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 49
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A native of Tennessee, Mr. Tate was born in Grainger county in 1847, and spent his youth along the banks of the Holston river. He was reared to agricultural pursuits, and educated in the public schools. In 1878 he removed with his family to Cowley county, Kans., and settled on a wild claim, which he at once began to im- prove, and upon which he lived until the opening
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J. L. WAITE, Black well.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
of the strip. This farm is still in the possession of Mr. Tate, and is operated by his son. With the multitude of others in search of improved conditions, Mr. Tate made the run in September of 1893, and brought his family to share his fortunes the following spring. He at once began to deal in real estate, and has successfully continued in the same line of occupation ever since.
In 1897 Mr. Tate assisted in organizing the local board of trade, and in 1898 was elected vice-president of the same, and has been acting president for one year. He is also one of the executive board which has interested trade and been instrumental in bringing the railroads, the Baptist College and other substantial enterprises to Blackwell. In the politics of his locality Mr. Tate has played a prominent part, being chair- man of the Republican county central commit- tee and a territorial committeeman. At first serving as acting mayor, he is at the present time mayor of Blackwell, having been re-elected in 1900. In 1900 he was elected delegate to the national Republican convention, which met at Philadelphia. Through his efforts as a member of the committee on resolutions, the plank en- dorsing statehood for Oklahoma was embodied in the platform. The press of various states speak in glowing terms of the service rendered by Mr. Tate at this convention, and assert that his scholarly diplomacy was equal to the grave ques- tions involved, and overcame the jealousy of the eastern states because of the rapid advancement and importance of this sister territory in the west. Because of the happy results of his ef- forts in this direction, he is enrolled among the leading diplomats of Oklahoma. In his fraternal associations he is a Mason and is master warden of the local lodge, also a member of tlie Ancient Order of United Workmen. In his church re- lations he exerts a wide influence, being trustec and Sunday-school teacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mrs. Tate was formerly Miss Sarah A. Dyer. and she is the mother of ten children, viz .: Ed- ward H .; Nora; Lucy, the wife of J. T. Mills; Hattie, Walter, Mollie, Bertha, Milton, Vernie and Lillie.
J. L. WAITE. Much of the enterprise and wise application of capital, which have brought about the transformation of Black- well from an agricultural district to the foremost railroad and commercial town in northern Okia- homa, has been centered in J. L. Waite.
A native of Monroe county, Ohio, where he was born in 1844, Mr. Waite is a son of L. A. and Sarah Waite, who were born in Virginia, and were industrious and worthy agriculturists.
When twelve years of age, J. L. was taken by his parents to Platte county, Mo., going thence to Atchison county, Kans., where for eleven years, or until the breaking out of the war, he led the life of the average farmer lad. October 27. 1861, he enlisted in Company D, Second Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, and participated in the fol- lowing battles: Cain Hill, Prairie Grove, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Perryville, and Choctaw Na- tion. For a time he served with the Second Kansas Battery, and was wounded in the leg during the battle of Perryville. After three and a half years of service for his country he was hon- orably discharged January 14, 1865.
After the cessation of hostilities Mr. Waite re- turned to his former home in Kansas, and inter- ested himself in agricultural pursuits. With the multitude of others in search of new and untried conditions, he made the run on the memorable 16th of September, 1893, and located on a claim adjoining the town of Blackwell on the west, a half-mile from the present center of the city. It would be difficult to find a finer quarter sec- tion of land in the township or one better man- aged. The buildings, outhouses, fences, and all equipments and labor-saving devices are the best procurable and contribute to render it one of the most creditable and remunerative farms in Kay - county.
Among the various and responsible interests to which Mr. Waite is devoted may be mentioned the part taken by him as a promoter of the Frisco Railroad, running into the town, he being president of the construction company. He is at the present time one of the directors of the Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad, which is the name and title under which this branch of the road is operated. He is also president and one of the principal stockholders of the Northern Oklahoma Telephone Company, generally con- ceded to be one of the finest and most complete systems in the west.
With the possible exception of one or two, Mr. Waite has erected more buildings and puit more money into improvements in his adopted town than any other man here. While yet the nucleus of its present proportions, he saw, with unerring vision, the future possibilities, and, as if to confirm his faith in the judgment of others, at once began the erection of several business blocks, which are to-day not only among the finest in the town, but stand as a prophecy of that which has, in a measure, been fulfilied. Among other possessions he owns the block in which the postoffice is conducted, on Main street and Blackwell avenue, three rooms of which face on the avenue, and one large one on the street. He owns also two lots east of the post- office. one in the second block west and two in the third block west.
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Mrs. Waite was formerly Mary E. Henderson, a daughter of Harvey Henderson, and her mar- riage occurred in 1868. To Mr. and Mrs. Waite has been born one child, Garrett, who is thirty- one years of age, and lives in Blackwell. There are in the family, and reared by Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, two nieces, Hannah and Mary. In political affiliation Mr. Waite is associated with the Republican party, and cast his first presi- dential vote for Lincoln. Since that time he has never failed to vote the Republican ticket. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and president of the Northern Veterans' Asso- ciation.
W ILLIAM EDMONDS. A special place of honor should be accorded the heroes of the Civil war, who fought and suffered in the defense of the United States, the country which has since steadily progressed until it now occupies an important place of authority among the leading nations of the world. William Ed- monds not only nobly stood by his country when its life was threatened, in the troubled war times, but in days of peace, also, has played the part of a patriot, and has given his influence to every measure and policy which in his belief has been beneficial to the public.
In passing his life in review, it is learned that our subject comes of the sterling Pennsylvania- Dutch stock, and that his ancestors possessed the true hardihood of the pioneer. His paternal grandfather, David Edmonds, a native of the Keystone state, went to Ohio at an early period and later proceeded to the frontiers of Mis- souri, but after dwelling in that region several years, returned to Ohio, where he died at an advanced age. His son, Ephraim, father of Wil- liam Edmonds, was likewise a native of Penn- sylvania, and in his youth suffered the hardships incident to life in new districts. He crossed the Mississippi at St. Louis, when there was only one store in that future metropolis, and spent a number of eventful years in the frontier state of Missouri. In 1844 he went to Wabash county. Ind., and there lived peacefully, engaged in the cultivation of a farm, and rearing his children to take useful places in the world's activities. In the autumn of 1862 he volunteered as a private soldier in the Forty-sixth Regiment of Indiana Infantry, and went to the front. The privations and exposure to inclement weather undermined the heaith of the noble patriot, and in 1863 he died in the hospital of St. Charles, at New Or- leans, far away from his home and loved ones. He was a prominent member of the United Brethren Church, being a class leader and one of the official board, and every one revered and loved him. . The wife and mother died at her
home in Manchester, Ind., at the ripe age of three-score and ten years. In her girlhood she bore the name of Lucy A. Rager, and the place of her nativity was in Pennsylvania.
William Edmonds is one of twelve children, only five of whom survive. He was born Feb- ruary 1, 1844, in Missouri, but was reared in Chester township, Wabash county, Ind., and in his boyhood his educational advantages werc limited. He had early learned the lessons of duty toward country, however, and though only seventeen years old when the war of the Re- bellion broke out, he enlisted in Company B, Forty-seventh Indiana Infantry, being under the command of his uncle, Capt. C. B. Rager. The story of the gallant Forty-seventh included service under General Grant in some of the most important campaigns of the Mississippi vai- ley. With his comrades, Mr. Edmonds partici- pated in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hills and many others, not the least of which was the siege of Vicksburg and the Mobile op- erations: In 1864 he was mustered out of the service at the close of the term of his enlist- ment, and, veteranizing, became a member of the Louisiana state militia, from which he was honorably discharged a year subsequently. Thus, altogether, he was in the ranks four years and four days, and though often narrowly escap- ing death, passed through the entire service with- out being wounded, and made an enviable record for fidelity and courage.
Returning home, Mr. Edmonds bought the old farm and continued to manage the place until the Centennial year, when he removed to Piatt county, Ill. There he dwelt until 1880, when he bought some railroad land in Crawford county, Kans., and proceeded to develop the place dur- ing the ensuing . years. He succeeded beyond his sanguine expectations, but in the spring of 1888 he made an unfortunate move on the checker-board of life, and in western Kansas agricultural ventures lost all of the means which he had hitherto accumulated by long and ardu- ous labor. These reverses led him to become one of the multitude attracted to Oklahoma, and in June, 1889, he came to Britton township, Oklahoma county, and filed a claim to the farm which he now operates, under date of July 11th. With characteristic energy, he immediately began making plans for rendering the place de- sirable, and when he had built a sod cabin and made some other improvements he was joined by his family, who came in October. To-day he has one hundred acres under cultivation, and makes wheat his chief crop. He also has a fine orchard and vineyard, and each year is increas- ing their dimensions, as he adds new varieties of fruit. On the other hand, he keeps some live stock, including cattle, horses and swine, and
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JUDGE V. H. BROWN, Newkirk.
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
· in order to better meet their needs, constructed artificial ponds, which he, moreover, has stocked with fish. Success is attending him in the greater part of his enterprises, and one and all rejoice in his prosperity.
Before the schools of Britton township had come into existence, Mr. Edmonds was active in organizing the districts, and aided materially in the building of the Britton school. He has served on the board of education, has been jus- tice of the peace, and has been prominently asso- ciated with the founding of this county. Since the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Britton he has been one of the trus- tees, a period of about nine years, and for several years has been the beloved and efficient super- intendent of the Sunday-school, his wife also being active in that department, as a teacher. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Re- public. He is also one of the charter members of the A. H. T. A., and is at present serving on a committee.
The marriage of Mr. Edmonds and Miss Sa- lome C. Hager, a native of Chester township, Wabash county, Ind., was solemnized in 1866. Their four children are named, respectively: Susanna, Mary Alice, Lieu Alien, and Clara Ellen. The eldest daughter is living in New Mexico, while Miss Mary, a graduate of the Edmond Normal, is teaching in the Britton schools. The son is a graduate of the commer- cial department of the Oklahoma City Business College, and is proficient in stenography and all kindred branches.
J UDGE VIRGIL H. BROWN. Two of the professions have found an able exponent in Judge Brown. In the exercise of his ability and judgment he has assumed the prerogative of all broad and thinking minds, and it may be said that his life work has been one of evolution. As a minister of the gospel during a period of fifteen years, he wielded an extended influence for good, teaching the gospel of justice and humanity to the congregations of two prominent churches in the country, until, in the face of multiplying and contradictory denominations, and crumbling props of creeds, and the light shed from the com- parative study of the settled and unchanging science of law, he decided in favor of law against creed, and has since devoted his efforts to the in- telligent application of the different principles of legal lore.
The father of Judge Brown, Dr. James Brown, was for years a prominent physician and sur- geon in Newcomerstown, Ohio, where he died in 1863. While representing the most advanced practice and theory of medical and surgical sci- ence, he yet attained to a more than local renown
as a forceful and convincing public speaker, his ability in that direction being mainly devoted to the cause of politics. Contradictory as it may seem, he never had personal political aspirations, but stumped the state on several occasions merely as an advocate of the principles of his party. Virgil H. was the only son in the family, and was well favored educationally, receiving his training in the public schools, and in Washington and Jefferson College, at Washington, Pa., event- ually graduating from Adrian College in 1874. In the latter seat of learning he took a thorough theological course, and devoted the following fifteen years of his life to pastorates in the church at Princeton, Ill., and to the First Church, on Fifth avenue, Pittsburg, Pa. His efforts were attended with gratifying success, and were con- tinted so long as this conscientious humanitarian could justly maintain his stand before the people.
In the meantime Mr. Brown had been giving much attention to the study of law, and in 1890 was admitted to practice in the supreme court of Illinois. The newly-opened strip seemed a prom- ising field for the future, and, after locating in Newkirk, he was elected first probate judge of Kay county. During his term of service his du- ties extended to all of the courts of the territory. In the campaign of 1894 it was demonstrated to the satisfaction of his constituents that Mr. Brown was an unusually fluent and eloquent speaker, and as an orator of finish and logic he is perhaps without a superior in the territory. In 1897 and 1898 he stumped the state for Flynn, and in 1900 was one of the listed speakers on the Republican committee.
During the first years of his residence in the territory Mr. Brown was in partnership with the firm of Peckham, Brown & Pond, both Peckham and Pond being of Blackwell. Among his other claims for attention, Mr. Brown has ever shown a vital interest in the cause of education, to the advancement of which he has given much thought and study. He served on the school board of Newkirk, and was largely instrumental in securing the erection of the stone school build- ing of the town. He is a member of the Terri- torial Bar Association, and in 1894 organized the Kay County Bar Association, of which he was first president.
In 1874 occurred the marriage of Judge Brown and Ida Wilkes. Of this union there are six children, the only one living in Oklahoma being James, a resident of Newkirk. Judge Brown has erected a fine residence in his adopted town, and is, besides, the owner of considerable town prop- city. Fraternally he is associated with the Ma- sonic order, and a member of the Temple Com- mandery No. 20. K. T., at Princeton, Ill., the Royal Arch Chapter at Princeton, and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at La Harpe, Ill.
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The Brown family are all gifted musicaliy, the Judge himself, in his younger days, having been a well-known singer. The children have inher- ited their father's talent, and there is in the family a string orchestra and a male quartette.
G ODFRIED KOENIG, deceased, was a pioneer of two states before coming to Oklahoma, and added not a little to the . development of these different parts of the Union. Always an industrious and patriotic citizen, he was a worthy example of the German- Americans, who stand foremost among the adopted sons of this great republic.
The father of the subject of this sketch, John F. Koenig, followed the calling of a shepherd in Germany, his native country, and when he had decided to remove to America, sold his large flocks. Accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Ger- trude (Kiler) Koenig, and children, he crossed the Atlantic in 1846, and, buying some cheap lands along the bluffs of the Mississippi river in Wisconsin, again embarked in the business of raising sheep, having five hundred in his flock at first. An influx of farmers into that region reduced the ranges for the flocks, and at length Mr. Koenig and his sons kept only a compara- tively few upon their respective farms.
Our subject was born in Struth, Prussia, Ger- many, February 22, 1831, and was fifteen years old when he came to the United States. For twenty-two years he dwelt in Grant county, Wis., and improved a good farm there ere he removed to Nodaway county, Mo., in 1868. There he purchased one hundred and nine acres at first, and from time to time increased the boundaries of his farm until his possessions amounted to two hundred and forty acres. Al- together he was a resident of Missouri twenty- two years, gradually amassing a snug little for- tune. In 1890 he came to Oklahoma and bought the southeast quarter of section 27, Mustang township, Oklahoma county, where he resided until his death, which occurred November 16, 1900. He became the owner of another quarter- section of land here, and made a marked suc- cess of his enterprises. His thrifty orchard and vineyard furnished a great variety of fruit, and his well-cultivated fields yielded fine crops of wheat each season. This property was sold by his widow in February, 1901.
September 22, 1900, the golden wedding an- niversary of Godfried Koenig and wife, formerly Miss Dorothy Kirchberg, was celebrated at their pleasant home. Their descendants number nine living children, forty-six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The widow is rugged and very active as yet, and gives promise of contin- uing so for some time to come. Their eldest
daughter, Mary, is the wife of Adam Brand, a farmer of this township, and Marguerite, Mrs. John Wonderly, lives in Conception, Mo. Frank is a farmer in Cleveland county, Okla., and Ed- ward is a farmer of this township. Dora, Mrs. George Wiederholt, resides upon an Iowa farm. Frances, Mrs. Peter Siebenaler, lives in St. Jo- seph, Mo. Joseph is a carpenter at Chickasha, and Alois is similarly occupied in Custer county, Okla. Louisa, wife of Frank Siebenaler, is a resident of Oklahoma City.
During his early manhood Mr. Koenig used his franchise in favor of the Democratic party, but in later years gave little attention to politics. In Missouri he held the office of road super- visor for a period, and at all times endeavored to be a useful and public-spirited citizen of his community. In religious faith he was a Roman Catholic, and contributed liberally to the support of that church.
E. J. BEVIS. One of the young business men of Perry is Mr. Bevis, who won wide- spread attention as an athlete, and for more than two years, from 1896 to 1898, was pitcher for the two celebrated teams, the Kansas City Blues of the Western League, and the Bur- lington Western Association. He traveled ex- tensively in the west with these organizations, and made an enviable reputation among the best judges of the game. He also has abundantly proved his ability as a practical business man, and stands high in the estimation of our citizens.
His paternal grandfather, a native of Zanes- ville, Ohio, was of French extraction. He was one of the early settlers of Clay county, Ind., and was a thrifty farmer. J. W., father of E. J. Bevis, was born in Zanesville, and when arrived at man's estate he married Maria M. Barnhart, who was of German ancestry, and likewise was a na- tive of the Buckeye state. For a number of years this estimable couple resided in Indiana, and since 1881 have lived on a farm near Win- field, Kans. They had nine children, three of whom are deceased.
E. J. Bevis, whose birth occurred near Bowling Green, Ind., August 26, 1874, was reared in Kan- sas from his eighth year, and, after leaving the common school, entered the Winfield high school .. Ten years ago he came to Oklahoma, believing, rightly, that this newly-opened land would be a good place for a young man of ambi- tion and enterprise. For two years he conducted a general merchandising store at Mulhall, and for more than a year he was employed as a trav- eling salesman for the Perry Mercantile Com- pany and the Perry Mill Company. Having thoroughly settled in his own mind the momen- tous question in regard to the time when the
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HENRY EDDY HAND. Stillwater.'
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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twentieth century begins, and, by a coincidence, being ready to open a new grocery, he embarked in the enterprise January 1, 1900. Thus origina- ted the well-known "Nineteenth Century Gro- cery," which commands its full share of the best local trade, and is constantly increasing its list of regular customers.
In Wichita, Kans., occurred the marriage of Mr. Bevis and Miss S. M. Shields, who was born in Kentucky. They are the parents of a charm- ing little daughter, Florence by name. Mrs. Bevis is an active member of the Baptist Church.
H ENRY EDDY HAND. By common con- sent accounted one of the leaders in the public life of Stillwater, a position he has earned by devotion to its welfare and activity in many of its lines of progress, Henry Eddy Hand is a citizen of whom Oklahoma is proud. Like the typical American, he has made his way to a place of dignity and honor by the most heroic and persistent struggles against circumstances, and thus the newsboy of about four decades ago, to-day is the president of the National Bank of Commerce in this city.
Though he was poor in his youth, Henry Eddy Hand came of a good family, which, after all, counts for much in the estimation of most stu- dents of human nature. Several generations ago his ancestor, John Hand, born in Kent county, England, came to this country, settling in South- ampton, L. I., and four years later located in East Hampton, L. I., where he died in 1660. The great-great-grandfather of our subject, John Hand, was born January 3, 1727, married, and spent the remainder of his life in East Hampton, L. I. One of the children born to himself and wife, Rebecca, was Jeremiah, whose birth oc- curred in East Hampton in 1765. He married a Miss Tallmadge, and removed to New York state about 1830. One of their sons, Aaron, born in East Hampton in 1773, was the grandfather of H. E. Hand. For a wife he chose Thamer Platt, daughter of Epenetus and Anna Platt, of Kings- bury, N. Y., their marriage taking place in 1795.
Of their six children, Lemuel P., father of H. E. Hand, was the fifth in order of birth, his nativity occurring February 3, 1810. He was twice married, the wife of his early manhood be- ing Mary S. Eddy, daughter of Col. Tisdale Eddy, who won his title in the Revolutionary war, and later was known as the owner of large estates, much of his valuable property being lo- cated in Pittstown, N. Y. His brother, Robert, was a baggage master in the Revolution, and in the war of 1812 rose to the rank of general. Mrs. Mary S. Hand. born March 20, 1813, and wedded on April 2. 1834, died October 6, 1840. A year later, October 7, 1841, Lemuel P. Hand married
Ruth Ann Eddy, sister of his first wife. She was born March 27, 1819, and died in Stillwater Feb- ruary 2, 1892, leaving three children: Henry Eddy; Bayard E., who is in the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad, at Chicago, Ill., and Mrs. Mary E. Pottinger, of Fairbury, Neb. The two sons of the first marriage of Lemuel P. Hand are deceased, Tisdale Aaron, an attorney, hav- ing died at Charles City. Iowa, while Lemuel Burton passed away in Philadelphia, Pa., De- cember 27, 1860.
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