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 50
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WV. P. Griffin was first married in Oxford. Kans., the lady of his choice being Miss Belle Abbott, who was born in Ohio. Their little daughter, Carrie, died when a little more than a year old, and the mother passed to the silent land in July, 1896. In December, 1800, Mr. Griffin married Miss Mary Rogers, who was born near Corning, lowa.
Mr. Griffin has attained the thirty-second de-
gree in Masonry, and is past master of Coronado Lodge No. 9, A. F. & A. M., of Hennessey, and identified with Guthrie Consistory. Moreover, he belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Woodmen of the World, the Knights of Pythias, and the Eastern Star. Po- litically he is a true-blue Republican, and never has swerved in his allegiance to the party, which, in his belief, has piloted the ship of state through troublous times to prosperity.
W W. NOLAND. One of the valuable farms of Kingfisher county is that owned and carried on by W. W. No- land, a genial citizen of his community. His homestead and residence are convenient to Hen- nessey, the latter-being located about a mile from the city. Accompanying the great multitude of home-seekers on that eventful spring day eleven years ago he came into the territory and located his claim-the northwestern quarter of section 18, township 19, range 6. Here he has since dwelt, in the meantime making substantial changes for the better in the property and re- ducing it to a high state of cultivation. Like the majority of Oklahoma farmers, he pays special attention to the raising of grain, for which the soil is especially adapted, and from this source alone derives much of his income. In addition to his home place he operates a quarter section of school land.
The paternal grandfather of our subject. Thomas Noland, was born in Ireland and at an early day came to America, settling in Virginia. Later he went to Franklin county, Ohio, where he was a pioneer. His son, William, father of W. W. Noland, was born in the Old Dominion, and for years he was a resident of Franklin county, Ohio. As early as 1850 he went to Han- cock county, Ill., making the journey in a "prairie schooner." and carried on a farm in the vicinity of Dell City until he was called from his labors in 1862. Hlis widow, who in her girlhood was Miss Margaret Weatherington, died Octo- ber 15, 1900. Her father, William W .. was born in Germany, whence he went to Franklin county, Ohio, in the early part of the present century. and there occurred the birth of Mrs. Noland. She is the mother of nine children, two of whom are deceased.
W. W. Noland was born February 22. 1848. on a farm situated about five miles from Colum- bus, Ohio. With his brothers and sisters he was reared to the duties pertaining to a farm, and thus laid the foundations of his future success. In 1873 he removed to the southwestern part of llenderson county, Ill., where he engaged in the tilling of the soil until the fall of 1888. With the expectation of becoming a resident of Okla-
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lioma as soon as it was lawful, he went to Jen- nings, Kans., and there spent the winter of 1888-89. He has never regretted his decision in regard to a choice of a home, and has won suc- cess by honest toil and perseverance in his under- takings.
An active worker in the Democratic party, Mr. Noland served on the Kingfisher county committee, and in 1804 was chosen as a nominee of his party to the office of representative in the territorial legislature, but was defeated, owing to the fact that the Democrats are in a minority here. Socially he is a member of Coronado Lodge No. 9, A. F. & A. M., of Hennessey.
In Illinois Mr. Noland married Miss Thurza Emory, a native of that state, and daughter of Arthur Emory, formerly of Pennsylvania. She died, leaving four children, namely: Mrs. May Mulholland, of Kansas City: Ellis, William and Earl, of Garfield county. The second marriage . of Mr. Noland took place in Hennessey, Judge Franklin performing the ceremony which united his fortunes with those of Miss Mary Magde- burg, whose birthplace is in Iowa. This esti- mable couple have numerous friends, and their home is noted for a generous hospitality.
C HARLES P. RHODES, proprietor of the Rhodes house, the leading hotel in Hen- nessey, is well known to the public and is held in high esteem by all who have the pleas- ure of his acquaintance. He has been engaged in the management of this popular hotel since it was opened, April 30, 1894. and has made a marked success of the enterprise. The hotel is well patronized, and a point is made of meeting the demands of the transient and traveling pub- lic.
The paternal grandfather and the father of our subject bore the Christian name of John, and both were natives of New Jersey. In his youth the latter learned the milling trade, and, in com- pany with a brother, went to Rhodesport. N. Y .. where he carried on a mill run by water-power. Hle departed this life at his home in Millport, where he had resided many years, his death oc- curring in his sixty-sixth year. By his first mar- riage he had two sons and two daughters, the latter now deceased. Benjamin, who served in a New York regiment during the Civil war, and once was wounded, now lives in Washington. and John, Jr., a miller, resides in New York state. The second wife of John Rhodes, Sr., was Margaret, daughter of Daniel Predmore, both natives of New Jersey, and of German de- seent. The mother died while making a visit to her old home in New Jersey, and her youngest you, ficorge, also is deceased. The oldest soll. Daniel Harker, who served in the Civil war, is
now engaged in mining operations in Joplin. Mo., and W. A. lives in Wellington.
. Charles Predmore Rhodes was born in New - ton, N. J., November 27, 1847, and was reared at Rhodesport, N. Y. Supplementing his public- school education by a course in the commercial department of the University of Michigan, of Ann Arbor, he embarked upon the serious duties of life well equipped for the struggle. In July. 1869, he went to Oil City, Pa., where he spent two years, and in 1872 he entered the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad as a telegraph operator and agent at Williamson, Mich., being the first one stationed at that point. His eldest brother, a civil engineer, had been employed in surveying and building the railroad, and for a period the young man worked under his super- vision. For-eleven years C. P. Rhodes continued in the employ of the Michigan Central, being stationed at Trufant for all but two years of that period. Under the administrations of Grant and Hayes, Mr. Rhodes also acted as assistant post- master of Trufant. At length leaving the rail- road business, he went to La Rue, Ohio, where he was engaged in merchandising in partnership with his brother, W. A., for four years.
In 1885 C. P. Rhodes came to the west, and had charge of the laying out of the town of Cairo, Kans., after which he engaged in the real- estate business, also carrying on merchandising. His brother, D. H., had built a section of the Wichita & Western Railroad, now a part of the Santa Fe system, west of Kingman. Our sub- ject had purchased a residence at Kingman in 1888, and remained there for some time, attend- ing to his property interests. Twice he met with severe losses, his store being destroyed by fire, but he still owns a valuable farm and fine prop- erty in Cairo, Kans .. and vicinity. Since coming to Hennessey, he has been connected with the institution now known as the First National Bank, and was a charter member of the Hen- nessey State Bank, as it was formerly called. At present he is one of the board of directors and is assistant cashier of the bank.
Soon after attaining his majority, Mr. Rhodes was initiated into the Masonic order in New York, and later he was a member of the blue lodge at La Rue, Ohio. It Greenville, Mich .. he took the Royal Arch degree, and now he also belongs to the Wichita Consistory and is con- nected with the Knights of Pythias. Politically. he hokls to the platform of the Democratic party.
In Bekdling, Mich., C. P. Rhodes married Miss Ella Williams, whose father had given his life to his country in the Civil war. Her mother sub- sequently became the wife of W. A. Knott, the original founder of the town of Belding, and for years a prominent miller of the place. After the
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death of Mrs. Ella Rhodes, in Michigan. Mr. Rhodes married Miss Anna Murphy, a native of Charleston, S. C., but whose girlhood ha i been passed in the Wolverine state.
J JOHN R. SULLINS. America, and particu- larly the west, is the place of all places for the man who has his own way to make in the world, and nowhere else does he receive stich measure of eredit for his achievements. In reviewing the history of John R. Sullins. this fact becomes again apparent, and, even to the casual reader, there is much of interest in the narrative of this self-made man.
A native of Morgan county, Tenn .. and a son of Larkin and Mary (Richmond) Sullins. our subject removed with the . family to Morgan county, Ill., in 1830, when he was five years old. The father settled upon a tract ci govern- ment land, and became a successful farmer. Blackhawk Indians were numerous in that local- ity, and the great chief, Blackhawk, himself. often visited the cabin of Mr. Sullins, and was on friendly terms with him until the war between the red men and settlers broke out. Evidently the chief continued to feel kindly toward Mr. Sullins, who twice was made a prisoner by the Indians, and both times released by Blackhawk. The last time, however, the chief. probably in deference to the opinions of his braves, made a great show of anger, and threatened to cut the throat of his captive should he ever fall into his hands again. When he was a small boy. John R. Sullins also was on good terms with Black- hawk, and sometimes spent.a week at a time as an inmate of his wigwam, while he played. fished and hunted with the children of the rei men. Douglas, Lincoln and other men who became famous were entertained at the home of Larkin Sullins, who was respected as a loyal. upright citizen.
The first school which our subject attended was one conducted on the subscription plan. in 1836, but the labors of the pioneer prevented his taking advantage of it, and. altogether. he never spent but twenty days in the schoolroom. Be- fore he was twelve he drove a team and when he was sixteen he joined some men who owned a threshing machine, and then, perforce. he was obliged to learn a little arithmetic. for he had to keep account of the amount of work per- formed, and about this time he taught himself to read and write. Little by little. he hardly knew how, he picked up a great deal of practical knowledge. It was not until he was twenty that he set out upon an independent career, his earn- ings hitherto having been turned over to his parents.
During the following nine years he engaged in
railroading, for two years being a fireman with Engineer Everett on the Wabash & Toledo Rail- way, and later having charge of an engine him- self. Next he became a stage driver between Springfield and Mechanicsburg, and, after two years at that occupation, he went to Iowa and drove a stage between Keokuk and Montrose, and finally drove the stage between Indianola and Saint Charles, Iowa.
The marriage of Mr. Sullins and Nancy J. Ball. of Woodbine, Iowa. took place February 3. 1856. She was born in Columbus, Ohio, a daughter of Lueius and Susanna (Hickman) Ball, and when she was about sixteen years old she had accompanied the family to Iowa. The young couple commenced housekeeping on a rented farm in Harrison county, Iowa, and dur- ing the ensuing ten years they prospered. for they were industrious and deserving of success.
In August, 1862, Mr. Sullins enlisted in Com- pany C, Twenty-ninth Iowa Infantry, and for three years he stood at the post of duty, partici- pating in many a battle in the western wing of the Union army. Among others, he fought in the engagements at Champion Hill, Vicksburg and Helena, Ark., and in the first-named battle he was wounded by a ball which lodged in the flesh near the thigh. Without waiting for the care of the overworked surgeons, he pluckily extracted the bullet himself. At the same battle a piece of a shell just grazed the lower part of his left leg. At Saline Fork, Ark., where they were hard pressed by the enemy, ninety-nine six-mule teams were captured by the latter, and, while they were looking about for another driver. Mr. Sullins cut away the leader and made a dash for liberty. It happened that he went straight into a swamp, where, as he thought. pickets had been stationed. for he dimly perceived a figure, and. grasping a pistol in each hand, he charged ahead. A voice, unmistakably that of a negro, ex- claimed. "For God's sake, massa, don't shoot!" and then led him through the swamp to a place of safety. Subsequently Mr. Sullins was dis- abled while loading logs for the camp, and was sent to the hospital at Helena, and later was. transferred to that at Memphis. He then was assigned to the St. Louis hospital, and. alto- gether. spent about five months on a sick-bed or in the convalescents' ward. Afterwards, he was assigned to the Invalids' corps and stationed at Indianapolis, where he served as a guard over prisoners for about a year. He was honorably discharged in that city, August 16, 1865, and re- turned home immediately.
In the meantime, Mrs. Sullins had been living with her father, whose health was failing. and. with her sisters, whose husbands also were ab- sent in the army, she had performed the accus- tomed duties of the men on the farm, in addition
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to caring for the welfare of the household and looking after her three children, the eldest of whom was only eight and the youngest a year and a half old at the close of the war. \ daugh- ter, Mary, married Joseph Ward, and resides in Lincoln county, Okla. Harry I. is married and lives on the homestead owned by our subject.
Soon after his return from the south, Mr. Sul- lins and family moved to Andrew county, Mo., where they rented land, but a year later they became residents of Morgan county, Ill., where they dwelt two years. In 1870 they bought a quarter-section of land in Labette county, Kans., and, after caltivating it for seven years, sold the place and went to Davis county, Mo., where they remained for ten years. Trading the property for a farm in Nemaha county, Kans., they en- gaged in agriculture there until 1890, when Mr. Sullins bought the claim to his present home- stead on section 28, township IS, range I west. Here he has developed a valuable farm, and, as it is situated along the fertile river bottom, the land is highly productive. He has made good im- provements, and is considered a thrifty and busi- ness-like man in all his dealings.
Politically, he is a Republican, and has been loyal to his party since Lincoln's second can- didacy for the presidential office, prior to which time he was a Democrat. In 1898 he was ap- pointed deputy sheriff of Logan county, and is still serving in that capacity. He is a charter member of Hartranft Post. G. A. R., and has been its junior and senior vice-president. At different times and places he has attended re- unions of the Grand Army, and ever retains a warm place in his heart for his old comrades.
J OHN WILLIS SMITH. It is almost a mat- ter of surprise to people of wide informa- tion that so great a proportion of the lead- ing and distinguished men of the United States -- the men of to-day-as well as of the past. have bailed from the quiet country home. Of this multitude is John Willis Smith, one of the representative citizens of Oklahoma, and now a resident of Hennessey.
His paternal grandfather, Willis Smith, was born in the sonth, and during the early settle- ment of Illinois removed to that state from his former Tennessee home. Locating a farm near Salem. Marion county, he developed an excellent homestead. During the Blackhawk war he par- ticipated in the conflict. defending his property and dear ones. At length he started to cross the plains of the great west, making the journey with ox teams, but ere he reached his destination he was stricken with the cholera and fills a lonely grave far from his old home.
The parents of our subject, Solomon and Eliz-
abetli (Walls) Smith, were natives of Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. The mother, who departed this life in Kansas some years ago, was a daughter of John Walls, who lived and died in Kentucky, where he carried on and owned a large plantation. Solomon Smith was reared chiefly in Illinois, and there was occupied in agri- cultural pursuits until 1870, when he removed to Cowley county, Kans. Purchasing a farm in the vicinity of Winfield, he cultivated the place for many years, and now is numbered among the merchants of Burton, Kans. While the Mexican war was in progress he enlisted and served in an Illinois regiment. Two of his daughters, Mrs. Jane Etherington and Mrs. Hattie Woods, reside in Burton, while Mrs. Mary Slater lives in King- fisher county; Mrs. Amelia Rockenbach, in Ca- nadian county, Okla., and Mrs. Allie Pack, in Cowley county, Kans. C. C., the youngest of the family, is employed as teller in the First National Bank of Flora, Ill.
Born June 30, 1860, on the parental home- stead near Salem, Ill., John Willis Smith spent about ten years in that locality, and the remain- der of his youth was passed in Cowley county, Kans. His educational advantages there were not very good, and he carly took up his full share of the farm duties. In 1880 he went with the family to Winfield, and for a year or more was engaged in the livery business there. Then returning to agricultural life, he also embarked in the cattle business, beginning to buy and ship live stock to markets.
In September, 1889, Mr. Smith located a claim in Oklahoma, fourteen miles southeast of Hen- nessey, and commenced making improvements. and to-day he owns four fine farms in this and Logan counties. For several years he made his home in Guthrie, meanwhile dealing largely in cattle. In February. 1898, he became a citizen of Hennessey, owing to his varied financial in- vestments in this section, and is acting as cashier of the bank of which his partner, Mr. Drennan. is president. Together they own a ten-thou- sand-acre ranch, known as the Boiling Springs Ranch, and have it well fenced and equipped with needful improvements. It is situated in Woods county. on Main creek, one of the branches of the Cimarron river. They keep large herds of cattle there, and have a number of fine Herefords. Besides, they have yards in Hennessey, where three or four hundred cattle are specially fattened for the markets. For some time the partners have conducted a large and flourishing business in grain, having elevators at Hennessey, Enid and Waukomis, Okla .. their capacity aggregating fifty thousand bushels, and. moreover, they maintain grain warehouses at Garber and Pond Creek. Success has richly crowned their energetic labors, and they are re-
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HENRY L. DOUGLAS, Mustang.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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spected members of the Oklahoma and Texas Stock Growers' Association, and belong to the Oklahoma and Indian Territorial Grain Associa- tions.
In the southern part of Hennessey stands the beautiful home of Mr. Smith, which he erected himself recently. The lady who presides as its hostess formerly bore the name of Mary E. Sla- ter. She was born near Carlisle, Ill., and at the time of her marriage to Mr. Smith, December 15. 1880, she was living in Cowley county, Kans. They have a charming family, six sons and daughters, namely: Madge, Glenn, Eunice, Leo, Herman and Merle. Madge is attending the col- lege in Sherman, Tex., and Glenn is a student in the Hennessey high school.
Initiated into Masonry in Burton, Kans., in Clinton Lodge No. 233. A. F. & A. M., Mr. Smith now is affiliated with Coronado Lodge No. 9, of this city, and has taken the Consistory degrees, holding membership at Guthrie, Okla. He also is identified with the Knights of Pythias. A member of the Christian Church, he is now acting as treasurer of the board of trustees, and is a liberal contributor to the support of the church.
H ENRY L. DOUGLAS. ` Lying on section 25 of Mustang township, Canadian county, is the farm which for some years has been owned and operated by Mr. Douglas. The lan 1 is rich and fertile and responds readily to the owner's care and cultivation. To some extent it is devoted to the raising of corn and wheat, but the larger portion is in pasture land for horses, mules and hogs, and the products of the farm are used entirely for feed for the stock. It is said that the stock owned by Mr. Douglas is as fine as any in the county, or, indeed, in the entire ter- ritory. He is the owner of two valuable stal- lions, one a Clydesdale, the other a Morgan : and also owns three thoroughbred Kentucky jacks. the grandsire of which sold for $1.500.
The Douglas family was early established in Kentucky, from which state Henry L. Douglas, Sr., grandfather of our subject, moved to Boone county, Mo., and purchased a sawmill and five hundred acres of unimproved land. The man- agement of the mill was given to his son, William G., when the latter was only seventeen years of age, and, notwithstanding his lack of experience. he proved himself a capable superintendent and manager. Afterward he bought a sawmill. which he conducted in connection with the one owned by his father. At the same time he owned and improved a farm. His last years were de- voted largely to agricultural pursuits, and he made his home on his Boone county property until his death in 1896. He had married Mary
.1. Harris, a native of Boone county. Their son. Henry L., of this sketch, was born in Boone county in 1860 and received his education in local schools. At an early age he became fa- miliar with general farming and stock-raising. which twin occupations he has since conducted successfully. For some time he cultivated land in Missouri, but in 1891 he came to Oklahoma and bought a tract of unimproved land. This property he later sold and bought a farm in the Mustang bottom, afterward trading that place for a Missouri farm, which in turn he sold and bought the farm he now owns and cultivates.
In 1889 Mr. Douglas married Miss Sudie Biswell, daughter of Sheldon Biswell, a Missouri farmer. They are the parents of four children. Marvel. Lena, Howard and Mary.
D AVID ROUSE has been the architect of his own fortunes, and by industry and per- severance has managed to acquire a goodly fortune, besides educating and caring for his family in a commendable manner. His own ad- vantages were somewhat limited, but he made the best of every opportunity for advancement, and is a man of liberal information and practical experience.
A native of Baden, Germany, Mr. Rouse was born December 28. 1834. a son of Michael and Mary Rouse. The family emigrated to America when our subject was only two years old, and settled in Oneida county, N. Y. There he grew to manhood, receiving a common-school educa- tion and learning farming in all of its detail -. When he was a mere lad he commenced work- ing as a wood-chopper, and many a long, cold winter he was thus employed, receiving fifty cents a cord for his labor. He also worked in a sawmill and later followed the lumber- business until he reached his thirtieth year.
On the 21st of December. 1850. Mr. Rouse married Catherine Deuchler, of Oneida county. N. Y., and a native of Alsace, France. She was about fifteen years of age when she came to this country with her parents, Martin and Su- sanna ( Miller) Deuchler, and for forty-one days they were tossed to and fro upon the ocean, en- countering some dreadful storms, which threat- oned them with destruction. Mrs. Rouse attended school some after the family located in Oneida county, and thus is familiar with both the German and English languages. She sup- ported herself from her sixteenth year until she was married, and always has been an active, busy woman, taking delight in her housekeeping an 1 proving herself a true helpmate to her husband.
For four years subsequent to his marriage. Mr. Rouse continued at the sawmill business in Oneida county, and then, as he was the youngest
In
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of the five children of the parental family, he bought and carried on the old homestead and took care of the venerable couple in their last years. In 188t he went to Atchison county, Kans., and bought wild land, which he at once commenced improving. In the ensuing year he moved his family to their new home, and for ten years they industriously labored in the develop- ment of the farm. In the spring of 1892 they came to Oklahoma and purchased a claim, to which they are undisputed owners. It is situated on the northwestern quarter of section 33, town- ship 18, range i west, and is considered a very desirable homestead.
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