USA > Kansas > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery County, Kansas > Part 56
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PERRY S. HOLLINGSWORTH-The gentleman whose name in- troduces this article is one of the early settlers of Montgomery county and is widely known as a banker and man-of-affairs. His connection with the county began more than a quarter of a century since and as a merchant, stockman and financier his reputation has been established and his snecess has been attained.
Perry S. Hollingsworth was born in Peoria, Illinois, January 1, 1853,
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and is a son of Richard and Rebecca ( Hastings) Hollingsworth, venerable Quaker parents, who are liberally mentioned elsewhere herein.
The State of lowa gave to P. S. Hollingsworth his physical and men- tal development. The pursuits of the farm contributed to his musenlar, and the public schools and the University of the state to his mental train- ing. Hle graduated in the latter institution in 1870. and began life on the farm. He changed his vocation after two years and became a merchant in the town of West Branch. He remained there until his emigration from the state in 1876, and threw in his fortunes with the settlers of Montgomery county, Kansas. His first venture here was in the book and stationery store in Independence, which he conducted five years. Retir- ing from the store he engaged in the cattle business until 1886, and en- tered the Caney Valley Bank, at Caney, as cashier. He disposed of his interest in that institution in 1894, and purchased an interest in the First National Bank of Independence and became its president. Upon the death of Mr. Remington and the entry of Mr. Allen as an active factor in the management of the bank, the latter became president and Mr. Hol- lingsworth became cashier.
In March, 1873, occurred the first marriage of Mr. Hollingsworth. His wife was Mary Cole, and she died in 1880, leaving a son, Archer W. Hollingsworth. of Collinsville, Indian Territory. The latter is a mer chant and is married to Mattie Walker. The second marriage of our subject took place in July, 1884, his wife being Alice Shisser, an Ohio lady, who came to Montgomery county with her sister, Mrs. John Kerr. Mrs. Hollingsworth was a daughter of J. B. Shusser, of Ohio-and of Ger- man blood,-but orphaned by the death of both parents at an early age. Mr. and Mrs. Hollingsworth's children are: Pearl E. and Dale R.
The political record of P. S. Hollingsworth is pretty well summed up in the word Republican. The family has contributed its mite toward the success of this party from its birth down, and there seems to have been little ambition for political distinction among the family member- ship. Mr. Hollingsworth, our subject, was chosen the first Mayor of Caney, and he held the office several years, but this seems to have grati- fied his political desires. In Masonry he has taken the Knights Templar degrees, holding a membership in the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Comman- dery at Independence, and in the Council at Topeka and in Abdalah Tem- ple, O. M. S., at Leavenworth.
JOHN T. HENDERSON-One of the largest owners of real estate in Montgomery county and a citizen whose name will be recognized as among the most substantial in Southern Kansas is John T. Henderson, of Independence. He is a direct descendant of an old German family, and came to Montgomery county in 1872.
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Mr. Henderson was born on the 2nd of March, 1858, in Jackson county. Indiana. His father was William S. Henderson, and was born February 10, 1836, at Louisville, Kentucky, and died in Sycamore town- ship, Montgomery county, December 30, 1885. By occupation he was a brick moulder and was also a contractor of brick work. He married Su- sannah Henderson, born in Johnson county, Indiana, October 6th, 1840.
On the father's side our subject's grandfather was Daniel Henderson, born in Madison, Indiana, November 18, 1809, died September 20, 1875. He married Permelia Cook, who was born July 15, 1800. This was a direct descendant of the noted Garr family, whose remote ancestor, An- dres Garr, settled in what is now Madison county, Virginia, in 1732. together with three hundred Palatines from the old country, who es- tablished the first Lutheran church in America. These people left the old country to escape the persecution set on foot by Leopold, Arch-Bishop of Saltzburg, who, having discovered that many of the subjects of his king had renounced the religion of Rome, determined to reduce them to submission or to banish them from the country. During the reign of Charles V., in Germany, from 1519 to 1566, that monarch conferred upon the Gaars a coat of arms, the family at this time being one of the most prominent in the Fatherland. The Gaars originally came from Franconia. The name "Garr," or "Gaar," is distinctly German in its origin, and is not traceable to the Celts, the Gants, the Goths or the Romans.
The domestic life of Mr. Henderson began in 1892, when he was join- ed in marriage to Maybelle Madden. They have reared two children : Ethel May, born February 4, 1894, and John Strother, born August 16. 1895.
Mr. Henderson settled in Montgomery county in 1872, and located in West Cherry township, where he has since hekl residence. He owns three farms in the county, containing, in all, 360 acres. The farm in Drum Creek township was left by his wife's father to him, and lies in West Drum and Cherry townships, and contains 240 acres.
Mr. Ilenderson is engaged in the wholesale flour and feed business in Independence, which he started in July, 1902. He is not a member of any church, but his wife communes with the Seventh Day Adventists.
Mr. Henderson is held in high esteem by a large circle of friends in the county.
NORRIS BENNETT BRISTOL-At Sixth and Myrtle streets, Inde- pendence, in one of the oldest houses on the townsite, lives a gentleman who looks back over thirty-three years to the day when he first placed foot on Montgomery county soil. He is one of the best known characters in the county, and, by reason of his reetitude and his industry, merits the
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large measure of esteem meted out to him. There is something eminently fitting and proper in the association of this "gentleman of the old school" with the house which he occupies. In its early days it reared its head somewhat higher than its neighbors, was the first "plastered" house of the community, while the coming of its master, Norris B. Bristol, made a distinct addition to the village population.
Mr. Bristol's font score and four years set lightly upon him, his ab- stemious and correct life making him hale and hearty at an'age which generally dims the mind and totters the step. His birth occurred at Fulton, Oswego county, N. Y., August 12, 1819. He there' received a good common school education and remained at home until after he had cast his first presidential vote, the head of which ballot read' "Martin Van Buren." He then started in life for himself, coming west to Ottawa, II- linois, where he engaged in the grain business for a period of thirty years, operating one of the largest elevators in that section of the coun- try. With his son-in-law, Benj. Armstrong, he then came to Indepen- dence, Kansas, landing on the townsite December 6, 1870. They immedi- ately commenced the erection of the house before mentioned, which was distinguished, later, as the office of the U. S. Land office .. '
Since that era Mr. Bristol has been prominently identified with the development of the county and with the growth of Independence. In 1872, he was appointed to the office of United States' Commissioner, which he administered with satisfaction until its abolishment in 1885. During this period he also served a term as Justice of the Peace. ' His politics has changed since that early day, in 1840, and he has, for years,' affiliated with the Republican party.
lu 1845, Mr. Bristol was joined in marriage with Mary Eddy, a daughter of William Eddy, of Somonauk, Illinois, a prominent Metho- dist divine of that section. They reared but one child; Melitta M. F. Bristol, who was married, in 1870, to Benj. Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong is a son of John and Margaret ( Trumble) Armstrong, natives of Illinois. The family originally came from Ohio and were pioneers in the "Sucker State." He is one of a family of twelve; those living are: Mrs. Fannie Barber, of Sheridan, Illinois; JJoseph, also of Sheridan, Illinois; Mrs. Sam Parr, of Ottawa, Illinois; and Benjamin. Mr. and Mrs: Armstrong are the parents of two children : Carrie, now Mrs. Dr. Arthur W: Evans, of Independence, and Fannie B., wife of Charles L:' MeAdams, druggist of Independence, who have one son, Carl. Mr. Bristol's family are mem- bers of the Congregational church and connect themselves cordially with movements for the betterment of society in general.
THOMAS N. SICKELS-In the material development of Indepen- dence, Thomas N. Sickels has performed a modest, though distinct, part
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and a survey of the field of actors who have achieved victories, moulded sentiment, or wielded influence for good, reveals him as a character most worthy to be represented in the personal annals of Montgomery county. Coming to the county a young man of thirty-one, full of hope and am- bitions to orenpy an honored place in the affairs of men. he has. for years, been before the foot-lights in the drama of life and has won the esteem and confidence of his municipality. As salesman, as government clerk or as editor and publisher of a daily paper of Independence, the honesty of his motives and the sincerity of his purpose have never been questioned.
Mr. Sickels came to Montgomery county a pioneer. In the autumn of 1870. his career in the county began with a clerkship in the mercantile establishment of the pioneer, W. T. Bishop, whose place of business was located where the office of the Independence Gas Company now is. Leav- ing Mr. Bishop, he accepted a position in the Government Land Office in the city, which he filled for a period of eight years and, on severing his connection with it, purchased the "Daily Reporter" and undertook, at once, the conduet of the paper. While devoted to the interests of his publication, he has at the same time enlisted "for the war" in the cause of his city and county aud, with voice and pen, he has contributed ma- terially to a sentiment which has yielded beneficial municipal results.
Coming to Kansas in the spring of 1870, Mr. Sickels stopped briefly in the village of Oswego, in Labelle county. He had come to the west to identify himself with it and his search for a place of much promise did not end 'till he reached Independence. He had passed two years-just prior -- in Vernon county, Missouri, but his fear of becoming entangled in the moss on the backs of his neighbors caused him to desert the state and he has never been sorry of the change.
October 22, 1839, Thomas N. Sickels was born in Indianapolis, In- diana. He was a son of Rev. William Sickels, a Presbyterian minister, a pioneer and influential factor in the affairs of that denomination in In- diana. The founding of Hanover, College, in that state, resulted largely from his efforts, and he passed his entire life in church and educational work. : He was born in New York state, was educated in Jefferson College and was descended from Holland stock. He married Alina Coe, a daugh- ter of Dr. Isaac Coe, one of the pioneer physicians of Indianapolis. Dr. Coe was widely known for his interest in Sabbath school work, and a monument to him in Crown Point cemetery in the capital city attests to his distinguished service as a founder of Sabbath schools in the state.
To Rev. and Mrs. Win. Sickels were born four sons, namely : Rev. W. W., of Indianapolis, Indiana; Rev. E. C., of Dixon, Illinois; Isaac C .. who died in Vernon county, Missouri; and Thomas N., of this review.
Thomas N. Sickels was educated in the city schools of Indianapolis, Indiana, spent two years in Jefferson College, near Pittsburg, and graduated from there in 1860. On finishing his education be passed a
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year on a Missouri farm and then located in Chicago; where he became associate commercial editor of the "Chicago Times.". Six months later, orin August. 1862. he enlisted in the Chicago Merenntile Battery, and was subsequently promoted to a First Lieutenancy in the 10th U. S. Artillery. He remained in the service 'till March, 1866; when he 'resigned and went back to Missouri as superintendent of a mining company. His army record, in brief, comprises service on the Yazoo river in the Vicksburg campaign, siege of Vicksburg, battle of Arkansas Post, and thence to the Department of the Gulf and remained around. New Orleans 'till he quit the service.
Mr. Sickels married Harriet E. McNeil inaVernon county, Missouri, May 21, 1867. She was a daughter of. Col. : R. W. MeNeil, and is the mo- ther of : Walter S., William N., of Chilocco; Oklahoma ; Mrs. Caroline C. Taylor, of Independence; Pansy, James and Edward. .. : : .:
Mr. Sickels has supported the Republican partysand its principles all his life and his official service in a political way comprises one term on the Board of Education of Independence: . He is n member of and elder in the Presbyterian church.
THOMAS F. MORROW-Thomas F. Morrow, one of the soldier farmers of Fawn Creek township, has been a resident of Montgomery county since 1870. He came to Kansas, financially : crippled and passed through some bitter experiences in his efforts to'secure a home for him- self and children, but, by his exertions, at last overcame the obstacles of pioneer life and is now, in the evening of liis career, able to enjoy, peace- fully, the fruits of the prosperity which has come to him in these later years.
A native of Ohio, Mr. Morrow was born in Noble county, May 26, 1844. Gershom Morrow was his father and Nancy Huffman his mother. They were both natives of the "Keystone State," had removed to Ohio in childhood and married in Belmont county. They continned to reside there until 1865, when they came west to Ralls county, Missouri, where the mother soon died, at the age of forty-five years. The father married a second time, Belzora C. Heskett, of Somerfiekl, Ohio (still re- siding in Missouri), becoming his wife. Mr. Morrow died April 9, 1902, at the advanced age of ninety years. The children of the first marriage were nine, six of whom are living, viz: John S. and Nancy M., deceased ; Elizabeth S., Mrs. James Norman; Charles S., Sarah S., wife of Mr. Hashman ; Thomas F., Mary .I., who also married a Norman; Ruth A., Mrs. Galloway; and Melissa R., deceased. To. the second marriage, the following were born : Ida, Martha A., Gershom L. and Almira, now Mrs. Harris.
Thomas F. Morrow was a lad of seventeen years, engaged
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dutifully at work on the home farm, when war's lond alarm reverberated throughout the country. He immediately placed his name on the roll and on the 2nd of February. 1862, took oath to support. by arms, the constitution of his nation. As a private soldier. he enlisted in Company "1." 20th O. Vol. Inf. He proceeded to the front and passed the succeeding four years in the fierce conflict of battle and through the long and weary march intervening, finally receiving an honorable dis- charge, on the 16th of July 1865. His service was passed in the use of powder and ball, in many of the fierce conflicts of the middle west and sonth. He was with Grant at Fort Donelson, at the bloody fight at Shi- loh, and, at Boliver, he met the enemy. For the three months preceding the Nation's Birthday of 1863, he participated in the siege of Vicksburg. Preceding this he was at Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, Big Black and then passed through the Atlanta Campaign. He was with Sherman's hosts as they marched to the sea, and saw the Stars and Bars come down at Savannah, and, later, al Shephard and Bradford and Port Pocatella and Ormsburg. He participated in the last scene of the war. the capture of Gen. Johnston at Raleigh, N. C., and then proceeded with the triumphant army to Washington, where he marched in that last great pageant, the Grand Review. From here he came back to Louisville. where he received his discharge and returned home with the consciousness of duty faithfully performed.
His father having removed to Missouri during his absence, he re- paired to that state aud in Ralls county, on the 25th of October, 1865, was joined in marriage to Martha S. Heskett. Mrs. Morrow was born on the 21st of July, 1837, in Ohio, and is a daughter of Leonidas and Eliza Heskett. Her parents had also removed to Missouri during the war. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow continued to live in Missouri until 1870, when they got together their possessions and started for the "Sunflower State." In Fort Scott, they purchased a yoke of oxen and a wagon, with which they made the trip to Montgomery county. Here they located a claim in the eastern part of Fawn Greek township, six miles northwest of Coffeyville. Their finances, after the payment on their land, was at a very low ebb. they having $50 left to begin the battle. However, they were both in good health and proceeded resolutely to carve out a home in the state. To enumerate all the trials through which they passed in those early days would take more space than this brief article can allow. Suffice it to say. that none of the old settlers had a "harder row to hoe" than Mr. Morrow and his devoted wife. They were finally enabled to get a deed for a por- tion of the claim which they preempted and are now living on the original quarter section. The improvements on this farm are of the substantial character and it now indicates the thrifty and careful management of a man skilled in husbandry.
The life of Mr. Morrow has been of the most upright character and
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his intelligent participation in the duties which come to the patriotic citizen has been of the most helpful nature. He has been honored with the selection to administer the township clerk's office for two terms, and has also participated in the selection of educational facilities for his school district at different times. Fraternally he is a member of the Masons, of the A. H. T. A. and of the G. A. R. In politics he supports the principles of the Republican platform and is a consistent and life-long member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
WILLIAM F. LAWSON-In the introduction to this personal notice appears the name of a farmer of Fawn Creek township, whose nineteen year's of life on a Kansas farm has contributed not only to the county's welfare, but has been a positive force in the amelioration of his own condition. He is entitled to credit for the commendable way in which he has disposed his time and, but for the comparative brevity of his residence here, he would enjoy the distinetion of a pioneer.
William F. Lawson is a native of Ohio. Richland county gave him birth on the 14th of June, 1850, of parents John and Margaret (Suyder) Lawson, the father born in Pennsylvania and the mother, also. The lat- ter were married in their native state and soon thereafter moved to Ohio and lived for a time in Richland county, afterward going to Detiance county, where their remaining years of life seem to have been spent. The father was born in 1804 and died in 1889, and the mother's birth occurred in 1805 and her death in 1884. Fourteen children resulted from their union, four sons of the number serving in the Union army, war of the Re- bellion, and of the family five yet survive. Of the sons who were soldiers. only two lived to see the end of the war. William F., who was the young- est child, reached his majority under the parental roof and obtained only a conutry school education. He learned the carpenters' trade and the first years of his life were devoted exclusively to its pursuit. He came ont to Kansas in 1880, and purchased a small tract of seventy-three acres in Montgomery county, the nucleus of his present farm. He went to Ne- braska and spent one year, theu a few months in Michigan and then spent three years in Illinois, and in 1884, brought ont his family and ef- feets with the ultimate intention of growing into and closing his career as a farmer. He continued to ply his trade in Montgomery county, has done all his own building and much work for others. His own improve- ments are substantial and somewhat imposing and add strikingly to the domesticity of his estate. Under his guidance and direction, his domain has widened in extent and now embraces, instead of less than eighty acres, three hundred acres, which places him in the category of large farmers of the county. His farm is six miles west of Coffeyville, and lies in sections one and two, township 34. range 15.
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October 29, 1883, Anna E. Getrost became the wife of William F. Lawson. She was a daughter of George W. and Lucy E. (Powell) Get- rost, and was born in Crawford county, Ohio, August 9, 1848. Mr Get- rost was a native German, came to the United States a boy and married a Pennsylvania lady. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Law- son, namely : William H., nineteen years old, and Emanuel M., aged fif- teen years.
From this article it will be seen that Mr. Lawson's opportunities were limited to those of his own carving and his advantages only those common to the poor. Empty handed, then, was his beginning in life and the results of his labors, coupled with those of his wife and sons, have al- ready been told. He affiliates with the Democratic party and has been a school clerk for nearly ten years, and was re-elected in 1903 for a term of three years.
PETER H. FOX-Among the well known farmers of Fawn Creek township and a gentleman who has taken a lively interest in practical agriculture in Montgomery county, is Peter H. Fox, of this sketch. For near a score of years he has planted and harvested of the crops indigenous to Southern Kansas soil, and nature and industry have rewarded him in the possession of a valuable estate.
Mr. Fox is a native of Lower Paxton township, Dauphin county, Pa., and was born July 13, 1836. He is a descendant of one of the old German families of the "Keystone State"-Fuchs, who settled there many gen- erations ago. Henry B. Fox (changed from Fuchs) was his father, and Lydia (Miller) Fox his mother. Both were born in Pennsylvania and passed their lives on the farm. The father died at the age of seventy-six and the mother at fifty-six, being the parents of two children, sons : John A. and Peter H. Owing to their surroundings the sons were farm lads and pupils, while growing up, in the district school. John A. died in 1897, and to Peter Il. is left the responsibility of perpetuating the family name.
Our subject was the first born, and after leaving the country school, attended the Harrisburg Academy several terms. Next he enrolled in the Burr & Burton Seminary, in Vermont, and, later on, entered Rens- salaer's Polytechnic-College, where he graduated in the three years' course. His education finished, he joined the engineering corps on the Northern Central Railroad, and had charge of the same for one year. He spent a year then superintending U. S. Sen. Don Cameron's farms, and then returned to his line of railroad work, where he continued for four- teen years. Leaving this service in 1884, he went to Nebraska, but the following year came to Kansas and settled in Montgomery county. He owns a farm of more than three hundred acres, six and one-half miles
PETER H. FOX.
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west of Coffeyville, which he has developed into an estate, at once an abundant reward for the effort it cost. His residence and other improve- ments indicate the thrift and progress of the owner, and his fuel, which comes from a thousand feet under ground, is one of the conveniences and Inxuries rarely enjoyed.
December 30, 1867, Mr. Fox married Emma J. Meese, who died Feb- mary 17, 1899, at fifty-four years of age. Mrs. Fox was born in Pennsyl- vania, and left three children, namely: David M., a traveling salesman ; Joseph H. and Lydia M.
Mr. Fox has a fondness for and an interest in family antiquities. To him there is an inherent value to some heirloom or relie of former gene- rations and he is in possession of his mother's childhood hymn-book. pmr- chased in 1829, and of his grandfather's wedding vest of homespun, and colored with walnut bark. Inanimate though they are, these objects speak chapters to us on the progress of modern times, and stimulate one to reflection on the interesting, but primitive, past. Mr. Fox was on terms of professional intimacy with Senator Cameron, and with his famous father, Simon Cameron, he had the honor of an acquaintance. He has tilled the offices of Justice of the Peace and Treasurer of his township, and has been a number of years a member of the County High School board.
IRA J. STURTEVANT-One of the large business enterprises of the county is that of the Coffeyville Furniture Company. Connected with it as a stockholder and as its efficient manager is Ira I. Sturtevant, a gentle- man whose sixteen years in the city has won him a host of friends among the urban population.
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