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 36
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Since his marriage August 16, 1868, Mr. Ley- erich has found a real helpmate in his wife, for- merly Miss Barbara Ellen Steel. She was born in Holmes county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Netherow) Steel, who removed to Madison county, Iowa, when she was seven years old. The eldest child of our subject and wife is Jasper, a blacksmith at Moore. and Oscar, the second son, is a farmer of this county. Clara Belle, the eldest daughter, is the wife of Arthur Stroup, of Yukon, Canadian county, and Mary is the wife of Frank Faris, of Moore. Charles Lee died at Weatherford, leav- ing a wife and one child, and Lillie, who married James Johnson, now is widowed. Charlotte is the wife of Daniel Pickett, of Moore township. V'aneverie is living in Yukon. Benjamin, George Wood, Burnie B. and Leonora Dean, are on the
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home farm. With the exception of the youngest, all were born in Iowa.
In 1868 Mr. Leverich voted for Seymour, and until of late years gave his ballot to the Demo- cratic party. Now active as a socialist, he was his party's nominee for the office of county com- missioner in 1898, but was not elected. For four years he served in the capacity of assessor of his township, of ranges 3 and 4, giving thorough satisfaction to all concerned.
J. S. LITTLE. For nearly a quarter of a cen- tury Mr. Little has dwelt within a com- paratively short distance of his present Lexington home, and during this period has been extensively engaged in the live stock busi- ness. Thus he may truly be called a pioneer of the territories, so long given over to the red race. For the past eight years he has been numbered among the merchants of Lexington, and his means and influence have contributed much toward its prosperity during the period of its ex- istence -- some twelve years.
Mr. Little claims Georgia as his native state, though he was reared in Missouri, and was mar- ried there. In 1878 he located in the Chickasaw Nation, where, for fourteen years, he was occu- pied in the cattle business, his home being in Gainesville, Tex., much of this period. On April 22, 1889, he made the race into Cleveland county from the land of the Pottawatomies, and secured a homestead on section 15, Lexington township. This raw land he proceeded to improve, and so speedily introduced marked changes for the bet- ter that to-day the property bears little resem- blance to its former condition. Fifty-five acres he devoted to an orchard, planting every variety of fine fruit suitable to this region, and few set- tlers of this portion of the territory have had bet- ter success as a horticulturist. He still owns a ranch and maintains a herd of about two hun- dred cattle in the Chickasaw Nation. On his homestead in this township he makes a specialty of raising Poland-China hogs, having imported some fine registered stock from northern and eastern states. At the Cleveland County Fair at Norman he has been awarded some premiums on fine registered specimens of Poland-China hogs.
In 1802 Mr. Little erected one of the first brick buildings in Lexington, and since August of that year has conducted a hardware store within its walls, also dealing in crockery, imple- ments and wagons. Success has attended his energetic efforts, and he has found it necessary to enlarge his store-rooms. His store, proper, 25x140 feet, is supplemented by warerooms 50x75 feet in dimensions, and thus his business ne- cessitates more floor space than that of any other
local merchant. He also erected two large busi- ness blocks on Main street for renting purposes, and gradually has embarked in the real-estate business, owning considerable valuable city property and some in Norman, the county-seat. Few of our citizens have borne a more active part in the development of Lexington, and, when the railroad through this section was under con- sideration, he used both means and influence to secure it. But this was not a notable exception, as it is well known that he has liberally contrib- uted to all local affairs, striving to foster schools and churches, and, in short, all industries and en- terprises calculated to benefit the place perma- nently. Since coming to Lexington he has been identified with the Masonic order, and in political matters he is found on the side of the Demo- cratic party.
The marriage of Mr. Little and Miss A. M. Husted took place in Missouri. They are the parents of ten living children, all of whom have been well educated and specially prepared for life's duties. A son, Otto, is engaged in business here with his father in the hardware establishi- ment.
C HARLES W. McGRAW. Endowed with the sturdy and reliable traits handed down by his Scottish ancestors, Mr. McGraw has applied them to the affairs of his social and busi- ness life, and has reaped the reward due all con- scientious effort. As the first district clerk of Payne county, to which position he was appointed in June of 1890, and which he retained until the change of administration in September of 1893. he rendered substantial service in the newly or- ganized court, and in every way proved his worthiness of the confidence of the people. Pre- vious to this appointment he had served, from 1889, as deputy United States marshal, under United States Marshal Dick Walker. In March of 1808 he received further confirmation of his ability by being appointed deputy district clerk by M. C. Hart, and took the oath of office March 22, 1898, since which he has continued in the same position.
Mr. McGraw was born in Brown county. Ohio, near the Clermont line, June 9, 1857, and is a son of John W. McGraw, a native of Cler- mont county. He was a farmer, and later re -. moved to Brown county, where he died in 1864. During the war he tendered his services to the government, but was rejected on account of physical disability. The paternal great-grand- father, John, was born in Scotland, and, with his three brothers, William, Frank and Cornelius. settled in Baltimore, Md., and then removed to Elkhorn Creek, Ky. John McGraw finally took up his residence in Clermont county, Ohio,
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where he engaged in farming and also ran a large mill, called the McGraw mill. His son, John, was also a farmer, and died in Felicity, Ohio. Cornelius McGraw was a stone-mason, and built the foundation of the capitol at Ken- tucky. The mother of Charles McGraw was of German and Irish descent, and previous to her marriage was named Augusta A. Myers. She was born in Ohio, being a daughter of William Myers, of Washington county, Pa., and an early settler in Steubenville, Ohio. He then went down the river to Brown county, where he farmed, and later became a merchant, and there he eventually died. The paternal grandfather, Christopher Myers, was born in Germany and settled in Pennsylvania, and later was a farmer in Ohio, where he died. Mrs. McGraw is now liv- ing in Stillwater.
Charles W. McGraw is the oldest in a family of two sons and two daughters, and the only member of the family in Oklahoma. Until his nineteenth year he lived.on his father's farm in Brown county, and attended the district schools and the Felicity high school. He then began teaching school in Clermont and Brown coun- ties and continued the occupation for five years.
In April of 1880 Mr. McGraw decided to as- sociate himself with the broader possibilities of the west, and located in Winfield, Kans., and became interested in the stock business. Being satisfied with the conditions there he decided to permanently locate in Winfield, and returned to Ohio to settle up his affairs, and unexpectedly remained among his former surroundings until 1882. He still taught school, but in the spring of 1882 removed to Waco, Tex .. and while there contracted the malarial fever. In the hope of regaining his health, he returned to Kansas, where he had an eight months' siege of the fever. Upon recovering he engaged in the general mer- chandise business at Syracuse, Hamilton county, in western Kansas, and was there during the county-seat fight between Syracuse and Kendall, in which heated fray Syracuse came out the win- ner. In 1887 he continued his mercantile pur- suits in Arkansas City, and in 1889 located in Oklahoma, and spent most of the time from April 24 until June 9 in Guthrie. He then took up his permanent residence in Stillwater, and was identified with the town's most infantile un- dertakings. He assisted to survey the embryo city, and laid out many of the streets, and in 1891 erected the commodious and comfortable resi- dence in which he has since resided. With the upbuilding of his adopted town he has had much to do, and in 1900 erected a two-story building, 25×80, built of pressed brick that was manufactured in Stillwater. He also built the business house occupied by the Payne County Bank, on Main, near Eighth street.
In Louisville, Ky., occurred the marriage of Mr. McGraw and Frances M. Smith, a native of Floyd county, Ind., and a daughter of Capt. M. W. Smith. During the Civil war he served un- der Grant as captain of the Twenty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was appointed revenue collector of the New Albany (Ind.) district, and served for two terms. He is now living in re- tirement in Greenville, Ind.
Mr. McGraw is a Republican, and has been prominent in the undertakings of his party. He was councilman for four years, from 1890, and for two of these years served as mayor. Since the organization of the Republican county com- mittee he has served as secretary, with the ex- ception of one year, when he ran for probate judge against the fusion ticket, and was defeated by thirty-four votes. Fraternally he is associated with Lodge No. 6, A. F. & A. M .; Stillwater Chapter No. 14, R. A. M., and St. John's Com- mandery No. 4, K. T.
D OUGLAS H. McPEEK. Among the num- ber who have contributed largely toward the development of Cleveland county Douglas H. McPeck is deserving of special men- tion in the annals of his community. By well applied industry and indefatigable labor he has wrought a wonderful change in the tract of land which he claimed about eleven years ago, and in the meantime he has not neglected his general cluties as a citizen.
Born in Noble county, Ind., April 2, 1857, Douglas H. McPeek spent his boyhood in that section of the Union until he was twelve years old. His father, Henry McPeek, died a few days before the birth of our subject, and the mother. whose maiden name had been Mary J. Skidgel, subsequently married again. In 1869 the family removed to Kansas, and for some time lived on a farm which was situated on the boundary line of Sedgwick and Butler counties. The step- father died in 1871, and then the youth had to "put his shoulder to the wheel" in earnest, as he thus became the head of the family. His ad- vantages had been limited, and his life was one of considerable hardship in the years when he should have been preparing himself for his career in the schools of the period.
Removing to. Sumner county, Kans., Douglas HI. McPeck formed the acquaintance of Miss Minnie McGuire, of that locality, and on Febru- ary 18, 1880, their marriage was solemnized. A daughter of William and Margaret (Gibson) McGuire, she was born in Macon county, Mo .. whence she removed to the Sunflower state. The two daughters born to our subject and wife are Birdie, who is the wife of Irvin Jameson, of Weatherford, Okla., and has one child; and
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E. H. KENNEDY, Pottawatomie County.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Dora, who is living at home with her father. The wife and mother, who was much loved by all who knew her, was summoned to the better land in 1895. The lady who now bears the name of Mrs. McPeek was formerly Mrs. Mattie Boyd, nee Miller. They were married in this county in August, 1896.
After living in Sumner county, Kans., for sev- eral years Mr. McPeek removed to the Chick- asaw Nation, where he lived for about four years. Hle was one of the "boomers" in opening up Oklahoma, being associated with Captain Couch and his company. April 22, 1889, he made the race for a home, and located his claim, the south- eastern quarter of section 31, township 10, range 4 west. At first he built a log cabin, securely cementing the crevices with mud, and, after he had made necessary improvements upon the land, built a frame house, 12x24 feet in dimen- sions. In 1898 this was supplanted by a sub- stantial, cosy farmhouse, having a frontage of twenty-six feet, while it is forty feet in length and a story and a half in height. A good or- chard supplies the household with abundance of fruit, and the farm now yields excellent crops, under the wise supervision of the owner.
In his political affiliations Mr. McPeek is a Populist, but is not an aspirant to public posi- tions, finding his time fully occupied in attending to his agricultural duties. Fraternally he belongs to the Woodmen of the World, and attends the lodge at Moore, six and a half miles away.
E. H. KENNEDY. The well-conducted claim of Mr. Kennedy, which is located on the northwest quarter of section 17, township II, range 4 west, Pottawatomie county, is a credit to the untiring efforts of the owner, and to the locality whose best interests it represents. It is fitted with all modern and up-to-date appli- ances, and admirably adapted to the carrying on of general farming and stock-raising.
Inheriting to a degree his special aptitude for tilling the soil, and developing its resources to the utmost, Mr. Kennedy was born in Fond du Lac county, Wis., June 14, 1874. His parents, James and Julia (Reilly) Kennedy, were industri- ous and worthy farmers, and trained their son to habits of thrift and economy. Though busily engaged in the discharge of various duties inci- dent to all well-regulated and remunerative farm- ing enterprises, he attended the district schools during the winter months, and later graduated from two high schools, thus acquiring a good education. He also learned much by observa- tion, being a keen student of human nature and of the events of every-day life.
At the opening of Oklahoma, Mr. Kennedy came with his parents to Oklahoma City, where
the elder Kennedy carried on a large grocery business, his son assisting him as clerk. At the opening of the Sac and Fox reservations, E. H. Kennedy made the run from the west line and located upon the claim which has since been the scene of his well-applied industries. Though unmarried, Mr. Kennedy has a pleasant home, and is comfortably well-to-do. In national pol- itics he is affiliated with the Democratic party and has been prominently identified with its undertakings. He has served as delegate to various conventions. He is one of the substan- tial farmers of the locality, and is highly thought of by all who know him.
J OHN N. MANS. For more than fifteen years John N. Mans has been engaged in his present line of business, and has met with remarkable success. The products of the two great bottling plants which he has estab- lished within the past five years find regular sales in thirty or more towns of Oklahoma and Indian territories, and the "Anchor" brand of bottled goods is a synonym for superiority. Standing second to none of the bottling plants of Oklahoma, the proprietor has accomplished much within a short period, and affords em- ployment to a number of industrious workmen.
In tracing the history of our subject, it is learned that his parents, Anton and Susan (Rief) Mans, were natives of Luxemburg, Germany, and when young accompanied their respective families to the United States. The father lived upon farms near Milwaukee until 1878, when he removed to Marysville, Kans., and there man- aged a farm. Later he removed to a homestead near Wichita, Kans., and now is in his seventieth year. His wife, the daughter of John Rief, was reared on a Wisconsin farm, and thence her father removed to Minnesota, where he died.
The eldest of fourteen children, eight of whom survive, John N. Mans was born in Milwaukee, Wis., January 28, 1858. Having learned the carpenter's trade, he worked at that calling until 1885, for seven years in Kansas. Then, going to Denver, he embarked in the manufacture of soda water, at the corner of Blake and Seven- teenth streets. Then, selling out in the following vear, he located in Colorado City in the same line of business, finally succeeding in building up an extensive trade in the place, and also in Col- orado Springs and Manitou. From 1891 to 1895 he was at the head of a large bottling works in Quanah, Tex., manufacturing soda water, deal- ing in ice, and being the local agent for the An- heuser-Busch Company. Coming to Shawnee, in 1895, he built the Anchor Steam Bottling Works, the finest and largest plant of the kind in the territory. Cider, cider vinegar, soda water,
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fruit syrups and mineral waters are manufactured or bottled here. All bottles, cases, wagons and everything connected with the business bear the trade-mark of an anchor. In 1898 Mr. Mans started a branch bottling works at Chandler, built a substantial plant, and now has a flourish- ing trade there, as well as hereabouts. Both are taxed to their capacity in meeting the demands of the trade, and the probability is that other branches will be established in the near future by the ambitious proprietor.
An attractive modern residence was erected by Mr. Mans on Park street for his family. The lady who bears his name was Miss Nettie N. Hunt, of Colorado Springs, at the time of their marriage. She is a native of Toledo, Ohio, and was reared in Kansas, her parents being John and Charlotte (Roler) Hunt. Her maternal grandfather, John Roler, a Pennsylvanian, died in the Buckeye state, and her father, John Hunt, Jr., was born in Ireland, while her mother is a native of the Keystone state. For years a pros- perous live stock merchant in Ohio and in Kan- sas, John Hunt passed to the silent land several years ago, being survived by his wife, now a resident of Chandler. Five of their ten children have passed to the better land, and all of the others reside in Oklahoma.
Fraternally Mr. Mans is identified with the Order of Red Men, and in his political faith is a Democrat. Reared in the Catholic Church, he now belongs to the parish of St. Benedict, of Shawnee.
J. . known origin in Ireland, the great-great- grandfather having come from the north of Ireland some time during the last century and identified himself with the early history of North Carolina. He became a planter, after the man- ner of most who emigrated to the southern states, and his descendants followed his lead in the manner of their occupation. The father of J. M. Meck was born in North Carolina. and during the early years of his activity was a builder and contractor in northern Georgia and Tennes- sce. During the Civil war he served in the Fed- eral quartermaster's department at Chattanooga. After the war he went to Georgia. and later to Booneville, Ark .. and then to Fort Smith, where he engaged in his former occupation of builder and contractor. He died January 10, 1001. His wife. Martha A., was a native of Georgia, and daughter of the Rev. Vines Harwell, a clergy- man of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Geor- gia. Mrs. Meck died at Fort Smith, and of her eight children four are now living.
The early vouth of J. M. Meek was spent at Sequatchie, Tenn., near Chattanooga, where he
was born October 15, 1859. He later went to Georgia and in 1873 to Arkansas, where he was educated in Booneville. He showed a natural aptitude for the carpenter's trade, to the mastery of which he diligently applied himself for one year at Fort Smith. He then began clerking in a grocery store, and, after three years, in 1892 started a grocery and meat market on his own responsibility. This venture was disposed of in 1894, and he located at Webbers Falls, I. T., and engaged in the meat business, which was successfully conducted until 1896, when he located in Shawnee, where he has since been en- gaged in a large meat and stock business. He built a market and store and a slaughter-house on the North Canadian, one and a half miles from Shawnee. In 1808 he became interested in stock-dealing and shipping, and also made a specialty of feeding cattle and hogs, usually to the extent of one hundred and fifty a year.
The marriage of Mr. Meek occurred in Pea Ridge, Ark., with Mary A. Spraker, born in Arkansas, and a daughter of William Spraker, a farmer of that state. During his residence in Shawnee Mr. Meek has shown commendable interest in the growth of his adopted town, and has been substantially identified with some of its most important undertakings. He has labored hard in the cause of education, and, as vice-presi- dent of the school board, has been partly instru- mental in securing the erection of the high school building, which is 'considered one of the finest school buildings in the territory. Frater- nally he is associated with Shawnee Lodge No. 27, A. F. & A. M., with the Royal Arch Masons and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was at one time a Knight of Pythias. Mrs. Meek is a member of the Christian Church.
M. MEEK. The Meek family has its first , at Oklahoma City, the Woodmen of the World.
JOHN M. MILLER. As many of the pio- neers of Oklahoma know, John M. Miller was veryanxious to have the territory opened to white settlers, and really did not a little toward hastening the day. His homestead is pleasantly situated, six and a half miles from Moore, Cleve- land county, in the southeastern part of section 23. township 10. range 4.
A native of Illinois. Mr. Miller's birth took place on the parental homestead in Green county, November 25, 1833. Remaining with his par- ents, John and Sarah (Whiteside) Miller, until he had arrived at the age of eighteen, he then sticcumbed to the prevailing "gold fever." and commenced making preparations for a trip across the plains to the far West. In 1852 he started with two companions, and drove four horses all of the long distance to the Pacific coast, three months being consumed in making the journey.
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For the next three years he worked in the mines, and, having met with fair success, at length con- cluded to return home. Taking passage in the "Sonora," he proceeded to the Isthmus of Pan- ama, which he crossed by train, and thence voy- aged to New York on the Atlantic steamship "George Law." Resuming agricultural labors for several years, he cultivated some land, which was owned by his father, in Illinois.
The next important event in the history of Mr. Miller was his marriage to Miss Mary A. Hough- taling, May 3, 1857. Born in Bradford county, P'a., she is a daughter of James and Margaret A. (Cooley) Houghtaling, and when in her four- teenth year became a resident of Illinois. Eight of the ten children of Mr. and Mrs. Miller sur- vive. The eldest, E. C., was actively connected with the Payne Boomers, and was interested in many of the conflicts between the officials and authorities and the white settlers. Lemuel is married and resides in the Creek Nation. Ber- tha is the wife of J. D. Jones, and Eva is the wife of L. B. Jones, and the mother of four chil- dren. Harry is married and lives near his parents. Ninian E. and James A., born in Min- nesota, and Mrs. Martha McPeek, the latter of Moore township, was born in Iowa, but all of the elder children are natives of Carroll county, 111.
In 1861 Mr. Miller entered the employ of the government and served as a teamster in the army until the battle of Shiloh. when he was de- tailed to accompany the body of a wagon-master to the late home of the deceased. It was not until 1864 that he enlisted regularly as a soldier, for his home cares demanded his presence on the farm. When the affairs of the country had assumed such an extremely grave aspect, in the last year of the war, he volunteered in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Illinois In- fantry, and was sent with some recruits to the front. His own duties were chiefly performed in his own state, as he was stationed at Camp But- ler, near Springfield, and to him and his com- rades fell the sad honor of guarding the body of our martyred president, Lincoln, interred at Springfield, and the mournful scenes connected with the military burial are indelibly printed upon his memory. His honorable discharge from the army was in August. 1865.
In 1866 Mr. Miller settled upon a tract of eighty acres of land, which he purchased in Fari- bault county, Minn. Five years later he placed his household goods in a wagon and drove across country to Madison county, Iowa, and a vear afterward made another move, arriving in Caldwell, Kans., in 1872, having spent the pre- ceding winter near Winfield, same state. Dur- ing the next twelve years he developed a claim which he took up in Sumner county, and then
became a merchant of Caldwell, also dealing considerably in wheat, though he met with severe losses in that venture. About this period he joined a number of the Payne "boomers," as they were called, and with them sought in every possible way to hasten the opening of Okla- homa to general settlement. In 1888 he located in the Chickasaw Nation, where he raised two crops, and April 22, 1889, made the race from the South Canadian to his present homestead. The years which have passed have been well employed, as the condition of his finely-improved farm proclaims. A comfortable house and sub- stantial buildings, with many other valuable at- tributes of a modern farm, render the place val- uable and one of the best in this section.
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