USA > Kansas > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery County, Kansas > Part 91
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The Van Dynes are Hoosier State people, where, in Wells Co., John and Eleanor (Hondeyshell) Van Dyne reared their family. John Van Dyne was a native of Ohio, born June 28, 1818. Eleanor, the wife, was born there November 22, 1817. To these parents were born eleven children as follows: Christopher, born, March 8, 1837, now deceased; Frances, born July 26, 1838, married Cornelius Truax and lives in Columbus, Indiana; Mary, born February 22, 1840, is now deceased; Elizabeth, born January 26, 1842, lives in Missouri, the wife of Joseph Nerius; Sara Ann, born December 1, 1843, lives in Oklahoma City, the wife of Joseph Spencer; Nancy A., born February 13, 1846, married James Nerins and both are deceased; Matthew M., born April 5, 1847, is a farmer of Liberty township; Lydia, born May 15, 1849, is deceased ; Cynthia E., born January 15, 1851, is deceased; John G., born May 7, 1853, is deceased: Jacob L., our subject ; William H., born April 12th, 1860, and James, born Feb. 16th, 1862.
Jacob Van Dyne was born in Wells county, Indiana. August 19, 1855. As stated he came to Kansas with his parents, who located two miles from Mr. Van Dyne's present home, and where he was reared to man's estate. He remained on the home farm until his marriage, February 2, 1876, to Martha C., daughter of John and Delilah (Reed) Spickard. Mrs. Van Dyne's parents were natives of Kentucky, removing to Mercer Co., Missouri, where Mrs. Van Dyne was born on the 17th
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of October, 1855. To Mrs. Van Dyne has been born one child, William 1., May 2, 1877. William married, September 11, 1902, Cora M., daughter of George Burns of Independence. William's occupation is that of mail carrier of Rural Route No. 3, from Independence.
Mr. Van Dyne purchased his present farm on the 2nd of March, 1903, having sold the old homestead of forty acres which he had eulti- vated prior to that time. His present farm contains eighty acres of fine farming land and under the skillful management of a man whose life work has been that of the cultivation of the soil, it will become one of the best farms in the county.
He takes an active interest in the social and public life of the com- munity in which he resides, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. Camp 649, of Independence. He has never sought publie office but is pleased to support the policies of the party of Lincoln and Garfield on election day. He and his good wife are potent factors in the social and religions life of the community where they reside, and are looked upon with great favor by a large circle of friends within the county where they have passed the greater part of their lives.
JOHN F. BELLAMY, City Attorney of Cherryvale, a lawyer of prominence and a gentleman who has had a long and honorable public career, is of "Hoosier State" nativity. born in Switzerland county in 1842. His parents were well-to-do farmers of that county and gave the son every advantage in the line of education attainable. After finishing in the local schools, he was sent to DePauw University, where he grad- nated with the highest honors of his class, and three years later was given the master's degree.
He began his career in the schoolroom as an instructor and for several years was connected with institutions whose curriculum fitted students for the larger eastern universities. Failing health necessitat- ing a change of ocenpation, he took up the study of law and, in 1870, was admitted to the bar in Oswego, Kan. He began practice at this point, but after a short period, returned to Madison, Ind. Here he passed the ensuing 12 years and attained a flattering eminence in his chosen profession. making a state wide reputation in the branch of criminal law.
In the political arena he early rose to prominence, and was regarded as a most valued worker, both on the hustings and in the equally important department of committee work, for the success of Republican principles. In 1876, it became necessary, on account of the normally Democratie majority in the 5th Judicial District, to select the strongest possible candidate for the position of Prosecuting Attorney. The nomination thus came to our subject as a distinct com- pliment, and in the election which followed, the wisdom of the choice
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became apparent. as Mr. Bellamy was chosen by a majority of 44 votes. Two years later this majority was increased to 285, and he retired at the end of his four years' service with the unstinted praise of an admiring constituency.
Once again, encroaching disease caused our subject to seek the great west, and in 1885, he settled at Girard, Kansas. He remained at this point until 1891, when he came to Cherryvale, where he has since held continnous residence.
With a wide experience in the law and in public life, and a con- scientious regard for the duties of citizenship, Mr. Bellamy has proved a distinct acquisition to the business circles of Cherryvale. As City Attorney in 1892-6-7-1900, and again in 1902, he piloted the grownig municipality over many dangerous shoals. His strength as a cam- paigner has been taken advantage of frequently in the different politi- cal contests in the state, and, in which none was more earnest or effective.
Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy have reared a family of three sons and one danghter, all of whom are ocenpying responsible positions in life. Lura took instruction at Chicago University in elocution and litera- ture, and also at King's School of Oratory at Pittsburg. She has, for the past three years, occupied the chair of elocution and literature in the Montgomery County High School at Independence. The eldest son, Frank E., is an artist in the employ of the Mexican Art Leather Com- pany of Hot Springs, Ark. Frank was a member of the famous Twentieth Kansas, enlisting in Company "G" as a musician. It is a part of history how the band begged to lay aside their instruments as soon as the bullets began to fly, and shouldering their guns, did valiant duty on the field. The dispatches mentioned an incident which shows that Frank was worthy the famous regiment. At Caloocan, while the engage- ment was at its fiereest, a loved comrade was struck by a bullet outside the intrenchments. Without a moment's hesitation he sprang forward, lifted him in his arms, and regained the trenches in safety. It was a daring deed and ranked with the "Bagbag river swimming feat" of Col. Funston and his comrades. The third son is Bert R., his father's stenographer, and a student at law. The youngest son, Edward E., has just graduated from the Missouri School of Law and is located for practice in Cherryvale.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy occurred November 17, 1870. Her maiden name was Jennie S. Snider, her father being the Rev. W. W. Snider, for many years a prominent divine of the Metho- dist Episcopal church. Though eighty-two years of age he still sounds the gospel trumpet with unabated vigor, being a member of the South- east Indiana Conference of his church. Mrs. Bellamy's mother was Catherine E. Rager, who bore her husband the following children: Robert, of Dayton, Ohio; Hattie S., now Mrs. Brewington; William, of
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Madison, Ind .; Jennie S., Edwin R., of East St. Louis, Ill., and Mrs. Bellamy.
Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy and their entire family are active members of the Methodist church and their connection with the social life of the community is most helpful and uplifting. They are the recipients of universal regard from a large circle of friends, whom they delight to honor in their hospitable home.
W. R. PRATT, bookseller and stationer of Independence, and for several years a member of the city council, is a young man of sterling integrity, whose connection with the business and social life of the city has been of a character to make him many steadfast friends. Hle came to the city in 1899, and has been in the stationery and book business since that date.
Kentucky is the native state of Mr. Pratt, his birth occurring in Madisonville, Hopkins county, May 16. 1871. His parents, Clifton J. and Sarah M. Pratt, still reside in the "Blue Grass State," where the father is Attorney-General of the state, having been elected on the Republican ticket in 1899. Judge Pratt was among the loyal people of the "Blue Grass State" who stood by the Union during the Civil War, he entering the union army as a courier early in the struggle, and, as soon as he had attained the proper age, became a full-fledged soldier. He was in the service during the entire period of the war, ending with Sherman's march to the sea. Upon his return he studied law and has since been connected with the courts of the state. lle was for five years Judge of the 2nd Judicial District of the state, and served one term in the state senate prior to his election to the judgeship.
W. R. Pratt is one of two living children. His preliminary scholastic training was secured in the schools of his native town to which was added advanced work at Eureka. Ill. He entered upon his business career as Associate Editor of the Erlington. Ky .. "Bee," but at the expiration of a year opened a bookstore in his native town, where he continued until his removal to Independence. He keeps a large line of stationery and such goods as are usually found in a well-regulated book store, and his shelves are filled with the latest and best in liter- ature. Indeed. it is remarked that citizens of few towns of the class represented by Independence have so complete a stock from which to select their reading matter.
Since his identification with the city. Mr. Pratt has taken an active and helpful interest in its progress. He is an ardent Republican in polities, and is prominent in the councils of that party in the different local campaigns. In 1901, he was elected to represent the 4th ward in the governing body of the city, the character of his service having been eminently satisfactory to his constituents. He is a member of the
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Christian church, and is open-handed in his support of worthy chari- jable enterprises.
The domestic life of our subject dates from June 26, 1893, when he was joined in marriage with Miss Helen, daughter of J. S. Whittinghill and Genoa Frances Gooch. The mother died Feb. 23, 1881, and the father resides in St. Joe, Mo.
Mrs. Pratt is a true type of the southern born woman, hospitable and social to a degree, and possessing that instinctive knowledge of society and social customs so necessary in the present day hostess. Her three children are Florence E., Clifton J., Jr., and W. R., Jr.
JOHN WALLICK-Away back among the pioneers of 1870, there came to Montgomery county John Wallick, of West Cherry township, the subject of this sketch. He had journeyed across the Mississippi valley from the Prairie State by team and wagon and, after a month of weary trudging and anxiety, reached the Verdigris River in Mont- gomery county, Kansas, where settlement was made. For a small con- sideration William Hendricks was induced to relinquish his claim right to his one hundred and twenty acres in section 20, township 31, range 16, and this tract became the first home of our new settlers and formed the nucleus of their present extensive domain.
In that early time the widely scattered settlements of the frontier granted unrestricted liberty and license to the evil doer, and while most people were engaged in the legitimate arts of peace there were lazy and worthless Indians and occasional dens of thieves afflicting the honest toiler. These forays of the midnight prowler kept com- munities in a state of constant dread, for no respectable settler and property owner felt sure of exemption from their attack. Their hiding places were in out-of-the-way places along the river or back in the bluffs and the plunder of every description that found its way to "Hell's Bend" or to the wigwam of some worthless Red Skin would have been the envy of "William Sikes" in Oliver Twist. Hell's Bend was the rendezvous of a band of desperadoes and was situated near the home of Mr. Wallick. Some of his neighbors belonged to the band and five of them served terms for the illegal part they took in appropriating other people's property. Chief "Sun Down," of the Osages, had his habitation near, for a time, and became a familiar figure over the town- ship as well as at the home of John Wallick.
The first habitation of Mr. Wallick in Kansas was a 12x14 cabin which was on the farm when he settled there. This sufficed the family as a residence 'till some time in 1872, when a more pretentious box house was built which, in turn, was the abiding place of the household until 1882, when the commodious home of the present was erected.
Farming claimed the attention of our subject from first to last. ITis
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early training came to him from parents full of rural industrial activity and the heart of the son was laid upon the possession of a farm, in fee simple. and the product of his own hand. The intelligence with which he builded in Kansas is revealed in the possession of an estate of three hundred and seventy acres and its splendid improvement and in the general substantiality of his business connection.
John Wallick is a native of Madison county, Ohio, where he was born October 14, 1838. He is of German lineage, his grandfather, Michael Wallick, having migrated to the United States as a young man-from some German state-and settled in Bedford county, Penn- sylvania. The Keystone State remained his home afterward and there he pursued the calling of a blacksmith and farmer. Ilis family num- bered eight children, as follows: Andrew, Philip, Henry, Michael, Elizabeth, Ann, Charlotte, and Sammel. The sons were soldiers in the War of 1812, and Samuel, onr subject's father, married Susan Silver and left his native county of Bedford in Pennsylvania, when young in years, and settled in Madison county, Ohio. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Richard, deceased; Asa, Michael, Charlotte, Mrs. Elizabeth Silver, of Fulton county, Illinois; John, of this notice: Wil- son S., of Seward county, Nebraska; Sammel, of Bushnell, Illinois; Mrs. Mary J. Everly, of Prairie City, Illinois, and Albert M., who died in infancy.
In 1843, Sammel Wallick brought his family farther west and located in Fulton Co., Illinois. Here John was reared with other children and secured a fair education. He had accumulated a little property when he decided to become a settler and a citizen of Kansas but the achieve- ment of his life came to him as a citizen of the Sunflower State.
July 4, 1870, Mr. Wallick married Amanda Markley, a native Fulton county, Illinois, lady, and a daughter of Conrad and Ruth (Foster) Markley; the parents native Ohio people. Four children are the issue of this marriage, viz: Lillian, wife of J. W. Helt, with a child. Leroy Ivan ; Sammel L., Conrad and Ruth still with the family home.
Mr. Wallick has contented himself with being a quiet, industrions citizen. He has filled the offices of Clerk and Treasurer of his township and served many years on the district school board. His wife is a mem- ber of the Methodist church and he holds a membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen and in the Knights and Ladies of Security.
SOPHRONIA HENDERSON-The family of which Mrs. Sophronia Henderson is now the head came to the county in 1870, and settled where she now resides, in West Cherry township, Section 8, Range 16.
Mrs. Henderson has attained the ripe old age of eighty-two years, having been born in Wythe county, Va., Inly 1. 1821. Her paternal grandfather was Leonard Brown a native of the same state, and whose
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children were: David, Eli, Andrew, Katharine, Elizabeth and Sarah. The son Andrew married Susannah Leonard, of the same county, and daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Leonard, Old Dominion State people. Tothem wereborn : Sophronia, Elizabeth ( Hammons), Joseph W., James, John. Mary (Goshwiller) and Sena, wife of Henry Hilderbrand.
Mrs. Henderson left Virginia when a child of eight years with her parents, who settled in Johnson county, Ind. Here Sophronia was reared to womanhood and in 1839, married Thomas Henderson. This gentleman was a native of Hendricks county, Ky., and was the son of William and Patsy (Baker) Henderson. After their marriage they were residents of Johnson county until the date of their settlement in Montgomery, 1870. Here Thomas bought from an Indian of the name of Barnaby 160 acres, paying for it $800. It was without improve- ments save a double log cabin, and in this the family resided some- seven years. As prosperity attended their efforts they erected the. present comfortable home. and where Mr. Henderson died, on the 5th of Sept., 1894.
The following are the children and grand children of Mrs. Hender- son: Susannah married Strand Henderson of Montgomery county, and has seven children, as follows: John married May Madden, whose- children are Ethel and John. Daniel married bnella Newell and is the father of Ella. Iva and Cora. Frank's children are : Maud, Mary, William and Murray, who married Millie C. Fosler, children Marion, Fred and two others. Then comes in order Anda, deceased, Eddie and Cynthia.
James F., now deceased, married Harriet Deboe, who became the mother of Thomas, whose wife was Nancy Gilkey and whose children are: May. Alice, Floyd and Sophronia; Albert married and has one child ; Etta, wife of Chett Churchill, her five children are: Elsie, Mabel, Harry. Virgil and Chester. William lives in the Indian Territory. He married Elizabeth Cokendiver and his children are: Albert, Adelbert, Frank, Lucy and Sena Aun. Jane is the wife of James Campbell, Montgomery county, whose children are Sophronia, who married Hart Bowers, and has Earl and Edwin; Mary, wife of George Goshwiller; two children-Bertha and Zelma; William, whose wife's name was Jessie Bowers and whose children are: Eugenia, Stella and Mary ; Lizzie, Mrs. John Nary, whose children are : Ollie, Ethel, William and Mary, Flor- ence. Mrs. Filkins, has Earl and Fred. Angeline Wells has Dora and Marshall. John and Luther complete Jane Campbell's family.
Mrs. Alice Verbrick, the sixth child, lives in this county with her children, Thomas and Frederick.
Mrs. Anna N. Madden, the youngest, also has two children, Charles W. and Elsie.
H. W. YOUNG.
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HENRY WILSON YOUNG was born at Northville, Suffolk county, New York, December 17th, 1847. Ilis father was Noah Wilson Young, whose life was spent in farming at his Long Island home. His grand- father was Captain Noah Young, who, with his militia company, partici- pated in one of the engagements of the War of 1812, and who served as a member of the New York legislature in the early thirties, as a col- league of Millard Fillmore, who afterward became president. The family was of English descent and traced back to Reverend John Young, who came from Connecticut to Long Island about 1640, and was the spiritual adviser of the first settlers at the east end of the island.
The mother of the subject of this sketch was Deney lane (Imce) Young, daughter of Hallock Luce. The Luce family is said to have been originally of French extraction, but had been in England since the Norman conquest. Mrs. Young's mother was Sarah Fanning, who was of Irish extraction, while Mr. Young's paternal grandmother was a Reeves, and of Dutch descent.
Noah W. Young's family consisted of six children, all of whom aro living. Henry W. was the oldest and the only one who had any disposition to roam, or ever made a home five miles away from the paternal domicile. The others were: Drusilla J., Edna A. (Hallock), Leander E., Daniel R., and Sarah K. (Hallock.)
The homestead on which the family lived is on the north shore of Long Island, only a mile from Long Island sound, and about two and a half miles from Peconie Bay, which here bisects the island. It is a farm of a hundred aeres, which was purchased prior to the war of the revolu- tion by Rufus Young, great-grandfather of Henry W., and has been ever since in possession of the family, being now the property of his youngest brother, Daniel R.
"Henry Wilson," as he was known among his school mates, to dis- tinguish him from other Henrys, obtained his education in the district schools and at Northville Academy, which he attended in the winter until seventeen years of age, being engaged in farm work during the summer months, after his twelfth year. In 1865, when eighteen years old, he engaged in teaching school, at Aquebogue. Long Island, where his father had taught many years before. His mother was also a school teacher.
In 1868, having gone through the necessary preparatory studies, he entered Washington college, Lexington, Virginia, ont owing to poor health. did not remain there long. In the fall of 1870, he took a steamer trip to New Orleans, and from there went out into Texas with a view to locating, but not finding the country to his liking, returned to New York. The summers of 1871-72 and '73, he devoted very largely to the study of botany and the identification of the indigenons species of plants growing on the eastern end of Long Island. In this work he was associated with Elihu S. Miller, of Wading River, and, together, in
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1874, they published a pamphlet containing a complete list of the native flora of Suffolk county.
On account of his health, in the fall of 1872, he set sail in the bark Adaline C. Adams for Rio Janeiro, Brazil. Yellow fever was prevailing there at the time of his arrival, about Christmas; and before his return he suffered an attack of that disease and was cared for in a hospital where none of the attendants spoke a word of English. The return voy- age was made by way of Cuba, where a month was spent at Cienfuegos in loading with a cargo of sugar.
In the summer of 1874, he was again seized with the desire to follow Horace Greeley's advice to "go west and grow up with the country." Speaking of Greeley is a reminder that he received the news of Greeley's death by tlag signals, away south of the equator, from a swifter sailing vessel, a mile away, that had left New York a week later than the "Adaline C. Adams," and which passed the latter in the neighborhood of the Brazilian penal settlement of Fernando de Noronha, a rocky and mountainous islet where the bad people of that empire expiated their crimes.
This time he went to Chicago, and from there ont to Oqnawka, Illinois, a moribund town on the Mississippi, where he visited Harry N. Patterson, a botanical correspondent. Patterson was a printer, and whiling away the time in the village printing office, the young man from the east got to dabbling with the types, and settled the problem of his career before he knew it by drifting into the country newspaper business. After a winter spent in teaching school at Terre Haute, IIen- derson county, Illinois, and a summer trip to Georgetown, Colorado, where he set type in the office of the "Georgetown Miner," he invested his savings in the purchase of a half interest in the Galva, Illinois, Journal, of which he became editor. A few months later he bought out his partner and became the sole proprietor of that paper. He con- ducted it as an independent journal, although a pronounced partisan personally, a delegate to Democratie state conventions, a speaker at Democratic meetings and secretary of the Democratic county central committee.
While living at Galva, he was united in marriage, January 31st, 1878, to Annie Eliza Ayres, daughter of V. M. Ayres of that place. Of this union four children were born, Henry Allen, Lawrence Ayres, Mabel Leone, and Marian Drusilla. Lawrence and Mabel were taken away by an attack of diphtheria in October, 1894, at the ages of twelve and six years. Allen is now associated with his father in business and Marian graduated from the Independence city schools in June, 1903.
In April, 1881, Mr. Young removed to Coffeyville, Montgomery county. Kansas, and established there the "Coffeyville Star." In October of the same year. the office was removed to Independence and the paper-
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continued as "The Star." Here he has since made his home, with the exception of short periods. In 1882, he was a delegate to the state Democratic convention at Emporia, which nominated George W. Glick for governor. In 1884. while still retaining the control of his Inde- pendenee paper, he went to Topeka and took an interest in the State Journal, of which he became editor. After a few months there, finding the venture unprofitable. he returned to Independence, and in the fall of 1884, was made chairman of the Democratic county central committee.
In December, 1884, the Star office was burned. and Mr. Young purchased of 1. 1. Stewart, the Independence Kansan, and consolidated these two Democratie papers under the name of "The Star and Kansan." This he subsequently made one of the most influential and widely quoted newspapers in the state. In the fall of 1885, he was appointed receiver of the Osage Land Office at Independence, by President Cleve- land, a position he continued to hold until the discontinuance of that office, in February, 1889.
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