USA > Kansas > Reno County > History of Reno County, Kansas; its people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 31
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F. C. Field was fifteen years old when he came to Reno county with his parents. He had received an excellent common-school education, which he supplemented by a course in Kilgore Business College. He spent two years in Colorado, prospecting in the gold fields, and then returned to Reno county, where he has made his home ever since. He became a farmer and was thus engaged until his removal to Pretty Prairie in 1893, where he engaged in the hardware business, in which he was actively engaged for twenty years. In 1913 he became interested in the real-estate business and has since then been devoting his attention chiefly to that line. He has a very pleasant home in Pretty Prairie and is besides the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and sixty acres.
For years Senator Field has given close attention to the political affairs of both county and state. He is a Democrat and in 1896 was elected senator from the thirty-sixth senatorial district, comprising Reno, Pratt and King- man counties. He was elected in 1910 to the lower house of the assembly and served one term.
On April 29, 1879, F. C. Field was united in marriage to Sarah A. Hartman, who was born in Illinois on December 15, 1859, daughter of Amos Hartman and wife, who came to Kansas in the sixties and later came to Reno county, and to this union seven children have been born, namely :
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Jessie, who married M. Winfrey and lives at Big Cabin, Oklahoma; Mabel S., who married J. J. Winfrey, a brother of the above, and lives at King- man, this state: Clarence A., of this county, who married Alberta Smith ; Chester F .. of Pretty Prairie, who married Martha Soft; Edith, who mar- ried W. V. Griffith; Ralph W., who married Maud Smith, a sister of the wife of his brother, Clarence. and Oscar, who died in infancy. Senator and Mrs. Field have twenty grandchildren.
HERBERT C. HODGSON.
In the field of agriculture, Herbert C. Hodgson has attained a place of honor in the community in which he lives. He is a native of Reno county, Kansas, having been born there September 1, 1876, on the homestead granted to his uncle, Thomas Hodgson, in 1872. Herbert C. Hodgson is the son of William and Ellen (Ware) Hodgson, the former of whom is a native of Cumberland county, England, and the latter of Watertown, New York. It is worthy of note that the house in which the subject of this sketch was born was that in which the famous English soldier, Captain Hodgson, known for his services during the Indian Mutiny, was ushered into the world. The grandmother of Herbert Hodgson was Rebecca (Smithson) Hodgson, a cousin of the founder of the Smithsonian Institute of Washington, D. C. The father of the subject of this sketch, who follows the occupation of a farmer, was prominent in the Civil War, where he had an active part in twenty-three battles and fought under the most noted generals of that time.
The common schools of his native state afforded Herbert C. Hodgson his early educational advantages, and as a youth he became acquainted with the simple duties of farin life. He assisted his father for a number of years, after which he rented a quarter of a section of the home farm, which he uses for independent farming. In 1903 he erected on the farm a modern home, which forms the residence occupied by the subject of this sketch and his family at the present time.
The marriage of Herbert C. Hodgson to Mary Ledgerwood, a native of Green county, Indiana, where she was born in 1880, was solemnized on May 6. 1903. Mrs. Hodgson is the daughter of Andrew and Emily Ledgerwood, who came to Kingman county, Kansas, from Indiana, in 1884. Both par- ents are deceased. Mrs. Hodgson has been reared to the duties of farm life, and as a consequence adapts herself readily to all branches of rural
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and home economics. She has devoted a great part of her time to the inter- ests of poultry, and has a small section of the farm devoted exclusively to the raising of Plymouth Rock chickens. Two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hodgson are Grace and Forest. In political affairs Mr. Hodgson sup- ports the principles of the Republican party, and takes a live interest in local elections.
CHARLES A. LAMBERT.
Charles A. Lambert, a well-known and progressive farmer of Roscoe township, this county, clerk of that township and proprietor of a well-kept farm of two hundred acres in the Pretty Prairie neighborhood, is a native of Iowa, having been born on a farm in Lee county, that state, April II. 1871, son of J. A. and Alice (Schooley) Lambert, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of lowa, pioneers of Reno county, who are still living in this county on their fine farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Roscoe township, the highway separating their home from that of their eldest son, the subject of this biographical sketch.
J. A. Lambert born in Murphy county, Kentucky, August 14, 1847. son of Robert and Anna (Scott) Lambert, the former of whom also was born in that state and the latter in Tennessee. Robert Lambert was the son of Charles and Phoebe (Westerfield) Lambert, who left their home in Murphy county, Kentucky, in 1854, and moved to Iowa, thence to Missouri, their last days being spent in Clark county, that state. Robert Lambert continued farming in Kentucky for some years after his marriage to Anna Scott, who was the daughter of C. C. Scott, a wealthy slave owner, who had plantations both in Tennessee and Missouri and later moved to Lee county, Iowa, where he and his wife spent their last days. They were members of the Christian church and their children were reared in that faith. There were seven of these children, of whom J. A. Lambert is the eldest, the others having been C. W., James, C. D., Sarah, Margaret and Lydia. Robert Lambert died on January 18, 1879, and his widow survived him many years, her death occurring on March 1, 1905.
J. A. Lambert was reared in Lee county, Iowa, and received his educa- tion in the district school in the neighborhood of his home there. His par- ents were struggling to make their Iowa homestead profitable and at the early age of ten he began to contribute to the family support. Being the eldest child he was of large assistance to his father in the work of the farm
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and was early inured to a life of toil. On October 18. 1853, he married Alice Schooley, who was born in Ohio, daughter of John and Edith (O'Neil) Schooley, natives of Maryland, who later moved to Indiana, settling in the neighborhood of Indianapolis, where they farmed for some years, later moving to Iowa, where they pre-empted eighty acres in Lee county, Iowa. In 1884 J. A. Lambert and family moved from Iowa to Kansas, settling in this county on a farm in Roscoe township, where Mr. Lambert and his wife still make their home, though now living alone, all their children having married and made homes of their own.
For some time after coming here J. A. Lambert left the direction of the farm to his eldest son. Charles, who, with his brothers. farmed the place while their father was working on the railroad and in the brickyard at King- man, his wages from that source supporting the family until the farm was brought under profitable cultivation. Mr. Lambert presently engaged somewhat extensively in cattle raising and prospered, he now being the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and eighty acres, on which he lives practically retired from the active duties of the farm. To J. A. Lambert and wife eight children have been born, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest, the others being Robert, who died in infancy; Alma, who died when nine years old; Oscar M., Edith. Frank, Elizabeth and Andy.
Charles A. Lambert was about twelve years old when he came to this county with his parents and his schooling was completed here. He was his father's mainstay in the work of developing the farm and in due time shared in the prosperity that marked the operations on the home farm, becoming the owner of his present fine farm of two hundred acres adjoining that of his father in Roscoe township, upon which he established his home at the time of his marriage in 1900. He erected a fine new house in 1907 and he extensively engaged in raising Shorthorn cattle and is regarded as one of the substantial farmers of his community.
On March 7. 1900, Charles A. Lambert was united in marriage to Alice Hemphill. who was born in Ford county, Illinois, on March 5. 1871, daugh- tor of John and Sarah ( Hutchison ) Hemphill, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in Pennsylvania, daughter of James and Nancy ( Frazer ) Hutchison. John Hemphill was married in Ohio, later moving to LaSalle, Illinois, thence to Paxton, same state, where he and his family lived for fifteen years, at the end of which time, in 1879. he moved to Kansas, pre-empting a tract of land in this county, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, his death occurring on April 4, 1889, and hers. April 20. 1903. To John Hemphill and wife eight children were born :
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Fannie, Frank, Josiah, Ellen, Howard, Watson, Alice and Anna, all of whom are living save the first-born.
To Charles A. and Alice ( Hemphill ) Lambert one child has been born, a daughter, Lola V., born on November 21, 1911. They are members of the United Presbyterian church, in which he has been elder for ten years, and in the various beneficences of which they take a warm interest, and are likewise properly interested in the various social activities of their neighbor- hood. Mr. Lambert ever has taken a proper interest in the civic affairs of his community and has served the public in the capacity of township clerk. He is a Democrat and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
JAMES MILLS.
The subject of this sketch came to Reno county in 1873. Settling on a homestead in Little River township he endured the hardships incident to pioneer days, passed with fortitude through the lean years which afflicted the early settlers, acquired a large estate, and is now comfortably situated in his pleasant home in Yoder township.
James Mills was born on October 6, 1850, at North Kingston, Rhode Island, the son of George and Ruth (Northrup) Mills, both of whom were born in Rhode Island, the former of English and the latter of Scotch descent. The father of George Mills was a soldier during the War of 1812. He lost his life when a United States war vessel was sunk in 1813. George Mills was born in 1814, a few months after his father's death. Grand- mother Mills was married a second time and went to Ohio where she secured a land grant for her husband's war services. George Mills had an elder brother, Varnum, who lived and died in New York City.
George Mills was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in the city of Brooklyn, New York. He had to shift for himself from the time he was a small boy. He worked in a drug store and became a pharmacist. and later was employed on the police force at Newport, Rhode Island. George Mills was a member of the Baptist church and his wife was a Methodist. He died in 1896, at the age of eighty-two years, and his wife died in 1899. at the age of seventy-eight. To George and Ruth (Northrup) Mills were born eight children, three of whom came to Kansas, namely: George, who lives in McPherson county, entered a homestead there in 1875: Charles,
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deccased, once lived in this state but went back East; James, the subject of this sketch, was the fourth child born to his parents.
James Mills secured a good elementary education in the common schools in North Kingston, Rhode Island, after which he worked as a farm hand near his home town. In 1873 he came to Reno county, this state, and set- tled on a quarter section homestead in Little River township, in section 2, township 22. range 4 west. His brother, Charles, came to the county soon afterward and took a pre-emption nearby. James Mills built a small house, twelve by fourteen feet, and lived on the homestead until 1890. He was married in 1878. and prospered during the early years of his residence in this county, presently being the owner of six hundred and eighty acres of land.
In 1890 James Mills moved to Lincoln township and bought eighty acres in section 7. where he lived until 1905. He then bought one hundred and twenty acres adjoining, to which farm he moved and where he still makes his home. Mr. Mills also bought four hundred and eighty acres in section 1. in Lincoln township, and now owns six hundred and eighty acres in all. He feeds a small herd of cattle each year, but devotes his attention chiefly to grain farming.
On October 1, 1878, James Mills was married to Julia E. Hobson, who was born in Campbell county, Kentucky, the daughter of Benjames James and Mary Elizabeth ( Watson ) Hobson, native of Virginia and Maryland, respectively, who were married in Washington. D. C.
Benjames J. Hobson was a machinist by trade and located on Licking river, in Campbell county. Kentucky, where he operated a saw-mill. From there he went to Covington, Kentucky, and conducted a large distillery for a few years. In 1872 he brought his family to Reno county, and took up a timber claim in section 2. in Little River township. Mr. Hobson made an unsuccessful attempt at raising peppermint, but found the climate unsuited to that crop. Leaving his family in Kansas he went back to Kentucky to secure employment, but soon returned to this state. Later he had charge of a distillery at Peoria, Illinois, for a number of years. Benjames J. Hob- son was born on November 3, 1828. He now makes his home with his son- in-law. Mr. Mills. Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hobson died in 1902, at the age of sixty-eight years.
James and Julia E. ( Hobson ) Mills were the parents of eight children, as follow: Edith, who was born in AAugust, 1880, was assistant of an Indian school in New Mexico, and is now living at home: Louie, who was born in 1882, married Walter Duncan and lives on part of her father's farm
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in Yoder township; Benjames J., who was born in August, 1884, is a farmer in Oklahoma: George, who was born in October, 1886, is a machinist; Fred, who was born in March, 1880, married Lois Wilson and lives on the home farm in Lincoln township; David, born in February, 1895: Robert, born in February, 1897, and Reba, born in December, 1904, are at home.
Mr. Mills usually supports the Republican party in national issues, but is an independent in local affairs, preferring the man best suited for the office regardless of party. He is always found ready to support any measure calculated to promote the welfare of the county, and has served as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Mrs. Julia Mills is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. James Mills has had no small part in introducing modern farming methods into this section, and his success has been a valuable example in the com- munity. Mr. and Mrs. Mills have many friends among whom they are held in high esteem.
BARCLAY L. JESSUP.
Barclay L. Jessup, cashier of the State Bank of Abbyville, this county, and one of the leaders in the financial and commercial life of that part of the county, is a native Hoosier, but has been a resident of this county ever since he was nine years old and may therefore be looked upon as an "old- timer" hereabout. He was born near the city of Greenfield, in Hancock county, Indiana, October 1, 1877, son of J. B. and Elmira (Ferrin) Jessup. the former of whom was born in that same county and the latter in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, who for years have made their home in the western part of this county.
J. B. Jessup was engaged in the lumber business in Indiana, which he sold and moved to Kansas in the fall of 1886 and settled at Peace Creek in Reno county, whence, after a short time he moved on to Colorado, but in 1888 returned to Reno county and bought a farm near Sylvia, in the western part of the county, where he has ever since made his home, being engaged in general farming and stock raising. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he and his wife are active members of the United Brethren church. They are the parents of three children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest, the others being Marion and Victor.
Barclay L. Jessup was about nine years old when he came with his parents from Indiana to Reno county and his schooling was continued in
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the Sylvia schools, upon completing the course at which he began teaching school, later attending the normal school at Salina, after which he taught another term of school and then took a course in the business college at Kansas City. The following fall he put out a crop of wheat and then entered the employ of a merchant at Hutchinson, for whom he clerked until the first of January, 1900, when he entered the State Bank of Sylvia as a bookkeeper and was thus engaged for two years and nine months, at the end of which time he went to Denver, Colorado, where for a time he was engaged as reporter for the International Mercantile Agency. He then was given charge of a supply store in the Clear Creek, gold-mining district of Colorado, and remained there eight months, at the end of which time he was called back to Reno county as cashier of the State Bank of Abbyville, which position he has held ever since. Mr. Jessup entered upon his duties as cashier of the bank on September 1, 1903, and since then has come to be regarded as one of the leading bankers and business men of that part of the county. He also has extensive farming interests in this county and is secre- tary and one of the directors of a telephone company.
In 1909 Barclay L. Jessup was united in marriage to Alma Curnutt, and to this union two children have been born, Ruth and Frieda. Mr. Jessup is a Republican and is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities, in the affairs of which organizations he takes a warm interest.
WILLIAM R. CROW.
William R. Crow, the son of Isaac and Mary A. (Calvert) Crow, was born in Harriettsville, Noble county, Ohio, on May 24, 1870. Isaac Crow was a farmer and stock raiser and came to Reno township in 1889 where he accumulated eight hundred and ten acres of land in sections 17 and 19. In 1900 he retired from active life and moved to Hutchinson where he died at his home. 121; Eleventh avenue west, in 1904. Isaac Crow was a native of Harriettsville, Ohio. Mary A. (Calvert) Crow was born in Belmont County, Ohio, and is still living at 106 Ninth avenue east, Hutchinson. Mr. Crow was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and he and his wife were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
To Isaac Crow and wife were born the following children: William R., Leola Dell, Edwin G .. Elizabeth, the wife of E. F. Danford: George L. and Otis H.
Gertrude Crow Dr. R. Crow
:
PRIZES RECEIVED BY WILLIAM R. CROW FOR SWINE EXHIBITS.
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William R. Crow was educated in the district school of Noble county. Ohio, and in Reno county, Kansas. He came to Reno county in 1889 with his father and engaged in farming and stock raising. In 1892 he bought the southeast quarter of section 24, township 23 south, range 7 west, which had been homesteaded by J. D. Langlois. Mr. Crow sold the place, when he removed to Hutchinson, in 1896, to engage in the cattle and hog business. He now lives at 1300 South Poplar street, where he owns a fine home and seventeen acres of land.
Mr. Crow and his sons are engaged in the cattle and the hog business under the firm name of William R. Crow & Sons. They make a specialty of breeding the very best Duroc-Jersey hogs and their success has been most satisfactory. The two sons, Philip Ladd and Francis Luther have added greatly to the success of the business. The industry was started but fourteen years ago on a very small scale. While Mr. Crow was working in a creamery he purchased a few hogs and developed them mostly on buttermilk. Under the careful care of Mrs. Crow the hogs thrived and in time some of them were exhibited at the county fair, but no ribbons were won. The showing made at this time encouraged both Mr. and Mrs. Crow and they determined to purchase some of the very best hogs that it was possible for them to get. Having made the decision. Mrs. Crow went to Wichita and purchased a pair of Durocs from J. U. Howe for one hundred dollars, which was as much as they could afford to invest at that time. The next fall they won one hun- dred and twenty dollars in premiums. In 1913 their hogs won a silver trophy at Hutchinson, at the state fair. being the best young herd of Durocs. In 1914 they won a solid silver pitcher for best young herd; in 1915 they won silver medals at Topeka and at Hutchinson. The prizes were all valued at from seventy-five to one hundred dollars each and were given by the National Duroc-Jersey Record Association. In 1915 the state of Kansas had selected the herd belonging to Mr. Crow for exhibition at the San Francisco exposition, but owing to the outbreak of the "foot and mouth" disease that year they were not allowed to transport them.
On May 4. 1892, William R. Crow was united in marriage to Minnie Eisiminger, the daughter of Harvey Eisiminger and wife. Mrs. Crow was a native of Broadwell, Illinois, where she was born on October 5, 1870. To this union one son was born, Harvey, who was born on March 18, 1893. He is a graduate of the business college at Hutchinson and at present is a book- keeper for the Arlington Hardware Company, at Arlington.
On November 25, 1897, William R. Crow was united in marriage at (21a)
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Hutchinson, to Gertrude Phillips, the daughter of William and Helen A. ( Root) Phillips. Mrs. Crow was a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she was born on February 24, 1871.
William Phillips was born in Leroy, New York, and came to Kansas in 1875 and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Lincoln township. He later sold this place and removed to Kalamazoo county, Michigan, where he engaged in farming until his death in 1885. Mr. Phillips was a veteran of the Civil War, having first enlisted in New York and served two years, after which he enlisted at Kalamazoo and served until the close of the war.
Helen A. ( Root) Phillips was a native of Michigan, where she lived for many years. In 1886 after the death of her husband, William Phillips, she came to Kansas, where she homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and where she lived for three years. She later sold the place and moved to Hutchinson. In 1898 she was united in marriage to B. H. Pickett, a farmer of Clay township and they resided at their home in this township until her death on March 2, 1916.
The brothers and sisters of Gertrude Crow are as follow: Nellie, the wife of George E. Reed: Christa, the wife of James McMullin; Margaret, who died at the age of four: Lotta, the wife of George Chesbro; Louie, the wife of Aaron Phelps, and Blanche, the wife of C. V. Wilson.
To William and Gertrude Crow have been born the following children : Philip Ladd, born on January II, 1899; Francis Luther, August 4, 1900; Mary, February 5, 1905: Edward Robert. June 7, 1909; Catherine Alberta, April 7, 1911, and Josephine Elizabeth, March 15, 1915.
REV. DUDLEY DENTON AKIN, D. D.
The Rev. Dudley Denton Akin, D. D., superintendent of the Hutchin- son district of the Methodist Episcopal church and for many years one of the best-known and most influential ministers of the gospel in the state of Kansas, is a native of Kentucky, having been born in the town of Lancaster, that state. February 16, 1844, son of Joseph and Josephine (Woodruff) Akin, both natives of that same state, the former born in 1814 and the latter in 1822.
Joseph Akin was a merchant tailor at Lancaster and spent his last days there, his death occurring in April. 1846. His widow survived him many years, her death occurring at the home of her son, the subject of this sketch,
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at Lyons, Kansas, on March 20, 1894. Joseph Akin was a Methodist and his wife was a Presbyterian. They were the parents of four children, of whom Doctor Akin is now the only survivor, the others having been as fol- low: Elizabeth, who married Frank Hopkins, a hotel keeper at Halifax, Nova Scotia, now deceased; Joseph, who was a printer at Port Gibson, Missis- sippi, and Josephine, who married John Davis, a farmer, of Sulphur Well, Jessamine county, Kentucky, now deceased.
Dudley D. Akin was reared at Lancaster, Kentucky, receiving his ele- mentary education in the "pay" schools of that place, supplementing the same by a course in Professor Babcock's seminary there. He then began clerking in the general store of Rochester & McNeil at Lancaster and was thus engaged until he entered the service of the Union army at eighteen years of age. He enlisted on August 21, 1862, in Company A, Eleventh Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry, under Colonel Riley, and served to the close of the war, a part of which service was performed under Colonel Holman and part under Colonel Graham. He was mustered in at the old fair grounds at Louisville, Kentucky, as a first sergeant and served with that rank throughout the war, being mustered out at Camp Chase, near Colum- bus, Ohio, on May 21, 1865. During this service Sergeant Akin partici- pated in the battles at Creelsburg, Kentucky; Athens, Philadelphia. Mays- ville, Moss Creek and Knoxville, Tennessee, and helped pursue General Morgan, the famous Confederate cavalry raider, through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio and was one of the force of twenty which led the advance of two . hundred and forty under Major George W. Rue, when Morgan was cap- tured near New Lisbon, Ohio. As amanuensis he wrote the draft of the official report on the capture of Morgan, dictated by Majors Rue and Gra- ham and Captain Pond. On May 12, 1864, while attached to Sherman's army, Sergeant Akin was captured by the enemy and for seven months was held prisoner; four months in Andersonville prison and three months in the prison pen at Florence, Alabama, being one of the four members of the squad of twenty-one captured with him who survived the terrible ordeal. Sergeant Akin was not wounded during his period of service.
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