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 84
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A man of public spirit, Mr. Neal discharges all of his duties as a citizen, and for some time has been a member of the local school board. In political principle he is a Democrat, though he is not an aspirant to official distinction. In fraternal circles he is associated with the Mod- ern Woodmen of America, his membership being in the Oklahoma City Camp.
Three years ago Mr. Neal built a pretty, sub- stantial residence for his family. and beneath its hospitable roof many of his friends and neigh- bors have been entertained. In 1879 he mar- ried Annie E. Meadows, daughter of Robert Franklin Meadows, who was born in Tennessee. Removing to Kentucky before the close of the Civil war, in which he had served in the Eleventh Tennessee Cavalry, he was killed by guerrillas, because of his service, February 14. 1863. Mr. and Mrs. Neal are the parents of three children, namely: Robert Emmett. Edna E. and Mary. who have had excellent educational advantages.
P ROF. INMAN EDWARD PAGE. One of the distinctive institutions of Oklahoma, the Colored Agricultural and Normal Uni- versity, at Langston, has had at its head Prof. Inman Edward Page, who, for the past two years. has directed its affairs with skill and judgment. Its success and high standing to-day must be at- tributed almost entirely to his management and enthusiastic spirit, and, judging by what he has accomplished during his brief connection with this important institution, its future is bright with promise.
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Born in Warrenton, Va., December 20, 1853, Professor Page is a son of Horace and Elizabeth Page. During his first eight years he resided in his native state, after which he made his home in Washington. There he was placed in a pri- vate school by George F. T. Cook, who, subse- quently became the superintendent of the col- ored schools of Washington. At the end of two and a half years of special schooling, our subject commenced et. hing his own livelihood, also as- sisting in the maintenance of his mother and sister. In 1868 he entered Howard University, and, at the close of five years, a portion of which time was spent in working at various things by ' hich he earned sufficient money to meet his expenses, he matriculated in Brown University. In company with a friend, he was the first col- ored student ever entered in that institution, and when, in 1877. he completed the course, he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts and was honored by his class, who chose him to deliver the oration on Class Day. Later he was elected as a member of the faculty of the seminary at Natchez, Miss., and at the end of the school year he accepted a call to the vice-presidency of Lincoln Institute. At length he was chosen to serve as president of the institute, and for eight- een years he faithfully and efficiently labored for the welfare of that well-known college.
May 4. 1898, he was elected president of the Colored Agricultural and Normal University of Oklahoma. That summer he traveled through- out the territory and succeeded in interesting the people in the new college. In the autumn about forty pupils reported for admittance, and, as the main building had not yet been completed, they were accommodated in a city school build- ing temporarily. In 1899 the industrial building was finished, but, as it has not yet been equipped, it was utilized as a girls' dormitory until Jan- uary, 1900, when the dormitory proper was con- pleted. The attendance rapidly increased, for. at the end of the first school year, there were one hundred and eighty-one students enrolled, and seven teachers constituted the faculty. Every department of the college has been brought into a flourishing condition, and the president has been extremely active and zealous in his chosen field of labor. He deserves great credit for the energy and self-sacrificing spirit which he manifests, and he stands in the front ranks of the educators of the southwest.
In June. 1878. Professor Page married Zelia R. Ball, of Providence. R. I. She is a graduate of Wilberforce University, near Xenia, Ohio. and is a lady of superior mind and accomplish- ments. Two daughters bless the union of our subject and wife, namely: Zelia N., who is a teacher of music in the college, and Mary Page. who is a student in the same institution. The
only son died at the age of seven years, in Jei- ferson City, Mo.
W ILLIAM F. PEARSON. The south has furnished many industrious, successful agriculturists to the now thriving terri- tory of Oklahoma, and of this number William F. Pearson, of Logan county, is prominently mentioned. His life has been quite varied, and though his adventurous spirit led him into dif- ferent parts of the west, he has found no better environments than his present ones, and is well content with his prospects here.
His father, Moses Pearson, who is a well- known citizen of township 16, was born in South Carolina, March 10, 1826. and was a son of Moses Pearson, Sr., a native of Alabama, while his mother. Eliza, was a daughter of Daniel M. Moody. Until he reached his eighteenth year, Moses Pearson, Jr., was engaged in the cultiva- tion of the old homestead, and then, desiring to make his own way independently, he "bought his time" of his parents, according to the cus- tom of that day. At first he obtained only seventy-five cents a week, after which for four years he was employed by a neighbor, who paid him only $4 a month, besides his board. Unlike the more fortunate children of this generation, he had no advantages whatever in the way of an education, and never attended school a day in his life. He has keenly felt this deprivation throughout his career, and, though he is a stanch Republican in principle, he has not been per- mitted to vote for the past two years, owing to the fact that it was deemed necessary to draw the line of qualifications for franchise, and a law went into effect debarring those who cannot read and write. He was married, when about twenty- five years old. to Mary, daughter of William Passmore, a farmer. They located upon a farm, and on that place their five children were born. All of the number are now married and have homes in the west. Many years ago Mr. Pear- son removed with his family to Tennessee, where they lived on a farm for nine years, and then they became citizens of Wilson county, Kans .. where the father devoted his attention to the business of freighting supplies to various points. Ile served in the Confederate army for about two years during the Civil war. In April, ISSO, he came to Oklahoma, and on the first day of the following July filed a claim to the southeast quarter of section 13. township 16, range 4 west. Though now well along in years, he retains much of his old-time vigor, and his enjoyment of life is in no degree abated.
William F. Pearson, whose birth took place on the old North Carolina farm, July 22, 1863, stayed with his father's family until after the
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western removal. He then spent four years in mining and prospecting in the fine mineral dis- tricts of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, and met with fair success. When this beautiful, fertile land was opened to white settlers, Mr. Pearson lost no time in his endeavor to secure a homestead, and, July 1, 1889, located on the northeast quarter of section 13, township 16, range 4 west, after compromising with the man who then was in possession of the property. Soon he began building a cabin, and though it was very small, only Sxto feet in dimensions, it answered the immediate requirements, and later when he could spare the time from the cultivation of the soil, he erected a commodious house and planted shade trees. Other improve- ments have been made by him, as time and means afforded, and the farm now is considered a well-kept and thoroughly desirable place.
The marriage of Mr. Pearson and Myrtle Day, a daughter of C. M. Day, of Fort Scott. Kans., was solemnized July 31, 1888. The worthy couple have four children, namely: May and Mamie (who are twins), Audre and Violet.
The first presidential ballot of our subject was cast in favor of Grover Cleveland, and while he is in no sense a politician, as his own business affairs require the chief part of his time. he is in thorough accord with the platform of the Democratic party.
F RANK H. GREER. Among the leading journalists of the southwest, no man occu- pies a more assured position than Mr. Greer, the able and energetic editor and proprie- tor of the Oklahoma Daily State Capital. which, on account of its large circulation, influences more people than any other publication in the territory. He was born July 21, 1862, in Leaven- worth, Kans .. a son of Samuel W. Greer. and grandson of James Greer, both natives of West- moreland county, Pa. The Greer family orig- inated in Scotland, whence they settled in the north of Ireland, and from there Mr. Greer's great-grandfather, who was an Orangeman, and an old-school Presbyterian, emigrated to West- moreland county, Pa., as one of its pioneer set- tlers.
Samuel W. Greer was educated in a Presby- terian seminary in Nenia, Ohio, and after being ordained as a preacher in Pennsylvania, had charge of a church in Ohio for four years. In 1859 he located in Leavenworth, Kans., where he taught in one of the earliest schools of the territory, and was subsequently appointed super- intendent of the public schools of the whole territory, a position which he retained but three months, resigning then to serve his country. Enlisting in the Frontier Guards, he went to
Washington, D. C., to guard the White House. under command of James Lane. On his return to Kansas, he organized the Fifteenth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, and, appointed captain of Company I, served until the close of the war, being stationed in Missouri. Tennessee, Georgia and Kansas, and taking an active part in Price's raid. Returning to Leavenworth, he remained there four years, and in 1869 located in Cowley county, taking up a homestead claim, on which he lived until 1878. He then removed to Win- field, Kans., where his death occurred September 30, 1880, at the age of fifty-eight years. He was a Presbyterian in his religious belief and a member of the Grand Army of the Re- public. He married Clothilda H. Hilton, who was born in Xenia, Ohio, a daugh- ter of John Hilton, who was of English ancestry. She died February 3, 1897, in Winfield, Kans., leaving six children, as follows: Edwin P., edi- tor of the Winfield (Kans.) Courier; Frank H., the subject of this sketch; Elbert R., of Musco- gee, I. T .: C. F .. of Topeka, Kans., connected with the Topeka Capital; Mary E., of Chicago; and Nona L., of Chicago.
Frank HI. Greer spent his early life in Kansas, principally in Cowley county, and on account of the hard times, the crops having proved a failure year after year, he had but limited edu- cational advantages, having attended school but four months in his life. He had to earn his own living from boyhood, each member of every farmer's family being obliged to hustle for him- self as soon as old enough to earn a penny, and at the age of thirteen years he became a clerk in a general store at Winfield, Kans., remaining in that position five years. Having very little knowledge of books, his mother then persuaded him to learn the printer's trade, which he did. beginning at the very lowest place in the office of the Winfield Courier, and gradually working himself upwards, until at the end of twelve years he had become familiar with every department of the business, and had filled the office of city editor and manager.
From 1887 until 1889 Mr. Greer was engaged in the real-estate business in Winfield and Wichita. Kans., and in San Diego, Cal. March 30, 1889. in Winfield, Kans., he printed the first issue of the Oklahoma State Capital. a unique paper, printed in red, which had a large circula- tion, being sold on the trains. April 22. 1880. he arrived in Guthrie, with very small capital. bringing a few cases of type and a job press in a wagon, and two hours after his arrival. April 22. he issued the first copy of the Oklahoma Daily State Capital, having established his office in a tent. This daily is an eight-page paper, of seven columus each, the whole being devoted to the interests of Oklahoma: and the Weekly State
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Capital has eight pages, with eight columns to a page. This is the largest, oldest and most widely circulated newspaper in Oklahoma, and the only one belonging to the Associated Press. It car- ries the full morning Associated Press franchise. Mr. Greer has one of the most complete printing plants in this section of the country, and carries on an extensive business aside from his news- paper work, doing much job printing and book manufacturing of all kinds. He has three type- setting machines and a web perfecting press. capable of turning out twenty-five thousand copies per hour. He deals in stationery of all kinds, and has three traveling men out con- stantly, who "make" Oklahoma, Indian Territory. northern Texas and southern Kansas. July 16. 1890, Mr. Greer incorporated the State Capital Printing Company, of which he has since been manager, with a capital of $50.000. Since then the paid-in capital has been increased to ȘI00,- 000, and besides surplus and undivided profits added to the investment until now this plant represents a value of more than $160.000. It does a business of $125.000 to $150.000 a year and employs seventy-five to one hundred and twenty-five people. That he has been very suc- cessful, financially, since coming here is evident. as when he came here he had but $39. and had to sell the lot he located on in the "new" to pay for the very meager printing outfit with which this plant was started.
April 30, 1888, in Winfield, Kans., Mr. Greer married Blanche L. Byers, who was born in Adel, Iowa, a daughter of J. M. Byers, of Dallas county, Iowa.
Mr. Greer has taken an active part in pro- moting the growth of the territory, and of Guth- rie especially, aiding in the establishment of new enterprises, securing railway facilities, etc. He is a leading Republican, an attractive speaker. and takes active part on the stump and in all party councils. In 1892 he was nominated as a representative to the territorial legislature by ac- clamation, and elected by a good majority. Sery- ing in the second session of the legislature. in 1893. he introduced the bill adopting the seal of the territory, the design of which was suggested by himself and R. W. McAdams, of Ardmore, I. T. He is a great advocate of single state- hood. Fraternally he is a member of Guthrie Lodge No. 3. A. F. & A. M .: Guthrie Chapter. R. A. M .: Guthrie Commandery, K. T .: Okla- homa Consistory No. 1, in which he has taken the thirty-second degree of Masonry; and India Temple. N. M. S .: also belongs to the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Py- thias. of which he is past chancellor, and a member of the Uniform Rank: the Ancient Or- der of United Workmen: the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks; the Improved Order of
Red Men; and the Guthrie Club. Mrs. Greer is a member of the Episcopal Church, which he attends.
A LBERT S. PERRY. One of the greatest enterprises of Oklahoma is the extensive nursery of the Perry Nursery Company, of which Mr. Perry is the head. The magnitude of the business cannot be realized until it is seen. Thousands upon thousands of plants of every description are shipped every year, and the busi- ness is the largest of its kind in the whole ter- ritory. The nursery is located on the southwest quarter of section 31, township 13, range 5, in Frisco township, Canadian county.
Mr. Perry was born in Illinois, and is a son of Jesse W. and Ellen M. (Kellum) Perry. His grandfather, Hardy W. Perry, was born in Ten- nessee. His mother was also a native of Ten- nessee, while his father, now a florist in El Reno, was born in Illinois. The latter removed from Illinois to Kansas when Albert was two years old, and settled in Butler county, where he farmed for ten years, then engaged in the nursery business, which he followed until he came to Oklahoma, in 1893, after selling out the business in Kansas.
Trading his place in Kansas for his present property in Oklahoma, Albert S. Perry settled in Canadian county and immediately started in the nursery and fruit business, which he has in- creased from time to time until he now has the leading business in the territory. His place is perfectly adapted to the business. His long ex- perience. combined with that of his father, leaves nothing wanting toward making a great success of the enterprise. He has an immense patron- age, and shipped to Kansas alone, in 1900, over one hundred thousand grape vines, and a pro- portionate amount in other fruit, including every kind of small berry. By means of wind pumps. he is able to irrigate his entire place. He has large reservoirs, which are constantly being filled by the pumps, and are so located that water may be conducted to any part of his nursery or vineyard. He has a vineyard of twenty acres, the products of which are made into wine, which finds a ready market in the territory. He aver- ages $300 per acre on his strawberries alone. In 1000 he received his first crop of seven acres of blackberries, and their yield almost eclipsed that of the strawberries, in point of cash per acre. During the busy season ten salesmen are em- ploved to look after the extensive business which has grown up.
The business is conducted under the firm title of the Perry Nursery Company, A. A. Johnson being a partner of Mr. Perry in the enterprise. Mr. Johnson is a man of great energy, and, from:
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starting in as a hired hand in the nursery, has worked his way up to an equal share in the part- nership. Recently the company purchased another farm, to accommodate their rapidly increasing business. This property will be irri- gated by means of a gasoline engine and a cen- trifugal pump, with a capacity of twenty-six hundred gallons per minute: the water to be furnished by the North Canadian river. It will thus be seen that it is the company's constant aim to enlarge their business and keep up a sys- tem of modern improvements. In fact, nothing has been left undone, the doing of which will in any way add to the value of the nursery or the quantity and quality of its output.
Mr. Perry has been twice married. His first 'marriage was to Nellie Miller, who was born in Ohio, and died in 1802. Afterward he married Josephine Taborek, who was born in Nebraska. He takes little interest in politics, but is a Re- publican. Religiously, he is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church.
JOHN A. RATLIFF, the well-known and popular ex-sheriff of Kingfisher county, has made his home in the thriving city of Hen- nessey for the past seven years, and has been actively associated with its upbuilding. Both as a public official and business man, he bears an enviable reputation, and his hosts of friends have frequently endeavored to win his consent to allowing his name to be presented as a candi- date for various official positions. His growing business. however, demands his entire attention, and success is crowning his efforts in every un- dertaking.
Mr. Ratliff comes of an old and honored south- ern family. His paternal grandfather. Thomas Ratliff, was born and reared in Virginia, whence he removed to Morgan county, Ill., at an early period. being accompanied by his family. Of the number was G. W .. father of our subject. and also a native of the Old Dominion. His boyhood days were passed in Louisa county. Va., and when he arrived at maturity, he engaged in agricultural pursuits in the vicinity of Jack- sonville, Ill. In 1860 he located upon a farm near Virginia, Cass county, Ill., where he dwelt until his death, January 20, 1890, when he was in his eighty-fifth year. He long survived his first wife, the mother of our subject, and by a sec- . ond marriage had two children. The wife of his youth bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Par- lier, and her birthplace was in Morgan county, Ill., in which locality her father, William Parlier, had settled in pioneer times. He had a remark- able record in one respect, as for over thirty years he officiated as a constable there, being re- elected every two years. Seven children were
born to G. W. and Elizabeth Ratliff, and three of the number have passed to the silent land.
John A. Ratliff, the fourth in order of birth, was born January 1, 1852, near Jacksonville, Ill., and in his youth, mastered farming in every de- partment. Soon after reaching his majority he embarked in the same occupation on his own ac- count, in the neighborhood of his old home, and about five years were thus spent. In 1878 he came to the west, and, locating in Wichita, Kans., he was in the employ of John A. Wallace, dealer in agricultural implements, for three years.
In 1881 Mr. Ratliff entered into partnership with a citizen of Wichita, and there conducted a thriving grocery business for four years. The firm of Ratliff & Cone was then dissolved, the former wishing to devote his whole time to the real-estate business, in which he had become financially interested. A sudden decline in the local market, however, caused him severe losses. and in 1891 he disposed of all of his property. He then served as a deputy for two years under his late partner, Rufus Cone, then sheriff. In May, 1893, Mr. Ratliff came to Hennessey and opened a grocery, which he carried on until he was elected to the responsible position of sheriff. He was nominated as a Democratic candidate. and was elected by a majority of two hundred votes. Entering upon his new duties in January, 1897, he continued to serve until January, 1899. when he retired, having refused to become a can- didate for renomination. He has been deeply interested in the success of his party, both in Kansas and in Oklahoma.
In the spring of 1899 Mr. Ratliff commenced building the block which bears his name-a sub- stantial brick structure, 25x116 feet in dimen- sions-and when it was completed he opened a large stock of groceries, in connection with which department he carries a good line of boots and shoes, dealing in wholesale and retail quan- tities. The firm name is John A. Ratliff & Son. as our subject's only son now is associated with him in business. The senior Ratliff has dealt considerably in live stock. buying and shipping hogs, especially, to the Wichita and Kansas City markets. He owns a quarter-section of good farm land. situated four miles southwest of this city. and always has retained his old-time inter- est in agriculture.
While a resident of Cass county, Ill., the mar- riage of Mr. Ratliff and Miss Rebecca Eakins, a native of Missouri, took place. Their eldest chikl. Frank L., as previously noted, is in partnership with his father. The two daughters, Myrtle and Margaret, are attending All Hallows Academy at Wichita, Kans. Frank L. received his higher education at St. Benedict's College, at Atchison, Kans. Mrs. Ratliff, a lady of pleasing personal- ity, is a member of the Baptist Church, Mr. Rat-
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liff is a Knight of Pythias and belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Fraternal Aid Association. 1
N EWTON RECTOR, M. D. The first American progenitor of Dr. Rector, whose baptismal name was Elias, emigrated from Germany to America early in the nineteenth century and settled in Loudoun county, Va., where lie engaged in farming. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and lost his life in the strug- gle. His son, John, the father of Dr. Rector, was born in Virginia, but on reaching manhood removed to Ross county, Ohio, and in 1839 set- tled on a farm near Bernadotte, on the Spoon river. in Fulton county, Ill., where he died, in his sixty-ninth year. He was a man of substance and of influence, and prominent in public affairs, serving as a supervisor and justice of the peace for many years. In politics he was a Democrat, and in religion a member of the Methodist Church. While living in Ohio, he married Re- becca Wilson, who was born in Ross county, that state. Her father, Armstrong Wilson, was a well-to-do farmer, and of English descent. Mrs. Rector accompanied her husband to Illinois, where she died at the age of forty-nine years.
Dr. Rector was the eighth of a family of thir- teen children, of whom twelve attained mature age and seven are yet living. Two brothers, as well as himself, served in the Union army dur- ing the Civil war. John H. was a member of the Second Illinois Cavalry, and is now living in Quincy, that state; William H., now of Colo- rado Springs, Colo., was also connected with an Illinois regiment. Newton Rector was born near Chillicothe. Ross county, Ohio, September 12. 1838, and was little more than an infant when his parents set out upon their long journey to a comparatively uninhabited region to find a home in what was then the frontier line of civiliza- tion. He was too young to recall the ride in the "prairie schooner," but he well remembers the log cabin in which he first attended school. with its puncheon floor, its desks and benches of slabs, and its goose-quill pens. He had barely reached the age of twenty-one when he married and settled, with his bride, at Wenona. Marshall county, Ill. He was living there when the guns of Beauregard and the answering fire of .Ander- son echoed through the north from the pine- covered mountains of Maine to the Pacific slopes. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany H. One Hundred and Fourth Illinois In- fantry. The regiment was mustered in at La Salle, and thence dispatched to Cumberland. At the first battle in which he participated (that of Hartsville, Tenn.) he was captured by John Morgan's guerrillas, but was released on parole,
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