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 29
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While in Hepler, Kans., in company with J. L. Thompson, Mr. Blincoe opened a lumber yard and also embarked in the grain business, later conducting a general mercantile store, and a furniture and undertaking establishment. Mr. Thompson was a carpenter and from him Mr. Blincoe learned the trade, the two afterward en- gaging in contracting and building. They erected the Bourbon county court house in Fort Scott, the National elevator, and many business blocks and residences. April 22, 1889, they came to Guthrie. After purchasing a suitable site, they opened a lumber yard, and until their lumber arrived, they engaged in contracting and build-
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ing. The death of Mr. Thompson, in May, 1896, caused a dissolution of the partnership, and Mr. Blincoe is now sole proprietor of the lumber yard at Guthrie. He established his home in this city in 1896, previous to which he had made very frequent trips to the town. In his yard, on Harrison and Division streets, he carries a very complete line of building materials. Besides his lumber business, he has other interests. With his brother, William, and Ray Huffman, he founded the Guthrie Daily Leader. He was su- perintendent of the building of the Masonic Temple and a member of its building committee. He is connected with the Guthrie Commercial Club.
At Fort Scott, Kans., Mr. Blincoe married Mattic E. Brennan, who was born in Kentucky, and is a daughter of William Brennan, who was killed in the Confederate army during the Civil war. She graduated from the Osage Mission at St. Paul, Kans., and the Fort Scott Normal School. They have three children: Montrose, who has charge of the Kansas farms; George Leslie, a student in the State Normal School at Emporia, Kans .; and Pet, who attends school in Hiattville, Kans. Politically Mr. Blincoe is a Democrat. He is a member of Guthrie Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M., and the Chapter and Con- sistory No. 1.
J JAMES L. THOMPSON, deceased. The name of Mr. Thompson is familiar to the citi- zens of Guthrie. Okla., and Bourbon county, Kans. As an honest man and an upright citizen, he is remembered with respect. Truth and honor were his daily watchwords. Good will toward his fellowmen was a conspicuous trait in his character. His loyalty to his partner and life- long friend, Edward L. Blincoe, was one of those attachments so rarely seen among men, and it formed one of the chief characteristics of his life.
Born near Washington, D. C., Mr. Thompson was a son of James Thompson, a successful con- tractor, who died in Maryland. During boy- hood, he learned the carpenter's trade under his father, in Washington. In 1866 he moved to Missouri. Four years later he settled in Fort Scott, Bourbon county, Kans., where he followed his occupation successfully. In 1876 he married Mollie Blincoe, the only sister of E. L. Blincoe. He then settled upon a farm of two hundred and forty acres, where he made his home for four years. From there he removed to Hepler, Kans., where his widow and sons, Ernest and Willard, yet reside. For some time he was interested solely in the lumber business, but later took up merchandising, and continued in both enter-
prises until his death, in August, 1896. His de- mise dissolved the partnership between himself and Mr. Blincoe, which had lasted since 1868.
A. L. HAUSAM. The highly cultivated farm in Logan county, comprising the south- west quarter of section 31, township 17, range I west, is the property of Mr. Hausam, who has owned the same since 1890. He was born October 9, 1866, in Luzerne county, Pa., and is a son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Tisch) Hausam, both natives of Germany. The father was a man of twenty-one years when his parents came to this country, while the mother was but eighteen, and their parents both located in Penn- sylvania: In 1877 our subject's father left Lu- zerne county, Pa., and in De Kalb county, Mo., he resided many years, where he followed his trade as a carpenter.
Our subject was the oldest of five boys, and at eighteen he commenced learning the trade of a carpenter, at which he worked until 1890. Con- cluding to take the advice of Horace Greeley to go west and grow up with the country, he got a team and wagon and drove through to Oklahoma in three weeks. Upon his arrival in Logan county he purchased his present place . from three of its original owners. There were no improvements upon it of any kind, and its pres- ent prosperous condition shows the owner's painstaking care. He first put up a 10x12 shanty, in which he lived about a year. One of the first improvements he made on the farm was the sink- ing of an eighty-foot well. He next put up his fences, and during the first season he succeeded in enclosing about one hundred acres. He also built a house, 12x24 feet, and in it he lived until 1895, when he erected his present house, which is 24x32 feet and one and one-half stories highi. He has a fine orchard of thirty acres, a vineyard of three acres, and lie also has a large pond, in which there is considerable carp and perch. He has greatly increased the value of his prop- erty, and is recognized as one of the up-to-date and progressive men of his community.
Mr. Hausam married Miss Dora Phenis, the wedding taking place January 30, 1891. She is a native of Cowley county, Kans., and a daugh- ter of I. H. and Alice (Warton) Phenis, whose biography also appears in this work. Three chil- dren have been born to thisunion, namely: Jay P .. born November 8, 1892; Dessie, born November 8, 1896; and Louis, born June 5, 1898. In poli- tics our subject is a strong Democrat, but has never had a chance to vote in a presidential election. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church of Mount Hope, and he contributed toward the building of the same.
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R. H. GRIMES, M. D. Little was it dreamed when Oklahoma was opened to settlement that within a few years it was destined to take high rank among the grain-producing sec- tions of the west, and that cereals raised here should contribute toward the sustenance of pop- ulations of foreign lands. Though associated with this great enterprise for the past five years only, Dr. Grimes, of Hennessey, has become well known in business circles of the southwest, and is one of the charter members of the Grain Deal- ers' Association of Oklahoma and Indian Terri- tories and of the Millers' Association of these territories.
Dr. R. H. Grimes, born in Knoxville, Ray county, Mo., January 31, 1862, is the only son of Benton E. and Sallie (Crenshaw) Grimes, who were natives of Tennessee and Kentucky, re- spectively. The father, who was engaged in farming and stock-raising at Knoxville for a number of years, died while in his prime, in 1862, while upon a business trip in Mexico. He was a son of Henry Grimes, who, after removing his family from Tennessee to Knoxville, Mo., gave his attention to mercantile pursuits until a short time before his death. Mrs. Sallie Grimes is still living in Ray county, Mo., where she has made her home since childhood. Her father, Robert Crenshaw, was one of the pioneers of Jackson and Ray counties, Mo., and was identified with the agricultural class.
The youth of Dr. Grime's was spent under the loving guidance of his devoted mother, as death had deprived him of a father's care when he was an infant. He passed the happy years of boy- hood upon a farm in his native county, and laid the foundations of knowledge in the district schools. Having determined to enter the medi- cal profession he commenced his studies with Dr. Gant, of Knoxville, and later was graduated in the Missouri Medical College with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. From that time, 1887, until 1895, he was engaged in practice at Polo, Cald- well county, Mo., and met with success as a family physician.
Oklahoma had long claimed the attention of the doctor, and in 1895 he entered into partner- ship with his wife's brother, Mackie Tait, a prac- tical miller, and embarked in the grain business at Hennessey.
In the spring of 1898 the firm of Tait & Grimes was dissolved by mutual consent, the doctor buy- ing Mr. Tait's interest. He has since continued alone as the proprietor of the Hennessey mills, which were built eight years ago, and therefore are among the oldest mills in this territory. They are equipped with a full roller process and a sixty-horse power engine, and have a capacity of one hundred and ten barrels of flour per day. Choice patent brands of flour manufactured here
have won the commendation of the public, and the home markets consume about all produced. One variety which is esteemed is the "Harvest Bell," and the "Hennessey Favorite" was award- ed the gold medal at the Omaha Exposition in 1898. The elevator has a capacity of twenty thousand bushels, and Dr. Grimes is extensively engaged in buying and selling wheat and corn, shipping about nine-tenths of the amount he handles to foreign ports. Success has attended him in his enterprise, and all with whom he has dealings speak of him in terms of praise.
The marriage of Dr. Grimes and Miss Mary Tait took place in Taitsville, Mo., December 21, 1887. She was born in Canada, and was reared to womanhood in Taitsville, Mo., which place was named in her father's honor. Dr. and Mrs. Grimes are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, he being one of the trustees of the con- gregation and assistant superintendent of the Sunday-school. Fraternally he is a Knight of Pythias, and in politics he is connected with the Democratic party.
H ARRY GEPHART, postmaster and a suc- cessful merchant of Coyle, was born in Elkhart county, Ind., August 30, 1858, and is a son of Jackson and Emily A. (Vanama) Gep- hart. His father was a farmer by occupation, and in the very early days moved from Ohio to Indiana, where, at the beginning of the war, he enlisted in the One Hundredthi Indiana Infantry, serving his country for over three years in vari- ous capacities. He was for a time wagon-master and was also entrusted with the conveyance of important dispatches, which, though entailing great risk, at no time resulted in personal injury. At the close of the war he purchased land in Berrien county, Mich., and engaged in agricul- tural pursuits until, in 1871, he changed his loca- tion to Mitchell county, Kans. There he pur- chased some exceedingly wild land and met with fair success with his crops, but was not suffi- ciently contented to make the place his perma- nent home. For a time he was located in Alton. Osborne count,, Kans., where lie engaged in the livery business. This interest was eventually disposed of, and, having confidence in the re- sources of the far west, he moved to Washing- ton, where he engaged in the veterinary's occu- pation. He now resides in Michigan.
Harry Gephart lived with his father until his twenty-first year; shared his wanderings from place to place, and improved all of his opportu- nities to acquire a fair education. His first inde- pendent business venture was as a clerk in a drug establishment in Alton, in which line of business he continued to be interested as long as lie re- mained in Kansas. With the exception of two
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years, he was either a partner or sole owner. In 1890 he changed his location to Oklahoma, set- tling in what was then called Iowa City, but in 1891 settled in Langston and established himself as the pioneer drug man of the town. With the rapid increase of population, and the consequent general demand for all kinds of merchandise, he augmented his drug stock with a complete line of groceries, shoes and other necessities. He removed to Coyle, Okla., in December, 1809. His trade has since rapidly increased, and his efforts to supply the town's demands have met with the most gratifying success.
While believing in Republican principles, and having the interest of the community and coun- try at heart, Mr. Gephart has no political aspira- tions.
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After coming to Coyle, he was appointed post- master of this place in May. 1900. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Coyle. Polit- ically, he is connected with the Knights of Pyth- ias. During his residence in Osborne county, Kans., he married Jennie E. Skidmore, by whom he has four children, Ruel J., Ralph G., Helen I. and Opal Naomi.
J. C. HILL. Ever since the founding of King- fisher, under the new territorial conditions, Mr. Hill has taken a prominent part in its progress, and probably few exercised a wider influence in the crucial first year of its existence. He is highly esteemed for his sterling qualities of mind and heart and is popular with the gen- eral public.
J. C. Hill is the grandson of John Hill, who was born in England and came to America at an early day, settling in New York state, where he was interested in agriculture. Later he removed to the west with his family and became one of the pioneers of Peoria county, Ill. He owned and carried on a farm situated near the limits of Princeville. His son. Clark Hill, father of our subject, was born near Lockport. N. Y., and was a child when he came to Illinois in 1837. He has been connected with the development of Peoria county for sixty-three years, and is still living upon his quarter-section homestead, now in his seventy-second year. He has the confi- dence and love of his neighbors, and has fre- quently been called upon to serve in local town- ship and county offices. His faithful wife still sliares his joys and sorrows, and she, too, is one of the early settlers of the county. A native of the Empire state, she bore the maiden name of Betsy Bliss, and came to the then frontier state of Illinois in 1838, with her parents, who became farmers in the vicinity of Princeville. Of the seven children born to John Hill and wife five are yet living.
The birth of J. C. Hill occurred on the old home place near Princeville, Ill., May 19, 1866. Growing to manhood upon the farm, he yet lived so near Princeville that he obtained an excellent grammar and high school education, finishing his studies in the local academy. Subsequently he went to Sidney, Iowa, where he entered the print- ing office of the "Union" newspaper, and within the year of liis connection with that concern learned the essential departments of the work. In 1886 he took a position as foreman of the Caldwell (Kans.) News, and continued to serve in that capacity until the opening of Oklahoma.
Bringing a new equipment for a printing es- tablishment, Mr. Hill commenced the publishing of the Kingfisher Journal, on the 20th of March, 1890, and speedily this paper became the recog- nized official county journal. The plant is the largest and best in Kingfisher county, and, after the success of the paper had been ren- dered certain and increasing, Mr. Hill found a purchaser in the person of Capt. J. V. Admire, who changed the name of the paper to the Free Press, and for nine years has published it under that title. For some time after selling out, Mr. Hill was retained as foreman of the paper, but on the 19th of April, 1892, he located a claim at a point three miles and a half west of King- fisher, other claims being contested. During the ensuing five years he materially increased the value of the farm by the judicious expenditure of energy and means. For two years of this period he also conducted a business enterprise in Kingfisher, dealing in grain, feed and seeds on an extensive scale. Over a million bushels 'of wheat alone were bought, shipped and sold by the enterprising merchant. In March, 1900, he purchased the stock of groceries owned by J. W. Walton and continues the business. on Main street. He carries a good line of seeds and feed. also, and is enjoying the trade of a goodly num- ber of the leading families of the city.
In the social circles of the place Mr. Hill is a general favorite. He is a Mason, belonging to Kingfisher Lodge No. 8, A. F. & A. M., and to the Royal Arch chapter. Moreover. he is affilia- ted with the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In religious faitli he is in accord with the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is an active worker in the Kingfisher congregation of that denomination.
The marriage of Mr. Hill and Miss Edna Hub- bard took place in Kingfisher in 1892. She is a native of Marseilles, Ill., and is a daughter of G. E. Hubbard, now the well-known proprietor of the Hubbard House, at Enid, Okla. During the Civil war he served for some time with the rank of second lieutenant in Company E, One Hundred and Fifty-third Illinois Infantry. For many years he was numbered among the hon-
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ored citizens of Larned, Kans., whence he came to this territory at its opening for settlement. Three children bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hill, namely: Edward Clark, Jolm Chester and Carolyn. Mrs. Hill is a lady of pleasing person- ality and attainments, her literary education hav- ing been completed in the Larned high school.
A LEXANDER C. HOWE is remembered as possessing many sterling traits of mind and a fine charity in judgment. He was univer- sally beloved by those who were privileged to enjoy his friendship, and as sincerely mourned as are the passing best influences in our lives.
and character, an optimistic temperament . He was a man single-minded in purpose, very
Born June 10, 1841, Alexander C. Howe was reared in Indiana county, Pa., upon his father's farm. He was fortunate in receiving an excel- lent academic education and in being surrounded by peculiarly refining conditions. With the breaking out of the war he enlisted and served one term, after which he re-enlisted in Company A, Sixty-first Pennsylvania Infantry, and was actively engaged until the close of the war in 1865. For a time he suffered greatly from a flesh wound, but was otherwise not injured. A matter of concern to his friends was a severe illness, during which he was laid up in the hos- pital, and with but scant possibility of recovery. A curious incident in the war life of Mr. Howe was his loss, at the foot of a tree, of a solid silver maltese cross, upon which was engraved his name, company, regiment, and so on, and which was picked up by a comrade. After a lapse of thirty years the cross was recovered through the medium of an advertisement inserted in the Na- tional Tribune, and is now in the possession of the family of the loser.
After the war Mr. Howe went into partner- . ship with his father, William Howe, in the lum- ber manufacturing business. While conducting this enterprise he managed to save considerable money, with which he purchased a farm. In 1868 he met Harriet Harold, who at the time was teaching in the district school of the vicinity, and July 4, 1871, they were married. They contin- ued to live on Mr. Howe's farm until, in 1879. he sold his land and removed to Clay county, Kans .. where he purchased another farm. In 1893 he took up his residence in Oklahoma, settling on the southeast quarter of section 28. township 17, range 2 west, Logan county. His land was rapidly improved and fitted with the most ad- vanced appliances and labor-saving devices. The premises are entirely enclosed by fences, and the house, outhouses, barns, and windmill are of the best possible construction.
To Mr. and Mrs. Howe were born eight chil- dren: William Hale, Mary E. Rich (who lives in
Guthrie), Mabel E., Thurlow Burton, John Guy, Naomi E. (who is a teacher), Hattie C. and Jay Alexander.
Mr. Howe was brought up to be a believer in the principles of the Republican party, but he never entertained any political aspirations. He was a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. A devoted member of the Christian church, and an elder in the church at the time of his death, he had faith in its mission for good and contributed liberally toward its charities. reserved and conservative, and of the utmost in- tegrity; and his death, which occurred January 6, 1899. was deeply mourned. He was consid- ered a first-class farmer and a successful man. His family have always held a high place in the social life of the community. His religion was one of his strong characteristics. It may be said that he lived his religion in his daily life, and his influence will long be felt in Logan county, where he was held in the highest esteem by his fellowmen.
S IMON HOLMAN. For nine years Simon Holman has been associated with the up- building of Oklahoma and is ranked with the enterprising business men of Kingfisher. He is a descendant of sterling southern families, and yet possesses the marked talent for business that is popularly supposed to be a special attribute of the northerners.
His paternal grandfather, Hiram Holman, was a native of Virginia, whence, with his family, he removed to Kentucky at an early day. For a wife he chose Elizabeth DuVal, also of Vir- ginia, and their son, John W., father of our sub- ject, was born in the Old Dominion. A fine me- chanic by nature, he engaged in the flour-milling and carding-mill business for many years, in addition to which he carried on a farm in Ken- tucks, in which state he had settled in early life. His wife's father, Charles Settle, also was an agriculturist and a good mechanic. To himself and wife. Eliza, a native of Kentucky, twelve children were born, and all but one lived to ma- turity. William H. died near Orley, Mo .; Nancy died in Kiowa county, Kans .: and Mrs. Fannie Peddigo departed this life in Kentucky; Mrs. Mary Peddigo and Charles reside in Pratt county, Kans .: Mrs. Sarah E. Beckman and Mrs. Alice Dorsey live in Kentucky : while Mrs. Susan Shive, the other daughter, lives in Burrton, Kans .: Joseph, who served in a Kentucky cav- alry company during the Civil war. now makes his home near Lebanon, Mo., and James, the youngest of the family, is a farmer of Arapalioc. Okla.
The birth of Simon Holman occurred in War-
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ren county, Ky., not far from Bowling Green, June 30, 1848. He was a mere child when he commenced working in his father's carding-mill, and a portion of each year he devoted to the general work of the farm. When about twenty years of age he went to Laclede county, Mo., and for ten years was extensively and profitably engaged in running a farm in the vicinity of Conway, also dealing in live stock. In 1878, after the death of his wife, he lived on the old home- stead in Warren county, Ky., conducting the place and giving special attention to the raising of live stock. In 1880 he located in Barton county, Mo., where he was employed as a car- penter and as a farmer until 1884. He then re- moved to Mullinville, Kans., where he was similarly occupied.
In 1889 Mr. Holman entered the employ of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, with his headquarters at Salida, Colo., and was connected with the department of construction of bridges and buildings. At the expiration of a year he located in the town of Pratt Center, Kans., and in September, 1891, came to Oklahoma. After carefully looking over the country he came to Kingfisher and decided to remain here. For sev- eral years he was chiefly occupied in building and contracting, and won a high place in the re- gard of our citizens. Since 1896 he has been in the employ of the Long-Bell Lumber Company, acting as foreman or manager of the branch lum- ber yards at Kingfisher. Mr. Long, the senior partner, and a resident of Kansas City, pro- nounces this the best arranged and systematic- ally kept lumber yard the firm possesses, and they have over forty in different sections of the west. Mr. Holman is thoroughly acquainted with the demands of the trade, and is well liked by every one with whom he has business deal- ings.
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The first marriage of Mr. Holman was to Miss Mary J. Forkner, of Laclede county. Mo., of which locality she was a native, and there her entire life was passed. The only son of this sterling couple is James Henry, who is the pro- prietor of a theatrical company, and personally plays a comedy part. The two daughters are Mrs. Rhoda E. Cornwell and Mrs. Eliza Lettie Ro- land, both of Kingfisher. In Kentucky Mr. Hol- man was married to Miss Mary Bell Crabtree, a native of Barren county, Ky., and on the 28th of December, 1899, she died at her home in this city. George Homer, the only son of this union, enlisted in the Thirty-third Infantry of the United States, in July, 1899, and with his comrades of Company B is serving in the Philippine Islands, now being stationed in Luzon.
In his early manhood Simon Holman was initiated into Masonry at Rocky Hill Station, Ky., and later he became a cliarter member of
Kingfisher Lodge No. 8, A. F. & A. M. Relig- iously he is an active member of the Christian church, and was chairman and treasurer of the building committee, superintending the con- struction of this attractive house of worship. Of late years he has been one of the official board and liberally contributes toward the noble work being carried on.
W ILLIAM HALE HOWE. The early childhood days of William Hale Howe were spent on a farm in Indiana county, Pa., where he was born May 21, 1872. His parents were Alexander C. and Harriet (Harold) Howe; a sketch of the former appears elsewhere in this work. When the lad had reached his fourth year the family moved from Pennsylvania to Clay county, Kans., where they continued their agricultural pursuits, with a fair means of success. He had in the meantime received an excellent home training, and early displayed a natural aptitude for things pertaining to the soil and its cultivation, thus preparing himself for an active farmer's life later on. More fortunate than many farmers' sons, he received every avail- able advantage as far as education was con- cerned, studying first at the public schools and later at the Normal school at Salina, Kans., from which he graduated in 1892.
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