USA > Kansas > Marshall County > Portrait and biographical album of Marshall County, Kansas : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 74
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A lithographie view of the pleasant home of Mr. Esterbrook can be found on another page of this ALBUM.
ILES KELLEY. Among the men who have left their mark within the preeinets of an enterprising community, Mr. Kelley deserves more than a passing mention. Interested mostly in fine stock, especially horses, he made a study of this noble animal, and per- formed no small part in raising the standard of horse-flesh in this county. In a country where so much depends upon the staying qualities of draft animals and roadsters, the industry which has sprung up in bringing them to a state little short of perfection, occupies no unimportant position among the employments to which men are devoted.
The subject of this sketch was the eldest in a family of eight children, and was born in Clark Connty, Ky .. March 12, 1808. After reaching man's estate he followed agricultural pursuits to which he had been bred from boyhood, and in due time became the owner of 800 acres of land in Warren County, five miles from Bowling Green,
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and which was worked by eighty-five slaves. Mr. Kelley at an early date attained a reputation as a dealer in live stock, and a shipper of horses and mules, which he carried on until after the outbreak of the Civil War and then supplied a large number to the Southern army. For many of these he re- ceived no compensation, and the natural conse- quence was, he was obliged to part with a large portion of his fortune.
Mr. Kelley remained a resident of his native State until 1874, then disposing of his interests there emigrated to Colorado. and purchased a farm for which he paid $6,000. This comprised 320 acres in the vicinity of Greeley, but not finding farming profitable in that region, he, in 1877, sold out and started for Kentucky. On his way thither he stopped in Marysville, this county, and was so pleased with the outlook that he concluded to lo- cate here. He accordingly purchased the land in- cluded in the present homestead, where he engaged in farming and effected fine improvements. The following year a cyclone destroyed the house, and although there were nine persons within it, none were injured with the exception of Mr. Kelley, who had three ribs broken and one of his feet niuti- lated. Soon afterward he purchased 140 acres ad- joining, where he put up another dwelling, and where he sojourned until his death, which took place Aug. 16, 1885. While a resident of Kentucky he had held various important offices in his town- ship and county of which he was considered as among the best citizens. Politically, he was a stanch Democrat and religiously, he belonged to the Chris - tian Church. Ile took pride in his occupation, was a great lover of fine horses, of which he owned several, and nothing gave him more satisfaction than developing their best points.
Mr. Kelley was first married, in Kentucky, to Miss Frances Stark, a daughter of the well-known Stark family, which stood high in that region. There is one child living of this union -- James C., who is a prominent and prosperous farmer of War- ren Connty, Ky. On the 21st of June, 1863, Mr. Kelley contracted a second marriage with Miss Elizabeth Darwin, who was born in Gainesboro, Jackson Co., Tenn. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Kelley, was a native of Virginia, whence he
removed to Tennessee and engaged as a planter, likewise raising cattle and keeping slaves to work the plantation. The Darwin family is of English descent. William Darwin was reared to manhood in Tennessee, and also became a stock man and overseer of the plantation. He also was a slave- holder, a Democrat in politics, and a man who closely held to the old theories. He departed this life in 1850, in Jackson County, Tenn.
Mrs. Mary (Burke) Darwin, the mother of Mrs. Kelley was born and reared in Jackson County, Tenn. Her father, Capt. Burke, was a native of South Carolina, an old Revolutionary hero and he also participated in the War of 1812. command- ing a company. After his military days were over he settled in .Jackson County, Tenn., where he had a plantation worked by slaves and where his death took place. Mrs. Darwin was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and died in her native State at the age of sixty-five years. Of the nine children born to them Sarah P. died in Ilinois; Jolm died in the Southern army; Leonidas, and Molly (Mrs. Suit), are residents of Texas; William lives in Arkansas; George and Hiram are residents of Jackson County, Tenn .; Elizabeth, (Mrs. Kel- ley.) was next the youngest; Parry is in Arkansas. Jobn enlisted in 1861 in a regiment under the command of Gen. Bragg. lle was taken with the measles and died in 1863. Leonidas enlisted in the same regiment, the same year, and at Atlanta was struck in the jaw by a piece of shell, having one side of his face torn away. He lived, how- ever, and later settled in Texas as before noted. William enlisted in 1862, and went through the war without a scratch. He was captured by the Union troops and for ten months was kept a pris- oner at Camp Moulton, Ind. George entered the Confederate service in 1863, in the same regiment with his brother, William, and was prisoner at the same time. Hle served until the close of the war, but was a prisoner in Indianapolis for six months.
Mrs. Kelley after her marriage, followed the for- tunes of her husband and since his death has man- aged the property with excellent success. Wishing to be relieved of such heavy responsibilities, she sold all but eighty acres of land and in 1887 moved upon this, put up a house and instituted the other
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improvements which have made of it a very at- tractive homestead. It lies on the west fork of the Vermillion. and with the exception of fifteen acres is all under the plow. Mrs. Kelley is also a lover of fine horses, and bred the celebrated "Nellie Gray," whose dam was presented to her by her intimate friend, Gov. Wells, of Louisana. Her son Thomas has inherited much of the talent of his father, and is also interested in trotting-stock. To Mr. and Mrs. Kelley there were born five children, the eldest of whom, Charles W., married Miss Molly Flynn, and is farming in Rock Township; Thomas C., Miles, Jr., Lurana B. and Fred A. are at home with their mother. Mrs. Kelley is a mem- ber in good standing of the Christian Church. She is a well read and very intelligent lady, and be- ing of Southern birth and training, is naturally the supporter of Democratic principles.
Grandfather Beal Kelley was born in South Carolina, and participated as a soldier in the Rev- olutionary War. Afterward he settled in Allen County, Ky., where he entered land from the Gov- ernment and became owner of a large estate; he was of Scotch-Irish descent. The father of Miles Kelley, Sr., was owner of a large farm of 500 acres. which was operated by slaves. He participated in the War of 1812, and subsequently settled in Ken- tucky, where his death took place in 1853 from cholera. He married Miss Elizabeth Ashley, who spent her entire life in her native State of Ken- tucky; she was a devoted member of the Christian Church. Mrs. Kelley, of this sketch, has travelled extensively throughout the South and is thoroughly in sympathy with its people and its institutions.
ENRY NIEMANN, a pioneer of Marshall County, has been connected with its farm- ing and stock-raising interests since 1865, and the homestead on section 32, Oketo Township, that he then bought from the Govern- ment is still in his possession, and constitutes one of the finest and most productive farms in the neighborhood. Our subject is of German antece- dents and birth, though he has made his home on
American soil these many years, and is a loyal citi- zen of the United States. llis parents, John and Elizabeth (Muller) Niemann, were natives of Han- over, and spent their entire lives in Germany, the father carrying on farming. They had seven chil- dren, of whom our subject was the oldest.
Born in llanover, Germany, Sept. 28, 1828, our subject grew to vigorous, self-reliant manhood in the Fatherland, receiving a substantial education in the German schools, which he attended until he was fourteen years old. Fle then went to work on a farm, continuing thus employed till his emigration to America. Desiring to better his condition finan- cially, to become a land owner, and thus be more independent, he left his old home in 1864 and made his way to this country, landing in New York. From there he proceeded to Cook County, Ill., where he staid one year. At the expiration of that time, in 1865, he came to Kansas, and entered his present farm from the Government under the provisions of the homestead act. The valuable improvements that he has made on his place since then are the result of his own work, and his 280 acres of choice land, all in one tract, are under fine cultivation, while the buildings that he has erected are in excellent order and substantially built. A view of his residence may be found on another page of this volume. Mr. Niemann has a beauti- ful orchard, comprising 400 trees of the best varie- ties of apples, peaches and plums, and he has besides a vineyard which bears luscious grapes. He also engages in stock-raising to the extent of, at the present time, fifty head of cattle, fifteen head of horses, and sixty head of hogs, from the sale of which he derives an excellent income.
Mr. Niemann was, married, prior to coming to this country, in Hanover, Germany, on the 3d of May, 1857, to Miss Mary Boneka, a daughter of Ilenry and Dorothea (Burmeister) Boneka, all na- tives of llanover; the father was a tailor. Mrs. Niemann was the eldest of five children, four of whom are now living, and she was born Feb. 29, 1832. She was reared and married in the Father- land, as we have before noted. Four of the six children born to her and our subject are now living - William, Christina (the wife of August Tillman), Charles and Frederic. In the death of their son,
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August, a fine young man who died in Denver, Colo., of lung fever, May 10, 1889, aged only twenty-two years, Mr. and Mrs. Niemann have sustained the bitterest grief of their wedded life. But they do not sorrow as those without hope, as their simple Christian faith teaches them that all is well with him thus early taken from the cares and sorrows of this life; that he has but gone on a longer journey, and their separation from him is only for a few years at the most, and with the comforting assurance that
" He cannot be where God is not. On any sea or shore,"
they are fain to be content to abide His appointed time for their happy reunion.
By honest and persistent toil and thrift, guided by shrewd common-sense, our subject and his wife have gathered together a goodly subsistence that places them far above material want, so that they can afford to cease from the wearisome and hard labor that was their lot in their earlier years, and as the shadows of life lengthen for them they can take their ease, free from care, and in the full en- joyment of the comforts of their cozy home. It may well be their pride that as pioneers of Mar- shall County, they have not only witnessed its sur- prising growth and progress, but they have been factors in bringing about its prosperity. In the period of more than a quarter of a century that they have been dwellers within its precincts, their conduet has been such as to win them the respect and esteem of all about them. They are earnest and active members of the Lutheran Church, and always strive to live up to its teachings. In poli- ties, he is a firm supporter of the Democratie party.
OBERT Y. SHIBLEY. In the subject of this notice we have one of the old and prominent residents of Marysville Town- ship. He has a valuable farm on section 29, and his residence is adjacent to the city limits of Marysville, the homestead being thus a very de- sirable piece of property. He came to this region
during its pioneer days, and may be classed among the men who labored effectively in developing the resources of the county, and bringing it to its pres- ent condition. He has witnessed with the interest felt by every intelligent man, the growth and pros- perity of Northern Kansas, and takes a worthy pride in the position which she has attained among the commonwealths of the West.
Our subject is the offspring of an excellent fam- ily, being the son of James Shibley, a native of South Carolina and a farmer by occupation. The maiden name of his mother was Elizabeth Lamb, a native of the same State as her husband, and where they settled after their marriage and spent their entire lives. They were the parents of three children only, of whom our subjeet was the second born. He first opened his eyes to the light at the modest homestead of his parents in Edgefield District, S. C., Dec. 20, 1839. He lived there until a youth of sixteen years, then, anxious to see something more of the world, set out for the great Northwest. His objective point was Atchison, in this State, where he sojourned about one month, then came to this county on a hunting expedition, and remained from July, 1856, until the fall of 1857.
At the expiration of this time young Shibley re- turned home and spent the winter of 1858 with his parents in South Carolina. He then came back to this county and assumed possession of a traet of land which he had purchased, and which is now included in the present site of the Marshall County fair ground. In the fall and winter of that year he constructed, on the Big Blue, a steam sawmill, which was the first one of the kind erected in Mar- shall County. It has long since passed away, and the land is occupied by the agricultural fair ground. He operated the mill in company with another party until 1862, when it was sold. After this he was engaged in freighting from Atchison and Ne- braska City to Colorado, until about 1865. Since that time he has given his attention mainly to farming and has dealt some in real-estate, selling considerable land, and during former years was one of the most extensive land-owners in the county.
Mr. Shibley's farm comprises 160 acres of land,
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which he has brought to a good state of cultivation. He has been a prominent man in his community, filling the various local offices. and is at present a Road Commissioner and Township Treasurer. So- cially, he belongs to Marysville Lodge No. 91. A. F. & A. M. He is also identified with the Knights of Honor. He was married in this county, May 28, 1872, to Mrs. Frances C. Covell, the widow of George P. Covell. Her maiden name was Blanchord, and she was a native of Connecti- cut. They have five children. whose names are: Robert F., James G., Ludie C., Horatio B., and Ethel E. They are all at home with their parents, and are receiving the benefits of a good education. Mrs. Shibley when a young woman became a mem- ber of the Congregational Church. In politics. Mr. Shibley is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party. We invite the attention of our many readers to the handsome lithographie view of the old pioneer home, and the present residence of Mr. Shibley, on another page of this book.
M RS. ELIZA A. PAUL, a pioneer of Mar- shall County, residing on section 26. Blue Rapids City Township, is a native of Madison County. Ill., but when a child was taken to Rock Island County, Ill., by her par- ents. She was born Jan. 26, 1836. She was a daughter of the Rev. Samuel A. and Nancy (Thompson) Walker. Her father was a native of Virginia, and of English descent, his ancestors having come to this country with the Jamestown Colony. Her mother was of Irish ancestry and a native of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Walker were early settlers of Rock Island County. Ill., in which they had located immediately after the Black Hawk War. To them were born five children, of whom three now survive: Sarah, the wife of Samuel Swank, whose home is in Otoe County, Neb .; Mrs. Paul, and Mary, now the widow of William Lemon, in Ohio. The deceased bore the names of Harriet and .Julia, respectively. Mrs. Paul grew to matu- rity in her native county and State, acquiring her
education largely under the instruction of her father, who was a teacher, as well as a pioneer preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the time of Mrs. Paul's youth, public schools were not known in Illinois, and the instruction which she received ontside her home was acquired in private schools.
On June 30, 1853, Eliza Walker was married in Roek Island County, to William Paul, a native of County Antrim, Ireland, born Feb. 16, 1830. He was a son of Samuel and Martha Paul, and of re- mote Scoteh ancestry. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Paul resulted in the birth of five children : Martha, the wife of Thomas Short; S. Frank; Sa- rah, wife of J. N. Wannamaker; Clara, wife of Wesley Miller, and William, all living in this county.
Mr. Paul. when seventeen years old emigrated to America, and remained for a short time in Quebec, Canada. Thence he removed to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where he resided about three years. He next went to Rock Island County, Ill., where he remained nntil 1859. He then with his wife and fam- ily emigrated to this county, and homesteaded eighty acres of land, which comprises a part of the estate on which his widow still lives. The land was raw prairie, and Mr. Paul was practically without means when he settled upon it. At his death he left an estate valued at about $10,000. This success resulted from the industry and energy of the young couple. who endured many of the privations consequent to pioneer life, and practiced great self-denial in the earlier years of their residence in the State. Mr. Paul found an efficient helpmate and counselor in his wife. She retains possession of the home farm. owning 180 acres of land there. and fifty-five aeres in Blue Rapids Township.
Mr. Paul was a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church. In politics he was a Republican. He had served as a member of the School Board of his district and likewise as Justice of the Peace. During the Civil War he served nearly three years in the Union army, the most of that time being spent in fighting the guerillas in Arkansas and the Indian Territory, together with some raids in Mis- souri. His deathi, which occurred Aug. 12, 1886, was occasioned by disease contracted in the army. In his death the county lost one of her earliest
1.7: Boy old in
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pioneers and most respected citizens. He was always in favor of those movements which would tend to improve and elevate society, and advance the in- terests of the county. He was a kind and loving father and husband, and his death was regretted by all who knew him.
Mrs. Paul being one of the earliest settlers in this part of the county, enjoys an extended ac- quaintance, and is an active member of society. She is a consistent member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church, and is held in high respect by all who know her.
R. WILLIAMSON F. BOYAKIN. For more than twenty years the subject of this notice has been a resident of this county, having come here in June, 1869. Much of this time he has been a practicing physician, in connection with which he has carried on, agricul- ture, and occupied various positions of trust and responsibility. Now somewhat advanced in years he is retired from active labor, and is spending his declining days amidst the comforts of a pleasant home, on section 2, in Blue Rapids City Township. where he has a well-cultivated farm comprising 120 acres. llis career in life has been such as to win for him the esteem and confidence of his fellowmen, and his name will be held in kindly remembrance long after he has been gathered to his fathers.
The paternal ancestors of Dr. Boyakin originated in France, whence, being Hugenots, they escaped to England after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. From England they came to America, in 1730, settling at Edgefield, S. C. There they be- came numerous, and are now to be found in many of the Southern States, only a few of them coming North. The father of the subject of this sketch, Wiley Boyakin, was born in 1780, in Edgefield, S. C. Upon reaching manhood he was married, in Anson County, N. C., on the Rocky River, near the Peedee, his wife being Miss Milly Yarbrough, who was born in 1781, in that county. They lived there until after the birth of William F., the subject of this sketch, which took place May 30, 1807.
Later they came to Illinois, where the mother died in 1846. and the father in 1850.
To Wiley and Milly Boyakin there were born five sons and three daughters, of whom only two survive-the subject of this sketch and his sister, Mrs. Catherine Merrill, a resident of Belleville, Ill., and the widow of Frederick Merrill, a wealthy farmer of that place. The death of Nelson Boyakin occurred in Northern Mississippi, in 1824, when he was a youth of about eighteen years. Wilson H. was a pioneer of Arkansas, and died in Union County, that State, in 1850; he was a well-educa- ted man, and a great reader, besides being noted for his physical strength and extraordinary powers as a pedestrian, he having traveled on foot over a large part of the country. lle was a Justice of the Peace, and died from the effects of a chill pro- duced by swimming a river in winter, while on his way to perform a marriage ceremony.
Henderson P. Boyakin was a prominent lawyer and politician, living at Salem, Ill., and was a man of brilliant parts. He raised a regiment of volun- teers for the Mexican War, known as the 2d Illinois, of which he was Colonel, and served throughout that war. In 1846-47 he was Military Governor of New Mexico, having two regiments under his command. At Taos, in an expedition against the Indians, he contracted an incurable dis- ease, and returning home died three months later, unmarried. He was a young man of great promise, who would have made a bright record had he lived. Simpson S. became an artist and mathema- tician; he lived in Decatur, Ill., and accumulated a fine property, but suffered serious losses by fire, and died in 1861, a comparatively poor man. As an artist he became eminent, and acquired a fine reputation. He left two children, one of whom, a son, inherited his mathematical genius, and was en- gineer of the great bridge at St. Louis for five years. Ile is now a resident of Portland, Ore., holding a similar position. His daughter, Louisa A., is one of the most noted female educators in the West, and makes her home at Belleville, III. Miss Har- riet Boyakin, the eldest daughter, married Freder- ick Merrill, and died in 1854, on a farm near Belleville, Ill., from injuries received in a cyclone. which destroyed the tine brick house in which she
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lived. Frederick Merrill afterward became the husband of her sister Catherine. Emily P. was a beautiful woman, and a sweet singer; she married Dr. R. S. Fillmore, in 1851, and a sketch of her family will be found on another page, under the name of her son. Dr. R. S. Fillmore.
Williamson F. Boyakin was but one year old when, in 1808, his parents removed with a eom- pany from North Carolina to Middle Tennessee. The caravan consisted of 100 two-wheeled earts of primitive construction, not a pound of iron being used in the whole outfit. In the train was a boy, who afterwar I became Attorney-General of the United States-Lumsford M. Bramblett -- and two who became Postmaster Generals-Aaron V. Brown and Felix Grundy. Another boy became President-James K. Polk. Still another boy, who walked most of the way barefoot, was Gideon Blackburn, one of the most brilliant pulpit orators America ever produced. Many others became emi- nent, and were leaders of publie opinion in the South, such as the Polks, Pillows, Friersons and Buchanans.
This colony settled in Middle Tennessee, in Maury, Giles and Stewart counties. Young Boya- kin was reared in Giles and Maury counties, in a manner common to the boys of that region, his earliest recollections being of taking refuge in block houses from the Indians. His father won re- nown as an Indian fighter under Andrew Jackson, and General (afterward Governor) Carroll. In the campaign against the Creeks in Northern Alabama, Gen. Jackson was riding behind their only cannon, a six-pounder, when the Indians fired om them from ambush, killing the artillery horses as they were crossing a stream, everyone retreating except Jackson, who remained on his horse in the water. The father of Dr. Boyakin, who was a subordinate officer. rushed into the stream with a few men, drew the gun and led out the general's horse with him on it, and loading and firing the gun, he soon seattered the savage foe. Gen. Jackson was grate- ful for this timely action, which he declared had saved his life, and when the subject of this sketch was approaching manhood insisted on sending him to Spring College, in Pulaski. Giles Co., Tenn., where he was graduated; and afterward, still under
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