USA > Kansas > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery County, Kansas > Part 52
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
In politics, Mr. Rottler is a Republican, and has been a member of his district school board for four years.
WILLIAM J. CHARLTON-Among the worthy and respected small farmers of Sycamore township, whose honored name is held in such es- teem as to require special mention in this volume, is William J. Charlton. Mr. Charlton is not one of the early settlers of the county, but has been here sufficient time to become thoroughly identified with the county's interests.
David Charlton, grandfather of William, left the Fatherland in the early part of the nineteenth century, as a young man, and became a citi- zen of the "Old Dominion State." Here he married and reared three children : John, Orena and Isaac B., the latter becoming the next in line of William's branch of the family. He married a Virginia maiden of the name of Elizabeth Black and the resulting family numbered twelve, as follows: James M., deceased ; Mary Ann Young, lives in Oregon ; George W., deceased; Eliza J., Mrs. Perryman, of Missouri ; John W., deceased; Sydney J., deceased; W. J., subject of this sketch; Martha, deceased; Elizabeth Young, of Salem, Illinois; Isaac N., deceased; Amanda L. and
456
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
Melvina, deceased. These early members of the family were respected farmers of the middle class and contributed their share, in that day of cruder civilization, to the npbuilding of society.
William J. Charlton was born in Marion county, Illinois, December 31, 1836, to which county his parents had removed from Virginia. He was given a good primary education in the school of his home district and remained an inmate of the home until his marriage, this event not occurring until 1857. He then became connected with a livery business, in partnership with his brother-in-law. J. W. Farthing, in the nearby town of Odin, at the same time superintending the work on his farm. Af- ter a period of some three years, he removed to Kinmunda and engaged in a general merchandise business with John Alexander. A desire, how- ever, to test the "Sunflower State" led to his severing relations with this firm, in 1877, and, coming to Chautauqua county, where he purchased a farm and, for fourteen years, was one of the active agricultorists of that county. In February of 1891. he secured twenty acres of section 8-32-16, lying on the banks of the Verdigris river, which has since constituted his home.
Prior to 1857, Mrs. Charlton was Elizabeth Huff. Her parents were respected farmers of Marion county, Illinois, where she was born and reared. Her father was Samuel A. Huff. her mother Lucretia Dedman. Four children became inmates of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charlton, were given careful training and good educations, and are now in homes of their own, filling responsible positions in life. Their names are James R., mentioned elsewhere herein : Adelia, married Henry Hayward and is a resident of Montgomery county: Cora is Mrs. Oliver Beemer, of Ok- lahoma Territory ; her one child is Jessie ; the youngest daughter, Mamie- married George Underwood and lives in the county with her two chil- dren, May and William.
William J. Charlton has always evinced an intelligent and lively in- terest in affairs about him and has been a factor in the social life of the different communities of which he has been a member. While in Chau- tanqua county, he served a period of four years as justice of the peace, and as a member of the school board in his distriet. In matters of re- ligious moment. he is active and helpful, as is Mrs. Charlton, also. They are members of the Christian denomination, and .in Chatauqua county, Mr. Charlton was one of the trusted officials of the church, serving six years as an eider.
GEORGE W. SHOOPMAN-A Montgomery county farmer who has made much of opportunity, and by careful management, has accumulated a. nice property, is Mr. George W. Shoopman, living one and one-half miles due south of Cherryvale, in Drum Creek township. A habit that
GEO. W. SHOOPMAN AND FAMILY.
457
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
Mr. Shoopman formed quite early in life, of attending strictly to his own affairs, is responsible for his success; though this does not mean that our subject may not be approached readily, for his geniality is proverbial in the neighborhood where he is best known.
Mr. Shoopman came to the county from Cass county, Illinois, where he was born, in 1841. He is a son of William and Sarah (Smedley) Shoopman, who lived and died on the old homestead. preempted from the government by Grandfather Shoopman, in the early part of the nine- teenth century. There were eight children in the family which they there reared. Of these. David and Thomas are now deceased. The living are: William, a farmer living in Cass county, Illinois; John resides in California ; Nicholas, of Cass county, Illinois ; Nancy, who married Noah Showalter and lives in Idaho: her children are: Liddie, Lui, Dora, Noah, William. Alfred. Bell. Bertie. Lewis and Harley: George W., Mrs. Patience Baker (see elsewhere in this volume for her sketch). By a form- er marriage William Shoopman had three children, Jacob and Mary, deceased, and Elizabeth, widow of Elijah Davis, resides in Jackson county, Missouri ; among her eleven children, are : Edward, William, Hannah, James, Jolm, Sarah, Wright, Mason. Frank, David and Mary.
George W. Shoopman is the fifth child of the above family. He was roared to the humdrum life of the farm, the first event of importance in his life being his enlistment for the great Civil war. He had watched the gathering of the tempest with intense interest and, when opportu- nity offered, gladly went forth to battle for the flag he loved so well. February of 1862, found him a member of Company "E." Sixty-first Vol- unteer Infantry, Col. Daniel Grass commanding
His service was not of the guard duty or dress parade character. His regiment joined Grant's troops soon after the fall of Ft. Donelson and first smelled powder at Shiloh. The siege of Corinth and Vicksburg followed. He was at the engagement at Salem Cemetery and wound up his military career, so far as important battles were concerned, at Jack- son, Tennessee. He was fortunate in escaping injury, nor did he get a chance to inspect the bull-pens, used as prisons by the Confederates.
On the 15th of March, 1866, Mr. Shoopman was happily joined in marriage to Ellen, daughter of William and Mahala (Brown) Goodpas- ture. They were natives of Tennessee, high-class farmers of Overton county. and were the parents of the following: Ellen, Sarah E., now Mrs. W. J. Horrom, of Logan county, Illinois, with children : Leona, William, Pearl. Elmer. Eugene, Bessie, Gertrude and Hildred; Thomas J., of Menard county, Illinois, has four sons and one daughter; Ova E., mar- ried Oliver Maltby, a merchant at Oakford, Illinois; her children are: Clemma, Maud and Jesse. The other children are deceased, their names having been : Leann. Levina J., Arthur H., Finis E. and Malinda J.
To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Shoopman but two children have
458
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
been born: Josephine, who died, in 1869, at two years of age, and Immella, who now resides at home. Mr. Shoopman came to this ronnty, in 1882, and located on his present farm, in 1883. It consists of eighty acres of splendid land, which is made doubly valable for its being in the gas belt, four wells being already in operation. This, however, is but a side issue with our subject. as he makes it his principal business in life to conduct one of the neatest farms in the county. In everything pertaining to agriculture, he takes a genuine and intelligent interest and is an authority on all matters relating to the cult. He takes an active interest in the publie doings of his community and is always found ready to shoulder his share of the burdens imposed by civilization. In social circles, he is a member of the A. O. U. W. and of Grand Army Post No. 91. He is a staunch Republican, and his family are members of the Presbyterian church.
JAMES A. FLENER-A veteran of twenty battles and having the distinction of being the youngest soldier to enlist in 1861, James A. Flener, of Caney township, has a secure place in the affections of the old soldier element of Montgomery county, and the high character for integ- rity and honesty of purpose he has maintained, since his becoming a cit- izen here, has also added many friends among other classes.
Mr. Flener's birth occurred in Ohio county, Kentucky, on the 13th of February, 1846. Harrison Flener, his father, was a native of the same county, as was also his mother, Mary A. Smith. They were respected and well-to-do farmers, during a long lifetime there, and reared a large family of children, of whom ten are yet living. The father was a man of intense devotion to country, and, though past the legal age, served his conntry as best he could, in the militia. He died, in 1SS1, at the age of ninety years; the wife at eighty-three. The names of the children fol- low: George W., Eliza Martha Hodges, Angeline Cardwell Franklin. James A., Parydine Turner, Antha Edwards, William, Louisa Leach, Mary Stewart and John W. All of these children live in the "Blue Grass State" but the subject of this review.
A common school education was interrupted, in the ease of Mr. Flen- er, by the great tragedy of the Civil war. He did not wait for the call of troops, but became a member of the militia at the first sign of the com- ing struggle, together with his father and brothers. When the call was made, le enrolled, as a member of Company "H," Seventeenth Kentucky Infantry. He was but fifteen years old, but of good size, and was, there- fore, able to pass muster. Ile served from Angust, 1861, to February, 1865, and, though participating in twenty of the hard-fought battles of the war, together with numberless skirmishes, he came out with a whole skin. Ilis twenty battles were: Bare's Ferry, Morgantown Hill, Ft. Hen-
459
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
ry, Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Siege of Corinth, Perryville, Chickamauga, Mis- sionary Ridge, Dalton. Resaca. Altoona, Kennesaw Mt .. Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station. Columbms, Franklin and Nashville.
Receiving his discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Flener return- ed to the home roof. not a man in years, but of great stature in the eyes of a grateful country. He remained on the farm until his marriage, in Oc- tober of 1868, to Margaret, daughter of Mosby and Betsy James. After a short period in the home neighborhood. he and his wife came to Rut- land township, Montgomery county-the year being 1870-and took up a claim, which they improved, investing the sum of $800, which they had saved. Jannary 6, 1875, Mr. Flener had the misfortune to lose his wife. Her two children were: Albena, now the wife of Mont. Honeyeut. of Ly- on county, and Anna, who married James Flannery and lives in Kansas City, Missouri. In April of 1877, Mr. Flener secured a mother for his two small children, in the person of the lady who now so fitly presides over his home. Her name was Maggie Scott, born in Hancock county. 11- linois, on the 15th of August, 1852. Mrs. Flener is the daughter of David and Nancy Scott, natives of Virginia and Pennsylvania, respectively. The father died young and the mother married John Croft. They came to Montgomery county, in 1871, where he died. in 1876, at the age of seventy-three, the wife still being an honored resident of the county. She bore her first husband three children : Joseph, William and Maggie. To her second husband : Mary, Emma, Charles M., John B., Clara C .. Lady A. and Harry E. To Mr. and Mrs. Flener have been born : Aubry Enza and Katy, parents and children comprising a congenial family.
Mr. Flener continued to cultivate his original claim until the year 1883, when he sold it and purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres where he now resides, one mile north of the town of Caney. on Cheyenne creek. This farm is all fine bottom land and, under the skill- ful hand of our subject, has been brought up to a high state of cultiva- tion Mr. Flener's home is a commodions two-story residence, which stands amid the timber, eighty rods back from the road, at the end of a beautiful driveway, bordered by rows of walnut trees, these being trimmed down to the consistency of a hedge, save every two rods, when one is allowed to tower above his fellows in fancied preeminence, the effeet being unique and striking. The success of Mr. Flener, in Kansas, is a tribute to honest toil and frugal living. To know what to do and just the right time to do it, seems to be the faculty most prominent in his make-up. He has ever held himself ready to assume the duties of eiti- zenship, keeps posted on the events of the day, and believes inprosperity and progress. He is a member of the A. H. T. A. and of the Grand Army of th Republic, and in politics, believes in the principles of the immortal Jefferson.
460
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
THOMAS S. SALATINIEL-The gentleman, whose name heads this personal reference, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Montgomery county. He is, by nativity, as well as by training, a Kansan, being born in Douglas county, October 23, 1866. His father, John Salathiel, of Independence, pioneered to the Territory of Kansas, in 1854, having brought his mother out to the new town of Lawrence, in that year of the separation of Kansas and Nebraska, and the formation of the latter into a territory, with its present boundaries. Mr. Salathiel, Sr., was a resident of Lawrence till his mother's death, directly after which he settled on a farm, some ten miles from the town, where he was living, during the Quantrell Raid. He joined Plumb's company for the "hoped-they-wouldn't-find-'em" pursuit of the guerrilla band, and this and the volunteer service he rendered, when Price threatened Kansas, was all the military service he rendered during the Civil war.
John Salathiel was born April 30, 1836, in Lawrence county, Ohio. on the townsite of Ironton. His father. Morgan Salathiel, was out in that country, as a geologist in the interest of a coal company, search- ing for coal lands. He afterward moved to Cincinnati and died, in 1851, while a resident of that place. He was born in Wales, British Isles, about 1796, married and has two surviving children : John Salathiel and Mrs. Mary Howell, of Lawrence, Kansas. In 1849, John Salathiel crossed the "plains" with the great throng bound for the California gold fields, but soon returned home and remained in Cincinnati, Ohio, until his ad- vent to Kansas, in company with his mother. He was one of the early merchants of Lawrence, but, in 1860, became a farmer in Douglas coun- ty and remained such till 1871. when he came south into Montgomery county. and purchased a claim, on Sycamore creek, two miles north of the historic, but eccentric, town of Radical. He remained a farmer until 1880, when he came into Independence and engaged in the grocery busi- ness with which he has since been connected. He married, in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1858, Jemimah Corel, a daughter of Henry Corel, who settled just east of Lawrence, in an early day ; a part of the old farm being now the city's beautiful cemetery. Mr. Corel was a settler from West Vir- ginia, but both he and his wife died early, thus orphaning a family of eight young children. The following children have been born to John and Mrs. Salathiel; John, deceased; Charles, of Case Postoffice, Okla- homa ; Margaret, wife of Frederick Newcomb, of Coffey county, Kansas; Thomas S., our subject; Henry M., who served in the Philippines with the Twentieth Kansas; Walter S., a student in the State University of Kansas, who served with the Fortieth U. S. Volunteers in the Filipino insurrection ; Agnes and Mary.
Thomas S. Salatbiel began life as a clerk in his father's store in In- dependence. In 1889, he went to Denver, Colorado, and engaged in the wholesale commission business, but sold out the next year and came
.
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS. 461
back to Kansas. He engaged, with Henry Baden, to travel for his whole- sale house, and was on the road one year. In 1892, he entered the law department of the State University and graduated there in 1894. He opened an office for practice in Independence, and in 1898, he was the Republican nominee for county attorney of Montgomery county. He was admitted to practice before the District and Supreme Courts at Law- rence, in 1894, and the law and the investigating and clearing up of titles occupy his attention.
July 22, 1896, Mr. Salathiel married Emma Wharton, a daughter of the late Dr. R. T. Wharton, who settled in Independence in 1886, from Martinsville, Indiana. The only child of this nnion is Frederick Funs. ton Salathiel.
In company with J. B. Adams, Mr. Salathiel organized the Security Abstract Company. The company is erecting the Security Abstract block. a business and office building, on one of the valuable plots on Main street.
ANDY PRUITT-The subject of this article introduces to out read- ers a public officer, chosen from the ranks of labor, and clothed with the excentive anthority of Montgomery county. While all our public ser. vants represent some form of labor in our social fabrie, yet few of them are the embodiment of the labor Idea and called to serve by the positive voice of toil. His selection for this responsible office is not only a com- pliment to Mr. Pruitt's qualities as a citizen and a man, but it is an en- dorsement of the idea he represents, and places the stamp of public con. fidence upon its intentions and purposes.
Andy Pruitt is a young man, not yet in the midday of life. He was born in Marys county, Missouri, of Kentucky parents, on the 18th of March, 1868. His father and grandfather, James W. and William Pruitt. respectively, were South Carolinians by birth, and were farmers by oe- enpation. The grandfather settled in Kentucky in the early years of the last century, and there James W. Pruitt grew up and was married. The latter was born in 1828, and married Elizabeth Lightfoot, a lady born and reared in Simpson county, Kentucky. In 1867, they took up their residence in Marys county, Missouri, where they resided until 1880, when they made their final move westward and settled in Montgomery county, Kansas. Here the father died in 1886, but his widow still sur- vives, and is the mother of the following childrren : Effie, wife of JJeff Asmussen ; John W., of Kansas City, Missouri; Andy, and Susie, who married Charles E. Royce, and resides in Butler county, Kansas.
From the age of sixteen years, Andy Pruitt was a railroad man. He acquired a smattering of an education in the country schools prior to
462
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
this youthful beginning of life and took his first lessons in railroad work at the bottom of the ladder-on the section. He took employment with the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, and remained with it some five years, and then employed with the Santa Fe Company, in the car inspee- tion department at Cherryvale, where he was at work eleven years after- ward, when nominated by the Republicans for sheriff of Montgomery county.
His nomination, in 1901, followed close upon the passage of the bien. nial election law, which law appeared somewhat uncertain on the point of the termination of the terms of office of the then incumbents of the sheriff's offices. It was decided to make a test of the law by one appoint- ment, and our subject was selected as the victim (as it resulted) to make the contest. Clothed with an appointment from the Governor, he made a demand on Sheriff Squires for the office and was, of course, refused. Quo warranto proceedings were brought in the Supreme Court of the state and, after four months, a decision was handed down, declaring the appointed ineligible, and the hold-over the rightful incumbent of the of- fice. The following year-1902-the Republicans nominated Mr. Pruitt for sheriff by acclamation, and his election ensued in November, his ma- jority being 371 votes. Jannary 12, 1903, he took the oath of office and is proving himself a capable and popular official.
January 31, 1890, occurred the marriage of Andy Pruitt with Lillian Bennett, a daughter of Sammel J. Bennett, of Jola, Kansas. The wed- ding occurred in Toronto, Kansas, where Mrs. Pruitt had resided for twelve years. Her parents were married in the State of Illinois, and her mother's maiden name was Christina Plymeir. Mrs. Pruitt is the third of tive children, and is herself the mother of: Elmer, Harry and Ray- mond, three promising boys.
Mr. Pruitt is an Odd Fellow and a Woodman, and is a member of the State Sheriffs' Association.
THOMAS O'CONNOR-For twenty-six years Thomas O'Connor has lived within five miles of Elk City, in Lonisburg township. He is a de. scendant of sturdy Irish stock and his residence in the county has secured for him a reputation for good citizenship unsurpassed. County Derry. Ireland, was the place of his birth, the year being 1824. He was a son of Bernard and Catherine (Washburn) O'Connor, who passed their lives in their native land. A brother, Samnel O'Connor, came with our subject to America, in 1847. They located in Philadelphia, where Thomas re- mained until 1874, when he came out to Shelby county, Indiana, where he engaged in gardening until 1877. He then came out to Kansas and purchased the farm upon which he now resides, consisting of one hum
463
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
dred and thirty aeres, and has been engaged in general farming and stock raising since that time.
In 1855, Martha, daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Markham). Mullholland, became the wife of Thomas O'Connor. Her parents were from County Derry, Ireland, but she was born in Patterson, New Jer- sey. Her demise occurred in August of 1866, her three children being: Margaret, who married William Ross, of Indiana; Thomas, who married Louisa Owen and lives in Kansas City, with four children : Fannie, Myrtle, Frederick and John; and Joseph, who is now deceased.
In 1880, Mr. O'Connor again entered matrimony, being joined in marriage with Mrs. Mahuldah Stevenson. Mrs. O'Connor is a daugh- ter of Joel and Nancy (Sproel) Gregory, natives of Kentucky, the Greg- ory family, prior to that, having lived in Virginia. Mrs. O'Connor's first husband was Horace Stevenson, whom she married in Shelby county, In- diana, in 1859. By this marriage there were six children : Joel, a farmer of Louisburg township, Montgomery county, Kansas, with child- ren : Mary, William, Catherine, Thomas, Margaret, John and Nellie; Rose, the twin sister of Joel, married Adam Lewis, and resides in Win- field, Kansas, with children : Oma, Carrol. MeKinley and Edward; Nancy, born in March, 1862, first married E. B. Evans, whose two children were : Horace and William. At his death she married B. J. Dickover and now: resides in Denver, Colorado; Augustus, born in December of 1863, mar- ried Eva Southerland, whose seven children are: Horace, Nancy, Ma- huldah, Augustus, Eva, Mary and Charlotte; William, born in March of 1866, married Mary Selacke, and their six children are: Nettie, George, Leonard, William, Albert and Thomas; Edward, born in April, 1868, mar- ried Eva Guy, has a daughter, Rose, and resides in Wyoming.
Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor have been worthy residents of Montgomery county for nearly three decades, and have always evineed a disposition to favor, by their influence, such measures as look to the betterment of con- ditions in society about them. In matters of religion, he is a devout com- municant of the Roman Catholic church, while she is a Methodist. The Democratic platform meets more nearly the principles of government held by our subject than any other, and he believes it to be the best for our country.
GEORGE A. PARK-The desirability of Independence as a resi- dent point is responsible for the presence of quite a number of that splendid class of citizens generally referred to as "retired farmers." In some instances these have disposed of all their holdings and are passing the declining years of their lives in the enjoyment of the fruits of the toil of carlier manhood. Others retain small pieces of farming land in the country and are thus enabled, to some extent. to keep up the habits of
464
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
industry formed in their youth. Of this latter class is the gentleman whose name we here present, his determination to ircar out, rather than rust out, being an entirely creditable one.
The statement of a few brief facts relating to the family history of Mr. Park carries us back to the New England states, the father of our subject. Rowland Park, being a native of New Hampshire, and the mo- ther, Hannah Mills, of Vermont. The father was a worker in iron, and had the name of being especially skillful in those days when the hand played so much more part in the world's labor than now. After finish- ing his apprenticeship, he came west to Ohio, first stopping in Cleve- land, in the year 1832. For fifty-two years he plied his trade in the counties of Lorain, Huron, Wyandotte and Hardin, removing to Labette county. Kansas, in 1884, where he died June 4, 1887, at the age of eighty- one years. The wife died at the age of seventy-six, in 1883. She was the mother of thirteen children, six of whom are now living.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.