USA > Kansas > Nemaha County > History of Nemaha County, Kansas > Part 45
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Dr. Murdock was married, in 1894, to Miss Flora Fitschen, daugh- ter of A. P. Fitschen, a merchant of Tipton, Mo. He is politically. allied with the Progressive party, and he and Mrs. Murdock are members of the Congregational church. Dr. Murdock is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, is a Knight Templar, noble of the mystic shrine, and has taken thirty-two degrees of Masonry. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and other minor fraternal societies.
Dr. Murdock, during the twenty-three years which he has devoted to his high and difficult calling, has never ceased to be a student. In preparation for devoting his time and talents exclusively to the practice of surgery, he visited the great capitals of Europe in 1893, and attended medical and surgical clinics, in 1910, at Berlin, Germany, Vienna, Aus- tria, and Berne, Switzerland. He was engaged in his studies in Europe for a period of five months in final preparation for his work as a special- ist in surgery. He is a member of the Nemaha county, Kansas State,
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and the American Medical Associations and societies. Dr. Murdock is the active secretary of the Nemaha County Medical Society, and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Samuel M. Hibbard, M. D., ex-county health officer, Sabetha, Kans., was born July 19, 1885, at Oregon, Mo., and is a son of George W. and Kathrine (Williams) Hibbard, who were the parents of nine children, of whom Samuel M. is the eighth born, and eight are living at the pres- ent time.
George W. Hibbard, the father, was born in Kirksville, Mo., Jan- uary 13, 1841, and when fourteen years of age went to Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained until his enlistment (1862) in Company E, Sixth Iowa infantry, and saw much active service in the command of Gen. William T. Sherman, and took part in the famous "March to the Sea." He was three times wounded, once through the forearm and twice through the shoulder. He fought at the great battle of Shiloh, and was at the great siege of Vicksburg, after which he was engaged in the campaign which resulted in the capture of Atlanta and the "March to the Sea," in Sherman's victorious army. After the war, he located on a farm at Oregon, Mo., and for forty-four years tilled his acreage, finally retiring to a comfortable home in Oregon, Mo. George W. Hibbard was a son of John and Mary (Barnes) Hibbard, natives of Kentucky, and early settlers of Missouri. Records show that five generations of the Hibbards have been pioneers on the frontier of this country. They were among the first to venture into the forests of Kentucky, and a member of the family was captured by the Indians and kept a prisoner for three years. The mother of Dr. Hibbard was born at Kokomo, Ind., June 20, 1848, and died October 2, 1909. She was a daughter of Arthur and Mary (Smith) Williams, natives of Indiana.
Dr. Hibbard attended the public schools of Oregon, Mo., and worked on his father's farm until he was seventeen years old. When he was eighteen he entered medical college at St. Joseph, Mo., and grad- uated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1907. After practicing his profession in Missouri for some time, he came to Sabetha in 1908. During the eight years in which Dr. Hibbard has been located in Sa- betha he has built up an excellent practice and accumulated property. He is constantly striving to improve his skill, and has taken post-grad- tate courses since locating in this city.
Dr. Hibbard was married in 1907 to Miss Orable Shambaugh, who was born December 23, 1886, at Oregon, Mo., and is a daughter of James .and Jennie (Scott) Shambaugh.
Dr. and Mrs. Hibbard are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the doctor is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and has taken all degrees in Masonry up to and including the Scottish Rite degree. He served as master of Sabetha blue lodge in 1913. He is an independent in politics. In 1913, Dr. Hibbard was ap- pointed county health officer of Nemaha county and filled this position from 1913 to 1914.
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Lyman Robie Jackson .- There is certainly some distinction in being the oldest pioneer merchant and a citizen of a Kansas community and in having lived to see a thriving town grow from the first beginning of a hamlet on the Nemaha county prairies. Such distinction naturally and rightfully belongs to Lyman Robie Jackson, retired merchant and capi- talist of Centralia, who has lived in this city for the past forty-seven years, and has witnessed the transformation of the unpeopled prairie lands of this county to a smiling. and prosperous country of homes and villages.
Mr. Jackson was born in Orange county, Vermont, April 23, 1835, and is a son of Willard and Lorinda (Peake) Jackson, to whom six children were born, of whom Lyman Robie is the fourth in order of birth. Willard Jackson, his father, was born at Salem, N. H., April 13, 1805, and was descended from an old New England family. He re- moved from New Hampshire to Vermont, and was a farmer during his whole life. He died in 1874. His wife, and mother of Lyman R., was born in Orange county, Vermont, in 1809, and departed this life in 1880.
Lyman R. Jackson was reared on the home farm in Vermont, and received a good school and academic education at Barre, Vt. He learned the trade of tanner and the currier's trade, which he followed for seven- teen years. When the call came for volunteers with which to quell the rebellion of the Southern States in 1861, he responded and enlisted in Company G, Ninth Vermont infantry, and served until the close of the Civil war. He saw much active service in North Carolina and the Southern States, and witnessed General Lee's surrender at Appomattox court house. Following his honorable discharge from the service, he located at Haverhill, N. H., and followed his trade until 1869. He then migrated to Kansas and established a general store in connection with the railroad depot at Centralia, Kans. He operated this store for a time and then erected a larger building in which to care for his large and increasing trade. He sold out in 1872, and bought a hardware store, which he sold in 1875. He then bought a tract of land in Home town- ship and farmed for a few years. He became a land owner and owns land in Nemaha county at the present time.
Mr. Jackson was married in 1869 to Josephine Page, a descendant of an old American family, which traces its beginning back to the thirteenth century. Mrs. Jackson is a native of Haverhill, N. H. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, as follows Mrs. Lora Combs, Bakersfield, Cal .; Arthur, Denver, Colo. and three children, who are deceased.
Arthur Jackson is a prosperous merchant at Denver, Colo., and has a record as a veteran of the Spanish-American war. He was a member of the Twentieth Kansas regiment, which fought under Gen. Fred Funston. He is a graduate of the State University at Lawrence, and re- ceived the degree of A. B. from his alma mater.
Mr. Jackson has taken a very active and influential part in civic
LYMAN R. JACKSON.
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affairs during his long residence at Centralia, and is one of the city's most respected aged residents. He is a shareholder of the Citizens State Bank of Centralia, and is a Republican, who has held many public offices within the gift of his fellow citizens. He has filled the office of mayor of Centralia on three different occasions, and during his adminis- trations many public improvements were undertaken, one of which is indicative of his great public spirit and consisted in cutting down a large hill, which obstructed a view of the city from passing passenger trains. He became a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at West Topsham, Vt., and was the actual founder of the Centralia lodge of Masons. He did the work of getting nine men together who were Masons, and took his party to Seneca and there organized themselves into the Centralia Masonic Lodge. He served as police judge of Cen- tralia and has always been active in behalf of his home city. Mr. Jack- son is a member and deacon of the Centralia Congregational Church and is a prominent member of the local Grand Army of the Republic Post.
John P. Cummings, capitalist, Sabetha, Kans., is a native of Massa- chusetts, and a descendant of a New England family, five generations of which have lived in the United States. He was born at Oxford, Worcester county, Massachuetts, May 19, 1851, and is a son of John and Minerva (Massey) Cummings, who were the parents of four children, as follows: Mrs. Ada Healey, deceased ; John P., subject of this sketch ; Ida, wife of George McLain, deceased; Elmer B., Roadhouse, Ill. John Cummings, the father, was born at Oxford, Mass., December 25. 1824, and became a stone mason and plasterer. He removed to Princeton, Ill., and followed his trade in that State for some years. His death occurred July 20, 1898. Mrs. Cummings, the mother, was born at Dud- ley, Mass., September II, 1829, and is now living at Roadhouse, JI1.
John P. Cummings became a farmer in Illinois and lived in that State until 1882. He then went west to Denver, Colo., and was em- ployed as shipper in the cattle industry until 1885, at which time he came to Sabetha, Kans., and engaged in the grain business in partner- ship with a Mr. Price. They owned a grain elevator and did a highly successful business, finally selling out the business and elevator in 1907. Mr. Cummings has invested his surplus earnings in land and now owns 266 acres of good farm lands in Brown and Johnson counties, Kansas, and is a stockholder in the Mutual Telephone Company.
Mr. Cummings was married in 1886 to Emily Viles, who was born August 6, 1861, at Newton, Iowa, and is a daughter of Alvah and Char- lotte (Cottle) Viles. Alvah Viles was a native of Maine, who immi- grated to Iowa and lived there until 1881, and then came to Kansas, locating near Manhattan on a farm, where he became a breeder of Po- land China swine.
Mr. Cummings is a Progressive in politics and was elected mayor of Sabetha in 1901. He gave the city a good administration and Turner Hall went out of existence in the city during his term of office. He
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stood for strict law enforcement, and his wishes in this regard were re- spected. From 1902 to 1905, he was a member of the city school board. The Cummings home is one of the finest in Sabetha, and was erected in 1912 by Mr. Cummings. It is a handsome structure of eight rooms, all modern, equipped with steam heat, hot and cold running water, electric vacuum cleaner and modern laundry equipment in the basement. It is such a home in which a housewife takes great delight, and is in keeping with the life success of Mr. Cummings.
David Hennigh .- The ranks of the grand army of veterans who fought under the starry banner in defense of the Union, during the great Civil war, are fast thinning, and only the strongest who went into the affray when very young, are surviving to this day. David Hennigh, Union veteran, and Kansas pioneer, is one of the last of the "Old Guard" who marched under the Stars and Stripes at the call of President Lin- coln and who, after the war was over, came to Kansas and fought another hard battle for the redemption of the prairies in Nemaha county, and worked hard and faithfully for the amassing of a competence for his declining years and his posterity. He is one of Sabetha's "grand old men," and is highly respected and esteemed by his many friends and ac- quaintances.
David Hennigh was born at Center Hall, Center county, Pennsyl- vania, June 27, 1847, and is a son of David and Mary (Mingle) Hennigh, who were the parents of nine children of whom David was the second in order of birth. David Hennigh, the elder, was twice married, his first wife being Mary Ann Rishel, who was born February 2, 1814, in Center county, Pennsylvania, and who died October 13, 1843, leaving two sons and five daughters, of whom two are living. Of the second marriage, four sons and a daughter are living. David Hennigh, the elder, was born February 16, 1809, in Gregg township, Center county, Pennsyl- vania, and died December 11, 1891. He was a son of Adam, born Jan- uary, 1757, a descendant of German ancestry and a soldier of the Rev- olution who fought in the American War of Independence. He farmed in Pennsylvania until his death in April, 1838. This Revolutionary patriot was three times married, his first wife being Anna Wierbaugh, (born July 16, 1776, and died August 2, 1794), drowned while fording a stream on horseback with an infant child in her arms. His third wife was Barbara Von Ada, born February 6, 1772, and died February 19, 1828. The name of "Hennigh" was originally derived from "Henney," which was the name by which the early ancestors of David Hennigh were known. The Henney Buggy Company was founded and carried on by members of this family. David Hennigh, the father of David, changed spelling of the name to "Hennigh," and all of his descendants now write their surname, according to the practice established by David the elder. The mother of the subject of this review (Mary Mingle) was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1820, and died March 27, 1869. Both parents were members of the Evangelical church.
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David Hennigh, with whose career this review is directly concerned, was reared on his father's farm,, and received his schooling in an old log school house built by his father and a neighbor in order that their chil- dren might have adequate school facilities. His schooling was neces- sarily limited, and was intermittent at times. He remained on his fa- ther's farm until his enlistment in the Union army at Potter's Mill, Penn., in Company E, First Battalion of Pennsylvania, volunteer infan- try, and he saw service in southern Pennsylvania and Maryland, in an emergency call to repel a rebel invasion at the time of the burning of Chambersburg, Pa. He was in service for four months and then received his discharge and remained at home until he became of age. He then started out to seek his fortune in the West and journeyed to Henry county, Illinois, where he worked out as a hired farm hand in the employ of his cousin, who paid him $25 per month. In December of 1869. he made a trip to Severance, Kans., and a short time later, he walked across the intervening country to Muscotah, Kans., a distance of fifteen miles. He then started to walk from Muscotah to Atchison, intending to board a train at Effingham, but, upon being informed by Col. Benton of Ef- fingham that the train would not be along for three hours, he finished his trip afoot, and then went back east from Atchison to Illinois. He remained in Illinois until February, 1870, and on March 2, 1870, he arrived again in Atchison county, Kansas, and bought seventy-five acres of land near Farmington in Center township. He learned what hard times were in those days, and was kept busy in keeping the wolf from the door. During the grasshopper visitation of 1874 and 1875, he traded poultry for seed corn, and would make the trips to Atchison where he did his trading. In 1880, Mr. Hennigh came to Nemaha county and bought a farm three miles west and one mile south of Sabetha in section 17 of Rock Creek township. His first purchase of land was a barren tract of prairie with not a stick or shrub on the entire quarter section. His first building was a granary 14x16 feet in extent which served as his home during the first summer of his residence in Nemaha county, while erecting his residence. From this small beginning, he created one of the finest improved farms in the county, and has increased his land holdings to 589 acres of excellent land. For many years, Mr. Hennigh was a breeder of Shorthorn cattle of the pure bred type, and he was very successful in this venture, becoming widely known as a pioneer breeder of fine stock in Kansas and the West. He made many exhibits of his fine stock, and made private sales to parties in all sections of the western country, which required that he and his son make shipments of cattle once a week. Mr. Hennigh retired from active farm life in 1909 and erected a beautiful, modern home of ten rooms in Sabetha, which is one of the best built houses in this section of the State. Mr. Hennigh gave each child $1,000, or its equivalent when each attained maturity.
It is worthy of note that, in 1900, Mr. Hennigh bought a ranch in Edwards county, Kansas. and placed his son, Reuben, in charge of it.
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stocking the ranch with Hereford cattle which they would ship to Ne- maha county for breeding. Reuben got his start on this ranch, which Mr. Hennigh later sold, and Reuben moved to Grant county, Kansas, where he owns eight quarter sections.
Mr. Hennigh was married in February, 1867, to Mary Breon, who was born October 10, 1846, in Gregg township, Center county, Penn- sylvania, and is a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Auman) Breon, natives of Pennsylvania. Twelve children have blessed this union, as follows: Alfred F., Siloam Springs, Ark .; Mrs. Savilla Close, deceased, left two children, Alfred and Leroy, Alfred on part of home place, and Leroy is deceased ; Charles, killed by being run over by a flat car on the Central Branch railroad at Farmington, Kans .; Reuben, rancher and stockman, Grant county, Kansas; Mrs. Ella Bestwick, Brown county, Kansas; Herbert D., farmer in Capioma township; Roy, grocery mer- chant, Sabetha; Elmar, Sabetha ; Earl, farming the home place; Harry, Parsons, Kans .; Mrs. Myrtle Brocker, Nemaha county, Kansas, mother of three children, Harry, Velma, Lila.
Mr. and Mrs. Hennigh have twenty-nine grandchildren, as follows: Alfred F. has seven children: Leon, Lottie, Hazel, Mary, Hester, Florence and Alfred. Reuben has five children: David and Lawrence, twins; Elmore, Emmett and De Loss. Ella Bestwick has three children : Ione, Helen, Vera. Herbert D. has one child, Nina Lucina. Roy has four children: Daphne, Agnes, Violet, Berna May. Harry has two children : Merle and Helen.
The Republican party has always had the allegience of Mr. Hen- nigh, and he served as a member of the school board of his township for twelve years. It can be said of him that he was always in favor of the best teaching facilities for the children of his district, regardless of the expense, and believes that a good education is essential to the well being of the present day. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which denomination he is also a member of the official board, and is a liberal contributor to the cause of religion. He is affiliated with the Sa- betha Grand Army post, which is his only fraternal society. Few men can look backward over the long vista of years which have lapsed since he began his successful career, and be better contented with what he has accomplished in behalf of him and his than David Hennigh.
John F. Lukert, county engineer, Sabetha, Kans., was born in Wur- temberg, Germany, May 27, 1860, and is a son of Frederick and Dora (Miller) Lukert, who were the parents of seven children, of whom John F. is the ledst. Frederick Lukert, the father, was born in 1833, and im- migrated to America in 1887 with his family and located in Walnut town- ship, Brown county, Kansas. He became owner of a fine farm of 160 acres, which he tilled until his death in 1906. The mother of John F. Lukert was born in 1836, and died in 1909. Both parents were members of the Lutheran church.
John F. Lukert was reared at Hofen, Germany, educated in the Ger-
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man schools, and left his native land on February 3, 1875. He came to this country and located at Sabetha, Kans. His first work was at farm labor for a monthly wage. This he followed until 1884. He then began ' farming on his own account one mile northwest of Sabetha, and was ac- tively engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1895. He then came to the city and engaged in the buying and shipping of grain, becoming owner of the Sabetha and Price, Kans., grain elevators, but sold out in 1911. Mr. Lukert owns 320 acres of excellent farm land in Brown county and, for several years, was a well known breeder of Shorthorn and Hereford cattle.
Mr. Lukert was married in 1886 to Elizabeth Trees, born June II, 1863, in Ohio, a daughter of Andrew J. Trees, concerning whom, see the Trees biography in this volume. Three children have been born to this marriage, namely: Harry and Bland, farming in Brown county ; Cordia, a student in the Baptist College, (Ottawa University), Ottawa, Kans.
Mr. Lukert is one of the leaders of the Democratic party in Nemaha county, and has always been interested in political matters. He was ap- pointed county engineer of Nemaha county in 1914, and is performing the duties of his office to the satisfaction of the people of the county. He is a member of the Baptist church, and is fraternally affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen of Hiawatha, Kans.
John McCoy .- We are living in the age of specialization, which is not exclusively confined to commercial life or to the learned pro- fessions, but has become a recognized and valued adjunct to the science of agriculture in its broadest development. The tiller of the soil who specializes in any one department of this most im- portant vocation is making a name and reputation for himself and conferring a distinct benefit upon his fellow workers. If he be a breeder of thoroughbred live stock he is increasing and enhancing the profits to be obtained from this very important branch of farming, and is benefiting the live stock producers of the country by placing at their disposal the best products of his skill. In the neighborhood of Sabetha. Kans., are several well known and suc- cessful breeders, among whom is John McCoy, who, for over forty years, has been producing high grade Shorthorn cattle, which have be- come famous throughout the country, and have assisted Mr. McCoy in amassing a comfortable fortune in Kansas.
The history of Mr. McCoy's career as a breeder is embodied in the following newspaper clipping, which appeared in the issue of several newspapers in March, 1915:
"The farmers of Kansas and Nebraska will have opportunity to get some excellent Shorthorns in the sale of John McCoy & Son, that will be held at Hiawatha, Kans., Tuesday, April 4. 1915. Nearly forty years ago John McCoy saw the need of improved beef cattle and he decided to get the best blood obtainable for that purpose. At this time the fine herd of J. G. Gowan, New Point, Mo., was in its prime and at its head
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was the noted Loudon Duke VI, No. 10399, bought of William War- wick, of Kentucky, for $3,000. This bull was not only a famous prize winner, but was the sire of many prize winners. A liberal purchase of this prize winning blood gave Mr. McCoy a foundation from which he soon bred a herd that was massive, beefy and attractive.
"Later, Mr. McCoy used bulls carrying Scotch blood, being sons of such noted sires as Imported Scottish Lord, No. 77761, Imported Thistle Top, No. 83876, Imported Ducal Crown, No. 97149, Imported Royal Pride, No. 149651, and Imported Collynie, No. 135022, the last being Pride of Collynie, No. 259588, still in service in the herd, assisted by 'Secret Good,' No. 367761.
"While good blood has always been sought in this herd, Mr. Mc- Coy's first consideration has always been correct beef form. If his cattle do not come up to the standard they are not retained in the herd. This herd has done much to improve the cattle of a wide territory, and breeders and farmers in need of some good Shorthorns would do well to attend this sale."
In all of the many sales John McCoy has conducted, honesty and absolute fair dealing have been the inflexible rule. During the forty years of experience in breeding and disposing of Shorthorn cattle at both public and private sales, the prices obtained for his stock, while mod- erate for the individual stock, have reached an aggregate amount as great, if not greater, than any Western breeder has received. It is probable that John McCoy has made more honest profits from his breeding operations than any other individual breeder of this section, and he ranks as the oldest breeder in Kansas today. Mr. McCoy is a member of the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association, and has a library of eighty-six volumes of the American Shorthorn Herd Book in his possession.
John McCoy was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, April 1, 1841, and is a son of John and Margaret (Kirkpatrick) McCoy, who were the parents of six children, two of whom are deceased, and of whom John was the fourth in order of birth. The father died in Ireland on his farm at the age of seventy-eight years. The mother departed this life in Ireland at the age of ninety-two years. Both were members of the Episcopal church. John McCoy worked on his father's farm in Ireland and learned the carpenter's trade in his youth. In 1866, he left his native isle and immigrated to America, working at his trade in the city of Chicago for three years, and two years in Michigan. His health failed him eventually, and, despite the fact that he rose to the position of boss carpenter, in 1872 he decided to come West in the hope of re- gaining his health. He migrated to Kansas and settled on a farm in Brown county. This was the "Rock Spring Farm," located about three miles east of Sabetha, for which Mr. McCoy paid $9.50 an acre, and which contained eighty acres.
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