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 77
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was born in Knox county, Ill., and engaged in farming there, owning property one and one- quarter miles north of Maquon. From the time of attaining his majority he has always given his allegiance to the Democratic party, being a firm believer in its principles. His parents, Noah and Sarah Jane (Duvall) Simkins, were pioneers of Knox county, where they were widely and favor- ably known. In 1898 Mr. and Mrs. Simkins came to Oklahoma and bought a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, situated about three miles northwest of Orlando. Out of that claim they are evolving a valuable farm. They are the parents of two children. The son, Charles, was born in Knox county, Ill., and now lives in Min- nesota; he is married and has one child. The daughter, Grace, is the wife of Horace G. South- ard; they and their two children reside in Perry, Okla.
E. WV. WITTEN, M. D. As a member of the medical profession, Dr. Witten stands among the foremost residents of Okla- homa City. He is one of the substantial and progressive men who entered the borders of ' Oklahoma Territory after it had been opened. In Oceana, W. Va., he was born, March 13, 1857, and is a son of R. W. Witten. His great- grandfather, William, who descended from Eng- lish and Scotch ancestry, was born in old Vir- ginia, and fought in the Revolutionary war. Thomas G. Witten, the grandfather, was born in Virginia, and settled in Grundy county, Mo., where he carried on farming until his death.
Born in Tazewell county, Va., R. W. Witten, after the removal of the family to Missouri, en- tered the St. Louis Medical College, from which he later graduated. Returning to his native state, he entered upon practice in his chosen pro- fession. When the Civil war broke out he be- came a surgeon in the Confederate army. After that deadly struggle had been brought to a close, he settled in Edinburg, Mo., where he remained some time. Going from there to Trenton, Mo .. he built up a large practice and for years was one of the prominent physicians of the town, but in 1897 he joined his son, E. W., in Okla- homa City. He married Miss Sarah F. Riggs, a native of Guyandotte, W. Va., and a daughter of Greenville Riggs, who was a native of North Carolina, and for some years a planter of West Virginia. Our subject has three brothers: T. A., an attorney in Kansas City; W. W., editor of the States Duty, at St. Louis; and R. P., a resident of Oklahoma City.
In 1868, when his parents went to Grundy county, Mo., E. W. Witten accompanied them and later completed his common-school educa- tion at Edinburg. Until the senior year he at-
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tended Grand River College, of Edinburg. For the next seven years he was in a drug store in Trenton, and in the meantime studied medicine under his father. In 1870-80 he attended the medical college at Keokuk, Iowa, then returned to the drug business for several years. Subse- quently he became a student in the Missouri Medical College, at St. Louis, from which he graduated in 1889. Until the fall of 1890, he practiced in Trenton, Mo., but in that year he located in Oklahoma City, where he has since built up an extensive practice. He has fine office rooms in the Bloomfield block, and is one of the leading physicians of his adopted city.
December 27, 1890, Governor Steele ap- pointed Dr. Witten a member of the first Ter- ritorial Board of Pharmacy Examiners, and he served one year as president of the same. In 1894 he was appointed county and city physician and served two terms as such. In 1893 he was appointed by President Cleveland as a member of the United States Board of Pension Exam- iners, and was reappointed under President Mc- Kinley. He is now a member of the city board of health, also examining physician for the Woodmen of the World. Fraternal Home and Royal Tribe of Joseph. The Territorial Medical Association numbers him among its members. Recognized as a public-spirited and progressive man, he has many friends throughout the city and county of Oklahoma.
H AROLD C. BRUNT. Not often does it happen that men twenty-five years of age are chosen to fill responsible public or political positions, and when the subject of the article was honored by being made a delegate to the national convention of the Democratic party, at Chicago in the summer of 1896, it seemed that the wise saying of the seer that "old men for counsel" was ignored, and it is a well known fact that he was the youngest delegate sent from Oklahoma. That he carried out the wishes of his party friends goes without saying, and in every respect he justified the confidence reposed in him.
Well trained in the tenets of the Democratic. party by his father, John R. Brunt, our subject is no more ardent worker in its ranks than is his father. That gentleman, who is a very pop- ular citizen of Anderson, Ind., was nominated as a member of congress in 1896, but, owing to the usual large Republican majority of his district, he was not elected. Of English descent, he is a son of Thomas Brunt, who was born in North Carolina, and at a very early day located in the neighborhood of Anderson, Ind., there passing his declining years. Early in 1866, when sixteen years of age, he went to Kansas, and
for several years was engaged in mercantile ven- tures at St. Paul. For eight successive years he served as sheriff of Neosho county, and from 1885 to 1889 was postmaster at Osage Mis- sion. In addition to this, he was the editor of the Neosho County Journal for some time prior to 1889, when he returned to his old Anderson (Ind.) home, where he has been engaged in the iron industry ever since. In the fraternities, as well as in his political and business circles, he is held in high esteem, being a' Mason, Odd Fellow and Knight of Pythias. His wife was, Miss Lois C. Van Laningham prior to their marriage, and the four children who blessed their union are yet living. Mrs. Brunt was born in Indiana, of which state her paternal grandfather was an early settler.
The birth of Harold C. Brunt, the eldest of the parental family, and the only one in Okla- homa, took place in St. Paul, Kans., September 17, 1871. In the public schools of Neosho county he received a liberal education, complet- ing the same in the Fort Scott Normal, which he attended until he arrived at his senior year. Then, going to the town of his birth, he obtained a position as a clerk in the city bank, and at the end of a year succeeded his father as editor of the Neosho County Journal, with which paper he was connected for three years, or until the fall of 1892. In October he came to Chandler, and became assistant cashier of the Hoffman. Charles & Conklin State Bank, which had been incorporated with a capital stock of $5,000. He belongs to its board of directors. Fraternally he is a Knight of Pythias.
After coming to this wide-awake little city, Mr. Brunt built a pretty modern residence, and the lady who now presides over its hospitalities was Miss Alma F. Reynolds prior to their mar- riage. She is a native of Marceline, Mo. They have one child, Blanche, born January 29, 1900. Mrs. Brunt's parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Rey- nolds, were early settlers near Chandler, but now reside in Olympia, Wash.
R. J. DEVORE. As mayor of Tonkawa, the subject of this article is justifying the ex- pectations of his fellow-townsmen who conferred upon him the highest municipal gift of the people. He was elected to the office in September of 1900, and seems amply qualified for the responsibility incident to the develop- ment of a promising town.
A native of Champaign county, Ohio, Mr. Devore was born in 1847, and is the son of Jacob and Lydia Devore, who were born in Ohio, and whose days of usefulness were passed in that state. Prior to his fifteenth year, the life of their son Rollin was fashioned on the lines of
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AUSTIN ELLIS, Carney.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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the average farm-reared boy, and was practically without more than passing interest. He was destined, however, to meet with the serious and even tragic side of life at an age when most boy's are joyful of heart, for the call to arms in 1861 was no respecter of persons or age. With the enthusiasm of fifteen, and the desire for adven- ture, he enlisted in Company H, Sixty-sixth Ohio Infantry, at North Louisburg, Ohio, June 1, 1862. A brother accompanied him, and his war experience was doubly saddened by the loss of this brother at the battle of Port Repub- lic, June 9, 1862. He participated in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and was then transferred to the western army, and was in the battle of Peach Tree Creek, where he was wounded by a rifle ball in the leg. This accident interfered with his active service, and necessitated a sojourn of several weeks in the hospital. Upon recov- ering he assisted in drafting men in Ohio. June 15, 1865, he was honorably discharged at Co- lumbus, Ohio, having served his country for three years and fourteen days.
Following his war experiences, Mr. Devore went to Adams county, Iowa, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits for eighteen years, and became identified with the best interests of the locality. Though comparatively successful here, he decided that the newly opened territory of Oklahoma held greater possibilities, and hence removed to Guthrie, where he resided for a year. He later removed to the region inhabited by the Tonkawa Indians, and leased a farm, upon which he lived until 1893. With the multitude of others similarly inclined, he made the run, and located on the southwest quarter of section 35, township 26, range I west, which he at once proceeded to improve, and which he sold after the expiration of seven years, having vacated about four months ago.
In October of 1899 Mr. Devore moved into the town of Tonkawa, where he has since re- sided, and which he contemplates making his future home, and the scene of his efforts and enterprise. About 1871-72 he was united in marriage with M. J. Miller, a daughter of J. H. and Lovina Miller. Of this union there are three children, Oliver, Lewis, and Ora. Mrs. Devore died in 1880. Mr. Devore contracted a second marriage in 1883 with Angeline McMillen, and to this couple have been born five children, viz .: Earl, Noel, Hopie, Hazel and Susan.
In politics Mr. Devore is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and has been identified with many of its most important undertakings. He cast his first vote on a freight train, during the war, for Abraham Lincoln, at the age of seventeen years. In 1871 he became identified with the Masonic order in Ohio, and is now ar-
ranging to organize a lodge in Tonkawa. A hall is being erected for the purpose, of which Mr. Devore is a stockholder. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and is assisting to organize a branch in his adopted town.
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A USTIN ELLIS. As purveyor to the people of Carney in the general merchandise line, Mr. Ellis caters to a continually increasing trade, which is but the expected result of this popular merchant's upright methods of con- ducting business, his desire to please, and his intelligent knowledge of the demands of the community. Men in like positions have ever been widely instrumental in assisting the growth of their respective localities, for upon their tact and discretion and kindliness, no less than upon the quality of material sold by them, rests much of the good fellowship and sympathetic co-oper- ation necessary in all promising and expanding towns.
Mr. Ellis was born in Russell county, Ky., in 1855, and is a son of Elijah and Adaline Ellis. His early life was spent in Shelby county, Ind., whither his father had removed before the war. Elijah Ellis was a prominent man during his active years, and served his country in the Civil war as captain of an Indianapolis troop of cav- alry. In 1889 he made the run to the territory and located on his claim near Columbia, King- fisher county, where he died in 1899. After a youth spent in learning to be a good farmer, and in attendance at the district schools, Austin Ellis went in 1876 to Suniner county, Kans., with his father, and thence to Franklin county, Kans., where they remained for eleven years. In 1885 he returned to Sumner county, and en- tered the general merchandise business at Cicero, remaining there until the opening of the Iowa country, when he made the run and set- tled on the southwest quarter of section II, township 15, range 3. This claim has since been placed under a high state of cultivation, and has a good orchard and vineyard. Though still in the possession of Mr. Ellis, this farm is at the present time being run by his sons.
In 1895 Mr. Ellis opened his general mer- chandise store in Carney, and later met the de- mands of an increased stock by erecting a larger building. With the politics of the locality he has had much to do, and has been prominent as a member of the Democratic party. For one term he served as justice of the peace, and was the second postmaster of the town and served for four years, having been appointed by Cleveland. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Woodmen of the World. He is active in all that
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pertains to the upbuilding of his town and locality, and generously contributes both time and money to further any good and reliable cause.
Mr. Ellis has been twice married. In 1881 he was united with Zette Hill, who died in 1889 and left three children, William C., Ernest A., and Jessie M. The present Mrs. Ellis was form- erly Mary E. Morgan, and she is the mother of two children, Adaline and Irma Innes.
F. AYARS, county treasurer of Lincoln J. county, is one of the public-spirited resi- dents of Chandler and is especially worthy of praise owing to his endeavors in behalf of the railroad at this point. Realizing the great need of transportation before Chandler could attain any size as a city, he used all of his influence to secure the Frisco extension, and it was, to a large degree, the result of his labors that the right of way was finally secured through the county. The value of this road to Chandler and the surrounding country is admitted by all.
At Monticello, Lewis county, Mo., Mr. Ayars was born in 1841. His father, Jephtha, a native of Cumberland county, N. J., was a son of James Ayars, whose father came from Scotland and settled on a farm in New Jersey, remaining there constantly until his death. The grand- father served in the Revolutionary war. When a young man, Jephtha Ayars removed to Mis- souri, where he engaged in contracting and building. In 1845 he settled in Potosi, Grant county, Wis., and there engaged in lead mining for many years, but finally removed to Kan- sas, where he died. In slavery days he was noted as a strong abolitionist. He married Mar- garet Thomas, who was born on the Green river in Kentucky, and whose father, James \V. Thomas, was a companion of Daniel Boone and a pioneer of Missouri. Like his illustrious friend, Mr. Thomas was exceedingly fond of hunting. Many of his happiest days were spent with his gun, in search of the wild game that roamed through the forests of Kentucky and Missouri. At one time he owned slaves, but becoming convinced of the injustice of the sys- tem he freed all of the negroes on his planta- tion. Afterward he went to California, and while there, on a hunting expedition, he was accident- ally killed by his horse falling over a precipice. He was then more than eighty years of age. His daughter, Mrs. Margaret Ayars, died in Kansas in 1898. Of her six children, all but one are liv- ing. One of the sons, J. B., is a farmer in Lin- coln county, Okla.
The oldest of the family, J. F. Ayars, was reared in Wisconsin and received his education principally in the Lancaster high school. In
July, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Tenth Wisconsin Infantry, and was mustered into the service at Milwaukee, from which city he went to the front. From that time forward he par- ticipated in many hard-fought battles and severe campaigns. He was present at the battles of Bridgeport, Ala., Perryville, Ky., Murfreesboro, Tenn., the siege of Vicksburg, the battle of Black River Bridge, the engagements at Champion Hill and Fort Gibson, and the burning of Austin, Miss. At Coleman's Corners, Miss., his regi- ment was surrounded by the enemy and was forced to cut its way out, in the midst of a bap- tism of fire. Later he took part in-the battles of Milligan's Bend and Duck River Shoals, and went with General Banks on the Red River ex- pedition. It was during this expedition that he was a participant in the capture of a fort. Later he was a member of the body guard of Gen. A. J. Smith, with whom he was at Lake Village, Ark., and Greenville, Miss. In January, 1863, he was honorably discharged from the service. However, he soon afterward re-en- listed, becoming a member of the Mississippi Marine Brigade, with a commission as first ser- geant. In the fall of 1864 he was placed ashore at Vicksburg, where he did garrison duty until the close of the war, being mustered out in June, 1865, at Vicksburg, and receiving an honorable discharge from the service. His record as a soldier was one of which he and his might well be proud. He was always to be found at his post of duty, and was prompt, efficient and relia- ble, as well as patriotic.
Going to Kansas in 1866, Mr. Ayars became a clerk in the quartermaster's department at Fort Riley, and later located in Ellsworth, where he built the first house in the town. This was known as the Ayars house and was used as a hotel during the building of the town. On ac- count of the hostility of the Indians, it was necessary to have a guard every night for some time, to prevent depredations, and the various men in the town took turns in acting as guards. Next Mr. Ayars improved a farm on Clark's creek, and on it he continued until 1870, when he began to mine at Georgetown, Colo., remain- ing there and at Silver Plume for some time. Returning to his farm in Kansas, he gave his attention to agricultural pursuits for a time, then going to the Black Hills. The year 1877 found him mining there, after which he was similarly occupied in Central City, Colo. Again going to his Kansas farm, he turned his attention to the stock business. In 1881 he settled in Junction City, Kans., where he bought a drug store and embarked in the drug business. A year after settling in that place, he was elected probate judge, and his service in the office was so satis- factory that he was twice re-elected, serving six
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years altogether. His next location was in' ganization of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, lie Geary county, Kans., where he remained until was elected the first custodian, and held the office until it was abolished. He is also con- nected with the Knights of Pythias at Chandler, and Chandler Post No. 35, G. A. R., of which he is past commander. Though not identified with any denomination, he assists in the maintenance of the Episcopal Church, to which his wife be- longs. January, 1889. From there he came to Okla- homa at the opening of the territory. His first location was Guthrie, where he opened a real estate office and at the same time located a claim one and one-half miles north of the city. After a time he started a drug store at Guthrie, which he conducted until January, 1892, and then sold in order to settle in Chandler. For a time after he came to Chandler he was connected with Mr. McElHinney, later was with Mr. Wright until his election as county treasurer.
The distinction belongs to Mr. Ayars of hav- ing been one of the organizers of the State Phar- maceutical Association of Kansas, and it was largely through his endeavors that the pharmacy bill was passed by the Kansas legislature. After coming to Oklahoma, he performed a similar service, lobbying the pharmacy bill through the territorial legislature. He aided in the organ- ization of the Territorial Pharmaceutical Asso- ciation. As the nomince of the Republican party, in 1898 he was elected county treasurer, receiving a fair majority over the fusion can- didate. Assuming the duties of the office in Jan- uary, 1899, he has since devoted himself to their efficient and honorable discharge, and has won. the confidence of the people as a reliable, honest and painstaking official. He has served as a member of the city council of Chandler and for two years served as a member of the school board, of which he acted as clerk.
In Junction City, Kans., Mr. Ayars married Miss Kate F. Mitchell, who was born in Pitts- burg, Pa., and in 1854 was brought by her father, Henry Mitchell, to Kansas, the latter building and operating a mill on Clark's creek. Six children comprise the family of Mr. and Mrs. Ayars, namely: Minnie, Mrs. Kennedy, of Kan- sas City, Mo .; Mrs. Fannie Mackey, of Chand- ler; Mrs. Maud Tichnor, of New Mexico; Mrs. Dolly McGaughey, of Chandler; Mrs. Grace Bateman, of Wellston, Okla., and Jimmie, a stu- dent in the Christian College of Fulton, Mo.
During his residence in Junction City, Kans., Mr. Ayars was made a Mason. He assisted in organizing Guthrie Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M., of which he served as secretary. He took the Royal Arch degree in Junction City and was past high priest of the chapter at that point, afterward becoming a member of Guthrie Chap- ter No. I, in which he still holds membership. He was made a member of the Commandery at Abilene, Kans., and later was a charter member of Guthrie Commandery No. I, K. T., with which he is still connected. He assisted in the organi- zation of Chandler Lodge No. 10, of which he was the first master, holding the office for four years, but refusing further election. At the or-
J. H. CARTER, one of the popular public offi- cials of Lincoln county, was elected on the Republican ticket to the position which he so ably fills, that of sheriff. His personal worth and good standing in his community led to his being elected by a fair majority, over the fusion ticket nominee. In January, 1899, he entered upon his new duties, removed to the county seat, and built a residence in Bennett's Addition to Chandler. In former years, he abundantly proved his energy and trustworthi- ness in many ways, as, for four years he acted as treasurer of his own township, and for two years was treasurer of the local school board. In political circles he has been a factor of some prominence, and for two years was a member of the county central committee.
The paternal ancestors of J. H. Carter emi- grated from Scotland to Virginia at an early period, and his grandfather, William Carter, a native of the Old Dominion, participated in the war of 1812. In pioneer days of Indiana, he removed thither, settling near Bloomington. He attained the extreme age of ninety-four years, his death occurring about twenty years ago. His son, Joel, father of J. H. Carter, was born on the old homestead near Bloomington, and gave his best years to agricultural pursuits. When the Mexican war came on, he enlisted in an Indiana regiment and served in the ranks for fourteen months. During the Civil war he was a sergeant in Company E, Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry, and for two years and four months was actively engaged in important campaigns. About forty-five years ago he took up his abode in Lucas county, Iowa, and in 1880 purchased a farm in Morris county, Kans., where he dwelt for several years. With his wife he came to spend his last days with his son, our subject, in this county. In 1897, when in his seventy- second year, he was called to his reward, and his wife also passed the three-score and ten mile- stone on life's journey. Her name in girlhood was Elizabeth Lamb, Monroe county, Ind., be- ing the place of her birth. Her father, Alex- ander Lamb, a native of one of the Carolinas, and of Irish descent, was a farmer in the Hoo- sier state. Of the twelve children born to Joel and Elizabeth Carter, six died when young, and
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only three survive. Abraham L. Carter, young- and lived to the extreme age of ninety-five years. est brother of our subject, is a prosperous far- ' For a wife he chose a Miss Eskridge, likewise mer of this county.
The birth of J. H. Carter took place in Chari- ton, Lucas county, Iowa, January 26, 1856. His youth was quietly passed in Iowa, and his educational advantages were rather limited. In 1879 he removed to Morris county, Kans., where he bought a farm and for ten or more years gave his attention to its cultivation. In the spring of 1890 he located on school lands twelve miles west of Guthrie, and in March of the fol- lowing year rented a farm in the Seminole Na- tion. On September 21, 1891, he located a claim in the northwestern part of section 24, North Seminole township. The property is situated on Robinson's creek, and is well adapted to stock raising and to general cultivation. Good improvements were instituted by the enterpris- ing owner, and to-day the farm is considered one of the most desirable places in the county.
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