Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas John Graham Tuck Green Bio

BUTLER COUNTY'S EIGHTY YEARS BIOS

JOHN GRAHAM GREEN

(Transcribed by Lori DeWinkler)

“TUCK” GREEN HERE SIXTY-FIVE YEARS

John Graham (Tuck) Green, who has lived in Butler County sixty-five years, recalls early days of Sycamore and Towanda townships in a delightful story written by George F. Fullinwider. Here are excerpts:

“Those who know John Graham Green best, called him ‘Tuck’ Green. When asked why the name and how he came by it Mr. Green said:

“When Tommy Watkins and I were babies, we were about the same age and grew up together in our home. I was boss or tried to be and was continually taking playthings from Tommy. When I would do so he would cry and mother would slap my hands for punishment. Whenever I got a chance, I would snatch the plaything, he would begin to cry and I would run to Mother, hold out my hands to be slapped and yell, “I tuck it, I tuck it.’ The family took up the word and dubbed me ‘Tuck.’ Candidly it was years before I knew that I had another name.”

Mr. Green was born in McDonough County, Ill., October 8, 1858. When he was ten years old, in the fall of 1868, his father, Gilbert T. Green, with his big family, three teams and equipment left the Illinois home and started for Kansas. With Mr. Green and his family, the train was made up of two neighbors, their families and belongings—Richard Jones and two teams and Jefferson Stearns with two teams, so the emigrants made up quite a train. They came west and crossed the Missouri River at what was then Westport, now Kansas City, Kansas, drove by Council Grove, which then contained but one or two houses, then on to Junction City, where Mrs. Green had a brother in the army in Fort Riley, south by way of Cottonwood Falls, Matfield Green, always taking their time and camping at convenient places. Finally they reached Butler County, camped at Sycamore Springs, and found a store kept by J. B. Parsons, where they laid in supplies. They next camped on Satchell Creek, came to El Dorado and camped near where the old stone school building stood. Here they found the only well in Butler County and while they were enjoying its refreshing coolness, J. D. Conner, whose cabin stood where Clarence King now lives, rode up and told them they must be careful of the water as nine families depended on that well for water. Some of them came four miles for a supply. He told them they must look elsewhere to water their horses. The river and creeks were all dry and water for the teams was a problem. On October 29, they landed in the Whitewater Valley, near where Towanda stands, and the journey was ended. Mr. Green says at this time there was not a well of water in Butler County. They had to use water from the springs and creeks. There were no gardens and all they could raise at this time were cucumbers. They carried water from the creek and irrigated the vines. Then they ate cucumbers, drank creek water and shook with the ague. So far as they knew there were three families, besides their own on the Whitewater—the Wilson family of Plum Grove; the Dorsey and Vann families near them.

At this time food, especially meat, was an item with the pioneers. Mr. Green remembers a party of hunters came to this father and asked him if he did not want to go hunting for buffalo. He replied that he did. They started and the first night camped on the ground where the Broadview Hotel now stands in Wichita. Next morning another hunting party came to them and told them not to go to the Cowskin country to get buffalo, but to stay right where they were, the buffalo would come that night, tramp the sand for water and they could get all they wanted. This prediction proved true for the buffalo came that night and next morning from 1 o’clock until daylight they slaughtered eleven fine animals. This gave them plenty of meat and the hides were valuable.

In 1870 the father, Gilbert T. Green, took a contract with the government to carry the mail from Wichita to Cottonwood Falls. At first the mail was carried on horseback, and ‘Tuck’ Green was one of the first to start. The post offices served, going east, were Towanda, El Dorado, Chelsea, Sycamore Springs, Matfield Green, Bazaar, Cottonwood Falls. This constituted one route.

Mr. Green recalls the first hired girl his mother employed. She offered to work for a gallon of corn meal or 50 cents in money a week.

On February 22, 1882, John Graham Green and Elizabeth Caroline Fisk were married. They have reared a fine family of daughters and sons. All are living except one, Beth, Mrs. B. B. Bowden, who died in 1924.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Green purchased the old Hegwine farm, in Sycamore Township, and there began life. They added to this until they had three quarter-sections. They sold one quarter and this left them one-half section. To this they added until they had acquired 3,760 acres. The improvements on the original tract made their ranch one of the best in Kansas. For years Mr. Green was one of the most prominent and active ranchmen and cattle dealers in the West. He not only owned and controlled the Butler County ranch, but had 65,000 acres in Beaver County,Okla. At one time he had 7200 cattle in his pastures. Of these, during a blizzard when the mercury dropped to 36 degrees below zero, he lost 1042 cattle, frozen to death where they stood. At another time he lost 51 head of cattle along a wire fence by one stroke of lightning. And on the other hand one season in spite of all these heavy losses, he cleared $50,020 profit.