USA > Kansas > Sedgwick County > History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county, Vol. II > Part 25
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(Signed) W. C. McFarland, Captain 16th Inf., commanding Co. E."
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The following article in the Wichita papers was copied from the Lexington (Ky.) "Herald" and was told by a Kentucky officer :
"Sergeant Boone, of Wichita, Kan., seemed to bear a charmed life. He was in the thickest of the fight and one of the first to reach the trenches. He helped dress his captain's wounds and carried his comrade Fleming to the rear. After the death of Lieutenant Ord, Sergeant Boone showed great bravery."
These articles are only a small part of the many kind expres- sions made concerning Mr. Boone, as he is in possession of many other writings which relate his daring deeds on the battlefields and commend him for his intrepid action as a soldier.
October 3, 1900, Mr. Boone was joined in marriage with Mollie Lawson, a daughter of Peter and Mollie (Christopher) Lawson. Mrs. Boone is a native of Sedgwick county, Kansas. Socially Mr. Boone is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Maize Lodge, No. 217, of Maize, Kan.
Winfield M. Booth,* farmer; of Salem township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born in Sullivan county, Indiana, on Decem- ber 28, 1857. His parents were John G. and Susanna (Nelson) Booth, both natives of Indiana. John G. Booth brought his fam- ily from Indiana to Salem township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, in a wagon in 1872, and bought a claim of 160 acres of land in section 16. His wife died in 1879 and her husband survived her until 1906. The elder Booth's last five years were spent in Wil- son county, Kansas. Winfield M. Booth was about fourteen years old when he came with his parents to Kansas, and he lived at home until about twenty-five years old. On February 6, 1884, Mr. Booth married Miss Laura B. Parker, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, on November 12, 1863, a daughter of William and Eliza (Myers) Parker. Mrs. Booth's father was born in New York and her mother was born in Butler county, Ohio, on January 15, 1834. The Parker family moved from Illinois to Kansas in 1878, where the father died on December 26, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Booth have nine children, viz .: Villa M., William P., Bertha M., Hallie M., Elida S., Nellie E., Marie G., Leroy M. and Archi N. After leaving home Mr. Booth was for about two years in the mercantile business in Zyba, Sumner county, Kansas, after which he returned to his farm, on which he has since continued to live. This farm he bought in 1888. Mr. Booth was township trustee for about ten years. In politics he is a Democrat.
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Joseph Bowman, of Wichita, Kan., register of deeds of Sedg- wick county, has been described as "one of the most amiable fellows in Wichita." Mr. Bowman was born in Lancaster, Pa., his parents being Joseph and Elizabeth (Parker) Bowman. His early education was obtained at Lancaster and in Licking county, Ohio, and his first occupation was at farming. He swept silently into Wichita in 1886 and without unnecessary noise about it has managed to keep staying here ever since. By profession he is an expert accountant, and his first activities in that line in the city were at the Wichita National Bank before the boom. When the old Bank of Wichita was nationalized and called the Fourth National Bank, Mr. Bowman went over to it as head bookkeper and clearing house manager. With the reorganization of the Fourth from top to bottom following the resignation of all the officers, Mr. Bowman went out, too, and was at once called into the Citizens' Bank, now the Kansas National Bank. A few months later he was asked to return to the Wichita National. where he remained until it closed its doors. Then Mr. Bowman went to the Wichita Wholesale Grocery Company, where he remained for fifteen years, resigning after his election in Novem- ber, 1908, to the office of register of deeds. Mr. Bowman served all through the War of the Rebellion, having enlisted in Com- pany E. 184th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and taken part in the campaigns of the close of the war. For many years he has been a member of Garfield Post, No. 25. He is also a member of Betton Lodge, I. O. O. F., Republican in politics, a member of the Con- gregational Church, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1886 he married Miss Jennie Lemmon. They have three daughters-Ethlyn, Lillian, Marguerite.
George H. Bradford, of Wichita, Kan., is one of the powers in the political life of Wichita and Sedgwick county, where he has been a resident for fourteen years. Combining ability of a high order with a thorough knowledge of political affairs, gained from years of experience; agressive and loyal to the Republican party, Mr. Bradford possesses all the qualifications which go to make up a party leader. Mr. Bradford was by no means a tyro in politics when he came to Wichita. He had rendered signal service to his party in St. Joseph, Mo., where he formerly resided, and was a delegate from that district to the state convention in 1896; also delegate in 1902 to the state convention at Springfield, Mo .; also, 1888, at Chillicothe, Mo. He has been honored by
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election to two terms in the city council of Wichita, in the years 1906 and 1908. His record while in office was clean and highly creditable. Mr. Bradford was born at Monroe, Mich., on Feb- ruary 21, 1866. His parents were George W. Bradford and Adelia (Kimball) Bradford, and his early education was obtained in Monroe, Mich. After finishing his education he engaged in civil engineering; assistant engineer W. S. S. & A. Ry. under John F. Stevens, who was afterward chief engineer, Panama Canal. Mr. Bradford is an eminently successful business man. He is president of the Wichita Construction Company, which does a large business in municipal contracting. He followed the same business for ten years in St. Joseph prior to his removal to Wichita. He was married in 1896 to Miss Linnie M. Speece, of Wichita, and of this union two children have been born, viz .: Edwin P. and Marguerite.
Fraternally Mr. Bradford is a member of Wichita Lodge, No. 99, A. F. & A. M .; Wichita Consistory, No. 12, Potentate Midion Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .; Mt. Olivet Commandery, No. 12; trustee Wichita Lodge, No. 427, B. P. O. E .; Betton Lodge, I. O. O. F .; Lodge No. 22, A. O. U. W .; Lodge No. 44, K. of P .; second vice-president of National Order of Travelers' Associ- ation; national director American Society of Bridge Contractors.
Charles H. Brooks, a member of the legal firm of Houston & Brooks, of Wichita. The firm to which he belongs is one of the most talented and best known law firms in Sedgwick county, which includes Wichita. Mr. Brooks is a native of California, having been born at Auburn, in that state, in November, 1859. He comes of sturdy New England stock and he can trace his ancestry back to the Revolutionary War, in which a number of his forebears were participants. His father was Julius P. Brooks, who was born in Windsor county, Vermont. After his marriage Julius P. Brooks went to California, which was then in the height of its gold excitement, and there the elder Brooks fol- lowed mining until his death in 1861. He left a widow and two sons, and the widow immediately returned to her home in Ver- mont. It was there that Charles H. Brooks was educated. He attended Montpelier Seminary, and while yet a young man moved to Marion, Ia., where he entered upon the study of law with J. C. Davis, and was admitted to the bar in 1883. He then began the practice of law with his preceptor and continued with the latter until 1886, when he moved to Wichita, Kan., during its
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early boom days. He at once formed a partnership with David Smythe, under the firm name of Smythe & Brooks, which was afterward changed to Smythe, Brooks & Coffin. The last named, C. F. Coffin, afterwards removed to Indianapolis. Later Mr. Brooks and Judge T. B. Wall formed the firm of Wall & Brooks, and in 1898 the present firm of Houston & Brooks was organized, Mr. Brooks' partner being Joseph D. Houston, which firm still continues and enjoys a leading practice. Corporation law is Mr. Brooks' specialty, and his firm is now a very important cog in that vast legal machine, the counsel end of the Santa Fe Railroad. The firm is also connected in both a business, commercial and legal relation with many other powerful corporations whose influence ramifies throughout the nation. Mr. Brooks' executive capacity is well displayed in his responsible position as president of the Wichita Union Stock Yards Company, where his keen insight into difficult problems of transportation, freight rates, etc., has been invaluable. Mr. Brooks has been a director in the Kansas National Bank, is now president of the newly organized Stock Yards National Bank, and is a director in several local organizations. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and a Knight Templar. He is married, his wife having been Miss Jane Lillie, daughter of W. L. Lillie, of Marion, Ia. From this union four children have been born: Willard L., Helen, Catharine and Josephine.
Charles W. Brown, vice-president of the Fourth National Bank of Wichita, Kan., is a native of Jefferson county, New York, where he was born on May 29, 1836. His parents were Cyrus and Tamer (Bent) Brown, natives of Pennsylvania and Lewis county, New York, respectively, and who moved to Illinois in 1856. Young Brown was educated in the public schools of Jefferson county, New York, and spent the early years of his life on a farm. He remained on the farm until 1868, when he engaged in the banking business with his brother, George W. Brown, at Clarence, Ia., under the firm name of Brown Bros. He remained at Clarence until 1871, when he removed to Kansas, locating in Butler county and starting a bank at Augusta, which was continued under the management of Brown Bros. until 1874, when Charles W. Brown withdrew from the firm. He again became a partner in the bank in 1883 and continued in it until 1890, when he removed to Wichita. Here he became interested in a number of large enterprises. For one thing, he engaged in
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sheep raising on a large scale, at one time having as high as 15,000 head on his ranch. He also engaged in the banking busi- ness, and for a time was vice-president of the old Kansas National Bank, later becoming president of the National Bank of Wichita, and since 1909 has been vice-president of the Fourth National Bank of Wichita. Mr. Brown was married in 1872 to Miss Anna McKibbin, daughter of Alexander McKibbin, of Clarence, Ia. Mrs. Brown is a native of New York state. From this union there have been three children: Margaret, who married Walter Innes, of Wichita; Anna, wife of D. P. Woods, of Wichita, and George M. Brown, manager of the Crystal Ice & Fuel Company, of Wichita, a position he has filled since 1908.
James K. Brown, one of the well-known citizens of Wichita, Kan., where he has resided for many years, is a native of Illinois, where he was born in Montgomery county, April 4, 1846. His parents were James and Mahala (Harper) Brown. Both his parents were natives of Tennessee, while his remote ancestors on the paternal side were Scotch, while his great-great-grandfather on the maternal line was English. James K. Brown is the young- est of a family of eleven children born to his parents. He acquired a limited education in the public schools of Illinois up to his twentieth year, and remained under the paternal roof until he was twenty-two years old. In 1874 he decided to go to Kansas and located first in Payne township, Sedgwick county, where he bought half a section in Section 19 of that township. Here he resided for twenty-seven years. He took a conspicuous part in the affairs of the township, having been a member of the school board for several years, and having served three terms as a member of the board of township trustees. In Masonic matters Mr. Brown has attained high rank, being a thirty-second degree Mason, and also a member of the Consistory, No. 2, of Wichita. In politics Mr. Brown is a Democrat. He resides now in his beautiful home at 427 North Lawrence avenue, Wichita.
James R. Brown, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of the Green Isle, where he was born on May 13, 1844. His parents were William and Nancy Brown, natives of Ireland. Mr. Brown came with his parents from Ireland to the United States in 1848, when he was only four years old, and settled in Lycoming county, Pennsyl- vania. The father of James R. died April 3, 1854, and the mother on August 5, 1865, both in Lycoming county. James R. Brown, after the death of his parents, with nine other friends, sought a
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home in the West, and the point selected was Sedgwick county, Kansas. Previous to coming west he enlisted in the army when the Civil War broke out in 1861, in Company D, Eleventh Penn- sylvania Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was equipped in Harrisburg, Pa., and afterwards it was ordered to Annapolis, Md., where it spent its first months in the service doing patrol duty. The regiment then was placed in McDowell's division, First Army Corps, in Virginia. Mr. Brown participated in sev- eral severe engagements, among others Cedar Mountain, Va .; and the second battle of Bull Run. On August 30, 1862, at Cedar Mountain, he received a severe wound in his right side and was removed to the hospital at Alexandria, Va., where he remained four months. He fought at the battle of Gettysburg from the beginning to the end of that severe struggle. His regi- ment was then placed under General Reynolds, in General Wads- worth's division in the First Army Corps. The regiment then made a raid in North Carolina, and on August 1, following the battle of Gettysburg, Mr. Brown was made second sergeant, and afterward he was detailed to the pioneer corps of General War- ren, of the Fifth Army Corps headquarters. He participated in the battle of Appomattox and after this engagement he veteran- ized in the same regiment for three years. He lost his arm at Petersburg June 18, 1864. Altogether he spent in the service of the government three years and eleven months. He was dis- charged on August 7, 1865, and returned to his home in Jersey Shore, Pa. Then he went to Philadelphia and took a course in a business college in stenography and telegraphy, after which he went to Torus, Me., organized the Soldiers' Home and was superintendent until 1870. He then, with the friends above men- tioned, came to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and located first in what is now known as Eagle township, where he homesteaded 160 acres of land in Section 28, where he dwelt until 1887 with his family. Mr. Brown was married on December 21, 1874, at Wichita, Kan., to Miss Ada Winters. Miss Winters was a native of Ohio, and ten children were born of this union, eight of whom are living, viz .: Carrie, W. W., Elta, Maud, Edith, Lulu, Erma and Hazel. Mr. Brown politically is a solid and substantial Democrat. In 1887 he was elected register of deeds in Sedgwick county and served two terms. After the expiration of his term of office he returned to his home at Colwich, Kan., where he owned a large body of land, and lived there until 1909. During that
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year he took up his permanent residence in Wichita and lives at No. 1751 North Lawrence avenue. Mr. Brown is a member of the G. A. R.
John W. Brown (deceased), father of Howard Brown, of Sedg- wick county, Kansas, was born in August, 1830, in Clinton county, New York. The father of John W. Brown moved to Michigan when it was still a territory in 1836, and located at Kalamazoo, then known as Bronson, where he bought government land at $1.25 an acre, and lived on the same up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1878. J. W. Brown was twenty-one years old when he left the paternal roof. He learned the trade of a car- penter in Michigan and followed this occupation while living there and in Illinois. He received a limited education in his native state and may be called a self-educated man, for he was literary in his tastes and a great reader, studying history and keeping in close touch with the current events of the day through the newspapers and magazines. He was married in 1857 to Miss Electa Wellman, of New York, at Vicksburg, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, Miss Wellman's parents being from New England. Two children were born of this union, of whom one is now living; G. W., deceased, was the editor and proprietor of the first news- paper ever printed in Cheney, Kan., and was an able, educated man, public-spirited, and took a delight in every enterprise that would benefit his town and county. L. W. Brown is now living and a resident of Kingman county, Kansas. The wife of J. W. Brown died in 1864 and in 1865 he was again married to Miss Martha Hopkins, of St. Joseph county, Michigan.
Three children were born of this union, all of whom are living, viz .: Howard, Robert and Mary. In the fall of 1867 he moved to Lawrence, Douglas county, Kansas, for a short time, but after- wards returned to St. Joseph county, Michigan, and lived there until the fall of 1878, at which time he moved to Erie township, Sedgwick county, Kansas. There he successfully farmed a tract of land that was purchased by Mr. Jewett and is now called the "Jewett Estate" land. When it was purchased Mr. Brown moved to Morton township, working at his trade as a carpenter all the time as well as farming. He bore the reputation of being a good carpenter, his services were sought for and his trade was profit- able. Mr. Brown bought a half section in Morton township, where he resided till his death, which occurred in 1893. He held several important offices during his life. He was a justice of the peace
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and assessor while he lived in Michigan, and trustee in Morton township three times. In early life he was a Whig, but after- wards became a Republican, which he was at the time of his death. Howard Brown is a Democrat in politics when that party has good candidates. Robert lives on a farm close to Howard and both are successful farmers of Sedgwick county.
Will W. Brown, cashier of the Stock Yards Bank, of Wichita, Kan., is a native Kansan, having been born in Sedgwick county on March 8, 1878. He is a son of James R. and Ada (Winter) Brown, who came to Kansas from Illinois in 1871, locating in Eagle township, Sedgwick county. Mr. Brown, Sr., served as register of deeds for Sedgwick county two terms, and made his permanent residence in Wichita in 1889. Will W. Brown was educated in the public schools of Sedgwick county, and after his graduation taught in the country schools of the county for a period of four years, after which he took up a business course, and was bookkeeper in several banks in the counties of Sedgwick and Reno. He came to Wichita in 1889, and was first in the employ of the Hockaday Hardware Company, and then for seven years filled the responsible position of cashier at the Morton- Simmons hardware establishment. In 1907 Mr. Brown organized the Stock Yards State Bank, and has since acted as its cashier. The other officers of the bank are: Garrison Scott, president, and George T. Cubbon, vice-president. Mr. Brown is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Wichita, the Riverside Club, the Young Men's Christian Association and the Knights of Pythias. He was married September 12, 1907, to Miss Marie G. Kenargy, daughter of L. H. Kenargy, of Wichita. Of this union there has been issue one child, Raymond K. Brown.
Albert A. Buck, painter and decorator, No. 209 St. Francis avenue, Wichita, Kansas, is a native of Georgia, in which state he was born in Union county on September 18, 1875. His parents were Azro A. and Fannie (Burgin) Buck, natives of Vermont and North Carolina, respectively. The father was Captain of Com- pany F, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry. He died at Winfield, Kan., January 2, 1880. His widow is still living and made a successful run at the opening of the Cherokee Strip on September 16, 1893. Albert A. Buck was educated in the public schools and came to Kansas in 1879, remaining a short time at Winfield, then to Arkansas City, then to Newton, and located in Wichita soon afterward. He learned
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the painter's and decorator's trade in 1896, which he has since fol- lowed successfully. Mr. Buck established business for himself at No. 209 St. Francis avenue in 1904 and has gained a fine patronage in the general line of decorating and painting. He has been a member of the Masonic Order since 1909, and also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Buck enlisted as a private for the Spanish-American War on June 18, 1898, was mustered in December 10 of the same year. He was married on January 10, 1899, to Miss Bertha Duncan, of Halstead, Kan.
Fred Buckley, proprietor of the American Cornice Works, 114-116 West Second street, Wichita, Kan., is a native of Windsor, Ontario, Dominion of Canada, where he was born on May 15, 1861. His parents were Reuben and Anna Buckley. He spent his boy- hood days in Windsor and was educated at the public schools of the city. In 1882 he came to the United States and located first at Kansas City, Mo., where he learned the tinner's trade with A. K. Sweet. In 1883 he came to Wichita and first obtained em- ployment with the Bissantz Hardware Company, continuing at the cornice business until 1885, when he began for himself, and has since continued the management of one of the largest and most successful businesses of its kind in Wichita. Mr. Buckley has been a member of the Knights of Pythias for a quarter of a cen- tury. He is also a member of the Masonic Order and of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. On September 13, 1888, he was married to Miss Mary Travis, a native of Illinois. Of this union two children have been born, Roy B., assistant city attorney of Wichita, and Mert T. Buckley.
Mr. Buckley moved into his present quarters in August, 1910, where he occupies the entire building, upstairs and downstairs, covering 6,500 square feet with a storeroom of 2,500 square feet.
William T. Buckner, attorney at law, of Wichita, Kansas, with offices in the Anchor Trust Building, is a native of Ohio, having been born at Washington Court House, Fayette county, on Janu- ary 2, 1846. His parents were William M. and Jane E. (Morri- son) Buckner, natives of Virginia. They went to Ohio in the early forties. The elder Buckner was a lawyer and a leading land attorney, devoting his time to perfecting titles to numerous large tracts of land in the states of Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. William T. Buckner was educated at Greenfield, Highland county, Ohio. When the civil war broke out he enlisted in 1861 in Company I, Seventy-third Ohio Regiment. Being dis-
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abled in the service, he was discharged before his term of enlist- ment had expired. He re-enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Ohio, and served as a private until the close of the war. He was in many of the hard-fought battles of the war, besides several skirmishes. After his discharge from the army he returned to the home farm in Ohio, which was being conducted by his mother, his father being dead. He assisted his mother in conducting the farm and took up the study of law under the direction of Hon. Robert M. Briggs, of Washington Court House. He followed this by a course at the Cleveland Law School, from which he graduated in 1871, when he was admitted to practice in the United States courts and all courts in Ohio. He began his legal practice in the city of Cleveland, where he remained from 1872 to 1884, when he came to Kansas and located at Wichita, and conducted a general practice until after the boom. Mr. Buckner was elected probate judge of Sedgwick county and served two terms of 1889 to 1893, since which time he has devoted his time to the real estate and law business. Mr. Buckner is a member of Garfield Post, No. 25, Department of Kansas, G. A. R. He was married on June 6, 1883, to Miss Mary J. Wadsworth, a native of Morrow county, Ohio. Two children have been born to this union, Dora A. and Susan E. Buckner.
Frank S. Burt is a well known and enterprising citizen of Wichita, Kansas. He was born at Urbana, Illinois, June 23, 1862, and is a son of Jesse and Alma C. (Hall) Burt. He had good educational advantages and supplemented his preparatory studies by a course at the University of Illinois, where he was graduated with the class of 1884. In March, 1885, Mr. Burt settled at Wichita in the real estate and insurance business, with offices at 416 East Douglas street. In 1896 he was appointed by the state commissioners, chief of police of Wichita and served till 1898. Resuming his insurance business, he continued it till 1901, when, under the administration of Mayor McClain, he was again made chief of police, serving four years. After that till 1909 he gave his attention to his real estate and insurance mat- ters, and then for the third time was appointed chief of police by Mayor Davidson and served till September 1, 1910, when he resigned the office.
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