USA > Kansas > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery County, Kansas > Part 64
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Mr. Hicks married on the 29th of March, 1867. his wife being Vir- ginia Nicely. a native of Virginia ; her death occurring in July, 1887. Mr. Hicks nover married again, and is living alone on his farm. He is a member of the Masons, Keystone Lodge No. 1021, Coffeyville. Politi- cally. he is a Democrat, and east his first vote in 1902.
JOSEPH S. BENNETT-Four miles north of the littlecity of C'aney. resides a settler who came to Montgomery county in 1884-to quote his own words, "came to the county with twenty-five cents in my pocket and this I spent for stationery and postage to write back home with." The country was then, practically. new and our new settler, Joseph S. Bennett, applied himself to the task of earning a livelihood and of hatch. ing the egg. as it were, which opportunity had laid. His education was
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meager and he was without a trade and he did whatever his hands found to do.
He came into Kansas and settled among the ex-soldiers of the Union, embarrassed by a record of service in the Confederate army, yet the manly principle within him was dominant and it shown out at every con- tact, with a Instre that won confidence, and the race to eivie success was early won. The year of his advent to Kansas, he secured employment in a hotel in Independence and was soon able to make a payment on his first tract of land. This he located in Caney township, comprised forty aeres and forms a part of his present home. He erected a modest shanty on it and began a rather lonely, but positive, existence on a Kansas farm. The work of improvement has gone steadily on, until his is one of the profitable little farms of the county.
By nativity, Mr. Bennett is a Kentuckian. He was born in Taylor county. January 2, 1845, and his parents were Faris and Permelia (Short) Bennett. The latter passed their lives in the "Blue Grass State." the mother dying many years ago, while the father passed away in 1893, at the age of seventy-five years. Five children constituted the family, by the first wife, and the second one hore Mr. Bennett seven; and still a third wife was the mother of three.
JJoseph S. Bennett was the oldest of the family of fifteen children and his surroundings were those of the average country youth. Although young in years, he was prompted to a military career in the volunteer armies of the South, by a desire to battle for a canse that was lost, and he became a private in the cavalry brigade of the Confederate chieftan, Gen. John Morgan, the most daring of the Southern leaders. He partici- pated in "Morgan's Raid" into Ohio, where he was captured and taken. first, to Camp Chase, and thence to Camp Douglas, Chicago. He was confined, as a prisoner of war, for nearly a year, and was then exchanged, with others, and returned, again, to the field. He helped fight the bloody battle of Stone River, besides many others, and retired to civil life when the war was ended and the Confederacy overthrown.
Peace again established in our land, Mr. Bennett sought his old home and was busy with husbandry there. till 1884, when he cast his lot with the straggling settlements of Montgomery county, to which locality he has contributed an honorable part toward the building-np. He is a gentleman of mature and safe judgment and of good discrimination. Ile manifests some interest in local politics, votes with the Democrats and has never married.
JOIN R. WATTS-Among the worthy citizens of Independence whose brawn and brain has figured conspicuously in the development and progress of the city, is the gentleman here named, a contractor and
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builder, whose handiwork, both in public and private buildings, is found on many hands.
John R. Watts was born in Butler county, Ohio, December 19, 1844, a son of Joseph S. and Mary Ann Watts. Joseph Watts was a farmer by ocenpation, a thresher, and was widely known. He was a man of great energy and lived an upright and consistently moral life. He and the family, which he reared, were prominent factors in the social life of their community. He died in 1866, at the age of fifty-two years, his wife sur- viving him fifteen years and dying at the age of sixty-five. They reared a family of nine children, as follows: Sarah, Mrs. William Boes, of Inde- pendence, Kansas; Jane, deceased; William, who was killed at the battle of Chickamauga ; J. R., our subject; Joseph, a farmer in Boliver, Mis- souri ; James, of Independence; Amanda, Mrs. James McKinsey, of Bra- zil, Indiana ; Margaret. Mrs. Jesse Poor, of Harmon, Indiana; Lena. Mrs. George Sackett. of Dayton. Ohio; and Cornelius, of Brazil, Indiana.
In the case of our subject, a good common school education was fol- lowed by a seven-year apprenticeship at the carpenter trade, ending in 1865, since which time he has been contracting work for himself. He lo- cated in Parke county, Indiana, where he remained until the spring of 1883, the date of his coming to Independence. Here he soon became one of the leading contractors of the county, and, during the two decades of his active life here, has handled a number of large contracts, notably the Baden warehouse, the Lutheran church, and several of the larger and more handsome residences of the city.
The domestic life of Mr. Watts began in Parke county. Indiana. on the 18th of April, 1868, the date of his marriage to Mary. a daughter of Edward and Mahala Pratt. Mrs. Pratt is the eldest of four children, the others being as follows: Keziah, Mrs. Dr. Bence. now deceased; Rosa. Mrs. Milton Havlan, of Hollandsburg, Indiana; and Dora, deceased, was Mrs. George Amnes. To the marriage of our subject and his wife have been born : Priscilla, Mrs. Eugene Evans, of Kansas City. with children : John and Cora ; Eva, Mrs. Joe Gee, of Independence; Edmond, of Leaven- worth : Rosa, Mrs. Vorhees. of Independence, whose two children are : Floyd and an infant: Amanda. Mrs. Newton Blakeley. with children : Ella and an infant : Bertha. Frank, Clemmie and Ada are still at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Watts are active members of the Christian church and are supporters of every good canse which has for its object the ameliora. tion of conditions in society and the uplift of humanity. Mr. Watts is a firm believer in the principle of organized labor and has long been a member of the Carpenters' Union. In politics, he is independent, reserv- ing the right to exercise his judgment in the selection of the best mon and the best measures.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
ALBERT PERRY MeBRIDE-In the subject of this personal re- view. is presented a native Kansan, whose name is familiar in almost every household in Montgomery county, and whose efforts in the past derade have yielded momentous results and have been of immeasurable importance and value to the material interests of the county. His name and fame have extended beyond the confines of his own state and, in the development of the subterranean resources of southeastern Kansas and the Indian Territory, the name of A. P. McBride stands the peer of all. Tunnelling the earth's ernst, has been his life work, and the hidden truths which his efforts have brought to light, have yielded to the geolo- gist a fund of positive knowledge, and to commerce and the industries, an impetus that will endure permanently and increase with the lapse of years.
On the 20th day of February, 1862, Albert P. MeBride was born in Miami county, Kansas. His paternal antecedents were from West Vir- ginia and his maternal from Tennessee. His father, Thomas J. MeBride, was born near Whitehall, Illinois, a son of James McBride, of Tennessee, whose paternal ancestor emigrated from the old Virginia state, as a pio- neer to that state. They were of Scotch-Irish lineage and descended from a pioneer ancestor who established himself a citizen of the New World, in the year 1730.
Thomas J. McBride was born February 7, 1832, was brought up on a farm, subsequently learned the blacksmith trade and, finally, entered the ministry. He pioneered to Kansas in 1858 from Green county, Illi- nois-first stopping, for eighteen months. in Bates county, Missouri-and participating in the stirring events which took place there, both before and during the war. He enlisted in Company "E," First Battalion of Missouri troops-from Cass county-and also served in George H. Hume's Rangers. Since the war, he has, when actively engaged, been employed with the civil pursuits above mentioned, chiefly in Miami county, Kansas, and has, recently, become a resident of Independence, Kansas. In politics, he is a Democrat, and in religion, a Baptist. No- vember 3. 1853, he married Ineinda Barnett, a daughter of John Bar- nett, formerly from Tennessee, who was killed, in 1862, by Capt. Irvin Walla's gang. Eight children were the issue of this marriage, seven of whom are: John A., James H., William T., C. W., C. M., I. J. and W. F. The first four mentioned are Kansas farmers, and the others are gas and oil drillers at Butler, Missouri. The fourth son in the family is A. P., the subject of this notice.
James McBride, Sr., the great-grandfather of Thomas Jefferson MeBride, comes to us as the original head of this numerous branch of the American McBrides. With four other brothers, he emigrated from the highlands of Scotland, about 1730, and made settlement in the Colony of Virginia, in America. The other brothers were: William, Jaseth.
A. P. McBRIDE.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
John and Andrew. The name of James MeBride was deciphered from the bark of a beech tree, in 1755, as recited in Frost's History of Ken- tucky, it having evidently been carved there by the owner, soon after his settlement in that state. These five brothers fought in the French and Indian war, under Gen. Braddock, and three of them were killed, Wil- liam and James being the sole survivors of the battle of Ft. Duquense. William MeBride was subsequently killed by an Indian and James re- mained a resident of Virginia, where he reared a family of sons and worked at his trade -gunsmith and shoemaker. He married a Crawford- a lady of noble English blood, and made his home on Clinch river. Among their family of ten children was a son, William, the grandfather of Thomas J. McBride, mentioned in this article. He married a Miss Lee and was the father of two sons and five daughters. James, their first son, was the father of Thomas J. MeBride, and married Naney A. Taylor, who bore him thirteen children.
A. P. McBride grew up a country, Kansas lad. Conditions and cir- cumstances were such that anything beyond a limited country school education, for him, was impossible. He began life as a well-driller and, in time, became associated with C. L. Bloom, doing a contract business in prospecting for gas and oil. In 1892, MeBride & Bloom engaged in the gas business, on their own account, at Coffeyville, Kansas, and in 1893, came to Independence, from which point they have conducted their opera- tions since. What is now believed to be the heart of the gas and oil field of Montgomery county, is under the control of the Independence Gas Company, of which these two gentlemen are the chief promoters and the executive head. In 1899, this company acquired interests in lease hold- ings near Bartelsville, in the Territory, and these are now being success- fully and profitably developed.
Mr. McBride is not, alone, known as a developer of resources, but as a promoter of industries, as well. He was one of the organizers of the Coffeyville Gas Company, in 1892, of the Independence Gas Company. a year later, and of the Bartelsville Gas and Oil Company, in 1899. He is a large stockholder in the Independence Brick Company, which con- cern he also helped bring into existence. All other factories and indus- trial enterprises of Independence have felt the influence of his friendly interest, and the most flattering inducements are held ont by him and his business colleagues, as an enconragement to legitimate investors, seek- ing factory locations, to the end that Independence may become the cen- ter of business activity and the hub of industrial enterprises of south- eastern Kansas.
Mr. MeBride is a busy man. His numerous personal interests and the extensive interests of the gas company-the growth and importance of which is presented in its proper place in this volume-fully occupy his time. He is a man of remarkable vigor, filled with enthusiasm and
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hope. and has a facility for accomplishing things, without loss of time. His influence with men is at once apparent and his opinions are valned as the results of practical experience. His interest in Independence is a warm and abiding one and the work he has done toward its ornamen- tation. is best detailed by a view of his handsome brick residence on North Pennsylvania avenue. He maintains an attitude of liberality toward deserving and worthy public enterprises and is optimistic in his position relative to favors along this line. As a fraternity man. he holds a membership in the Knights of Pythias. the Odd Fellows, the Elks and the Masons. With his wife. he belongs to the Eastern Star, and has, himself, taken the Knight Templar degrees, belongs to the Mystic Shrine, and is a Scottish Rite; thirty two degrees. ile also belongs to the United Commercial Travellers.
Mr. McBride was united in marriage. January 7. 1884. with Laura A. Clampitt, a daughter of J. A. Clampitt. of Greeley, Kans., but who, for the past twelve years, has been residing in Los Angeles, California. Three children have been the result of their union. namely : Bert Thomas, Jesse Camdon and Maude Gertrude.
DANIEL B. SHANK-Bearing on his body the evidence of the mea- sure of his devotion to country. in several cruel scars, this old soldier- farmer of Parker township, is passing into a peaceful and honored old age, surrounded by comforts which are the result of faithful labors, in his earlier years. He is a "Buckeye" by birth, born in Preble county, October 8, 1837, a son of Daniel Shank and Elizabeth Gongwer, both na- tive of Virginia. These parents were brought to Ohio, as children, and, marrying in Preble county, there lived out their lives. the father dying in 1837, the mother in 1865. They reared but two children. our subject and Mrs. Sarah A. Lahman, of Dayton, Ohio.
With rather a meagre education, Mr. Shank left home, at the age of twenty, and went to Vigo county. Indiana; thence, in 1861, to Edgar county. Illinois. The struggle for freedom coming on, it found, in Mr. Shank, an enthusiastic supporter, and, on the 22d of July, 1861, he took the oath of a soldier, in Company "E." Twelfth Illinois Volunteer In- faniry. With this hody of patriots, he endured the fierce strife of battle and the long marches between, for a period of four years, receiving hou- orable discharge on the 10th of July, 1865. Ten pitched battles and thir- ty-two skirmishes, is the record, some of the more prominent being Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, Kennesaw Mtn. and Peachtree Creek. At the latter, on the 22d of Inly. 1864, he received a ball through both wrists. The wound was a most grievous one and very nearly resulted in the am- putation of both arms. This; of course, ended his career as a soldier, and, after a period in the hospital, he returned home.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
Farming constituted the occupation of Mr. Shank, in Illinois, until 1882, when he came out to Kansas, first going to the extreme western part of the state, where he decided that was not a suitable country for him to settle in, and he came to Montgomery. Here, he purchased the farm of fifty-six aeres, five miles north of Coffeyville, upon which he has since resided. This was bare prairie land, without improvements. A small box house was erected, and continued to do service until more pros- perons times, when the comfortable, modern home which now stands in its place, was built. The farm of Mr. Shank is not of large proportions. but is a model of ucatness and of thrifty appearance.
Mr. and Mrs. Shank have exerted a wholesome influence on society. since their coming to the county, and are most highly regarded for their many virtues. The family which they have reared consisted of but two children : Myrtle, now the wife of Frank Walters, a minister of the Chris- tian church, in Colorado; and Pant D. The youngest daughter, Hattie E., was the victim of accidental drowning in the Verdigris river, on the 15th of June. 1892, then fourteen years old.
Prior to September 3, 1868, Mrs. Shank was Amanda J. Webster. She is a native of Page county, Virginia, born July 26, 1849, and is the daughter of Philip Webster and Susan Hollingsworth. Her father died in 1891, at sixty-seven, in Vigo county, Indiana, where the family had removed, in 1859. Her mother died in early life, and Margaret Ward was the second wife of her father. By the first marriage, there were five children : John, James, Barbara, Mary and Mrs. Shank. In the sec- ond family, there were : Thomas J., Charles, Frank, Etta and Emma.
EDWARD JJ. WAUD-On a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, three miles southeast of Coffeyville, resides Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Wand, their residence in the county covering some twenty-two years. Mr. Wand is well known throughout the west, as a breeder of fine horses. many of which he has trained for the track, with his own hand, and which have shown qualities of speed creditable on any course.
Rensselaer county, New York, and September 13, 1847, will serve to mark the place and date of Mr. Waud's birth. John M. Waud, his father, was also a native of the "Empire State," his mother, Frances Lambly, being a twelve-year-old lass when she came, with her parents, to this country, from England. They were married in New York state, and, with a young family, in 1850, removed to Kalamazoo, Michigan. The father was an artist in early life, and of high merit, as is shown by a painting still in possession of his son, being a life-like picture of his favorite hunting dog. Later in life, he became interested in the raising of trotting horses, and was a citizen of Kalamazoo at the time of his demise. at the age of seventy-four years. Mrs. Wand was a lady of supe-
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
rior mental attainments and gentle breeding, surviving him several years; her age, at death, being seventy-five. They were the parents of two sons and four daughters: Marmaduke Wand, now residing in Kalamazoo, and Edward; and Annie, Frances, Ellen and Georgiana: Annie and Frances are deceased.
Edward Wand was ten years of age when the parents moved out to Michigan. He was reared on his father's stock farm, in daily association with trainers and fanciers of thoroughbred horses, and thus became thoroughly inoculated with the love for horseflesh, which has con- tinned to be his distinguishing trait of character throughot his man- hood. And it is not at all strange that one finds in him. a "gentleman to the manor born." One's character is very greatly influenced by the things upon which his thoughts are most centered. No more noble or in- telligent animal bas been furnished man, by a beneficient Creator, than the horse, and he who handles him most successfully minst respond, in kind, to the attributes of character exhibited in such marked degree by that animal.
Mr. Wand had attained the age when bachelorhood was dangerously near to being a fixed state, before he met Mrs. Nancy J. Myers, the lady who now handles the reins about his handsome rural residence. The marriage was an event of March 12. 1881. Mrs. Wand is a daughter of James and Irene (Greer) Gillespie, natives of Virginia and Ohio, respect- ively. Her birth occurred in Mercer county, Ohio, June 15, 1840. James Gillespie was killed by guerrillas in Mexico, while there on a business trip. in 1852, his wife dying in Indiana, in 1878. There were eight chil- dren in the family, the two still living being: Mrs. Wand and James F .; those deceased are: Jefferson, who was killed in the battle of Jackson, Mississippi, while gallantly defending the flag: Zerelda. Julia, Joseph, Melissa and one unnamed.
Shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wand set their faces toward the "Sunflower State" and found, in Montgomery county, condi- tions favorable for the building of a home. They have not been disap- pointed, as in the case of others, though it has not been all plain sailing. Mr. Wand has been generally successful with his horses, but has suffered two heavy losses, a fine animal worth $5,000, and another, whose market price was $3,000. For a time, he did much of his own training, on a track kept upon the farm, but bas, of late years, allowed this adjunct to return to its original state.
During his residence in the county, Mr. Wand has made many friends, by his upright methods of business. He lends his influence to all good canses, votes with the Republican party, and. in fraternal matters, affiliates with the Knights of Honor.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
WILLIAM W. POST-William W. Post was born in Summit coun- ty, Ohio. November 1, 1822. His father, Henry Post, and his mother, Mary A. (Clark) Post, were natives of Connecticut. Iu 1804, the family moved to Ohio and settled in a township where there were but five other white families, and where numerous tribes of Indians were the only other residents. The father died JJuly 4, 1866, at the age of eighty-two, and his wife died October 27, 1857. There were eight children, three of whom are living in lowa, and William W., our subject.
William W. Post had only a common school education and lived at home until he was twenty-one years of age. He was married in 1846, to Sarah Jane Miller, who was born February 25, 1827. His wife was a daughter of Allen and Elizabeth ( Love) Miller, both natives of Pennsyl- vania. Mr. Miller came to Ohio when a small boy and died there at the age of seventy-four, his wife dying at the age of seventy years. There were nine children, of whom Mrs. Post is the sole survivor.
Mr. Post came, with his family, to Kansas in 1878, settling north of Coffeyville, where he remained seven years. The farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he now lives, was bought later, but, for the last few years, he has rented his farm, not being able to attend to it him- self. His family are all married and gone, except a widowed daughter, Mrs. Alice C. Murray, who is looking after their welfare. There were born to them, viz: Clark, of Fawn Creek township; Avery, deceased; Al- ice C., Mrs. George Murray; Carrie, deceased wife of George Murray; W. O. Post, now a resident of Ottawa, Kansas; and Sarah, who died in infancy. Mr. Post held, in his home, in Ohio, many positions of trust ; those of County Commissioner, township trustee, constable and assessor of his township. In political matters, he was a Democrat until Mckinley was nominated for the presidency, when he voted for him. In business, he sustains an enviable reputation, and honor and integrity are synony- mons with his name.
Mrs. Alice C. Murray, daughter of William W. and Mary Jane Post, was born in Summit county, Ohio, and was married there, to George Murray, in 1873. In 1877. they moved, with their family, to Kansas, where Mr. Murry died, in 1883. He was born in Summit county, Ohio, July 20, 1849, and, at his death, left two children : Myrtle, wife of John Shaw ; and Wesley, still with the home. He served, for some time, during the war. in Company "C." Third U. S. Cavalry, and was discharged on ac- count of sickness.
C. W. CANNING -- In this review we are brought face to face with a pioncer whose connection with Montgomery county dates from 1870, and whose career has marked a progressive movement from its early begin-
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
ning, and it gives us satisfaction to present a few faets concerning his origin and the chief events of his life.
Charles W. Canning was born a subject of the British Queen. War- wickshire, England, is his native place and his birth occurred May 30, 1843. He was a son of a farmer and his parents, John and Martha Can- ning, both died in England, the former at the age of seventy-eight and the latter at seventy-three years. Of their seven children, five are yet in the "old country" and C. W. is the youngest of them all. He acquired a liberal education and filled the position of druggist's clerk, before he was twenty-one. He left England. for the United States, in 1864, passing through Castle Garden and on to Montreal, Canada. where he remained three years. In 1867, he returned to the United States and stopped, temporarily. in Illinois, where he was employed, chiefly. at farm work. In 1870, he made his final journey toward the setting sun and established himself in Kansas. He entered a tract of land in Independence town- ship, which he improved and yet owns, and which served as the nucleus of his, now, valuable estate of three hundred and sixty acres, within the proven gas and oil territory of the county. The captain gas well of the district was drilled on his farm, in the summer of 1902, and its product helps to supply the fuel which feeds the numerous industries of Inde- pendence.
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