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 87
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H ERMAN BACK. With the opening of Oklahoma in 1889, Mlr. Back came from; Reno county, Kans., and located on his elaim in Grant township, near Kingfisher, on the northwest quarter of section 18, township 16, range 6. The ground was practically unim- proved, and necessitated long and arduous labor to reduce it to a condition of utility and resource.
Mr. Back was born in Germany, near Alten- berg, where he passed the earlier years of his childhood. His father. Charles Baek, a farmer, eame to America in 1867, and settled in Cincin- nati for a year. eventually going to Franklin county, Ind., where for eighteen years he suc- cessfully conducted a farm, and attained to con- siderable prominence in the community. In 1881 he took his family to Reno county, Kans., where he resided until his death. September 7th, 1900. Herman Back was reared on his father's farm in Franklin county, and educated in the public schools. With his parents, he went to Reno county in 1881, where he engaged in farming on a large scale. and bought considerable land. August 26, 1886, Mr. Back married Mrs. Martha J. Jones, a daughter of Henry Nichols, a farmer of Ohio, who later moved to Jowa. where he spent twenty years. By her former marriage Mrs. Back had eight children. namely: Jennie, the wife of R. Kennedy, who lives in the Cheyenne and Arapahoe country: Frank Jones, also a resident of the same country; Eldora, who married Joseph Back, and lives in Reno county, Kans .: Harley: Charles; Alda, who is married to H. J. Mead, and resides in Blaine county, Okla .: Albert, and Carrie L. Mrs. Back has taken up her father's soldier claim for her eight children, and it is now well-improved and valua- ble property. Two of her sons, Hurley and Charles, are members of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Upon his arrival in the territory, Mr. Back made arrangements for his family to join him, and they came in the fall, and spent the first win- ter in a dugout, pending the erection of his house in I891. The first fall he broke twenty acres of prairie land and sowed the first crop of wheat, and reaped the first good crop in the fall of 1800. He now has one hundred and sixty acres under cultivation, devoted mostly to wheat. There is a good orchard of eight . acres upon which have been planted one thou-
sand trees of all kinds, and there is a good- sized walnut grove, which yields a good harvest every year. Mr. Back has great expectations of abundant fruit in the future, and is making a special study of horticulture. An interesting departure from the general run of farms in the territory is the fish pond, covering two acres, and abundantly supplied with fish of all kinds. Mr. Back is a carpenter by trade, and has erected all of his own buildings, and as opportunity .offered has done some work in the line on the outside. He is a natural mechanic, and this abil- ity has greatly aided in his success.
In politics Mr. Back is affiliated with the Pop- ulist party, but has never had any politieal aspira- tions. He has an ideal farm, fitted with all mod- ern devices, and he is accounted one of the most progressive and enterprising members of the agricultural fraternity of his township.
H ENRY BOETTGER. It is truly a matter of wonder and comment among his neigh- bors that Henry Boettger, comparatively a few years ago "a stranger in a strange land," without means and influence, has so soon risen to a position of wealth and respect in the commu- nity. His record should inspire the young with a strong desire to emulate his example, and his children may well be proud of him.
The early years of Mr. Boettger were spent in Germany. He was born July 21, 1852, in Sege- borg-Holstein. On attaining his majority he determined to seek his fortune in the United States, and never has repented his decision. In 1873 he sailed for these shores, reaching Nor- folk, Va., January 3, 1874. He remained in the vicinity of Norfolk, where he worked on a plan- tation a short time and then set out for the west. For some time he was employed on a farm sittt- ated about twenty-six miles from Chicago, Ill., after which he went to Clinton county, Iowa, and for four years was occupied as a farmer. In the meantime he once was present at a great harvesting in Minnesota, and in 1878 he located in Crawford county, Iowa, and steadily pursued his accustomed calling. At the end of four years' residence there he bought a team and embarked in agricultural pursuits upon his own account. and for twelve years was numbered among the industrious, painstaking farmers of his locality.
In 1804 Mr. Boettger came to Oklahoma county and bought a farm in Mustang town- ship, a portion of his present possessions, which now comprise six hundred and forty acres-an entire section. In 1000 he had three hundred and twenty-five acres in wheat, and each season he reaps abundant harvests. He makes a spe- cialty of raising Durham, Shorthorn and Polled Angus cattle, and Poland-China swine, always
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keeping large numbers of fine live stock on his place each season. The homestead is well fenced and is provided with substantial farm buildings. A large orchard and vineyard furnish an abun- dance of fruits of varied kinds, and a large share of the needs of the family are directly provided for by the products of the farm.
In September. 1882. Mr. Boettger married Sophia Lutger, and to them eight sons and a daughter have been born, namely: Frederick, Henry, August, Adolph, Rudolph, Martin, Charles, William and Alvina. The last-named died of lockjaw November 23, 1900. The elder sons are contributing their share toward the de- velopment of the farm and all are being afforded good educational advantages. Like her husband, Mrs. Boettger is of German ancestry, though she was born in the United States. Her father, Frederick Lutger, was born in Germany, and was a farmer of Crawford county, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Boettger were very frugal and industri- ous in their early married life, and thus laid the foundations of their present wealth. In his polit- ical standing he is a Democrat, while in religious faith he is a Lutheran.
S. S. CARRIER. The first to recognize the possibilities of the town which now bears his name, Mr. Carrier was also the first to cast his lot with its progress and vicissi- tudes, and has since been one of the most ardent in promoting its welfare and foremost in devel- oping its resources.
A native of Jamestown, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Mr. Carrier is a son of Jesse Carrier. who was born near Albany, N. Y., in 1794, and in 1810 settled in Chautauqua county, on the west shore of the lake of that name. He was a cooper by trade and a prominent man in the Methodist Church. In 1848 the scene of his active labors was changed to Laporte City. Iowa, where he lived until his death, at the age of eighty-seven voars. Of the ancestry of the Carrier family little is definitely known. The great-grandfather died in the army when his son Amariah was a small boy, and his wife later married Enoch Row- ley, and of this union there were two children, Enoch and Polly. Of their whereabouts or activities little is known. Amariah Carrier mar- ried Honer Hogan, and to this couple were born right children, of whom Jesse, the father of S. S., was the eldest. Next in order came Robert, Rachel, David. Henry, Lucy, Amariah and Sa- mantha. The maternal grandfather, Amos Ho- gan, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and served his country for seven years. His brother. Amos, still lives in the memory of our subject. who was, at the time of his death, eight years of age. His wife had died several years before, and
both were buried on the west shore of Chautant- qua lake. They reared a family of six sons and three daughters, who still live, some of them around the beautiful and historic lake.
Jesse Carrier, a successful cooper, married Polly Stedman, a daughter of James Stedman, of whose ancestry there is no authentic account. He had one son, John Stedman, who attained some distinction as a Methodist clergyman, and who also served in the war. Mrs. Carrier's mother was formerly Elizabeth Champlin, and her grandmother's maiden name was Gardner, whose father was a grandson of John Gardner, one of the voyagers of the Mayflower. To Mr. and Mrs. Carrier were born thirteen children, viz .: Daniel, Lydia, William, Solomon, Candace, Mary, Gilmore, Richard, Ezra, Emily, John, Jane and Melissa. With the exception of Mary and Melissa all attained maturity, and three are liv- ing at the present time. Mrs. Carrier died at the age of seventy-four years.
Until his tenth year S. S. Carrier lived on the shores of Chautauqua lake, and then removed with his parents to Crawford county, Pa., where he grew to manhood and received his education in the public schools. For thirty-two years he lived at Guy's Corners. ten miles east of Mead- ville, and followed his trades of blacksmith and carpenter. In 1868 a change of location was effected by removing to Polk county, Mo., where he bought a farm of three hundred and twenty acres and went into the stock-raising business on a large scale, buying, selling and feeding cattle, and owning as high as two hundred head at a time. This particular line was somewhat broad- ened in 1884, when he began to raise horses and mules in large quantities, from the sale of which he realized considerable profit. As in most lines of occupation there is a rise and fall, and, when the mule and cattle market went down, he sold out and discontinued his cattle enterprise.
In the spring of 1894 Mr. Carrier removed his iamily to Oklahoma and settled on the claim which has since been the object of his care and solicitude. The farm is located on the northwest quarter of section 12. Mr. Carrier at first built houses for his son and daughter, who had made the run with him and settled on their respective claims. In the fall of 1804 he began the im- provement of his own claim, and erected a good house in the spring of 1895, and engaged in gen- eral farming on one hundred and sixty acres of land. Among other improyements he set out a good orchard, containing seventy-five apple and three hundred peach trees, and cherries and apri- cots in proportion. In addition to the work on his claim. Mr. Carrier built all of the houses in the vicinity, as well as the store, his knowledge of carpentering serving him in good stead.
Through the instrumentality of Mr. Carrier
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the postoffice was secured for this place in 1897, and, as a worthy tribute to the promoter, it was named Carrier postoffice. He was further hon- ored by being appointed the first postmaster of the place. For the first three months of the ser- vice he carried mail from Enid to Carrier twice a week gratis. With the organization and pro- motion of the first Congregational church of the place Mr. Carrier has been closely identified, as has also his daughter, in whose house were or- ganized the Christian Endeavor Society and the Sunday-school.
In 1842 occurred the wedding of Mr. Carrier and Elizabeth Owen, of Pennsylvania, who died in 1899. She was the mother of three children: Ellen, the wife of E. S. Brunson. of Bolivar, Mo .; Eugene; and Sue, now Mrs. G. B. Pope. who came to Oklahoma in 1893 and settled on the southeast quarter of section II, which she has improved and owns. She was one of the organizers of the church and Sunday-school, a trustee of the church, and for a time president of the Christian Endeavor Society.
R UDOLPH BRUEGGEN. Coming to this country when a boy, Mr. Brueggen was entirely without means. However. he readily obtained employment, and by frugal hab- its and judicious management of his affairs has bettered his condition steadily until, at the pres- ent time, he is classed among the representative citizens and prosperous farmers of Kingfisher county, where he owns three hundred and twenty acres of highly improved farm land.
Our subject was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1854. and is a son of Bernard and Walburga (Schrand) Brueggen. His parents came to the United States in 1883 and settled in East St. Louis, Ill., where his father died in 1889. aged seventy years; his mother is still living and makes her home at East St. Louis. They were the parents of eight children, six of whom are now living, namely: William, of Cape Girardeau, Mo .: Bernard, of Covington, Ky .: Herman, who lives in Kentucky: Henry, of East St. Louis; our subject : and Anna, wife of Henry Schafer.
Rudolph Brueggen preceded his parents to this country, coming in 1874, when twenty years old. He located at East St. Louis, and engaged in railroad work until 1876, when he removed to Scott county, lowa, where he worked as a farm hand for three years. He then rented land for several years, and very successfully followed the pursuits of an agriculturist. In 1865 he came to Oklahoma and purchased the northwest quarter of section 23. Harrison township. Kingfisher county. This property was unimproved at the time of his acquisition, but he has placed one hundred acres under the plow, planted an or-
chard of goodly size and erected good fences. In 1896 he also built a good house upon the property, the dimensions being 18x24 feet, and in this he has since resided. He met with such success in the pursuance of his work that he de- cided to extend his operations, and in 1897 he acquired the southwest quarter of section 14, which adjoins his home property on the northi. In addition to this he rents considerable land for farming purposes, having one hundred and sey- enty-five acres in wheat. He has a high grade of cattle, numbering thirty or forty head, and also keeps good horses and mules. He owns stock in the Farmers' elevator at Kingfisher.
Mr. Brueggen was united in marriage in 1882 with Maggie Kupper, of Scott county, Iowa. She was born in lowa, and is a daughter of John Henry and Maggie (Hamars) Kupper. Mr.
Kupper was born in Prussia, Germany, in 1815, and came to the United States in 1849, settling in Davenport, Iowa, where he followed farming and truck gardening. He lived in Davenport for a period of forty-seven years, and saw the growth of the city from its infancy to one of the principal cities of the state. While in Iowa he married Maggie Hamars, a native of Germany, by whom he had four children, as follows: George and Henry, both of Davenport; Maggie, the wife of our subject; and Mary, of Topeka, Kans. Mrs. Kupper died in Davenport in 1881, aged fifty- five years, and her husband now makes his home with Mr. Brueggen. Our subject and his wife have five children: Ella, Bernard, Henry, Mag- gie K. and Jolin Rudolph. In religious attach- ment they are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. Brueggen has always taken a deep interest in political affairs, and is a stanch Democrat.
T HOMAS B. WINNINGHAM, who success- fully conducts a furniture store and under- taking establishment. is one of the repre- sentative business men of El Reno. He was born at Holly Springs, Miss., August 11, 1862, and is a son of Nathaniel and Mary Jane (Bell) Win- ningham. Ilis grandfather was a planter of North Carolina, and had a son who served in the Mexican war. The family is of English descent. Nathaniel Winningham was born in North Caro- lina, and was a graduate physician. He prac- ticed medicine at Holly Springs, Miss., and for a short time was a surgeon in the Confederate army, afterward settling on a large plantation near Holly Springs and continuing in practice. His wife was born in North Carolina and was a daughter of Thomas A. Bell, a planter in North Carolina. Five children blessed their home. of whom four are now living. as follows: Theodore, who is engaged in the real-estate business in Kansas City, Mo .: Thomas B., the subject of this
MR. AND MRS. SAMUEL CROXTON, Kingfisher County.
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personal history; Nathaniel. who is in partner- Chip with our subject; and Mrs. Annie W. Pow- ell. of Mississippi.
Thomas B. Winningham lived near Holly Springs until 1869, when his father located in De Soto county, and there he was reared and re- ceived an education in a private school. He then attended the University of Mississippi at Oxford. In October, 1882, he located in Kansas City, Mo., entering the employ of a large dry- goods firm as bookkeeper, and remained there for a few years. He then went into the retail furniture business, having charge of the office of Robert Keith, and in 1886 engaged in the real- estate business in Kansas City. April 22, 1889, he came to Oklahoma City, located a lot on Grand avenue, and built a store, engaging in the hardware business. Two years later he sold out and moved to Chickasha. where he followed the furniture business until the opening of the strip in 1893, when he located at Newkirk. He bought lots and spent about one year there, but in 1894 came to El Reno, where he started in the furni- ture business under the firm name of T. B. Win- ningham & Co. Later the firm name was changed to Winningham & Brother. The busi- ness was first conducted on Bickford street. then at No. 2 Rock Island avenue, and now again on Bickford street. The dimensions of the store are 25x120 feet. He carries a large stock of fur- niture and has a large business in undertaking. He learned embalming in the Champion School of Embalming.
In Oklahoma City Mr. Winningham married Gertrude Simmons, who was born in Georgia and is a daughter of R. R. Simmons, deceased, who is a merchant of that state. Three children bless their home: Mary, Thomas B .. Jr., and Ralph. Religiously Mrs. Winningham is a mem- ber of the Baptist Church. He is a Democrat in politics, is a charter member of the El Reno (lub, and is connected with the Oklahoma Funeral Directors' Association.
S AMUEL CROXTON. When first heard of in America, the Croxton family were living in Pennsylvania, having arrived in the coun- try with William Penn. They were Quakers, and, without exception, people of deep religious conviction. The relative of whom there is the earliest distinct remembrance is the paterna! grandfather. William Croxton. who was born in Pennsylvania. In the dawn of the century. in 1806, when but twelve years of age. he crossed . the dividing river into Ohio, and settled on gov- erument timber land on the banks of the Ohio river. In keeping with the primitive conditions and scant necessities, he owned in time and operated Croxton's ferry, which conveyed the
pioneers between Ohio and Virginia. A tavern also was conducted under his able management, and was known as Croxton's Tavern. At the same time the owner thereof was busily engaged in farming his government land, and in this wise his days of usefulness slipped by, and he died at an advanced age, amid the surroundings of his youth.
The ferryman's son, Samuel Croxton, Sr .. grew to manhood on the shores of the Ohio, and his life was spent in the state of Ohio. After removing to Seneca county, he engaged in farm- ing and milling, which occupations were fol- lowed during the rest of his active life. He attained considerable prominence in the com- munity, especially in political matters, and served as constable for several years. He died during the Civil war, in 1863. His old home had been the scene of many daring adventures, for the Indians still claimed the land as their own, and were intolerant of the invasion of the pale-faces. Often had he taken Adam Poe over the river in his father's ferry.
The mother of Samuel Croxton, Jr., Eliza Ward, died in Ohio in 1875, at the age of sev- enty-seven years. She was the devoted mother .of twelve children, three of whom are living, her son Samuel being the only one in Oklahoma. The early days of Samuel Croxton were passed in Seneca county, Ohio. He was favored with un- usually good educational advantages in the pub- lic schools, and at Antioch College, Greene county, where he was a student under Horace Mann. He was a conscientious seeker after knowledge, and as soon as opportunity offered began to teach school. at the early age of seven- teen. His teaching was conducted in four dif- ferent states, and covered a period of twenty- eight terms. When about to return to his home, he enlisted on the way at Springfield. Ill., in Barker's Dragoons, from Chicago, and after a short time of service was discharged and sent back to Ohio. In the fall of 1861 he re-enlisted in Company I, Sixty-sixth Ohio Infantry, and served two years, then veteranized and served until the close of the war. From the rank of sergeant he rose to that of lieutenant. He was with Sherman in his memorable march to the sea. and participated in the grand review at Washington. Thrice wounded, at Gettysburg. Chancellorsville, and Cedar Mountain, Va., he recovered each time. He was also captured while doing hospital duty. but released as a sur- geon, and eventually discharged from the service July 25. 1865, at Louisville, Ky.
Subsequently Mr. Croxton engaged in the milling business at Palestine, Ind .. for eighteen years, varying his occupation in that line with occasional school-teaching and general farming. In 1887 he went to Barber county, Kans., where
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he bought a farin, and upon which he lived unti! the opening of Oklahoma. In July of 1889 he settled on his claim near Kingfisher, quarter section 18, township 16, range 6, Grant town- ship, in recognition of his soldier's declaration. At the present time one hundred and ten acres have been put under the plow, and the land is largely devoted to wheat. There is also a fine orchard and a small vineyard. A specialty is made of raising fine cattle and horses.
Mrs. Croxton was formerly Mrs. C. R. Mayer, a native of Ohio, and to this couple have been born three children. Horace L. is in Kansas City; Alvyn L. is an electrical engineer in the United States navy, and is stationed at Bremer- ton, Puget Sound; he placed the electrical ap- paratus in the warships Baltimore and Olympia, before they sailed away to sink the Spanish fleet. He married Miss Chloe Kennedy, of Michigan; Harry E. is a sugar chemist, now employed by a large sugar concern in Mexico.
Mr. Croxton is a believer in the principles of the Republican party, and has held several local offices, including that of justice of the peace. He is a member of Post No. 2, G. A. R., at Kingfisher.
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G EORGE W. CAMPBELL. As one of the I pioneers of Oklahoma, the subject of this article is entitled to an honored place in her history. Possessing the sturdy determina- tion and upright qualities of his Scotch ances- tors, he has forged his way to the front ranks of agriculturists in this region and enjoys the re- spect of all who know him. From the same sterling forefathers, doubtless. he inherited the patriotie ardor and stern regard for duty which has characterized his life and made him the truly desirable citizen that he would be in any com- munity.
Coming to a land where they believed that "freedom to worship God according to the dic- tates of their conscience." our subject's great- grandparents (on the paternal side) sailed for America considerably more than a century ago. Their son, the grandfather of our subject. was born on the ship during the long, tedious vor- age, and at a period subsequent to the family's arrival in this country the great war of the Rev- olution was entered upon, and Mr. Campbell. who had so lately cast in his lot with the col- onists here, fought in defense of their principles. The grandparents of George W. resided in Ala- bama for some years, but about seventy years ago removed to the frontier-Missouri, and their descendants have since been identified with the then far west.
John H., father of George W. Campbell, was a native of Alabama, but from 1830 until his
death, fifty-three years later, he was numbered among Missouri's leading farmers and dealers in live stock. He commanded the esteem of a large circle of friends, and held numerous local of- fices, giving his political support to the Repub- lican party. His death, in 1883, was a blow to his community, for he had been one of the prime movers in all worthy enterprises and ever used his influence for the right. His wife bore the maiden name of Annie Wilkerson, and thirteen children constituted their happy family.
The birth of George W. Campbell occurred in Johnson county, Mo., May 19, 1857, and in the vicinity of his home he obtained a good educa- tion. In the spring of 1879 he went to California, where he remained about four years, occupied in managing a ranch at a point about twenty miles north of Sacramento City. In 1883 he returned to Missouri and gave his attention to the culti- vation of the old homestead for six years. In the autumn of 1889 he came to Oklahoma county and purchased a farm in Council Grove town- ship. His family joined him in the following spring, and for eight years he industriously car- ried on the work of improvement and the tilling of the soil. In 1898, when a favorable oppor- tunity presented itself, he sold the homestead and purchased the Stephen Howard farm, on the northwest quarter of section 12, Oklahoma township. He keeps a good grade of horses and other live stock, and is improving the farm as rapidly as his means permit. In political creed he is a stalwart Republican.
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