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 35
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
R. F. Kirkpatrick, head of the Cement Stone Manufacturing Company, No. 505 West Douglas avenue, Wichita, Kan., is a native of Ohio, having been born at Decatur, Ohio, on January 24, 1861. His parents were Newton and Sallie (Sutton) Kirk- patrick, both natives of Ohio, and who were both lifelong resi- dents of Brown county, in that state. R. F. Kirkpatrick was reared on a farm, where he was engaged in the cultivation of tobacco until the age of thirty-two. Much of his education was obtained at night by private study after the day's work was ended. In the spring of 1893 he came to Kansas and for a short time resided at Mount Hope, in Sedgwick county, but in the fall of the same year he removed to Johnson county, Nebraska, where he farmed for one year. At the opening, in 1893, of the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma in 1894 he took a chance on the new country, and bought a quarter section in the northeast corner of Garfield county. He built a sod house, removed his family thereto, and began life in a primitive fashion, improving the land until it became one of the best farms of the locality. In the spring of 1897 the sod house was supplanted by a modern frame house and other improvements, in keeping with the demands that labor and energy had brought about. Mr. Kirkpatrick still owns this farm. December 19, 1903, Mr. Kirkpatrick came to Wichita and began his concrete plant in the spring of 1904, manufacturing the first cement stone on March 6, 1904, and has since manufactured everything needed as to size or style in the cement line for Wichita and the nearby towns. After getting the plant in opera- tion he had a working capital of only $40. The business of the first year amounted to $12,000, and it has continued to progress until it has now reached $100,000 annually. Mr. Kirkpatrick is a member of the Central Christian Church. He was married in
827
BIOGRAPHY
1882 to Miss Mary J. McEfresh, of Dayton, Ohio. Of this union two children have been born, Myrel, wife of William Williams, of Saratoga, Okla., and Bessie P. Kirkpatrick, of Wichita, who was married November 6, 1910, to Leroy Solander, of Wichita.
Samuel Kockel, Civil War veteran, of Mount Hope, Sedgwick county, Kan., was born July 14, 1843, in Stark county, Ohio. His father was Isaac Kockel, a native of Pennsylvania. The ancestry on both sides of the family is traced to Holland. A great-great- grandfather of Mr. Kockel fought in the Revolutionary War and was at the battle of Brandywine. The father of Mr. Kockel moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in an early day and first located in Massillon. After a residence there of ten years he moved to Defiance county, Ohio, and lived there up to the time of his death in 1884, his wife having died in 1847. Samuel Kockel obtained a limited education in the public schools of Ohio, and began his career as a farm laborer in Ohio, which pursuit he followed until 1860. In that year he moved from Defiance county to Allen county, Indiana, and remained there one year, when he returned to Defiance county, Ohio. In the spring of 1861 Mr. Kockel enlisted in Company F, Forty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was sent to Camp Dennison, where the regiment remained two months, thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, where the regi- ment took a steamer for Paducah, Ky., where it was equipped for service. The regiment was then ordered to Pittsburg Land- ing, and was one of the advance regiments that arrived on that famous battlefield, where it fought for two days and nights with- out intermission, and followed up the rebel retreat clear to Corinth, fighting every inch of the way. From Corinth the regi- ment was sent to Memphis, Tenn .; thence to Holly Springs, Miss .; thence up the Yazoo river to Arkansas Post; thence up the Mis- sissippi river to Miliken's Bend; thence back to Vicksburg, Miss .; fought in the engagements of Magnolia Hills, Champion Hills and Black River Bridge, and back to Vicksburg. After some expedi- tions from Vicksburg the regiment was ordered to New Orleans and was in the fight on Red river at Mansfield, La. Mr. Kockel was taken prisoner there and was sent to Fort Tyler, Tex., and was exchanged in 1865. He went back to New Orleans and received a thirty days' furlough to return home. After the expi- ration of his furlough he reported at New Orleans and was sent to Galveston, Tex .; from there to Pensacola, Fla .; then to Houston, Tex .; then to Galveston, from which point the regiment was
828
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
sent to Columbus, Ohio, and was discharged. In the battle of Shiloh Mr. Kockel received two severe wounds. He was a brave soldier and remained in the service until the close of the war. After his discharge he returned to Defiance county, Ohio, and on March 29, 1868, was married to Miss Eliza Hanna, of that county. Of this union two children were born, both of whom are now deceased. After his marriage Mr. Kockel removed to Ford county, Illinois, where he farmed two years and then moved back to Ohio and farmed there for eight years. He then sold his prop- erty and in 1878 moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and bought 160 acres of railroad land, which he has occupied ever since and brought to a high degree of cultivation. Mr. Kockel has been a successful farmer. In 1895 he removed to Mount Hope, where he now lives in his own beautiful residence.
Frederick Otis Ladd, of Cheney, Kan., manager of one of the largest grain elevators in Sedgwick county, was born February 4, 1850, in Dearborn, Mich. His parents were Daniel and Mar- garet (James) Ladd. His father was a native of Vermont, while on the maternal side the ancestry is traced back to England. The elder Ladd went to Canada West, now the province of Ontario, and then moved to Dearborn, Wayne county, Mich., where he followed his trade of a millwright. He later removed to Pratt county, Kansas, where he now resides. Frederick O. Ladd obtained a common school education, and then, following in the footsteps of his father, learned the millwright's trade under John Webster, of Detroit, Mich. In 1873 he went to Min- neapolis, where he worked on the large flour mills of that city for five years. He then returned to Kansas and located in Wichita, where he was engaged in mill building for some time. In 1885 he went to Lyons, Rice county, Kan., where he operated a mill for five years for Corning & Done. He left Lyons in 1890 and went to Pratt county, Kansas, where he operated and man- aged a mill for John McGruder for four years, and then settled on a farm owned by him, on which he worked for one year. He then came to Cheney and became manager of the Cheney Grain and Elevator Company, which was organized in 1900 and built by Mr. Ladd. This he has managed ever since. The concern does an extensive business and is one of the largest in Sedgwick county. Fraternally Mr. Ladd is a Mason, having for twenty-one years been a member of Dearborn Lodge, No. 172, of Dearborn, Mich. Politically he is a Republican. Mr. Ladd was married on
829
BIOGRAPHY
March 11, 1893, to Miss Etta McGruber, daughter of John McGruber, of Cairo, Kan. His wife is a native of Missouri. One son, Fred D., has been born of this union and is now fifteen years old. The father of Mrs. Ladd is proprietor of the flour mills at Cairo, Pratt county, Kan.
John Laurie,* farmer and stock raiser, of Salem township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born in Scotland, February 4, 1841. His parents were William and Mary (Martin) Laurie, both natives of Scotland, where they spent their entire lives. John Laurie re- mained in Scotland until March 25, 1870, when he came to the United States. He first settled in Knox county, Illinois, where he remained only a short time, and in June of the same year went to Abilene, Kan., where he bought a pony and rode to Sedgwick county, and preempted 160 acres of land in Wichita township. He remained on this land until 1878, when he went south of Clear- water, in Sumner county, and bought a quarter-section of grass land for his stock, where he lived seven years. He then returned to his farm in Wichita township, where he lived until 1888, when he sold his original claim and bought 320 acres in Section 26, Salem township, where he still lives. On June 22, 1866, Mr. Laurie married Miss Isabella McCracken, who was born in Scot- land in 1838. Of this union four children have been born, viz .: William, of Douglas county, Missouri; Robert, who died in Scot- land ; Mrs. Mary Mason, in Washington, and Thomas M., who lives on the home place. Mrs. Laurie died February 17, 1906. Mr. Laurie spent many years in the stock business and of late years feeds about one carload of cattle and two carloads of hogs. Be- sides this, he does diversified farming. For a number of years he raised Shorthorn cattle and is now raising pure Berkshire hogs. Mr. Laurie has never aspired to office. He was elected justice of the peace, but declined to serve. He has been on the school board for several years, and was treasurer of the Farmer's Alliance for some years. He is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Ezra D. Leasure, general manager of the Rock Island Lumber & Coal Company, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of Pennsylvania, where he was born on January 3, 1857. His parents were Daniel and Rebecca (Jamison) Leasure, natives of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and Scotland, respectively. Abram Leas- ure, Ezra D.'s grandfather, was a native of France, and came from Switzerland to Pennsylvania nearly a century ago. Ezra D. Leasure was educated in the public schools of Iowa, to which
830
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
state he had removed with his parents in early childhood, the family locating at Des Moines. Mr. Leasure grew to manhood in Jefferson, Green county, Iowa, where he remained for eighteen years. In 1877 he went to the Black Hills and soon after to San Francisco, where he was employed by the Wells-Fargo Express Company, returning to his home in Iowa two years later. In 1879 Mr. Leasure moved to Kansas and was engaged for two years with S. A. Brown & Co., at Fredonia, in the lumber busi- ness, in the capacity of treasurer and auditor. He was next employed by G. B. Shaw & Co., a Chicago firm operating in Kansas City, Mo., as traveling auditor. Later he became local manager for this firm in offices at Burlington, Coffeyville, Chanute and Elk City, Kan. October 23, 1886, Mr. Leasure became man- ager of the Rock Island Lumber & Coal Company, and has been continuously in the employ of that company since, either as local manager or traveling auditor. In May, 1909, he came to the Wichita office as general manager of the business in Kansas and Oklahoma. The lumber business was established in Wichita in April, 1886, succeeding John B. Carey. Mr. Leasure is a member of the Masonic Order and the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. He was married in 1883 to Miss Orlena M. Campbell, of Fredonia, Kansas. They have one son, Charles A. Leasure, trav- eling auditor for the Rock Island Lumber & Coal Company.
Lea A. Garrett, local manager of the Rock Island Lumber & Coal Company, is a native of Missouri, where he was born Feb- ruary 3, 1872. He moved to Wichita in the spring of 1903, began as yard man with the company, later bookkeeper and superin- tendent of yards, and local manager since June, 1909.
Fred J. Cossitt, cashier of the Rock Island Lumber & Coal Company, was originally in the employ of Mr. Carey as early as 1882, and is the only one of Mr. Carey's employes to continue with the new company.
William T. Logsdon, M. D., of No. 116 East Douglas avenue, Wichita, Kan., is a native of Indiana, having been born at Eureka, that state, on August 9, 1858. His parents were Samuel and Cyrene (Osborn) Logsdon, natives of Kentucky and Indiana, respectively. The father was a land owner and merchant and died in 1877, at the age of fifty-five. His widow died in 1907 at the age of eighty-six. The doctor's early education was acquired at the public and high schools of his native town, after leaving which he obtained employment as a drug clerk and was
831
BIOGRAPHY
engaged in mercantile pursuits for the next ten years, when he decided upon a professional career and took up the study of medicine. He received his medical education at the University of Louisville, Ky., from which he was graduated in the class of 1889. Later on he took a four years' course at the Chicago Homeopathic College, from which he graduated in the class of 1902. His medical practice began at Eureka, Ind., continuing for thirteen years and up to the time that he began his addi- tional course of training at Chicago. In 1902 the doctor decided to move to Wichita, but after a stay of two and a half months he returned to Indiana and located for a time at Rockport, where he built up a large practice. The fascination of the Southwest and its possibilities was ever with him, however, and in 1905 he again became a resident of Wichita and a partner of Dr. O. J. Taylor, under the firm name of Taylor & Logsdon, which part- nership continued until 1908, when each established separate offices. Dr. Logsdon is a member of the Kansas State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the Sedgwick County Medical Society. Fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias. He is also a member of St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1879 the doctor was married to Miss Ora E. Ireland, daughter of Dr. J. M. Ireland, of Francisco, Ind. Of this union three children have been born, viz .: Ora, wife of W. J. Weiss, of Wichita; Dr. Ronald O., practicing physician at Bentley, Kan., and Glenn T. Logsdon.
Nathaniel W. Longenecker, veterinary surgeon, of Wichita, Kan., was born in Lancaster, Pa., in 1850. His parents were Emerald and Martha (Hershey) Longenecker, natives of Penn- sylvania, and on the maternal side the ancestry of the family can be traced back for 250 years, some of the ancestors holding claims to land which were signed by William Penn. The Longe- neckers were of Swiss origin, and the ancestors on that side are traced back for several centuries. Emerald Longenecker, father of Nathaniel W., moved to Kansas in 1873. Nathaniel W. Longe- necker is also numbered among the pioneers of the state, to which he moved in 1868, locating first in Wilson county, when the county seat contained but two houses. In 1873 Mr. Longenecker made a trip to Texas, and in November of the same he returned to Kansas, then back to Pennsylvania, where he remained till 1887, when he returned, locating in Wichita, where he has since
832
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
resided, taking up the profession of a veterinarian and running large stables and a feed barn in connection. His present building at No. 500 West Douglas avenue was remodeled and enlarged to a brick structure in 1904. Mr. Longenecker has followed his chosen profession since 1869.
Henry H. Loudenslager, farmer, of Maize, Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of the Keystone state, having been born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, on November 7, 1841. His parents were Samuel S. and Hetty (Rowe) Loudenslager, the ancestry on the paternal side being traced to Switzerland and on the maternal to Germany. Mr. Loudenslager, with a family of three children, came from Pennsylvania in 1871 and located on Section 18, Park township, Sedgwick county, where he homesteaded 160 acres of land. He still lives on the original homestead, but has added to it other land in Section 19, so that he now owns 230 acres of as valuable land as is found in Sedgwick county. Since he has been a resident of the township Mr. Loudenslager has held several minor offices. For a long time he has been a mem- ber of the school board, has always favored good schools and has done all in his power to promote them. He was the founder and builder of the Maize Academy, and was second to none to furnishing the capital to build it. Mr. Loudenslager was mar- ried January 7, 1864, in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, to Miss Susan B. Smith, a daughter of Jacob and Catherine Smith. Of this union seven children have been born, all of whom are living. They are: Emma B., Adda M., Cora E., Hetty C., Cline S., Louis H. and Murray O. Mr. Loudenslager is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Fraternal Aid Society and the A. H. T. A. He is a member of the Lutheran Evangelical Church, and in politics a strong Republican and active in the party. He became a mem- ber of the Pennsylvania militia in 1862 and took part in the Civil War, his regiment being commanded by Colonel Lee. The regi- ment was attached to the Army of the Potomac and was at Antietam. After that battle it did patrol duty for one year, when Mr. Loudenslager was discharged. He then re-enlisted for three months, was at the battle of Gettysburg, and after that the regiment did patrol and guard duty up to the time of its dis- charge at Reading, Pa., in 1863. Mr. H. H. Loudenslager also founded and located the town of Maize in the year of 1886.
Charles A. Magill, secretary and treasurer of the Johnson & Larimer Drygoods Company, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of Illi-
833
BIOGRAPHY
nois, having been born at Chicago on December 29, 1861. His parents were Charles and Esther (Chalker) Magill, natives of the Bermuda Islands. The elder Magill was a sea captain, who located at Buffalo, N. Y., in 1856, and in Chicago soon afterward. Both he and his wife are now dead. The education of Charles A. Magill was obtained in the public schools of Chicago. He came to Wichita in 1878, at the age of sixteen, and clerked for John Dunscomb until the latter went out of business, and then for A. Hess, in the wholesale and retail grocery business, until 1882, when he went to Kingman, Kan., and entered into business for himself. At Kingman he started in the mercantile business under the firm name of Magill & Smyth, but Mr. Magill later purchased the interest of his partner and the business is now conducted under the name of the C. A. Magill Mercantile Company. While still conducting this business Mr. Magill has been secretary and treasurer of the Johnson & Larimer Drygoods House, the largest in the Southwest, and which is described in the historical chap- ters of this work. Mr. Magill has been associated with this house in the capacity of secretary and treasurer since January 1, 1902. He was one of the original partners to purchase the John- son interests. The present officers of the company are as follows: John L. Powell, president; W. E. Jett, vice-president; C. A. Magill, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Magill is a member of all the Masonic bodies and is a thirty-second degree Mason. He is also a member of the Commercial and Country Clubs, a director of the Young Men's Christian Association, and junior warden of St. John's Episcopal Church. Mr. Magill is a firm believer in the future of a Greater Wichita. He was married in the Ber- muda Islands on January 25, 1888, to Miss Evangeline Ward, of Hamilton, Bermuda. Of this union there has been issue four children, viz .: Edmund C., R. Ward, Gladys E. and Mary Esther Magill. He has just finished a beautiful home of ten rooms, colonial style, of stucco material, located at 1208 North Emporia.
Dr. Francis Milton Mahin, of Cheney, Kan., is a practitioner of the regular school. He was born August 4, 1869, in White county, Indiana. His remote ancestors on the maternal side are traced to Germany and on the paternal side to Scotland. His parents emigrated from Indiana to Elk county, Kansas, in 1880, and resided there twelve years, when the father went to Arkansas City, Kan., and resided until 1908, and from there to Chicago, Ill., where he now lives and is engaged in the commission business.
834
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
The early education of Dr. Mahin was acquired in the schools of Elk county and at the Baker University, at Baldwin, Kan. He graduated in the State Normal School at Emporia in the class of 1898, and while there represented the State Normal School in the Interstate Oratorical contest. He then entered the University of Louisville, Ky., from which he was graduated in the class of 1904, with the degree of M. D. After the doctor acquired his education he began practice in Baldwin, Kan., where he remained one year ; then in Arkansas City one year, and came to Cheney in 1906. Dr. Mahin is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Cheney, a member of the board of trustees, and the choral leader of the Sunday School. He is a Republican in politics but not a hide-bound one, as if he thinks there are better men nomi- nated on the opposing tickets he will vote for them. Dr. Mahin was married on June 13, 1905, to Miss Margaret Tangeman, daughter of William and Margaret Tangeman, both natives of Germany. Mrs. Mahin is a cultured and literary lady. Her education was acquired in the public schools of Newton county, Kansas, and at the State Normal School at Emporia. Dr. and Mrs. Mahin have two children-Margaret and Jane.
The doctor is specially fitted to treat chronic diseases, having all the latest equipment, such as is found in the larger cities. He keeps his reading up to date through his large library and the leading scientific and medical journals of the day. He now controls a large general practice.
Fraternally the doctor is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is the medical examiner for the following life insurance companies : Union Central, Hartford Life, Bankers' Life of Iowa, Mutual of New York and the Modern Woodmen.
D. M. Main, of Cheney, Kan., was born November 20, 1850, in Calhoun county, Mich. His parents were Joseph A. and Emma C. Main, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of New York. On the paternal side Mr. Main traces his ancestry to Scotland. The father of Mr. Main removed from Adrian to Cal- houn county, Michigan, and died there at the age of ninety-two. D. M. Main was one of a family of eight children. His early edu- cation was obtained in the public schools of Michigan and in the high school at Battle Creek. In his early career he worked as a laborer and after accumulating $1,000 he concluded to try his fortune in the West. In 1879 he came to Kansas and located at
835
BIOGRAPHY
Mulvane, where he engaged in the hardware business, and with David Badger formed a partnership under the firm name of Badger & Main, which lasted for three years. In 1883 Mr. Main removed to Cheney and engaged in the hardware business, which he conducted for twenty years. The business afterwards became Main & Northcutt, later being changed to Main & Crossley. Mr. Main retired from the business eventually and took up farming in a general way, living on his farm, a short distance from Cheney. He now owns 290 acres of valuable real estate, which he rents and derives a handsome revenue from. Mr. Main was married on August 22, 1882, to Miss Eva McCart, of Mulvane, a daughter of Robert McCart. Mrs. Main traces her ancestry on the maternal side to one of the descendants of the Mayflower. Mrs. Main is a lady of culture and refinement, having been educated in the State University of Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she graduated in the class of 1875. For several years previous to her marriage she was a successful teacher. In politics Mr. Main is independent. Fraternally he is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America.
A. S. Marble, of Cheney, Kan., a veteran of the Civil War, is a native of the Empire state, having been born in Steuben county, New York, on January 25, 1842. His parents were Sidney and Phobe (Bullock) Marble. Sidney Marble was one of three brothers who came to the United States from Scotland at an early day. He left New York in 1844 and located in Michigan, where he died in 1861, his wife surviving him until 1898. The early education of A. S. Marble was obtained in the public schools of Michigan, which he left at the age of nineteen, and went to Champaign county, Illinois, where he was engaged in teaching school. He then enlisted in the Tenth Illinois Cavalry, Company I, and was sent with his regiment to Camp Butler and Quincy, Ill. From there the regiment was sent to St. Louis, Mo., and thence to the Army of the Southwest. Mr. Marble partici- pated in the following engagements: The battle of Pea Ridge, Little Rock and Perry Grove. Under his enlistment he served three years and in 1864 he re-enlisted and was commissioned sec- ond lieutenant of Company I, Tenth Illinois Cavalry, the same regiment he was in before. During his first term of service he enlisted as a private and rose to the rank of corporal, then sear- geant and then orderly sergeant. During Mr. Marble's second
836
HISTORY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY
term of service his regiment performed scouting duty. It was at Little Rock, Ark., from there it was sent to Louisville, Ky., thence to Nashville, Tenn., then back to northern Tennessee, then to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., then back to New Orleans again and then up the Red river to San Antonio, Tex. Mr. Marble was mustered out of the service January 6, 1866, and went back to Michigan. He was married in 1864 to Miss Mary E. Duncan, of Fawn River, Mich. Of this union two children were born, Thomas S. being the only one living. Mrs. Marble died July 4, 1869, and in 1885 Mr. Marble was again married to Miss Alice J. Gott, daughter of John R. Gott, of Farlinville, Kan. One daugh- ter has been born of this union, who is now the wife of Nathan B. Hern of Cheney. After his marriage to his first wife Mr. Marble lived in Linn county, Kansas, where he was in the mercantile business for eight years; he then removed to Wyandotte, Kan., for four years and in 1885 moved to Cheney. He there for two years engaged in the lumber business for the Arkansas Lumber Company, who sold out to W. M. Pond & Co., with whom Mr. Marble remained twelve years, and has since that time been practically retired. He has built himself a handsome residence in Cheney, where he now resides, and devotes most of his time to the interest of lodge work. Mr. Marble is a member of Mor- ton Lodge, No. 258, A. F. & A. M., of the Eastern Star, the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Daughters of Rebecca. Of the latter his wife is also a member. Politically Mr. Marble is a Republican.
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.