Biographies Index

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

BIOGRAPHIES

ETNIRE, S. M.

S. M. Etnire, a Butler county pioneer, now deceased, was a native of Warren, Ind., born in 1841, a son of Jacob and Mary (Swingler) Etnire, natives of Pennsylvania, and of English descent. S. M. Etnire grew to manhood in his native State, and when the Civil war broke out. he enlisted in Company F, Seventy-second regiment, Indiana infantry, at the age of twenty-one, and was promoted to corporal during his term of service. He participated in many of the important battles of the Civil war and a great many skirmishes, and was mustered out of service after the close of the war, at Indianapolis, Ind., August 6, 1865, after having served his country faithfully and well for a period of three years, during the most trying days of its history.

Mr. Etnire married Miss Isabelle Mahaffie at Williamsport, Inct., and in 1878, came to Butler county with his family, and bought 120 acres of land, four miles west of Augusta. Mrs. Etnire was a native of Ohio, and her parents were pioneers of Indiana, removing from Ohio to that State when she was five years old. After coming to Butler county, Mr. Etnire engaged in farming and stock raising, and was very successful. They left the farm and removed to Augusta in 1906, and at that time, owned 200 acres of land, besides a fine home in Augusta, which Mrs. Etnire still owns. To Mr. and Mrs. Etnire have been born the following children: Harry J., died in infancy; Effie L., died at the age of twenty years; Mrs. Gertrude L. Dill, died at the age of twenty-five years, leaving two children, Kenneth and Gail; Mrs; Ladessa Schock, Oxford, Mich; Aetna E. Etnire, Mercedes, Tex.; Mrs. Grace Dill, Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Bertha E. Chase, Frederick, Rice county, Kansas; Benjamin L., Augusta, Kans.; Quincey E., Augusta, Kans., and Maudene, resides at home with her mother.

The Etnire family experienced much of the pioneer life of Butler county, and while Mrs. Etnire has many recollections of the hardships that the pioneers endured, she also has a store of reminiscences of the amusing circumstances, and the little pleasures of frontier life which fully counterbalance the grief of the early days on the plains. When she first came here, she was considerably disappointed when all of her chickens died. That doesn't seem much of a loss, now, but it meant considerable to a pioneer family, who had no income in their little cabin on the plains, and who were confronted with the stern realities of living without anything to live upon. Another time she felt terribly grieved over the loss of some peach butter which she had laboriously prepared, and spilled through an accident. She looks back with much amusement on these little incidents of early life, which, at the time, she magnified to such an extent that they made lasting impressions on her mind.
Indians frequently visited the Etnire place, but never had any more lofty mission than begging or stealing, and Mrs. Etnire was never impressed with the high standard of the Indian character. She says that spring wagons were a rare luxury when they came here, and most everybody went to church, and most every other place, where they went, with a heavy lumber wagon, and only the select few had even spring seats. The Entires had a spring wagon when they first came here, but it was smashed up in a runaway, which would make it seem that the country had not yet reached the stage of civilization where it was safe for a spring wagon. But strange it may seem, Mrs. Entire has lived through the period in which spring wagons have come and almost gone, in Butler county, for they are so universally succeeded by the automobile, and are getting as scarce in this year of 1916, as they were back in the early seventies. Mrs. Etnire is one of the interesting old ladies, who belong to that faithful band of pioneer wives and mothers, whose coming to the great West to homes of an uncertain future, laid the foundation not only of Butler county, but of the West.

Mr. and Mrs,, Etnire were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church from the first, and attended at the old stone church, built in 1875. Mrs. Etnire is still an active member. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 522-524)

YEAGER, N. A.

N. A. Yeager, a leading member of the Butler county bar, who has been successfully engaged in the practice of law at Augusta since 1883, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Kosciusko county May 21, 1853, a son of Joel and Rebecca (Pray) Yeager, the former a native of Pocohontas county, Virginia, and the latter of New York City. They were the parents of the following children: V. C, an optometrist, Marion, Ind.; C. E., retired and living at Warsaw, Ind., and N. A., the subject of this sketch.

N. A. Yeager was educated in the public schools of Indiana, the Springfield Academy, South Whitley, Ind., and the Ohio Wesleyan University, graduating from the latter institution in 1878. He taught school for a time in Indiana and later served in the capacity of teller in a bank at North Manchester, Ind. He came to Kansas in 1881 and on May 1, of that year reached the State. It will be remembered that that was the day on which prohibition went into effect in Kansas. In July of that year, Mr. Yeager settled at Augusta, and opened a loan office with T. O. Shinn. He read law and was admitted to the bar in 1883, and he and Mr. Shinn practiced in partnership under the firm name of Shinn & Yeager until 1891, when Mr. Yeager took over the business.

Mr. Yeager has always had an extensive practice and during the first years of his practice here he carried on a general law business, but for the past fifteen years has devoted himself exclusively to the civil side of the courts, refusing to take any criminal business. In the conduct of his practice today it can be truthfully said that he represents more important interests than any other attorney in the county. He is a close student of the law, well posted in its intricacies, the possessor of a well balanced legal mind, and an able trial lawyer.

In addition to his extensive law practice, Mr. Yeager has figured conspicuously in the politics of Butler county for a number of years. He was a candidate for prosecuting attorney in 1890, and again in 1898, the first time on the Republican ticket and the second time on the Democratic ticket. He was defeated in 1898 by the narrow margin of thirteen votes. In 1900 he was a candidate for the State legislature on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by a majority of sixty-five, and in 1908 he was a candidate for judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District and was defeated by a plurality of only eighteen votes. He carried the counties of Butler and Greenwood, carrying his own county by a majority of 162, but the other two counties, Chautauqua and Elk, turned the scales against him. He was postmaster at Augusta from 1884 to 1888 and served as mayor of Augusta one term. Mr. Yeager affiliated with the Republican organizations for a number of years, but in recent years has acted independently, politically, having cooperated with the Independent and Democratic parties, largely. He is fearless in his views on politics, as well as other matters, and is equally unprejudiced, always giving the opposition credit for being honest and sincere.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 524-525)

WILSON, H. H.

H. W. Wilson, a prominent farmer and stockman and Civil war veteran, residing at Augusta, is a Butler county pioneer having been a resident of this county for forty-six years. Mr. Wilson is a native of New Hampshire, born near Fitzwilliam postoffice in 1842. He is a son of Joseph A. and Harriet (Stone) Wilson, both natives of New Hampshire. They were the parents of four children, two of whom are now living: H. W., whose name introduces this sketch, and George M., of Abrams, Wis.
H. W. spent his boyhood days in New England, and was educated in the public schools and the Lowell (Mass.) High School. He lived the uneventful life of the average young man of his times, until the Civil war broke out, when he enlisted as a member of Company F, Twelfth Wisconsin infantry. He was mustered into the United States service at Madison, Wis., and joined his regiment at Vicksburg, Miss., and from that time on saw much active and hazardous service. He was with Sherman on his famous march through Georgia and the Carolinas and participated in a number of engagements. He saw over two years' service and was promoted to corporal. He was at the grand review in Washington, D. C, in 1865. At the close of the war, and after receiving an honorable discharge, he returned to Wisconsin, where he had enlisted, and engaged in farming and lumbering.

In 1870, Mr. Wilson came to Butler county, Kansas, locating at Augusta. When he came to Butler county there were no railroads here, and he came from Manhattan to Augusta in company with a freighter who was driving across the plains with a load of flour. Mr. Wilson engaged in farming and stock raising, beginning on the raw, unbroken prairie, and met with the many hardships and discouraging features incident to early life in Kansas. He met with many crop failures and endured many hardships during the early years and the grasshopper scourge which was the common lot of the Kansas pioneer. However, the time came when Mr. Wilson's persistent efforts have been rewarded by success and he now owns over 800 acres of some of the best land in Butler county, and is one of the successful farmers and cattle men of this section of the State. He feeds cattle extensively and has met with unusual success in that field of endeavor.

When Mr. Wilson first came to Butler county he engaged in breaking prairie in the summer season and in the winter time followed logging, along the Whitewater and Walnut rivers. He has a vivid recollection of early events in Butler county and knew well most of the pioneers of the early days. One of his early acquaintances in Butler county was Rev. I. Mooney, to whom he sold a yoke of oxen in .1876. He recalls the days when buffalo meat was one of the staple articles of food among the early pioneers. Mr. Wilson married Mary (Dix) Buck, a native of Greencastle, Ind.

She was a pioneer teacher of the county. Her parents were pioneer settlers of El Dorado township, Butler county, locating there in 1869. They settled on the west branch of the Walnut river a short distance north of El Dorado. The place is now known as the Peffley place. Her father, C. W. Dix, was a native of Indiana and her mother, Emily Nicholls, was a native of the same State. In 1877 the father removed to Oklahoma where he died. To Mr. and Mrs. Dix were born the following children: Minnie Atkins, resides in Oklahoma; Mrs. Fannie Morley, El Dorado, Kans.; Viola Coryell, resides in Oklahoma; Charles, whose address is unknown; Benjamin, who resides in Oklahoma, and Alvah, who was a member of the Twentieth Kansas regiment, and was killed in the Philippine Islands during the Spanish-American war.

Mr. Wilson is one of the well known and substantial farmers and stockmen of Butler county and has an extensive acquaintance and many friends throughout the county.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are parents of four children: Will L. Wilson, at home; Roy P. Wilson, Benton, Kans.; Chas. W., who died in 1910; Jean H., Detroit, Mich., and Carl F. Buck, a son born to Mrs. Wilson by a former marriage, is a manufacturer of Augusta, Kans.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 525-526)

HAMMOND, HARRY

Harry Hammond, a prosperous and progressive farmer of Augusta township, was born in Hancock county, Illinois, in 1869, and belongs to a Butler county pioneer family. He is a son of Isaac and Rebecca (Isenberger) Hammond, the former a native of England, and the latter of Ohio. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, as follows: Mrs. Jenny Valentine, Greeley, Colo.; Harry, the subject of this sketch; Sydney, Augusta township; Isaac, Augusta township; and Ray, Towanda township.

Isaac Hammond came to Butler county from Illinois in 1870 and preempted 160 acres of land in Towanda township, five miles north of Augusta. This was an early day in the settlement of this part of the State, and while Towanda township had some permanent .settlers at that time they were few and far between. The Hammond family lived in a tent for the first few months on their claim, but built a small frame house before winter came on, hauling the lumber from Emporia. They gradually improved their claim and soon had a fairly well appointed farm for those early times. The father set out an orchard at an early day, and they soon had plenty of fruit, which was a rare luxury in those days. Isaac Hammond was industrious and thrifty, and became one of the successful and prosperous farmers and stockmen of Butler county. He bought more land from time to time in Towanda and Augusta townships, and at the time of his death, in September, 1909, he owned 1,080 acres of valuable land. He was a very extensive feeder and shipper of stock during his active career, and that branch of his business, perhaps, was the most profitable to him. His widow now resides irt Augusta, and is in her seventy-first year.

Harry Hammond, whose name introduces this sketch, was only nine months old, when his parents settled on the unbroken prairie of Butler county. He was reared on his father's farm, and, after receiving a good common school education, he continued farming. He now owns 200 acres of rich, productive land in Augusta township, and is one of the leading farmers of that section. He follows general farming and stock raising, and is quite extensively interested in raising Poland China hogs, and is also a chicken fancier, making a specialty of barred Plymouth Rocks.and Rhode Island Reds.

Mr. Hammond was united in marriage, in 1890, to Miss Cora E. Viets, a daughter of J. F. and Lucy A. (Pitkin) Viets, natives of Illinois, who settled in Towanda township, Butler county, in 1888, and the parents now reside at Augusta. Mrs. Hammond was a Butler county teacher, prior to her marriage. To J. F. and Lucy A. (Pitkin) Viets were born the following children: Cora, Mrs. Harry Hammond, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Nellie M. McClure, Augusta; Byron, Augusta; Mrs. Lulu Wilson, El Dorado; Mrs. Zulu Price, Wichita; Frank, lives in Colorado; Mrs. Milla Pratt of Leavenworth, Kans., and Flavel, Augusta. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have three children, Myrl, resides at home; John Isaac, a senior in Kansas University, and Mildred, at home. Mr. Hammond is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and he and Mrs. Hammond are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and well known and prominent in the community. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 526-527)

RUTHERFORD, J. P.

J. P. Rutherford, a prominent Butler county farmer and stockman, is a native of Virginia. He was born in Augusta county near Staunton, Va., in 1854, and is a son of James W. and Susan (Pitman) Rutherford, the former a native of Frederick county, and the latter of Shenandoah county, and both descendants of old Virginia families. They were the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living as follows: John, Mrs. Laura Keeler, and Minnie, all of whom reside in Clark county, Virginia, and Mrs. Jennie Mclntyre, Wichita, Kans.; J. P., the subject of this sketch; William, farmer, Towanda township; Ashby, farmer, Spring township, and A. H., farmer, Douglass, Kans.

J. P. Rutherford received his education in the public schools of Virginia, and about the time he reached his majority, he went to Ben-ton county, Indiana, where he remained four years. In 1876, he came to Butler county, Kansas, and located on a quarter section of section thirty-six, Towanda township. When he settled there, the place was raw, unbroken prairie. He engaged in farming and stock business, improved the place, and after living there twenty-five years, sold it, and in 1902 bought his present place of 273 acres in Augusta township, three miles northeast of Augusta. Here he has a well improved farm with a commodious and substantial residence and other farm buildings. He is extensively engaged in the stock business, and is a successful feeder. He is also one of the successful alfalfa raisers of Butler county, and has about 150 acres devoted to that crop.

Mr. Rutherford was married, in 1880, at El Dorado, Kans., to Miss Izora Warner of Spring township, Butler county. Her parents were John and Filena (Bail) Warner, natives of Ohio, and pioneers of Butler county, who came here in 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford have been born seven children, as follows: Fenton, lives at home; Reese, Oklahoma; Mrs. Daisy Carr, Augusta township; Jasper, Oklahoma; Mrs. Nora Collins, St. Louis, Mo.; Florence, and Charles, reside at home.
Mr. Rutherford has spent just forty years of his life in Butler county, and has seen many changes in that time. Butler county has been transformed from a barren waste to a populous and productive section, and has won a foremost place among the political subdivisions of the great State of Kansas, and the progress and development that has been made has not been brought about without persistent and patient toil on the part of such men as J. P. Rutherford.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 527-528)

CURRY, S. Y.

S. Y. Curry, a prominent farmer and stockman of Walnut township, belongs to a pioneer Butler county family. He was born in Bradley county, Tennessee, and is a son of William H. and Lydia C. (Simmons) Curry, who settled in Walnut township in 1879. William H. Curry, the father, was prominent in the early day affairs of Walnut township and Butler county. He was born in Bradley county, Tennessee, in 1841, and was engaged in farming in his native State in early life. He also served as clerk of the circuit court there, prior to coming to Kansas, and in 1888 he was elected clerk of the District Court of Butler county. Before being elected to that office, he had held a number of township offices, having been trustee of Walnut township two terms, and he was a member of the school board for nine years. After the expiration of his term of office as clerk of the District Court, he continued to reside in El Dorado until 1895, when he returned to his farm in Walnut township, and continued farming and stock raising, in which he was very successful. He died, October 20, 1915. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge at Augusta, and his son, S. Y., is a member of the same Lodge, and also of the Modern Woodman of America.

S. Y. Curry, the subject of this sketch, is one of a family of six children, born to William H. and Lydia C. (Simmons) Curry, four of whom are living, as follows: Isaac, Kansas City, Mo.; S. Y., the subject of this sketch; John, and Mrs. Nancy Sipe. S. Y. continues the farm and stock business which was founded by his father, and is one of the successful feeders of Butler county,usually preparing for market about four car loads of cattle each year. The Currys were among the first to successfully grow alfalfa in this county, and now have about one hundred acres devoted to this crop. In addition to the value of the surfaces of the Curry farm, it is located in the rich and rapidly developing oil and gas field of Augusta, and is in close proximity to some of the best producing wells brought in in that locality. The Curry farm adjoins the Varner place which has been tested with such a good show of oil production. The Curry farm is leased to the Wichita Natural Gas Company and has two good wells and they are drilling another. The Curry place is well improved, with a good residence, and a large new barn which was erected about four years ago.

When the Curry family settled in Walnut township, most of the land was homesteaded and a small cabin generally stood on each place. The old stage coach still made its regular trips by their place, the railroad not having been built south of El Dorado at that time. There were a great many settlers from Tennessee along the Walnut river in the locality where the Currys settled, and a portion of the valley in that vicinity was known as Tennessee Bend.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 528-529)

MOYLE, JOHN W.

John W. Moyle - It is a conceded fact that we are now living in an age of successful organized effort, and it is not a difficult matter for the casual observer to determine the various towns where progressive harmony, organization and cooperation are found among its business men and leading citizens. Augusta is preeminently one of the towns which in recent years has shown great commercial activity and municipal improvement, and it is not an exaggeration to say that this condition has been brought about in a large measure through well directed efforts of the local Commercial Club and, as secretary of that organization, John W. Moyle is entitled to no small degree of credit for the many results that have been accomplished. Mr. Moyle has also taken an active part in the commercial life and industrial development of Augusta.

John W. Moyle was born in Augusta, Kans., and is a son of Henry Moyle, a native of Cornwall, England, born in 1845. Henry Moyle's father was the American manager for the London Development Company, a company which was heavy investors in American land and mining interests. He was drowned at Gold Hill, N. C, in 1857, and at the time the incident was given considerable publicity by the press throughout the country, an extensive article appearing in Harper's magazine with a portrait of the victim of the accident. His wife also died in North Carolina.

Henry Moyle served in the confederate army during the Civil war, being one of the first to enlist under the colors of the lost cause, and took part in the battle of Big Bethel which was among the first engagements of the Civil war. He is now a member of the Confederate Veterans' Association of Wichita, which is the only organization of its kind in the State of Kansas. At the close of the Civil war, Henry Moyle went to Omaha, Neb., where he secured employment on the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad and was engaged in that work until the golden spike was driven near Ogden, Utah, which marked the connection of the eastern and western divisions of that, the first trans-continental railroad. Shortly afterwards Mr. Moyle came to. Kansas and on May 20, 1869, homesteaded 160 acres of land in Augusta township about four miles northeast of Augusta. In 1873 he and Ed Boyle engaged in the hardware business at Augusta under the firm name of Boyle & Moyle. A few years later this partnership was dissolved and Mr. Moyle engaged in the grocery business which he successfully conducted until February, 1913, when he retired from active business after a commercial career marked with unusual success. He is one of the pioneer merchants of Augusta and during the course of his long years of business activity built up a reputation for honesty and square dealing which made for him many friends as well as customers.

Henry Moyle was united in marriage at Augusta in 1873 with Miss Josephine Sanders, of Augusta, and the following children were born to this union: Mrs. Grace V. Skaer, Augusta; John W., whose name introduces this sketch; Mathew T., Augusta; Mrs. Beulah Alexander, Burkburnett, Tex.; William H., Augusta, and Fannie A., Augusta. Jacob Moyle died at the age of two years; Frank Moyle died at the age of one year.

John W. Moyle attended the Augusta schools and was graduated from the Augusta High School; he then entered the Salina Normal University where he was graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts. He then returned to Augusta and shortly afterwards went to Oklahoma when that territory was opened to settlement and homesteaded 160 acres of land, which he still owns. He then returned to Augusta and since that time has been active in the development of his native town.

He has always had faith in the natural resources and future greatness of Augusta. He is an optimist but not of the optimistic type that sits down, and hopes for something to happen. Since he had become associated with the Commercial Club of Augusta, many enterprises have been brought about by the cooperation of that organization in the way of public utilities. Augusta has been given a good water system, natural gas and an electric light plant, a complete sewer system, and through the efforts of that body one of the extensive glass factories of the country has been located at Augusta, and the impetus given to the industrial life of the city by the recent developments of oil and gas is equalled by few cities in the country today. Mr. Moyle is an active factor in the development of the Augusta oil fields in an individual way, and is the dominant factor of the Moyle Oil and Gas Company, which has eleven producing gas wells. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 529-530)

MYERS, JOHN R.

John R. Myers, deceased, was an early pioneer of the West, and made an unusual success of stock raising and farming in Butler county. He was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, in 1834, and was the last survivor of six children born to Peter and Catherine (Byerly) Myers, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Maryland. He died at Augusta, Kans., January 19, 1916, and is buried in Elmwood cemetery, Augusta, Kans. John Myers received his early education in the common schools of his native State, and remained at home until he reached his majority. In 1855, he went to Iowa, locating near Massillon, Cedar county. This was an early day in that section of Iowa, and Mr. Myers experienced much Iowa pioneer life. He was engaged in farming there for twenty-six years, and in 1881, came to Butler county, and located on section 3, range 4, township 28, where he bought 640 acres of land, which his heirs still own. This is mostly good bottom land, located just below the confluence of the Walnut and Whitewater rivers. Here he followed stock raising and general farming, and became one of the prosperous and substantial citizens of Butler county. He made substantial improvements on his place in the way of buildings, fencing, etc. He put out a big orchard, and was one of the extensive alfalfa growers of the county, having over a hundred acres of that crop. In 1908 he removed to Augusta where he resided until his death.
Mr. Myers was united in marriage. May 4, 1862, to Miss Clara McLeod of Cedar county, Iowa. She was a daughter of J. R. McLeod, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., who removed from Philadelphia to Delaware county, Ohio, and in 1855, went to Iowa, settling in Cedar county. To Mr. and Mrs. Myers have been born five children: C. L., a conductor on the Missouri Pacific railroad, and resides in Wichita; Hunter G., was a railroad postal clerk on the Rock Island railroad, and was killed in an accident at Caldwell, Kans., in 1903, a runaway engine colliding with his train; Howard L., a railway mail clerk between Blackwell, Okla., and Hutchinson, Kans., residing at the latter city; George E., a manual training teacher. New York City. He is a graduate of the Augusta high school and of the Ottawa University, class of 1896. After graduating, he taught in Bacon University of Oklahoma for two years, and then took a two years' course in the University of Chicago. He then went to Colorado Springs and, after teaching for a time, entered Clark University at Worcester, Mass., where he was graduated. He then accepted the principalship of the McKinley Manual Training School, and after holding that position for five years, took charge of the Pittsburg Manual Training School, Pittsburg, Kans., and after an extended tour in Europe, accepted the superintendency of the manual training department of Columbia College, New York City. The youngest child born to Mr. and Mrs. Myers is McLeod, who is a successful farmer of Walnut township.

Mr. Myers was one of Butler county's most substantial citizens, who, by industry and foresight, accumulated a competence, and won a high place in the estimation of his fellow citizens, who knew him best. He was a member of the Baptist church for over sixty-three years, and took an active interest in all Christian work.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 530-531)

GUTHRIE, JOHN W.

John W. Guthrie, of Augusta, Kans., is a Kansas pioneer who has spent forty-six years of his life within the borders of Butler county, and is entitled to no small amount of credit for the part that he has played in making Butler one of the leading counties of the great State of Kansas. Mr. Guthrie is a native of Kentucky, born in 1848, a son of R. H. and Elizabeth (Stewart) Guthrie, both natives of Kentucky. The father died in his native State at the age of ninety and his wife died in that State in December, 1915, at the age of ninety-four. They were the parents of eleven children, as follows: William H., deceased; George S., deceased; John W., the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, died in infancy; R. H. lives at Honey Grove, Tex.; J. T., deceased; O. W., living in Kentucky ; S. L., Danville, Ky.; Mrs. Lee Carpenter, lives in Kentucky; Rollie and M. W., both living in Kentucky.

John W. Guthrie was reared to manhood in his native State and educated in the public schools. He was a boy during the Civil war and has many recollections of incidents which took place in the vicinity of his home at times when the Union and Confederate troops were foraging and fighting in that neighborhood. One event that made a lasting impression on his mind, was a skirmish that took place in the vicinity of his old school ground. The Confederate soldiers occupied the school building, and in attacking their position, the Union soldiers fired a cannon ball through the old temple of learning, which impressed young Guthrie in a way that he never forgot.

At the age of eighteen Mr. Guthrie began life for himself as a farmer near Perryville, Ky., and a year later went to Missouri, but after one year returned to Kentucky and in 1870 came to Kansas. He first settled on the Little Walnut in Bloomington township, Butler county, where he bought 160 acres of land at $10.00 per acre, and also filed on a quarter section in that locality. In 1903, he sold this property and removed to Augusta, buying sixty-four acres adjoining the town, and later bought forty acres more near Augusta.

Mr. Guthrie experienced all phases of pioneer life in Butler county, as this section was almost in its primitive state when he came here, in 1870. There was some settlement in this section, a few years prior to that time, but there were no substantial improvements, and settlers were few and far between. The land upon which he settled was unbroken and unimproved, but in a short time he made material progress, and it was not long until he had a well improved and productive farm with bearing fruit trees and substantial and well appointed dwelling and other farm buildings. His farm was well equipped with hedge fence which was the popular fence in the pioneer days, before the advent of the wire fence. Mr. Guthrie carried on farming on an extensive scale, both as a grain raiser and stockman, and met with well merited success, and is today one of Butler county's substantial citizens who has made good.

Mr. Guthrie was united in marriage in 1869 at Perryville, Ky., to Miss Nancy J. Hope, a daughter of Richard Hope of Kentucky. The Hopes belonged to a pioneer Kentucky family. To Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie have been born two children, one of whom died in infancy, and Mayme Lee, who married James B. Bourgett and is now deceased.

Few of the old settlers who were active in the development of that section of Butler county, along the Little Walnut are now living. Among the many who were identified with that section in the early seventies, Mr. Guthrie is unable to recall but two, Mr. Wirth and Mr. Snodgrass, who are still living. Many changes have taken place in the political geography of Butler county since Mr. Guthrie first beheld the waving blue stem of the Little Walnut valley. The towns of Leon. Whitewater, Potwin were not even contemplated, and Augusta at that time was a mere trading post.

Besides his farming interests Mr. Guthrie is identified with the interests of Augusta in many ways. He is a director of the First National Bank of Augusta, and has been associated with that institution since its organization. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 531-533)

BOURGETT, JAMES BRUCE

James Bruce Bourgett, of Augusta, Kans., has been identified with newspaper work in southern Kansas for a number of years. Mr. Bourgett is a native of Indiana, born in Bartholomew county, in 1865. He is a son of Jacob B. and Anna M. (Thomas) Bourgett, natives of Ohio. Jacob B. Bourgett was left an orphan at an early age, his parents both dying of cholera at Cincinnati, Ohio, in the forties. Jacob was reared by an aunt, Anna Schive, who brought him to Indiana, where he grew to manhood and died in 1870. James Bruce Bourgett was one of a family of three children, as follows: Ella R. Dougherty, Hollywood, Cal.; Ida, died at Greenfield, Ind., at the age of nine, and James B., whose name introduces this sketch.

James B. Bourgett received his education in the public schools of Greenfield, Ind., where in early life he acquired an ambition for newspaper work. He served an apprenticeship at the printer's trade on the "Hartford City News his uncle, John M. Ruckman, being the publisher of that paper. In 1887, Mr. Bourgett came to Kansas, locating at Wichita, where he was employed by the Wichita "Eagle" and other papers, and later accepted a position in the Wichita postoffice as mailing clerk. Later, he came to Augusta, and for several years, was local editor of the Augusta "Gazette."

Mr. Bourgett was married October 14, 1896, to Miss Mayme Lee Guthrie, a daughter of John W. Guthrie, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. Mrs. Bourgett died in 1906. To Mr. and Mrs. Bourgett were born three children, as follows: Ernestine, resides at home at Augusta, and is a student in the high school; Ruth Hope, died in infancy, and John, attending the graded school.

Mr. Bourgett is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America and Anti-Horse Thief Association. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 533)

ROBISON, J. C.

J. C. Robison, owner and proprietor of the "Whitewater Stock Farm," is a breeder of Percheron horses, and his reputation as such extends far beyond the borders of Butler county. In fact, Mr. Robison is a national figure in this important industry. He is a son of J. W. and Sarah (Woodrow) Robison. J. W. Robison, the father, who was the founder of this great Percheron horse business on the Whitewater, was a native of Scotland, and came to this country with his parents, James and Isabell (Leslie) Robertson. The original spelling of the name was Robertson, but through an error in the land office at Washington, it was recorded Robison, and rather than go into detailed correspondence in correcting this spelling, James Robison accepted the change and other members of the family have followed that form of spelling the name.

The Robison family, upon coming to America, located in Tazewell county, Illinois, and since that time members of the family have been prominent as stockmen and breeders. Sarah Woodrow, mother of J. C. Robison, was a daughter of Hugh Woodrow, a pioneer of Tazewell county, Illinois, and one of the first settlers in that county. J. W. and Sarah (Woodrow) Robison were the parents of nine children, three of whom died in infancy, and those who lived to maturity are as follows: Elmer C, born February 12, 1864, married Ida Fulton, December 26, 1889, and died September 10, 1895, and his widow now resides in El Dorado, and has two children, Helen and Sarah; Leslie W., the largest cattle feeder and shipper in Butler county, married Ida Chain, and they are the parents of two children, Chain and Louise; Edgar, born August 29, 1867, married Dona Fertich, of Covington, Ind., and died December 14, 1903, leaving one son, James F., born August 9, 1897; Frank L., born December 4, 1869, unmarried and resides at Towanda, Kans; James C, the subject of this sketch, born July 24, 1872, and Fred G., born March 2, 1874, is unmarried, and resides at Towanda, Kans.

James C. Robison was united in marriage, February 2, 1897, t0 Miss Bertha Ellet, and they are the parents of the following children: William Ellet, born November 9, 1897; Amy, born March 19, 1900, and died August 3, 1900; Ruberta Ruth, born June 27, 1902; Alfred E., born May 13, 1906, and James C, Jr.

J. W. Robison, the father, bought 1,280 acres of land in Butler county, in 1879, and in 1884, brought his family here from Illinois. In 1884, the first 'investments in Percherons were made, and since that time, the business has been gradually and substantially extended, and the character of the stock improved until, at the present time, it is rated, by those who should know, as one of the leading Percheron breeding establishments in America, and during the lifetime of the father, the firm was known as J. W. & J. C. Robison. "Whitewater Falls Farm," proper, now comprises 1,920 acres, devoted chiefly to the Percherons, and more or less extensive cattle breeding operations. Eight hundred acres of the bottom lands produce alfalfa, and doubtless much of the success in the development of the Percherons is due to the limestone grasses and the alfalfa, nature's great conditioner.

Five imported stallions have successfully headed the stud. The first, Norval, half brother to the famous Brilliant, was used for ten years. Social, a son of Sultan, was in service eight years in this stud. Laschine, a French gold medal winner, died after two years' service, and Fantome was used a similar period, followed by Casino, the greatest of them all, and the head of the stud for the past thirteen years. Since the foundation of this stud, 3,000 registered Percherons have been sold from the farm, and the present stock numbers approximately 200 head.

Prizes have been awarded the Robison Percherons at the World's Fair, International, American Royal, at the State fairs of Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and in far-away Canada. At the World's Fair at St. Louis, the Robison Percherons won more prizes than the exhibit of any other Percheron breeder, and their show entries were, all but two, foaled at "Whitewater Falls Farm." The experimental stations of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Washington, Missouri and Arkansas have all drawn upon the Whitewater Falls stock for mares, a recognition of the superiority of this stud.
As a suggestion of the confidence of the horse breeders of America, buyers of Robison Percherons represent Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia and old Mexico. The private demand has annually absorbed a large number, the majority, in fact, of the surplus stock, but it is in the records of the public sales that the most decisive evidence of public confidence appears. Twenty-one public sales have thus far been made from this farm.

The horses have sold on their merits to an intelligent class of buyers, representing a wide territory, and it is to the credit of the Robison methods that buyers have returned year after year and renewed their business relations. Mr. Robison also deals extensively in registered and high grade Holstein cattle. Usually a herd of two hundred head is kept on hand. A recent acquisition to the herd was the purchase of a carload of registered females and a new herd sire from New York, a son of the $50,000 King Segis Pontiac Alcartra, costing $1,000.

And to whom is this successful accomplishment due? To the intelligent and persevering effort of "Jim" Robison, who, for more than a decade, has been the active force, and is now the sole owner of the "Whitewater Falls Farm" and stud. He has builded on a broad basis, and his handiwork has won the favorable recognition of the best informed in his line wherever Percherons are grown in numbers in America. The business has grown to such proportions that the improvements of the farm have of necessity been enlarged from year to year, with the latest addition of a $9,000 horse barn, which is one of the best arranged and most complete barns in the country.

The Whitewater is a beautiful stream bordered by a generous growth of elm, walnut, hackberry and sycamore. Located conveniently near to the farm home, is a delightful waterfall that runs its course by day and by night as the years pass. It is from this beautiful fall that the farm takes its name. The environment is one of fascinating interest to the visitor. As the shadows forecast the closing day, the activities subside. The Percherons gather contentedly about the feed racks. The parting kiss of the sinking sun is printed in subdued colors on the tree tops. You enter the home, a home that is capacious, but not luxurious, inviting but not superb, in which abides the spirit of comfort and cheerfulness. Unconsciously you draw your chair to the broad fireplace, and the dancing flames shed a welcome warmth. On the library wall hangs a wonderful study in oil of a group of Percberons with Casino in playful pose in the foreground. A generous collection of trophies tells the story of numerous show ring conquests. Without, the duties of the day are done and twilight gently draws its veil of mystery. The fire on the hearth burns low, and the ceaseless song of the waterfall lends enchantment to the hour. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 533-536)

ROBISON, F. W.

F. W. Robison, cashier of the Towanda State Bank, is one of the younger members of the banking fraternity of Butler county, whose ability as a financier has won for him just recognition in the banking world. Mr. Robison was born at Pekin, Ill., and is a son of Archie L. and Lida (Richmond) Robison, both natives of Illinois. Archie L. Robison was a son of Frank Robison, a native of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who first settled in Ohio upon coming to this country. From Ohio he went to Illinois at a very early date, walking the entire distance and settled in Tazewell county, Illinois, and was an early settler in that section.

Archie L. and Lida (Richmond) Robison were married at Delavan, Tazewell county, Illinois, and the following children were born to this union: F. W., the subject of this sketch; Archie L., of Pekin, Ill., who is one of the leading importers and breeders of Percheron horses of the country, and also a very extensive importer and breeder of short horn cattle; Richmond, a prominent farmer and stockman of Delavan, Ill.; Don, a member of the firm of A. L. Robison & Sons, importers and breeders ; James L., a member of the firm of A. L. Robison & Sons; Leslie, also a member of A. L. Robison & Sons, and Mary. All the boys attended the .Illinois Agricultural College, Champaign, Ill.

F. W. Robison was educated in the high school at Tremont, Ill., where he graduated and afterward completed a course in the Illinois State University at Champaign, where he specialized in agriculture. He then took a business course and after that spent three years in the importing and breeding business in Illinois.

In 1907 Mr. Robison came to Towanda, Kans. and invested in the Towanda State Bank, becoming its cashier, and has held that position to the present time. This bank was originated in 1906 and began business in July of that year. It is one of the substantial institutions of the county and has had a substantial and constantly increasing business since its doors were opened to the public. The bank was organized with a paid up capital of $10,000.00 and has an earned surplus of $10,000.00. The present officers of the bank are: J. C. Kullman, president; A. C. Higgins, vice president; F. W. Robison, secretary and cashier, and its directorate consists of the above named gentlemen and E. A. Shriver and J. C. Robison.

F. W. Robison was united in marriage October 28,1908,with Leila M. Harris, of El Dorado, a daughter of C. L. Harris, a prominent attorney of that place and former State senator. Mrs. Robison is a graduate of the El Dorado High School, and also studied language and music at Mannheim, Germany, and later was a student at Monticello Seminary, Godfrey, Ill.

In addition to his interest in the field of banking Mr. Robison is a member of the firm of Girod & Robison, importers and breeders of pure bred and high grade Holstein cattle. Their place is well equipped and especially adapted for their purposes and they usually have on hand about 200 head of cattle.

Since coming to Towanda Mr. Robison has identified himself with the interests of his adopted town and takes a leading part in any movement the object of which is for the betterment of the community, and is one of the progressive young men of Butler county, Mr. Robison owns eighty acres, the south one-half of N. E. quarter section 36, adjoining section 31, on which is located the Wrightman & Foster oil field, and it is in the heart of the oil field, a deep well having been brought in recently, just east of his land, another northeast and a shallow well on the northwest. Mr. Robison bought this land since the oil development began, and it will no doubt be a very profitable investment. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 536-537)

TURNER, W. G.

W. G. Turner, of Towanda, came to Butler county when a boy, just past thirteen years of age, and since attaining his majority has been a conspicious figure in the public life of his adopted county. His fellow citizens have given expression to their confidence in his ability and integrity by electing him twice to the office of sheiff of Butler county, and also electing him to the legislature.

Mr. Turner is a native of Illinois and was born in Shelby county in 1861. He is a son of John and Agnes (Elwood) Turner, both natives of England. They were the parents of seven children, one of whom died in infancy, and the others are as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Noble, Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. Hanna Priest, deceased; Thomas E., Wichita; Mrs. Belle Miller, Wichita; Mrs. Jane Agnes Mooney, Towanda, and W. G., the subject of this sketch.

W. G. Turner was reared in Shelby county, Illinois, to the age of thirteen years, where he attended the public school. In 1875 the Turner family came to Kansas and located in Butler county, one mile west of Towanda, where the father followed farming until his death in 1883 and his wife died at Wichita while there on a visit, a few years later. They are both buried in the Towanda cemetery. When a young man W. G. Turner engaged in farming which he followed for a number of years, and still owns one of the productive and well kept farms of Towanda township which consists of 200 acres of valuable land.

In 1897 Mr. Turner was elected sheriff of Butler county and performed the duties of that office in such a satisfactory manner that at the expiration of his term of office of two years, he was re-elected to succeed himself and on account of a change in the law he held the office of sheriff for an additional year, making five years in all. During Mr. Turner's administration of the office of sheriff the famous Jessie Morrison case was tried three times. This case not only attracted attention in Kansas but was given considerable notice by the press throughout the United States. In 1905, Mr. Turner was elected a member of the legislature on the Democratic ticket and won for himself a very creditable record as a member of the lower house of the Kansas legislature. His friends insisted that he be a candidate for re-election and he permitted his name to remain on the ticket but made no canvass nor effort for re-election, and succeeded in escaping the office by the narrow margin of twenty-seven votes. In 1914 he was the Democratic candidate for sheriff of Butler county but was defeated. He is now manager of a store at Towanda.

Mr. Turner was married in 1886 to Miss Amanda Vandebogart, of Towanda. She is a daughter of Michael and Lydia Vandebogart, early settlers of Butler county who came here from Michigan in 1871, settling in Towanda township about three miles northeast of town. They were natives of New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Turner have been born two children: Thomas A., who occupies the home place a half mile east of Towanda, married Blanche Gorman, and they have one child, Harriet Irene; and Lydia, married H. S. Wait, proprietor of the Towanda Drug Store. Mr. Turner is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Pythias, all of Towanda. In the course of his career as a public official, Mr, Turner has acquired a large acquaintance and many friends throughout Butler county and perhaps is one of the best known men of the county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 537-538)

PYLE, ALBERT

Albert Pyle, owner and operator of the electric light system at Towanda, Kans., has been identified with Butler county for over forty-five years. Mr. Pyle was born at Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1848, and is a son of Harrison and Marie (Horton) Pyle, natives of Ohio. Albert Pyle was reared to manhood in his native State and educated in the public schools. In 1868 he went to Illinois and settled in McLean county, where he was engaged in farming for three years and in 1871 came to Kansas, settling in Rosalia township, Butler county, where he homesteaded a quarter section of land. Later he sold that place and bought another one three miles farther south on the Little Walnut river. Here he was engaged in the stock business on his 440 acre farm for a number of years when he sold it and settled on a place in Towanda township where he followed farming and stock raising until 1913 when he removed to Towanda.

In 1912 Mr. Pyle secured a franchise for lighting the city of Towanda and installed an arc light system at a cost of approximately $4,000, and thus gave Towanda its first electric light. The venture did not prove profitable at first but Mr. Pyle was not discouraged and has been rewarded in recent years by very satisfactory and profitable results. He has considerable other interests in Towanda and vicinity in addition to his electric light plant investment. In 1911 he erected three store buildings on Main street which are now fully occupied by business enterprises and form an important part of the business district of the town.

Mr. Pyle was united in marriage at Chillicothe, Ohio, to Miss Johanna Piper, a daughter of M. M. Piper, a pioneer of Ross county, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Pyle have been born six children, as follows: Lewis, farmer, near Towanda, Kans.; B. C, butcher, Towanda; W. H., a prominent stockman, Weston, Neb.; Mrs. B. F. McComas, Jackson county, Missouri; Mrs. Nellie* Ralston, of Towanda township, and Mrs. Ollie Logan, of Towanda, whose husband, an engineer and electrician, is manager of the Towanda Electric Lighting Plant, for Mr. Pyle.

Mr. Pyle has seen many changes in Butler county, since he and a brother came here in 1871. They had no capital but came to a new and undeveloped country with the determination to succeed and notwithstanding that they encountered many discouraging features incident to early life in Kansas, Mr. Pyle has gone on and succeeded beyond his expectations and today is one of the substantial men of his community and one of the leading industrial factors of Towanda.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 538-539)

GARRISON, G. E.

G. E. Garrison, a well known grain dealer of Towanda, Kans.. is a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and is a son of John A. and Mary (Jones) Garrison, both natives of Virginia, who were the parents of three children, as follows: John, resides in New Mexico; Mrs. Ella Brown, Arkansas', and G. E., the subject of this sketch. When G. E. Garrison was two years old his parents removed to West Virginia, where the father died in 1865. The mother afterwards married M. N. Josephs and they became the parents of six children, as follows: Mrs. Orma Ullum, Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Ida Ashenfelter (deceased) ; Abram SM Potwin, Kans.; Frank, Furley, Kans.; Rolla, Potwin, Kans., and Mrs. Maud Rolf, Potwin, Kans.

When G. E. Garrison was thirteen years old he came to Kansas with his step-father and mother, who resided for a time at Topeka. This was in 1871, and about one year later they removed to Osage county, locating near Carbondale. Here they resided for three years, and in 1876 came to Butler county and settled on a farm on the Whitewater, near the old town of Plum Grove. They purchased a farm of 160 acres for $3 per acre. G. E. remained at home on the farm until 1895, when he engaged in farming on his own account for a short time and then went to Potwin and engaged in the feed, grain and creamery business. Seven years later he sold his business at Potwin and engaged in the feed and grain business at Towanda, where he has built up an extensive grain and feed business and also deals in coal. He handles, large quantities of kafir corn, wheat and oats. He has a grain elevator with a capacity of 7,000 bushels, and at the present time is adding 3,000 bushels to its capacity.

As a grain producer and dealer, Mr. Garrison has met with a variety of experiences in conforming with the inevitable whims of Kansas seasons. For instance, in 1912 he shipped out of Towanda fifty-two car loads of kafir corn, and the following year, which was a dry season, he shipped forty-two car loads of corn into Towanda, which he sold for local consumption. Between the bad years of the early days he can recall some productive ones which were as extremely good as others were bad. In 1875 he paid $2.75 for seed corn, which he had shipped from Iowa for his own use, and he produced from that seed corn one of the finest crops within the history of his recollection, which averaged about ninety bushels per acre. Mr. Garrison relates many interesting incidents of early life on the plains and recalls many of the old pioneers who resided in his neighborhood when he came to Butler county, among whom might be mentioned John Wentworth, Joseph Adams, Chris Jacobs, Joseph Fornie, Mr. Schutz, Mr. McGill, Mr. McSnorf and William Brennan.

Mr. Garrison was married in 1897 to Miss Minnie Horton, of Towanda, and two children have been born to this union: Otis Horton and Amylee, both students in the Towanda schools. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 539-540)

VARNER, M. E.

M. E. Varner, a successful farmer and stockman, of Towanda township, is a native of Iowa. Mr. Varner was born in 1866, and 5s a son of I. D. and Ruth (Baker) Varner, both natives of Monroe county, Ohio. The mother died at Towanda in 1910 and the father has been an invalid for the past two years. They were the parents of ten children, seven of whom are living, as follows: Mrs. Mary Winkler, El Dorado, Kans.; Mrs. Susan Steel, Wichita, Kans.; M. E., the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Emma Lamb, of El Dorado, twins; Mrs. Dulcie Cook, Clark county, Kansas; E. A., Fairview township, and F. H., Clifford township.

The Varner family were pioneers of Butler county, coming here in 1871, and located in Towanda township. The father homesteaded the northwest quarter of section 12, township 25, range 4. Their claim was located on the open prairie, and settlers came in quite rapidly about that time, as it was about the beginning of the rapid settlement of that section. The country was still in a wild and primitive state and M. E. Varner, who was a boy about five years of age at that time, remembers of seeing deer and antelope in the vicinity of the early Varner home. The buffalo, however, had taken up his grazing ground further west, across the Arkansas. Although a boy, Mr. Varner remembers many instances of early life on the plains. About the year that they came to Butler county he recalls an experience with a prairie fire. His father was some distance from home, working with his ox team on a place which he had rented on the west branch of the Walnut, and one of the periodical early day prairie fires was sweeping across the plains, carried forward by a strong southern wind. The father escaped the flames with his oxen by starting what was called a "back fire" and burning the grass in his immediate vicinity, which afforded a place of safety for himself and oxen by the time that the prairie fire approached.

M. E. Varner has made farming and stock raising the principal business of his life, giving special attention to the raising and feeding of cattle. He raises large quanities of corn and alfalfa, which he generally feeds to his own cattle. Mr. Varner was married to Miss Cora Wash-burn, of Fairview township. Her parents came from Ohio and settled in this county in the eighties. To Mr. and Mrs. Varner have been born three children, all of whom are at home: Florence, Grant W. and Wilma. Mr. Varner is a substantial citizen and bears the distinction of being one of the youngest old pioneers of Butler county. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 163, Towanda, Kans.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 540-541)