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 34
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
Charles W. Jones, proprietor of the Jones Bicycle and Sport- ing Goods House, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of the city, having been born in 1880. He is the son of G. W. C. and Minnie (York) Jones, natives of New Zealand and England, respectively, who came to Wichita in the early '70s. The elder Jones was for a time prosecuting attorney of Sedgwick county. Charles W. Jones was educated in the public schools of Wichita, and while gaining an education acted for five years as a carrier boy for one of the newspapers of the city. While so employed the paper started a voting contest, offering as a prize a scholarship in a correspondence school. Young Jones had every one of his long line of customers campaigning for him and he easily won by a large majority, and selected electrical engineering. Mr. Jones' first employment was with the firm of Musselman Bros., then the only bicycle and sporting goods concern of any size in Wichita. He remained with this firm for some years, leaving it to go with the Wichita Auto Company in the repair depart- ment, and became thoroughly skilled in all the intricate details of any sort of motor mechanism. In the fall of 1909 he left the automobile company and organized his present business at No. 209 North Main street. From the start he was more than suc- cessful. The first morning he opened up and before his fixtures or half the stock had arrived he sold three bicycles and a lot of supplies that made him gasp at the rosy inauguration. Mr. Jones is an eager sportsman, a hunter, rod and fly expert, base- ball enthusiast, bicyclist, and lover of every athletic diversion where one can absorb pure fresh air. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and an enthusiastic member of the Masonic fraternity. He was married in 1908 to Miss Edith Fegtly.
James M. Jones, one of the pioneers of Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of North Carolina, having been born in
817
BIOGRAPHY
Alexander county, that state, on May 28, 1843. His parents were Calvin and Miriam (Watts) Jones, both natives of the Tar Heel state. The elder Jones was born June 7, 1811, and his wife on May 27, 1814. The father of Calvin Jones, John Morley Jones, came from Wales in Colonial times, he and his father, Thomas Jones, settling near Baltimore, Md., coming to North Carolina after the close of the War of the Revolution. John Morley Jones' wife's maiden name was Ruth Basket. Calvin Jones resided in his native state until after the close of the Civil War, in 1866, when he moved to Missouri, leaving Missouri in 1870 and settling in Crawford county, Kansas, in which county both he and his wife died, the latter in 1873 and the former in 1897. James M. Jones came to Kansas with his parents, and came to Sedgwick county in 1875 and pre-empted the 160 acres on which he is now living. To his original quarter section he added another, and is now the owner of 320 acres.
On December 20, 1868, Mr. Jones was married to Miss Rox- anna Russell, who was born in Missouri. Four sons have been born to them, viz .: Joseph C., of Viola township; M. Hall, of Jones City, Okla .; T. Elmer, who is now taking a seminary course in the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Kan., and R. Lee, who is now in the Ottawa University, Ottawa, Kan. Mr. Jones has served as Justice of the Peace for several years, and is now (1910) serving his third term as trustee of Viola town- ship, having recently been re-elected for the fourth term. While farming he devoted his time to grain and stock raising, but is now practically retired, his son Joseph attending to the farm. Fraternally Mr. Jones is a member of Viola Lodge, No. 518, Independent Order of Odd Fllows, in which he has passed the chairs and is now Past Grand of the order and a member of the Grand Lodge. In politics he is a Democrat. He is a member of the Baptist Church.
Oliver Winslow Jones, County Treasurer of Sedgwick county, Kansas, and member of the Board of Education, Wichita, Kan., is a native of New York state, he having been born at White Plains, Westchester county, April 10, 1862. His parents were Oliver Jones and Miriam (Austin) Jones. The education of Mr. Jones was obtained in what is now the borough of Brooklyn, a part of Greater New York City, where he attended the public schools, and at Sterling, Kan. In 1875 the family decided to move to Kansas and located at Sterling, where Mr. Jones was engaged
818
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
in school work. In 1886 he was appointed principal of the Hutchinson schools, where he served for five years with the utmost satisfaction to the community. He resigned this position to go to Mulvane, Kan., to occupy a similar position with the schools of that city at a higher rate of compensation, and where he remained five years, leaving Mulvane to come to Wichita in 1896. In that year M. J. Loyd appointed Mr. Jones his assistant as County Treasurer, and for eleven years he served faithfully and ably in this capacity, being retained in the position through the administrations of two years with D. E. Boone and all of Euodias Webb's administration. He was nominated on the Republican ticket in 1908 for County Treasurer and elected, and re-elected November, 1910. Term expires October, 1913.
He was married in 1888 to Minnie W. Bush. Four children have been born to this union, Kenneth K., Donald F., Miriam and Dorothy. Fraternally Mr. Jones is a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Riverside Club.
Winfield Scott Jones, deceased, was born at North Village, Lincoln county, Maine, on July 9, 1848, and died at his home near Mt. Hope, Kan., on July 12, 1909, at the age of sixty-one years. Mr. Jones was married to Mrs. Minnie Dorch on February 12, 1871, at Preston Lake, Minn. Seven children were born to this union, three boys and four girls, six of whom are now living : Warren S., Lucy, Alta, Edward, Iva and Lillie. Warren S. mar- ried Miss Jennie Hart and lives in Oklahoma. They have two children. Lucy married W. H. White and they have three chil- dren. Alta married R. W. Peavey and they have no children. Edward married Mrs. Edythe Dunlavy and they have no children. Iva lives with her sister, Lucy, on the home place. Lillie married J. F. Mighario and lives at Wellington, Kan., and has one child. Winfield Scott Jones was a member of the G. A. R. He enlisted in the Fifteenth Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry, on Febru- ary 22, 1864. After a residence of ten years, he, with his family, came to Sedgwick county, Kansas, where he bought 160 acres of land, and at the time of his death owned 240 acres two and a half miles east of Mt. Hope. His wife died October 31, 1900.
Henry Jorgensen,* cashier of the First National Bank of Mt. Hope, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born February 15, 1848, in Germany, and came to the United States in May, 1870. He had
819
BIOGRAPHY
learned the trade of machinist in the old country and, locating in New York, worked at his trade until 1875. In that year he moved to Mercer county, Illinois, and farmed as a renter until 1878. On August 14, 1878, Mr. Jorgensen moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and bought 160 acres of railroad land near Mt. Hope. He remained on this land until 1900, and after retiring from agriculture was the owner of about 1,100 acres of improved land in Sedgwick county and elsewhere. He was a successful general farmer. After retiring from farming, Mr. Jorgensen became interested in the State Bank of Mt. Hope as a stockholder, which bank afterwards became the First National Bank of Mt. Hope, and in 1899 he became its cashier. The bank has a capital of $25,000 and a surplus of $10,000. Mr. Jorgensen is one of a family of four children, three of whom are living. Sophia Dora is deceased; Antonia lives in Germany. Mr. Jorgensen was con- scripted in the military service in Germany and on examination proved his right to a discharge, his father paying for his educa- tion while in the military service. The family can trace its rec- ord back three hundred years. Mr. Jorgensen was married to Miss Mary Dall, a daughter of Peter Dall, of Germany, in New York city, September 2, 1871. Mrs. Jorgensen is also a native of Germany. Eight children have been born of this union, five of whom are now living. Those living are : Henry J., born July 20, 1872, a farmer, married and father of one child; Charles S., born August 20, 1874, a farmer, married, with one child; Fritz C., born November 21, 1876, married, with one child; John F., born Decem- ber 12, 1883, married, with one child, and Mary, now Mrs. Porter, of Greeley township, and mother of one child. Fritz C. and John F. are assistant cashiers in the bank with their father. Mr. Jor- gensen was a trustee of Greeley township for three years and on the school board ten years. He is a member of the Congregational church and a Democrat in politics.
Worth Kautz, of Wichita, Kan., is known to all devotees of the automobile in the city, where he operates an extensive garage and automobile business. Mr. Kautz is a native of the Hoosier state, having been born at Rising Sun, Ind., on March 28, 1851. His parents were Jacob and Mary Ann (Walker) Kautz, the father born in Ohio. The family originally came from Switzer- land, and his mother tracing her origin to Scotland. The senior Kautz moved to Illinois from Indiana in 1853, and in 1859 the family moved to Missouri, where the father remained until his
820
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
death, which occurred in Caldwell county, Missouri, in 1890. The elder Kautz was a cooper by trade, and was the father of nine children, seven of whom are still living. Worth Kautz was the eighth child born to his parents, and his early education was obtained in the public schools of Jacksonville, Ill. After the family moved to Missouri Mr. Kautz remained with his parents for some years, but finally decided to strike out for himself, and moved to Kansas. He located in Sedgwick county, where he bought eighty acres of school land in Greeley township. He afterwards homesteaded a quarter section in Oklahoma, and after proving up his claim sold the property and took up a resi- dence in Mount Hope, Kan., where he was engaged in the hard- ware and implement business for three years. He then moved to Kechi township and bought 210 acres in Sections 34 and 35, on which he remained until 1908, when he came to Wichita and engaged in the garage business. Mr. Kautz and his step-son are the sole owners of the Southwestern Auto Company, with offices at 427 North Main street. Mr. Kautz has been married twice. His first wife was Miss Annie Little, of Mount Hope, to whom he was married on October 3, 1881. After the death of his first wife Mr. Kautz was again married in May, 1898, to Mrs. Mattie Clements, of Mount Hope, Kan. Two children have been born of this latter union. Politically, Mr. Kautz may be called an Inde- pendent, but his affiliations are generally with the Populists. He is a member of the Christian Church.
John W. Keene, general contractor and cabinetmaker, of Wichita, Kan., was born in Madison county, Kentucky, on April 8, 1878. His parents were Robert and Polly (Pinkston) Keene, natives of Kentucky, who moved to Champaign county, Illinois, in 1894 and there engaged in farming. John W. Keene was educated in the public schools of Champaign county and began to learn the carpenter's trade in 1897. He worked for various firms until 1905, when he branched out for himself and has since conducted a prosperous business. In 1908 he moved to Wichita, where his shop is located at No. 307 West Douglas avenue. He makes a specialty of general contracting, cabinet and interior work for first-class buildings. Fraternally Mr. Keene is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Woodmen of the World. On June 25, 1904, Mr. Keene was married to Miss Marie L. Carroll, daughter of Daniel Carroll, of Normal, Ill. One child has been born of this union, Lawrence C. Keene.
821
BIOGRAPHY
William H. Kelchner, owner and proprietor of Kelchner's Meat Market, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of Pennsylvania, hav- ing been born at Harrisburg, the capital of the Keystone state, on June 24, 1864. He is a son of John and Christina Kelchner, natives of Pennsylvania, and is the eldest of a family of ten chil- dren. Only three of the brothers came to Wichita, viz .: David L., J. G. Ross and John. The elder Kelchner died in Pennsylvania in 1904 at the age of sixty-eight. William E. Kelchner was educated in the public schools of his native city and began in the meat business at the age of fourteen. He was first employed in the city market in the city of Harrisburg. He came to Wichita in 1887 and opened a market at No. 607 North Market street, and a year later changed his location to No. 448 North Main street, where he conducted business for seven years. He then moved to No. 131 North Main street, and seven years thereafter to No. 406 East Douglas avenue, and here continued until June 1, 1910, when he removed to his present spacious quarters in the Daisy Building, Nos. 115 and 117 South Topeka avenue, where he now conducts one of the largest and most modern plants of the kind to be found in the United States, the fixtures and equipment having been installed at a cost of $25,000. The market occupies the entire first floor of the Daisy Building, the dimensions of the , room being 50 by 130 feet. Through the center runs a partition. In the front part is the display room, and in the back room the cooler, cutting room and refrigerator plant. The floor is tiled, the pillars are marble, and the beams, wainscoting and all fur- niture and cases are quarter-sawed oak. The plant is equipped with Brecht's refrigerating machine. All the equipment is of the latest make and design. It comprises a sixteen-ton refriger- ator, a cold storage room 20 feet wide and 40 feet long, which is kept at a uniform temperature of 2 degrees above freezing, a freezer 16 feet by 16, a modern fish department, the temperature of which is 20 degrees below freezing, and a cooler 12 feet by 12 for cheese. Carcasses of beef and all heavy pieces of meat are transported to the cooler and cutting-rooms on an automatic overhead track. The refrigeration is sanitary, no ice being used. All meats are cut in the back room. The refrigerator counter is 40 feet in length, and the display case 40 feet long, 12 feet angle and 5 feet clear, with beaded glass plate doors, and all electric lighted. The plant is sanitary throughout and complies with the most rigid requirements of the pure food laws. Mr. Kelchner
822
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
is a Mason, a member of the Consistory, of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the Red Men, the Maccabees, the Sons of Hermon and the Fraternal Aid. He is also a member of the Young Men's Christian Association, the Wichita Commer- cial Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Reformed Church and a member of the School Board of Wichita. Mr. Kelchner was married on December 25, 1889, to Miss Jennie Hinkle, daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Hinkle, formerly of New Orleans. Mrs. Kelchner was born in Illinois.
W. C. Kemp, one of the prosperous young business men of Wichita, Kan., is a native of Park county, Indiana. He was born in 1883, and is a son of A. K. and S. J. Kemp, both of whom were natives of Indiana. They settled on a farm in Kiowa county, Kansas, in 1884, where the father also opened and conducted a general store, and served as postmaster, and also ran a line of stages between Kiowa and Wichita before the railroad was built. In 1902 he helped to organize and incorporate the Citizens' State Bank of Wichita, of which he was made vice-president, and in 1903, removed to Wichita with his family and became president of the bank, and filled that office till his decease in 1907. His widow now lives there with her son. Our subject acquired his early education in the schools at Kiowa and supplemented this with two years' study at the Friends' University at Wichita. On leaving the University he entered the bank as assistant cashier, and in 1908 was promoted to the office of cashier, which he now fills. This bank is reckoned among the substantial financial institutions of Wichita, its present officers being W. S. Hadley, president ; G. E. Outland, vice-president, W. C. Kemp, cashier, and H. C. Out- land, assistant cashier. In religious faith Mr. Kemp is affiliated with the Friends' Church of Wichita. In 1906 he married Miss Blanche, a daughter of Mr. C. W. Jones, of Wichita, and they enjoy the comforts and pleasures of a happy home, with a choice circle of friends.
Patrick Kennedy, Civil War veteran, of Valley Center, Sedg- wick county, Kansas, was born in Ireland on December 26, 1843. He is a son of Patrick W. Kennedy, who immigrated to the United States when his son was three years old. The elder Ken- nedy located first in New York, where he remained ten years, and then removed to Marysville, Union county, Ohio, where he lived until his death in 1873. He was the father of six children, three of whom came with him to this country. Patrick Kennedy had
823
BIOGRAPHY
but a limited education, and worked as a laborer until he enlisted in the army in 1863. He entered the service as a private in the First New York Light Artillery, which after being equipped for duty was sent to Washington. There it was attached to the Army of Virginia, and took part in the Battle of the Wilderness, where General Wadsworth fell mortally wounded. The regiment was also in the engagements of Coal Harbor, Mine Run, Hotchkiss Junction and Weldon railroad, and took part in all the battles and skirmishes in the rear of Petersburg. It was very close to the mine called "Fort Hill" when it was blown up, in describing which Mr. Kennedy says: "I thought the earth was sinking away from my feet." Mr. Kennedy received a severe wound while in the service, from the effects of which he has never fully recovered. After serving his time of three years in the army Mr. Kennedy returned to his former home, where he remained until 1871. During this year he located on a quarter section of land in Grant township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, and while here he worked as a laborer on the railroad. In 1874 he purchased 160 acres in Section 30, Grant township, where he now resides. Mr. Kennedy is a member of the G. A. R. and present Post Commander in Valley Center. He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On April 29, 1875, Mr. Ken- nedy was married to Miss Eliza L. Allen, of Sedgwick county. Ten children have been born of this union, of whom eight are living. The children are: Charles, Rosa, Edgar, David, Grace, Willie, Jessa and Virgil. Rosa is now Mrs. Will Lemin; Grace is now Mrs. Clark, and has two children. Mr. Kennedy is a Repub- lican in politics with an inclination to be Independent of late years.
Samuel B. Kernan, who has filled a prominent place in the affairs of Wichita and Sedgwick county, is a native of the Key- stone state, having been born in Monongahela City, Pa., on May 26, 1851. He is the son of F. F. and Margaret J. (Patton) Ker- nan, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. Samuel B. Ker- nan was educated in the public schools of Monongahela City, and after leaving school was engaged in farming in Pennsylvania until the spring of 1883, when he came to Kansas and located in Wichita. His first business venture was to engage in the real estate business, but after a short time he abandoned this to embark in the mercantile line, and continued in this line for twenty years in the city of Wichita. At the end of this time
824
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
he again entered the real estate business, in which he has since continued. Mr. Kernan has always taken an active interest in the political affairs of his city and county, and in 1905 was elected a county commissioner, and in 1907 was again renominated and elected. During his term of office he had much to do with the construction of the concrete bridge over the Arkansas river to the West Side, and proved himself to be an important factor in many other improvements for the betterment of the city of Wichita and the county of Sedgwick. Other political offices held by Mr. Kernan have been those of treasurer of the city of Wichita and president of the School Board. Mr. Kernan has also taken a keen interest in fraternal orders, and is a prominent Mason, besides being a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Kernan was married in 1874 to Miss Emma J. Warne, of Monongahela, Pa., and from this marriage there has been issue one son, Dr. J. F. Kernan, of Wichita.
Ellwood D. Kimball, who has achieved a prominent place in the mortgage loan world of Wichita, Kan., is a scion of the Granite state. He was born at Nashua, N. H., on September 29, 1859. The family is an old and historic one, tracing their ancestry. back to the Puritan days of 1640. The parents of Mr. Kimball were John G. and Betsy Chandler (Spalding) Kimball, both of whom spent their entire life in New England. Young Kimball ac- quired his early education in Nashua, where he went through the grammar grades, the Nashua High School, after graduation from which he went to historic Dartmouth College, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1861 and Master of Arts in 1884. His first occupation was that of a teacher of Latin, in which capacity he served the Rayen (funded) High School at Youngstown, Ohio, during the years 1882-83-84. Mr. Kimball came to Wichita in December, 1884, and at once engaged in the loan business as a clerk in the office of Judge W. C. Little. During the years 1885-86 he was engaged as a clerk, but in 1887 he was admitted to a partnership, the style of the firm being Little & Kimball. This partnership continued until 1890, when the firm organized the Wichita Loan and Trust Company, with Mr. Little as president and Mr. Kimball as treasurer. The com- pany continues in business until the present time, but in 1891 Mr. Kimball withdrew and engaged in the mortgage loan busi- ness, in which he has been successfully engaged ever since. Mr.
825
BIOGRAPHY
Kimball has been actively identified with affairs in the city and county and is a member of the Commercial Club, the Country Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Masonic fraternity, including the commandery and consistory. He is also a Shriner. Mr. Kimball is also a life member of the New England Historical- Genealogical Society, of Boston, Mass., and the Kansas State Historical Society. Mr. Kimball was married on September 12, 1888, to Miss Luella A. Johnson, daughter of Levi L. Johnson, of Burton, Ohio. Mrs. Kimball is president of the Colonial Dames of the State of Kansas.
Harvey O. Kimel,* farmer and thoroughbred horse breeder, of Ninnescah township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born in Illi- nois on January 22, 1867. His parents were Thomas K. and Re- becca (Mounts) Kimel. Thomas Kimel, the father of Harvey O., moved from Illinois to Kansas in 1873 and preempted 160 acres of land in Section 8, Ninnescah township. Harvey O. Kimel came to Kansas with his father and remained at home on the farm until 1892. On February 17, 1892, Mr. Kimel married Miss Dora T. Grimsley, who was born in Missouri on January 22, 1871, a daugh- ter of James and Tinsey C. (Ross) Grimsley, who came to Sedg- wick county from North Carolina in 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Kimel have three sons, viz. : Chester L., born January 2, 1893; Herschel R., born May 16, 1895; Donald T., born August 5, 1900. In the spring of 1891, Mr. Kimel bought 320 acres of land in Section 4 and later bought 160 acres in Section 9. For a number of years Mr. Kimel has made a specialty of Aberdeen Angus cattle, but is now. interested in the breeding of Percheron horses, Charmant, Jr., being at the head of his stud. He also has a fine thorough- bred two-year-old, besides several registered mares. Aside from his interests in horses, Mr. Kimel does general farming. Fra- ternally Mr. Kimel is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
O. D. Kirk, the present incumbent of the Probate Court at Wichita, Kan., is a native of Monticello, White county, Indiana, and was born March 29, 1849, to Henry C. and Mary A. Kirk. He acquired his early education at Battle Ground, Ind., and then took up the study of law at Lafayette, where he was admitted to the bar April 18, 1875. Mr. Kirk began the practice of his pro- fession at Lafayette, but in 1877 removed to Wichita and opened an office at No. 103 West Douglas street. In 1899 he was elected
826
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
judge of the City Court. At the close of his term, in 1901, he resumed his practice and continued it till 1906. He was then elected judge of the Probate Court for two years, and at the close of his term, in 1908, was re-elected for a second term. In politics Judge Kirk has always been a Democrat. On August 18, 1878, he married Miss Mary E. Viele, of Schuylerville, N. Y. Their only child, Viele, born in June, 1883, married Miss Edith Seamans, of Wichita, and is now employed with the Long-Bell Lumber Com- pany. Judge Kirk is a Mason, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Grand Army of the Republic, and also belongs to the Wichita Chamber of Commerce.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.