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 3
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Though originally destined by ability and in- clination for the profession of medicine, the doc- tor's experience in that line was confined to three years of study with Dr. M. Field, with whom he began to be associated when only twelve years of age. When fifteen years old he sought the freedom of life as exemplified by the cattlemen on the plains, and until twenty-two years old lived upon a cattle ranch near Indian-
apolis, Ind. With the breaking out of the war he enlisted in Company F, Seventh Indiana In- fantry at Indianapolis, and participated in most of the important battles of the war, including those of Winchester, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Gettysburg, Cedar Mountain, the Wilderness, City Point and Petersburg. At the latter place he was captured and remanded to Richmond for three weeks, then to Belle Island, where he re- mained until the 18th of November. On the way to Sadsbury he escaped with his brother, F. M .. by cutting a hole through the bottom of the car, and made his way to Washington. The brothers served in the war for three and a half years, al- though J. M. was first discharged in Indian- apolis, in January of 1865. During the hostilities Mr. Hay was four times wounded, though at no time in a serious manner. On the 4th of May, 1864, a ball grazed his head, but the wound proved to be only skin deep.
After the war Dr. Hay lived in Illinois for seven years, and bought and sold horses and cattle. From there he went to a claim thirty- five miles west of Wichita, and after three years moved into the town, and on Douglas avenue opened a paper and paint store, which he con- ducted until 1884. At the same time he became interested in the real-estate business, both of the enterprises being successfully carried on, and a profitable disposition made of them at the time of his removal to Ness county. There he lost money, and did not realize his expectations, and in the hope of retrieving his fortunes removed to Dallas, Tex., and went into business with a company of builders. This venture proved a success, and after a short residence in Dallas he came to Oklahoma. September 16, 1893, he located a claim ten miles north of Medford, which is at the present time one of the best im- proved claims in the vicinity, and. it may be said. in Grant county. The house, barns, fences and general improvements are of the best possible kind procurable. In addition, he is the pos- sessor of thirty acres adjoining the town, and of nearly all of the best building sites in the town.
Upon first coming to Medford, Dr. Hay en- gaged in the drug business for two years. He built the Commercial Hotel, which he managed for five years, and which is rented at the pres- ent time. In Paris, Ill., in 1865, he married Mrs. Fannie A. Peck, of Bedford, Lawrence county, Ind. Of this union there have been five chil- dren, viz .: Hattie. Fannie, Frankie, Minnie, and Nettie. Frankie is now the widow of E. Boyer. and is greatly interested in educational matters. In 1804 she was elected on the Populist ticket to the superintendeney of the Grant county schools. and re-elected in 1806.
In politics Dr. Hay has always been identi-
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Pond Creek.
MR. AND MRS. A. J. ENGLERT.
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fied with the Republican party, and cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln. In 1898 he was elected to represent district No. 22, and has held many offices within the gift of his lo- cality. He was the first president of the board of trustees, and was three times elected justice of the peace of the town. He is entitled to the esteem and appreciation which are readily ac- corded him by his fellow pioneers in Medford, and to the success which has been won by up- right and honest methods of business.
A. D. HICKOK, whose well-conducted farm and blacksmith shop are located on the southwest quarter of section 5, township 9, range 3 west, Cleveland county, was born in Windsor township, Ashtabula county, Ohio, September 10, 1826. His parents, Ira Allen and Temperance (Sweeney) Hickok, early set- tled in Geauga county, Ohio. While living there the father died, and at the time his son, A. D., was five or six years of age. He was a black- smith by trade, and was a worthy and industrious man and citizen. The mother died in 1849, at Parkman, Geauga county.
A. D. Hickok, though early in life deprived of the care and influence of his father, developed a stanch and reliable independence. At the age of fourteen he began a sea-faring life, which he continued until the Mexican war. In 1847 he enlisted for the Mexican war in Company D, Eleventh United States Infantry, which landed at Vera Cruz and then went to the city of Mex- ico. He served in the war for about a year, and while at Vera Cruz he was taken ill, and upon arriving at home his own mother did not know him, so emaciated had he become. Of the seventy-six hopeful hearts who started for the war from Wooster, Ohio, but fourteen lived to tell the tale of their sufferings during the war, and one of the fourteen died soon after returning to his home.
When peace was assured, Mr. Hickok re- turned to his former home and worked at the trade of blacksmith in Nelson, Portage county. and Parkman, Geauga county, continuing the same until 1855. Meantime he was united in marriage with Pera Howell, and of this union there was one child, Allen. In 1855 Mr. Hickok went to West Salem, Wis., and began the man- ufacture of steel plows, which effort was attended by considerable success until the breaking out of the Civil war. In the meantime he had con- tracted a second marriage with Lavina Christ- man.
While the war was in progress, Mr. Hickok read an account in the paper of the battle of Bull Run, which so inflamed his patriotic spirit that he returned to his steel plow shops, paid
off his men, shut up the business, and began to organize a company for service. He was im- mediately elected first lieutenant of the com- pany, which was Company I, Eighth Wisconsin Infantry. He was first under fire at the battle of Frederickstown, Mo., and was in the cam- paign on Island No. 10. He was soon promoted to the rank of captain, and took part in the battle of Corinth, and in all the engagements in which the company participated. It is remembered that the Eighth Wisconsin was the company that carried the famous old war eagle, "Abe." and Mr. Hickok treasures a memento of his association with this wonderful bird, in the shape of a quill plucked from a wing, and which is now framed .. In one respect his war record is remarkable, in that he was never wounded, captured or laid up in the hospital.
In 1865 Mr. Hickok settled in Columbus City, Iowa, and from there, in 1882, removed to Sum- ner county, Kans., where he staid until the opening of Oklahoma. He at first located near where he has since lived, but finally sold his claim for the one now in his possession. His farm is well improved, and fitted with all modern appliances. In 1897 he erected the present com- fortable and commodious residence. The third marriage of Mr. Hickok occurred in 1865, unit- ing him with Elizabeth Powell, and of this union there is one son, Frank, who was born in Iowa, and is living at home with his father. Mr. Hickok cast his first presidential vote for Fill- more, the free-soil candidate, and in 1856 he voted for J. C. Fremont. . He later cast his vote for Peter Cooper, the greenback candidate, and is at the present time a member of the Populist party. In 1894 he was nominated for the leg- islature by the Populists, and was defeated by only seven votes. In religion he is a member of the Christian Church, and contributes liber- ally towards its charities and support. It is a matter of pride with him that he was a member of the Oklahoma "Boomers," to whose unceas- ing efforts was largely due the opening of the territory for settlement.
A NDREW J. ENGLERT. During his resi- dence in Pond Creek Mr. Englert has iden- tified himself with the best interests of the town, and has shown an unflagging zeal in pro- moting the various enterprises for its upbuild- ing. Upon arriving here in 1893 he at once engaged in the wholesale and retail liquor and ice business, conducting his enterprise within the limited circumference of a tent, which served the purpose in lieu of better accommodations. The drinkable goods were served from shining tin cups, carrying out the rather primitive condi- tions of most pioneer undertakings. A fine and
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large building was later erected, in which the affairs of the owner have since been conducted. The appearance of the town has been vastly im- proved by the fine residence erected by Mr. Englert, and he also erected, in company with his brother-in-law, Conrad Strecker, the present mayor of Pond Creek, a large business block, which they tent, and which is located on Main street. In addition he is the possessor of several valuable and unimproved lots.
Of German descent, Mr. Englert was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1868, and is a son of Joseph and Eva Englert, who moved to Ford county, Kans., when their son Andrew was a boy. Their experiences in the wilds of Kansas were of a nature to be vividly retained in the memory, and are associated with the terrors inspired by the Indians, who still regarded the country as theirs by right of possession and inheritance. Mr. Englert remembers when all the families of the settlers were concentrated in the center of the town and guarded night and day by the men of the community. Later the Englert family re- moved to Montgomery county, Kans., where the parents are still living, and where their son was married in 1892 to Ida Strecker, a sister of Con- rad Strecker, and a daughter of Adam and Do- rada Strecker. A year and a half after his mar- riage Mr. Englert left his home surroundings and came to Oklahoma, settling in Pond Creek.
To Mr. and Mrs. Englert have been born four children. viz .: Eva E., Katie, Joseph F. and Her- bert. Mr. Englert is a firm believer in the prin- ciples advocated by the Democratic party, and never swerves from voting the ticket of his party. . At the present time he is councilman from the first ward, and as a member of the board of edu- cation has ample opportunity to apply his inter- est in the cause of education. The family are members of the Catholic Church, in the erection of which Mr. Englert was substantially inter- ested.
S. M. MOORE, one of the most enterprising and progressive business men of Norman, arrived in Oklahoma on the 22nd of April. 1889, and has since been prominently identified with its interests. He was born near Lafayette, Ind., April 6, 1837, a son of Edward and Kittie (Foster) Moore, both natives of Ohio, while the former was of Scotch and the latter of Scotch-Irish descent. The maternal grand- father was a farmer of the Buckeye state. The grandfather Moore belonged to an old New England family, and at an early day removed to Ohio. He was a soldier of the war of 1812. The father of our subject was an agriculturist and followed his chosen occupation near Lafayette. in Warren county, Ind., where he died. Ilis
wife passed away in the same place in 1849. To them were born twelve children, but only four are now living: Thomas, who lives on the old homestead in Indiana; Bessie, also a resident of that state; S. M., of this review; and Hester, of Indiana.
On the home farm S. M. Moore grew to man- hood, and pursued his studies in one of the prim- itive log schoolhouses, with its slab benches. puncheon floor and huge fireplace. All writing was done with a quill pen. For some years he engaged in teaching school, first in Indiana, at the same time following farming in Warren county. In 1870 he removed to Carroll county, Iowa, locating near Carroll City, where he con- tinued to follow the dual occupation for some time, and also served as deputy county auditor two years. Later he was engaged in the bakery and confectionery business at Carroll City until 1887, when he removed to Harper, Kans., and resumed farming. Subsequently he spent two years at Syracuse, Hamilton county, that statc, where he served as deputy county clerk and as county commissioner during the fight between Syracuse and Kendall for the county seat. He then returned to Harper, where he was engaged in the real-estate business until his removal to Norman, Okla., April 22, 1889. He built a resi- dence here, but for one year after his arrival was engaged in the real-estate business in Okla- homa City. He then took a claim adjoining Norman on the south, and in connection with its improvement he continued to deal in real es- tate. Mr. Moore served as city plumber four years, and has since successfully carried on a bakery and confectionery establishment, having built up an excellent trade. He is a manufac- turer of ice cream and is the leading caterer of the city. He is a wide-awake, energetic business man, whose success is due to his diligence, en- terprise and good management.
At Thorntown, Ind., Mr. Moore was united in marriage with Miss Mattie King, who was born in Ohio, but was reared in the Hoosier state. By this union two children were born: Viola D., now the wife of Charles T. Gorton, of Norman; and Willie E., who died at the age of twenty-two years. Mr. Moore gave to his daugh- ter one hundred acres of land, and also gave forty acres as a site for the University of Okla- homa. He is public-spirited and progressive. and gives his support to all worthy enterprises for the good of the community in which he lives. His own beautiful home on the corner of Main and University aventes is the finest in the city. The Republican party has always found in Mr. Moore a stanch supporter of its principles, and he efficiently served as a member of the city council from the second ward for one term. Re ligiously, he is a member of the Methodist Epis-
HON. WILLIAM GRIMES. Kingfisher.
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copal Church. He is a prominent Odd Fellow, and united with that order at Thorntown, Ind. He transferred his membership to the lodges in Iowa and Kansas, where he resided, and was the founder of the lodge at Norman, of which he is past noble grand. He has filled all the chairs in the Encampment, and in 1865 repre- sented his lodge in the Sovereign Grand Lodge at Atlantic City, N. J.
H ON. WILLIAM GRIMES, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican central committee, has been a powerful factor in the pioneer period of this territory, and in his official capac- ities has been very influential in placing it upon a safe and firm basis of prosperity. The general public, realizing this, speak of him only in the highest terms, and undoubtedly will take genu- ine interest in perusing this history of his career.
The great-grandfather of our subject, John Grimes, was a native of Ireland, and at the age of eighteen emigrated to Virginia, with two brothers, one of whom settled in North Carolina, while the other became a resident of Tennessee. John Grimes participated in the war of the Rev- olution, and subsequently became a wealthy planter in the Old Dominion. His wife, Ann Grimes, was born January 15, 1767, and died February 17, 1842. She was a doctress, and rode for many miles in different directions from her home at night, hanging a lantern on the pom- mel of her saddle to light the way.
The grandfather of our subject, also named John Grimes, was born May 10, 1791, in Vir- ginia, and, being trained in the principles of a patriot, he volunteered his services to his coun- try in the second war with Great Britain, and his sword is still in the possession of his de- scendants. He won distinction by gallantry and wisdom displayed in the leading of the company of which he was the captain, and in an engage- ment with the English and their crafty Indian allies he was wounded by an arrow, but, luckily, did not fall into the hands of his foes. Later he went to Perry county, Ohio, and settled in the dense forest, where he cleared a farm, and in the course of time became wealthy, owning two thousand acres, aside from the twelve quar- ter-sections of land which he gave to his twelve children, six of whom were sons and six daugh- ters. Hislong and very useful life came to a close in the Centennial year. His wife, who was Miss Catherine VanSickles in her youth, was born September 27, 1799, and also was a scion of an honored old Virginia family. Her parents were early settlers of Perry county, Ohio, and later of Fairfield county, same state.
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George W. Grimes, who, with his brother John, served in Company I, One Hundred and
Thirty-fifth Ohio Infantry, in the Civil war, being in the command of General Sigel in the great Shenandoah campaign, was born October 18, 1824, near Somerset, Ohio, near the old home of General Sheridan. He continued to give his attention to the management of his Ohio farm until after the birth of his first child, when he removed to the vicinity of Decatur, Ill., and was there when the first railroads were con- structed through that section. He returned to his native state in 1856 and carried on a farm near his old home for several years. Within fifteen years a number of farms were bought and sold by him, and for a period he owned and oper- ated some coal mines which he finally sold to the Hocking Valley corporation. From 1871 to 188I he was numbered among the farmers of Warren county, Ohio, his home being near Har- veysburg. The remainder of his life was spent in Sterling, Neb., his death occurring May 10, 1898, when he was in his seventy-fourth year. For fifty-four years he had been an active mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, for forty-two years a Mason, and for a long time was affiliated with the Grand Army of the Re- public.
For a wife Mr. Grimes chose Sarah A. Smoot. a native of Blue Ridge, Va., born May 2, 1829. Her father, Lofton Smoot, who was of German descent, was a blacksmith and wagon-maker by trade, and for years was a resident of Perry county, Ohio, and with his wife and family finally located near Decatur, Ill., where the worthy couple resided until called to their re- ward. Mrs. Grimes, who departed this life March 31, 1892, was a lady of excellent education and ability. She was but nineteen years old when she left her Virginia home to become a teacher in Perry county, Ohio, and successfully conducted a select school until her marriage. Her eldest child, Lucy, died in Illinois, when four years old, and the other daughter. Mrs. Mary Mason, died May 2, ISSI, in Nebraska. LaFayette, the eldest son, is a farmer and mer- chant of Sterling, Neb .; Alexander, of Clarks. Neb., and Josiah, of Dayton, Ohio, are traveling salesmen.
William Grimes was born near New Lexing- ton, Ohio, November 6, 1857, and his boyhood was passed in the quiet routine of farm life. At twenty he decided to seek another means of earning his livelihood, and in February, 1878. he went to Hastings, Neb., where he commenced learning the printer's trade. Employed in vari- ous capacities by the Gazette (now the Gazette- Journal) of that place, he later was connected with the Harvard (Neb.) Journal, and in the spring of 1881 bought an interest in the paper. changing the name to the Sun, and publishing it in Sterling, Neb. Though it is yet in exist-
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ence, he sold out his interest in the paper at the end of eighteen months, in order to devote his entire attention to a mercantile business which he had established in the meantime. In connec- tion with a grocery, he carried a full line of agri- cultural implements and built up a large and remunerative business.
In the fall of 1885 Mr. Grimes was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of sheriff, and though he was the youngest man in the state holding that responsible position, he performed his difficult duties so well that he was given two medals for bravery and efficiency, the arrest of some convicts who had escaped from the state penitentiary being the immediate cause of this acknowledgment. In 1887 he was honored by re-election to the office, and received a large and gratifying majority of votes. The same year he was elected secretary of the Sheriffs' Associa- tion of the state. He served until May, 1889, when he resigned both positions in order to be- come a permanent resident of Oklahoma.
On the 22nd of April, 1889, Mr. Grimes came to Kingfisher and located a claim on section 14, adjoining the city. Forming a partnership with J. W. McLoud, he was in the real-estate business here until September, 1890, when he was appointed by President Harrison to the im- portant position of United States marshal. The first incumbent of this office in this territory, he had no easy life, as he had to deal with a large class of lawless persons who had flocked to this section from all parts of the Union. Many an encounter did he and his deputies, at times num- bering over one hundred, have with cattle thieves, train robbers and desperadoes of allkinds, among them being the noted Cooks, Stars, Poes, "Tulsa" Jack and the Dalton gang. Altogether, from twelve to fifteen hundred arrests were made during the three years of his term. In July, 1893, he was supplanted by a gentleman ap- pointed by the opposite political party, and re- sumed his accustomed labors in the business world. He still owns his fine farm, now increased to two hundred and fifty acres, and owns other property in this county, amounting to about eight hundred acres. He has conducted a furni- ture business in Kingfisher and has built a num- ber of residences and stores and business blocks here, among them the Grimes block, used as a court-house and district court-rooms, which was consumed by fire August 23, 1900. One of the organizers of the Kingfisher Bank, and later a director and vice-president of the same until it was sold, and similarly associated with the Guth- rie & Kingfisher Railroad Company, he has been a material power for progress and prosperity here, and always has manifested his public spirit by influence and means. One of the foremost .
in the organization of Kingfisher College, he
has been one of its trustees from the beginning of its history. Connected with innumerable commercial enterprises, and president of the first board of trade in this city, he has been looked up to and relied upon as a man of experience and sound financial policy.
During his residence in Nebraska, Mr. Grimes came to the front ranks in political circles, and upon his arrival in this locality was made chair- man of the first executive committee of the Anti- Provisional Government Convention, held at Frisco, Canadian county, July 12, 1889. This, the first, and up to this time the largest, convo- cation held within this territory, fulfilled its pur- pose, and the resolutions adopted by the body and sent to congress met due consideration, and a legal territorial government was given the people, May 10, 1890. Mr. Grimes was sent as a delegate to the first Republican convention held at Oklahoma City, and was made a member of the executive committee. In 1891 he was made a member of the territorial committee, on which he has acted ever since, and every year since 1892 he has been re-elected to the chairmanship, and thus has called every territorial Republican convention, with one exception. May 10, 1900, he was elected national committeeman for the territory of Oklahoma.
Fraternally, Mr. Grimes is very popular in a number of clubs and societies. He belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Woodmen, the Odd Fellows and the Masonic order. He was initiated into Masonry at Tecuni- seh, Neb., and is now connected with Kingfisher Lodge No. 8, A. F. & A. M .: Kingfisher Chap- ter, R. A. M .; and formerly belonged to Ascen- sion Commandery No. 3, K. T., of El Reno, but since the organization of Cyrene Commandery No. 6, Kingfisher, he has been a member of that body. Moreover, he is identified with India Temple, N. M. S., of Oklahoma City, and in 1899 represented that body at the grand council at Buffalo, N. Y.
The marriage of Mr. Grimes and Miss Mary Cleaver, a native of Harveysburg, Ohio, was sol - emnized in that place, December 24. 1878. IIer paternal grandparents, Peter and Sarah (Crew) Cleaver, were members of the Society of Friends. and were prominent in that sect. The former was a pioneer farmer in Warren county, Ohio, and died there when in his thirty-sixth year. Both himself and wife were natives of North Car- olina, and she, born January 21, 1801, lived until 1888. Mrs. Grimes' maternal grandparents, John Milton and Sarah (Martindale) Reason, were natives of Virginia and Maine, respectively, and Baptists in religion. Mrs. Grimes' parents, Wil- liam and Martha (Reason) Cleaver, were natives of Ohio. The father was a Quaker by birth, but both parents later attended the Free-Will Bap-
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tist Church, of which the mother became a mem- ber. The father is still living on the old Peter Cleaver homestead in Warren county, Ohio, where his birth occurred. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Grimes, namely: Flo M .; William, who died at birth; Lutic, who died at the age of thirteen months; and Thayer. Flo M. was graduated in the Kingfisher high school, and later was a student in Kingfisher College; December 25, 1899, she became the wife of Dorsey M. Kreitzer, an attorney of Dayton, Ohio. Mrs. Grimes is a lady of excellent edu- cation, and is a graduate of the high school at her birthplace.
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