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 26
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A son of Stephen and Jane (Hickman) Cloud, our subject is a native of Wilmington, Del., his birth having occurred in 1846. The father, who was a master mechanic, followed that vocation throughout his life. When Harmon B. Cloud was about ten years old the family removed to Cecil county, Md., and three years later they re- turned to Delaware. The youth was employed in a cotton factory from the time he was eight years old until he enlisted in the army, and thus he was deprived of the advantages of education.
In September, 1861, H. B. Cloud went to Westchester county, Pa., where he succeeded in being made drummer boy of Company D, Nine- ty-seventh Infantry. As he was only fifteen years old at the time he was not allowed to go as a private, but, nevertheless, he carried a musket and on many a battlefield fought shoulder to shoulder with his other comrades. In 1863 lie took part in the battle at Fort Wagner, on Mor- ris Island, S. C., and was severely injured by a grape shot. His shoulder was dislocated and numberless tendons and muscles were perma- nently rendered useless, and thus he never since has been able to raise his arm as formerly. After seeing considerable service along the coast with the Union fleet Mr. Cloud was placed in the army of the James and served under General Butler at Bermuda Ilundred, Cold Harbor. Weldon Railway and advanced toward Peters- burg; was with General Terry at the storming of Fort Fisher, and joined General Sherman's forces at Wilmington, N. C. Thence they pro- ceeded to Raleigh, N. C., and to Weldon, and from there the gallant Ninety-seventh embarked on ships bound for Philadelphia, Pa., where hon- orable discharges awaited them.
For about a year after his return home our
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subject was so broken down in health that his mother devoted herself to him almost exclu- sively, and to her efficient nursing he doubtless owed his restoration to even moderate strength. His brother had taught him the alphabet ere he entered the army, but he could neither read nor write nor even sign his name to the pay-roll. By means of an old leaf from a McGuffey's spelling- book and from a few newspapers that came into his hands he managed to glean quite a fair knowledge of reading and spelling. A comrade wrote his name to serve him as a copy, and he diligently worked upon it, finally surprising his captain by signing his own name on the pay- roll.
A notable event in the history of Mr. Cloud was his marriage, August 16, 1868, to Elizabeth D., daughter of John and Sarah D. (Dailey) Westcoat. She was a native of Atlanta county, N. J., and her father was a member of the legal profession. The young wife, who possessed an excellent education, at once commenced the task of imparting a knowledge of all of the common branches to her husband, who was eager to learn. During this period he worked at the trade of a plasterer, for "he despised not the day of small things," and when he had fitted himself for a higher career the way opened to him. He was converted in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and soon was licensed as an exhorter. Until 1877 he labored in the Master's vineyard in New Jersey, and then he removed to Dallas county, Iowa. There he bought forty-three acres of land, which he cultivated for about eighteen months, and subsequently he located in Guthrie county, Iowa. At one time he owned eighty- three acres of good farm land and other prop- erty in the neighboring town, but misfortunes came to himself and family in the shape of ill health and financial reverses also. When his property had been reduced to a poor forty-acre tract of land he moved to Colorado. This was in 1887, and after he had embarked in the busi- ness of raising cattle there he not only lost about $4.000 in the venture, but also had his household goods burned. In 1889 he came to Oklahoma and took up the homestead on the southeastern quarter of section 15, township 14, range 6 west. Canadian county. He has made excellent im- provements on the place, which is thereby greatly increased in value.
When the special doctrines of the Christian. or Disciples, Church had been made plain to him, Mr. Cloud identified himself with it, and since that time has been especially blessed in his earn- est labors as a minister of the gospel. During his residence in Oklahoma he has officiated at. perhaps, fully one hundred and fifty baptisms. and his noble endeavors to spread the truth have endeared him to all.
Five children bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Cloud. Andrew H. owns forty acres of land in Mathewson township, and still lives under the parental roof. Sarah Elwell married Henry Brunkhorst, of this county, and they have four children. Luella is a student in the Edmond normal school. Leonidas and Elizabeth are at home.
D R. HENRY COKE. In his capacity of ameliorator of the woes of the noblest members of dumb creation, Dr. Coke has won the gratitude and appreciation of all who acknowledge the intelligence, beauty and higher use of the horse, and his triumphant progress through the annals of history and romance as a creature of splendid prowess, daring, and grace. Dr. Coke's success in dealing with the various ills of this friend of man would indicate profound liking for the companionship and association of his dumb patients, and an acuteness and accuracy of diagnosis compatible only with an inborn in- terest in his welfare.
Dr. Coke is of German descent, his paternal grandfather, Samuel, having migrated from Germany, and settled in Virginia, where he was among the pioneers of the settlement wherein resided the famous Daniel Boone. He was a courageous soldier in the war of 1812, and in the Indian wars, and terminated his useful and in- dustrious life in Kentucky. Dr. Coke was born in the vicinity of Madison, Jefferson county. Ind., January 20, 1841, and is a son of James Coke, born near Lexington, Ky., and Eliza (Hall) Coke, a native of Jefferson county, Ind. The latter's father, Henry Hall, of Virginia, was iden- tified with the early days of Pennsylvania, later going to Indiana, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising. Eliza Coke died in Ripley county at the advanced age of eighty-four years. She was the devoted mother of six boys and four girls, of whom four boys and two girls attained maturity. One brother, William, was assistant surgeon of the Sixth Indiana Regiment, and is now residing at Edwardsport. Ind., where he has a large and lucrative medical practice.
Dr. Coke was fifth oldest in the large fam- ily of brothers and sisters, and he was reared in Indiana until his twelfth year. He then went to Lexington, Ky., where he lived with Gen. John Morgan for three years, and completed in the public schools his education, begun in his former home in Indiana. He later turned his attention to the study of veterinary surgery at Louisville. Ky., under Dr. Raynor, the celebrated member of his profession, who had a school and a large stable, with ample opportunity for practical study and demonstration. From this institution
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he graduated in 1859, and continued to practice with his able teacher until the war.
In June, 1862, Dr. Coke enlisted in the Fifth Indiana Cavalry as a veterinary surgeon, with the rank of second lieutenant, and in 1863, at Buf- fington's Isle he assisted in the capture of Gen. John Morgan, and distinctly recalls a conversa- tion held with the famous general. He partiei- pated in the battles of Knoxville, Tenn., Buz- zard's Roost, Resaca, Stoneman's Raid, and many other minor skirmishes. He was captured twenty-one miles north of Macon, at Church Hill, and slightly wounded by rebels under Gen- eral Rice, and sent to Andersonville, where he remained from July to October, 1864. From there he went to Charleston, thence to Flor- ence and Savannah, and when Sherman came through the country they were turned loose in Florence, N. C., in the spring of 1865, having been seven months a prisoner. He was wounded three times at Knoxville, twice in the knee and once in the foot, and was also wounded at Re- saca in the foot. After regaining his freedom he proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, where he was laid up in the hospital for about two months, and was discharged in April. : S65.
After the war Dr. Coke settled in Holton, Ind., where he engaged in the practice of his profes- sion. He was married in 1866 to Elizabeth M. Moore, a native of Columbus, Ohio. To Dr. and Mrs. Coke have been born six children. Mrs. Allie Rogers, of Kingfisher, and Mrs. Mat- tie Grubb, of Enid, were born in Illinois: Edda and Franka were born in Kansas, and are living at home; Meda and May were born in Iowa, and are also at home.
After practicing in Holton until 1869 Dr. Coke removed to Noble, Ill., where he continued to minister to the necessity of a large number of charges for twelve years, after which he took up his residence in Smith county, Kans., locating four miles north of Smith Center, on a claim, residing there for about eight years. His next venture was at Prescott. Iowa, later going to Dodge City, Kans., in 1887, and remaining there until the opening of the Oklahoma strip in 1889. His professional outlook was encouraging from the start, for, two hours after his arrival in the territory, he was called to investigate the case of a mule, and this lowly member of Pegasus so- ciety was found to be afflicted with glanders and speedily dispatched to the permanent cessation of labor. During the pioneer days of the terri- tory the services of Dr. Coke were in great de- mand, and he was called to investigate the Texas fever, and to suggest and make arrangements for its quarantine and proper treatment as soon as laws could be formulated covering its demands. Since that time the doctor has met with the suc- cess and appreciation to which he is entitled by
virtue of his forty-one years of uninterrupted . and studious practice. He is the most widely ex- perienced friend of the horse in the territory and also the oldest in point of length of service. The doctor is comfortably located in a commodious residence erected by himself in the southwest part of Kingfisher, and he is regarded as one of the town's most esteemed and reliable citizens.
J OHN GUY CONDIT represents the type of young business men who are the back-
bone of the commonwealth, and whose enthusiasm, ability and ever progressing ideas constitute the basis of the best institutions in Kingfisher, as well as in other new and resource- ful towns which happen to be the scene of their best efforts.
Born in Newton, Jasper county, Iowa, April 15, 1869, John Guy Condit is a son of Samuel J. Condit, a native of Mercer county, Pa., who re- moved to Iowa in 1856, and located in Newton. He was a blacksmith by trade, but eventually engaged in the merchandise business, continuing the same until 1883, when he located in Pratt county, Kans., and became interested in farming and cattle-raising, four miles from Pratt. During the Civil war he enlisted in Company C, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and served for three and one-half years. He was a Knight Templar Mason. His wife, Rachel (Hibbard) Condit, was born in Michigan, and was a daughter of Aruna Hib- bard, a native of New York state. He came from an old New England family, and settled first in Michigan, later in Iowa, after which he returned to Michigan and engaged in farming and stock- raising. Samuel J. and Rachel Condit were the parents of three children, of whom Whitney H. is in Pratt county, John Guy and William A. in Kingfisher. The paternal grandfather, William, was a native of Ten Mile Creek, Allegheny county, Pa., and moved to Sandy Creek town- ship, Mercer county. He was a lumberman and farmer, and rafted logs down the Broad Sandy and Allegheny river. He was accidentally killed in a runaway.
In his native county in Iowa John Guy Condit received excellent home training, and attended the grammar and high schools, also studying in the schools of Saratoga, Kans. This training was supplemented by a course at the Northwest- ern Business College at Sioux City, Iowa, from which he was graduated in 1890. In the same year he recognized the possibilities of life in the newly opened territory, and took up his resi- dence in Kingfisher, which has since been his home. His ability seems to have received imme- diate recognition, for he served as deputy county clerk for a year. under W. D. Cornelius, and was next appointed deputy county treasurer, under
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J. L. Woodworth, and, later, receiver's clerk in the United States land office, under E. G. Spil- man. This service lasted for three years, after which he remained in Guthrie for a few months as clerk in the United States marshal's office, under P. S. Nagle.
Upon his return to Kingfisher Mr. Condit en- gaged as a bookkeeper with the Oklahoma Mill Company for two years, and in the fall of 1899 became one of the organizers, directors and the assistant cashier of the Central State Bank. In the spring of 1900 the bank was converted into the First National Bank of Kingfisher, Mr. Con- dit still retaining his position as assistant cashier. In addition to his duties connected with the bank, Mr. Condit has been variously interested in the affairs of his thriving adopted town. In politics he is associated with the Democratic party. Fraternally lie is a member of the Ma- sonic order, Lodge No. 8 of Kingfisher, and is high priest of the chapter. He was raised to the degree of Knights Templar in Ascension Com- mandery No. 3, at El Reno, and is now a charter member of the Cyrene Commandery No. 6, of Kingfisher.
In the estimation of all who know him. Mr. Condit is esteemed for his many fine traits of character, and the friends are many who believe in a future of even greater prominence and pros- perity.
B. J. CONLEY. Among the first and most enthusiastic of those who recognized the latent possibilities of a life in the newly opened territory, Mr. Conley has realized his expectations to a large extent, and his fellow townsmen have profited by his substantial busi- ness methods, and all-around reliability. Fortu- nately engaged in a business which represents a continually increasing demand. that of hard- ware and agricultural implements, he has found the town of Kingfisher a ready mart, and the surrounding agriculturists appreciators of his fine line of up-to-date devices.
Upon his arrival in Kingfisher in 1889, Mr. Conley at once started a livery and sale stable, and erected a commodious barn in June, con- tinuing his business until 1896, when he sold out. In February, 1898, he became interested in the hardware and implement trade, in the block which has since been the scene of his efforts. The building is 25x80 feet in dimensions, and the various departments require most of the space on three floors. In addition, there is an imple- ment shop 38x90 feet. Since February, 1898. Mr. Conley has conducted his affairs under the firm name of Conley & Phillips, Mr. Phillips being an old-time friend. They have been asso- ciated in business, at intervals, since 1875, and
were partners in Missouri and Kansas. The firm of Conley & Phillips carry a complete line of John Deere's plows and buggies, Jackson and Lake City wagons, Moline wagons, Deering binders and harvesters, and Advance threshiers and steamers. In 1896 Mr. Conley built another block near the B. J. Conley block, and located on the same street.
Born at Ottawa, La Salle county, Ill., June 16, 1854, Mr. Conley is a son of Benjamin Conley, of Dutchess county, N. Y., and Martha (Wil- liams) Conley, born in Knox, Ohio, and a daugh- ter of William Williams, of Virginia, who settled in Ohio. Martha Conley died in Pillsbury, Kans., at the age of seventy-four years. The paternal grandfather was among the early set- tlers of Ottawa, Ill., where he began his suc- cessful career as merchant in the early '40s. In 1869 he settled on a farm near Lamar, and died at Carthage, Mo., at the age of sixty-four. He was a soldier during the Civil war, and enlisted with the Illinois regulars. Of the children born to Benjamin and Martha Conley, B. J. is the oldest. W. R. is located in Kingfisher, where he conducts a feed store, and John is living in Pills- bury, Kans.
B. J. Conley passed his youth in Illinois until 1860, when he removed with his parents to Mis- souri. He had good opportunities at the public schools of the two states, and graduated from the high school at Carthage, Mo. When twenty- one years of age he started out in life on his own responsibility, and engaged in farming and stock- raising in Jasper county, later continuing in the same line of occupation in Barton county. He made yet another change, this time going to Ford county, Kans., near Dodge City, where he farmed until 1889, when he located in the newly opened territory. In 1879 Mr. Conley was united in marriage with Mary Bone, a native of Indiana, and of this union there is one child, A. Burt, of Fort Worth, Tex.
Mr. Conley is variously interested in the affairs of Kingfisher, and has given many evidences of his good fellowship and generous impulses. In politics he is affiliated with the Democratic party, and has served one term as school director. Fra- ternally, he is associated with the Knights of Pythias. Mrs. Conley is a devoted member of the Christian Church.
W. H. COYLE. As the hosts of Guthrie's progressive business men pass in re- view before the vision of the local liis- torian, the name of W. H. Covle stands forth prominently. During the eleven years of Guth- rie's existence, he has been actively associated with her development and by example and intlu- ence has inspired many to make investment, thus
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contributing to the material welfare of the place. llis name is a synonym for progress, and his numerous and varied enterprises are conducted with masterly system and ability.
W. H. Coyle was born May 31, 1857, in the northern part of Wisconsin, in which locality his father, John Coyle, was an early settler. He was a native of Ontario, Canada, and was reared on the farm owned by his father, William Coyle. The latter also settled in Wisconsin in its early period, and later he dwelt in Iowa, his death oc- curring there. John Coyle was reared in Canada, whence he went to Vermont prior to his removal to the lumber regions of Wisconsin. When our subject was fourteen years of age, the family took up residence upon a farm adjacent to Ack- ley, Iowa, in which town their home was made. For several years the father carried on a meat market in the place, and at length he went to Perry, Okla. Since September, 1893, he has been engaged in the grain and live stock business and runs a cotton-gin and deals in cotton. His wife, Ann, is a daughter of Hugh Smith, of Can- ada, and all but one of their seven children reside in this territory.
Until 1871 W. H. Coyle lived in the vicinity of Ripon, Wis., and later, in the Ackley high school, he completed his literary education. After his graduation he taught school for one term and then entered the Bayless Commercial College in Dubuque. He mastered the practical business branches and was graduated in the col- lege. During the next decade he was engaged in the meat business, conducting stores in Ack- lev and in Lincoln, Neb. After a residence of about two years in the place last named, he was ready to come to Oklahoma at the date of its opening. April 22, 1889. He at once laid claim to a lot on Vilas avenue, Guthrie, and. building a store thereon, carried on a thriving grocery trade for six months. Then he built a store at the corner of Harrison and Second streets, and was there occupied in the grocery and meat business for a period. In 1892 he supervised the construction of the double store brick building in which the legis- lature hall is situated, and during the ensuing vear built the first cotton-gin erected in this city. He continued to carry on a wholesale gro- cery trade until July, 1898, when lie disposed of his interests in that line, owing to the multiplicity of his other business affairs. In 1896 he built elevators at Newkirk and Kildare, and since has built warehouses at Seward and Lawrie. He also bought the old Torelton flour mills and thoroughly remodeled the same, making an up- to-date flour mill. He next purchased three blocks of ground adjoining the flour mill and began the erection of a modern cottonseed oil mill, one of the largest in the territory. The im-
. proved machinery used was largely manufac- tured by the Buckeye Brass Works, of Dayton, Ohio, and the steam engine has a three hundred horse power. The capacity of the mill is sixty tons of cotton seed a day, while that of the flour mill which he operates is one hundred and fifty barrels of flour per day. The cotton-seed oil is shipped in tanks to Kansas City and Chicago, and in 1897 Mr. Coyle handled eighteen of tlie twenty-four thousand bales of cotton which passed through the city market of Guthrie. The oil mills were incorporated as the W. H. Coyle Oil Company, with him as the president and general manager, and the flour mills are man- aged under the firm naine of the Guthrie Milling Company.
In addition to his extensive operations in the grain, flouring mill and cotton-oil mills, Mr. Coyle has extensive financial interests outside. He is the president of the Eastern Okla- homa Town Site Company, and, with U. C. Guss as partner, owns the town sites of Campbell, Coyle, Ripley and Glencoe, thriv- ing infant cities of this locality. Mr. Coyle also owns valuable property in different parts of Guthrie. He energetically assisted in procuring the right of way from Guthrie to east- ern points for the Eastern Oklahoma Railroad, which for one hundred and twenty miles taps a region otherwise practically cut off from the markets and privileges of cities. He also owns the Guthrie stock yards, where as many as two thousand head of cattle are fed for the markets. His widespread popularity and marked financial ability and public spirit led to his being chosen as president of the Guthrie Club, and as such he served for a year, acquitting himself with credit. In religion he is a Catholic, and in political faith is a gold-standard Democrat.
The marriage of Mr. Coyle and Mary Galligan took place in Independence, Iowa, in 1882. She is one of the native daughters of that city, and her father, John Galligan, was accidentally killed when she was a child. Mr. and Mrs. Coyle are the parents of two children, namely: Jolin W. and Ione M.
E. P. DOUTHITT has been identified with the most progressive and intelligent growth of his adopted city, Hennessey. having arrived here in the vicinity as early as April 22, 1889. As a brick manufacturer and contractor he has made enviable strides in the business world, and is to-day accounted one of the most reliable and substantial of those who have come out of the east and tried, among new surroundings, to better their prospects and con- ditions.
To a certain extent Mr. Douthitt inherits liis
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liking for his chosen work, his father having for. farmer and sojourned first in Kansas City, then the most of his life engaged in the same occupa- went to St. Joseph, Mo., finally settling near Pittsburg, Kans. They are the parents of six children, all of whom are living, Mrs. Douthitt being second oldest. To Mr. and Mrs. Dou- thitt have been born five children: Cecil. Her- man, Minnie and Bernice (twins) and John. During 1889 and the two succeeding years Mr. Douthitt worked at his trade in Kansas City. Pittsburg, Kans., and at Fort Reno; in the latter place he was employed to construct the officers' quarters, and built the brick part of the hospital building. All this time Mrs. Douthitt had charge of the claim in Oklahoma, and is deserving of more than ordinary credit for her perseverance and courage. It is doubtful if many women in the territory have braved the vicissitudes and hardships with more fortitude than she exhibited in the early pioneer days. To her able assistance is due a large share of the success which has come out of the efforts of this particular family, in their striving after that best possible to be had from a residence in the new country. tion. The Douthitt family is of Irish extrac- tion, and the great-grandfather. Thomas, a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, came to America in 1770. He was a farmer and settled in Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pa. His son, Joseph, was born in 1770, on the farm in Pennsylvania, where he afterwards engaged in farming for himself. eventually removing to Beaver county, where he lived for many years. He was the father of John Douthitt, who was born in Beaver county, Pa., in 1815, and who devoted his energies to brick- laying, and contracted in Pennsylvania for the greater part of his life. with the exception of ten years spent in Mississippi. He is at the present time living in Indiana county, Pa .. and at the age of eighty-five is still hale and strong, and actively engaged in the building business. His mother was a Lautzenheuser, and of German descent. His wife, formerly Jane Howe, was born in England and died in 1895. She was the mother of eleven children, 'seven boys and one girl now living, and of that number E. P. is the second youngest and the only one living in the west.
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