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 27
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Mrs. Stalnaker was formerly Laura A. Brown, a daughter of Charles F. and Elizabeth Brown, of Madison county, Il1. Of this union there have been five children, viz .: Charles E., Florence, Ellie. William and Edwin. The children are all married, and Edwin is assistant postmaster.
H. F. NEWBLOCK. This popular sheriff of Cleveland county is a self-made and self- educated man, from boyhood having had to carry the burdens usually borne by men. He is proud of the fact that he comes from the ranks of the people, that he has risen by his own in- trinsic merits. Thus, having mastered the prob- lems of poverty and of life in general, he is in thorough sympathy with the masses, and is lib- cral and progressive in all of his ideas,
Both of the parents of our subject were na- tives of Germany, and from his ancestors he inherited many worthy characteristics for which the Teutonic race is noted. Henry Newblock,
the father, lived in Pennsylvania for some years after arriving in America, and his father died in that state. Having learned the trade of a glass- blower, he worked in a plant where window glass was made, but his health failed, and it became necessary for him to seek another form of employment. In 1868 he came to the west and engaged in farming in Buchanan county. Later he owned farms in Labette county, Kans., and in Washington county, Ark. His death oc- curred on the last-mentioned homestead, and his widow and six children were left with very lim- ited means. Mrs. Elizabeth (Wagner) New- block, as previously stated, was born in Ger- many, whence she came to Pennsylvania when a young lady. With true fortitude, she met the vicissitudes of life, and though for many years she suffered hardships, she faithfully met her responsibilities as best she could, and to-day may be proud of the fact that she reared her children to maturity, and that they are now oc- cupying positions of respect. The three sons are citizens of Norman, William being deputy to our subject. Mrs. Carrie Appleby and Mrs. Emma Appleby live in this county, and Mrs. Elizabeth Meek, a widow, resides at Norman.
H. F. Newblock was born in Birmingham, Pa., January 12, 1867, and when about a year old was taken to Missouri. When in his tentlı year, he accompanied the family to Labette county, Kans., and about two years later went to Washington county, Ark., where his father died. The lad had made but little progress in the acquisition of an education, and, as he was the eldest son, he perforce had to put his "shoul- der to the wheel" and helped to carry on the farm. Until he arrived at his majority, he con- tinued to operate the homestead, and then, going to Falls county, Tex., gave his attention to agricultural pursuits there for a short time.
In August, 1889, Mr. Newblock came to this territory, and for five years managed a farm near Noble, uninterrupted by other duties. He improved his property and put into practice many of the practical ideas which he had ac- quired in his agricultural career. Having pur- chased another farm, he now owns three intin- dred and twenty acres in township 8, range I west, and is successfully raising grain and cot- ton.
In 1894 Mr. Newblock was nominated by the Populists for the office of sheriff of Cleveland county. Triumphantly elected by a plurality of about one hundred votes, he entered upon his new duties in January, 1894, and served until the beginning of 1897. In the meantime he had been nominated on the same ticket, but had been defeated by thirty-eight votes in the glee. tion. Returning to his farm, he quietly pursued his accustomed pursuits until the fall of 1898.
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when he was nominated on the People's ticket for the same office and elected by a large major- ity, as he received two hundred votes more than did his opponents. For the past two years he has lived at the county seat, and has won the sincere regard of all who know him.
- The marriage of Mr. Newblock and Miss Addie Gardner, a native of Arkansas, took place in Cleveland county. This estimable couple have one child, Maud by name. Mr. Newblock is a member of the Presbyterian Church of this city, and is connected with Norman Lodge No. 5, A. F. & A. M .; and with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Woodmen of the World.
C APT. JOEL H. HOBACK. The history of Captain Hoback is the record of a good citizen, a loyal patriot and a trustworthy friend and neighbor. With a kind, sympathizing feeling toward the poor and unfortunate, he spares himself no effort to benefit his fellow- men, and many have enshrined his memory in their hearts. Every one has a word of high praise for him, and the stranger who comes to Oklahoma county is made to feel that no more popular citizen can be found in Oklahoma town- ship than the captain.
The spirit of the pioneers is in the soul of our subject, who, with his ancestors, has cheerfully endured the hardships of frontier life, and thus has opened the way to a peaceful, prosperous civilization. His paternal grandfather, John Hoback, a veteran of the war of 1812, was one of the hardy, determined men who threaded the forests of Kentucky with the ambition to found homes and rear their children in those beautiful solitudes. Many a time did. he wage war with the cruel Indians, and in one of these unequal encounters he was severely wounded. A fair measure of success crowned his pluck and per- severance ultimately, and at length he was laid to rest in the state which he had assisted to found. His son and namesake, whose birth had occurred in Hardin county, Ky., removed to Johnson county, Ind., in 1835 and took up a claim in that young state, but death soon sum- moned him from his labors. His widow, Mrs. Dorcas (Killen) Hoback, who was a native of' the Keystone state, and of German ancestry, was left with the great task of rearing eleven chil- dren, and nobly did she perform the double part of father and mother, carrying on the farin, by the aid of her sons, and giving each of her chil- dren the best educational advantages of which she was capable. She died in her sixty-sixth year, in Tipton county, Ind., but her "good works live after her." She was a faithful mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The youngest of the parental family, Captain Hoback was born in Johnson county, Ind., July 24, 1835. His mother having died when he was in his fifteenth year, he went to a neighbor's, where he received $8 a month, besides his board, and for a portion of the year was allowed to at- tend school. Thus the cares of life early fell tipon his shoulders, and for several years he worked at the carpenter's trade. He also en- gaged in farming on his own account in his native county, and in 1858 located in Tipton county, same state, buying eighty acres of wild land. With energy he set about the task of clearing the land, and in time the log cabin was replaced by a substantial house, and everything about the farm was in a most flourishing condi- tion. In 1867 he commenced running a saw- mill, and for eleven years he shipped walnut lumber to San Francisco, meeting with good financial returns. His planing and saw-mill was destroyed by fire, and twice he rebuilt the struc- ture. He continued to prosper until he sold out in 1883.
That year Captain Hoback went to Arkansas, and at a point not far from Hot Springs bought twelve hundred acres of pine timber, which he proceeded to cut down at a rapid rate. Erecting a mill at Malvern, he operated it for five years, most of the time running two mills, and ship- ping his lumber away on the Iron Mountain Railroad. In 1888 he became a resident of Lit- 'tle Rock, and on the evening of April 22, 1889, arrived in Oklahoma City and took a lot in the southern part of the town. Later disposing of this property, he bought his present homestead, which is situated on the northeast quarter of section I, township 12, range 3 west. It com- prises one hundred acres of bottom land, well adapted for the raising of wheat and corn, and in addition to this the proprietor keeps a good grade of live stock, for which there is an abun- dance of running water.
Turning backward a few chapters in the life of our subject, it will be seen how he earned his military title. In 1861, at the president's first call to patriots, Mr. Hoback enlisted in Company D, Sixth Indiana Infantry, and when his term had been completed he joined Company H, Fifty- seventh Indiana Infantry, of which his brother. . Rev. W. K. Hoback, was elected captain, while he was chosen as the first lieutenant. After a period the brother resigned his post, in order to accept that of chaplain to the regiment, for which work he felt better qualified. The posi- tion, thus open, was conferred upon our subject but in the following year he, too, was forced to resign because of disability. When he had sufficiently recovered he re-entered the old com- pany, this time as a private, but worked his way upward, grade by grade, until once more ne
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stood in command of the company, being com- missioned as captain after the battle of Stone River. Altogether he participated in nineteen of the dreadful battles of the war, aside from skirmishes, and gallantly sustained the dignity of his responsible office. After the war had been terminated he and his company were ordered to the frontier, and served in the Rio Grande river region, in Texas, until December, 1865, the cap- tain being in full command of his force. They were mustered out of the service at Indianapolis, Ind., in January, 1866.
The boys who wore the blue are very dear to the captain, who served as senior commander of Grant Post No. I, G. A. R., He also is asso- ciated with the Masonic order, being past master of the blue lodge. Politically he is a Repub- lican of no uncertain views. For two years he served as supervisor of Oklahoma township, and in 1896 was a candidate for the office of county commissioner. As a member of the first board of school directors of district No. 4 he was influen- tial in securing the local schoolhouse. For forty- four years he has found a faithful helpmate in his wife, whose early name was Minerva J. Ter- hune. She is a native of Kentucky, and is the mother of two children, namely: Claud D. and Mattie L.
H ENRY C. WALLERSTEDT. One of the founders and original settlers of Perry, Mr. Wallerstedt deserves a place of honor in its history, and to-day stands second to none of its representative business men. In June, 1900, he became the proprietor and president of the Noble County Bank, and, after assisting greatly in the organization of the Noble County Fair & Trotting Association, he was made its president, in which capacity he is yet acting. The fine fair grounds, comprising forty acres, join the city limits on the south, and the enter- prise is justly popular and prosperous.
Perhaps six generations ago, the Wallerstedt family lived in Germany, and were strict adher- ents of the Lutheran Church. Then one branch of the family was planted in Sweden, and there many of the name won laurels for the places which they achieved in educational and scientific fields of progress. The paternal grandfather of our subject attained the ripe age of eighty- three, and his father, L. A. Wallerstedt, born in Strejulland, Sweden, August 25, 1827, is yet liv- ing, his home now being in Oakland, Neb. He came to the United States when he was twenty- five years old, and, after living in Rock Island, Ill., for two years, became a farmer of Mercer county, Ill., thence going to the vicinity of Orion, Henry county, Ill. In March, 1881, he settled on a farm near Oakland, Neb., and re-
cently retired, to become a citizen of the town. His faithful wife, Johanna, born in 1831, in the same section of Sweden, departed this life in Oakland, in December, 1893. Her father, Sam- uel Samuelson, was a farmer of Mercer county, Ill., for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Wallerstedt were Lutherans, and the former always has been loyal to the Republican party since casting his first presidential ballot here.
Born September 21, 1864, Henry C. Waller- stedt is one of ten children. His only sister and two brothers are deceased, and the others com- prise: Frank, who is engaged in the insurance business in Omaha, Neb .; Carl J. and Simon L., who are farmers of Oakland, Neb .; John A., whose home is in New York City, and who is noted as a fine baritone singer, taking part in some of the church concerts and operas in the East; L. E., who is a traveling salesman of Nor- folk, Neb., and George W., who resides in Omaha, Neb.
The birthplace of our subject was near Ber- lin, Mercer county, Ill., and his boyhood was chiefly spent in Henry county, same state. He received a good public-school education, and in 1881 settled upon a Nebraska farm, where he remained for five years. For seven years he traveled extensively in the West, representing the firms of B. S. Herrington, of Oakland, Neb., and J. Newlean, of the same place, for two years each, and in the fall of 1889 entered the employ of T. G. Northwall, of Omaha. His terri- tory with the last-named company was the west- ern part of Iowa and the eastern part of Ne- braska, though he also made three or four trips into Oklahoma, in the interests of his employ- ers. During all of these years he had become thoroughly acquainted with the merits of the respective agricultural implements upon the mar- ket, and on September 16, 1893, he located in Perry and engaged in the hardware and imple- ment business at the corner of Seventh and B streets. At first he occupied a tent, but in Oc- tober a building, 25x70 feet in dimensions, was constructed, and this provided sufficient room for some time. Additional accommodations have since become necessary, and the original store was increased in depth eighty feet, while ware- rooms, 30x100 and 25x50 feet, are now fully oc- cupied. The firm was known as Wallerstedt & Bloomquist until 1894, when the junior partner withdrew from the business in order to give his entire attention to the management of New- man's Grove Bank, of Nebraska, of which he has been president for six years. In the spring of 1895 the buildings occupied by our subject's hardware stock were moved to their present site. He represents many of the leading firms of the country, and carries a large and well-selected stock. Here may be found the Milwaukee mow-
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ers and binders, a complete line of plows and implements; Reeves', Avery's, and Minnesota Chief threshing machines; the Rushford, Char- ter Oak and Trumbull wagons; the Secker, Ra- cine and Moore Brothers' carriages, and har- ness, paints and oils.
Mr. Wallerstedt, who enjoys a large share of the trade of this vicinity, belongs to the West- ern Retail Hardware, Implement and Vehicle Dealers' Association. He also is connected with the Perry Commercial Club, and has served his fellow-citizens as a member of the council and as one of the board of county commissioners. Politically, he is a true-blue Republican. He belongs to Perry Lodge No. 15, A. F. & A. M .: Perry Chapter No. 15, R. A. M .; Commandery No. 5, K. T., and India Temple, Mystic Shrine.
The pleasant home of H. C. Wallerstedt and family is situated at the corner of Ninth and D streets. He married, in Omaha, Neb., April II, 1894, Miss Helene B. Chesbro, daughter of Al- fred W. Chesbro, a contractor and builder, 110w of Perry. Mrs. Wallerstedt is a native of North Adams, Mass., and comes of an old eastern fam- ily. She received a superior education, and is a graduate of the Omaha Business College. Two daughters grace the union of our subject and wife, namely: Doris Lolita and Marion June. The family is identified with the Presbyterian denomination.
W. T J. WHISTLER. In accord with the advice of the immortal Richelieu, it would seem that Mr. Whistler has oblit- erated from his vocabulary even the lingering remembrance of the clogging word "fail." En- dowed with the mind financial, with the gift of organization, and the perseverance requisite for the surmounting of obstacles, and the steady forging to the goal ahead, he has accomplished in the brief span of his years of activity an amount of work incomprehensible to the aver- age outsider. In associating the latter years of his effort with the promising pioneer days of Braman, Kay county, he has been instrumental in promoting some of the most ambitious schemes for the development and upbuilding of the town.
At Delphi, Ind., on the Wabash river, Mr. Whistler spent his earlier years, and, following an apparent fitness of intellect and inclination, undertook the study of medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Indianapolis. Subsequent reflection, however, confirmed him in the decision to abandon this profession for a strictly commercial life, and he entered the lum- ber business on the banks of the Wabash river. For the following two years he was associated with the Lafayette car works, after which he
began a series of organizations, the result being the Lafayette Lumber Company, with which he severed his connection in 1883. For a time he was then employed with the Monon Railroad Company, and then with the Pennsylvania Com- pany, after which he engaged in farming, and the merchandise business at Delphi until 1892. During his residence there an added occupation was the compiling of a set of abstract books of Carroll county, Ind., the handling of insurance abstracts, and dealing in real estate in the gas belt of Indiana.
Upon locating in Chicago, in 1892, Mr. Whis- tler established the firm of Whistler Bros., man- ufacturers' agents, having the contract for the steam heating plant for the Kenwood Hotel. Later he sold his interest with Whistler Bros., and became heavily interested in large real-estate deals. In the meantime he was the chief pro- moter of the railroad from Benton Harbor, which was built through the Michigan fruit country in 1896, thereby facilitating the work of the fruit-growers, and encouraging the ship- ment of fruit to all sections of the country. After organizing the Chicago Raw Hide & Leather Company, he served as its president until the work was well under way, and in 1897 changed the scene of his efforts to Arkansas City. There he was promoter and organizer of the Arkansas City Abstract & Trust Company, and was the first president and general manager of the com- pany.
In his capacity of right-of-way agent for the Kansas & Southeastern Railroad, in the con- struction of their line from Honeywell to Black- well, Mr. Whistler rendered conspicuous serv- ice, and to him is due the credit for the existence of the town of Braman. In 1898 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land along the line of the railroad, eighty acres of which were platted for town sites, and given the name of Braman. The Braman Town Site Company was then organized, and operated under the firm name of Kimmel, Eaton & Whistler, Mr. Kim- mel withdrawing his connection with the firm in the following July. The friendship and good fellowship existing between Mr. Whistler and his former partner, Mr. Kimmel, made the sev- erance of their business relations a reluctant one, as their congeniality extended beyond the average, and was in every way worthy of the characters of the men.
In 1898 Mr. Whistler began the erection of the Whistler block. Soon after this the Kansas & South Western Railroad passed into the hands of the second-mortgage bondholders, and the receiver, D. Braman, and the lessee, F. Eaton, lost control of the railroad, and it ceased to op- crate into the town of Braman. This left the town with no railroad facilities. An added re-
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sponsibility was here involved upon Mr. Whis- tler by the withdrawing from the firm of the other partner, Mr. Eaton, which left him prac- tically alone in the management of the affairs of the town site company. The arduous duties in- volved were more than could be conscientiously shouldered by any one person, and Mr. Whistler, worn with the incessant hard work and close application, finally sold the town site's affairs to B. J. Templeton, organizer of the Southern Trust Company.
For some time Mr. Whistler has devoted his energies to the real-estate business and to insur- ance, and to a general supervision of his varied interests. In 1899 he became a stockholder in the bank at Braman. In political matters he has ever shown an active interest, and is a be- liever in the principles advocated by the Demo- cratic party. Fraternally, he is connected with the Masonic order at Delphi, Ind., and is an ex- Odd Fellow, of the Canton Encampment.
At Delphi, Ind., in 1880, Mr. Whistler was united in marriage with Jennie Menaugh, a daughter of Thomas Menaugh, a prominent and wealthy agriculturist. Of this union there is one son, T. Clyde, who is taking a course in electrical engineering, with the view of studying law. Mr. Whistler has recently purchased the entire interests of the Southern Trust Company in Braman and has purchased an interest in a new subdivision of two hundred and forty acres to the town of Okmulgee, the capital of the Creek Nation, and will have the management of affairs there. He is promoting a railroad from Wagoner to Okmulgee and possibly on to Okla- homa City. His business affairs take him away from Braman more or less, but his family will remain in their comfortable and commodious home in Braman and his best interests will be here. It will be his home always.
This necessarily brief resumé is altogether too short to enumerate the many items of interest connected with the life and undertakings of Mr. Whistler. The estimation in which he is held by those most familiar with his successes is perhaps the most satisfactory tribute to his unselfish and broad-minded endeavor to aid in the promotion of the best enterprises of the localities which have benefited by his remarkable ability and in- sight.
C HARLES L. WENNER, chairman of the board of county commissioners of Noble county, was appointed to serve in this body of officials in January, 1898, by Governor Barnes, to fill a vacancy. Having abundantly proved his public spirit and general business ability, he became the Republican nominee for the office in the fall of the same year, and was
duly elected by a fair majority over the fusion candidate. On New Year's day, 1899, he en- tered upon the duties of his regular term of two years, and a year later was elected chairman of the board. He has made a creditable record, and is eminently deserving of the praise that he receives upon every hand. In 1895 he became a deputy under the county clerk, Mr. Fuller, and in the course of his duties made out the first tax rolls of this county. He is active in Republican ranks, and highly approves the progressive pol- icy pursued by the leaders of this party.
Mr. Wenner is a son of Henry and Sarah (Kaull) Wenner, natives of Pennsylvania. His father moved to Tiffin, Ohio, at an early. day, and there conducted a flourishing carriage man- ufacturing business for many years. He was a prominent member of the local Methodist Epis- copal Church, and continued actively connected with its work until his death, in 1889. His wife, who departed this life at their Tiffin home in 1872, was born in Lehigh county, Pa., as was also her father, William Kaull. He was a farmer by occupation, and followed that calling after he removed to Tiffin, Ohio, where he died.
The family of which Charles L. Wenner is a member consisted of five brothers and sisters. Two besides himself are living, namely: Frank WV., who is superintendent of the public schools of North Baltimore, Ohio; and Fred L., who is private secretary to Governor Barnes, at Guth- rie, Okla. Charles L. Wenner was born in Tiffin, Ohio, May 15, 1868, and was educated in the schools of that place. In 1887 he graduated from the Tiffin high school, after which he pur- sued a course in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio. In 1887 he joined his father in the car- riage business at Tiffin, and after the latter's death, in 1889, closed up his financial affairs.
Nine years ago C. L. Wenner came to this territory, and for some time was connected with the Darlington-Miller Lumber Company, at Guthrie. He then accepted a position as a bookkeeper in the Capital National Bank, of the same city, and in 1893 went to Galveston, Tex., in the same capacity, being again employed by the Darlington-Miller Lumber Company. In September of the same year that concern sent him to Perry, to take charge of their lumber yards here, but in the spring of 1895 the prop- erty changed hands. Liking this thriving place, Mr. Wenner decided to remain here, and for the past five and a half years has been book- keeper for the Foster Lumber Company.
Seven years ago, soon after his arrival in Perry, Mr. Wenner built a comfortable modern residence, and installed as its mistress the lady to whom he was married in December. 1893. Miss Louie Morris, who was born in Ohio, and is a daughter of T. W. and Mary Morris, of Win-
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