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 54
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November 3. 1876, Mr. Martin married Jemima Robertson, the preacher who performed the ceremony receiving as a fee his last cent. Of this union there have been three children, two of whom are living. Ida and Washington. Mrs. Martin died in 1881. Mr. Martin's second mar- riage was to Virginia Swain, a resident of Brown county, Kans., and a native of Davidson county, N. C., where her husband was born. Of this union there are six children, three boys and three girls: Ella, Grover, Nellie, Octavia, James A. and Frank.
After his second marriage Mr. Martin moved to Sumner county. Kans., and after a year's resi- dence in that locality bought two hundred acres of land, for which he paid Sto per acre. The farm not only paid for itself within two years, but supported the members of the family as well. The second year nearly the entire acreage was sown in wheat: the yield was thirty-three and one-third bushels to the acre, and the price re- ceived per bushel was $1.04. When well estab- lished on his new possession, the railroad people built their track across his garden. The privi- lege of having their track bordered by a flour- ishing garden was an expensive luxury for the
company, which was later forced to pay $3.3>< for damages.
In 1889 Mr. Martin took up his residence Oklahoma, pre-empting his claim during t !.. famous rush of April 22. The original claire near Mulhall was contested, and. rather than stb mit to the annoyance, he pulled up stakes an : came to his present claim, which is in a high state of cultivation; twelve and a half acres are de. voted to a fine orchard, an acre is given over to a berry patch, and half an acre to a vineyard. In his effort to seeure a peaceful agricultura! existence, Mr. Martin met with some drawback- in the shape of robbers, who relieved him of his thoroughbred cattle. In all he has lost seven- teen horses and one mule, thirteen being taken at one time. Mr. Martin's enterprise was not exceeded by the robbers, for he had them tracked, tried and sentenced to the penitentiary. In addition he got back most of his stock. After this experience Mr. Martin organized the Anti-Horse Thief Association, which has ren- dlered such valuable assistance to the community and to farmers in general. His tranquillity has been again disturbed by the railroad, which has hewn its way through his orchard. In igoo he erected a very fine stone house, which is an or- nament to the township.
Mr. Martin is a member of the Democratic party, and, while not an office-seeker, neverthe- less represents his community at most of the conventions. He is a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows at Belle Plaine, Kans .. and has passed through all the chairs.
K ARL HERMANN. One of the sterling German-American citizens of Canadian county, Karl Hermann is entirely worthy of the high esteem in which he is held by all who know him. He owes his competence and influ- ential position solely to his own merits, for he has waged his battles single-handed, and many were the obstacles which he overcame.
Our subject is a son of August and Emilie (Neumann) Hermann, his maternal grandfather being Joban Neumann, all natives of Germany. The father was engaged in the business of buy- ing and selling live stock, and in his various un- dertakings he met with success.
Karl Hermann spent seventeen years of his life in Germany, where he obtained an excellent education and fitted himself well for the respon- sibilities which later fell upon his shoulders. He carly determined to cross the Atlantic and set about making a fortune in the new world. and in 1882 he said farewell to the friends and scenes of his youth and sailed away toward the til- known future in a strange country. He pro- ceeded to the flourishing state of Illinois, and
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N. F. CHEADLE. Guthrie.
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there obtained employment with a farmer. He so thoroughly pleased his employer that the man continued to hire him for six and a hali years, or as long as he would stay. After spend- ing eight years, altogether. in Illinois, he found himself in the possession of a snug amount of money, the hard-won earnings and careful say- ings of his wages, and he wisely determined to invest at least a part of his capital in Oklahoma lands. Just ten years ago he bought his first property-a quarter-section of land situated near El Reno -- and, after improving the place, he sold it and purchased his present homestead, on section 28, Mustang township. He now culti- vates a large share of the farm, which comprises two hundred and forty acres. He raises a gen- eral line of crops and live stock, and finds a ready sale for the products of his farm in the neigh- boring markets. In his thrifty orchard and vine- vard may be seen a large variety of fruit, and in his large and handsome groves there are over a thousand fine shade trees.
After he had made a good start as an agricul- turist and business man, Mr. Hermann married Maria L. Shimmelpfennig, whose birthplace was in Dearborn county. Ind. Her parents were Wil- liam and Louisa ( Hainz) Shimmelpfennig, both natives of Germany. To the marriage of our subject and wife four children have been born, namely: Bertha D., Emilie L., Julius A. and Pauline. They are being given good educational avantages, and are being qualified for the active duties of life by their industrious and far-seeing parents.
N. I F. CHEADLE. One of the wide-awake. ambitious business men of Guthrie, and one of those who are justly entitled to be classed among the founders of this flourishing western city, the subject of this article deserves more than passing notice by the historian. The sterling qualities of his Scotch and German an- cestors are most happily united in him, and for generations his forefathers have been loval allies the United States and unsparing in their man- festations of patriotism. His paternal great- grandfather was a Revolutionary war hero, and His grandfather served in the war of 1812.
Viter settling in this hospitable land, the Chea- We lived in Pennsylvania for some time, and Wer removed to Washington county, Ohio, Where our subject's father. Vincent Cheadle, was Morn. He was a contractor and builder by occu- pation, and at an early day he located in Water- m. lowa, where he followed his calling. In 86; he removed to Carthage, Mo., and is still a asident of that place, where he is a highly es- " cmned citizen. His wife, whose maiden name
was Susan Gable, was born in Ohio, and was of German extraction. She departed this life at her Missouri home some years ago. Of her four children, Mary E. resides in Carthage, Mo., and Mrs. Anna Linzee lives in Pierre City, Mo. Elza Il., a young man of great promise and ability. enlisted in an Iowa regiment during the Civil war, served throughout the trying Georgia cam- paign, under the leadership of the gallant Sher- man, and made an honorable record as a soldier and patriot. Subsequently, when in a frontier town in Texas, he was assassinated by a ruffian because he made a remark complimentary to General Sherman.
N. F. Cheadle was born in Waterloo, Iowa, April 26, 1855, and, after leaving the public schools, it was his privilege to attend Corneli College, at Mount Vernon, Iowa, for a year. Later he engaged in clerking in a general mer- chandising establishment, there mastering the principles of business. He then embarked in the retail ice business upon his own account, and continued to give it his entire attention for four years, when he sold out. His next venture was to carry on an omnibus and transfer business in Carthage, Mo., and in this also he met with fair success.
On the first train which arrived in Guthrie from the north, April 22, 1889, Mr. Cheadle was a passenger, and early that afternoon he located upon two lots, one at the corner of Division and Harrison and the other on Division street, the former now being the site of the governor's office. He at once started in the wholesale beer business, representing the Ferd Heim Brewing Company, and having his warehouse on Vilas street, near the railroad. In ISgo he built the substantial building he now occupies, and. hav- ing established a well-equipped cold-storage plant, he started a bottling works the following year. Here are manufactured soda waters and all kinds of "soft" drinks, flavoring extracts and similar articles of commerce. The steam bot- tling works is at No. 424 Oklahoma avenue. In 1893 Mr. Cheadle branched out in another direc- tion, opening a coal yard, and since that time has dealt extensively in all kinds of coal. He also sells and ships ice in wholesale quantities, and deals extensively in cotton, having a large vard for its storage. Under his supervision branch agencies for the Ferd Heim Brewing Company have been located at Newkirk. Ponca City, Blackwell, Perry, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Edmond, Ripley, Stillwater and Pawnee. In 1893 he opened an establishment at Chandler. under the firm name of Cheadle & Schlegel, and thus that town is supplied with a soda-water fac- tory and a cold-storage plant for beer and other hot-weather beverages. Everything which Mr. Cheadle undertakes he carries forward to distinct
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success, and great credit is due him for his sa- gacity and enterprise.
The Republican party receives his allegiance and in the spring of 1898 he was nominated and later elected as a member of the city council. He represents the third ward, and is chairman of the committee on public improvements, besides serving on the committees on parks and ~on finance. He is actively concerned in every move- ment effecting the progress of the city, and is an honored member of the Guthrie Club. Fra- ternally he also belongs to the Odd Fellows So- ciety and the Encampment, to the Knights of
S. R. Marshall was born in Pittsburg, Pa., September 23. 1847, and in 1856 made the long river trip to Leavenworth, Kans. Though a Pythias, Uniform Rank, and to the Red Men, . mere lad, he volunteered his services to the Kan- in all of which organizations he is popular.
When a resident of St. Louis, Mr. Cheadle married Miss Eva Maud, daughter of Henry Blackwell. The latter was accidentally killed in a railroad wreck which occurred some years ago in Colorado. Mrs. Cheadle is a native of Illinois, and by her marriage had two daughters, Lois May and Lucille, who died when only seven months old. She is a member of the Baptist Church and is loved by a large circle of friends. The attractive home of the Cheadle family, at No. 411 East Springer avenue, was built by our subject.
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S. R. MARSHALL, ex-mayor of Enid, has been one of its substantial citizens for the past seven years. He is the vice-president of the Commercial Club of this city, which he assisted in organizing, becoming one of its char- ter members. In every possible manner he has used his, influence in the promotion of local in- dustries and city improvements, and is known as a progressive and able business man.
For several generations the Marshall family, to which our subject belongs, were citizens of Massachusetts. His grandfather was Philetus Marshall, of the Bay state, and his father. S. A. Marshall, was born in Boston. The latter, who was a fine dentist, engaged in the practice of his profession in Pittsburg, Pa .. until 1856, when he removed to Leavenworth. Kans. He was ac- companied by his wife, Mary A .. and their seven children, and for two weeks they were on steam- boats plying the Ohio. Mississippi and Missouri rivers, as it was before the days of railroads in the west. Dr. Marshall was the first dentist to locate in Leavenworth, in which city he resided. respected and honored, until his death in 1889. At one time he served as captain of a company of home guards. His wife survived him but four years, and of their ten children eight are living. She was born in Pittsburg, in which place her father, James Reeder, a native of England, was well known as a business man and proprietor of a flourishing iron foundry. William F. Marshall,
first son of S. A. Marshall, was a member of Company F, First Colorado Regiment, and was killed at the battle of Pigeons Ranch in New Mexico, during efforts which were made to drive the Texas rangers out of Colorado. James P., another son, died in Cowley county, Kans. George W. is a merchant at Concordia, Kans .. and Charles H. is a merchant of Glasgow, that state. The five daughters reside in Kansas or Kansas City.
sas militia during Price's raid, in the Civil war. and served under Colonel McFarland, going to Kansas City, Westport and other threatened points. When only fourteen years of age he en- tered the office of the Leavenworth Times, and as the years rolled by was promoted from the posi- tion of messenger boy and paper carrier to book- keeper and business manager. After serving for several years in that capacity he was appointed assistant postmaster to Col. D. R. Anthony, and acted in that position for two years. At the ex- piration of that period, in 1878, he removed to Nickerson, Kans., where he engaged in the hard- ware business, and established the Bank of Nick- erson. He remained as the proprietor of both these enterprises until 1887, and in the meantime served as mayor of the town for one term. In January, 1888, he removed to Denver, Colo .. where he engaged in the real-estate business until September 16, 1803.
That date initiated Mr. Marshall's citizenship in Enid, and in the intervening years he has conducted a grocery business. Purchasing a lot soon after his arrival, he erected the store which has been occupied by hin, and from time to time he has invested in local real estate. With some other successful business men he laid out the south side addition to Enid, a tract of eighty acres, and also owns property of similar extent adjoining the city on the east and situated only a short distance from the business center. lle is independent in politics, and in 1895 was electe 1 . to fill a vacancy as mayor of Enid. The follow- ing year he was nominated and elected to the office, but owing to a law passed by the legisla . ture, changing the time of election, he served only a year, less than the usual length of a term. He is a Knight of Pythias and is a highly es- teemed member of local society.
In 1883 occurred the marriage of Mr. Marshall and Miss Ella O. Marsh, who was born in Chi- cago and departed this life in Denver. Colo .. nine years ago. Two daughters are left to mourn her loss, namely : Mabel, who is attending school at Lawrence, Kans., and Ruth, who is with her father.
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J. E. McCRISTY, a member of the firm of McCristy & Trease, proprietors of the Enid Mill & Elevator Company, is one of the wide-awake, practical business men who have been the chief factors in the development of Enid, a little city, which sprang up almost in a night, and now boasts a population of about five thousand. But this fact carries little idea of the great commercial interests of the place, and it is only by comparison with scores of old. staid towns in the east that one is enabled to judge of the wonderful activity that is displayed here in every direction of enterprise.
Mr. McCristy is in the prime of life, as he was born April 18. 1861. His parents, David and Mary (Rutledge) McCristy, were natives of Bellefontaine and Perry county, Ohio, respect- ively, and for many years were engaged in farm- ing in Mercer county, same state. Mrs. Mc- Cristy, whose girlhood was passed in Perry county, Ohio, is a daughter of Jolin Rutledge, a pioneer of Mercer county. She is yet living upon her old homestead, and her daughters, Mrs. Alpha J. Bice and Mrs. Bertha Stover, are resi- dents of the same locality. David McCristy, whose death occurred April 9. 1899. had a son. Bronson, by his first marriage. He enlisted in an Ohio regiment and served during the Civil war, and now is identified with the farmers of Mercer county.
The youth of our subject was spent on his father's farm near Rockford, Ohio, his birthplace. . Having completed his public-school education, he went to Valparaiso, Ind., and pursued a two- years course in the Northwestern Indiana Nor- mal. As he is the only son of his mother, he found it a difficult thing to leave home, and assisted in the management of the farm until 1884. when he came to the west. Buying a farm near Anthony, Kans .. he operated it for a year and then went to Colorado, but seven months residence near Grenada, in an exceptionally dry season. led to his return. Locating in Richfield. Kans .. he entered into the partnership with Mr. Trease, which has been mutually agreeable and profitable ever since-about fourteen years. During the first three years of the firm's exist- ence the partners conducted a mercantile busi- ness at Richfield, a point situated about fifty-five miles from the Santa Fe Railroad.
In the spring of 1800 the firm opened a flour and feed store at Kingfisher and met with success in the undertaking. September 16, 1893. they came to Enid. and on the following day em- barked in business here. The flour and feed store which they established was situated on Grand avenue, on the eastern side of the "square." and for some time they occupied a sub- stantial building, which they had constructed for the purpose.
In the spring of 1897 the partners commenced to build a mill, which, it may be stated, was the first one in operation in this city. and the second one ready for business in the "strip." From September 21. 1897. to the present time it has been steadily at work, and in 1899 it was found necessary to materially enlarge it. At first its capacity was only one hundred and twenty-five barrels a day, while it now turns out four hundred and fifty barrels of flour and one hundred barrels of meal per day. The equipment is strictly mod- ern, the engine being one of one hundred and fifty horse power. The favorite brands of flour produced here are styled "Perfection," "Pride of Enid." and "Purity." and much of the output is consumed by the local trade, a portion finding its way to the .east and the Gulf states. The ele- vator, which is run in connection, was opened in July, 1897. and has a capacity of twenty thou- sand bushels. It stands upon a siding from the main tracks of the Chicago & Rock Island, and shipments are continually received from all parts of the territory, eighteen hundred bushels of wheat being ground each day in the mills.
In this city occurred the marriage of Mr. Mc- Cristy and Miss Clarissa Brown. a native of Ohio. who removed to the west with her parents. for some time residing in McPherson county, Kans. Mr. and Mrs. McCristy have an adopted daugh- ter, Zella. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. he being a trustee and a teacher in the Sunday-school. In national poli- tics he is an uncompromising Republican.
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F. S. KIRK. \ greater measure of success : is enjoyed by F. S. Kirk than often comes to a man of his years, but indefatigable energy and unusual foresight in all of his enter- prises are the secrets of his prosperity. A fitting type of the American financier, he neglects no opportunity for advancement, and in nearly all of his ventures meets with success.
One of the native sons of Gibson county. Ind .. F. S. Kirk was born June 17. 1868, and spent nine years of his boyhood in that section of the Union. His father. V. T. Kirk, and his grand- father, Abraham Kirk, were natives of the same county, a fact which indicates the long residence of the family in that locality. The great-grand- father of our subject, Mason Kirk. a native of Kentucky, accompanied his mother to Gibson county in his boyhood. They were among the first settlers there, and Mr. Kirk built the first mill in that section. It was run by water power and was a landmark on the Patoka river for many decades. When about eighteen years of age hie participated in the battle of Tippecanoe, and in times of peace as well as of war he never failed to discharge his duties as a patriot.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Abralanı Kirk inherited a share of his father's fortune, and owned the old homestead until his death, when in his fortieth year. He married Olivia MeFetridge, a native of Indiana, and of Scotch descent. V. T. Kirk followed in the foot- steps of his father and grandfather, and, in addi- tion to carrying on a farm, operated the old Kirk grist and saw-mill for several years, also en- gaging in the lumber business for a period. When eighteen years of age, in October, 1861. he enlisted in Company K, Fifty-eighth Indiana Infantry, and served until after Lee's surrender, being mustered out of the army August 25, 1865. He took part in the battle of Stone River, where he was disabled, but he continued with his regi- ment until the close of the civil strife, being placed on detached duty. In 1877 he came to the west, and was one of the first persons engaged in sawing walnut lumber near Pleasanton, Linn county, Kans. He brought with him a saw-mill from the east, and shipped lumber extensively for several years. In 1880 he removed to Shell City, Mo., and the following year located in Os- wego, Kans. In September, 1881, he became a citizen of Kingman, Kans., where he has since been engaged in the grain, coal and live stock business. In IS98 he was the Republican candi- date to the legislature. Though there was eight hundred fusion majority in his district, the fusion candidate defeated him by a majority of only forty-seven votes. He is identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, and is popular in his community. For a wife he chose Lydia E. Janes, who, with her father, Henry Janes, was a native of Maryland. He was a harness manti- facturer, and pursued that calling in Indiana for many years. A son and three daughters were born to V. T. Kirk and wife, namely: F. S .; Min- nie B. and Bessie M., of Kingman, and Mrs. Pearl Alexander, of Enid.
As previously stated, F. S. Kirk spent nine years in his native state, whence, in 1877, he removed with the family to Kansas. Ile com- pleted his education in the Oswego high school, and subsequently engaged in business with his father in Kingman. September 16, 1893, he came to Enid, where he has since been actively engaged in business. He deals extensively in grain, coal and feed, and keeps a full stock of garden and field seeds. In 1894 he also em- barked in the stock business, and two years later became agent for the Chicago & Ft. Worth Packing Company, buying hogs for the firm and shipping them in car-load lots. Until 1895 he conducted two stores, one at North Enid and the other in Enid proper, but finally removed to a central location at the corner of Broadway and Ninth streets, Enid. In October. 1807. he built a substantial warehouse, office and sale stable. now paying more attention to the last-named en-
terprise. He has won more than a local reputa- tion as a dealer in horses, and makes a specialty of breeding fine draft and roadster horses. Hle owns the celebrated Cleveland Bay, Duke of Barber, and Rock Island, a half-brother of Joe Patchen, as well as Silver Brock, a standard-bred animal, whose sire was a son of Patchen Wilkes. and dam was sired by a son of Happy Medium; and Silver Leaf, a standard-bred horse that car- ries the palm as being the fastest trotter in Okla- loma.
One of the comparatively new products of the west, castor beans, raised in great quantities in western Oklahoma, and along the line of the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, is handled ex- clusively by Mr. Kirk. Yearly he makes con- tracts with the farmers for their entire crop of beans, and handles about fifty thousand bushels annually. Mr. Kirk is a director and member of the Mid-state Coal Dealers' Association. which includes Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Indian territories. In the Commercial Club of this city he holds membership and is consid- ered a representative business man: Politically he is active in the ranks of the Republican party and is the present county weigher of Garfield county.
The marriage of Mr. Kirk and Miss Maud M. Buffington was solemnized in Hutchinson, Kans .. February 14, 1889. Mrs. Kirk is a native of St. Louis and is a daughter of G. P. Buffington, of Missouri, who departed this life at his home in Hutchinson. In religious faith Mrs. Kirk is an Episcopalian, identified with the Enid Church.
J AMES O. CASEY. Among the young and thoroughly progressive agriculturists ot Logan county, James O. Casey takes a con- spicuous place. He is a worthy representative of a family which, generation by generation. has advanced toward the western frontier, literally leading the way of civilization and prosperity.
Our subject's father, James C. Casey, was born in Ohio, whence he went to Iowa in his childhood, and there grew to manhood. He was a practical farmer throughout his active ca- reer, and now, in his declining years, is enjoying the fruits of his toil. When the Civil war threat- ened the Union, he volunteered his services to his country, and for three years he was found at his post of duty, wherever that happened to be. At the close of the conflict he returned to his Iowa farm and continued to give it his whole at- tention until 1892, when he came to Oklahoma and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of section 17. township 16, range 3 west, the prop- erty now owned and managed by the subject of this article. After residing here for five years.
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