USA > Oklahoma > Portrait and biographical record of Oklahoma; commemorating the achievements of citizens who have contributed to the progress of Oklahoma and the development of its resources, V. 1 > Part 13
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The Methodist Episcopal Church has few stancher adherents than Mr. Means, who joined its ranks, and identified himself with its chari- ties and work when sixteen years of age. Within its friendly shelter his broad Christian character has been the means of accomplishing much good by precept and example, and he has served as trustee. class-leader, steward and superinten- dent of the Sunday school. For over half a century he has generously contributed time and money for the furthering of every good and noble and worthy undertaking that has seemed to him well planned and of possible service in its mission and spirit. For thirty-six years he has been a member of the Masonic order.
J OHN GLYNN has been numbered among the pioneers of Pawnee county since May, 1803, and in virtue of that fact, as well as of his patriotism during the Civil war, at all times, he is justly entitled to a place on the roll of honor of liis community. He has been a
hard-working, upright man throughout his career, striving to do his entire duty to God and his fellow-men, and he is never mentioned, save with respect.
The birth of John Glynn occurred in County Kildare, Ireland, in 1833, and twenty years of his life were spent there. His father, Andrew Glynn, departed this life in 1847, and in 1853 he accompanied his mother, Mrs. Ann Glynn, to the United States, and settled in Mount Vernon, Ohio. She survived many years, dying at Columbus, Ohio, in 1874. Of her five sons and three daughters only four are living, namely: Owen, Bridget, Michael and John. Owen, who is in his seventy-seventh year, and who has fol- lowed the trade of a mason, is now living retired in Joplin, Mo. Michael, a boilermaker, and for thirty years a citizen of Minneapolis, Minn., now lives in the state of Washington. During the Civil war lie enlisted in an Indiana regiment and was made lieutenant of his company for meri- torious service. At the time of Morgan's threat- ened raid into Ohio, he returned home, and there received a great honor, as he was placed in command of his regiment, thenceforth acting as its colonel. Bridget, Mrs. Kelly, of Connells- ville, Pa., is a widow, and has lost three of her eight children. The four brothers and sisters of our subject who have passed away are Mary, Ann, Patrick and Andrew. The last-mentione.1 brother was in charge of the navy yards at Sa- vannah, Ga., in 1864, and later went to Cuba, where he died. He left two children, Michael and Mary, who were reared to maturity by our subject, who always has been noted for his genu- ine kindness of heart. Both of the children be- came useful citizens, Michael now being em- ployed as a conductor on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, with itis headquarters at Coving- ton, Ky., and Mary being the wife of a Mr. O'Conner, of New Orleans.
After becoming a resident of Mount Vernon. John Glynn, of this sketch. learned the trade of a boiler-maker, and has followed that calling until a few years ago, making a good livelihood. For four years and five months he was the fore- man of the boiler-works at Covington, Ky .. then served in a similar capacity in the shops of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, at St. Louis, for three years; after which he was the foreman of the Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette shops. in Cincinnati, for two years. He then returned to liis old position in Covington, but, at the end of a year went to Houston. Tex., where he was in the employ of the Texas Central Railroad Company, from January, 1875. In 1803 he trav- eled in Mexico for his health. He then carried ont a resolution he had just made, and came to Oklahoma, locating a claim at Red Rock in Noble county, and returning to Texas to get a .
JUDGE R. J. BASEL, Stillwater.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
car-load of lumber for buildings. Upon his re- turn, he found a man in possession of his claim, and feeling that it was not an attractive outlook to think of passing his declining years in law- suits and trouble, he gave up the matter, and instead located on the northwest quarter of sec- tion II, township 23, range 5, east, Pawnee county. Here he has made many good improve- ments, though his failing health has been a great drawback to him in all of his undertakings.
When the Civil war broke out, Mr. Glynn en- listed in Company E, Seventy-sixth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, and was in active service for about eighteen months. He then was laid low with the typhoid fever, and was sent to the hos- pital at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, and finally was granted an honorable discharge. He had taken part in the battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh and many skirmishes of more or less im- portance. Indeed, it has seemed that he never has entirely recovered from the effects of his army life. Of late years, he has been greatly afflicted with the asthma, and much of the time is confined to the bed or to the house. His nephew, John Kelly, is taking care of the invalid with almost filial tenderness. He is connected with the Catholic Church, and in his political creed has been a Democrat since casting his first presidential vote for Buchanan.
J UDGE ROBERT J. BASEL. For three decades or more Judge Robert J. Basel has occupied public positions of honor and re- sponsibility, and has acquitted himself of the manifold duties devolving upon him to the satis- faction of his patriotic fellow-citizens. In his daily life he has constantly exemplified the high principles of Christianity which, for fully fifteen years, he advocated from the pulpit, and which for forty years have governed him in his able career.
The paternal great-grandfather of Judge Base! was born in England, and his own father, Thomas Basel, was either a native of Maryland or Ohio. However, at an early day in the history of Ohio he was living in that state, and there married one of her native-born daughters, Jo- hanna Broil.
Judge R. J. Basel was born in Licking county, Ohio, in 1835, and passed his boyhood chiefly in Union county, that state. At the age of twenty-two he married Laner Bowersmith, who has been a faithful helpmate, sharing his joys and sorrows ever since. Their first child who lived was James H., who is married and resides in Wisconsin. Arthur, the second. is the proprietor of the "Long Branch" herd of live stock of Payne county, Okla .; and M. E. is a farmer and teacher of Stillwater township, same county.
Margaret J., the only daughter, is living with her parents.
His opportunities for acquiring an education were not of the best, but Judge Basel, by private reading and study, became a well-informed man. By himself he commenced reading and master- ing law, and is well grounded in its principles. In 1860 he went to Illinois, and there carried on a farm for six years, subsequently removing to Douglas county, Kans., and three years later located in Osage county, same state. There he won the high esteem of the public, and for twenty years he served as a justice of the peace. He was actively associated with the upbuilding of that county, and was one of the founders cf the People's party in that section, also being chosen as an elector of the Fourth Congres- sional District.
Nine years ago the Judge came to Oklahoma and bought a relinquishment on the quarter- section of land in the northwestern part of sec- tion 20, township 19, range 2 east. Later, desir- ing to extend the boundaries of his farm, he bought one hundred and twenty acres of the adjoining tract on the south. Neatly cared-for farm buildings, fences and a fine orchard cover- ing twelve acres are among the attractive fea- tures of the farm, which the owner is continually improving. Sixty acres of the place are in rich bottom land, producing excellent crops each sea- son.
Still a prominent factor in the councils of the People's party, Judge Basel became its candi- date for the office of judge of the probate courts of Payne county in 1894, and, having been hon- ored by election to that position, administered justice with impartiality during his incumbency. a period of four years. For a quarter of a cen- tury he has been a member of the Masonic fra- ternity, having joined the order in Osage county, transferred, and is now a member of Frontier Lodge No. 6, of Stillwater. With his wife and daughter, he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, all working earnestly for the Master's cause. The Judge has been a member of this denomination for two-score years, and has been a circuit minister for fifteen years.
H ON. JESSE C. WAILS, one of Norman's most popular and influential citizens, who is now representing his district in the legislature, was born on the 25th of February. 1863. near Council Bluffs. Iowa, and on the pa- ternal side is of Welsh descent. His grand- father, William Wails, was a native of Pennsyl- vania and an early settler of Ohio. The birth of the father, Thomas Wails, occurred near Column- bus, Ohio, and about 1849 he removed from tha: state to Iowa, becoming one of its pioneers. 11c
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
followed farming near Council Bluffs until 1865, when he removed to Bates county, Mo. After a long time there, he took up his residence in Beaumont, Kans., where he continues to reside. His wife died at that place. In her maidenhood she was Miss Elizabeth Lewis, a native of Vir- ginia and a daughter of Thomas Lewis, who was also born in that state and an early settler of Ohio. Of the ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wails eight are still living, Jesse C. being the youngest of the five sons. His brothers are George, a carpenter of Norman, Okla .; William, a farmer of Pawnee county; John, a resident of Wyoming; and Thomas, now in the Klondike.
Our subject was reared on a farm in Bates county, Mo., and accompanied the family on their removal to Beaumont, Kans. He had public-school advantages and remained on the home farm until he attained his majority. He was married in Butler county, Kans .. in 1885, his wife being Miss Annie M. Van Zant. a native of Indiana and a daughter of Dr. James Van Zant, a physician of that county, who is now en- gaged in the practice of medicine in Arkansas. By this union have been born six children, namely: Thomas L., Jesse W., Otto J., Minnie F., Charles Edgar and Theodore G.
For some time after his marriage Mr. Wails was engaged in farming and stock-raising near Beaumont, Butler county, Kans., and in 1887 embarked in merchandising at that place. On the 22nd of July, 1889, he located a claim four miles west of Norman, Okla .. on the South Canadian river, where he built a house and made many improvements, devoting his time and en- ergies to general farming and stock-raising there until 1897, when he sold the place and removed to Norman. He was then engaged in the drug business on Main street as a member of the firm of Barbour & Wails until his election to the leg- islature, when he disposed of his interest in the enterprise. He purchased a store building and has improved and dealt in residence property quite extensively. He still owns several places in Norman and has two farms in Cleveland county, all of which property has been acquired through his own well-directed efforts.
Since coming to this territory Mr. Wails has taken quite an active and prominent part in pub- lic affairs, and was a member of the first school board elected in Oklahoma. He assisted in building the first school house in the territory, it being built by subscription. In 1898 Mr. Wails was the candidate on the People's ticket for representative to the lower house of the legis- lature, and was elected by a plurality of one hun- dred and fourteen. He became an influential member of the fifth general assembly; was the minority candidate for speaker of the house; and was a member of the committees on public
lands, education, quarantine, elections and legis- lative. apportionments. He was instrumental in securing the passage of the quarantine bill, but it was vetoed by the governor; but the pharmacy bill, which he had in charge, became a law. Ilis public service was most exemplary, and his pri- vate life has been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty. He is an elder and prominent member of the Christian Church, and is also connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Woodmen of the World.
T HADDEUS T. ALEXANDER. The pa- ternal ancestry of the Alexander family is traced to Scotland, and the first members to come to America settled in Virginia. From them are descended this branch of the family. They have ever been industrious and enterpris- ing citizens, and have devoted the greater por- tion of their energies to the peaceful and dignified pursuit of farming. The father of the subject of this sketch, Jerry Alexander, of Missouri, and the mother, formerly Martha Hill, were born in the same state. The grand- fathers on both sides were natives of Kentucky. The maternal grandfather was of Irish descent, and served with courage and distinction in the war of 1812. Jerry Alexander is still living, and is a farmer in Boone county, Mo.
When twenty-one years of age, Thaddeus Theodore Alexander, having received excellent agricultural advantages under his father's able tuition, and being of an independent nature, bought a farm adjoining that of his father, and began to carn his own living. There he married Ella Biswell, daughter of Shelton and Mary Jane (Grigsby) Biswell. For ten years after his mar- riage Mr. Alexander tilled his farm with a fair measure of success, but at the opening of Okla- homa sold the place and settled in Mustang township, Oklahoma county, where he located a claim and made his home five years. He sub- sequently sold out and returned to Missouri, but after two years there again came to the Okla- homa farm, which he repurchased, and upon which he now lives. The farm is the northwest quarter of section 19, township HI north, range 4 .west. He is here engaged in general farming and stock-raising. and has a splendid farm, with all modern improvements. The orchard is a profitable and pleasing source of revenue. and has a variety of fruit-bearing trees.
To Mr. and Mrs. Alexander have been born five children: Elmer C .. Edna, Claude, Nina and Malcomb Moss. Mr. Alexander is affiliated with the Democratic party, but has never been an office seeker. He is a reliable and enterprising farmer and citizen, and much interested in the general npbuilding of his township.
MRS. J. C. FOSTER.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
H ON. J. C. FOSTER. Among the lawyers of Oklahoma, the name of Hon .. J. C. Fos- ter is pre-eminent. Being a man of the highest public and personal honor, as well as much learning, good judgment and sterling hon- esty, his fellow-citizens elected him probate judge, and in the fall of 1900 he was elected to the territorial Senate. As a citizen he com- mands the respect of all who know him. He io-ters and encourages all worthy enterprises which in his opinion tend to promote the gen- eral welfare of his community and territory. He owns considerable property in and around his adopted city, Guthrie, and his farm, which con- sists of three hundred and twenty acres, is one of the best improved in Oklahoma. IIe is a native of lowa, his birth taking place in Ottumwa, June 23, 1847, and he is a son of Caleb and grandson of William Foster.
The Foster family is of English parentage, and William Foster, our subject's grandfather, was the first of this branch of the family to come to the United States. He first settled in St. Jolin's, New Brunswick, but from there later moved to Scio, Harrison county, Ohio, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his deatlı. Caleb Foster was born in Yorkshire. England, in 1822, and accompanied his father to Ohio, there continuing to reside until 1846. when he entered government land at Oskaloosa, Iowa. There he engaged in farming, but after several vears he moved to Ottumwa. He was united in marriage with Miss Melila Picken, who was born in Harrison county, Ohio. and was a daughter of Alpheus Picken. Her father was born in the north of Ireland and was of Scotch ancestry. He came to this country with his parents, who became carly settlers of Scio, Har- rison county, Ohio. Our subject's, mother passed from this life in 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Foster were the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living to-day. They were both members of the Methodist Church.
Mr. Foster was reared on a farm, and his early schooling was obtained in the district schools, but before he had completed his elementary training, he joined the forces of the Union army. He enlisted in January, 1863. in Company F. Seventh Iowa Infantry. At Iowa City, Iowa, hi- company was mustered into the Sixteenth Army Corps, under General Dodge, who had harge of the transportation and the guarding "i railroads. until the Atlanta campaign began in 1864. Mr. Foster was before Atlanta when General McPherson was killed. July 22. IIe took part in the battle at Snake Creek Gap, Re- ava. Dallas, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, Altoona, and many cher engagements. His division marched to the sea, then went through Bentonville and
Goldsborough and was at Durham Sta. on, where the Confederate forces surrendered. AAtter that deadly struggle had been brought to a close, he was in the grand review at Washington, D. C. He went through the war without receiving any injuries, but he had many narrow escapes, as his clothing was often cut by bullets. At Kene- saw Mountain he was sunstruck and at another time he broke his arm. Ile was mustered out of service at Louisville, Ky., July 12, 1865.
Returning home, Mr. Foster entered Oska- loosa College, where he continued two years, but at the end of that time he engaged in teach- ing school; in 1868 he went to Oskaloosa, Jei- ferson county, Kans., where he engaged in farin- ing and teaching school to a certain extent. As it had always been his intention to take up the study of law, he entered the law office of Keller & Johnson, and after, a few years of study, in 1873, he was admitted to the bar. He at once opened an office in Oskaloosa, taking as his partner, J. B. Johnson, and they continued there together until Judge Foster was elected county attorney of Jefferson county, in which capacity he served two terms, from 1875 to 1879. In the fall of 1889, he located temporarily in Guth- ric, but after a short sojourn removed to Kansas City, Mo., and there he established a reputation as one of the leading men at the bar. In 1893 he returned to Guthrie, where his ability as a lawyer soon became recognized, and each year in this city has added to his prominence. In 1896 the Republican party nominated him as probate judge of Logan county, and after mak- ing a thorough canvass, he was elected by a majority of two hundred and fifty votes. He was renominated in 1898, and this time his ma- jority was increased to one thousand votes.
Near the city, along the Cimarron river, Judge Foster owns a half section of land, forming one of the best improved farms in Oklahoma. He takes considerable pride in raising fine stock on his farm, but the most of his land is put in seed. His successful career has gained him a wide acquaintance both throughout the county and the territory, and he enjoys the reputation of a conscientious and upright citizen.
In Oskaloosa, Kans., Judge Foster married Miss Jennie Johnson, a native of Indianapolis, Ind. She was a daughter of F. M. Johnson, a pioneer settler of Kansas, and a retired banker of Oskaloosa, and a sister of Judge C. F. Jolin- son of Jefferson county. Kans. She died in Guthrie May 21, 1900. This union was blessed by the birth of one child, Paul, who is sergeant of Company D, Fortieth United States Volun- teer Infantry, which is now stationed in the Phil- ippines. He attended St. John's Military School at Salina, Kans., and the Kansas University. When the Spanish-American war broke out he
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
enlisted as a sergeant in the First Territory Reg- ulars, but after the war was over, he re-enlisted into his present regiment. Judge Foster became a Mason at Oskaloosa, Kans., and is a member of the four bodies of Consistory at Guthrie; he also belongs to thie Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and Post No. 3. G. A. R., of Guthrie. In politics, he is an uncompromising Republican, and is one of the party's representa- tive men.
H ON. JOHN MORGAN CANON. From the time of his settlement in Oklahoma until his death nine years afterward, Mr. Canon was closely identified with the history of the territory, and no one took a deeper interest than he in its progress and the development of its material resources. As he took an important part in the organization of the territory, his name deserves to be perpetuated in its annals and will henceforth be associated with pioneer history.
A native of Uniontown, Pa., Mr. Canon in boyhood learned the business of manufacturing wagons and carriages under his father, John Canon, and at the Studebaker factory in South Bend, Ind. In 1854 he became a pioneer settler of Brown county. Kans., but soon returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained for a few years. During the Civil war he acted as provost marshal: On again coming to the west, he set- tled in Jacksonville, Ill., but soon removed to the vicinity of Forest City, Mo., where he suc- cessfully engaged in business for a number of years. From Forest City he moved to Brown county, Kans., and his next important enter- prise was the management of a mercantile establishment in Craig, Mo., after which he re- sumed farm pursuits.
From Missouri Mr. Canon moved to Kansas, this time settling for the second time in Brown county, fourteen miles from Hiawatha. In ISS2, as the nominee of the Republican party, he was elected to the Kansas legislature, a position that he filled with credit to himself and to the satis- faction of his constituents. In 1884 he removed to a farm in Riley county, Kans., where he spent two years. During November, 1886. he pre -. empted a quarter section of land in Comanche county, Kans., and spent several years on that place, meantime again serving as a member of the Kansas legislature, where his service was as creditable to himself as when the representative from Brown county.
At the time of the opening of Oklahoma, April 22, 1889, Mr. Canon was one of the many thousands of men who made the race across the line into the territory. He secured a claim in Kingfisher county, but after holding it for a few
days, gave it up and settled in Frisco, Okla. There he became president of the first city coun- cil, and was one of the most active workers in the campaign as to whether El Reno or Frisco should be selected for the county seat. For a time he served as deputy postmaster of Frisco. and later was made postmaster, but resigned the office in order to accept the position of coun- cillor in the second assembly of Oklahoma, to which he has been elected by the people. When the assembly adjourned, he returned to agricul- tural labors. In the fall of 1894 he was elected county sheriff, on the Republican ticket. Again, in 1896, he was elected to that office by a large majority. This responsible position he filled from January 1, 1895, until his death, which oc- curred August 27, 1898.
In 1891 Mr. Canon received from Governor Steele an appointment as president of the first board of regents of the University of Oklahoma, and it is most fitting that his name should be as indelibly engraved in the hearts of the people of this territory as it is in the records and upon the cornerstone of the beautiful university build- ing. He always endeavored to promote the per- manent interests of Oklahoma, and was particu- larly interested in the progress of his county, thereby justly meriting the high regard in which he was held. Fraternally, he was a Mason, and in religion affiliated with the Congregational Church.
It was after his return to Pennsylvania from his first trip to Brown county, Kans., that Mr. Canon married Sarah E. Darby, who was born in Ohio, but grew to womanhood in Uniontown, Pa. She is still living in El Reno, which also is the home of her children, Presley C., Ruby A. and Hugh R. The elder son, Presley C., was appointed by the commissioners to fill the va- cancy in the office of sheriff caused by his fath- er's death. The family stands high in El Reno, having the esteem and respect of the best people of the city and retaining the regard of intimate friends and associates.
H UGHI R. CANON. One noticeable feature of life in Oklahoma is the large number
- of young men who are prominent in busi- ness and professional circles, and among these mention should be made of Mr. Canon, of El Reno, an enterprising and progressive mer- chant, and a citizen whose public spirit cannot be questioned. Movements for the benefit of the city receive his co-operation and active sup- port. In April, 1899, he was chosen to occupy the responsible position of school treasurer, and has since acted in this capacity with credit to himself and satisfaction to the public.
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