BUTLER COUNTY,
KANSAS
BIOGRAPHIES
W. F. Benson of El Dorado, the present Bank Commissioner of the State of Kansas, was born in North Dorset, Vt., August 12, 1859, and came to Kansas with his father, mother and brother, Fred W. Benson, in November, 1878. From 1878 to 1892 Mr. Benson was engaged in farming and stock raising with his father and brother. From 1892 to 1894 he was county treasurer of Butler county. In July, 1897 he was elected assistant cashier of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank at El Dorado, Kans., which position he held until January, 1898, when he was elected to the cashiership on the death of H. H. Gardner. He held this position until January, 1905, when he resigned and was elected active vice-president of the Citizens State Bank, which position he resigned on his appointment to the position of bank commissioner. All these years he has been engaged in farming and stock raising on an extensive scale, and at the present time, he with his son, Frank A. Benson, have one of the largest and best herds of registered Galloway cattle in the State of Kansas.
Mr. Benson was married to Miss Margaret Farley of Rome, New York, in 1880; their family of children consists of Frank A. Benson, George J. Benson, Florence Benson and Bernice Benson.
When the "Farmers Alliance" was organized, he joined this movement and was nominated by the Peoples party for county treasurer in 1892 and elected. In 1894 he was renominated by his party, but was defeated. In 1896 he was nominated by his party and endorsed by the Democrats for the office of State senator, his opponent being the late T. B. Murdock. In 1905 he was nominated by his party for State senator from that district and was again successful.
For a quarter of a century he has been identified with the Democratic party of this State. Governor Hodges appointed Mr. Benson on the Panama-Pacific Exposition Commission, representing Kansas at the Expositions, held in 1915, at San Francisco and San Diego, California. In November, 1915, Governor Hodges appointed him State Bank Commissioner, his term expiring March 1, 1917. Mr. Benson belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights of Pythias, and he also is a member of the Masons, Knights Templar and a Shriner. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 785-786)
L. N. Blood, a well known and prosperous broker of St. Louis, Mo., was closely identified with the early day settlement of Butler county. In fact, Mr. Blood was here at the beginning. He was a pioneer school teacher and merchant, and while his business activities have taken him away from Butler county for a number of years, he is not only interested in Butler county, in a sentimental" way, but has always maintained important financial interests here.
L. N. Blood is a native of Michigan. He was born in Lenawee county, September 25, 1844. His parents, Leonard P. and Lucinda Polly (Williams) Blood, were both born in New York, the former, April 5, 1823, and the latter in 1824. The mother died in Iola, Kans., in 1900, and the father now resides there, at the ripe old age of ninety-three. Twelve children were born to this pioneer couple, four of whom are living, as follows: L. N., the subject of this sketch; D. P., president of the Exchange State Bank, Douglass, Kans.; Mrs. Anna Victors Rogers, Iola, Kans. and Clarence P., Kansas City, Mo.
L. N. Blood received a good common school education in the public schools at Morenci, Mich., and in early manhood, he taught school, during the winters, and followed farming in the summers. In 1868, he left his Michigan home, and came to Kansas. He obtained employment on the Santa Fe railroad, which was then being constructed out of Topeka to the west. Mr. Blood had charge of the iron car, laying the track from Topeka to Carbondale, and remained in the employ of that company until August, 1869, when the road was completed as far west as Carbondale. He then came to Butler county, and located at Augusta, which was then a small village of only a few houses. Here, Mr. Blood was engaged to teach the first school in that town. The building where the school was held is still standing, and was the first store building in Augusta, a mercantile establishment being on the first floor, and the school on the second. The school room was furnished in the most primitive fashion. A slab with the smooth side upward, attached to the wall by wooden brackets, served as a desk for the pupils, and the seat consisted of long wooden benches, and thus when the pupils were at work, they faced the walls, with their backs to the center of the room. The same room, in which the school was held, also answered for the purpose of a church and lodge room. Mr. Blood had about forty pupils enrolled, and an average attendance of about thirty. The postoffice was kept in the storeroom below, and Mr. Blood was also assistant postmaster, and helped in the store in dealing out salt pork at fifteen cents per pound, corn at $2.50 per bushel, and salt at $10 a barrel, when he was not dispensing knowledge on the second floor. In the broad range of its commodities, this institution equalled the modern department store, or a mail order house. During that time, the stage was scheduled to reach Augusta at 2 a. m. The stage driver would blow his horn at the bend of the river, as he approached the town, and Mr. Blood, as assistant postmaster, would have to hustle out and sort the mail, and turn over to the stage driver, the outgoing mail, and then return to dreamland.
In the spring of 1871, Mr. Blood engaged in the mercantile business for himself at Augusta. His store was located on State street, about opposite where the Edison store now stands. He was engaged in business here for twelve years, and in 1883, went to St. Louis, Mo., where he has since been engaged in the brokerage business, his operations being confined, principally, to municipal bonds. In 1874 Mr. Blood bought 480 acres of land in the Walnut river valley, near Gordon, which he still owns. This is very valuable land, the character of the soil in that locality being very rich and productive, and in addition to its agricultural value, it is in the recently developing Augusta oil and gas field, and is underlaid with rich deposits of oil and gas. At this writing there are six flowing oil wells, and eight more being drilled on Mr. Blood's place.
Mr. Blood was united in marriage, July 2, 1871, to Miss Leonora M. Bellamy, of Augusta, Kans. Mrs. Blood was a pioneer milliner of Augusta. She was born in Macoupin county, Illinois, in 1849, a daughter of James and Lucy P. (Judd) Bellamy, natives of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Blood have no children.
Mr. Blood was in Butler county and in the vicinity of Augusta during the most interesting pioneer period of Butler county, and saw much of this section of the country during these pioneer days. Since he removed from Butler county and located in St. Louis, scarcely a year has passed but what he has visited Butler county on one or more occasions. He will always have a tender spot in his heart for the memory of the early days here, and he takes a pride in the development of this county, and the rank that it holds among its sister counties of the State. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 786-787)
Clark Haskins, of Augusta, is a venerable old gentleman who bears the distinction of having been a pioneer of two States. He is a native of Vermont, and is a descendant of New England stock. He possesses the liberty loving spirit of his New England ancestors, the same spirit that actuated the early settlers of New England to seek a home in a new country, where limitations of conscience were not known. Clark Haskins was born in Loveland county, Vermont, in 1831, a son of Ezra and Phoebe (Grandy) Haskins, natives of Vermont. They were the parents of the following children: Weltha; Sarah;. Charity; Elizabeth ; Clark, the subject of this sketch; Edward, who died while serving in the Union army, during the Civil war; John; Edwin, who was a soldier in the Union army, during the Civil war; Edmond, was a Christian minister, and served in the United States Navy during the Civil war, and Edgar, served in the Union army during the Civil war. Clark Haskins went to Iowa in 1855, and settled on a claim of Government land in Madison county. This was at an early day in the settlement of that section of Iowa. He was engaged in farming there when the Civil war broke out, and in 1864, he enlisted in Company A, Third regiment, Iowa cavalry, serving until the close of the war, or about eighteen months, when he was mustered out of service and honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa. At the close of the war he returned to Iowa, and in 1872, came to Kansas, locating in Walnut township, Butler county. Here he entered 240 acres of land, and later bought additional land, at one time no acres and another forty acres, and still another 150 acres. When he first settled in Walnut township, he built a small cabin on his claim, which served as the family home for twelve years, when he built a substantial residence. He engaged in general farming and stock raising, and during his Butler county career, has given special attention to the cattle business. He has not only raised and fed cattle for the market, but has been an extensive cattle buyer as well. Mr. Haskins has not only been a financial success, but his influence has always been for the moral and civic betterment of his community and county; and he is of that type of men who will leave his impress on the future civilization and development of Butler county.
Mr. Haskins was married, in 1865, to Miss Almera Purdy, of Muscoda, Wis. and a native of Vermont. She is now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Haskins were born the following children: Charles; Mrs. Lydia Findley, Kettle Falls, Wash.; Frank, Seattle, Wash.; Will, Vancouver, B. C.; George, died at the age of thirteen, and Herman II., living on the home place.
Charles Haskins, the eldest child born to Clark, and Almera (Purdy) Haskins, was born in Grant county, Wisconsin, in 1858. When a boy about fourteen years of age, he came to Walnut township, in 1872. with his parents. He was reared and educated in Butler county, and has made farming and stock raising his principal occupation. He now owns and operates 150 acres of land, adjoining his father's place in Walnut township, and ranks as one of the successful farmers and stock-men of Butler county. He was married, in 1884, to Miss Gertrude Bruce, and three children have been born to this union: George, Charles and Herbert. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 787-788)
J. R. Crowley, of El Dorado, is one of the large land owners of Butler county, and has been very successful in farming and stock raising. He was born in Barren county, Kentucky, in 1865, and is a son of S. R. and Mary (Burgess) Crowley, natives of Tennessee. They were the parents of ten children, nine of whom are living, as follows: W. B., Seneca, Mo.; J. R., the subject of this sketch; S. J., Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. Mary Elrod, El Dorado, Kans.; Dicie, unmarried, resides at Augusta, Kans.; I. M., Rock Creek township, Butler county; R. L. Burden, Cowley county, Kansas; W. S., Burden, Kans.; and Mrs. Ora Rhoades, Gordon, Kans. J. R. Crowley received a good common school education in his native State, and at the age of sixteen years, left home and came to Kansas. He drove a wagon here for his board, coming with Taylor Haines, who settled on the Walnut river, three miles south of Augusta. After coming to Butler county, Mr. Crowley worked about a month on the railroad. He then entered the employ of J. W. Kibby, and worked for him eight years and three months, receiving for his services $15 per month at first, and later $20. He saved his money, and at the end of the above stated period, he entered into partnership with his former employer, and this arrangement continued for nine years. Mr. Crowley then engaged in farming and the cattle business on Hickory creek, Bloomington township. He was one of the extensive cattlemen of the county, and bought, fed, and sold cattle on a large scale. In 1913, he bought his present home in El Dorado, where he has since resided. He also owns a home in Augusta.
Mr. Crowley was married in 1895, to Miss Flora A. Tague, of Bloomington township. She is a daughter of M. M. and Mary (Whitham) Tague, natives of Indiana, who came to Butler county in 1881, and settled in Spring township, and they now live in Bloomington township. To Mr. and Mrs. Crowley have been born five children, as follows: Hazel Irene, a graduate of the El Dorado High School, class of 1916; Marietta, a member of the senior class. El Dorado High School; Flora Verna, student in the El Dorado High School; John R. and Frances Audine, students in the El Dorado graded schools. The Crowley family reside in El Dorado during the school years, and spend the summers on their ranch in Bloomington township.
Mr. Crowley is a member of the Masonic Lodge, of El Dorado, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America at Augusta, and the Anti Horse Thief Association, in Bloomington, and Mr. and Mrs. Crowley are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. The Crowley family is well known in Butler county, and Mr. Crowley is one of this county's substantial and prosperous citizens. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 788-789)
Peter Fostnaught, a prominent farmer and stockman, of Benton township, is a native of Indiana, and a son of Moses and Sarah Fostnaught. The father was the farmer and died there in 1865. The mother died in 1905. Peter was the only child by his mother's first marriage, and after his father's death, she married a man named Wolf. Three children were born to this union, as follows: Mrs. Sarah Blair, who lives in Michigan; Sherman Wolf, lives in Indiana, and Adam Wolf, lives in Michigan.
Peter Fostnaught came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1879, and at first worked as a farm hand for $15 per month, and about ten years later, rented land, and engaged in farming on his own account.* During his first years in Butler county, Mr. Fostnaught labored under many difficulties, and had a hard time to get a substantial start in life. He had no capital, but he was industrious -and thrifty and possessed a determination to succeed. Not unlike the experience of the average man, after he got a little start, success soon followed, and today he is one of the well-to-do farmers and stockmen of this county. He owns one of the best farms in Benton township, consisting of 240 acres, well improved and an ideal stock farm.
In 1889, Mr. Fostnaught was united in marriage with Miss Anna Miller, a daughter of John P. and Kate Miller. Her father was a native of France, and came to this country with his parents early in life. He died in Illinois, and in 1875 the mother came to Kansas with her children, and preempted 160 acres of land in Benton township, Butler county. There were six girls in the Miller family, as follows: Mrs. Mary Long, deceased; Mrs. Susan Cole, Kingman county, Kansas; Mrs. Kate Hammon, Greenwich, Kans.; Mrs. Rosa Lane, Benton, Kans.; Ada F.: Mrs. Lydia Campbell, deceased.
After Mrs. Miller and her girls came to Kansas, they endured many hardships and privations, common to the lot of early settlers during the formative period of the West. But the experience of the Miller family was more difficult than that of their neighbors. There were no men in the family, and the heavy work of the fields fell to the girls and their mother. They all did the work of men, and bravely struggled to build a home in the new country, and were glad to have an opportunity to do so. The girls all grew up to be women of force of character, and an honor to American womanhood. The mother was a capable woman, and the possessor of high ambitions, and a spirit of industry. She possessed the courage of the typical pioneer woman. On one occasion while fighting a prairie fire which threatened to destroy her home, she was so severely burned that she nearly lost her life. Prairie fires were frequent in the early days, and, during their first year here, the Millers lost their hay in one of those periodical devastations of the plains. Another incident in the life of Mrs. Miller worthy of mention here, is that when she was a young woman and lived in Illinois, she was at one time in the employ of Abraham Lincoln, and was well acquainted with the great emancipator and his family. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 789-790)
A. C. Neal, a well known farmer and stockman of Benton township, came to this county when a mere boy, and belongs to one of the pioneer families of Butler county. Mr. Neal was born in Indiana in 1861, and is a son of J. W. and Christina Neal, both natives of Indiana. The father was a farmer in that State until 1865, when he went to Missouri with his family, driving across the country from Indiana. They located in Johnson county, Missouri, remaining there until 1872, when they came to Kansas and settled in Sumner county, and in 1877 went from there to Sedgwick county. In 1883, the Neal family came to Butler county, locating in Benton township where the father spent the remainder of his life, engaged in farming and stock raising. He died in 1909 and the mother now resides on the home place with A. C, who has never married. The father was an invalid for. a number of years and thus A. C. Neal has been the mainstay of the family from early boyhood. J. W. Neal, the father, was a native of Kentucky and early in life removed from his native State to Indiana, where he was married to Miss Brougher, a daughter of Jacob and Isabel Brougher, natives of North Carolina and of German descent.
A. C. Neal was only eleven years old when the family came to Kansas, in 1872, and therefore as a boy, he saw much of the pioneer life of this section of the State. In those days the children shared in the hardships and meager advantages of the new country. After coming to Kansas he worked for 35 cents a day and earned his first dollar binding wheat, which dollar he lost out of his pocket a few days later while threshing. This seemed to him to be quite a loss at that time, and his financial loss really could not have been greater, for that was all he had. His first investment was the purchase of a colt, for which he paid $13.50, and later sold for $95, which was the turning point of his luck, and since that time he has met with a fair measure of success.
When the Neals first settled in Sumner county, that section of the State was considered well on the borderland of civilization and the primitive conditions of the plains largely prevailed. There were lots of deer and antelope and buffalo could still be found in large herds only seven or eight miles away. Mr. Neal recalls with a shudder the first buffalo that he ever saw. He was out herding cattle on the open range with his Indian pony and the buffalo bull appeared on the horizon and made a wild charge into young Neal's herd of cattle. The boy had never seen a buffalo before and was sure that the devil was after him and his cattle. His Indian pony was a faithful little animal but young Neal knew that he was not speedy, so in order to make time he dismounted and ran home, which was about a mile away. Mr. Neal is a modest man and is not inclined to be unreasonable in his claims, but he is sure that if that mile had been officially recorded that it would go on record as the fastest mile ever made by a white man. He had many experiences in the early days, but this one is the prize winner. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 790-791)
J. W. Parsons, a prominent farmer and stockman of Sycamore township, is one of the very earliest settlers of Butler county, now living within its borders. Mr. Parsons is a native of Ohio, born in 1848, and is a son of Amos and Ruth G. (Barnes) Parsons, natives of Maryland. They were the parents of the following children: Josiah Barnes Parsons, Cassoday, Kans.; B. A. Parsons, Potwin, Kans.; and J. W., the subject of this sketch.
J. W. Parsons came
to Kansas in 1866 and settled in Butler county and homesteaded 168 acres of land in Sycamore township. This was
a very early day in the settlement of that section of the county and at that time the settlers had to haul their
supplies from Westport where Kansas City is now located. Mr. Parsons made two trips there with an ox team, the
round trip requiring more than a week, and during these trips he has frequently slept alone on the plains with
howling wolves about him during the night. When Mr. Parsons came to Butler county the native wild animals of the
plains were here in abundance. The buffalo disappeared from this section of the State, going farther west, about
the time that Mr. Parsons settled here. However, he saw one herd of buffalo in Butler county after he came. Indians
frequently roamed over the plains and the noble red man was noted for stealing pigs, chickens, etc., an inherent
trait of his character usually overlooked by American historians. After coming here Mr. Parsons broke prairie with
six yoke of oxen. He built a small log cabin and only had enough roofing to cover one corner of it. However, this
sufficed for his residence for three or four years. He was in poor health when he first came to Kansas, but recovered
shortly after coming here.
Mr. Parsons was married in 1881, to Miss Bessie Davis and three children were born to this union: Mrs. Elsie Grant,
Rosalia, Kans.; Mrs. Irene Hunn, El Dorado, Kans.; and Mrs. Ruth Diller, Burns, Kans. The mother of these children
died in 1891, and in 1894 Mr. Parsons married Ella Miller, daughter of Robert Miller and Catherine (Kyle) Miller,
the former a native of Dublin, Ireland, and the latter of Scotland. The Miller family came to Butler county in
1876. Robert and Catherine (Kyle) Miller were the parents of the following children: James, a Presbyterian minister;
Robert, Jetmore, Kans.; Allan, Jetmore, Kans.; Mrs. H. W. H inkle, El Dorado, Kans.; Mrs. James Teter, El Dorado,
Kans.; Mrs. Glick Scribner, El Dorado, Kans.; and Ella, the wife of J. W. Parsons, the subject of this sketch.
Mrs. Parsons' father died in 1914 and the mother is still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Parsons have been born the following
children: Esther, Wesley, Russell, Katherine and J. B.
Mr. Parsons is a Republican and his wife is a member of the Presbyterian church. The Parsons family is well and
favorably known in Butler county where they have a broad acquaintance and many friends. (History of Butler County,
Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 791-792)
H. C. Bates, a Civil war veteran, like many others in serving through the Civil war, had developed within him that trained courage and spirit of adventure which so well qualified him for the task of playing his part in the opening up and developing of the then wild and unbroken West. H. C. Bates is a native of Michigan, born in 1837, a son of Verlon and Eunice (Wilhelm) Bates, the former a native of Massa-chusetts, and the latter of New Jersey. The Bates family consisted of four children as follows: H. C, the subject of this sketch; Charles F.. Dexter, Mich.; Mrs. Emma Litchfield, Dexter, Mich., and Mary A., unmarried also resides at Dexter, Mich. H. C. Bates was reared in Dexter, Mich., and received a good common school education, considering the times and conditions, and after leaving school was employed in the great lumber industry in his native State. His peaceful pursuit, however, was interrupted when the call to arms was heralded in 1861. At the president's call for 75,000 volunteers to defend the Union, Mr. Bates enlisted in Company K, Fourth Michigan infantry, and remained in that branch of the military service about a year, and after serving his time he enlisted in the navy at Erie, Pa., and was a soldier of the sea for two and one-half years. He participated in a number of the important naval engagements of the Civil war, having served under Admiral Farragut.
At the close of the war Mr. Bates was mustered out at Memphis, Tenn., and after receiving an honorable discharge, returned to Michigan and re-engaged in the lumber business. He owned a mill at Dexter, which he sold in 1870, and came to Kansas, first locating in Franklin county. Shortly afterwards, he came to Butler county, locating in Augusta township, where he took up a claim on the southwest quarter of section 9, range 27, township 4, and still owns this place to which he has since added additional acreage. An unusual thing in the history of Mr. Bates' original claim is, that it has never gone through a single transfer since he received his title from the Government, and this is the only place, between Towanda and Augusta, of which that can be said. Immediately, upon locating in Butler county, Mr. Bates began farming in a small way, after the plan of the average pioneer, but increased his operations rapidly and soon became one of the extensive farmers and stock raisers of his neighborhood, and is today one of the prosperous and well to do citizens of Butler county. In October, 1910, at the close of a period em-bracing forty years of successful activity, he came to Augusta and purchased three lots upon which he built a commodious and comfortable residence which is his present home.
Mr. Bates was united in marriage at Dexter, Mich., to Miss Nettie Negus, a native of that place, and a daughter of Vermont, parents, who settled in Michigan at an early date. Mrs. Bates is a sister of Col. R. L. Negus, who served with distinction in the Civil war, and it is recalled that the severity of loss which his regiment suffered at the battle of Gettysburg is almost without parallel in the annals of the Civil war. Of his 1,126 men who answered at roll-call in the morning before going into action, only 138 were present at roll-call the following morning. One child has been adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Bates, William, who resides at Augusta. He married Maud Beaver, an Augusta girl, and to them have been born four children, as follows: Harvey, Blanche, Lena and Frank. While Mr. Bates was not one of the first settlers of Butler county, he came here at a time when many of the early pioneer conditions prevailed, and has seen the great development from that time to the present Butler county with her prosperous citizens and progressive institu-tions. When he came here the nearest railroad was at Emporia, and he remembers when there were only seven houses in Wichita. Many changes have taken place within the lifetime of this sturdy pioneer. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 792-793)
Butler county is
far famed for its high standard of cattle, and back of this reputation of this section of the State is the industry
and ability of the successful cattlemen. The cattle business is a big industry and requires business men of big
mental caliber, as well as almost unlimited resources to get the best results and build up a national reputation
for a county, such as the leading cattle men of this station have done for Butler county. "Jim" Teter
is one of the big cattlemen of Butler county, and like many other successful men, he started with nothing and the
progress that he has made in the business world is due wholly, to his own unaided efforts.
James W. Teter was born in Upshur county, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1849, a son of John and Lucinda (McCoy)
Teter. The Teter family was poor and they came to Kansas in 1865 from Iowa, having driven the entire distance from
West Virginia to that State, and from there to Kansas. They first located in Coffey county in this State where
they remained until 1869 when they went west as far as California and Oregon, but in the course of a few months
returned to Butler county, settling at Cassoday, or where Cassoday is now located, which was then called Sycamore
Springs and three years later came to Prospect township. The father, John Teter, was a typical pioneer, a big hearted,
stalwart man, noted for his physical strength and endurance and he belonged to that type of men who were absolutely
unconscious of danger. He was a cattleman and one of the pioneers of that industry of Butler county and met with
considerable success: He died in April, 1904, his wife having passed away five years previously. They were the
parents of eight children, two boys and six girls. The boys were: Washington, who died at his home in El Dorado
in 1915, and "Jim," whose name introduces this sketch. Four of the girls are now living.
When the Teter family settled in the vicinity where Cassoday is now located that was a wild, unbroken and sparsely settled country. Deer and antelope were plentiful and small game of most every kind was in abundance. However, Jim Teter says, he was never much of a hunter, although he has chased bobcats and wolves over the Flint Hills with his hounds when he was a boy, but his brother, Washington, won quite a reputation as a hunter in the early days. He killed a great many deer and bears in his time, and hunted buffalo and other big game, making several hunting expeditions to the Rocky Mountains and even to old Mexico.
Jim Teter received his education mostly in the rough and ready school of experience and has always been a student of men and affairs. He has studied conditions and reasoned from cause to effect, and today is one of the capable business men of Butler county and has met with well merited success. When the family first settled in Butler county great numbers of Indians were almost constantly passing through this section of the country and when Jim Teter was a boy he traded a rooster to an Indian for a pony. He says this was the beginning of his business career. He has always been a stockman and specializes in white faced cattle and he and his sons, who are associated with him, now have on hand about 800 head and at times have had as many as 1400. Mr. Teter is an extensive land owner and owns about 1,200 acres in Butler county and 6,000 acres in Greenwood county. His home place, which is located about two miles from El Dorado contains 850 acres. He follows general farming in connection with his cattle business and raises large quantities of grain and hay which he feeds, and frequently has to buy considerable more for his cattle.
Mr. Teter was married in 1888, to Miss Mary Marshall and six children were born to this union, as follows: Ora, married Charles Mattle, Butler county; Hattie, married Robert' McCully, Butler county; Letha, married Oliver Morley, Butler county; John, at home; William, and Merle, live in Greenwood county. The wife, and mother of these children, died November 19, 1890, and Mr. Teter married for his second wife, Miss Louise Ladd. Two children were born to this union: Gladys, now the wife of William Spencer, Kansas City, Mo., and James, resides at home. Mrs. Teter died October 9, 1904, and Mr. Teter married Miss Sadie Miller and they have three children: Ruth, Elden and Helen.
Mr. Teter is inclined to be independent in his political views, supporting public measures which meet with his approval and candidates whom he deems best qualified for the office which they seek. Mr. Teter is public spirited and progressive and also ready to cooperate with any enterprise for the betterment of his county or State. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 793-795)
H. W. Becker, a Civil war veteran who, for a number of years, has been a prominent farmer and stockman, of Chelsea township, and an active factor in the political affairs of Butler county, is a native of Pennsylvania. He was born in the historic town of Gettysburg, in 1840, a son of John D. and Sarah (Smith) Becker. John D. Smith was born in Baltimore, Md., July 2, 1816. He learned the tanner's trade in early life at which he was employed for a number of years, but later was engaged in farming. He was of German descent. His wife, Sarah Smith, was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania.
H. W. Becker was educated in the public schools of Pennsylvania, and spent his early days on the home farm, and in 1862, enlisted in the Fifteenth Pennsylvania cavalry, under Col. William J. Palmer, who later became a brigadier general, and after the war, became a very wealthy man. Mr. Becker took part in many of the important battles of the Civil war with his regiment. He was at Antietam, Stone River, and was with Sherman on his march to the sea, taking part in all the battles of this campaign, and, in fact, the Fifteenth Pennsylvania cav airy saw as much service as any other regiment in the army. Mr. Becker has a map which shows the marches and engagements in which this regiment took part, and it seems as though it covered the entire fighting zone of the Civil war. The Fifteenth Pennsylvania cavalry holds an annual reunion at Philadelphia, Pa., and the members of this famous fighting organization of the Civil war have always kept in very close touch with each other.
Mr. Becker was married, in 1867, to Miss Margaret Shelly, a native. of Pennsylvania, and of German parentage. To Mr. and Mrs. Becker have been born six children, as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, Dennis, Kans.; Mrs. Edna McMillen, Leeton, Mo.; Mrs. Elsie Cameron, El Dorado, Kans.; K. S., El Dorado, Kans.; W. S., DeGraff, Kans., and Margaret, El Dorado.
Mr. Becker came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1884, and settled in Chelsea township, where he bought 160 acres of land, and engaged in farming and stock raising in which he was successful, and has become one of the prosperous and substantial citizens* of the county. His son, K. S., owns 240 acres of land, and lives with his father, and supervises the operation of both farms.
For a number of years, Mr. Becker was one of the best posted men on local political conditions to be found in Butler county. He gave his allegiance to the Republican party, and was a tireless worker in its behalf. For years he never missed attending a Republican county convention, and was generally a delegate. He was one of the four Republicans of Chelsea township who could always be depended upon to maintain the organization in that township. They were the old guard. Mr. Becker had the distinction of being the best local political forecaster in northern Butler county, and for years, was able to forecast the outcome of local elections with great accuracy. He is one of Butler county's substantial citizens and a highly respected gentleman of the old school. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 795-796)
L. N. Brooks, a progressive farmer and stockman of Prospect township, is a native of Missouri. He was born in Harrison county of that State, September 15, 1883, and is a son of G. W. and Jane (Willis) Brooks, both natives of Harrison county, Missouri. In 1884, when L. N. Brooks was one year old, the family came to Kansas, locating in Greenwood county, where they remained three years, when they went to Colorado, where the father was engaged about eighteen months in farming and stock raising. He then returned to Greenwood county and two years later, went back to Colorado. After spending two and a half years in Colorado, he went to Sedgwick county, Kansas, remaining there until 1907, when he came to Butler county, locating in Douglass township where he now has 320 acres of land, and is successfully engaged in farming and stock raising.
G. W. and Jane (Willis) Brooks were the parents of the following children: L. N., the subject of this sketch; Laura Ellen, resides at home; Arthur, Mulvane, Kans.; Jay, at home; Ervin, Ida and Wilbur, all at home.
L. N. Brooks remained at home and assisted his father until he was twenty-one years of age, when he engaged in farming on his own account in Sedgwick county, Kansas, and was thus engaged for three years when he went to Cowley county, remaining there two years, when he returned to Sedgwick and, after remaining there three years, went to Elk county. He remained there but a short time, however, when he went to Greenwood county and spent one season. He then came to Butler county and for a time lived southeast of Augusta, and in September, 1914, bought a 320 acre farm in Prospect township, where he is extensively engaged in raising grain and alfalfa, and is also quite extensively interested in the cattle business. Besides his farm in Prospect township, he owns 240 acres in Greenwood county.
Mr. Brooks was married in 1906 to Miss May Winters, a native of Sedgwick county, Kansas, and a daughter of J. W. Winters who now resides in that county. The Winters family came from Illinois to Kansas and settled in Sedgwick county several years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have been born five children, as follows: William Lloyd, Ernest Clyde, Neva Mildred, Everett Harold and Gerald Winters.
Mr. Brooks belongs to that type of young men who are destined to succeed in their undertakings. When he sees an opportunity, he recognizes it. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 796-797)
G, H. Ryan, a successful farmer of El Dorado township, is a native of Indiana. He was born in LaFayette, Ind.,
in March, 1861, a son of W. A. B. and Malinda (Williams) Ryan. G. H. Ryan received a good education in the public
schools of Indiana, and in 1883, came to Kansas, locating in Butler county, where he has since been successfully
engaged in farming and stock raising.
In 1906, he bought 300 acres of land in El Dorado township, five miles southwest of El Dorado. Nearly all his farm is composed of rich, productive bottom land, and is one of the valuable farms of Butler county. Mr. Ryan is one of the extensive alfalfa growers of Butler county, and has been very successful in the production of that crop, and now has about 100 acres devoted to alfalfa, and he also raises about 100 acres of corn annually, and has gone quite extensively into the production of sweet clover.Mr. Ryan was married in 1884 to Miss Nina Mendenhall, a daughter of W. J. Mendenhall, of Butler county. To Mr. and Mrs. Ryan six children have been born, as follows: I. W., Columbus, Kans.; Bertha, Philip W., Helen, Marian and Grace, all residing at home. The Ryan family is well known in Butler county and prominent in the community where they reside. Mr. Ryan is one of Butler county's substantial citizens who has made a success of his undertaking, and is justly entitled to recognition among the leading men of this county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 797)
N. W. Wilcox, of Glencoe township, belongs to that type of sturdy pioneers whose courage, foresight and industry built up the great West of today. He was born in New York in 1856, and is a son of William W. and Cordelia A. (Merritt) Wilcox. The father was a native of New York and spent his life in that State, engaged in horticultural pursuits. The Wilcox family is of English descent. The mother, Cordelia A. Merritt, was also a native of New York, and was one of a family of nineteen children, fifteen boys and four girls.
N. W. Wilcox is one of a family of five children, as follows: Eugene H., De Kalb, Ill.; Mrs. Harry A. Wilburger, De Kalb, Ill.; Benjamin, South Bend, Ind.; Norman W., the subject of this sketch, and C. A., Leon, Kans. Norman W. Wilcox and two brothers, Charles and Eugene, came to Kansas from Illinois in 1878, driving the entire distance with a team and wagon, and J N. W. pre-empted a claim in Glencoe township, Butler county. The country was new at that time, and there was not even a wagon track across this claim when he came here. Mr. Wilcox had his household goods shipped to El Dorado by rail, and after erecting a little one room shack on his claim, he went to El Dorado and got his furniture, which consisted of one old fashioned bedstead, which had been, in the family for over a hundred years, and three chairs. He made the table, which he says, was a masterpiece of cabinet workmanship, and began life in his one room cottage. There was not so very much room in the house but he had the consolation of knowing that out of doors was not crowded in the least, in those days. There was plenty of room on the broad plains, in fact more room than anything else.
Mr. Wilcox was married in 1880 to Miss Nellie Weast, a daughter of William Weast, who came to Butler county, Kansas, in 1870, and prempted a claim near Quito. They were early settlers in that section and when they located there, there was but one house between Quito and El Dorado. Mr. Wilcox says, when he met his future wife that it was a case of love at first sight. They were married at the bride's home, a pioneer cabin on the plains, and are still sweethearts. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox have been borne the following children: F. E., Ralph C, Evaline, Mrs. Grace Hemanover, J. B. W. and Emma H., all ot whom reside in Leon.
When Mr. Wilcox came to Butler county, he started with very little capital. After he had succeeded in getting a team of horses, he had the misfortune to lose one of them and had but one blind horse left. If he proposed to remain in Butler county and work his claim, he must have another horse, for he couldn't break prairie without a team. He succeeded in trading a cow, a hog and thirteen chickens for another horse, and thus was equipped to proceed with his pioneer farming, and in spite of prairie fires, droughts and hot winds of the early days, he has met with uniform success as a farmer and stock raiser, and is now one of the substantial and influential farmers of Glencoe township. He takes quite an interest in local political affairs, and has served as clerk and treasurer of his school district. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 797-798)
W. C. Ward, a successful armer and stockman of Butler county, is a native of Indiana. He was born in 1864, and is a son of James F. and Narcisus (Timmons) Ward. The father is a native of Indiana and the mother of Maryland. James F. Ward came to Kansas in 1869 and settled in Butler county. He. was one of the very earliest settlers of this section of the State, and when he came here El Dorado was only a small hamlet with two or three stores.
W. C. Ward has spent practically all his life in Butler county, and has seen this section of the State develop from a broad, unbounded waste of unbroken prairie to its present high standard among the counties of the State of Kansas. Mr. Ward has made general farming and stock raising the chief occupation of his life and has been very successful in this line of endeavor.
Mr. Ward was married in 1907, to Miss Lulu Oxford, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of William Oxford who now resides in that State. Mr. and Mrs. Ward have one child, Charles.
A mere boy when he came to Kansas, W. C. Ward has seen much of the pioneer life on the plains. He has seen devastation wrought by prairie fires, storms and floods and passed through all the lean and uncertain years of the early days in Butler county, and while he received a good common school education in the public schools, his greatest schooling has been, like many other successful men, in the hard school of experience. He is a practical man, a close observer and has ever been a student of men and affairs, and is one of the substantial citizens of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 798-799)
Fred H. Young, of Rosalia township, is one of the substantial and well-to-do farmers and stockmen of this county, who has contributed his part to making Butler county the far famed agricultural district that it is. The Young family were early settlers in Rosalia township where the father was a successful farmer and stockman for many years, prior to his death. The mother now resides on the home place with Fred H., the subject of this sketch.
Fred H. Young is one of a family of seven children, born to his parents, as follows: George, served as sheriff of Butler county and was marshal of El Dorado for a time, now resides at Harrisonville, Mo.; Charles S., conducted a blacksmith shop in El Dorado and was superintendent of Butler county's poor farm for a number of years, now resides in El Dorado; W. L., lives at Beaumont, Kans.; Fred H., the subject of this sketch; A. G., resides on the home farm with Fred H.; Mrs. Mary C. Pyle, Towanda, Kans., and Mrs. Carrie R. Brickley, Leon, Kans.
Fred H. Young and his brother, A. G., own and operate 460 acres of land in Rosalia township. They are extensive stock raisers, as well as successful and representative farmers. They produce large quantities of corn, alfalfa and kafir corn, and rank among the leading farmers of that section of Butler county. The Young family are among the very early pioneers of eastern Butler county, and are all good substantial citizens. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 799)
H. K. Chesebro, a leading farmerand stockman of Glencoe township, is a New Englander. He was born in Connecticut in 1844, and is a son of Jesse and Abby (Davis) Chesebro, both of whom were born and reared in Connecticut. The Chesebro family is of English descent, and was founded in this country by William Chesebro during the Colonial days. H. K. Chesebro was the only child born to his father's first marriage. After the death of his first wife, the father married Mary Pinkerton and to this marriage were born the following children: Eugene H., Decatur, Ill.; Andrew C, Taylorsville, Ill., and Jesse, Kincaid, Ill.
Mr. Chesebro was married in 1870, to Miss Rebecca Smith who died in 1907, leaving five children, as follows: Ray, Decatur, Ill.; Mrs. Abbie Baldridge, Storington, Ill.; Joseph, Leon, Kans.; Floyd and Wayne. Mr. Chesebro came to Butler county in 1899 and bought 160 acres of land in Glencoe township and is one of the successful farmers and stockmen of that part of Butler county. He has one of the up to date and well equipped farms of the county, having a water system installed with a gasoline engine which furnishes power for not only pumping the water, but for various other purposes around the place. Mr. Chesebro is a natural mechanic and has a well appointed carpenter shop where he works out many of his ingenious ideas that find practical application about the farm.
While Mr. Chesebro did not settle in Butler county early enough to be classed among the real old pioneers, he has been a resident of this county for nearly twenty years, and has become identified with it in a way that the interests of Butler county are his interests, and he is a prominent factor in the development of this section of Kansas and is one of the substantial men of Butler county. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 799-800)
Samuel Waldorf, a well-known successful farmer and stockman of Prospect township, is a Butler county pioneer who for over forty-five years has been an active factor in the agricultural development and the cattle industry of Butler county. Mr. Waldorf is a native of Ohio, born in Holmes county in 1839. His father was William Waldorf and his mother bore the maiden name of Elizabeth .Hensley. William Waldorf was a native of Vermont and of German descent, and his wife was a native of Harding county, Ohio, and a descendant of a sturdy Pennsylvania Dutch family. The surviving children born to William Waldorf and wife are as follows: Samuel, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary J. Cramer, Mansfield, Ohio; Mrs. Anna N. Appleman, Corsica, Ohio; Mrs. Sarah E. Wrenn, Boston, Mass.; William C, El Dorado, Kans., and Mrs. Elvira E. Gilbert, Hutchinson, Kans.
Since coming to Butler county in 1872, Mr. Waldorf has been engaged in farming and stock raising, and is still operating his fine farm of 200 acres in the southern part of Prospect township. The location of his place is ideal, and it is about equal distance to El Dorado or Augusta, and about four miles from Leon. Mr. Waldorf is one of the old time cattlemen who appreciated the days of open range, and while he is one of the successful stockmen of today, he says that the good old days before the advent of fences and the settlement of the country were the halcyon days of the cattle man, which is true, for it is really a hard matter for the cattle man of the old school who rode the open range to feel comfortable and at ease when he is confined within the limitation of wire fence from Pittsburg, Pa.
Mr. Waldorf was married in 1866 to Miss Martha L. Mitchell, of Ohio, who was born in Marrow county. She is a daughter of Andrew and Martha Nixon (Kilgore) Mitchell, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Scotch-Irish descent. The late President McKinley was a second cousin of Mrs. Waldorf. To Samuel Waldorf and wife have been born the following children: Mrs. Ida C. Hildreth, Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. Mary A. Conkling, Salina, Okla.; Mrs. Millie L. Patterson, El Dorado Kans.; Mrs. Martha I. Marshall, Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Musie T. Lightwine, deceased; Mrs. Georgia E. Madill, Newton, Kans.; William J., Lebo, Kans.; John M., Mulvane, Kans.; Harvey K., Harper, Kans.; Mrs. Hattie O. Mossman, Rosalia, Kans.; Samuel E., Corbin, Kans., and Barney B. M., Leon, Kans.
Mr. Waldorf is a Butler county pioneer who well remembers the early days of inconvenience and hardship incident to the settlement and development of a new country. When he came to Butler county there were no improvements. Money was scarce and there was hardly any market for what little produce the early settlers had to sell, and it was rarely they needed a market, for, in fact, they had very little to sell. There were no railroads in Butler county and supplies were mostly hauled from Emporia, and even from more distant places. Mr. Waldorf hauled the first wheat that was ever ground at the old mill on the Big Walnut river, near El Dorado, and this wheat was raised from seed which he bought with money from the sale of his only wagon, and during that winter he lived chiefly on corn bread and water. He is a typical representative of that class of hardy pioneers, who by self-sacrifice, courage and industry, not only laid the foundation for Butler county, but established the great empire of the West and in so doing, established permanent homes for themselves and their posterity, and laid the foundation for the world's highest civilzation. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 800-801)
M. M. Elliott, a prominent farmer of Glencoe township, is a native of Indiana, born in 1864. He is a son of James and Florida (Hills) Elliott, natives of Pennsylvania, the former of Scotch Irish descent and the latter of English lineage. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Sarah A. Crissep, La Mont, Okla.; W. A., Augusta, Kans.; J. R., Wichita, Kans., and M. M., the subject of this sketch.
M. M. Elliott is practically a pioneer of three States. He went to Iowa when very young, settling in a wild section of that State, and then came to Kansas, settling in Butler county, and about the time Oklahoma was opened up for settlement, he carried his pioneering to that State, where he took up Government land in that section of Oklahoma which later became Payne county, upon the organization of the State. He was an active factor in the organization of Payne county, and it was largely through his efforts that the name Payne was adopted for that county. There was a great fight on, to name it Stillwater county, and-Mr. Elliott was one of the leaders in favor of calling it Payne, and after a hard fight Payne won. While holding down his claim in Oklahoma, Mr. Elliott frequently returned to Arkansas City, Kans., for a time, where he worked to obtain supplies and then returned to his cabin. He endured many hardships and privations incident to life in a new country, but he was accustomed to it, having been a pioneer all his life and was not a pampered youth in his early childhood days. He says, he remembers of being put to bed on many occasions in order that his clothes might be washed. He received his training in the hard school of experience, the kind of training that develops strong character. It's the school which has graduated the men who have been the bone and sinew of this nation since its beginning. Mr. Elliott belongs to that type of men who by their thrift and industry have built up the great West and who have accustomed themselves to overcome obstacles. He is now engaged in farming and stock raising in Glencoe township, and is one of the successful men of his community.
Mr. Elliott was married in 1888, to Miss Sarah G. Blance, a native of France who came to this country with her parents, Lorrence and Clementine (Coutin) Blance, in 1876. They came to this country by way of Liverpool, England, and encountered very severe weather on the voyage, the trip requiring fourteen days from Liverpool to New York. Mrs. Elliott tells what a narrow escape her father had from losing all his money while en route to this country. He carried all his money in a belt, and while sleeping in his berth, his wife detected a thief endeavoring to take the money from the belt. She gave the alarm in time to prevent the robbery. The Blance family upon coming to this country located at Emporia, Kans., and the father suffered a sun stroke and died shortly after locating there. When he died there was no hearse in the locality of the Blance home and his remains were brought to the cemetery in a wagon for burial.
Mr. and Mrs. Elliott's only child is an accomplished musician and resides with her parents and is engaged in teaching music. Mr. Elliott is well known and prominent in the community. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 801-802)
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