USA > Kansas > Reno County > History of Reno County, Kansas; its people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 36
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It was on September 13, 1891, that George M. Koontz was united in marriage to Nannie J. Moore, who was born in Hohnes county, Ohio, daughter of Tobias and Hannah (Walton) Moore, both natives of that same state and both of whom are still living. Tobias Moore was a tanner and saddler, the owner of a tannery near the town of Millersburg, in Holmes county, Ohio, where he was in business until 1882, in which year he sold his establishment and came with his family to Kansas, settling in Sumner township, this county. Mr. Moore bought one-half of section 3, in that township, and there established his home. The land was unimproved, but with characteristic energy he lost no time in improving the same, getting it under cultivation, soon becoming recognized as one of the most substan- tial farmers in his neighborhood. He is a Republican and took an earnest part in local political affairs, while both he and his wife were prominent in
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the work of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Moore was born in August. 1828, and his wife was born in 1847. They are now living at Tokama, Nebraska, to which place they moved upon retiring from the farm in 1914. To them nine children were born, of whom Mrs. Koontz was the fifth in order of birth, and six of whom are still living.
To George M. and Nannie J. ( Moore) Koontz six children were born, namely: Clinton Sylvester. born on May 13, 1892, who married Carrie Murphy; Orla Howard, July 17, 1893, who married Mary Nicklaus; Iona Edith, May 17, 1896. who married Herschel Prough, a farmer, of Sumner township: Lloyd, who died in January, 1901. aged three years ; Charles Kent, April 28, 1901 ; Olen Asa, April 4, 1905. Mrs. Koontz's elder sons are energetic young farmers of Sumner township and are ably performing their part in the common life of that community.
ABRAHAM B. CRABBS.
Abraham B. Crabbs, head of the firm of A. B. Crabbs & Company, real estate and loans, at Arlington, this county, one of the largest landowners in Reno county, a pioneer merchant at Arlington, president of the first bank organized in that town and for many years one of the most active figures in the development of that part of the county, is a native of Ohio, born in Richland county, that state, April 9, 1851, son of Jacob M. and Catherine ( Bollman ) Crabbs, whose last days were spent at Arlington, this county.
Jacol. M. Crabbs was a merchant in his home state, but upon the loca- tion of his son, the subject of this sketch, at Arlington, in 1884, he retired from Insiness and the next year also came to Reno county, locating at Arlington, where he died in 1894, at the age of sixty-four. His widow survived him eleven years, her death occuring in 1905. she then being nearly seventy-five years of age. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest. the others being John L., Albert E., Jennie and Mand, the latter of whom died in infancy. John L. Crabbs is associated with his brother, A. B. Crabb, in Arlington, and has two sons, Lee M .. a farmer, living near Arlington, and Frank L., a merchant of that place. Albert E. Crabbs. for years a well-known merchant at Arlington, who died in 1908, left three sons, Arthur J., a farmer, living in western Kansas: Harry J., a merchant in Canada. and Dr. Ralph E. Crabbs, a well- known dentist at AArlington.
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Abraham B. Crabbs spent his childhood in Adams county, Indiana, where he received his early schooling, and at the age of fourteen went back to the place of his birth in Ohio, where he began working in his father's store, and was there engaged until 1875, in which year he went to Toledo, Ohio, where he engaged in the grain commission business and was thus employed until he came to Kansas in 1884 seeking a location. He stopped at Hutchinson and after looking the situation over a bit decided to enter the mercantile business at the then new and promising village of Arlington, the center of the rich region in the west central section of the county. His store building, one of the first erected in the new town, was ready for occupancy in August, 1885, and he opened up with a general store of mer- chandise worth about six thousand dollars. From the very start the busi- ness prospered and it was not long until Mr. Crabbs was operating with a stock double in value his initial stock, at once taking his place as a leader in the commercial life of the new and thriving town, continuing as a mer- chant there for twenty-three years. Two years after locating in Arlington Mr. Crabbs organized, in 1887, the town's first bank, the Arlington State Bank, and was elected president of the same, which he operated for two years, or until he sold out to the Citizens State Bank in 1889, retaining. however, his financial interest in the bank. In 1889 Mr. Crabbs and brother, John L., erected a grain elevator at Arlington and continued operating the same until he sold out to the Hoffman Grain Company, of Enterprise, in 1904. In 1902 he became associated with J. S. Trembley in the hardware business and was thus connected until the firm sold out in 1915. In the meantime Mr. Crabbs also had been actively interested in the real-estate and loan business in and around Arlington and since disposing of his other inter- ests has devoted his whole time to that branch of business, under the firm name of A. B. Crabbs & Company. and is doing very well. Mr. Crabbs is the owner of about four thousand acres of land, mostly in Reno county, and the most of which is under profitable cultivation, the various farms being managed by responsible tenants.
For years Mr. Crabbs has been generally handicapped by failing sight and for several years past has been all but blind, but despite this unhappy affliction retains a firm grasp on his extensive business interests and has lost none of his aforetime energy. Mr. Crabbs exerted a strong influence upon the progress of affairs in the western part of the county during the early development of that section and was one of the chief factors in securing to Arlington the advantages of a railroad when the Rock Island line was being surveyed through that part of the country. Politically, he is a Republican
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and ever since coming to this county has been one of the leaders of the party in the western part of the county, but has never been included in the office- seeking class. In his fraternal relations he is affiliated with the Masons, the Modern Woodmen and the Ancient Order of United Workmen and takes a warm interest in the affairs of these several organizations. Mr. Crabbs has never married and makes his home with his brother, John L. Crabbs, at Arlington.
CORNELIUS O. CHAPIN.
Cornelius O. Chapin, a well-known and well-to-do retired farmer of this county, one of the real pioneers of Reno county, an honored veteran of the Civil War, one of the oldest Odd Fellows in the state and for years actively interested in the general civic affairs of this section of the state, has been living in Hutchinson since his retirement from the farm in 1905 and is very comfortably situated. Mr. Chapin is a native of Massachusetts, a member of one of the old Colonial families, which is represented in widely separated parts of the country. The Chapin family maintains a regularly organized association of kinship, with headquarters in the East, and holds annual meetings which are very largely attended. The house in which Mr. Chapin was born at Chicopee, Massachusetts, September 18, 1841, was built in 1730 and in that same house his father, Quartus Chapin, was born on October 14, 1793.
Quartus Chapin was reared a farmer and married Ruby Sexton, who was born in Somers, Connecticut, remaining in the East until 1853, in which year he moved to Illinois. He bought two hundred and forty acres in Morgan county, that state, and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurr- ing on March 7, 1858. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, his father was a soldier in the Revolution and three of Quartus Chapin's sons were soldiers in the Civil War. His widow returned East and her death occurred in Waltham, Massachusetts. They were members of the Congregational church and their children were reared in that faith. There were six of these children, those besides the subject of this sketch being: Lyman, Horace and Cornelia L., now deceased ; Lucy A., who married Henry E. Steele, a watch- maker of Waltham, Massachusetts, since whose death she has been living at North Adams, in that state, and Quartus H., in the United States railway service. with headquarters at Chicago.
Cornelius O. Chapin was about twelve years old when he moved with
Cornelius @ Chapin
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his parents to Morgan county, Illinois. His higher education was obtained at Ft. Edward, New York, and in two years attendance at Illinois College, Jacksonvillle, Illinois. Though not twenty years old when the Civil War broke out he enlisted for three months service at the first call for volunteers and went to the front as a member of Company B, Tenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out at Cairo, Illinois, at the expiration of that term of service. Upon the completion of his military service he returned to the farm and in the fall of 1863 was married. Ten years later he came to Kansas and has been a resident of this county ever since. He arrived at Hutchinson on November 9, 1873, and presently homesteaded the southeast quarter of section 8, in Valley township, this county, upon which he and his wife established their home on February 12. 1874, and there they remained until their retirement from the farm and removal to Hutchinson in 1905. Mr. Chapin was a successful farmer and cattle raiser and for years was regarded as one of the most substantial and influential citizens of Valley township. Upon retiring from the farm he invested his capital in real estate and is very comfortably situated. He and his wife have a very pleasant home at 620 Sherman street, east, and take an active interest in the social and cultural movements of their home town.
It was on September 30, 1863, at Concord, Illinois, that Cornelius O. Chapin was united in marriage to Mary V. Detrick, who was born at Naples, Illinois, March 10, 1848, daughter of Dr. Jacob H. and Hannah ( Morrison ) Detrick, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio, both of whom spent their last days in Hutchinson, this county, Doctor Detrick dying on September 28, 1902, and his widow on April 5, 1913. Doctor and Mrs. Detrick were Methodists and active workers in the church. The Doctor was a Democrat and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. To him and his wife two daughters were born. Mrs. Chapin having a sister, Catherine E., who married Clarence Willey, a prominent lumberman of Chicago, and was among those who lost their lives in the sinking of the "Lusitania." Her only child, a daughter, Catherine, is the wife of Robert Thorne, vice-president of the great Montgomery Ward Company at Chicago. To Mr. and Mrs. Chapin one child was born, a son, Charles F., who was born at Concord, Illinois, June 4, 1864, and who was killed by the accidental discharge of a gun in the hands of another person, in Valley township, this county, January 21, 1887. Charles F. Chapin had married Fannie Demorett. of this county, and their only child. Lyman H .. born in Valley township on
(24a)
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December 30. 1886, was killed by being run over by a loaded wagon in that township on November 2, 1897.
Mr. Chapin has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since the year 1864 and a member of the Daughters of Rebekah, which latter order both he and his wife joined at the same time, since 1870. Upon the fiftieth anniversary of his service as an Odd Fellow, Mr Chapin was presented by the grand lodge of Kansas Odd Fellows with a handsome gold badge, suitably inscribed, the number of his years of service, "50" being outlined in diamonds. Mr. Chapin also is a member of Joe Hooker Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Hutchinson, and for years has taken a warm interest in the affairs of that patriotic order. Mr. Chapin is a prominent member of the Woman's Relief Corps and has been senior vice-president of that organization for the department of Kansas. Mr. Chapin is a Republican and ever has taken an active interest in local political affairs, but has never been included in the office-seeking class.
CHARLES GIBSON.
Charles Gibson, a well-known and progressive young farmer of Valley township, this county, is a native son of Reno county, having been born on the homestead farm where he now lives, May 23, 1885, son of Harrison and Mary A. (Black) Gibson, both natives of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, the former born on October 1, 1840, and the latter, November 30, 1846, who were pioneers of this county and prominent in the development of the community in which they settled in Valley township in 1878.
Harrison Gibson was reared in Ohio and served three years as a mem- ber of an Ohio regiment during the Civil War. Upon the conclusion of his military service he married and bought a farm in Ohio, where he lived until the spring of 1878. at which time he sold his farm and came to Kansas with his family, settling in Reno county. He bought a quarter of a section of land in Valley township and there constructed a two-room sod house, in which the family found shelter until the present commodious farm house was erected in 1882. Mr. Gibson was a good farmer and his operations prospered. he being the owner of five hundred and sixty acres of land in Valley and Clay townships at the time of his death, on August 6, 1912. He was a Republican and he and his wife were earnest members of the Methodist church, aiding in the organization of the Clay Valley Methodist
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Episcopal church, of which he was a steward to the time of his death. His widow, who still survives him, is very pleasantly situated in a cottage on the old homestead, not far from the house in which her youngest son, the sub- ject of this sketch, and his family reside. There were seven other children in the family: Alice, who married H. P. Tidrick and lives at Emporia, this state; Minerva, who married Allen O. Sprowl and lives on a farm in Yoder township, this county; Margaret, who died at the age of eighteen; Gertrude, who married H. T. Eales and lives on a farm in Yoder township; Harriet, who married Fred Sloop and lives on a farm in Clay township; John Walter, who married Anna Mary White and lives on a farm in Yoder township, and William Harrison, who lives on a farm in Valley township.
Charles Gibson was reared on the farm on which he was born and on which he still lives, and received his schooling in the Dodge school at the cross-roads near his home. When his father died he inherited half of the quarter section comprising the home farm, his mother retaining the other half. Mr. Gibson is a progressive and energetic young farmer and is doing well. He is much interested in the cultivation of a better strain of horse flesh in his neighborhood and is the owner of a prize-winning French draft sire, "Buster," which took the sweepstakes at the Kansas State Fair in 1913.
On March 19, 1913. Charles Gibson was united in marriage to Arlena D. Macklin, who was born in Valley township, this county, November 19, 1894, daughter of H. O. and Ruth ( Averrill) Macklin, the former of whom was also reared in Valley township, his father, B. F. Macklin, now living in Hutchinson, having been one of Reno county's earliest settlers, and to this union two children have been born, Charles Kenneth, born on May 17, 1914. and Arthur Harold. August 19, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson are members of the Clay Valley Methodist church and take an active interest in the various social and cultural activities of their community.
JOSEPH CATTE.
Joseph Catte, a well-known and substantial farmer of Langdon town- ship. this county, owner of two hundred and forty acres in section 17, of that township, has been a resident of Reno county since he was ten years old and has therefore been a witness of all the wonderful development that has marked this region within the past generation. He was born in the city of Brooklyn, New York, October 29. 1868, son of Eugene and Gene-
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rause ( Abry) Catte, natives of France, both born in Alsace, the former on May 10, 1828, and the latter. May 16, 1828, for years well-known residents of Reno county.
Eugene Catte came to the United States in 1858 and was engaged in the business of gold refining at Brooklyn until the spring of 1878, when he came to Kansas, arriving in Reno county on March 17, of that year. He bought the northeast quarter of section 20, in Langdon township, and entered a timber claim on the south half of the south half of section 17, in the same township, and on the former tract established his home. While developing his farm he acted for some time, in pioneer days, as a freighter on the old Sunset trail, hauling grain from Hutchinson to Sun City and Lake City, on Medicine River, and bringing back firewood, for which serv- ice he was paid one dollar and fifty cents a load, boarding himself. As his farming operations progressed, however, he prospered and became a sub- stantial farmer. He spent the rest of his life on the Langdon township farm. his death occurring on October 10, 1898. Some time after his death his widow returned to her former home in Brooklyn and there she died on May 29. 1905. She was a Catholic and her children were reared in that faith. There were five of these children, those besides the subject of this sketch being as follow: Louisa, who married T. J. Brady, a patrolman in New York City: Jules, now deceased, who was a tinner and galvanizer at Philadelphia : Louis, a farmer of Langdon township, this county, and Eugene, also a resident of Langdon township.
Joseph Catte was ten years old when he came to Reno county with his parents in 1878 and his schooling, which had been begun in Brooklyn, was resumed in the district schools of Langdon township. He grew up on the home farm and became an excellent farmer, in due time buying a farm of his own in the neighborhood of the home place, the same being the timber claim which his father had entered years before. He also inherited from S. D. Wyman the south half of the west half of the northwest quarter of that same section and now owns a well-kept farm of two hundred and forty acres there, being very comfortably circumstanced. Mr. Catte is a Repub- lican and has taken an active interest in local civic affairs, having served as clerk of the school board of his home township since 1906.
On December 25. 1894. Joseph Catte was united in marriage in Lang- don township to Melissa Applegate, who was born in Nodaway county, Missouri, October 22, 1876, daughter of Jackson and Elizabeth (Fee) Apple- gate, both natives of Indiana, the former born in Hamilton county, that
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state, November 20, 1834, and the latter, in Clinton county, September 3. 1844. Jackson AApplegate came to Kansas from Missouri in December, 1886, and settled in Langdon township, this county. He bought a quarter of a section of land there and established his home, spending the rest of his life on that farm, his death occurring on January 9, 1910. His widow is now living in the town of Langdon. They were the parents of six children, those besides Mrs. Catte being as follow: Randolph, a retired farmer, now living in Hutchinson: Samuel, a farmer, of Plevna township, this county ; John, a farmer, of Langdon township; Edward, of Texas, and William, a railroad man, of Hutchinson.
To Joseph and Melissa (Applegate) Catte three children have been born, namely : Joseph Perry, born on October 2, 1895, who, on June 15, 1915, was appointed a cadet to the West Point Military Academy, on recommenda- tion of Congressman George Neely; Hazel, February 16, 1897, and Velma, April 4, 1899.
PETER DECK.
Peter Deck, member of the board of commissioners of Reno county, former trustee of Westminster township, a prominent pioneer of that town- ship and one of the best-known and most substantial retired farmers of this county, now living in a fine house in Abbeyville, is a native Hoosier, but has been a resident of this county since 1874 and has thus been a witness to and a participant in the wonderful progress which has been made in this region since early pioneer days. He was born on a farm near the town of Albion, in Noble county, Indiana, August 6, 1850, son of Isaac and Julia (Johnson) Deck, both natives of Pennsylvania, who later became pioneers of Reno county and the latter of whom is still living here, being now in the ninety- first year of her age.
Isaac Deck was born near the town of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. March 4, 1820, and was reared as a farmer. About 1838 he went over into Ohio and settled in the timber, near the town of Bryan, in Williams county, where he made his home until 1844, in which year he moved to Indiana and settled near the town of Albion, in Noble county, where he lived until 1858. when he came west and settled in northern Missouri, where he lived until the sentiment against all anti-slavery sympathizers in that section became so pronounced that he moved his family to southern Iowa in 1861 and estab- lished a new home for them. He then returned to Missouri and in 1862
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enlisted for service in behalf of the Union arms in Company G, Seventh Missouri Cavalry, with which he served for more than two years, during which time he was engaged in several hot skirmishes, including the battle of Springfield, Missouri. Upon the conclusion of his military service, Mr. Deck rejoined his family in Iowa and remained there until the spring of 1876, when he came to Kansas and established his home on a quarter of a section of land in Westminister township, this county, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in October, 1898. His widow is still living at her home in that township, in her ninety-first year, one of the best-known pioneers of the west central part of the county. Isaac Deck took a prominent part in pioneer affairs and was a good citizen. He was a Republican and an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic and he and his wife were earnest members of the Dunkard church, in which faith their children were reared. There were eight of these children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth, the others being Hannah, Lucinda, William, Gideon, Laura, Lincoln and Flora.
Peter Deck was about eight years old when his parents moved from Indiana to Missouri and was about eleven when the family sought refuge in Iowa. In the latter state he completed his schooling and became a farmer and there he was married in 1870. In March, 1874, he came to Kansas and homesteaded a quarter of a section in Westminster township, this county, which he straightway proceeded to improve and bring under cultivation, soon becoming known as one of the most substantial farmers in that part of the county. As he prospered in his farming and stock-raising opera- tions, Mr. Deck gradually added to his land holdings, until he became the owner of a fine farm of four hundred and ninety acres and there he lived until 1912. in which year he retired from the farm and moved to Abbey- ville, where he built a fine house and where he is now living, he and his family being very comfortably situated. Mr. Deck is a Republican and ever since coming to this county has taken an carnest interest in civic affairs. He served for some time as treasurer of Westminster township and later served as trustee of the same township. In 1912 he was elected commis- sioner of Reno county from his district and entered upon the duties of that important office in January, 1913.
It was in 1870, while living in lowa, that Peter Deck was united in marriage to Sarah Anderson, daughter of W. D. and Sarah (Louder) Anderson, and to this union five children have been born, Lawrence, Roy. Ethel. Nettie and Chester. Mr. and Mrs. Deck are active members of the Methodist church and Mr. Deck has served as an office bearer in that church.
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Hle is a Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Woodmen, in the affairs of which organizations he takes a warm interest.
JAMES W. PARISH.
James W. Parish, a well-known and progressive merchant of Langdon, this county, has been a resident of Kansas since he was fourteen years old. He was born in Springfield, Illinois, March 25, 1868, son of James and Amanda ( Davis) Parish, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Indiana. James Parish moved from Pennsylvania to Indiana with his parents in his youth and at Franklin, in the latter state, married Amanda Davis, later moving to Springfield, Illinois, where he made his home until 1882, in which year he came to Kansas with his family, settling at Ft. Scott, where he lived for about ten years. He died at Clifton, Ohio, in 1909, and his widow is now living at Kansas City, Missouri. They were the parents of six children, those besides the subject of this biographical sketch being as follow: C. W., a capitalist at Spokane, Washington; Eva, who married Isaac Bingham, a farmer, of Baxter Springs, this state; Alice, widow of Lew Antrim, a one-time locomotive engineer, of Kansas City; Mrs. Lucy Butcher, of Kansas City, and Fred, a farmer, of Baxter Springs.
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