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 83
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D ENNIS LOUGHMAN. An influential cit- izen of Waukomis township, Garfield county, Dennis Loughman is widely known and thoroughly respected. The family of which lie is a worthy representative is of German ori- gin, and his great-grandfather settled in Penn- sylvania prior to 1776. His grandfather, Henry Loughman, was born in Greene or Fayette county. Pa .; his father, Daniel Loughman, was born and died in Greene county, and his own birth took place in the same county. When pretty well along in years, Henry Loughman went to Wayne county, Iowa, and took up wild land, which he improved ere his death. Daniel
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Loughman never removed from his native county, and was the owner of a fine farmi, com- prising three hundred acres. His property was in the possession of the family for several gener- ations, and is considered one of the best home- steads in that portion of the state. Mr. Lough- man was very popular in his home community, and at one time was his party's candidate for the office of county treasurer. He departed this life, honored and respected, in 1891, when he was in his sixty-fourth year. His wife, the mother of our subject, attained the same age, and died March 7, 1899, on the old homestead. She bore the maiden name of Sarah James, and her father, Dennis James, was the owner of much. valuable real estate; in fact, being one of the largest property holders in Greene county, Pa.
Only one of the ten children of Daniel and Sarah Loughman is deceased, namely, Dora. The sons are George Henry, John E., Charles and Dennis. Belle is the wife of George W. Hampson; Matilda is Mrs. Weir Meek: Ida is Mrs. James Dunn, of Waynesburg, Pa .: Martha Alice is Mrs. C. McClelland, and Bertha is the wife of Fred Willard, of Washington, Pa.
Dennis Loughman was born on the old Greene county farm forty-six years ago, and in his youth received his education in local schools. He continued to carry on farming in his native county until 1886, when he removed to Gage county, Neb., and bought eighty acres. He met with success in his labors, and paid special at- tention to the raising of live stock. March 20, 1894. he came to Garfield.county and purchased his farm, located in the northeastern part of sec- ยท tion 14, Waukomis township. At first he and his wife kept house in a small granary, 12x14 feet in dimensions, but in the following spring moved into the substantial domicile which he had built in the meantime. He soon had eighty acres un- der cultivation and had planted a large orchard and vineyard. He devotes a large share of his time to live stock, raising, feeding and shipping cattle and hogs to the markets. He keeps a good grade of registered hogs, chiefly of the imported Chester breed.
When living in the east Mr. Loughman served as postmaster of Sycamore, Pa., for four years, and since locating in Wankomis township has been a justice of the peace. At present he is a member of the school board. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat.
In 1879 Mr. Longhman married Eliza J. Brooks, who was born and reared in Athens. Ohio. Her father and two of her uncles were heroes of the Civil war. all participating in the battle of Gettysburg. There the uncles' lives were sacrificed on the altar of their country, and Mrs. Loughman's father, William Curtis Brooks, a member of the Thirty-sixth Ohio Infantry,
also was wounded at Gettysburg. He now re- sides with his son, W. C., Jr., a farmier of Osborne township, Garfield county. Our subject and wife are members of the Waukomis Congregational Church, he having been a deacon for the past four years, white'she is the superintendent of the Sunday-school, a position she has filled to the satisfaction of all for some time. In the Sun- day-school work she takes great interest, and for six years she has been one of the most efficient teachers in the department.
D AVID PRICE GILGER, who is conduct- ing his farm enterprises on the southwest quarter of section 1, township 22, range 5 west, two and one-half miles from the postoffice of Cropper, Garfield county, was born in Clarion county, Pa., August 2, 1846. His parents were Daniel C. and Ann (Price) Gilger, the former a successful farmer of Clarion county. He was reared on the home farm and studied diligently in local schools. At the opening of the Civil war his sympathies were fired with patriotic fervor and he determined to enlist as soon as old enough. February of 1864 found him a private in Company A, One Hundred and Third Penn- sylvania Infantry, in which he served about eighteen months. He was a favorite among his comrades, by whom he was affectionately called "Little One," this name originating in his stat- ure. For a time he was ill in a hospital. As soon as able to work he was detailed as a cook for the regiment, and he continued in that work for some time. Though he saw some skirmishing, he did not take part in any of the important battles of the war. At the time of President Lincoln's assassination he was on Roanoke Island. He was mustered out of the service in Newbern, N. C., and received his honorable discharge at Harrisburg, Pa.
Returning to his home in Pennsylvania at the close of the war, Mr. Gilger located on the Clarion river and engaged in building flatboats for a livelihood. He had previously learned the carpenter's trade under his father's instruction. After giving up the boat business, he rejoined his father, and began to assist him in the appli- cations of his trade. In 1867 he removed to Livingston county and worked on a farm. In 18;1 he located in Johnson county, Mo., where he continued farm pursuits. His marriage took place February 17, 1874. and united him with Mina Souder. a native of Ohio, but at the tinie of their marriage a resident of Johnson county, Mo. They are the parents of five sons: Dexter. Lawson, Athen. Ellsworth and Jesse.
While living in Johnson county, Mr. Gilger determined to settle in the Chevenne and Arapa- hoe reservation at the time of the opening, and.
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. accordingly, 1893 found him in the field. He made the run from the line and tried to secure a claim ten miles west of Enid, and in October succeeded in buying off the man who had first located on the property. He brought with him to the territory only $15, and therefore did not have an easy time in getting a start. However, owing to the combined perseverance of himself and wife, he has attained a fair degree of pros- perity, and hopes that the future will bring him even greater success. His first crop of wheat averaged four and one-half bushels to the acre. but the average has been continually increasing, until at the present time there is little to be de- sired in this respect.
Mr. Gilger is public-spirited and enterprising, and awake to the best interests of his locality. His first presidential vote was cast for Grant in 1868, and he has continued to vote the Repub- lican ticket to the present time. For four years he served as road overseer, and during his term was instrumental in securing improved roads. He is a member of the Grand Army post at Enid.
C HARLES A. McNABB. Within the boun- daries of Oklahoma county a more promi- nent and progressive fruit-grower cannot be found than the gentleman whose name ap- pears at the opening of these lines. His fruit farm is located in Oklahoma township and con- sists of a quarter section. Upon eighty acres he has set out three thousand five hundred trees. consisting of apples, pears, plums, peaches and cherries, and his vineyard of twenty-one acres contains thirteen thousand vines. He is very enterprising and an honor to his chosen occupa- tion, in which his father also attained a high de- gree of success.
A native of Montgomery county, Ohio, he is a son of Milton McNabb. who was born in Greene county, Ohio, and owned a large fruit farm near Dayton, having about thirty acres un- der cultivation, on which he grew a large variety of trees and shrubs. Though not a politician. he always supported the Republican ticket. He died in 1881, aged sixty-five years. He was united in marriage with Miss Amanda Diddie, a native of Pennsylvania, and a descendant of German extraction. Ten children resulted from this union, of whom the following three are still living: Lewis W., who resides in Peoria, Ill .; John K., who is a soldier in the Twentieth United States Infantry, now stationed in the Philip- pines; and our subject. The mother died in Dayton, Ohio, in 1883.
Charles A. MeNabb was reared on his father's farm, and his early education, which he ob- tained in the district school, was later supple-
mented with a course in Miami College. When nineteen years of age he accepted a position as chief clerk and bookkeeper in the wholesale dry- goods store operated by Legler, Barlow & Co., in Dayton, Ohio, and, after serving in that ca- pacity four years, in 1885 he went to Winfield, Kans., where he was employed as bookkeeper in the Merchant mills. In the fall of 1887 he went to Douglas, Kans., where he built a flour mill, with a capacity of one hundred and fifty barrels, and this he continued to operate until he sold out in the spring of 1889.
Upon the opening of Oklahoma he came to Oklahoma City, where he opened a wholesale flour and feed store on Reno avenue, but he later built a store on Broadway, where the new Lee Hotel now stands. He erected the first greenhouse in Oklahoma City, it containing over five thousand square feet of glass. In 1895 he sold out his business and purchased from D. MI. Carlton his present farm, which is located three miles northeast of Oklahoma City and consists of a quarter section of land. To his already large orchard he is adding every year, and within fifteen years his present orchard will doubtless yield him at least five thousand barrels of apples. Before the present season is over he will have more than fifty acres put in grapes, it being his intention to grow grapes both for the market and for making wine. He is undoubt- edly one of the most progressive fruit-growers in his section of the country.
For four terms Mr. McNabb has served as president of the Territorial Agricultural, Horti- cultural and Irrigation Association, and has also officiated as secretary one term. While a resi- dent of Oklahoma City he served two years as a member of the city council, and he has always been affiliated with the Republican party. At present he is secretary of the district school board No. 44. In 1882 he was united in mar- riage with Miss Carrie L. Seeger, a daughter of F. C. Seeger, whose sketch also appears in this work. She is also a native of Dayton, Ohio. and to this happy union four children have been born, as follows: Fred, Jeannette, Mildred and Marie.
B ENJAMIN FRANKLIN MEYERS. The great agricultural wealth of Oklahoma countyis being developed by men of marke.1 practical talents, and one of the able business men of Mustang township is B. F. Meyers, who has been a pioneer in certain directions of enter- prise. He comes of sterling patriotic ancestry. his great-grandfather, Isaac Meyers, having been one of the heroes of the Revolution, sery- ing under the leadership of Gen. George Wash- ington. The family have been connected with
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the progress of Pennsylvania for several gener- ations, and, possessing the true spirit of the pio- neer, privations and hardships have not daunted their courageous souls. Isaac Meyers, Jr., father of our subject, was a native of the Keystone state, like his father before him (also Isaac Mey- ers by name), and also like his mother, who was Miss Catherine Albert in her girlhood. For a wife he chose Nancy Groff, also a Pennsylva- nian, and at an carly day in the history of In- diana the young couple removed into the wil- derness of that state. He bought and cleared a homestead, and there reared his children to be good, useful citizens. Five of the number reached maturity and were married beneath the parental roof, where they had spent so many happy years. Isaac Meyers, Sr., though well along in years, also improved a farm in the wilds of Indiana, and, after his death, his estate was divided among his relatives.
The birth of B. F. Meyers occurred November 25, 1847, on the old Indiana homestead in Wayne, Marion county, and a portion of his grandfather's property fell to him as an inher- itance. He devoted his time and attention to agriculture for many years in the Hoosier state. and gradually amassed a competence. During the Civil war he enlisted in the defense of the Union, becoming a member of Company C, One Hundred and Fortieth Indiana Volunteer In- fantry regiment, and participated in some of the severest campaigns of the war. He was in the battle of Nashville and many others, and later served under General Sherman in the Georgia campaign.
When Oklahoma had passed through the first few months of its rather turbulent early settle- ment, Mr. Meyers decided to cast in his lot with its inhabitants, for he had great faith in its future. Selling his homestead in Indiana, he came to Oklahoma county, arriving here on the 5th of November, 1880. and, after carefully prospecting and weighing the natural advantages of several localities, purchased one of the best farms in the county. It is situated on section 2. Mustang township, in the valley of the North Canadian river, where the soil is exceptionally fertile. As- sisted by his son, he raised the first crop of wheat in this valley. and has been awarded prizes for this cereal. Twice in succession at the millers' convention in Kansas City he was given a pre- mium upon his exhibit, and at the Guthrie fair he took the first and second prizes. About forty acres of the farm is covered with timber. and thus a good supply of lumber and fuel is within command. The substantial improvements which the father and son have instituted upon the place speak well for their enterprise and sagacity, and they are ranked among the leading farmers of their community.
The marriage of Mr. Meyers and Miss Mary H. Meredith was solemnized in Indiana in 1866. Five children bless their union, namely: Benja- min F., Jr., Melissa, Catherine, Rosa May and Charles Edward. Catherine is the wife of Frank Dixon, and resides in the Hoosier state, but the others are unmarried and make their home with their parents. They are identified with the Bap- tist denomination, and the father and sons are Democrats in political faith.
An interesting fact in regard to Mrs. Meyers' forefathers has been gleaned, and a strong con- trast between the times of our country's colonial days and the prosperous era which we now have reached is presented to the mind. Her great- grandparents on the maternal side, Mr. and Mrs. Greiner, wealthy people of Germany, took pas- sage in a ship bound for America, and were ac- companied by their two sons. The worthy couple were robbed of their riches, then murdered and their bodies cast into the sea, and this terrible drama was enacted in the presence of the two small sons. For some reason their lives were spared, but they were stripped of their clothing and placed on the shore near New York city. The miserable little waifs were fescued and taken care of by a kind farmer, and the younger, Peter, the grandfather of Mrs. Meyers, afterward fought bravely for his adopted country in the war of the Revolution. Mrs. Meyers is a daugh- ter of Thomas and Abbie (Greiner) Meredith, natives of Delaware and New Jersey, respect- ively.
C HARLES SAMUEL MORRIS, one of the thrifty young agriculturists of Logan county, is a native of Cherokee county, Kans., where his birth took place December 22. 1867. He is a son of Shelton and Elizabeth (Woods) Morris, whose biography appears else- where in this volume. His homestead is the northeast quarter of section 14, township 17, range 2 west, and is seven and a half miles from Gutliric.
When he was quite young our subject re- moved to Cowley county, Kans., where he learned agriculture in its various departments and at the same time mastered the elementary branches of knowledge, as taught in the com- mon schools. He continued to live with the parental family until that celebrated 22d of April. 1880, when, with his relatives, he made the eager rush into the newly opened territory of Okla- homa. They arrived at the northern boundary line with teams, and, when the signal was given, entered the land of promise and selected such property as they desired. The following day. when our subject returned to the wagons left at the border, his father and uncle staked out a
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claim for him, as well as their own. He then commenced building a small shanty for a shelter, and let no time pass ere he began the improve-, ment of his land. In the spring of 1800 he planted an orchard, and in the autumn of that year had the pleasure of harvesting a good crop of corn.
On the 12th of October, 1800, Mr. Morris - married Mary Adams, of Cowley county. She was born in Appanoose county, lowa, and is a daughter of John E. and Rebecca (Fountain) Adams. When she was about sight years old she accompanied her mother to Cowley county, where she later became acquainted with her future husband. Her father died when she was two years old. Two children bless the union of our subject and wife, namely: Thomas Walter, born May 6, 1892, and Trinnie Ann, October 18, 1897.
In the spring, after his marriage, Mr. Morris built a substantial house. 14x16 fcet in dimen- sions, and in 1892 added a wing, 14x24 fect, in front of the other part. He is continually mak- ing improvements upon his property, which has thus been materially increased in value within a very few years: His orchard is beginning to produce abundant harvests. particularly of fine peaches, and in addition to this he has a thrifty vineyard. He raises some good live stock, and has been an active member of the Union Pro- tective and Detective Association, which has practically rendered horse theft an unheard-of matter in this region. He is a Republican, and religiously is identified with the Christian Church, as is his wife also.
G. W. MUNGER. in whose honor the town of Munger. Oklahoma county, was named, is one of the well-known and representative farmers of Crutcho township. He possesses the marked traits of his ancestors, who came from Scotland to the United States several generations ago, and to his own industry and strict attention to business he owes his success in life.
The paternal great-great-grandfather of our subject was one of five brothers who left the shores of their native land with the purpose of seeking a home and livelihood in the new world. One of their number was drowned during the voyage, and the others separated soon after they landed in New York city. One went to the south, and his son Joseph. the grandfather of G. W. Munger, was born either in Virginia or in North Carolina. He migrated to the vicinity of Kingston, Tenn., and married a native of that state. Their son, William, father of G. W. Mun- ger, was born in eastern Tennessee, and while he was a child he accompanied the family to
Madison county, Ill., then on the frontier, a lit- tle better than a wilderness. He was reared in that primitive country, and continued to carry on a farm there until 1851, when he removed to Greene county, Mo., where he owned a stock farm and raised cattle, horscs and mules. At the breaking out of the Civil war he returned to Illinois, and spent his last years on the old homestead which was so dear to him. His wife, Amanda (Young) Munger, also a native of Ten- nessee, died on the old farm in Madison county, and of their eight children four survive.
G. W. Munger was born in Madison county, Ill., in 1846, and spent his boyhood and youthi on the parental homestead. In 1880 he went to Wyandotte county, Kans., and there leased ninety acres of land. For the ensuing eleven years he was occupied in general farming and gardening in that locality, but in 1891 decided to become a resident of Oklahoma. Hc arrived in this county on the 15th of February, and at once became thoroughly interested in the development of its resources. He resides on the northeastern quarter of section 12, Crutcho township, and the site of his home is considered one of the finest in the territory. An abundance of beautiful, well-trimmed hickory, oak and elm trees surround the house, and a finc, thrifty or- chard, in which all varieties of fruit may be found, and a highly productive vineyard add to the attractiveness and value of the farm, which is conducted on practical, scientific methods. Mr. Munger devotes a portion of his time to the raising of cattle and Poland-China hogs, and has about eighty acres of the farm under culti- vation.
In 1896 the marriage of Mr. Munger and Mrs. Mina ( Roberts) Kay, widow of William D. Kay. was solemnized. Mr. Kay had come to Okla- homa City at the time that the territory was opened, and until 1891 made his home in the city mentioned. He then bought the J. A. Hanna claim, which was nearly covered with timber. and during the following year, the last of his life, he made such improvements as were possi- ble in such a short period. His widow lived alone for four years, and with unusual business skill and enterprise carried on the great work of improvement which had been commenced. In the winter of 1801-02 the five-room house. 26x28 feet in dimensions, was constructed, also a wing. 14x14 feet. In addition to her farm, she owns property in Oklahoma City, which she rents to good tenants.
Politically, Mr. Munger is a Republican. Ed- ucational affairs, as well as all others relating to the welfare of the country, command his car- nest attention. He served as a member of the board of directors of District No. 35. As he do- nated five and a quarter acres of land to the
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Frisco Railroad, and assisted materially in se- curing a right of way to that corporation, which will greatly aid this region, providing an outlet for produce raised liereabouts, the station of Munger was named in his honor, and will be a monument to his patriotic spirit and public en- terprise.
W ILLIAM NEAL, a sterling citizen of Hartzell township, Oklahoma county, has "fought a good fight" for the prop- erty on which he resides, and richly deserves the prosperity which now is crowning his la- bors. Fan and unswerving when certain that he is in the right, he has battled long and ear- nestly for the homestead which he saw and de- sired many years before he received the power to make a claim upon it, and his hosts of friends in this locality rejoice in his triumph.
The parents of the above-named gentleman were Aaron and Martha Elizabeth (Clampett) Neal, who were early settlers of Illinois. The father was a native of North Carolina, though his ancestors had originally located in the New England states, and were of the stern old Puri- tan stock. In his early manhood Mr. Neal went to Illinois, and took up a tract of government land in Franklin county. During the Black Hawk war he enlisted with the militia, ready to defend his home and loved ones, but, luckily, that trouble was a thing of the past within a year or two. Subsequently he enjoyed nearly a score of years of peace and prosperity, vet was only forty-three years old when he died, in 1854. His widow survived him many years, her death oc- curring in 1875, when she was fifty-seven years of age. Of their eight children only one is de- ceased. Major Moses Neal, the eldest, resides near Chandler. Okla. Fannie is the widow of Jekyn A. Whiteside, and Nancy is the wife of Paul Fisher, of Humboldt, Kans. John A. lives in Golden, Mo .; Sarah. Mrs. Israel Todd. makes her home in Ponca City, Okla., and Robert R. lives in the state of Washington.
William Neal was born in Old Frankford. Franklin county, Ill., January 21. 1850, and in his boyhood mastered the practical branches of learning in the district schools and on the old home farm. In 1875 he went to Allen county. Kans., where he devoted himself to agriculture for a short time. He then went to Chautauqua county, same state, where he was identified with its agricultural class eighteen years, becoming a man of no slight influence in the community. He developed a fine farm from wild government land, and laid the foundations of his fortune by industry and patient perseverance in his under- takings. While his brother. Major Neal. was acting as agent to the Sac and Fox Indians,
he served as farmer at the reservation two years, and then made his plans to settle in Oklahoma whenever the territory was opened to white people. On the 22nd of April, 1880, he staked his claim-the northeast quarter of section 35, township 13, range 2 west, losing no time, as he was familiar with the locality and knew just the tract of land that he wished for his own. Here, unfortunately, he found a "sooner" in pos- session, and a spirited contest, lasting fully five years, was entered upon. The land department gave Mr. Neal four decisions, and the local courts also rendered four decisions in his favor. Thus, it was not until 1894 that he became thie absolute owner of the land, but in the mean- while he had felt so certain of his rights that he had instituted numerous improvements on the place. One hundred and thirty acres are now under cultivation, and large crops of wheat and cornare raised annually. The land is rich and arable, lying along the North Canadian river, and it has been found specially desirable for fruit culture. Mr. Neal has a thrifty orchard, comprising fully four hundred trees, of different varieties, and now is producing large harvests.
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