USA > Kansas > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery County, Kansas > Part 73
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John Hysung was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. March 9. 1829. Ilis occupation has been that of a farmer, though he spent some twelve years in his father's mill. He had married, previons to the break- ing out of the war, and, with a wife and family, together with a widowed
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS. 641
mother, dependent upon him, he felt it his only to remain at home, dur- ing that struggle. But Jacob, however, went to the front. while John assisted in raising a company in his home township, and. during the con- tinuance of the war, failed not in giving the government proper and loyal support. In 1863, he moved out to Vigo county, Indiana, where he farmed, until the date of his settlement in Montgomery county, in 1880. Here, he has lived the life of a good and quiet citizen. nuruffled by any exciting event.
Mir. Hysung buried the wife of his youth, in 1893. Her name was Elizabeth Devore, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Cornelius and Elizabeth ( Dunlap) Devore. She was a woman of superior make-up and a kind mother to her two sons: Cornelins F., who resides in Kansas City, in the employ of the Missouri Pacific Ry. Co., and James S., a clerk in Bakersfield, California. The present wife of our subject was the wid- ow of Charles Brown, one of the victims of the Dalton raid. She is an Ohioan, and a daughter of Alfred and Urania (Conant) Morley, her Christian name being Emily L. Her parents were natives of Massachu- seits. where they married, and then came to Ohio, where, at Kirtland, they passed the remainder of their lives. The father was a carriage maker, his age, at death, having been seventy-seven years. The wife died many years earlier, at forty-four. The children were: Watson, of Day- ton (Ohio) Soldiers' Home; George H., deceased; Charles T., of Paines- ville. Ohio; Emily L., Lewis A., of Onoway, lowa ; Howard C., of Youngs- town, Ohio; Elizabeth Whiting, of Whiting, Iowa. All the sons of this family enlisted in defense of "Old Glory," their service aggregating a period of seventeen years. Mrs. Hysung was, prior to her first marriage, a successful teacher, having tanght, some ten years, in the States of Ohio, Iowa. Michigan and Indiana.
Mr. Hysung and his wife are of excellent standing in the community where they have residence, and enjoy the esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
MATT. GRIFFIN-One of the leading farmers of Parker township, and none more prominently and honorably associated with the history of his county, is Matt. Griffin, who was born in Adair county. Missouri, on the 27th of January, 1857. His father, Lafayette Griffin, was a native of South Carolina, where he was married to Catherine Griffin, a native of the same state. They moved to Adair county, in an early day, where they engaged in farming. The father was, accidentally, drowned there, in 1861. when only forty-seven years of age. His wife survives him, a resi- dent of Independence. Kansas, with her daughter. She came to Mont- gomery county, in 1869, and is one of The old settlers of the county, hav- ing gone through all the hardships of a new country, with the burden of a large family to rear. Her family consists of six children: Keturah,
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Frank, Matt, Mary, William and Jefferson.
Matt. Griffin was the third child, and second son. He was only twelve years of age when his mother moved to Kansas, and he and his older brother had to do the work of the farm. The children made the most of the opportunities offered by the district school and some educa- tion was acquired.
Mr. Griffin lived with his mother, till his marriage, 1879, to Cordelia Addie. a native of Ohio. His wife's father and mother, William and Elizabeth Addie, were both natives of Ohio. They came to Kansas in 1868, and located two miles north of Humboldt, where Mr. Addie died, in 1869, at thirty-eight years of age. In 1870, the family moved to Mont- gomery county, where they lived for a number of years. Mrs. Addie died in Denver, Colorado, in 1900, at the age of sixty-four. There were only three children in the family : Callie, Delila and Mary.
Matt. Griffin chose for his occupation, the trade of a baker, and worked at the business, for a number of years, at Independence, Kansas. After acquiring a sufficient sum of money, he sold ont his business and rented a farm on the river, where he lived till 1901, when he bought and improved one hundred and sixty acres of land, five miles north and one mile west of Coffeyville. Four years passed before he moved to this farm and built a handsome residence and large barn. Many improvements are being made, and the farm is being fenced with tight-wire fencing, and the place is approaching one of the best farms in the township. It is adapted for both the raising of hogs and eattle, but he gives the most of his attention to the former. There are about one hundred acres of fine wheat and corn land, and to the north of his house, is a large oak grove, which makes a fine windbreak for the house and barns, so that the stoek is well profeeted in winter.
Mr. Griffin started in life with very little capital, but his business transactions have been attended with much success, which may be as- cribed not only to his close application and untiring industry, but, also, to the helpful and untiring co-operation of his wife. To them prosperity has come in the last fourteen or fifteen years, and they feel, now, that they have reached The place where they can enjoy, withont so much hard labor, the fruits of their industry. Only one child has come to them, Maudie. now a young lady in her 'teens.
WILLIAM C. DICKEY-Seven miles west and a half mile north of the city of Coffeyville, is the beautiful rural home of the gentleman whose name appears above. He is one of the oldest settlers in Montgom- ery county, his residence dating from the year 1869. He first settled in Liberty township, but Fawn Creek township has been his home for many years.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
The place of birth of Mr. Dickey was in Wayne county, Pennsylva- nia, the time being the 11th of September, 1841. He is a son of William and Eliza (Smith) Dickey, the former a native of Connecticut, the latter of New York. After their marriage, they emigrated, in 1856, to Lee coun- ty, lowa, where they lived five years, then moved to Lin county, Kansas, and, there, farmed, during the period of the war. Then, in 1866, they moved over into Bates county, Missouri, and, in 1869, settled with their family, in Montgomery county, Kansas. The father purchased a farm near Independence and continued to reside at that point. until his death, in 1871, at the advanced age of eighty years. The wife died, near Mound City, Kansas, at the age of fifty-six years. To them were born seven children, the four now living, heing: Sarah, Mrs. Brown, of Penn- sylvania ; Harriet. Mrs. Root, of Linn county, Kansas; Adaline, Mrs. Smith, of this county, and William C., the esteemed subject of this re- view.
William C. Dickey was reared to the hard manual labor of the farm, his education being secured in the country schools, during the few short winter months. He remained an imate of the home and participated in the different moves of the family, until their arrival in this county. He had already entered upon his first business venture, while the family lived in Bates county. operating a grocery store, across the line, in Ver- non county, during the three years of their residence in that place. After his arrival in Montgomery county, he took up a claim near Independence, for which he secured a deed, and then sold out and purchased another farm, one mile west, where he lived three years. He then went to Rut- land township, where he bought a farm, near Havana, and, there, contin- ned to reside for the ensning eleven years. Again, he disposed of his farm, and, after a short period in Independence, purchased the present farm of eighty acres, in Fawn Creek township. Here, he is engaged in general farming and has one of the best pieces of land in the county, furnished with everything in the line of buildings and machinery, neces- sary to the handling of stock and the caring for the products of the farm.
In the matter of citizenship, Mr. Dickey stands deservedly high, hav- ing always sustained a splendid reputation for honesty and integrity of character. He has given much attention to the securing of the best educational facilities for his nighborhood, and is found ready, at all times, to engage in any movement which looks to the advancement of the people.
On the 17th day of August, in 1862, Mr. Dickey hooded the call of his country and went forth to do battle for the flag. His enlistement was in Company "K." Twelfth Kansas Volunteer Infantry. In this regiment he served a period of three years, participating in a number of the hard- fought battles of the west and many of the smaller skirmishes. He was
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
fortunate in returning with good health and without wounds. His dis- charge dated on the 30th of June, 1865.
The domestic life of Mr. Dickey began on the 3d of December, 1872, when he married, in Montgomery county, Agnes Chamberlain. Mrs. Diekey was born near Galena, Illinois, March 30, 1847. Her father, Wil- liam Chamberlain, was a native of Vermont, and married Clymena Owen. a native of Pennsylvania. They came, with their family, to Mont- gomery county. in 1869, and settled near Independence, where they pass- ed the remainder of their days. His age was seventy, at death, the wife living to the age of seventy-six. Five of their nine children still survive : Agnes. Mrs. Dickey ; William. Emily, Mrs. Bolton; George and Oscar, all of whom live in this county. To the marriage of our subject and his wife, seven children have been born: Charles and William H. reside in St. Joseph, Missouri ; Franklin lives at home; Emma, who married Guy T. Brown ; Leonard, who lives at home ; Nellie and George are deceased.
In matters of political moment, Mr. Diekey votes for the man or the principle, rather than for a particular party. Socially, he is a valued member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Both he and his family are much esteemed in the community in which they reside.
D. W. CATHERS-D. W. Cathers, a retired cigar manufacturer of Cherryvale, Kansas, was born in Fulton county, Illinois, January 17, 1861. His father, George W. Cathers, now retired, followed the trade of cooper, and was a soldier, for three years and three months, in the Civil war. The father was born in April, 1833, came to Kansas from Illinois in the early 90's, and is the father of ten children, seven of whom are living: Phoebe, Mrs. P. K. Smith, of Coffeyville; D. W., Eliza, Mrs. E. J. Stan- dard, of Canton, Illinois; Charles, who died at two years; Lura B., Mrs. E. J. Glover; Tillie M., deceased; Charles P., of Cherryvale; Allen, de- ceased ; Fred E., of Fort Scott, and Viola E., of the class of 1903, high school. Cherryvale.
D. W. Cathers was educated in Canton, Illinois. After finishing school, he learned the business of making cigars, and followed that busi- ness for over thirty years. He had a factory in Illinois and remained there until he came to Kansas, in 1887, at one time, acting as traveling salesman for his business. In 1901, the trusts interfered so with his business, that he closed it, and became a farmer, oil and stock man, own- ing two hundred and forty acres of good oil lands in Montgomery and Wilson counties. He was a member of the council when it voted to authorize the prospecting for gas, the first in the gas belt to do this.
Mr. Cathers married Kate Morning, a native of Dakota and a daugh- ter of James and Caroline ( Hudson) Morning, the mother a native of New Jersey, and the father of Illinois. Their home is in Salt Lake, Utah,
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JOSEPH F. KING.
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IIISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
though, for sixteen years, they were residents of Labette county, Kans- sas, moving west in 1890. Mrs. Cathers is one of eight children, viz: Samuel A., of Salt Lake; William J., of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Mrs. Kate E. Cathers, James L., of Vinita. Indian Territory; Rev. Theodore, a minister of the First Presbyterian church of Madison, Nebraska; Del- bert, of Parsons, Kansas; Arthur, a teacher, and Rose E., of Salt Lake, Utah.
Mrs. D. W. Cathers has two children living: Leatha and Edna : Ar- thur E. is deceased. She and the oldest daughter are members of the Pres. byterian church of Cherryvale. Mr.Cathers is a member of the A.F.& A.M., I. O. O. F., Woodmen and A. O. N. W. He has great faith in the resources of Montgomery county and is thoroughly westernized. He is among the most worthy and well-to-do citizens, is enterprising and believes in pro- gress. His home is one of the handsome places in the city.
JOSEPH F. KING-The "old soldier!" How shall we repay him, how measure the value of his services to his country? Shall it be in pal- try dollars and cents? Far be it from us, the beneficiaries of their loy- alty, to think that the mere pittance received as a pension, discharges the obligation owed to them! Let us, in the few brief years they are to be here, pour forth upon them, in addition, the benedictions of a grateful posterity. Stand with uncovered heads. as each year their lessening ranks file by, resolved that the glorious country which they saved with their blood, shall continue its benign mission of uplifting humanity to a higher plane of excellence. The biographer is always proud to record the few brief facts that tell of duty done in the dark days of the Rebel- lion, and, in Joseph F. King, of Caney township, is a subject which fur- nishes the necessary material.
Mr. King landed on Kansas soil in 1857, and was, thus, in the thick of the fervid battle for supremacy, then going on between the forces of the Free-State patriots and the Border-Ruttians. When the war cloud actual- Jy hurst. he was one of the first to enlist. first, in the Home Guards, and then, in a company commanded by Capt. J. B. Forman, which became part of the Tenth Kansas Infantry. After a year's service in this organ- ization. he received honorable discharge, and. immediately. returning to his old home in Indiana, reenlisted in Company "A." of the Twelfth In- diana Volunteer Infantry. In this company he served during the re- mainder of the war, participating in many of the hard-fought battles and long wearisome marches of the Army of the Cumberland, and. later. with grand old "Unele Billy," to the sea. A partial list of the battles in which Mr. King had a part, follows: Richmond. Kentucky ; Siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Missionary Ridge. Resaca, Big Shanty. Big and Little Kenne- saw. Atlanta, Jonesboro, Macon. Savannah. Columbus, Bentonville, Raleigh,
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
together with mimerons other skirmishes, not mentioned in the reports .. At Richmond, Kentucky, Mr. King was unfortunate enough to get within' the enemy's line and was captured. He, however, was paroled on the fourth day. Again, at Atlanta, his zeal carried him too close to the ene- my. His stay with the "JJohnnie Rebs" was even shorter than before, as he was enabled, by the lax discipline of the guards, to make his escape, and to participate in that "glorious march to the sea." His company had the distinction of being selected to lead the Grand Review at Wash- ingtor, an honor which it richly deserved, and which its battle-scarred members bore with distinguished credit.
A few brief facts concerning the family of Mr. King will not be amiss. Ile was born in Jennings county, Indiana, on the 17th of Septem- ber, 1842, a son of George W. and Nancy ( Boyd) King. The parents were natives of Ohio and. in 1857. removed. with their family, to Anderson county. Kansas. Here, they lived out their days, as farmers, loyal to the free institutions of their adopted state, which the father served during the war, in the home guards, and in several different offices of trust. He died at the age of sixty-eight, the mother surviving him and dying at seventy-four years. They reared a family of twelve children, the four now living being: Joseph F., Elizabeth, William and Robert C. Those deceased are : James. David, Benjamin M., Emma, John, George, Lena and Cynthia.
Upon his return from the war, Mr. King was joined in marriage with Catherine F. Lewellin, the date being JJune 24, 1865. Mrs. King was a native of Jennings county, Indiana, born the 20th of November, 1844, the daughter of James and Sidney J. (Scroggins) Lewellin, who were from South Carolina. and early pioneers to Green county, Indiana.
The year of his marriage, Mr. King returned to Anderson county, Kansas, where he engaged in farming until 1883, when he bought his present farm of eighty aeres in Cauey township. It lies two miles south of the village of Havana, and shows the care of a practiced hand, in the many substantial improvements to be found thereon. Mr. King is a man of parts. in his township, having served as treasurer and clerk of the school board a number of times, and in various other positions of trust. In political belief he is a staunch Republican, and delights to promote the interests of that party. To him and his wife have been born a family of ien children, but four of whom are living : Nancy, wife of Fred Wolsch; Minnie, wife of David M. Spring; JJoseph D., and Amos. Those deceased are : James, Mary, George, Etta J., and John A.
Mr. and Mrs. King and their son, Amos, comprise the family living at home, and all are regarded with much respect in the community.
JOSEPH A. BUCKLEY-A quarter of a century at the throttle of an engine on the "Frisco" Railway, is the record of this honored citizen
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
of Cherryvale, a record of faithful and efficient service to his company, and of splendid citizenship in the town which has been his home during this extended period.
Joseph A. Buckley's nativity dates in Vermillion county, Illinois, February 10, 1855. His parents, later, lived in Shelby and Fayette coun- ties, in the same state, where our subject received a fair common school education, in the meantime, assisting his father in the conduct of his grist-mill. The family moved to a Missouri farm, in 1868, where Joseph developed a sound physical frame. in the multifarious duties of an agri- cultural life.
At nineteen, he left the farm and entered the machine shop of the "Frisco" Railway Company. Three years later, he began firing, on the same road, and, in 1877. took his first turn at the throttle, on a yard en- gine. In 1882, he was given a freight run and, four years later, began his seventeen years' continuous service at the throttle of a passenger engine. In the brief space alloted to this sketch, it will be impossible to speak of the many interesting events in the life of this faithful engi- neer. Ile has been in several tight places, but has never left his engine in time of danger. He has, for long years, been regarded by the company as one of its most trusted employees and has a record for efficient service not surpassed on the system.
Prior to June 29, 1876, Mrs. Buckley was Miss Minerva R. Welch. She is a native of Missouri, a daughter of Daniel J. and Winifred (Stout) Welch, natives of Virginia. To this marriage have been born : Bertha, now Mrs. Joseph Reynolds, of Los Angeles, California ; Clinton L., Eu- gene A., Hattie W., Lonisa E. and Max, who died in infancy. Mrs. Buck- ley and the two oldest daughters are members of the Baptist church, in the work of which they have taken a helpful part. Mr. Buckley holds membership in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and is a valued member of the Pyramids.
Turning now to the consideration of the family history of Mr. and Mrs. Buckley, the following is noted : Mr. Buckley's parents are well-to- do farmers, residing in Texas county, Missouri. His father. Edward Buckley, is now in his eighty-second year, and his mother, noe Harriet L. Wall. is six months her husband's senior. The father was a man of in- finence, during his active career, and is still felt in the community where he resides. lle and his wife are members of the Baptist church.
Of the elder Buckleys, there are now living four sons, the three de- ceased daughters forming a family of seven children, born to James and Sarah Buckley, of Indiana. Besides our subject's father, there are: Wil- liam. James and John, all wealthy farmers. Mrs. Buckley was a daugh- ter of Richard and Theodosia Wall. she being the only living member of a large family. Her father died at eighty-four and her mother at fifty-six years.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
To Edward Buckley and wife were born : William P., who was killed at the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, a private in the Sixteenth Indiana Infantry ; Julia A., deceased; Eliza .I., Mrs. Floyd, of Texas county, Mis- ssonri; Silas M., a merchant ai Huntington, Indiana; John W., of Los Angeles, California ; Joseph A. , Henry C., a railway conductor, of Port- land, Oregon ; George F., of Springfield, Missouri ; James M., deceased, and Mary E., Mrs. James Teel, of Winona, Missouri.
The grandparents of Mrs. Joseph A. Buckley were James and Sallie Welch Their four children were: Daniel .T., Mrs. Buckley's father; Andrew, Jerome and Mary JJ. The family is of German descent. Daniel Welen was a man of influence in his time, serving Nodaway county, Mis- souri, as constable and sheriff, for a number of years. He died in Colo- rado, in 1873, at seventy-two, and his wife, in 1895. at seventy-seven years of age, a devout member of the Christian church, They reared eight chil- dren : David, was a violinist of marked ability, killed at Ft. Donelson, a private in the Nineteenth Illinois ; Diana and William D., deceased ; Mary E., Mrs. Jasper Dodson, of Joplin, Missouri ; Joseph A., deceased ; Alfred M. and Charles A., of Joplin, Missouri. Mrs. Buckley is the youngest of the family. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Buckley was David Stout, of Virginia, where he married, and he and his wife made the jonr- ney to Ohio, on one horse. They were pioneers of Smithfield county, be- came wealthy farmers, and, later, settled near Munice, Indiana, where he engaged extensively in the milling business. They reared a family of eleven children and, later in life, moved to Missouri, where the wife died in 1855, and the husband in 1857, both at the age of eighty-four years.
CHARLES F. HITE-Charles F. Hite, a worthy settler, is one of the foremost farmers of Parker township. He is a native of Highland county, Ohio, where he was born June 8, 1859. His father, Addison Hite, and his mother, Frances ( Prince) Hite, were both natives of Old Vir- ginia. The father was a Methodist minister, and preached for over sixty years, in Virginia and Ohio, riding his cirenit, in the old-time way. He was, often, out a month at a time and his work finally reached as far west as Ohio, to which state he moved his family and settled at Sinking Springs, where he died at the age of eighty-six. His wife died at the age of sixty-five. Their children are: William. John W., Joseph, Charles F., Robert W., Kemper and James, deceased ; Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah and May.
Our subject remained at home till he was seventeen years of age, working on the little plot of land his father had bought. He served as an apprentice, at a tannery, and remained at this trade till he was thirty- five years old. In 1890, he came to Kansas, and located at Coffeyville. Here, he bought two hundred arres of land, four miles north of the city,
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.
on the Verdigris. From this traet, which was once all in heavy timber, he has made one of the most attractive farms in the county. He left fifteen acres of timber for a park, on the east side of the house, which has been trimmed up and sodded in blue grass. His residence and barn stand on the banks of the river, his farm being almost surrounded by water. Besides raising corn, wheat and alfalfa, he is engaged in raising hogs, cattle and horses, feeding and shipping on quite a large scale. After thirteen years of untiring labor. he has made for himself. one of the nic- est homes in the county. all due to perseverance and close atention to business.
Mr. Hite was married the 30th of March, 1892. to Jennie L. W. Webb. a native of Virginia, and a daughter of Charles and Columbia Webb, who came to Kansas in 1899, and settled in Montgomery county, where Mr. Webb died. His wife survives him, and lives one mile west of Dearing. Mr. Ilite has filled, faithfully. the office of township clerk, and, also, has been a member of the township board six years. He is a mem- ber of the M. W. of A. at Coffeyville, and, in politics, is a Republican.
DAVID MONROE EDWARDS-David M. Edwards was born in Independence county, Arkansas, on the 8th of March, 1858. His father and mother. Benjamin and Martha ( Stephenson) Edwards, were natives of Tennessee. Soon after their marriage, they moved to Arkansas, and settled in Independence county, where they lived until the beginning of the war, when Mr. Edwards enlisted. but was soon taken to the hospital at Helena, sick, where he remained about six months, and was discharged on account of disability.
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