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 23
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Mr. Trulock was married at Pine Bluff, Ark .. to Miss Joe Johnson, a native of Pine Bluff, and a daughter of Willis D. Johnson, who was born in Mississippi, but now is an attorney and real estate dealer in Pine Bluff, Ark. Mr. Trulock is a believer in Christian Science and politically is a strong Free-Silver Democrat.
C APT. H. C. BEAMER, the proprietor and superintendent of the Oklahoma Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, at Guthrie. is making a marked success of the undertaking. The general public is greatly interested in the institution, which is the only one of the kind in the territory, and which, though comparatively in its infancy, has already attained importance in the educational field. \' brief review of its history will be found at the close of this article.
Il. C. Beamer, who was born near Smith- town. about fifteen miles from Hagerstown, Md., March 31, 1838, is a son of Philip and Re- becca (Stover) Beamer, both natives of Har- bough Valley, Md. Five of their children sur- vive, and four of their sons fought for the Union during the Civil war. Martin L., who was a member of a West Virginia regiment. and was voted a medal for conspicuous bravery. died in Pennsylvania. Daniel, who was employed by the government as a general scout, was killed during his service in Wyoming Territory, by accident. his horse falling upon him. Albert, a private in a Pennsylvania regiment, had his right arm shot off in the battle of Antietam.
In his youth, H. C. Beamer resided in his na- tive state and in Union county. Pa .. where he learned the cooper's trade. That calling, united with agriculture, occupied his time until the Civil
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war. Loyally responding to his country's call for help, lie enlisted in Company G, First Penn- sylvania Cavalry, July 30, 1861, and was assigned to the army of the Potomac. He participated in twenty-three severe battles, including second Bull Run, Fredericksburg. Chancellorsville, Ta- neytown, and the numerous engagements of that campaign. Gradually he was promoted, on ac- count of signal bravery and reliability, from one rank to another, until he had been commissioned as first lieutenant by Governor Curtin, in 1863, and the same year was commissioned as cap- tain, by the same governor. Owing to impaired health, he resigned at the end of two years and eleven months of hard, constant service, and was honorably discharged in June, 1864.
After nearly a year spent in recuperating, Cap- tain Beamer engaged in speculating in petro- leum, and for nine years was connected with the development of the oil industry in Pennsylvania. Most of the time he was engaged in the pipe line department, and financial success attended him. After visiting the Centennial at Philadel- phia in 1876, he traveled extensively in the south and other parts of the country. On the 22nd of April, 1889, he came to Guthrie, and for some time was engaged in business at the corner of Second and Oklahoma streets. He kept a fine line of carriages and light vehicles, and built up a large and paying local trade. Lately he has devoted his entire attention to the Institute, and has withdrawn from other enterprises.
The captain's marriage to Miss Mary A. Hor- ton, a native of the Keystone state, was solem- nized in Union county, Pa., December 24, 1874. In fraternal circles, as well as in business con- nections. the captain is very popular, and in Hartranft Post No. 2. G. A. R., of this city, he has been commander two terms. Politically, he is active in the ranks of the Republican party.
According to an act passed by the Oklahoma legislature, provision for the care of the deaf, dumb and blind children of this territory has been made, contracts being entered into with a responsible person. Captain Beamer, having been the one chosen for this important position, erected necessary buildings in a beautiful site. tlie grounds being on the bank of the Cotton- wood, and about two blocks in extent. After a trial, he became convinced that the blind should have a special institution and particular privi- leges, and his request to be relieved of this por- tion of his task was granted. Fifty pupils, whose ages may range from five to twenty-one years, can be accommodated at present. The girls, with the superintendent's family and the teach- ers, are domiciled in the main building, where the parlors, dining-rooms and kitchens are located. while the boys' dormitory is in a separate build- ing, and the three-room school building is just
across the street from the main building. The educational department, which is under the care of Miss L. K. Thompson, a teacher of twenty- five years' experience in schools for the deaf and dumib, is in a flourishing condition. She has been connected with the state seliools of Illinois, Ohio, and Colorado, and is deeply interested in this noble work. The method used here is what is known as the "combined" system, beginners being taught by a deaf teacher, while other classes are instructed by persons whose hearing is unimpaired. The "oral" system is proving beneficial to pupils who have partial hearing and power over the voice. The buildings are equipped with all modern appliances and con- veniences, and a fine system prevails everywhere in the institution. The school is taxed to its limit this year, and doubtless additional accommoda- tions will soon have to be, furnished. Captain Beamer deserves great credit for the success he has made of this institution, and the public is unsparing in his praise.
G EORGE C. BOLEND. This sterling pio- neer of Kingfisher is a pioneer engineer as well, his experience covering about two- score years, from ante-bellum days on the Mis- sissippi and Ohio rivers to the present, in the west. He has been in the front ranks of his calling since he arrived at maturity, and has commanded high salaries during the greater part of his career.
The paternal great-grandparents of George C. Bolend came to the United States from England and his maternal ancestors were of Scotch-Irish extraction. Grandfather Thomas Bolend was born in Raleigh, N. C., and owned a large planta- tion prior to his removal to Tennessee, thence to Illinois in its early days. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. His son, Jackson, father of George C., was born on the pioneer farm near Marion, Ill., but was reared in Tennessee. whither the family returned after a few years of experience in the new state of Illinois. Of a mechanical turn of mind, Jackson Bolend con- cluded to devote his time and attention to the work of an engineer, and soon took a position on a steamboat plying the Mississippi. For a num- ber of years he occupied the responsible position of chief engineer on the river boats, and during the Civil war rendered important service to the government as chief engineer on transports. For years his home was at Clarksville, Tenn .. and at other river cities, but at length he retired from his old business and commenced managing a hotel in St. Louis, and later conducted a gro- cery there. Afterwards, he was engaged in run- ning a railroad hotel at Sedalia. Mo., and his last years were passed in Milwaukee, Wis. In
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1&)5, when in his sixty-eighth year, he died while making a visit to our subject. His wife, Alethe, who was born in the central part of Tennessee, died in Cherokee, Kan., and of their five chil- dren two are deceased. Her father, a Mr. New- ton, was a gentleman of good education, and for years he taught schools in Tennessee.
The birth of George C. Bolend occurred in Clarksville, Tenn., October 6, 1849. When he was ten years old he often accompanied his father on river trips, and from nis fifteenth year he was employed regularly on the steamboats. In 1866 he commenced his career as a competent engi- neer, and in 1870 became chief engineer on the steamboat "Armedia." For seven years he con- tinued his river service, and then accepted a better position on the fine steamer "North- west," running between Detroit and Cleveland, and one year more saw the termination of his marine life.
In 1872 Mr. Bolend went to Sedalia, and thence to points along the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad, thoroughly weighing the pros- pects of that section of the Union, and, incident- ally, while at Parsons, Kans., he built one of the first houses erected there. At another time he became interested in the oil fields of Oil City, Pa., and devoted about eight months to the en- terprise of pumping oil. In 1878 he located at Hot Springs, Ark .. where he was the chief engineer of the water-works and of the fire department Inntil October, 1882. Then for the ensuing seven years he acted in a similar capacity in the Mil- wankee Harvesting Machine Company, in the meantime putting in place the large engines and machinery in the plant.
When Oklahoma was to be opened. Mr. Bo- lend resigned his position and was ready at the boundary to make the race for a claim. April 22nd. He came direct to Kingfisher, and located land on Kingfisher creek, four miles and a half northeast of the town. Under his masterly skill and well-applied means the rich soil soon began yielding fine crops: a large orchard produces a great variety of excellent fruit, and commodious, well-built barns and a convenient house attest to his enterprise. He owns some real estate in Kingfisher, in addition to the homestead, and has built three good business houses on Main street, besides his own attractive residence on Sixth street. One of the most influential workers in the interest of the Opera-house Company, he was made chairman of the building committee, which erected a fine, large modern theater, of which Mr. Bolend is treasurer.
Eight years ago the Pabst Brewing Company constituted Mr. Bolend chief engineer and super- intendent of its cold-storage plant at Kingfisher. He supervised the placing of the engines and machinery, and has continued ever since as prac-
tical manager of the concern. The ice machines have a capacity of twenty tons daily, and in this manufacture nine pumps and three engines (ag- gregating about two hundred horse power) are required.
In all local affairs relating to the welfare of Kingfisher Mr. Bolend takes patriotic interest. and is correspondingly esteemed by our citizens. Politically, he is a Republican, and became a warm friend to its policy during the stormy war period. For a wife he chose Miss Ethel McCor- mick, of Cowley county. Kans., and they have reason to be proud of their two manly sons, Floyd J. and Rex G. The elder. F. J., is a grad- uate of the Milwaukee high school and continued his education in the Kingfisher College and in the University of Oklahoma. He is pursuing a course of pharmacy and is a member of the class of 1901.
H ON. W. J. BONNETT. Germany contrib- uted a valuable citizen to the United States when the subject of this article bade adieu to his Fatherland, thenceforth to be numbered among the patriotic sons of America. Here he has taken an important place in the development of the nation's wealth and civilization, and when the Union was threatened he enlisted among its defenders and ardently fought for the land of his love and free choice.
It is not a matter of surprise to those who know him well that Mr. Bonnett is a descendant of the historic Piedmontese, of Italy, who, when so unmercifully persecuted on account of their religious faith, left their homes and possessions, determined to dwell in a land of the free. Set- tling in Wurtemberg. Germany, they found a measure of toleration and independence, and, at the time of the Reformation, joined the disciples and followers of the immortal Luther.
Paul, father of W. J. Bonnett, was born in Oelbronn, Wurtemberg, and fought in the Ger- man army during the war which terminated in the great battle of Waterloo, and for his meri- torious conduct throughout the campaign was awarded a medal, expressive of his country's gratitude. He lived three-score years and ten in the Fatherland, and then, moved by a strong desire to see his son and this republic, he sailed for these shores, and two years later departed this life at Charlotte, Mich. His wife, Charlotte (Hummel) Bonnett, was born in 1810, in Knit- lingen, Wurtemberg, and died in Charlotte. Mich., in 1891. Both were Lutherans in religion.
W. J. Bonnett, born in Oelbronn, Wurtem- berg. August 20, 1838, is the only son of his father's third marriage. There was a daughter. Nina, who married Christian E. Haefner: she died in 1880. A half-brother, Christian, is a resi-
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dent of Calhoun county, Mich. In his youth Mr. Bonnett learned the butcher's business with his father, but soon found that general farming was more to his taste. When seventeen years of age he sailed in the good ship "Bremen," bound from Havre to New York City. and at the end of a forty days' voyage he landed.in the great me- tropolis of the western continent. Going to Marshall, Mich., he soon engaged in farming, but in the fall of 1856 he embarked on the ship "Van Fleet," bound for Bremen. After spending four months or more with his friends, he set forth again, bringing with him his parents, and the ship "New York" bore him to the city of the same name. For the next year he was connected with the agricultural interests of Marshall, Mich., and. in the fall of 1857 he purchased a farm in Dowagiac, Cass county, same state. This land was heavily covered with oak timber, and, build- ing a log cabin, the young man diligently set about the task of clearing a farm. At the end of two years he sold the place and removed to the vicinity of Charlotte. Eaton county, Mich .. where he cleared another farm, this one being covered chiefly with beech and maple trees. In the spring of 1864. leaving his pioneer labors. Mr. Bonnett, so recently admitted to citizenship. offered his services to the Union, becoming a member of Company D, Sixty-sixth Illinois, known as the Western Sharpshooters. This company was mustered in at Jackson, Mich., in March, 1864, and was mustered out of the serv- ice at Springfield. Ill., in July, 1865. Sent to Pulaski. Tenn., our subject started with Sher- man on the great Atlanta campaign, and partic- ipated in the battles of Resaca. Dallas. Snake Creek Gap, Peach Tree. Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, siege of Atlanta (where, on July 22nd. he was wounded in the left check). Jonesboro. Lovejoy Station, Savannah, Bentonville, Column- bia. Goldsboro and Raleigh. His regiment was one of the first to enter Savannah and Columbia after the conflict there, and after Lee's surrender Mr. Bonnett was unable to be present at the grand review in Washington, owing to the fact that he was a sergeant and was detailed. with about half of his company, to remain with the ambulance corps in the rear of the army. His record throughout that trying year and a half is of the best, and nobly did he earn his place among the honored sons of the nation-the nation thus cemented in life's-blood.
After returning to Michigan. Mr. Bonnett embarked in the bakery business at Ann Arbor. where he remained for three years. At the end of that time he became a resident of Charlotte. Mich., and from 1868 to 1880 was engaged in the grocery and bakery business there. He served! as chief of the fire department for six years and was a member of the city council two years,
these offices bestowed upon him expressing the esteem in which he is held by the people of that place. He retains business interests there and his hosts of sincere friends deeply feel the loss of so good a citizen.
On that eventful 22nd of April, 1889, Mr. Bon- nett came to the west, curious to behold the country about which so much was being said. Though he had no expectations of remaining, he saw a good opening for a lumber merchant, and, with customary enterprise, he embarked in the business. He also located a claim in Kingfisher township, two and a half miles from the city, and for six and a half years he dwelt there, in the meantime making good improvements. He still owns the farm, though he has lived in Kingfisher since October: 1898. In 1890 he built a two- story building (since changed into the Central Hotel) for the use of the county and United States courts, and two years later erected the Bonnett Block. He also constructed the county jail, and has built some good residences.
In 1865 Mr. Bonnett married Christine F. Up- right, a native of his own town in Germany, and daughter of John Upright, who was a pioneer farmer in the neighborhood of Charlotte, Mich. Mrs. Bonnett departed this life in Kingfisher, and her son, William C., died in Texas, Decem- ber 26. 1897. The lady who now bears our sub- ject's name was formerly Rosa Bay, and she, too. was born in Wurtemberg. Ida L., Mr. Bon- nett's only daughter, is the wife of Jay S. Wisner. of Muncie, Ind. George P .. the only surviving son, was engaged in carrying on an abstract office here for eight years, and now is stationed in Iloilo, or Panay, in the Philippine Islands. He served as a bugler in the First Territorial Regiment of Oklahoma Volunteers during the Spanish-American war, and, after receiving an honorable discharge, enlisted in Company C. Sixtl: United States Infantry, and. as formerly, is the company bugler.
Mr. Bonnett was elected to serve on the first city council of Kingfisher, and acted in that hon- orable body for three terms, during all of this period being chairman of the committees on fire and water. His removal to his country home interrupted his official career, but in the spring . of 1800: soon after his return, he was elected mayor of the city, and is giving cutire satisfac- tion to all, regardless of party. In politics he is a Democrat, and in the fraternities he is a Knight of Pythias. a Mason of high standing and a mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic, identified with .A. S. Williams Post No. 40. of Charlotte. Mich. Forty-one years ago he was initiated into Masonry in Dowagiac, Mich., and now is a char- ter member of Kingfisher Lodge No. 8. A. F. &. A. M .: Kingfisher Chapter No. 12. K. A. M. and Cyrene Commander: No. 6. K. T., besides
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W. L. FARQUHARSON, Hennessey.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Ch 149)
which he is connected with India Temple, N. M. S., in Oklahoma City. A true friend to edu- cational and religious enterprises, he is a liberal contributor to these elevating influences, and in the Kingfisher Congregational Church he is an active member and formerly was on i.s building committee.
W L. FARQUHARSON. One of the most extensive grain dealers of Kingfisher county is the gentleman whose name leads this sketch, now a resident of the enter- prising city of Hennessey. He has devoted his time and attention to this line of business for the past eleven years, and is thoroughly acquainted with the market and shipping facilities of the west. Gradually he has branched out in his undertaking until to-day he is reputed to be the most extensive shipper of grain in Oklahoma. In all of his transactions he has observed a scrupu- lous fairness and justice toward all concerned and his name is a synonym for rectitude.
The ancestors of our subject were Scotch and the family, with its connections, the McIntoshes and Mckinleys, is well-known in the annals of Scotland. In fact, the line is traced back to 1000 A. D., when a relative, Duncan McDuff. killed Hamlet and restored Malcolm III to the throne. The parents of our subject, James and Mary (Puterbaugh) Farquharson, were natives respectively of Scotland and Canada. One of their eight children, A. O. Farquharson, of Guth- rie, is represented elsewhere in this volume, and in his sketch may be found a fuller account of the ancestral history.
The birth of W. L. Farquharson took place near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August 16, 1862. He lived in Illinois from 1864 to 1867. when he was taken to Ralls county, Mo., where for five years he resided on a farm and in 1872 went to Sumner county, Kans. He received a good public-school education, and after attend- ing the normal at Paola, Kans., commenced teaching in his home county. In 1886 he was graduated from the Kansas normal at Fort Scott, Kans., and the following year was in charge of a school in Sumner county. Later he was employed as a teacher in the Wellington ( Kans.) normal school for two years, at the end of which time he concluded to turn his energy in another direction.
In 1889 Mr. Farquharson embarked in the grain business at Corbin, Kans,, on the Rock Island railroad, and also dealt in live stock, ship- ping to the city markets. In March, 1803, he came to Hennessey, where he has been similarly occupied, establishing branches at several sta- tions, namely: Kingfisher. Dover, Waukomis, North Enid and Pond Creek, and later others at
Cropper, Garber and Billings. In 1899 he built a substantial elevator at El Reno, its capacity being thirty-five thousand bushels. The ele- vator, which is situated on the Chicago & Rock Island railroad, is able to clear ten thousand bushels per day. The proprietor now handles enormous quantities of grain of various kinds, and one year he shipped from Hennessey fifty- three thousand bushels of Kaffir corn for the export trade. Recently he has handled in the neighborhood of one million bushels of grain during a season, and in addition to this he has dealt extensively in cotton for the past three years, two years operating 'a cotton-gin at Dover.
A few years ago Mr. Farquharson assisted in organizing the Oklahoma Grain Dealers' Asso- ciation, of which he is a prominent member. He was initiated into Masonry in Coronado Lodge No. 9. A. F. & A. M., and still holds mem- bership there. In May, 1900, he was made a thirty-second degree Mason in the Oklahoma Consistory at Guthrie, being a member of Tem- ple class. In the Knights of Pythias he is past chancellor of Hennessey Lodge No. 12. In his political affiliations he is a stalwart Republican.
In Wellington, Kans., the marriage of Mr. Farquharson and Miss Gertrude Mitchell was solemnized in 1891. She was born in Sumner county, Kans., and received an excellent educa- tion, being graduated in the Wellington high school. To our subject and wife have been born two sons and one daughter, Chester, Lester and Thelma. Mrs. Farquharson is a member of the Congregational Church and takes great interest in all enterprises tending toward the uplifting of humanity.
A RDEN P. BILLINGS is engaged in tilling the soil on his farm, which is located on the southeast quarter of section 13, town- ship 17, range 3 west, and he has been very suc- cessful since taking up his present occupation in Logan county. He is a native of Linn county, Mo., his birth occurring November 8, 1861, his parents being James W. and Mary J. (Ogle) Bill- ings.
ยท Jamies W. Billings was born in Hamilton county, Ill., July 13, 1833, and is a son of Arden and Mary (Cober) Billings, the former being a native of Kentucky, while the latter was born in Pennsylvania. While Mr. Billings was quite young, his parents moved to Morgan county. III .. but from there they drove to lowa, and after a short sojourn, returned to Pike county, Ill. There he lived until 1855. when he drove through to Linn county, Mo. For many years afterward he made his home there, but in 1803 he came to Logan county, Okla., and located on
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the southeast quarter of section I, township 17, range 3. He is engaged in general farming and has made many improvements since purchasing the property. As a result of his union with Miss Mary J. Ogle, the following children were born: Andrew Thomas, deceased; Mary Caroline, who died at the age of eighteen; Arden P .; and Wil- liam, who married Anna Welpton, and has one child, May Billings.
Reared to manhood in Linn county, Mo., the preliminary education which Mr. Billings re- ceived in the common schools there was later supplemented by a course in the Valparaiso Nor- mal School, in Indiana. After he had attended there one year, he returned to Linn county, Mo., where he commenced teaching, but later re- turned to school and completed his normal course. He took a scientific course in 1886, and after leaving school he came to Oklahoma, . where he located upon his present site. In the early part of September of 1886 he returned to Linn county, Mo., and after he had been married he and his newly made wife left on October 6 to drive through to their present farm. They ar- rived on the 23rd, and at once pitched their tent, in which they lived until our subject built a log house, which was supplemented in 1900 by a handsome two-story frame dwelling. He also fenced in about thirty acres. In 1893 he built his barn and in the fall of that year he put up his windmill, the first one in his community and the second one of its kind put up in the ter- ritory. He carries on general farming and stock- raising, and since 1893 he has every year put in about thirty acres of melons for shipment. Adapted to his present occupation, he has at- tained considerable success, and is considered a good farmer by all who know him.
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