USA > Kansas > Shawnee County > History of Shawnee County, Kansas, and representative citizens > Part 40
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Until 1871 Mr. Sutherin resided in Beaver County, his old home, and then came to Kansas and engaged in mining and then in farming on the Gage
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tract west of Topeka. He has been identified with coal interests almost since his arrival in Shawnee County and is the oldest coal merchant in Topeka in continuous business. He settled on the Gage farm 34 years ago and now has a farm of 80 acres on which he has spent $7,000 in improvements. Al- though in business in the city he still holds his farm. He has always taken a lively interest in public affairs and for 27 years has been a member of the School Board of Topeka township.
On September 12, 1864, Mr. Sutherin married Isabel Douglas, who was also a native of Northumberland County, England. She died in 1896, leav- ing eight children, viz : Isabel, wife of H. E. Shaffer, of the plumbing firm of George Sutherin & Company, of Topeka; Mary, wife of William H. Hunter of Bloomington, Illinois; George W., a master plumber in business at No. 107 East Fifth street, Topeka; Martin; Annie, wife of Cal Zin, of Dover, Shawnee County; Sadie, wife of E. W. Pinkerton, of Los Angeles, California; John, who conducts the home farm; and Maggie.
Mr. Sutherin is one of the leading members and a trustee of the Low- man Hill Methodist Episcopal Church. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and for the past 31 years has been an Odd Fellow. He is a man whose sterling character is gener- ally recognized and he may justly be numbered with the representative men of Shawnee County.
RICHARD DISNEY.
RICHARD DISNEY, who died October 20, 1902, was one of the leading farmers and highly respected men of Monmouth township, Shawnee County, for many years and was one of the early settlers, coming in 1856. He was born June 7, 1824, in Maryland, and was a son of Mordecai and Axium Disney.
The parents of Mr. Disney were farming people. They had a large family consisting of eight sons and two daughters, the only two to come to Kansas being our subject and his brother William; all are now deceased, Richard, the eldest, being the last to pass away.
From Maryland, Richard Disney went with his parents to Ohio and thence to Henderson County, Illinois, being about 15 years old at this time. He lived in Illinois until 1856, when he came to Shawnee County, both he and his brother William preempting land here and living together. He started with one quarter-section but at the time of his death owned 3621/2 acres, in one body and also other tracts. He was a large cattleman and was accustomed to winter 100 head. During the Civil War he was a member of
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the State militia and served 15 days in the campaign against General Price. Although he was a stanch member of the Republican party, he never wanted political office, consenting only to serve on the School Board.
Mr. Disney was first married to Lavina Anderson, who died in Illinois and left one son, Wesley, who is a resident of Chautauqua County, Kansas. On July 19, 1857, he was married, second, to Angeline Gregory, who was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, December 21, 1828, and when three years old accompanied her parents to Galena, Illinois, and in 1856 came with her widowed father and her four brothers to Kansas. Her parents were David and Naomi (Walters) Gregory, natives of Virginia and of Ohio. Of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory's 10 children, Joel, the eldest, died in the Mexican War. Mrs. Disney was next oldest; she has a brother in Illinois and one in Cali- fornia. Mr. and Mrs. Disney had eight children, three of whom died in in- fancy, the survivors being : Mary Florence, George W., Charles and Clara E. Julia died aged 14 years.
Mr. Disney was in poor health for some years, but he bore his afflictions with patience. He had always been careful and industrious and left his family a large and valuable property. Mrs. Disney has 178 acres and her son Charles has the remainder of the estate. It is well cultivated and improved and would bring a high price in the market.
STEPHEN A. BEDWELL, JR.
STEPHEN A. BEDWELL, JR., owner and proprietor of the Bedwell Private Asylum, which is a beautifully located institution in the eastern limits of Topeka, is a gentleman well and favorably known all over the State. Mr. Bedwell was born in 1852, in Platte County, Missouri, on his father's farm which extended many miles and was bounded by the Buchanan County line. He is a son of the late Stephen and Christina ( Pennington ) Bedwell.
The parents of Mr. Bedwell were both of German extraction but of Tennessee birth. They subsequently moved to Platte County, Missouri, where the father successfully engaged in farming for years, but spent his last years in honorable retirement at Leavenworth, Kansas, where his death took place in 1891. Of the family of six sons and three daughters, four sons and two daughters still survive. Francis Bedwell, an older brother of our subject, opened a private asylum at Leavenworth, which was the first institu- tion of its kind in the State. This he has removed to Kansas City and it is the best equipped and most modern asylum there.
Our subject spent his boyhood in the manner of farmer boys, the sum-
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mers claiming his time on the farm and his winters being spent in school. When eight years old he went to Atchison County, Kansas, and had the ad- vantages afforded by the Atchison City schools. When he had reached his majority he was employed by his brother who was interested in his early asylum projects, and it was through the experience gained there that the younger brother was encouraged to open a like institution at another point. In 1889 he moved to Shawnee County and settled in North Topeka, opening up a small asylum. He received so many applications from patients that in 1898 he purchased an old family residence, which he remodeled, improved and added to until he had spent fully $7,000 in making it what it is,-a de- lightful spot for both sick and well.
The Bedwell Private Asylum is beautifully located on the eastern limits of East Ioth avenue, in the edge of Topeka township. In 1896 Mr. Bedwell purchased a tract of 10 acres, then but partly improved, and subsequently added 20 acres, which he uses for gardening purposes, the latter tract of land being valued at $200 an acre. The asylum proper is modern throughout, is heated by furnaces and private water-works insure plenty of hot and cold water. There are 25 clean, airy, sanitary rooms at all time ready for patients, and Mr. Bedwell has accommodated as many as 52 and, on an emergency, 100 can be provided for. Beautiful shade trees surround the institution and every medical care is provided. It has been so often demonstrated that en- vironment has so much to do with cure, that medical men are each year insisting more and more on just such conditions as can be found at the Bed- well Private Asylum.
Mr. Bedwell was married in November, 1894 to Ella M. Dibbell, who belongs to a very prominent family of Topeka. She was born in New York. They have three children, viz: Mrs. Leslie Byers, of Topeka, who has one daughter, Oma; and Effa and Selina, young ladies at home.
In his public attitude, Mr. Bedwell is a "good roads man." He is a member of the Fraternal Aid. For a number of years he has been a member of the township School Board and is generally recognized as one of the most public-spirited as well as substantial men of his locality.
J. W. MAGILL.
J. W. MAGILL, engineer and manufacturer, who is closely connected with large engineering enterprises south of Galveston, Texas, has maintained his beautiful home in Topeka since 1887. He was born in 1838 on the Hudson River, at Poughkeepsie, New York, and is a son of John and Sarah Ann (Mulcox) Magill.
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On the paternal side the ancestry is Scotch and on the maternal it is English and Irish, while on both sides the families have been engaged in manufacturing. The Magill family controlled the manufacture of linen at Glasgow, Scotland, prior to the Revolutionary War, and the Mulcox name is connected with the manufacture of the famous Cheshire cheese of Chester, England.
Our subject received an academic education in New York. He in- herited a love of mechanics in which he took four years of training, becoming a skilled engineer, and through experience became possessed of a thorough knowledge of wool and cotton manufacturing. For some years he was connected with the largest manufacturing company of the city of New York, Garner & Company, which operated factories, in which 7,000 looms were kept running. Mr. Magill was manager of a plant for some time and then pur- chased it, converting it into a factory for the manufacture of merino and knit underwear. He continued the operation of this immense industry until 1887, when his wife's failing health caused him to seek a home in another climate. Topeka being the advised locality, he came hither, deciding to open up a large manufacturing business here which would give employment to a force of 1,000 workmen. He drew up the plans and specifications and subsequently erected the building, but just at this time the panic came upon Topeka's in- dustrial life and the great factory, with its 150 looms, was obliged to remain idle.
Although this entailed immense financial loss, Mr. Magill had ideas and courage left and turned his attention to other enterprises. He became in- terested in Texas land and was assistant under Dr. Savin at San Antonio in the Texas land department. Later he associated himself with Col. John Willett in the construction of a sea-wall and iron-pier harbor in Southwestern Texas, 250 miles south of Galveston, and since the death of Colonel Willett has continued the project with the latter's son. They are much interested in securing a much needed harbor and have bright prospects.
Mr. Magill has never sought political honors, although he has been on friendly terms with many men in public life, one of these being the present honored President of the United States. In 1861 he assisted in raising Com- pany B, 57th Reg., New York Vol. Inf., and was made its sergeant but did not remain long on the field as he contracted rheumatism. He has always been known as a patriotic, outspoken, loyal citizen.
At Little Falls, New York, in the diocese of Bishop Potter, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Mr. Magill was married by Dr. Rogers to Maria Cottam, who was born in England and in childhood accompanied her father, Matthew Cottam, to America. He was an English manufacturer and later became one of the head managers of Garner & Company, of New York.
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Six daughters and three sons have been born to this union. Mrs. Magill has obtained much benefit from the climate of Topeka and enjoys, with her family, the comforts of the beautiful home at No. 200 Western avenue. Mr. Magill is a Knight Templar Mason. The family belong to the Protestant Episcopal Church and are members of the congregation of Grace Cathedral, Topeka.
PERRY ELLIS COOK.
PERRY ELLIS COOK, contractor, is a citizen of Topeka, who has watched his city develop from almost a village into a beautiful and well-regulated capital city. He was born in Indiana and is a son of Oscar and Charity (Wiley) Cook, residents of Brownsburg, Indiana.
The ancestors of Mr. Cook date back to the early settlers around Seneca, New York, from which section his grandfather migrated to Boone County, Indiana, when that locality was one vast forest. He was accompanied by his son Oscar, who was born at Seneca, in March, 1823, and now resides with a daughter within six miles of where his father settled in his boyhood. For generations back the family have followed agricultural pursuits. Mr. Cook's mother came from an old and distinguished Kentucky family, all of whom were land-owners. Of the immediate family, four brothers and one sister still survive. They are scattered, living in Indianapolis, Central Iowa, Chicago, Jefferson County, Iowa, and Brownsburg, Indiana.
Perry Ellis Cook was reared on his father's farm and attended the public schools of his native county. At the age of 17 years he left home and went to Iowa, having previously learned the carpenter's trade, which he has fol- lowed more or less ever since. After his marriage, which took place in Iowa, he returned home for a visit and remained a year, but in 1884 he decided to locate permanently in the West, and accompanied by his wife, came to Topeka. Here he found a fine opening in his trade and he continued to follow it until 1900, when he entered contracting and now has a well-established business in that line. He has not only witnessed the erection of all of the important buildings here, but he has put up many of them himself, notably the Com- mercial Hotel and the annex to the Keith-Rhodes Hospital and Sanitarium. The greater bulk of his work has been, however, the erection of fine resi- dences, his own being a good example,-a very attractive home situated in East Hill Addition.
Mr. Cook married, when a resident of Iowa, a young lady named Randa Conger, who was born in Illinois, but whose home had been in Marshall
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ROBERT BROWN GEMMELL
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County, Iowa, since she was a year and a half old. A family of four children have been added to the happy family circle, namely : Wilbur, aged 19 years; Blanche, aged 16; Perry Ellis, Jr., aged 13; and Herbert, aged II.
Mr. Cook is a man of social nature and enjoys membership in several fraternal organizations, among which are the Odd Fellows, the Eagles and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a self-made man and has met with the greater part of his business success since coming to Kansas. He reached Topeka, which was then unpaved and even wanted sewerage, with a capital of $25. This, has been turned over many times and that he is now in the enjoyment of ample means is but the natural result of his industry and enter- prise.
ROBERT BROWN GEMMELL.
ROBERT BROWN GEMMELL, deceased, whose portrait is herewith shown, served for many years as superintendent of telegraph for the Atchison, To- peka & Santa Fe Railway Company and was one of the most prominent and public-spirited men of Topeka.
Mr. Gemmell was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1839, and was a son of James and Nancy (Brown) Gemmell. His father was a native of Scotland and there learned the trade of a marble cutter, becoming an expert in that line. To James and Nancy (Brown) Gemmell were born seven children, of whom four grew to maturity, namely: Robert Brown, our subject; Mrs. John D. Gill, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania ; Mrs. Mary Aiken, of New Castle, Pennsylvania; and Anna, of Greensburg, Pennsyl- vania.
Robert B. Gemmell was reared and educated in his native town, and at the age of 15 years began his railroad career as an operator on the Penn- sylvania Railroad. For five years he worked in this service, then in 1859 was appointed division operator of the road, in which capacity he served two years. He was next appointed chief clerk to the superintendent of the mid- dle division of the Pennsylvania road. An example of the confidence im- posed in him by his employers was shown when he held this position. He was given entire charge of the wire of the special train which conveyed Presi- dent Abraham Lincoln from Harrisburg to Philadelphia on the night of February 22, 1861, while on his journey to Washington to take his seat as T' ident. In 1863 he was appointed trainmaster of the middle division of the road with headquarters at Altoona, Pennsylvania. He resigned this position in October, 1866, to come to Kansas, where he accepted the position
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of chief clerk and general superintendent of telegraph of the Kansas Pa- cific road, now the Union Pacific. He afterwards became general freight and ticket agent of the road. For one year he was superintendent of the Lawrence & Southwestern road. In 1875 he became connected with the general freight department of the Santa Fe road as chief clerk, a position he filled for three years. On July 1, 1878, he was appointed superintendent of telegraph, serving as such, thereafter, until his death. While acting in this capacity his jurisdiction extended over 6,230 miles, including the tele- graph lines along the Santa Fe: Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe; Wichita & Western; New Mexico & Arizona ; L. T. & S. W., and M. A. & B. roads. He was also joint superintendent of the railroad and Western Union tele- graph lines, which were owned jointly by the two companies. He had charge of the commercial telegraph business and all agents on the railway lines re- ported to his office, from which the proportion of the Western Union business was forwarded to the proper officers and managers.
Aside from his laborious railroad duties, Mr. Gemmell took a great interest in local matters, his work being principally in the affairs of the church. He was one of the oldest members of the Presbyterian Church, in which he held numerous offices, being an elder at the time of death. From 1881 to 1891, he was president of the Topeka Y. M. C. A., having been one of the most active in its organization. From 1882 to 1887, he was chairman of the State committee of the Y. M. C. A., and in January, 1896, was elected chairman of the executive committee of the Railroad Y. M. C. A.
Robert Brown Gemmell died September 14, 1896, after an illness of three weeks. He first fell a victim to the ills of malarial fever, which de- veloped into typhoid, then into hypostatic pneumonia, dying from a compli- cation of these diseases. The following quotation from the Topeka Daily Capital is an estimate of his worth in the community and the high regard in which he was held :
"Only those who knew Mr. Gemmell well can fully appreciate the full beauty of his character and the worth of his life. Few there are who care to work as he did; few there are who are fitted for such work. Unselfish- ness is always the keystone of such a character and it is upon these charac- ters that Christianity has always relied for support. It seems unfortunate that such a man as Mr. Gemmell should not be permitted to live out the full measure of years. The many he has befriended will now miss him; those have made a practice of seeking him for religious comfort will mourn their loss; and his own loved family and dear friends in their grief can only be consoled by the inspiring memory of the man and his work, memories that must live. During Mr. Gemmell's residence in Topeka he exerted a won- derful influence in the work of Christianity. In him the church had a vigor-
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ous and conscientious worker, a man who never tired in the task of bring- ing sunshine into the lives of those who are walking in the shadow. And the young men of Topeka, among whom he always delighted to work, owe' him a debt of gratitude they can only pay by emulating his beautiful ex- ample. This was the only compensation he ever asked while living."
Robert B. Gemmell left a wife and three children, the latter being as follows: Mary, wife of Arthur Adams, of Alameda, California; Robert, of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Lillian, wife of Herbert S. Boal, of Citronelle, Alabama. Mr. Gemmell was the owner of considerable real estate in Topeka. In addition to the home on East Eighth avenue, he possessed lots on Topeka avenue and in other sections in the city. His was a well-rounded life. He was a successful business man, a public-spirited citizen and a most devoted and loving husband and father.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DAWSON.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DAWSON, one of the most highly considered resi- dents of Shawnee County, came to Topeka township when the surrounding prairies were almost trackless wastes of waving grass and the woods were thickets of untouched growths of tree and bramble. Mr. Dawson was born at Terre Haute, Indiana, December 2, 1828, and was taken to Edgar County, Illinois, when two years old. He is a son of Thomas W. and Nancy (Milligan) Dawson.
Isaac Dawson, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Virginia and was a pioneer in Kentucky. Thomas W. Dawson, the father, was born in Kentucky, married in Ohio, moved as a very early settler to Edgar County, Illinois, and took part in the Black Hawk War. Both he and his wife died in Topeka. The family consisted of eight members, our subject being the oldest. The others were: James M., deceased; Mrs. Eliza J. Browning, of Oklahoma; Mary, who died in Edgar County, Illinois; Emma, who died in Topeka ; Mrs. Elizabeth Lesley, a resident of Kansas; and Newton and Milli- gan, both deceased.
Benjamin F. Dawson remained on the home farm in Illinois until 1855, when he joined his brother, James M., on an expedition to Kansas. At that time no great lines of transportation made the trip easy and expeditious. The brothers, well provisioned, started from the old homestead with a wagon and good team, and covered the distance to Shawnee County in three weeks. As they had been led to expect, the brothers found much of the country un-
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cleared, Topeka but a hamlet, Leavenworth the nearest market and Tecumseh the closest trading place. Our subject soon preempted his present farm, the southwest quarter of section 27, township 11, range 16, two-thirds of which was brush and timber. A former settler, Isaac Edwards, had erected a cabin 16 by 18 feet in dimensions, and the brothers lived in this during their first Kansas winter. Although public questions were beginning to be agitated in the State, the clearing, improving and cultivation of the farm kept the subject of this sketch very much occupied and until the actual outbreak of hostilities at the opening of the Civil War, he industriously raised his grain and dis- posed of it at Leavenworth. He well recalls the troubles incident to the admission of Kansas as a Free State and was an eye witness of some of the political encounters at Lawrence. When General Price invaded Kansas, he enlisted in the State militia under Captain Huntoon and Colonel Veale and was with the troops sent out to check Price's advance to Kansas City. At the famous battle of the Blue he was made a prisoner, but was soon paroled. During the whole of the war he was in close sympathy with the Union forces.
With the exception of three years during which he conducted a meat market, in partnership with Jacob Awark, at Topeka, Mr. Dawson has always resided on his farm. which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. Formerly he raised each year a large number of cattle, hogs and horses al- though he has always considered his land best adapted to the growing of grain. The Dawson farm is one which is justly noted for its production of fine fruit. Mr. Dawson early made a specialty of setting out orchards, making careful selections as to climate and culture, and has produced probably as fine apples, peaches and cherries as can be found in the State. Some 24 years ago he erected his present beautiful brick residence, just outside the city limits. It is located in the midst of a well-kept lawn and presents a very attractive appearance.
Mr. Dawson was married at Topeka to Susan M. Wade, who was born in 1843, in Illinois, and came to Shawnee County with her parents in 1856. They have six children, namely : Carrie and Mary, both at home ; Mrs. Emma Lanham, of Chicago; Mrs. Julia Gallagher, of Topeka ; William, a farmer of Topeka township; and Franklin, of Oakland, Topeka. Mr. Dawson and family belong to the Third Presbyterian Church of Topeka.
Mr. Dawson, coming of Southern ancestry, was reared a Democrat, but for many years has been identified with the Republican party. He has always taken more or less interest in public matters and performs every duty of a representative citizen. Owing to the fact that his health has been delicate during recent years, he has spent several seasons at Los Angeles, California. He has read freely. traveled considerably, has a wide range of information and is especially well posted on the interesting early days in Kansas. Time.
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has dealt very gently with him and he bears his 77 years with the appearance of a much younger man. Scarcely any resident is better known in this locality than Mr. Dawson and very few are held in higher esteem.
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JOSEPH H. SKINNER.
JOSEPH H. SKINNER, who operates an extensive nursery in Soldier town- ship, Shawnee County, is an experienced man in this business, having devoted himself to this line of work all his life. He was born September 12, 1851, at Troy, Ohio, and is a son of Elias and Martha J. ( Orbison ) Skinner.
He came to Topeka from Troy, Ohio, in 1890, and engaged in a nursery business with two partners under the firm name of Taylor, Peters & Skinner. The partnership continued for three years. Mr. Taylor then retired from the firm to operate a nursery of his own, and the firm style then became Peters & Skinner.
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