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 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
While in Ohio, Dr. Boyd was made a Mason at Van Wert, and is now a member of Lodge No. 5. at Norman. He was raised to the chapter degree in Van Wert, and is now connected with the Royal Arch Masons in Norman. He joined the Commandery in Arkansas City and at this writing holds membership in Oklahoma Com- mandery No. 2, K. T .; also in India Temple, N. M. S., of Oklahoma City. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Oklahoma City also numbers him among its members. In national politics, he affiliates with the Repub- licans. An active member of the Presbyterian Church, he is a member of the board of elders and has been interested in the Sunday-school both as superintendent and as teacher.
The home of Dr. Bovd is one of the attractive residences of Norman. Surrounding the house are twelve acres, which he has planted to pears, peaches, apples and plums, and when at leisure irom educational work, he may often be found in his orchard or his grape arbor, where he passes many pleasant summer hours. Ilis marriage took place in Coshocton, Olio,
and united him with Miss Jennie Thompson, who was born in that city. Her father, Stephen T. Thompson, was a farmer of Coshocton county, and a successful worker in general agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Boyd received ex- cellent educational advantages and is a college graduate and a lady of great refinement and culture. The only child of Dr. and Mrs. Boyd is Alice, now a student in the university of which her father is the president.
H ON. STUART N. HOPKINS. A man of scholarly. attainments, keenly alive to the
progressive methods of instruction now in vogne in the leading cities of the Union, Mr. Hopkins has made his influence felt in educa- tional circles, and as superintendent of public instruction in Oklahoma has contributed his full share in, placing the educational institutions of the territory on a par with those of the western states. He was born September 27, 1853, in Red Oak, Brown county, Ohio, which was like- wise the birthplace of his father, William Wil- liamson Hopkins. He is of English descent, and of Revolutionary stock, his great-grand- father Hopkins, a native of Kentucky, but later a settler of Ohio, having fought in the struggle for independence. His carlier ancestors were planters in Virginia, and active participants in the old French and Indian wars.
John Hopkins, the grandfather of Stuart N., was born near Maysville, Ky., in 1789, and died in Ohio at the age of eighty-seven years. Dur- ing the years of youth, in 1807, he went with his parents to Red Oak, Ohio, where he afterwards settled in life as a farmer. He was a man of de- vout faith, and an active member of the Presby- terian Church, in which he served many years as an elder.
Following in the footsteps of his immediate ancestors, William W. Hopkins began life as a farmer in Red Oak, whence, in 1869, he removed to Iowa, purchasing a farm near Bonaparte, where he carried on general farming until his death, in 1880, at the age of fifty-four years. While living in his native state, he was a mem- ber of the Galliopolis Company in the Ohio Mil- itia, and assisted in the capture of Morgan and his raiders. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Shields, was born in Hillsboro. Ohio. a daughter of Thomas and Jane (Nevins) Shields, both of Scotch descent. She survived her husband, passing away in 1892, at El Reno, Okla., in the sixty-third year of her age. They became the parents of six children, of whom one, the only daughter, died when young, the record of the others being as follows: Stuart N. lives in Guthrie: Rev. John T., who was grad- uated from Parsons College, and McCormick
22
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHIICAL RECORD.
Theological Seminary, of Chicago, is pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Indianola, Iowa; William M. resides in the west; Archibald E. is chief engincer in the Anglo-Swiss Condensing and Caramel factory, of Dixon, Ill .; and Luther Shields is a jeweler in Dubuque, Iowa.
-
Having lived on the Ohio farm until 1869, Stuart N. Hopkins then accompanied his parents to Iowa, where he attended the public schools for three years. At the age of nincteen years he began teaching, and afterward entered the State Normal School at Kirksville, Mo., from which he was graduated with the class of 1877. Going then to Salina, Iowa, he was there employed as principal of a school, and subsequently occupied a similar position in Brookville, Iowa. In the fall of 1883 he was elccted county superintend- ent of the schools of Jefferson county, on the Republican ticket, and was re-elected in 1885 and 1887, giving him a continuous service of six years, from 1884 until 1890. During the lat- ter year he came to Oklahoma, having accepted the position of superintendent of the city schools of El Reno, an office that he filled with signal ability and success until 1897, when he was ap- pointed by Governor Barnes to his present re- sponsible position as superintendent of the pub- lic schools of Oklahoma, and ex-officio auditor. Since assuming this office he has resided in Guthrie. His appointment, in October, 1897, was to fill out an unexpired term, at the end of which, in March, 1899, he was reappointed for the ensuing term of two years to the same of- ficc. He has devoted his time to the duties de- volving upon him in this capacity, and has greatly improved the school system by his clas- sification of pupils, and grading of the studies in the schools, making the work more uniform and satisfactory. He has been a member, and the secretary, of the Territorial Board of Edu- cation since May, 1894, having been first ap- pointed by Governor Renfrow, and afterward reappointed. Ilis labors as a member of this board have been productive of good results. He drew up the plan for the grading of the territo- rial rural schools, a practical plan devised by the Territorial Board of Education, and revised by him in 1899, with such modifications as he found advisable. He is one of the board of regents of the State Normal School at Edmond, and of the State Normal School of Alva, being president of the board, and is a member of the board of regents of Langston University, and also of the School Land Board of Oklahoma. He is a member, and the secretary, of the Ter- ritorial Equalization Board, the Railway Assess- ing Board, the Grain Inspecting Board, and is president of the Territorial Board of Health.
November 8, 1885, in Toledo, Iowa, Mr. Hop- kins married Miss Kate Doyle, who was born
in Bloomfield, Iowa, a daughter of D. Doyle, a farmer of that town. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins have two children, namely: Oscar Earl, born in 1887, and Mariel Irene, born in 188S. Polit- ically Mr. Hopkins affiliates with the Republican party. Fraternally hc is a member of El Reno Lodge No. 3, A. F. & A. M .; of Perfection Lodge, Southern, having taken the eighteenth degrec of Masonry, being now a Scottish Rite Mason. He is connected with El Reno Lodge, I. O. O. F., of which he is past master; and also belongs to the Woodmen of the World and the Maccabees. He was a charter member of the Presbyterian Church of El Reno, which he has served as elder.
H ON. SIDNEY CLARKE. The name of Mr. Clarke is intimately associated with many of the enterprises that have contrib- uted to the development of Oklahoma. Chief among these is the St. Louis & Oklahoma City Railroad, extending from Oklahoma City to Sa- pulpa, in the Creek Nation, one hundred and eight miles distant. As a director of the com- pany, Mr. Clarke lias assisted in pushing the great enterprise to completion. When the proj- ect was first inaugurated, he was placed in charge of the work at Washington, D. C., and drew the bill that passed congress, but was ve- toed by the president in 1894. He also drew the second bill, which became a law in 1895, and under which the road was built. In this, as in many other legislative acts in the interests of Oklahoma, he has been a prominent factor. His years of experience as a member of congress, and his wide acquaintance with members both of the house and the senate, and with other men of national prominence, afford him especial ad- vantages in securing legislation in behalf of this territory, and of these advantages he has availed himself to the utmost. In the great work of opening Oklahoma for settlement, he proved himself a friend of the settlers, and did much in their behalf through his public speeches.
Tracing the ancestry of Mr. Clarke. we find that he descends from early settlers of New Eng- land. Ilis grandfather was an officer in the Revolutionary army, and his father served in the war of 1812, while lic himself proved his pa- triotism by his service during the Civil war. He was born in Southbridge, Mass. From the age of eighteen until twenty-three, he was proprietor of the Southbridge Press. In 1850 he went to Lawrence, Kans., and at once became identi- fied with the political affairs of that new coun- try. So closely was he allied with its interests for almost twenty-five years that a complete his- tory of his life-work would be a history of the
headles
da 23
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
state. In 1861 he was elected to the legislature, where he served with ability, winning recogni- tion for his statesmanship and eloquence. In 1862 he was appointed, by President Lincoln, as- sistant adjutant-general of volunteers. He served as provost marshal-general and superin- tendent of volunteer recruiting service for the district of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Da- kota, with headquarters at Leavenworth, Kans. In the performance of the duties of this office he was recognized as an efficient and popular officer. To a marked degree he enjoyed the friendship of President Lincoln. He was a member of the congressional committee that accompanied the remains of the martyred presi- dent to their resting place in Springfield, Ill.
In the summer of 1864 Mr. Clarke canvassed Kansas in behalf of Abraham Lincoln. In No- vember of the same year he was elected to con- gress from the state at large, being the youngest member of the Thirty-ninth congress. In 1866 and again in 1868 lie was re-elected to the office. In 1870 he was again before the Republican state convention, but, owing to his champion- ship of the rights of the early settlers on the Osage Indian lands, he was defeated by the cor- porations that used a large amount of money to accomplish that end. In the winter of 1871 he was a candidate for the United States senate, but the same influences brought about his de- feat. In 1878 he was elected to the state legis- lature from Lawrence and was chosen speaker of the house. From December, 1885, up to the close of the Fiftieth congress he labored at Washington to secure Oklahoma legislation, urging the passage of the bill before the com- mittee on territories, and with senators and the press. As the session of 1889 was closing, he assisted in drafting the amendment to the In- dian appropriation bill which opened Oklahoma to settlement. In April, 1889, he moved from Lawrence to Oklahoma City, which he believed then, and still believes, is destined to be the commercial center of the prospective state of Oklahoma.
Among the measures to benefit this territory which Mr. Clarke originated may be mentioned the bill donating the military reservation to Oklahoma City for the benefit of tlie public schools; the bill for the right of way for the St. Louis and Oklahoma City Railroad, previ- ously mentioned; and the bill for the acquisition of the Cherokee strip. He is the chairman of the statehood executive committee, and an ar- dent advocate of the early admission of the terri- tory as a state. In 1898 he was elected, on the fusion ticket, a member of the territorial council from Oklahoma County, and in that body he was recognized as the leader of the opposition to the Republican party. In 1900 he was again
elected on the same ticket to the territorial council.
From this sketch, it is seen that Mr. Clarke has always been interested in politics, state and national. Possessing more than ordinary gifts as an orator, his influence in the sphere of poli- tics has naturally been large. Though not an office-seeker in the usual meaning of that term, he has ever been ready to serve the people in any capacity they desired, and in every position it has been his aim to promote the welfare of his fellow-citizens. The wise laws framed by his hand and carried through the legislature by his energy, bespeak his interest in worthy projects. As a man who is steadfast in adlierence to prin- ciples he believes to be right; as an orator of acknowledged power; and as a progressive citi- zen, he deservedly stands high in the territory to whose progress and development so much of his life has been devoted.
Mr. Clarke resides with his family, consisting of his wife and two children, in a beautiful resi- dence at Oklahoma City. His private library is said to be the most extensive in Oklahoma.
J. B. BEADLES. In the list of energetic and resourceful men who were attracted to Oklahoma on the day of its opening to settlement, especial mention belongs to J. B. Beadles, of Guthrie. Shipping a stock of goods to this city June 18, 1889, he placed them in a building he had erected for that purpose, and at once embarked in the shoe trade, meantime conducting other stores at Jacksonville and. Litchfield, Ill., and Yates Center, Kans. For some years he continued in the business, build- ing up a large and profitable trade. However, in 1893 he closed out the store, and, with his son, turned his attention to the real-estate busi- ness. At this writing he is a large holder of real estate, also bonds and warrants of town- ship, county and city.
At the time of the opening of the Cherokee strip in 1893, Mr. Beadles started a ranch eight miles southwest of Perry, on the Santa Fe Rail- road, near Asp Station, and he now owns two thousand acres of valuable land there. For some years he has made a specialty of raising high- grade stock, and owns a large herd of valuable Shorthorn cattle. While giving considerable attention to the management of this property, he has other interests that receive deserved consideration. Among the valuable properties that he owns should be mentioned the J. B. Beadles block on Oklahoma avenue, Guthrie. which is a substantial building, with a frontage of one hundred and twenty-five feet.
The Beadles family came to America from Wales and settled in Virginia, thence migrating
24
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
to Kentucky. Berrimond Beadles, grandfather of J. B. Beadles, was born in Georgetown, Ky., but in early life settled in Callaway county, Mo., where his son, Thomas G., was born. When the latter was eight years of age the family, in 1828, moved to Scott county, Ill., and settled on a farm five miles west of Winchester in the midst of a thickly wooded forest and near a group of fine springs. The father finally removed to another farm near Winchester, and from there to Morgan county, Ill., dying in .Murrayville, February 14, 1885. In religion he was an earn- est Methodist. Interested in local affairs, he served efficiently as a member of the board of commissioners of Scott county. He married Margaret Clark, who was born in Scotland in 1810, and came to this country with her father, Samuel Clark, settling first in Virginia, and thence, in 1837, moving to Jacksonville, Ill. Slie died in 1854, and of her children our subject alone survives. After her death Mr. Beadles married Elenora P. Penton.
Near Winchester, Scott county, Ill., J. B. Beadles was born November 27, 1841. His early education was obtained in the district school of his neighborhood, and afterward in the Winchester high school and he later spent two years in the Illinois Normal School at Nor- mal. Meantime he had taught school in Scott county. June 4, 1864, he opened a general mer- cantile store at Murrayville, Ill., where he carried on business until 1879, and at the same time dealt largely in stock, shipping to the principal cities. Upon the organization of the bank at Murrayville he was chosen its president, and filled the responsible position with credit to him- self. During 1879 he opened a boot and shoe store at Jacksonville, Ill., afterward embarking in a wholesale business, but in 1895 disposed of his stock in that city. Meantime he had opened stores at other points, and his interests were large and important at the time he removed to Oklahoma. A man of sterling business quali- ties, he is justly held to be one of Guthrie's most influential and enterprising citizens, and his prominence is the deserved result of his success and abilities.
Politically Mr. Beadles has always affiliated with the Democratic party. Prominent in Ma- sonry, he was for ten years master of Lodge No. 432, A. F. & A. M., at Murrayville, 111. He took the chapter degree at Jacksonville, Ill., and was for a time high priest of Jacksonville Chapter No. 3, R. A. M. In the same city he took tlie commandery degree. He now belongs to the lodge at Guthrie.
At Murrayville, Ill., Mr. Beadles married Miss Jeannette Cunningham, a native of Morgan county, Ill., and a daughter of Alexander Cun- ningliam, who cantte from Scotland and engaged
in farming near Murrayville. Mrs. Beadles died in 1872. Of her children we note the following: Walter, who died in El Paso, Tex., December 5, 1892, was a young man of great promise, a graduate of Illinois College, and class of 1892, . Columbia Law School, of New York City; Ella and Howard died in infancy; and Louis N. is connected with his father in business. The last- named is a prominent and rising young business. mian and has many warm friends in Guthrie. . In Illinois he married Miss Lillie Mathews, and they have two children, Walter and Janet.
The second marriage of Mr. Beadles took place in Manchester, Ill., and united him with Miss Sarah A. Murray, who received her early education in Scott county and completed her studies in the famous Rose Hill Seminary at Portsmouth, Ohio. She is a daughter of Jolin Murray, a native of Scotland, and a farmer of Morgan county, Ill., where she was born and reared.
G EN. BERT C. ORNER, a prominent rep- resentative of the younger generation of
Oklahoma's public men, who has dis- played exceptional ability in various lines, is now adjutant-general of the territory, being probably the youngest officer of that rank in the United States.
Mr. Orner was born in Joplin, Mo., July 17, 1875, and is a son of J. C. and Ida (Shephard) Orner. He is of German descent. J. C. Orner was born in Indiana, and at an early day settled in Joplin, Mo., where he followed the occupa- tion of a pharmacist, conducting a drug store there until about 1877. Later he resided suc- cessively in Medicine Lodge, Topeka, Salina, and Garden City, Kans. In 1889, at the opening of Oklahoma, he located at Guthrie and became assistant secretary of the territory under Secre- tary Martin, holding the office until 1893, when there was a change of administration. Since then he has been living in retirement. His wife was born in New York state, and they are parents of four children.
Bert C. Orner, the second child born to his parents, was reared in Kansas and attended the public schools at Topeka. In 1885 he was ap- pointed page in the house of representatives at Topeka, and served during the sessions of 1885 and 1887, and during the special session of 1886. In 1889 he was appointed page in the senate at Topeka. He removed to Oklahoma in 1890. Accepting an appointment as stenographer in the office of the secretary of the territory, he continued as such until 1893. when he was ap- pointed enrolling clerk for the council of the territory. He next clerked in a clothing store for eighteen months, and then became a sten- ographer in the office of Fred Elkins, attorney.
25
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
July 14, 1897, he was appointed chief clerk in the office of the adjutant-general of Oklahoma. In 1894 he joined the Territorial Militia as a musician of Company A, First Regiment, N. G., for three years, and upon the expiration of his ternt of service he re-enlisted. January 31, 1898, he was commissioned second lieutenant of Com- pany A, by the governor, and in March, 1898, was appointed second lieutenant and acting ad- jutant-general of Oklahoma. He served in the latter office until March 17, 1899, when Harry Barnes returned from the volunteer army and was appointed adjutant-general. Mr. Orner then became deputy bank examiner under Mr. Pugh, but on August 4, 1899, was appointed adjutant- general to succeed Harry Barnes, who resigned to become a lieutenant in the volunteer army. Mr. Orner has the rank of brigadier-general and is chief of the governor's staff.
Fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Benevolent Protective Society of Elks. He is connected with the Guthrie Commercial Club and was formerly secretary of the Guthrie Athletic Club. In politics he has been an active Republican since boyhood. Religiously, he is an Episco- palian.
H ON. JOHN W. SCOTHORN has gained considerable distinction and prominence as a member of the Oklahoma bar, as his legal ability placed him among the foremost of his profession, and throughout the territory he is known as a man of the highest sense of public and personal honor. He is at present the first assistant United States attorney of the territory of Oklahoma, with headquarters in Guthrie, where he resides with his family, and where he is esteemed as a loyal, public-spirited and repre- sentative citizen. He was born March 22, 1855, near McArthur, Ohio, and is a son of William J. and Lydia Scothorn.
William J. Scothorn was born in Pittsburg, Pa., and is a son of John Scothorn, who is a native of the state of New York, and was of Scotch and Irish extraction. He was left an orphan when a mere lad and after drifting about settled in Pittsburg, Pa., where he spent the greater part of his life. For many years William J. Scothorn followed his trade as a carpenter, and about 1852 located near McArthur, Ohio, where he carried on farming. Returning in 1859 to Pittsburg, he engaged in boat building, until after the close of the Civil war. He was united in marriage with Miss Lydia Long, a native of Washington county, Pa., and a daughter of George Long, who was also born in Pennsyl- vania, and was a descendant of sturdy German
ancestry. Her father settled in Vinton county, Ohio, near McArthur, in later years, and there spent his remaining days. Mr. and Mrs. Scot- horn were the parents of eight sons and two daughters, of which seven sons and one daughter are still living, named as follows: William G., who lives in Iowa; John W .; Martha E., wlio is the wife of Jolin A. Hall, and lives in Miamis- burg, Ohio; Verdell, living in Iowa; Albert J., of Ross county, Ohio; Milton E., a resident of Logan county, Okla .; Isaac N. and Robert J., who reside in Jackson county, Ohio. The parents are members of the United Brethren Church.
In the schools of Allegheny, Pa., and the com- mon schools of Ohio, Mr. Scothorn received his education. At eighteen years of age he began teaching school in Jackson county, and after- ward taught in Vinton county, Ohio. He read law in the office of Judge William J. Rannells, of McArthur, Ohio, and was admitted to the bar in the supreme court of Ohio, May 5, 1880. He first practiced his chosen profession at Hamden, Ohio, and soon became prominent among the leading attorneys of the Vinton and Jackson county bars, and in 1882 the citizens of Hamden honored him by electing him mayor of the town. He served in that capacity for about one year, when he resigned.
In 1883 Mr. Scothorn moved to Wellston, Jackson county, Ohio, and formed a partnership with the late Hon. H. S. Bundy, an ex-congress- man, and the father-in-law of United States Senator J. B. Foraker. When Mr. Foraker was elected governor of Ohio in 1885, Mr. Scothorn was appointed to a position in the adjutant-gen- eral's office, where he remained during Mr. Foraker's two terms as governor. In April, 1890, he was appointed special agent of the gen- eral land office, by Secretary of the Interior John W. Noble, and was stationed at Guthrie, continuing in that position until April, 1893. In December, 1890, Mr. Noble assigned him to assist the United States attorney of Oklahoma in the investigation and prosecution of a number of perjury cases growing out of land contests in the territory. He was engaged in this work until 1893, when he was relieved on account of a change of administration. .
After his term of office as special agent, he formed a law partnership with Homer C. Jones and Ernest W. Jones, father and son. They had two offices, one at Guthrie, over which Homer C. Jones presided, and one at Perry, where Mr. Scothorn and Ernest W. Jones were stationed. In the fall of 1893 Homer C. Jones was ap- pointed a member of the Town Site Board of Alva, and while there died in the spring of 1804. Mr. Jones was an assistant attorney of the de- partment of the interior at Washington, during
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.