Biographies Index

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

BIOGRAPHIES

FLENNER, W. P.

W. P. Flenner, one of the oldest veterans of the Civil war, living in Butler county, is living in retirement at El Dorado. Mr. Flenner was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, March 4, 1830, and is therefore in his eighty-seventh year, and is remarkably hale and hearty, and active both in mind and body, for one of his years. He was the only son born to Daniel and Catherine (Morningstar) Flenner, bath natives of Pennsylvania. The mother had three children by a former marriage to Archie Richardson, as follows: John; Thomas, and Elizabeth.

During the Civil war, W. P. Flenner served in Company G, Seventy-Sixth regiment, Illinois infantry, enlisting in 1862, and served until after the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge, August 6, 1865. He took part in many historic campaigns and important battles. He was at the siege of Vicksburg, and in the campaigns of that vicinity.

He was also at Jackson, Miss., and with Sherman on his march to the sea, taking part in most of the battles of that campaign, and he also participated in the last battle of the Civil war, which was fought April 9, 1865, at Ft. Blakley, Ala.

After his discharge from the army, he again engaged in the peaceful pursuits of civil life, like thousands of his comrades in arms, and began to forget about the great conflict that had raged for four long years. In May, 1873, he went to Nebraska and proved up on a claim there in 1875. Mr. Flenner came to Butler county, Kansas, and located at El Dorado, where he worked at his trade, which was that of a plasterer, and later engaged in farming in El Dorado township, which he carried on successfully until 1908, when he returned to El Dorado, and since that time has been living practically in retirement.

Mr. Flenner was first married to Miss Susan Hofford, of Berlin, Pa., and the following children were born to that union: Ida, deceased; Mattie, deceased; Arizona, Ft. Worth, Texas; Grace, deceased; Mary, El Dorado, Kans.; Charles, deceased; Walter, Pawhuska, Okla., and John C, deceased. In 1888, Mr. Flenner married Mrs. Jennie Ruddick, who came to Kansas with her former husband, Mr. Ruddick, in 1870. They drove to this county in a covered wagon. Two children were born to Mrs. Flenner by her former marriage: Frank and Elizabeth Ruddick, both deceased. Frank died in El Dorado in May, 1911, and Elizabeth, who for eleven years was a missionary in India, died in June, 1915.

Mrs. Flenner is a deeply religious woman, and since coming to this county, has been active in church, temperance and Sunday school work. She was a teacher of a Sunday school class for over thirty years, and is a woman of unusual mental attainments. Mr. Flenner is a Socialist, and admits without boasting that, in the matter of national politics, since 1856 he has always been on the losing side. He is the oldest Civil war veteran now living in Butler county, except Major Milks, of El Dorado. Mr. Flenner.is a great reader, and has always kept himself well informed on questions of public importance, and is one of Butler county's grand old men. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 565-566)

HOUSER, JOHN

John Houser, of El Dorado, came to this county in 1870 and conducted one of the first blacksmith shops in Butler county. He was born in Germany in 1849, a son of Jacob H. and Elizabeth Houser, who were the parents of five children, two of whom are living: John, the subject of this sketch, and Jacob, Ann Harbor, Mich. John Houser was three years of age when his parents immigrated to America and settled in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the father died in 1858, and the mother departed this life in 1871.

John Houser came to Butler county in 1870, and located in the old town of Chelsea, where he opened a blacksmith shop. When he came here, he was without funds, but he was a reliable young man, and won the confidence of some of the early settlers with whom he became acquainted, and with their financial support, he was enabled to engage in business. John M. Rayburn furnished him with a shop, a Mr. McQuar-ter furnished him with an old set of blacksmith tools, J. B. Parsons loaned him $7 in cash, and Mr. Findley, a grocer, stood good for the supplies which he needed and which were purchased at Emporia, and Mr. Findley also went to Emporia and hauled the supplies from there to Chelsea, free of charge. Chelsea, at that time, was quite a little settlement of perhaps twelve or fifteen buildings. Rollin Lakin was the manager of James McQuarter's store. Mr. Beale ran a dry goods and clothing store, and A. M. Farnum conducted a shoe shop. J. B. Shough was the hotel keeper, and Dr. Zimmerman ran the drug store. There was no saloon at first, but later this ever-present frontier industry was represented by Frost and Smith. They also sold groceries and did some gambling as a side line. Mr. Houser tells a story, of a green gawky tenderfoot who rode into the frontier village on a mule one day, and stood around watching some of the local talent who were engaged in a game of poker, and finally asked if they wouldn't let him play. He looked as though he had more money than knowledge of gambling, and was promptly dealt a hand, and bid pretty strong the first time, and the local boys laid down, but the tenderfoot in reality held a poorer hand, but his bluff worked. The next hand, he bid high again, and the fellows didn't propose to be bluffed again, and they stayed. The boy wasn't bluffing that time, but held the cards, and raked in the money, went out and got on his mule, and neither the boy, the mule, nor the money has been seen since, so far as the Chelsea gamblers know. Before the fellow left he called the fellows he had fleeced to the bar and asked the barkeeper if he had any "soft drinks, lemonade, or pop," as he thought they couldn't stand anything stronger.

Chelsea was on the old stage route from Cottonwood Falls which was later extended from Emporia to Winfield, and the fare was ten cents a mile. In the spring of 1870, Mr. House and another man started to walk from Emporia to El Dorado, but upon reaching the Cottonwood river, that stream was so high that they were unable to cross. However, they found lodging with a Quaker who lived near the river, and the next day they got a ride with some movers who were on their way to Chelsea.

Mr. Houser was engaged in blacksmithing for twenty years, at Chelsea, He then bought forty acres of land which he later sold, and bought 320 acres two and a half miles east of Chelsea. He moved his shop to that place, and for thirteen years carried on farming in connection with blacksmithing. He then sold that place and bought 200 acres, a mile south of Chelsea, which he sold in 1909, and removed to El Dorado, where he bought eight and a half acres adjoining the city limits on the northwest, where he has a fancy fruit farm, with several apple trees, peaches, cherries, blackberries, and he is also quite an alfalfa raiser.
Mr. Houser was married in 1881, to Miss Kate Estes, a native of Kentucky, born in 1851. She is a daughter of Lewis and Katie (Wisdom) Estes. Mr. and Mrs. Houser have no children of their own, but they have reared two, Alice Zuell, who was an orphan, and Nettie Rogalskey. The former married W. J. Case and lives in Chelsea township, and Nettie married Chester Moon, and lives in Oakwood, Okla. Mr. and Mrs. Houser have a cozy home on their place near El Dorado, and are well fixed to enjoy the comforts of life. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 566-568)

JAMISON, C. C.

C. C. Jamison, a prominent contractor and builder of El Dorado, is a native of Indiana. He was born in White county, in 1859, and is a son of William and Eliza (Gill) Jamison. They were the parents of ten children, three of whom are now living, as follows: Mrs. William Shriver, El Dorado, Kans.; Mrs. Joseph Brown, Braman, Okla., and C. C, the subject of this sketch.

C. C. Jamison was reared in Indiana, and educated at LaFayette, Ind., and in 1875, came to Kansas with his parents, who first located at Hutchinson, They remained there, however, but a short time, and in the spring of 1876, went to Pratt county, where the father home-steaded a claim, and later sold his interest in it and came to Butler county in 1879, locating at Augusta. The father was a mechanic, and worked on the construction of the Augusta opera house and the Ettison building, and several other buildings in Augusta. He died in Hobart, Okla., in 1903, and his wife died at El Dorado, in 1885.

C. C. Jamison began his career as a contractor and builder when he was about twenty-four years of age, his first work being a forty foot stone arch bridge, across Dry Creek, between Bruno and Augusta. Prior to this he had superintended the construction of the electric light building at El Dorado. Among the most important works that Mr. Jamison has done as a contractor and builder are the following: A forty foot stone arch bridge, one mile west of Latham; the piers for the iron bridge across the Walnut at Augusta; a thirty-six foot stone arch bridge, in Bruno township; a thirty-six foot stone arch bridge, across Hickory creek, near Leon; a thirty-six foot stone arch bridge in Chelsea township, near Chelsea; a thirty foot stone arch bridge at Brainard; and a thirty foot stone arch bridge, across Turkey creek, five miles south of El Dorado. Mr. Jamison has probably built about fifty county bridges in Butler county, and 200 township bridges.

Mr. Jamison was married April 7, 1892, to Miss Lucy Rayburn, of El Dorado, a daughter of William K. and Amanda (Dungan) Rayburn. The Rayburn family came to Butler county in 1885, and settled in El Dorado, remaining here three years when the father bought the Chesney ranch of 300 acres, where he lived until his death in 1903. The mother died in 1909. They were the parents of the following children: Calvin, an attorney, Bloomington, Ill.; Edgar, farmer, Towanda, Ill.; James, superintendent of the State asylum farm at Topeka, and has held that position for the past twenty years; Mrs. Ada Crawford, Fairbury, Ill., and Lucy, wife of C. C. Jamison, the subject of this sketch.

To Mr. and Mrs. Jamison have been born three children, as follows: Rayburn, associated with his father in the contracting and building business, married Hazel Herron, of Belle Plaine, Kans., December 25, 1915; Mary, a student in the El Dorado schools, and Sarah, also a student in the El Dorado schools.
Although a young man, Mr. Jamison has seen frontier conditions on the plains of Kansas, which has never been the privilege of many of the present generation to witness. When the Jamison family went to Pratt county, that section of the country was one broad expanse of prairie, with few settlements, and the buffalo was still to be found there, although not in large herds. Mr. Jamison has seen as many as nine in one herd. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 568-569)

GILMORE, WILLIAM

William Gilmore, of El Dorado, one of Butler county's largest land owners, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Harrison county, January 26, 1843, and is a son of Nathaniel and Mary (Craig) Gilmore, both natives of Ohio, the former born in 1801, and the latter in 1808, near Cadiz. They were the parents of twelve children, as follows: Samuel, died at the age of twenty-one, of cholera, at New Madrid, Mo.; Eliza Jane, married Alexander M. Shaver in 1865, who died two years after; she died in 1868; John, resides at Webster City, Iowa, aged eighty-three years; Rachel; died at the age of three years; Craig, was killed in an automobile accident at Gibson City, Ill., in 1910; Sarah, died near LeRoy, Ill., in 1852; Albert, living at Gibson City, Ill.; William, the subject of this sketch; Mary Ann, died in 1857, at Le Roy, Ill., at the age of twelve; Johnson, died at Le Roy, Ill., in 1861, aged fifteen; one died in infancy, and Ephraim, resides near Lee, Ind.

William Gilmore was educated in the public schools of Illinois, and attended the Wesleyan University, at Bloomington, Ill., for two years. When he was twenty-two years of age, he was engaged in farming and stock raising in Illinois, and was interested in that business there from 1865 until 1893. The Gilmore family were interested in farming and stock raising together, and had about 3,000 acres of land in Ford, McLean and Champaign counties, Illinois. In 1893, Mr. Gilmore came to Butler county, Kansas, and bought 1,920 acres of land in Chelsea township, where he engaged in farming and the cattle business. About 500 acres of this ranch are now under cultivation, and he also owns 800 acres of very valuable land in Osceola county, Iowa, and is a very wealthy man. His fine, modern home is located on a six acre tract of land adjoining El Dorado on the west.

Mr. Gilmore was married in Ford county, Illinois, in 1879, to Miss Julia I. Bunch, of Edwards county, Illinois. She is a daughter of William and Mary (Clark) Bunch, pioneers of Edwards county, Illinois, both now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore have been born four children, all of whom are living, as follows: Mary Etta, unmarried, resides with her parents; Walter Ellsworth, resides on the home farm in Chelsea township; Carrie Harrison, and Benjamin Harrison, twins.
Mr. Gilmore is able to trace his family history back many generations, and has in his possession a family chart of the Craig family, his mother's ancestry, which gives a history of that family, beginning with John Craig, who was born in Ireland in 1775 and died in 1825. His wife bore the maiden name of Betsy Johnson, and was born in 1782, and died in 1864, at the age of eighty-two. Mr. Gilmore is one of Butler county's most substantial men, and the Gilmore family is one of the leading families of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 569-570)

McANNALLY, J. M.

J. M. McAnally, now deceased, was a prominent merchant of El Dorado, and during his career, was a leading factor in the commercial life of this city. Mr. McAnnally was born at Nicholsville, Claremont county, Ohio, June 17, 1845. He was left an orphan at the tender age of five years, and was reared in Ohio and educated in the public schools there. When he was about twenty-five years of age he removed to Champaign county, Illinois, where he was engaged in farming until 1878. He then came to Kansas, locating in Morris county, and in 1880, he came to Butler county, and located at El Dorado. Soon after coming here, he became associated with C. O. Beardsley, in the grocery business, and later he purchased the Musselman furniture stock, which was located in a small frame building on Main street. Soon after buying this stock, he sold a half interest in it to J. M. Noble, and the firm became McAnally & Noble, and they engaged in the furniture business on south Main street, and this partnership continued for twenty-eight years. They carried on an extensive furniture business in a two-story building on south Main street. Mr. McAnally died June 4, 1910, and the partnership was continued with Mrs. McAnally as the successor to her husband's interest, for three years, or until the death of Mr. Noble. All these years, the firm of McAnally & Noble was the leading furniture dealers of El Dorado.

Mr. McAnally was first married in Ohio, and shortly afterwards removed to Illinois where his wife died a few years later. Three children were born to them. His second wife was Miss Dora Jackson, who is also deceased. On October 4, 1904, Mr. McAnally was married to Miss Clara E. Hiatt, a daughter of Eli W. and Guinanna (Pore) Hiatt, the former a native of Bellefontaine, Logan county, Ohio, and the latter of Indiana.

In early life, Mr. McAnally was converted and united with the Presbyterian church. After his marriage to Miss Clara E. Hiatt, he attended the Baptist church, which was the denomination of her church, and Mr. McAnally became much interested in the affairs of this church. He served as a member of the building committee in the erection of the new edifice in El Dorado, and proved to be a valuable aid in a financial way. After the dedication of the new church, he united with the class, and was faithful to the end. Almost his last word was a Christian message to his wife and friends. At that time he called his pastor to his bedside and said, "I want you to tell all, that since last Saturday, I have had a new vision of the spiritual life, and a larger vision of the love of my friends, not only during this sickness, but through all my life. I want to thank all of them. My spiritual condition is perfectly satisfactory. Everything is all right, I confront the change with faith, confidence, and peace. Mr. McAnally's death exemplified his life. He died as he had lived, a Christian.

Mr. McAnally was also prominent in lodge circles. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, El Dorado Lodge, No. 74, and had been a member of that order for over forty years, and passed all the chairs. He joined the lodge at Nicholsville, Ohio, and was a member up to the time of his death. He was also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. His widow, Mrs. Clara McAnally, resides on North Atchison street, El Dorado, where she has a modern and comfortable home. She is an estimable lady, of a high standard of culture, and has many friends. Majorie McAnally is an adopted daughter of Mrs. McAnally, adopted in 1914. She is attending the graded school at El Dorado. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 570-571)

WEIDMAN, DANIEL

Daniel Weidman, a Civil war veteran and Butler county pioneer, is a native of Columbia township, Warren county, New Jersey. He was born in 1844, and is a son of Philip K. and Susan (Ryman) Weidman. The father was born in Easton, Pa., in 1803, and the mother was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1812. They were the parents of the following children: Thomas; Mrs. Clara Wait; Mrs. Lymell Thompson, and Daniel, the subject of this sketch. The Weidman family went from Pennsylvania to Iowa in 1856, where the father died in 1862, and the mother in 1872, in Fremont county.

Daniel Weidman was educated in the public schools of Pennsylvania, and the Waverly Academy, Waverly, Pa., and on July 30, 1863, he enlisted at Red Oak, Iowa, in Company A, Eighth regiment, Iowa cavalry, and was mustered into the United States service. His regiment took part in the Atlanta campaign, and the battles of Nashville, Tenn., and Waterloo, Ala., and a number of other engagements and skirmishes. Mr. Weidman had some very narrow escapes during his military career, but was never wounded. He was doing picket duty on the banks of the river, when General Hood attacked the Union lines and sent his first boat load of men across the Tennessee, at about the point where Mr. Weidman was stationed. Mr. Weidman says that he never ran so fast in all his life as he did that afternoon, to get away from the Confederates. During his hurry he threw his coat away, which he needed that night. The same night that the Union forces were attacked by Hood, and withdrew, they were reinforced by General Hatch, and returned to the fight which lasted a number of days and ended at Nashville. Mr. Weidman was on a raid in Alabama which lasted sixty-two days. At the same time, his horse was shot from under him, and fell on one of his feet which was in the stirrup, and in order to release himself, Mr. Weidman pulled his foot out of his boot, and left the boot under the horse, and ran about fifty yards to where there was another horse which he mounted, and succeeded in escaping. The Confederates were so close on his trail at that time that they called to him to surrender, but he told them that he could not see it in that way, and succeeded in getting away. His army life was filled with adventure from start to finish, and after the war, and at the close of a brilliant, military career, he was mustered out of the United States service at Macon, Ga., in August 13, 1865.

At the close of the war, Mr. Weidman returned to Red Oak, Iowa, where he remained until 1869, when he came to Butler county and settled on Turkey creek about six miles south of El Dorado. Here he bought a quarter section of land of William Towsley. After remaining on this place about a year, Mr. Weidman sold it to Betts and Fraiser, and located in El Dorado. In 1873 he homesteaded a quarter section on the Whitewater in Fairview township. After remaining there fourteen years, he returned to El Dorado and engaged in the hardware and implement business with Rogers Bros, and Conner, on the corner of Main and Central. A year later he sold his interest in that concern, and worked in the hardware store of C. L. Turner, about two years. He then entered the employ of the McCormack Harvesting Machine Company, and was on the road for that company for five years. He then worked for the Champion Machine Company for five years, in a similar capacity, when he entered the employ of the Altman-Miller Company, and remained with them about one year. He then moved to a farm, and after remaining three years, returned to El Dorado and has since rented his farm, and resided in El Dorado.

Mr. Weidman was married June 19, 1867, to Miss Emazetta Gordon, of Pleasant Hill, Mo. She is a daughter of George A. and Sarah E. (Dunn) Gordon, natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively. The father now resides at Eureka, Kans., at the advanced age of ninety-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were the parents of the following children: Heustes, was killed while serving in the Union army during the Civil war at Dallas, Ga.; Walter, died at Memphis, Tenn., while serving in the Union army during the Civil war; Hypatia, lives at Seattle, Wash.; Mrs. Alice Kalb, Springfield, Ill.; Mrs. Robert Johnson, Denver, Colo.; Mrs. Emma Badger, Topeka, Kans.; Laura, resides at Eureka, Kans., and Emazetta, wife of Mr. Weidman, the subject of this sketch. To Mr. and Mrs. Weidman have been born six children, as follows: George, Salt Lake City, Utah; Mrs. Ella Hurtt, Wichita, Kans.; Harry, a grocer, of El Dorado; Earl, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ray, El Dorado, Kans., and Frank, Western Union telegraph operator, Tulsa, Okla.

When Mr. Weidman came to Butler county, forty-seven years ago, this country was in a wild and unbroken state, and scarcely any of the improvements or permanent settlements had been made at that time. The native wild animals of the plains were in abundance, and in 1869, Mr. Weidman killed six deer south of El Dorado, and in 1870, 1871 and 1872, he went buffalo hunting each year, and returned with plenty of buffalo meat. There were lots of Indians in this section when they first came here, and they frequently called at the Weidman home, usually begging for chickens, and at one time, the Weidman family had an Indian girl in their employ as a domestic. Mr. Weidman planted the first cottonwood trees in El Dorado. He also planted the first apple trees in the county for Dr. White, and received twenty-five cents for setting out each tree, and the specifications required that he dig holes three feet deep and three feet in diameter for each tree, and set the tree in rich soil hauled from the timber. He made some money at this, but it was hard work. Mr. Weidman remembers many early day instances, and taking his career all together, both as a soldier and as a pioneer, he has had his share of interesting experiences, including many hardships and privations. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 571-573)

OW, D. W.

D. W. Ow, one of the leading merchants of El Dorado, has conducted a grocery store here for over thirty-three years, and Mr. Ow's store is not only one of the old established mercantile institutions of the city, but is strictly in keeping with all modern improvements and methods, and he, perhaps, carries the largest exclusive grocery stock in Butler county.

Mr. Ow was born in Lancaster, Mo., in 1858, and is a son of John and Nancy (Grimes) Ow, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Missouri. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Mrs. Anne Phares, deceased; Mrs. Temperance Parsons, resides at Los Angeles; Edward, Los Angeles; Ray, Los Angeles; and D. W., the subject of this sketch.

D. W. Ow came to Kansas with his father and other members of the family in 1875. They settled in Benton township, Butler county, about a mile east of the town of Benton. Here the father bought 160 acres of land from Jesse Parsons, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1882, when the father removed to California. About this time D. W., the subject of this sketch, came to El Dorado, and engaged in the grocery business in partnership with Al Conley, under the firm name of Conley & Ow. Their store was located at 116 West Central avenue, two doors west of where Mr. Ow's place of business is now located. In 1894, Mr. Ow purchased his partner's interest in the business, and moved to his present location, and since that time, has been the sole owner and proprietor of the business, which has developed from a humble beginning to its present proportions.

Mr. Ow was married in 1881, to Miss Lou McCune, of Benton, Kans. She is a daughter of W. H. McCune, who was a prominent farmer of Benton township, and was accidently killed in an automobile accident in El Dorado, at the age of seventy-six. His wife died in Murdock township. To Mr. and Mrs. Ow have been born the following children: Mrs. O. M. Burkholder, St. Louis, Mo.; Frankie, resides at home; Elsie, bookkeeper in her father's store, resides at home; Lee, bookkeeper in the bank of Oklahoma, at Beaver, Okla.; Charles, died at the age of twenty-one, in El Dorado, Kans.; Birdine and Mildred, students in the El Dorado High School. The Ow family is well known and prominent in Butler county, and Mr. Ow is one of El Dorado's most substantial, as well as most progressive business men. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 573-574)

ATKINS, JAMES

James Atkins, a Civil war veteran, and one of the very early pioneers of Butler county, who has spent nearly a half century of his life in this county, is a native of Michigan. He was born in St. Clair county, in 1844, and is a son of Alexander and Eliza (Lewis) Atkins, the former a native of Scotland, and the latter of Connecticut. They were the parents of eleven children.

James Atkins was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools of Michigan, and when the Civil war broke out, he was just reaching man's estate, and when he was twenty years of age, he enlisted in company A, First regiment, Michigan cavalry. He served in the Civil war, and when that great struggle was ended, he was sent west in a campaign against hostile Indians in Colorado and Utah, and received his honorable discharge and was mustered out of service at Salt Lake City, Utah, March 10, 1866. He then went to Helena, Mont., remaining there from April to August of 1866, when he came down the Missouri river from Ft. Benton to Omaha, on a flat boat. He was then employed by the Union Pacific Railroad Company about a year, and in 1867, came to El Dorado.

After coming to Butler county, Mr. Atkins bought a quarter section of land in El Dorado township, and he still owns that place. He has added more land to his original holdings, from time to time, and now owns a large acreage in Butler county. He lived in a dugout on his place the first year, and engaged in the cattle business and general farming in which he has been very successful. When Mr. Atkins came to this county, there were few settlers here, no railroads in this section of the State, and trading points were a long distance away. When Mr. Atkins first came here, he went to Lawrence for his supplies, and later to Emporia, and the first cattle that he marketed, he drove acr6ss the country to Kansas City. He drove the first bunch of cattle from Baxter Springs, Kans.

Mr. Atkins was here at the time that the cyclone devastated El Dorado, when Dr. McKenzie's child was killed, and he was also here during the big June flood of 1869, when Johnson, his wife and adopted daughter were drowned in the West Branch of the Walnut river. A man named Hobbs spent the night on the roof of their cabin, and was rescued in the morning.

Mr. Atkins was married in 1900, to Miss Eva Pool, of El Dorado. Mrs. Atkins was a daughter of Anthony Pool, and Matilda (Bennet) Pool, natives of Washington county, Pennsylvania, who with their daughter came from Kentucky in 1886 to Butler county. Mrs. Atkins is one of a family of five children. Anthony Pool Atkins, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Atkins, was born near El Dorado in 1902.

Mr. Atkins recalls some of the old settlers who were here in 1867, at the beginning of Butler county, among whom were Henry Martin, Archibald Ellis, Mrs. Cowley, Jerry Connor, Nathaniel Thompson, Croft, Hobbs and Donaldson. Mr. Atkins has seen Butler county develop almost from the beginning. Mr. Atkins has fought with the bravest in the "winning of the wilderness" and to such men as he, men with courage and stick-to-it-iveness, Butler county owes its development. His several farms are equipped with good dwellings, barns, etc., and he owns and occupies with his family one of El Dorado's beautiful modern homes.
Mr. Atkins has a keen sense of humor and recalls with pleasure many incidents of his pioneer life, but he never regrets the hardships of the early days. He still lives a busy, quiet, happy life, enjoying the fruits of his labors and esteem of his fellow citizens. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 574-575)

WINN, LESTER F.

Lester F. Winn, a progressive young farmer and stockman of Pleasant township, is a native of Kansas. He was born at Udall, Kans., November 14, 1897, and is a son of Samuel and Mary E. (Cox) Winn. Two children were born to Samuel and Mary E. Winn: Lester F., the subject of this sketch, and Roscoe, who resides at Rose Hill. By a former marriage, the father had four children: George, Anadarko, Okla.; Coleman, Anadarko, Okla.; Mrs. Pearl Davey, Mulvane, Kans.; and Myrtle Davey, Mulvane, Kans.

Lester F. Winn was reared at Rose Hill and educated in the public schools, and since he was fourteen years of age, has been actively engaged in farming, having had charge of the Eli Cox farm. He carries on general farming and stock raising and specializes in Holstein cattle.

Mr. Winn was united in marriage at Rose Hill, Kans., March 8, 1916, to Miss Genevieve Cox, of Rose Hill, a daughter of Elvin Cox, of Richland township. Although a young man, Mr. Winn is one of the substantial citizens of Pleasant township, and has won a reputation for getting results in whatever he undertakes. He is industrious and ambitious and his future bids fair to be a successful career.

Eli Cox, now deceased, was a Butler county pioneer, a record of whose career is well worthy of a place on the pages of a work of thi9 character. Mr. Cox was born in North Carolina, March 23, 1824, and died in Richland township, December 4, 1893. He was a son of Steven and Hannah Cox, natives of North Carolina.

Eli Cox grew to manhood in his native State and on March 21, 1845, he was united in marriage to Miss Emily Stinson, a native of North Carolina, born December 21, 1827, a daughter of Robert and Mary Stinson. Five children were born to this union, as follows: George W., deceased; John C, resides in North Carolina; Thomas M.; Hannah L.; and Andrew J., all of whom are deceased. The wife and mother died while Mr. Cox still lived in North Carolina, and he married for his second wife, Mary Ann Picket, a native of North Carolina, and a daughter of Jeremiah and Hanna Picket, also natives of North Carolina. To this union were born the following children: Mrs. Emily F. Ball, Richland township; Mrs. Lizzie D. Getchel, resides in Washington; Homer F., a minister in the Friends church, and resides in Montana; Jaben C, Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. Marietta Canfield, Derby, Kans.; and Jeremiah C, Douglass, Kans.

Eli Cox and family left Greensborough, North Carolina, February 21, 1871, with Kansas as their destination, coming by rail. They reached Lawrence on February 26, and from there went to Lexington township, Johnson county, where they remained one year. In March, 1872, they came to Richland township, Butler county, where the father homesteaded 160 acres of land, where he made his home until the time of his death. He was an industrious, God-fearing man, and a good citizen. He and his wife were members of the Friends church, and among the charter members of that organization of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 575-576)

LOGAN, H. M.

H. M. Logan, a pioneer merchant of El Dorado, who still conducts one of the leading mercantile establishments of that city, is a native of Ohio. He was born at Columbus Grove, Putnam county, in 1850, and is a son of J. M. and Elizabeth (Hixon) Logan, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Ohio. They were the parents of eight children, three of whom are living, as follows: Joseph, Champaign, Ill.; Martha, married Tyne Arnett, and resides at Wayne City, Ill.; and H. M.. the subject of this sketch.

H. M. Logan was reared and educated at Gosport, Ind. His mother died when he was twelve years of age, and in 1867, when he was about sixteen years old, he came to Kansas with his two brothers. They first located at Humboldt, and soon after arriving there, H. M. obtained a position as a clerk in G. Y. Smith's dry goods store, remaining there four years. In 1871, he came to El Dorado, and after clerking a few years, engaged in the mercantile business for himself, and still continues in the mercantile business.

Mr. Logan was married in 1879 to Miss Flora Morgan, of El Dorado, Kans. Her father came to Kansas in 1865, and opened the first store in Lyon county, where Hartford is now located. He conducted his store there until 1873, when he came to Butler county, locating at Douglass, where he died. After the father's death, the Morgan family removed to El Dorado, where Mrs. Logan completed her education. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Logan, as follows: Olive, married Eldon Jarnagin, and they reside at Miami, Texas; Basil H., married Florence Wellwood, and resides in Wichita, Kans.; and Bruce, is associated with his father in the store at El Dorado.

Mr. Logan is of a literary turn of mind, and notwithstanding his busy mercantile career, he has found time to write some very clever articles, some of which, in matters of merit, are far above the average. In 1912, Mr. Logan visited his old home at Gosport, Ind., and was requested to write the story of his trip, and in this article he gives his impressions of the old home in such a masterful way that this little story is, of itself, a classic. He has published a little volume of his writings, which contain the following articles, all of which are very ably written, and it's a great treat to read this little pamphlet from cover to cover: "A Call on the Phone"; "Joy Ride Through the Big Wheat"; "Boosters'. Trip for the Kansas Commercial Club"; "My First Trip to Arkansas"; "A Visit To the Old Home"; and "First Night in El Dorado." The last named article will be found reproduced, elsewhere in this work, by permission of Mr. Logan. The little volume, containing Mr. Logan's writings can be found in the El Dorado public library.

Mr. Logan is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is treasurer of the local lodge, and the Anti-Horse Thief .Association, of which he is president. Mr. Logan has taken a keen interest in the welfare and progress of El Dorado, where his home and interests have been for forty-five years. While a member of the city council; Mr. Logan was active in behalf of establishing the library here, and has always liberally supported every enterprise that has had for its object the betterment or upbuilding of his community, Mr. Logan is a Republican, but has never aspired to political honors, although he has been active in political affairs, and frequently been a delegate to county and State conventions. He has served on the local school board for a number of years and has been a member of the city council, as above stated. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 576-577)