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. 2 > Part 24
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Returning to his old home in Tennessee, Mr. Turk resumed agricultural labors, and in 1869 went to Spadra Bluff, Ark. Later he removed to Lawrence county, Mo., and in 1873 became a farmer in the vicinity of Minneapolis, Kans. Two years afterward he settled in the vicinity of Fort Hays, on the Saline river, Ellis county, Kans., where he engaged in raising. cattle for fourteen years. He was influential in obtaining postoffice service at Turkville, a place which was laid out upon his property, and for six years he served , as the postmaster. In 1887 he removed to the neighborhood of Holton, Kans., where he pur- chased and carried on a milling business for two years. Then, selling out, he turned his attention to merchandising, and also carried on a hotel at Holton for three years. About the time that this locality was to be opened he proceeded to Medicine Lodge, whence he made the run to Enid September 16, 1893. Here he bought a lot and embarked in the hotel business after he had erected a suitable building. It was in January, 1894, that the City Hotel, the oldest one in Enid, was opened to the public, and what was known as the Kitchen was one of the first build- ings in the place which boasted shingles.
For many years Mr. Turk has met with suc- cess as a pension attorney, and has been engaged in practice in Kansas and in Enid. For a num- ber of years he also has served as a notary public, and in 1898 was honored with election to his present position as county assessor. He was the Republican nominee and carried the day against a fusion candidate. For the past five years he has been an active member of the school board, and for one term was president of the same. His influence, which is not slight, has always been given to the support of excellent schools and all public improvements.
Mr. Turk has built a handsome, modern resi- dence at the corner of Grand and Walnut. He was married in Tennessee to Miss Susan King, a native of Greenville. Her father, Rev. Allen King, of Kentucky, was pastor of Baptist churches in Kentucky and Tennessee for years, and Mrs. Turk has been identified with the de- nomination from girlhood. To our subject and wife twelve children were born, one of whom is deceased. The others are named as follows: Mrs. A. Stone, of Alva, Okla .; Capt. Rufus Turk, who is connected with the Volunteers of Amer- ica: Mrs. Mollie Jacobs and Mrs. Lizzie Kirk, both of Enid; Laura and Allen, who are at home;
Mrs. Julia Border, of Enid; James, who is dep- uty county assessor; Bertha, Alonzo and Jessie, who are at home.
F. PECK. In enumerating the founders J. and builders of Lexington, due mention of
J. F. Peck and his enterprises should be given a well-earned place of prominence. Though his residence here dates back but four years, he has accomplished a great amount for the city's prosperity in that period and justly merits the high esteem in which he is held.
Though a native of Kansas, J. F. Peck was only eight years old when he went south, and was reared in the "cotton-belt," becoming thor- oughly familiar with every phase in the growth and management of that staple product. In 1889 he built a cotton-gin at Goldthwaite, Tex., its ca- pacity being thirty bales a day, and this he con- tinued to operate for about seven years. In 1896, coming to Lexington, he built the cotton-gin which he manages during the season, handling about sixty bales each day. During the rest of the year he deals extensively in grain, and oper- ates a saw-mill, which he owns. He is the pro- prietor of an excellent farm, located in this town- ship, and in addition to this has some desirable city property. In the fall of 1899 he shipped up- ward of eighty thousand bushels of corn to the southern markets, and year by year is extending his business dealings. In 1899 he built another cotton-gin at Wanette, Pottawatomie county, Okla., his brother being associated with him in that business. The gin has a capacity of twenty- five bales a day, and the trade in that vicinity is growing wonderfully. Understanding every fea- ture of the business, our subject has made a great success of it, and is doing much to promote the industry in this region. Many local enterprises are being assisted by him, directly or indirectly. as, for instance, he is the most paying patron of the Lexington and Purcell bridge, his taxes amounting to a goodly sum in the course of the year.
In the fraternal organizations Mr. Peck is identified with the Knights of Pythias, being a charter member of Lexington Lodge No. 23. of which he is past chancellor. Moreover, he be- longs to the local lodge of the Woodmen of the World.
J AY SHERMAN. The Sherman family claims English ancestry, and were first represented in America by the paternal great-grand- father, who left his native island during the lat- ter part of the eighteenth century and settled in Vermont. Hle served during the Revolutionary war and was a man of prominence in his adopted
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locality. His son, Eli, the paternal grandfather, came to the United States with his father and spent his life as a farmer in Vermont. The next in succession, Isaac Sherman, the father of Jay, was also born in Vermont, and settled in Knox county, Ill., in 1832, being one of the first white men to supplant the Indians in that section of the country. On this inhospitable prairie farm, with his nearest neighbor five miles distant, Mr. Sherman cultivated his land and reared his fam- ily, and subsequently died in 1893, at the age of eighty-three years. He attained to prominence as a politician and citizen and took active interest in local matters. His wife, Eliza (Wood) Sher- man, became the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living.
In Knox county, Ill., Jay Sherman was born in March of 1846. He was reared to be a far- mer and educated in the public schools. In 1867 he settled on his own farm in the neighborhood of his father's, and became a practical farmer and stock-raiser. His ability and devotion to the public welfare were early evinced, and he became much interested in the undertakings of the Re- publican party. He held numerous local offices and was supervisor of the township for one term.
Before locating on his claim on the southwest quarter of section 8, Lexington township, Cleve- land county, Mr. Sherman had familiarized him- self with the conditions existing in the territory, having visited and inspected various portions of it a number of times. In 1894 he purchased the southwest quarter of section 17, which he rented out until he came with his family in February of 1897 and settled on his present farm. In the fall of 1897 he bought the northwest quarter of section 17, and thus acquired in all four hundred and eighty acres, which he is successfully farm- ing, with the capable assistance of his sons. Three hundred and fifty acres are under the plow, and there is a fine orchard of six acres wherein are raised the finest quality of apples and peaches, and a vineyard, which is for family use only. While general farming is carried on, Mr. Sher- man devotes considerable land to the cultivation of wheat, which is unsurpassed for abundance and quality, the average yield being from twenty- five to thirty-eight bushels of wheat an acre. In 1900 four thousand bushels of wheat and one hundred acres of corn (forty bushels per acre) were produced. In the stock line this model farm is not behind any in the county, and Durham cattle and Poland-China hogs are raised in large numbers.
In addition to the responsibility incident to the management of such large agricultural in- terests, Mr. Sherman has a field of occupation as a member of the jobbing house firm of O. E. Upp & Co., at Purcell. He is prominent in local politics and is a firm believer in the principles and
issues of the Republican party. On several occa- sions he has been a delegate to county and terri- torial conventions. He was a candidate for nomination to the legislature in a strong Demo- cratic district, and was defeated by only twenty- eight votes, which shows his great popularity. He is greatly interested in the cause of education, and has served on the Lexington high school board of directors. He is a member of the Odd Fellows at Maquon, Ill., and is a past noble grand, and also a member of the post at Lexington. He was the organizer of the Lexington Post, G. A. R. In other ways also he is identified with the ma- terial enterprises of the county, and is one of the most substantial and reliable of those who have brought a large fund of practical experience to the development and growth of this new and wonderful territory.
Mr. Sherman fought for his country during the Civil war, and enlisted in 1863 in Company A, Fifty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was in the army of the Cumberland, under Gen- eral Thomas, and participated in the battle of Atlantic City as a non-commissioned officer, and was also in the Nashville campaign. In 1866 he married Mirah L. Upp, a sister of W. S. Upp, of Purcell. Of this union there have been eight children, viz .: J. Milton; Charles I .; Lillie, the wife of C. W. Moses; W. Scott; Frank C .; Clay- ton; Leroy and Arthur.
E. F. SHINN, whose well improved claim is located on the southeast quarter of section 7, township 6, range I east, Cleveland county, was born in Logan county, Ohio, in 1853. His father, David Shinn, was for many years a lumber dealer at Etna Green, Ind., and shipped large quantities of lumber to Chicago. He was a prominent man in the community, and organized the Republican party in his town- ship. He also served as justice of the peace for several years. His industrious career was early ended, for he died in the spring of 1863, at the age of thirty-four years. He married Sarah Ten- ery, and of this union there were seven children. Mrs. Shinn died in Indiana in 1878.
The early aspirations of E. F. Shinn were turned in the direction of teaching, and his edu- cation was planned with reference to this partic- ular occupation. He studied at the Methodist College at Bourbon, Ind., and completed his education in the northern Indiana normal school. His first educational work began in 1875 in his home district, and was conducted in Kosciusko county until 1893. In addition he owned a farm, to which he devoted his time during the summer and taught school in the winter. In 18SI he sought the larger possibilities and en- tire change of surroundings in the far west, and
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in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho en- gaged in freighting, and for a time was foreman of the boomers on Fayette river.
In the spring. of 1893 Mr. Shinn located in Lexington, Okla., when it was but a small town, and became interested in the cattle business. In the fall of 1894 he purchased the farm upon which he has since lived, and, upon removing to it in the spring of the following year, at once be- gan the improvement of his land. In February of 1899 he added to his possessions by the par- chase of the northwest quarter of section 22, of the same township, which is at the present time rented. The original farm was in a very crude condition, but, owing to the well-applied indus- try of its owner, has been transformed into a condition of utility and resource. One hundred and seventy-five acres are under cultivation, and there is a good orchard and vineyard, as well as all modern and labor-saving devices. On this model farm Mr. Shinn demonstrates the most ad- vanced and intelligent means of carrying on agricultural enterprises, and keeps in touch with the progress of his work through the means of periodicals and general observation.
Some of the most ambitious efforts of Mr. Shinn have been along political lines, and he is what may be called a politician in the highest sense of the word. As a member of the Repub- lican party his active interest in its issues and undertakings dates back to the time when, as a mere boy, he served as assessor of a township in Iowa for one term. Upon coming to the terri- tory he found that there was no Republican or- ganization in his township, and he was instru- mental in organizing the Republican party under William Grimes in 1896, and was himself elected the first township committeeman. The first fall after the organization the party cast seventy-four votes, against nineteen of previous years. Mr. Shinn has since been successively elected com- mitteeman, and is recognized as one of the most active exponents of Republicanism and one of the best organizers in the county. In the con- ventions his name is often mentioned as candi- date for county clerk, but he has always refused the nomination. He was a delegate to the El Reno convention in 1898. He has brought his interest in educational work to the territory, and is at the present time secretary of the school board of district No. 55. Fraternally he is asso- ciated with the Odd Fellows, having joined that organization in Indiana. He is a Past Noble Grand and a member of the Indiana Grand Lodge.
Mr. Shinn married, in Cleunett, Kosciusko county, Ind., March 15, 1895, Mrs. Jennie Boggs Rock, who was a widow with two children, John L. and Zena Fay Rock. Mr. and Mrs. Shinn have two children, F. E. Shinn, born March 25.
1896, and Edna J. Shinn, born February 19, 1898, on the farm now owned by their father.
F ERDINAND O. KRANNIG was born in Germany, in a town called Guben, near Ber-
lin, and grew up on a little farm in the vicinity. He was fortunate in having fairly good educational advantages and the benefit of the ex- perience of a grandfather who thoroughly under- stood the best way of conducting a farm. In 1882 he decided to start out in the world for him- self, and crossed the seas to America, settling first in Wichita, Kans. There he conducted a farm until 1885, when he went to California, visiting San Francisco and Sacramento. The following year he returned to Kansas and for three years was employed as a clerk in a gro- cery store at Anthony, that state.
Not content with the prospects in view as a clerk, Mr. Krannig started in business for him- self, and, to carry out his ideas, rented eight acres of land near Anthony, on which he pro- ceeded to raise vegetables. In the spring of 1890 he came to Kingfisher, and filed forty acres on section 22, Kingfisher township, Kingfisher county, and immediately began to plant small fruits and vegetables for market trade. He planted ten acres of fruit trees and a five-acre vineyard, and the remaining twenty-five acres planted with general garden produce. In addi- tion, Mr. Krannig dug a deep well, fourteen feet in diameter and fifty-six feet deep, which has at all times twenty-eight feet of water. The tank has a capacity of two hundred barrels and the facilities for irrigation are excellent; besides, he has a reservoir of about one-eighth of an acre, four feet deep.
In 1898 an addition was made to the posses- sions of Mr. Krannig by the purchase of forty acres more on the same section, which he uses for fruit and pasture lands. When first starting as a farmer in Oklahoma, he lived in compara- tively small quarters, but has recently added to his house, and now is comfortably located in a seven-room structure, of one and a half stories, and with good cellars and all modern accommo- dations. In 1893 he built a barn at a cost of $1,000.
Mr. Krannig was married in 1893, to Helen Fettke, who was born in Germany, in the same town that witnessed the birth of her husband. She came to the United States with her parents. To Mr. and Mrs. Krannig have been born two children, Karl and Elsa. Fraternally, Mr. Kran- nig is associated with Lodge No. 2, A. O. U. W. He is deserving of great credit for the progress made during his residence in Oklahoma, and has gained for himself an excellent reputation. In both winter and summer he supplies the mar-
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ROBERT W. HALSTED AND FAMILY, Kingfisher County.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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ket trade of Kingfisher and also ships to neigh- boring towns.
R OBERT W. HALSTED, whose home is situated on section 24, Cimarron township, Kingfisher county, is one of the most pro- gressive farmers and stock-raisers of the terri- tory, and, owing to the active part which he has taken in the early years of this future state, he is justly entitled to a place of honor in its history. Moreover, he is a hero of the Civil war, and at all times has been a champion of his country's rights.
Born in Franklin county, Ind., in 1840, R. W. Halsted is a son of William and Elizabeth (War- ren) Halsted. The father was born in New Jer- sey and emigrated to Indiana with his parents, Robert and Elizabeth Halsted, as early as 1823, and there they developed a large farm and be- came well-to-do for that period. The grand- mother of our subject lived until the Centennial year, dying at the age of eighty-five. William Halsted was a small boy when he became a resi- dent of Indiana, and he grew to manhood in a region where there were numerous Indians. In 1856 he removed to Whiteside county, Ill., where he entered some land from the government, his home being twenty-three miles distant from the nearest farm-house. For three decades he con- tinued to cultivate his homestead, and then re- moved with his family to No-Man's Land (now Beaver county). Soon after this territory's open- ing he came to live with his son, and died here in 1893, in his eighty-sixth year. He was a typical pioneer, having spent his life on the fron- tier and taken a worthy part in the advancement of civilization. His devoted wife is still living, making her home with their daughter, Mary, in Illinois. Both were long identified with the Christian Church. Their son Elijah is deceased; Ira lives in this county, and John in Kansas.
Robert W. Halsted, the eldest son, was six- teen years old when the family removed to the prairies of Illinois, and, besides becoming a prac- tical farmer, he mastered the carpenter's trade in his youth. In 1861 he enlisted in Hinshaw's battery of light artillery (of Illinois) and served over a year in an active campaign. He was wounded at the battle of Lowden, Tenn., but remained with his battery, and, ere the engage- ment was over, was captured by the Confed- erates. Released on parole, he returned home on a furlough, in 1863, and, owing to a serious attack, of illness while there, was honorably dis- charged from the service.
Mr. Halsted continued to ply his two calling's in Illinois until 1886, when he accompanied his parents. to the west, and on the 22d of April, 1889, made the race into Oklahoma. Here he
secured the homestead which he has since re- tained, on section 24, and claimed a tract for his parents, who arrived a few weeks later. He was almost without means at that time, and lived in a poor dug-out for a period. In a short period, however, he had made numerous improvements, and is beginning to reap the fruits of his toil. Success has attended him, and each year he raises a large and paying crop of wheat, realiz- ing an average of thirty-two bushels to the acre in 1899. That year he bought an additional tract of one hundred and sixty acres in this sec- tion, and thus owns a large and valuable place. His orchard, comprising six hundred trees, and his large vineyard, are in a flourishing condition, speaking well for his care and enterprise. He keeps a good grade of cattle, horses and hogs.
Still following his old trade, Mr. Halsted has taken contracts for building bridges and houses in different parts of Kingfisher county, and has given complete satisfaction to all concerned. In his political standing he is independent, favoring the "free silver" plank. For years he has served on the school board, and now is acting as secre- tary and treasurer of that body.
In 1864 Mr. Halsted married Sarah Mc- Cracken, who departed this life July 20, 1889. Only two of their seven children survive, namely : Charles, a farmer of this territory, and Blanche, who is living with her father. In. 1895 he mar- ried Mrs. Sarah Bowman, who has six children by her former union, namely: Elmer, Harvey, Frederick, Adam, Jackson and Annie.
L. T. SMITH, M. D. Cleveland county was especially fortunate when this able physi-
cian and surgeon, Dr. L. T. Smith, a sterl- ing representative of an old southern family, decided to cast in his fortunes with its inhabi- tants, his home to be in Lexington. In prepar- ing himself for his chosen life-work he spared neither time nor means, desiring, above all things, to be thoroughly competent to deal suc- cessfully with the patients seeking his aid, and thus far he has won the commendation of all concerned.
On both the paternal and maternal sides of his family Dr. Smith numbers several physicians, some of whom have attained prominence. His father's uncle, Dr. Matthew Smith, of Vincent, Ind., was not only one of the foremost in his pro- fession in his day, but also achieved distinction by his scientific medical writings, which were extensively published. Dr. Willis R. Smith and Dr. Morgan, the uncle and great-uncle of our subject, have been successful practitioners of Texas for many years, the former being located in the town of Colorado and the latter in Dallas.
The parents of Dr. L. T. Smith are Ed. ( .. a
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native of Kentucky, and Mattie (Fletcher) Smith, a native of Illinois. The father removed with his parents from Winchester, Ky., to Dallas, Tex., in the latter part of the '50s, and for more than half a century the family have borne an im- portant part in the annals of that locality. E. C. Smith carries on a large business as an under- taker, and is a professional embalmer. He is public-spirited and popular with his fellow-citi- zens, and frequently has served in official capaci- ties. Formerly he gave his political influence to the Democratic party, but now is affiliated with the Populists. As a member of the city council, and in other positions of trust, he has justified the confidence which his townsmen placed in him. From time to time he has made invest- ments in real estate, and is successful financially as well as in every way.
The birth of Dr. L. T. Smith took place in Dallas, Tex., in 1872, he being the eldest of seven children, one of whom has passed away. His education was acquired in the Dallas public school, Add-Ran Christian University and Cole's select school. The degree of Bachelor of Arts was won by him, after which he took up medical studies under Dr. J. M. Pace, the most prominent physician of Dallas at that time. Sub- sequently he pursued his studies at the Univer- sity of Texas, and took his degree as Doctor of Medicine at the Louisville Medical College, where he passed the last year of his systematic preparation for his life-work. He was graduated in the spring of 1897, and was at once appointed house surgeon in the Parkland City Hospital, in Dallas, Tex., in which capacity he served for four. months. That autumn he commenced practicing on his own account, and for eighteen months re- mained in his native place, where he met with marked success for a young physician. In Louis- ville he had taken special courses in internal med- icine and diseases of children, under the instruc- tion of Dr. Leon L. Solomon, who is an authority on the subjects and has charge of the department devoted to children in the Kentucky School of Medicine. He also pursued a special course in diseases of women, under Drs. Ritter and Keller, the latter the dean of the Louisville Medical Col- lege. In Dallas Dr. Smith was a valued mem- ber of the Dallas Medical and Surgical Society and of the Dallas District Clinical and Surgical Society.
In the autumn of 1899 Dr. Smith came to Lex- ington, Okla., and at once engaged in practice, having purchased the practice of Dr. Robert E. Thacker, a pioneer physician here. Dr. Smith practiced alone four months. when he and Dr. Thacker formed a partnership, which lasted for a year, since which time Dr. Smith has been practicing alone. He is meeting with gratifying success and enjoys a large local practice, fre-
quently being called to different places in the outlying territory. He is a member of the Amer- ican Medical Association and of the Territorial Medical Society, and in the fall of 1899 prepared and read before the latter organization a paper on "Alkaloidal Medication," which received very favorable notice, and at the next session he pre- sented another article on "The Abortive Treat- ment of Typhoid Fever." He is the medical ex- aminer for a number of the leading life insurance companies and fraternities, among them his own lodges here, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Woodmen of the World. In Dallas he was prelate of his Knights of Pythias lodge, and at present he is master of work of the Lexington lodge. Besides he is identified with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and is vice-presi- dent of the Cleveland county board of health.
Having decided to make his permanent home in Lexington, Dr. Smith is having a handsome modern residence built for his family, situated near the school, on the hill, from which a fine view of the surrounding country is to be had. In 1897 he married Miss Bessie James, of Louis- ville, Ky., and their little son bears the name of Lawrence James. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Thomas James, of Louisville, Ky., and sister of William T. and Fred W. James, of Lexington, Okla., all successful merchants.
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