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 85
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Col. Charles A. Morris was born in Clinton county, Pa., July 2, 1839, and when four years old was taken to Allegany county, N. Y. After leaving the district school, he pursued his lit- erary studies in Friendship Academy and Rich- burg Academy, a portion of his time being de- voted to teaching, in order to pay his way. He was thus occupied when the war of the Rebel- lion broke out, and in the fall of 1861 he volun-
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teered in Company E, Fifth New York Cavalry, and was mustered into the service at New York City, as a private. He took part in a number of engagements along the banks of the Shenan- doah, and fought in the battles of Newmarket, Stanton, Winchester, Williamsport and Orange Court-house, at the last-mentioned being in the midst of a fierce conflict. One horse was killed under him, and another was wounded, and at length the young man was shot in the left arm. This disability occasioned his honorable dis- charge from the army, in October, 1862, with the rank of corporal. He still carries the bullet in his arm, a lasting memento of the war. He resumed teaching in his native county, and in the fall of 1864 recruited Company G, Two Hundred and Third Pennsylvania Infantry.
Mustered in at Harrisburg, the company chose Mr. Morris as captain, and he was duly commissioned by Governor Curtin. Joining the Army of the Potomac, he was on detached duty during the siege of Petersburg, and then partici- pated in the battle of Deep Bottom, and went on the expedition against Fort Fisher, N. C., under the leadership of General Butler, and later was commanded by General Taylor. The cap- ture of the fort, January 15, 1865, was one of the worst contests in which the captain had ever been engaged, as over two hundred of his com- rades of the Two Hundred and Third Pennsyl- vania were lost. Then followed the campaign and capture of Cape Fear Run and Wilmington, N. C., and at Goldsboro the regiment joined Sherman's forces and continued with him until Johnston's surrender at Greensboro. He was mustered out in North Carolina, June 22, 1865, and was honorably discharged in Philadelphia.
Prior to the Civil war. Mr. Morris had taken up the study of law, and devoted his spare time to it for several years. In 1865 he located in Fort Scott, Kans., where he was a merchant until he was appointed deputy United States Col- lector. He also held other civil offices, and in 1873 was appointed adjutant-general, with the rank of colonel, on the staff of Governor Osborn, also serving as his secretary. At the end of three years he resigned his position, but in the mean- time, in 1874, had been in command of the state troops in the field, on the border of Kansas and the Indian Territory. In 1875 he was appointed register of the United States land office at Larned, Kans., at the expiration of his term of four years was reappointed by President Hayes, and, altogether, held the post for twelve years. In 1878 he had been admitted to the Kansas bar by Judge Peters, and for a decade was actively engaged in practice at Larned. In September, 1893, he came to Perry, where he has since con- ducted a large and representative practice.
In 1864, Colonel Morris married Miss Eliza-
beth F. Stewart, a native of Clinton county, Pa., where she was a resident until her marriage. Their eldest child, Annie Frances, Mrs. L. C. Moise, lives in Emporia, Kans. The second daughter, Mary Elizabeth, wife of Kenneth Hartley, died at Aspen, Colo. Ellen Gamble, Mrs. A. M. Gaines, is a citizen of Leadville, Colo .; and Lovisa is the wife of C. C. Wright, of Kansas City, Kans. Charles Archibald, the only son, is a stenographer in his father's of- fice.
The colonel has been a strong worker in the ranks of the Republican party for many years. In 1872 he was sent as a delegate to the national convention of his party, at Philadelphia, and there served as a member of the platform com- mittee. Frequently he has been sent to county and state conventions as a delegate, and after locating in Perry he was chairman of the first county committee, acting in the office until the autumn of 1896, which season he spent in Colo- rado.
Initiated into the Masonic order while at Fort Scott, he there took the Royal Arch and Knight Templars degrees, and was the commander of his commandery. Later he held the office of eminent commander in Larned, and since the organization of Perry Commandery No. 5, K. T., of which he is a charter member, he has occu- pied the same exalted position. He also be- longs to Perry Lodge No. 15, A. F. & A. M., and Perry Chapter No. 15, R. A. M., in both being a charter member. Still higher honor awaited him, and at present he is the grand senior warden of the Grand Commandery of Oklahoma. For many years, while in Fort Scott, the colonel was commander of the Grand Army post there, and he is one of the charter members of Homer C. Jones Post No. 43. G. A. R., of Perry. Since the organization of the Episcopal Church of this city he has been one of its valued members and a senior warden.
C. H. CANNON. On the first train which legally ran into Guthrie on the day of Oklahoma's opening, C. H. Cannon was a passenger, and during the intervening years has been actively associated with the develop- ment of the territory. His account of the early days of Guthrie's existence is very interesting. throwing light upon many things which have been unexplained hitherto, save to some of his acquaintances. Though nearing his three-score and ten milestone, he is active in mind and body and possesses the energy and enthusiasm of many men in middle life.
Of Scotch-Irish descent. he is a son of Isaac and Nancy (Thomas) Cannon, natives of Dela- ware. The father, whose birthplace was near
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Smyrna, was a farmer and blacksmith, and in 1835 removed to Attica, Ind., pursuing his trade while the Wabash & Erie Canal was being con- structed. In 1844 he bought some land in Union township, Fulton county, Ind., and built the second house put up in the township. After the close of the Civil war, his wife having died, he returned to his native state, and there passed his last years. His patriotism had been severely tested, as he contributed four manly sons to the Union cause, two of the number being sac- rifices upon the altar of their country. Joseph and Isaac were connected with the Eighty-sev- enth Indiana and Greenup and William were sol- diers in the Twenty-sixth Indiana Infantry. Greenup was taken captive and died from the exposure and privations of his prison life; Will- iam was killed at the battle of Prairie Grove, and Isaac received a wound in his right leg. He now lives in Lafayette, Ind., and Joseph is a resident of Kewanna, Ind.
The eldest of eight brothers and sisters; C. H. Cannon was born September 17, 1832, in the neighborhood of Smyrna, Del., and was reared in Indiana. Though he mastered the de- tails of farming and blacksmithing, his educa- tion was not neglected, and after being gradu- ated in the Logansport Seminary he taught school for four terms in Fulton county, Ind., and then continued in that vocation in Jasper county, same state, until 1862. That year he entered the service of the government and was made post- master of the postal department at Louisville, Ky., his chief business consisting in forwarding mail to the constantly-moving regiments in the South. The arduous tasks connected with the office told upon his not over-strong constitui- tion, and in 1864 it became necessary for him to tender his resignation and return home. When comparative health had been regained he engaged in merchandising in Kewanna, Ind., and soon was made postmaster of the place, holding the position until the fall of 1865.
At that time Mr. Cannon located in Kansas City, Mo., where, for three years he was in the employ of a wholesale grocery house. Then, going to Longton, Kans., he carried on a mer- cantile enterprise until 1885. when he removed to Howard, Kans., and there engaged in the livery and transfer business. The most crushing affliction of his life befel him there, for on June 4, 1886, his establishment was destroyed by fire, his loss being about $10,000, and though this amount represented many years of indefatigable labor on his part, this was the least of his trouble, for his son George lost his life in his efforts to save the property. Leaving the town, Mr. Can- non went to Arkansas City and became the manager of some stone quarries. As before stated, he came into Oklahoma on the first train
legally entitled to bring home-seekers. Never- theless, about four thousand people already were in possession of Guthrie and a great problem rested upon the shoulders of defenders of law and order. Mr. Cannon was honored by being chosen to serve on the provisional council of Guthrie, and during the thirty-three days of his incumbency the charter and by-laws of the future city were framed. Selling one of two lots which he had located near the land office, Mr. Cannon took up his abode on Capitol Hill, where he was elected and served as its first mayor, and, in fact, the only one, for the four suburban towns of Guthrie were soon incor- porated with it. Prior to that event he had been admitted to practice before the Department of the Interior, as he was well versed in the land laws. September 22, 1891, he located a claim in the present Lincoln county, and with his only surviving son was occupied in improving and cultivating the place until in the fall of 1899 they sold out, in order to engage in their present line of business. Our subject has become one of the leading business men of Chandler, where he has a transfer business and employs three wagons in transferring and freighting goods.
In national affairs Mr. Cannon is an uncom- promising Republican, though not a politician nor office-seeker. In the fraternities he is as- sociated with the Odd Fellows only.
In Jasper county, Ind., Mr. Cannon married Eliza Kenton, the great-granddaughter of Simon Kenton, the noted frontiersman and Indian fighter. Mrs. Cannon is a native of Champaign county, Ohio. Of her three sons, two died in Kansas, namely: Charles and George, and Har- vey is engaged in the transfer business in Rip- ley, Okla.
R. B. HOLLAND. This highly esteemed citizen of Chandler, has been closely iden- tified with its upbuilding for the past nine years, or during its formative period, and. is noted for his enterprise and liberality towards worthy undertaking's here. Like his parents, West and Sallie (Grice) Holland, he is native of North Carolina. His father owned and operated a plantation near Goldsboro until 1871, when he removed with his family, comprising his wife and thirteen children, to Cowley county, Kans. One of the first settlers in the neighborhood of Winfield, he continued to dwell there for many years, improving a tract of land, and there he was bereft of his wife. Their children without a break in the circle lived to mature years, but two have since passed away. For the past three years the father has been a resident of Chand- ler, retired from active business cares. A vet- eran of the Confederate army, he served in a North Carolina regiment during the Civil war.
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The birth of R. B. Holland occurred on the parental plantation near Goldsboro, July 22, 1861, and ten years of his life were spent there. The removal to the West was a marked change for him, as for the other members of the family, and his education was gained chiefly in the public schools of Cowley county, Kans. In Sep- tember, 1891, he made the race into Oklahoma and located a claim, but subsequently lost it to a contestant. In the spring of 1892 he came to Chandler and buying some property, built the store which he has since conducted. Until the spring of 1900 he was in partnership with Mr. Feuquay and at that time purchased his interest in the business, continuing alone, as at present. He carries a good line of general mer- chandise and has built up a profitable trade.
The cyclone of 1897 damaged his property and possessions but little, and with true Samar- itan spirit he opened his house and ministered to the needs of the injured, at one time having twenty-five persons thus afflicted beneath his hospitable roof. As he richly merits, he has achieved success and to-day is ranked among our leading business men. Among his pres- ent possessions are a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, situated six miles northwest of Chandler, and two substantial residences which he built. When the construction of the Frisco road was being agitated, he contributed liberally of his time and means to secure the improve- ment, and other enterprises have received sub- stantial encouragement from him. For one term he was a member of the city council, and in political matters is affiliated with the Populists. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
In Cowley county, Kans., Mr. Holland mar- ried Zora, daughter of George Muret, both natives of Switzerland county, Ind. Her grand- fathers, Julius N. E. Muret and George Mark- land, of Swiss and Scotch descent, respectively, also were natives of the county mentioned. Charles Muret, great-grandfather of Mrs. Hol- land, came from Vevay, Switzerland, to Indiana at a very early day, settling near Vevay, Switzer- land county. George Muret, who is a farmer, removed to Arkansas City, Kans., several years ago, and is yet living there. Four of his sons are residents of Kay county, Okla., and four other children survive. Mr. and Mrs. Holland are the parents of three children, named respect- ively: Weaver, Loyal and Clara.
G I EORGE W. . SCHLEGEL. One of the first settlers of Oklahoma after its official opening to the world in general, and numbered among the foremost citizens of Guth- rie, George W. Schlegel then became one of
the founders of Chandler, even assisting in sur- veying and laying out the town, as is widely known. He represented the first ward in the council, and was president or mayor of the place for two years, making a trustworthy public offi- cial, as he always had before, in the numerous positions which he had occupied.
But, before enumerating his later achieve- ments, some space should be devoted to a res- umé of the carly history of our subject and of his family. Born near the city of Weimer, in Saxony, Germany, he comes from an old family in that region, and from the time of the Ref- ormation the Schlegels have been adherents of the Lutheran Church. His father, John Fred- erick Schlegel, served in the German army, and mastered the trade of wagon-making before he came to America. In 1851 he made the voyage across the Atlantic, accompanied by his family, and for several years he worked at his vocation in Wapekenita, Ohio. Later he settled upon a farm near Lima, fortunately making an invest- ment in eighty acres of land situated in the oil fields. From the eight oil wells upon his farm he obtains a good income, and for some time he has been retired from active labors, as he is about eighty years old. His wife, formerly Emma Krumhultz, died in Kansas while making a visit.
George W. Schlegel, born July 14, 1845, was in his seventh year when he left his native land, and with his two sisters he was reared to. ma- turity in Ohio. At fifteen he commenced learn- ing the business of a machinist in Cincinnati railroad shops, but in 1864, when the Union cause appeared to be in extreme peril, the young man volunteered for three years in the Thirty- fourth Ohio Infantry, but at the end of four months received an honorable discharge and returned home, where he had charge of the farm for some time. Later, having completed his trade, he came to the West, and superintended the moving of machinery from Burlington, Cof- fey county, to Greenwood county, Kans. At the end of six months, during which time he oper- ated a saw and grist mill, he took the machinery to Fredonia, and carried on the business there for a year. From 1871 to 1878 he was nun- bered among the merchants of Fredonia. Then he was appointed by Governor St. John under sheriff of Wilson county, to fill a vacancy, and continued to serve in that capacity for two years. Afterwards, for a similar period, he was em- ployed as a detective and for some time prior to the opening of Oklahoma was the manager of the Gold-Dust Hotel.
Having been appointed a deputy United States marshal, George W. Schlegel came to Guthrie on the first train, and for four years continued to act as an officer, two years being
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first assistant to the chief of police of the city. During those unsettled days, he had plenty to do, and made innumerable arrests. In the mean- time he located a claim, but lost it to a con- testant, and yet was successful in keeping some Guthrie lots which he had claimed. Joining the surveying corps at Chandler, September 8, 1891, he assisted in the task of laying out the town, and located some lots for himself, after which he was employed in building until he entered into partnership with Mr. Cheadle, of Guthrie. Under his supervision the Cheadle & Schlegel block, 25x140 feet in dimensions, was con- structed, and other buildings and residences of this place were built by him. The firm has the local agency for the Pabst and Ferd Heim Brewing Companies, and also manufactures soda and mineral waters, in which an extensive trade has been built up. The large cold storage plant has a capacity of two carloads, and ship- ments are continually being made from here to different local points.
Mr. Schlegel has succeeded in building up a large business, and is connected with a num- ber of home enterprises. In the Bank of Chand- ler he is one of the board of directors. and while he was connected with the council of this city he was influential in securing the water works, going to the legislature, and doing some effect- ive lobbying, for the bill was passed. In the Odd Fellows order, he belongs to Chandler Lodge No. 9, where he has passed all the chairs. He also is identified with the Encampment, is past grand patriarch of the grand encampment of Oklahoma, and was grand representative to the grand lodge of Oklahoma, and to the gov- ernment grand lodge held at Springfield, Ill., and to the one convened at Boston, Mass. He also is connected with the Daughters of Rebecca Lodge. Politically he is an ardent Republican, and while a delegate to the congressional con- vention, assisted in nominating D. T. Flynn.
The first marriage of Mr. Schlegel took place in Fredonia, the lady of his choice being Miss M. A. Lippy. She was born in Illinois and died in Kansas, leaving two children, Mrs. Cora E. Burgess, of Kansas City, and Orlin, who is a student in the high school of that place. Charles died at the age of fourteen years. The lady who now bears Mr. Schlegel's name was Mrs. Mary E. Herr, of Purcell, at the time of their marriage. She is a native of Pennsylvania, and by her first union has one son, J. C. Hess, who served in Battery D. First Battalion of Cali- fornia troops, heavy artillery, until mustered out in September. 1809. During that period he was located in the Philippines, and took part in a number of engagements in and around Ma- nila. Mrs. Schlegel is a Presbyterian in re- ligious faith.
H ARVEY BECKNELL, one of the pioneers of Oklahoma, is the local agent for the
Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company at Chandler, and has built up a large trade. His parents, William and Ann (Brown) Becknell. are of Scotch-Irish descent. The father was or- phaned at an early age, and removed from his native state, Kentucky, to Indiana, several dec- ades ago, and in 1854 went to Montgomery county, Iowa. Taking up some government land near Red Oak, this pioneer farmer im- proved and cultivated the place, changing it into a fine homestead. His son Allison has carried on the farm since the death of the father. and the mother now lives in Marysville, Mo. She, too, is an Indianian, and her father, Will- iam Brown, died on his farm in the Hoosier state. Five of the ten children of William and Ann Becknell are deceased, Joseph, who died in Iowa, with two of his brothers, Thomas and Allison, were heroes of the Civil war, serving in an Iowa regiment. Thomas and our subject are the only members of the family in Chandler.
The birth of Harvey, the youngest of the teu children, occurred in Montgomery county, Iowa, January 23, 1855, and his youth was passed in the pursuits common to country lads. When fifteen years of age he commenced working at the barber's trade, and buying a shop at Red Oak continued to run it for thirteen years. In 1887 he went to Pratt Center, Pratt county. Kans., where, as before, he carried on a good business as a barber, and during his residence there the hot contest about the county seat occurred.
In November, 1889, Mr. Becknell located in Guthrie, and until September 22, 1891, was en- gaged in the drug business. When the Sac and Fox country was opened he made the race for a homestead and located a claim on the Dry Fork, about seven miles north of Chandler. Having improved the place he sold it the same day that Chandler was opened, and a week later located a lot on the corner of Manvil avenue and Twelfth street. Selling this lot, he resumed agri- culture, to which calling he devoted the next three years. Then becoming a permanent resi- dent of Chandler, he engaged in the liquor busi- ness and now holds the agency for the An- heuser-Busch Brewing Company's goods, both in this city and in Lincoln county. A well equipped cold storage plant is under his super- vision, its capacity being over two car-loads. In addition to this, he carries on an extensive wholesale and retail business in ice. In his political faith he is a Democrat.
At his old home in Red Oak, Iowa, Mr. Beck- nell married Miss Laura Neill, who was born in Monticello, Iowa. They are the parents of five promising children, namely: Frank, Clyde, Flos-
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sie, Trix and Hedrick. The family occupy a pleasant residence, which Mr. Becknell erected.
R OBERT CHASTEEN. Success is the por- tion of the man who has carefully prepared himself for the arduous duties of life, who is ready to grasp every opportunity for advance- ment, provided it does not conflict with his ideals of duty, and who thoroughly performs each task allotted to him, as it presents itself. The enterprising young man whose name heads this sketch "has been weighed in the balances and not found wanting" in the qualities that make up the good citizen and prosperous busi- ness man.
On the paternal side, Robert Chasteen is of French descent. His father, Thomas Chasteen, was born near McMinnville, Tenn., and was the owner of a plantation in the vicinity of Collins- burg. Bossier county, La., at the time of our sub- ject's birth, August 11, 1863, and it was not until 1879 that the family removed to Fayetteville, Ark. There the wife and mother was called to her reward. She bore the maiden name of Martha J. McCullin, and was a native of South Carolina. She was the mother of six manly sons, the eldest of whom, Edward T., is a con- tractor of Shreveport, La .; Thomas F. is a farmer of Arkansas; John W. is serving in the United States army; Rev. James Chasteen is em- ployed in ministerial work in Idaho, and Charles A. is an attorney-at-law in Pawnee. Thus in this family of six sons nearly every field of modern human activity is represented, the builder and business man, the farmer, the military man, the minister, the lawyer and the banker. The father made his home with his son Robert until his death, which occurred November 14, 1900.
Completing his elementary education in the University of Arkansas, Robert Chasteen sup- plemented his three years' course there by at- tending Eastman's Business College in Pough- keepsie, N. Y., where he was graduated. For the ensuing five years he was employed as a bookkeeper at Russellville, Ark., in a mercantile establishment, after which he officiated in a similar capacity with the Speer Hardware Com- pany, of Fort Smith.
September 16, 1893, Mr. Chasteen made the race to Perry, Okla .. and became secretary of the Temporary Town-Site Company of Northwest Perry. He was appointed first register of deeds in Pawnee county, and officiated in that posi- tion until November. 1804, after which he was deputy in the office of the sheriff until March. 1896. When the Arkansas Valley Bank was organized he was made a director and assistant cashier of the same, and when F. M. Thomp- 'son resigned, upon being given the position of
territorial treasurer, Mr. Chasteen was promoted and ever since has served as cashier of the bank. In the month following, July, 1900, the institu- tion's name was changed to the one it now bears-the Arkansas Valley National Bank- and its capital increased to $50,000. It is in- cluded in the Territorial Bankers' Association, and ranks with the leading financial concerns of the West.
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