twins; John, deceased; Addie, the wife of L. Bodde, of Easton Town- ship, a sketch of whom appears in this volume; Lena, the wife of Tony Brose, of Easton Township, a sketch of whom appears in this history.


Jacob Mayer was born in Germany and came to Coffey County, Kan- sas, in 1856, and in 1859 he came to Leavenworth County and located in Kickapoo Township, later moving to Easton Township, in 1864, where he engaged in farming until his death. His wife was born in Luxenburg, Germany, and is now living on the old home place.


Reinhart Mayer was reared on his father's farm and attended the school in district No. 11. He began for himself when a young man, adding land to the eighty acres that he inherited, on which he has made exten- sive improvements. He raises high-grade stock. Mr. Mayer is one of the organizers of Easton State Bank, and later became president of same, which position he now holds.


He also finds time to take an interest in civic and religious affairs, serving on the school board in district No. 82, and is now treasurer of Easton rural high school. He organized school district No. 82. Mr. Mayer is a member of the Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, and votes the independent ticket.


Mr. Mayer married Mary F. Wells, and they have had five children:


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


Lucien, deceased; Frances L., the wife of Ed Wunderlich, of Kansas City, Missouri; Eleanor, at home; Margaret, who teaches in the Leavenworth schools; and Reinhart V., who lives at home.


H. B. Browning, vice-president of the Linwood State Bank, and an extensive farmer, is the owner of 450 acres of well-improved land in Sher- man Township. He is a breeder and feeder of sheep and for many years had a herd of seventy head of cows. He disposed of his dairy herd in 1917 and now confines his work to sheep raising and general farming.


H. B. Browning was born in Springfield, Ohio, March 28, 1869, the son of Joshua and Jennie (Hawkins) Browning. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Carrie, now Mrs. Howard Pierce, of Topeka, Kansas; Jesse, of Topeka, Kansas; M. May, now Mrs. A. H. McGrew, resides at Chicago, Illinois; H. B., the subject of this review; and Charles, his twin brother, now deceased.


Joshua and Jennie (Hawkins) Browning are both deceased. The former was born in Sheffield, England, in 1836, and with his parents came to the United States in 1836. His parents, Benjamin B. and Miss Winter Browning, were natives of England and upon their arrival in the United States settled in Springfield, Ohio. Benjamin B. Browning was an im- porter of cattle and sheep and a great stockman. The Browning family are an old English family and retain a family history of the Brownings dating back into the seventeenth century. Robert Browning, the poet, is an illustrious member of this family.


Joshua Browning came to Topeka, Kansas, November 13, 1877, and engaged in farming, which he followed all of his life. The latter years of his life he spent the winters in Florida and it was while visiting at St. Augustine, Florida, that he was accidentally run down by a street car which resulted in his death, in 1918. His wife, Jennie (Hawkins) Brown- ing, was a native of Springfield, Ohio, where she was born April 24, 1841, and died February 28, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Browning celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. They lived together for fifty-one years.


H. B. Browning was reared and educated near Topeka, Kansas, where he attended the district school and in young manhood attended the Kansas State Agricultural College of Manhattan, Kansas, taking the course in agriculture. He commenced his farming operations by renting his father's land in Shawnee County, Kansas, and remained on this land until 1901,


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


when he came to Leavenworth County and purchased the present tract of land. This farm was known as the W. A. Harris farm.


In 1903, Mr. Browning was elected vice-president of the Linwood State Bank and has held the same position during all of the years. He is a staunch republican and a member of the Baptist Church. He is also a Scottish Rite Mason.


October 14, 1892, H. B. Browning and Ina M. Musselman, of Athens, Ohio, were united in marriage. To this union the following children have been born: Omar, Linwood, Kansas; Mildred C., Mrs. E. F. Wilson, Ver- sailles, Missouri; Vesta, deceased; and Jennie Opal, at home.


Samuel P. Collins, a farmer and stockman of Sherman Township, who owns seventy-one acres of land, was born April 30, 1870, in Tazewell County, Virginia, the son of Joshua and Arasa (Cline) Collins, natives of Virginia. Joshua Collins was a farmer, who settled on a farm in Sherman Township in 1877, and later moved to Reno Township where he was en- gaged in farming. He died in this place. His wife, Arasa (Cline) Collins, still makes her home in Reno Township. They were the parents of nine children.


Samuel P. Collins came to Leavenworth County, with his parents, and attended the district school of Sherman Township. . After leaving the parental roof he farmed rented land and in 1906 purchased his present farm. He has made improvements on the place.


Mr. Collins is a democrat and a member of the Baptist Church. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias and the Grange.


Samuel P. Collins and Effie M. Harbaugh were married, October 24, 1895. She was born in Pennsylvania and came to Leavenworth County in 1893 with her parents, James and Laura (Speck) Harbaugh, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have seven children, as follows: Alice, Mrs. Clyde Hoffine, lives in Sherman Township; Mollie, now Mrs. William McKing, both teachers at Loring, Kansas; Roy, deceased, was a stu- dent in the high school of Linwood when he enlisted in the United States Navy, during the World War and was sent to the Great Lakes training camp and thirty days later died from spinal meningitis; Agnes, Mrs. How- , ard Quinley, of Lyons County, Kansas; Ray, in high school at Linwood, Kansas; Lovey, Mrs. Willard Hubbard, of Sherman Township. She is a graduate of Linwood high school, and Homer, in high school at Linwood.


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


F. L. Hughey, a progressive farmer and stockman, who is farming 320 acres of land in Sherman Township, is a native of Leavenworth County. He was born in Fairmont Township, July 5, 1877, the son of R. D. and Barbara L. (Davis) Hughey. They are the parents of four children, as follows: F. L., the subject of this sketch; E. K., of Sherman Township; Robert, deceased; and Olive, the widow of Ed Brewer, living at De Soto, Kansas.


John Hughey was born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1855, the son of John and Maria (Miller) Hughey, natives of Pennsylvania. They established their home in Sherman Township in 1873 and lived on their farm until their death. John Hughey, Sr., died in 1884, age sixty-four years, and his wife, Maria (Miller) Hughey, died about 1882. Robert Hughey farmed in Sherman Township upon the present 320 acres until 1911, when he retired and moved to De Soto, Kansas. His wife, Barbara L. (Davis) Hughey, was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1858, and is still living.


F. L. Hughey was reared and educated in Sherman Township, on his grandfather's farm and he has always followed farming. In 1909 he started farming, rented land for himself, and in 1911 took his father's farm where he is now located.


June 19, 1907 ,F. L. Hughey and Pearl Hildebrand were united in marriage. She was born in Kansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Henry and Ida (Schaffer) Hildebrand, natives of Pennsylvania. They came to the West in early days where Henry Hildebrand followed his trade of carpenter. He is deceased and his wife lives in New Jersey.


To Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Hughey have been born seven children, who are all at home, as follows: Lillian, Robert, Franklin, Herbert, Carl, Kenneth and Pershing. Mr. Hughey is a republican and a member of the Meth- odist Church. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America.


Allen Coffman, a well known and successful farmer and dairyman of Tonganoxie Township, is a native of Tennessee. He was born at Cleve- land, Tennessee, August 26, 1865, a son of John and Margaret (Nipper) Coffman. They were the parents of ten children as follows: James, Law- rence, Kansas; Allen, the subject of this sketch; William, who lives in Missouri; John, Kansas City, Missouri; Laura, married George Snow, .


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


Lawrence, Kansas; Carrie, married Charles Lemons, Lawrence, Kansas ; Charles, Jefferson County, Kansas; Jacob, Lawrence, Kansas; George, Clinton, Kansas; and Henry, deceased.


John Coffman was born in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1838 and died in 1901. He was reared to manhood in his native state and about the time he was twenty-three years old the Civil War broke out. He served in the Confederate army throughout the war and in 1867 he came to Kansas, landing at Leavenworth from a steamboat. He brought with him from Tennessee two teams of horses and drove from Leavenworth to Council Grove, Kansas, where he homesteaded a farm. That section of the state was well into the frontier at that time and on account of frequent Indian troubles there many of the early settlers were forced to abandon their claims and seek safety farther east. Accordingly, Mr. Coffman left that part of the state and settled at Lawrence where for a time he was em- ployed as a teamster. Later he engaged in farming which he followed practically throughout his life. His wife was also a native of Tennessee, born at Cleveland in 1841 and died in 1914.


Allen Coffman was reared on a farm and attended the district schools of Tonganoxie Township. He began life for himself at an early age as a farm hand and in the early days of his life he herded cattle for four dollars a month. About 1889 he began farming for himself and in 1892 he bought 180 acres of land. In 1904 he purchased his present place which consists of 160 acres of well-improved land and is one of the valuable farms of this section. Mr. Coffman carries on general farming and dairying and is meeting with success.


On March 26, 1885, Allen Coffman was married to Miss Daisy Carr, a native of Jefferson County, Kansas, and a daughter of John and Mary (Brown) Carr. To them have been born ten children as follows: Ollie, married Elmer Osdale, of Lawrence, Kansas; Carrie, Topeka, Kansas; John, a farmer in Tonganoxie Township; Ralph, who was in the army during the World War and was in training at Camp Funston when the armistice was signed and now resides at home; and Lee, Laura, Alfred, Lloyd and Charlie, all of whom are at home, and Henry, deceased. There are five grandchildren in the family, as follows: Carrie, Allen, and Helen Coffman, and Leo and Winifred Osdale.


Mr. Coffman is a democrat and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a progressive and enterprising citizen and stands high in the community where he is best known.


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HISTORY OF LEAVENWORTH COUNTY


Peter W. Haag, partner of William Becher, of the soda water works, of Leavenworth, Kansas, was born in Leavenworth County, Kansas, Febru- ary 1, 1869, the son of Anton and Agnes (Everhardy) Haag. Anton Haag was born in Germany, June 21, 1826. He came to the United States in 1855, settling in St. Louis, Missouri. He owned a little cigar store and later a restaurant. It was here he married the first time to Barbara Her- rick. She was born in Trier, Germany. To this union, one son, Anton, was born.


In 1858, Anton Haag came to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he estab- lished a general merchandise store, and was one of the earliest business men of Leavenworth. He conducted this business for a number of years, when he invested in land and moved on it. He owned seventy-five acres, the greater share of which was in grapes. The wine made from these grapes was very widely known. This place was known as "Thorne Hill". Anton Haag died November 25, 1888.




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