Butler County Genealogy Trails Kansas Susan B. Allen Bio

Butler County’s Eighty Years ~ 1855-1935

by Jessie Perry Stratford

A History of Butler County Biographical Sketches and Portraits with Foreword by Rolla A. Clymer

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Covered country” is a solemn retrospect. Among the true-hearted friends of that time who have passed away are Mrs. Garrett, Archibald Ellis and his wife, George T. Donaldson and wife (my sister), J. C. Lambdin and his son, Joshua; Henderson Thomas and wife; P. P. Johnson and wife, drowned on West Branch in the flood of 1869; Mrs. Lizzie Goodall, T. W. Satchell, J. M. Rayburn, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Taylor, Matthew Cowley and the boys in blue who gave their lives a sacrifice for the country. Peace to be their ashes.

CLAY TOWNSHIP

(By C. M. Price, in 1916)

April 7, 1879, a petition signed by Joseph Blancett and 54 others, was presented the county commissioners, asking that a township be created out of the territory comprising Congressional township 29, range 6, east, to be called Clay. It was granted and an election was held at the Morehead school house June 3, 1879. These were elected: B. M. Winters, trustee; M. O. Dillon, treasurer; Joe Blancett, clerk; S. J. Ensley and John T. Bailey, justices of the peace; John McQuain and J. McGaffey, constables.

Among the earliest settlers in the township were George Messick, S. J. Ensley, John Volkman, M. O. Dillon, W. H. Ellet, John McQuain, K. Bell and Fred Fenkennel. The only ones now residing on their original claims are N. F. Frakes and the writer, C. M. Pierce.

All the land in this township is located in what is known as the “twenty-mile strip” and was subject to settlement under the pre-emption laws of the United States, the settlers paying $1.25 per acre. The township is well watered and adapted to livestock. Many cattle, horses and mules are handled for the markets.

CLIFFORD TOWNSHIP

(Excerpts from a history of Clifford Township as written by B. R. Leydig, in 1926)

In order that some information may be had of the pioneer in what is now Clifford Township, Butler County, Kansas, these lines are written.

It will no doubt always be an open question as to who should be classed as pioneers, and where the lines of demarcation should be drawn when the adventurer, explorer and trader ceased and also when the term ‘pioneer’ should case to be applied. In this article, it is assumed the pioneer period commences when the first family came into the county with its personal effects, builded a cabin, hut or dugout, erected the family altar and actually began wringing a precarious livelihood from the virgin soil—and ended when families had actually settled generally over the county, not only the bottom land with its timber and water but also the upland prairies which contributed nothing but grass, and by toil had demonstrated that generally the soil and climate, by proper tillage, would produce the necessary products to sustain the population.

That many white people traversed Butler County in 1849 is certain. Fort Smith Branch of the California trail passed through the county, crossing the Walnut River about a mile south of El Dorado and joined the Kansas City or Westport branch a short distance west of Newton, but as to the first actual settler there is reason for doubt. Many old settlers have insisted that Jacob Carey who with his family settled southeast of El Dorado in the early part of the year of 1857 was the first. The late Mrs. William L. Hoy was his daughter and Mrs. W. O. James and Mrs. William Shyrer are his grand-daughters. Some claim that honor for William Hildebrand who settled east of El Dorado in 1857. Others who are entitled to as much credence, say that Charles Jefferson and wife and Doctor Lewellen and wife settled in the county in 1856. Mrs. Mort Green is a daughter of Mr. Jefferson. John Lewellen and other children of Doctor Lewellen still live in the county. M. D. Cowley, Jerry Conner, Daniel Stine, G. T. Donaldson, Martin Vaught and others made permanent settlements in 1857 and 1858. The great Hegira however did not start until 1870-71-72, and by 1873 the county, with the exception of the grazing district bordering the Flint Hills, was well settled. The years 1870-71-72 and 73 were fruitful years, with much land brought under cultivation. The settlers were, by 1873, getting fairly well supplied with milk cows, brood sows and chickens and were to all purposes self sustaining and had it not been for the calamity of the grasshoppers in 1874, were on the way to prosperity and glory. So, for present purposes, the time of the pioneer or early settlers is fixed as beginning in 1856 and ending with the year 1873.

Clifford Township was created in 1873 out of a portion of Towanda Township. It comprises Township 23 S. of Range 4 E. of the 6th P. M. in Kansas and the W. row of sections of Range 5, adjoining, being seven miles east and west and six miles north and south. It is within the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad land grant

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which gave said road the odd sections not theretofore disposed of, to aid in the building of the road. Also some of the land on the creeks had been taken on land warrants and grant to Universities. Being within the railroad land grant, limited by law, only honorably discharged soldiers and sailors of the United States could homestead a quarter section of land, all others being restricted to 80 acres. This accounts for the fact that nearly all pioneers in the township were ex-soldiers.

Horace H. Wilcox and family were the first settlers in what is now Clifford Township, settling the east ½ of the NE ¼ of section 7 and the west ½ of NW ¼ of 8 in 1866. His family, consisting of himself, Olivia, his wife, and Hubbard, Orpha, Mary, Orsova and Arthur, his children, came from near LaHarpe, Illinois. He was born in Connecticut November 21, 1821, and died at his home on the above real estate August 28, 1888. At an early age he moved to Illinois. His wife was Olivia Richardson, who was born in Adamsville, Ohio, August 21, 1820, and died in California, October 21, 1904.

The Wilcox family’s nearest neighbor on the north was George Coble, ten miles northeast on the Doyle; to the east the settlers on the Walnut about Chelsea fifteen miles away; to the south Joseph Adams six miles, to the west—none this side of the Rocky Mountains.

The next actual settlers came in 1867.

Walter Gilman settled on the SW ¼ of 8. He was a blacksmith and wagon maker. He sold to I. A. Shriver in July, 1871, and moved to Cowley County; the Shriver family immediately established their home.

William Lawrence settled early in 1869, married Orpha Wilcox. Dick Lawrence settled in 1869. Culbertson Dean and family lived on this land a short time prior to Dick Lawrence. In 1872 his widow and children located on the SW ¼ of section 23.

Matthew Bourbridge settled on the NE ¼ of 29. He was digging a well when the bucket used in drawing up the dirt fell on and killed him, May 21, 1870.

T. L. Ferrier afterwards married Mrs. Bourbridge. He died December 9, 1914.

Thomas H. Ferrier and family settled on the SE ¼ of 29 in 1868.

William T. Davis settled in 1868. His brother, Dr. I. V. Davis, also came in 1868, later went to Chase County, came back, bought out I. W. Hitchcock and settled on the NW ¼ of 22. He was for years the faithful doctor of the community.

W. H. Avery came from Hillsdale, Mich., in 1868. W. D. Snow, sheriff of Butler county in 1866, first settled in Clifford. About 1868, Joe Thomas, afterward known widely as “Sweet Potato Joe” because he raised and peddled so many sweet potatoes over the county, drifted into the settlement without a dollar and commenced work for Mr. Wilcox. He brought his family from Ohio and Dr. William Evatt took the NW ¼ of section 32 by land warrant. He and his brother-in-law, William Badley, built a log cabin and settled about 1868, later selling to Lawson Smith. S. S. Thomas, auctioneer, lived on this land in 1872.

This completes the list up to 1870 when the big tide of settlers began. Those up to the close of 1873 will be briefly mentioned. Thomas A. Baxter settled in 1871. Charles W. Godding, formerly a sailor and from Cape Brenton Island, settled on the E ½ of SE ¼ of section 2-23-4 in 1871.

Benjamin Brown and wife and Jacob Brown, a bachelor, from Pennsylania, settled in 1871. They sold out later, Benjamin going back east and Jacob moving to Peabody.

Wallace Johnson, of Illinois, settled on the NW ¼ of section 3 in 1871.

In the fall of 1870, from and near Manchester, Ohio: O. W. Hawk, James S. Parks, W. R. Liggett, W. E. Jennings, Aaron Lang, Chas. F. Lercher and Dan Shriver selected land. They went back home for the winter, but in 1871 came by train to Kansas City where they bought mule teams, wagons and outfits, and made actual settlement that spring. Dan Shriver sold out in the fall of 1871 to William M. Leydig who with his family settled on the NE ¼ of 18 in February, 1872. James S. Parks sold to Thomas Liggett in the spring of 1873 and Liggett settled on his farm that fall.

In 1870, Eli Hollingsworth, Henry Mears, Ben Mears, William Bain and John D. Bricker came from near Washington, Ind. Bain was the first constable in the township.

In the fall of 1870 John J. Long and James P. Long, William Long and G. R. Long, his sons, came from Pennsylvania. John J. Long was the first justice of the peace in the township. Owen Dailey came from Milwaukee, Wis., in 1871. W. H. Hulett settled in 1871, having purchased the right of Dick Lawrence.

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In 1872 came Tuffel Supernaugh and S. Jarvis, Sr. They were French Canadians. L. P. Nelson settled on the E ½ of NE ¼ of 4. He was a bachelor.

Ed. and Zoph. Ketchum settled on the SE ¼ of 9 in 1871. D. M. Elder came from Iowa in 1870 and settled on school land. In 1871 he sold to John A. Clifford from Illinois, a former New Yorker who immediately made this settlement. His son, S. R. Clifford, passed away in 1926.

TOWNSHIP NAMED FOR JOHN CLIFFORD

Clifford Township was named in honor of John A. Clifford. He was a fine, enterprising citizen and neighbor; he died on his farm in 1883.

Tod Smith, John Smith, Andy Smith, and G. W. Waggy came from West Virginia. John Crow, William Lewis and Sam Austin, settled in 1871.

Samuel F. March, who settled on the E ½ of SE ¼ of 24 and S. L. Robards on the W ½ of SW ¼ of 24, taught school. Robards was a minister and is supposed to have preached the first sermon in the township. He was elected county superintendent of schools in 1872. D. M. Commons and George Trees, came in 1871. Trees sold to Con. Lynch. One of Mr. Lynch’s sons is attorney general of Arizona. Daniel Waggy, father of G. W. Waggy, settled on the NW ¼ of 14 in 1871. Willis F. Clark settled on the SW !/4 of 14 in 1871. His wife, a daughter of W. H. Hulett, died a year later and he sold to Dr. I. V. Davis. I. W. Hitchcock and E. Stover settled in 1871. William Kimberlin, a son of D. L. Kimberlin, who settled just south of what is now the boundary of Clifford Township in 1870, homesteaded the SE ¼ of 22 about 1872, but died before being able to prove up. Mr. Littlejohn built his cabin in 1871 and sold to Alexander Harper who settled in 1872.

John S. Boersma, a Hollander, settled on the NE ¼ of 26 in 1870. He had quite a family and came without means, having exhausted his funds to reach Coffeyville. He walked from Coffeyville to homestead and get to his claim and when he landed had only 50 cents. It was several years before he was able to town a team. He spaded several acres of ground and raised his first crops. He finally got his farm finely improved and it was the neatest and best kept farm in Butler County. His children and grandchildren are among the best and most thrifty people in the county to this day. J. W. Morgan and David and Mart Ashenfelter came in 1871. D. J. Lobdell settled in 1871. E. J. Stewart, a Presbyterian minister, came in 1873. James Ferrier came in 1868 with his parents and later homesteaded SE ¼ of 32.

Henry Lapham from Burlington, Iowa, purchased the SW ¼ of 5 in 1873.

Among single men who came were H. M. McGuire from Ohio, Ben Ashcraft, Al Seeley, Charles Garrett and John Dean.

But three contests over claims are recalled. There was a contest over the Ben Mears claim, and Mears won. In 1872, I. A. Shriver filed on the S ½ of SW ¼ of 6. Under the law he had six months to make settlement. A few days prior to the expiration of the six months period, about the middle of January 1873, he hauled and dumped lumber on the claim. That night about seven inches of snow covered the lumber. Being extremely cold, the shack could not be commenced and a colored man started a contest. After a bitter contest, Shriver won. A man named Jackson from Marion County attempted to jump the claim of William Kimberlin on the SE ¼ of 22, placing a tent thereon. He was beaten by Kimberlin partisans and abandoned the contest.

In the spring of 1870, there were only six farms on which there was any cultivated land—those of H. H. Wilcox, Walter Gilman, T. L. Ferrier, William Evatt, W. T. Davis and W. H. Avery, in all not to exceed 240 acres.

Wilcox’s settlement was on upper Whitewater at the head of the timber. His main idea was to establish a large cattle ranch and that no settlers could sustain themselves on the upland prairie away from the creek water and timber, and he would have a permanent license to roam his cattle over miles and miles of rich prairie grass. This illusion however was dispelled in ’70, ’71, ’72, and ’73. At one time he had over 900 head of cattle on his range. There was no herd law in those days. (The herd law was adopted in Butler County in 1872.) The settlers, seeing their sod crops and gardens destroyed, began to shoot his cattle and a serious situation arose. The settlers became so numerous, Wilcox moved his cattle to the Indian territory, but bad feeling prevailed for years thereafter.

NEAREST RAILROAD JUNCTION CITY

In 1866, the nearest railroad point was Junction City on the U. P. Railroad, and it was from that point Wilcox hauled all his supplies, lumber and hardware. After completing his log cabin, he built a 9-room stone house and large stone barn. He employed Swedish stone masons and carpenters, most of whom were named Anderson, who quarried the rock and burned the lime on his farm. The buildings still stand in good condition after 69 years of hard service. He was an ardent free-

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mason and constructed a lodge room in the barn in which Masonic convocations were held as early as 1868

FIRST SCHOOL IN 1870

The first schools in the township were subscription schools. The first was taught in the Wilcox log cabin in the summer of 1870 by Rebecca Crow, and the second by Jennie Thompson in the cabin in the winter of 1870-71. In the winter of 1871-72, two subscription schools were taught, one by Nettie Maynard in the Alexander Harper Cabin, now in the Blue Mound District No.21; the other by O. W. Hawk, partly in the Wilcox log cabin and partly in the Wm. M. Leydig cabin. Cabins were heated by open fire places in which about half of the time the smoke, instead of going up the chimney, back-fired. That winter was mild and about one-half of the time the pupils sat outside of the house to avoid the smoke. School District Blue Mound No. 21; Brown No. 47 and Wilcox No. 73 were organized in 1872, school house built and regular public schools opened that fall. S. L. Robards teaching in No. 21, Zellah Cole in No. 47 and Emory E. Grinnell in No. 73.

District No. 73 voted $1,500 to build its school house but a fight arose over its location. Many favored a location on the SE corner of section 6. This was just across the road from the Wilcox residence and he was bitterly opposed to having it so close. However, after a hard fight that site won. The foundation was put in and much of the frame was up, when it became apparent that W. H. Hulett, the homesteader (not being an ex-soldier) could not give good title until he proved up on his claim, which would not be for five years. The site was changed to the Jennings land NW corner of E ½ of NW ¼ of 8. W. E. Jennings was the builder.

An almost complete roster of the pupils attending the first term of District No. 73 in 1872-73 includes Mattie Hulett; William and Fred Supernaugh; Lou and Elmer Thomas; Mary, Orsova and Arthur Wilcox; Sam, Ann, Grace and Ed Hollingsworth; James and Bruce Leydig; Lou and Jacob Shriver; Frank Mears; John, Hattie, Lou, Ed and Nannie Jennings; Joe and Mary Dailey; Sam and Olive Clifford; John Kennedy; residents of the district; and Anna, Mary, Ben and Will Fullerton; Mort and Any Underwood, Jack Myers and Mike Scott from outside the district. The board adopted McGuffey’s readers and spellers, Ray’s arithmetic, Guyot’s geography, Pinneo’s grammar and the Spencerian writing system.

It has been impossible to get a satisfactory roster of the pupils attending the Blue Mound and Brown Schools in ’72 and ’73 but the list is substantially as follows:

Brown: Jane Smith, Van H. Smith, Rozena Smith; Frank C. Godding, W. K. Godding; C. A. Godding, J. S. Tuttle, Anna Tuttle, Elmer Derby, Walter Derby, Charles J. Grant, Elizabeth and Caroline Waggy, Clara Commons, Will Baxter, Dexter T. Smith, Ben Smith, Oscar Williams and sister, Thomas and Minnie Turner, although it is claimed the two Turner children also attended the Blue Mound No. 21. In all probability they attended each school a portion of the time as they lived a part of that time with their uncle, Alexander Harper.

A roster of Blue Mount No. 21, as near as can be ascertained: Harvey, Elmer, Calvin, Alice and Walter Ashenfelter; Sherman Avery; Ida, Cora and Millard Harper; Adda, Emma, Will and Mike Hopkins; Charles E. Lobdell; Luellen, Oscar, James and William Lewis; Acy Robards; Lavera, Lucretia and Joseph Storer; Mary, General, Joseph, Priscilla, Margaret and Riley J. Morgan; Fred Drake; John Dean; Sipka, Jennie, Celia, Peter and Jessie Boersma.

These early settlers were largely church members in their eastern homes and came west with a deep sense of church loyalty and duty. In ’71 and ’72 they began to gather at some neighbor’s cabin and hold prayer meetings. S. L. Robards preached the first sermon October 13 in a school house in District No. 73. In 1872, Rev. Sylvanus Martin and Rev. M. M. Haun began to preach.

In 1870, the nearest grist mill was the Drinkwater and Schriver mill at Cedar Point. It would take nearly all day to drive to the mill. If lucky they would get the grist ground that night or the next forenoon, then the long drive home. Camping out at the mill was the joy of the boys.

Mr. Wilcox put in a water mill on the Doyle Creek several miles east of Peabody. One of the ironies of fate was that in June 1882 his son Orsova in attempting to cross Doyle Creek in a boat just above the dam during high water, was carried over the dam and drowned.

A majority of these early settlers came with little or no funds. After building their cabins and providing necessities their resources were exhausted. Teams were too weak to do much without gain. They did well to get a few acres broken the first year. The second plowing was just as hard as the first and it is a tribute to their courage that they stayed and fought the battle to success. Corn meal was the staff of life. Morning, noon and night it was corn pone, corn cakes, musn and cracked corn or lye hominy. Most everyone planted a patch of cane and—and Mr.

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Green down the Whitewater a few miles, R. W. Tuttle and O. W. Hawk, in order, erected cane mills and made molasses. Pumpkins were raised and from the pumpkin and molasses, pumpkin butter was made. Perched wheat and rye supplemented coffee. Wilcox, Shriver, Clifford and Tutttle furnished some employment but wages were low and generally paid in products.

The first settlers first received their scanty mail from Emporia, Cottonwood Falls or Towanda. After the Santa Fe railroad was built through Marion County most received mail at Conesburg, now Peabody. In the fall of 1872 a star mail route was created from Peabody to Towanda and the first postoffice in Clifford Township was established at the O. W. Hawk home and named Whitewater. O. W. Hawk was postmaster. This name was later changed to Ovo. A short time later Amador postoffice was established at the D. M. Commons home, D. M. Commons postmaster. The next office south on the route was Plum Grove, in Plum Grove Township, at Caribou in Murdock Township and there on to Towanda. At first mail came weekly and later twice a week. V. P. Mooney, now probate judge of Butler County, was the first mail carrier. Joseph W. Tucker also carried the mail.

On July 4, 1869, William H. Lawrence and Orpha Wilcox and B. H. (Hubbard) Wilcox and Jane Lawrence drove to El Dorado and were married, being so far as can now be ascertained the first people from what is now Clifford Township to assume this sacred relationship.

DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP

(By J. M. Sattherthwaite, in 1916)

Probably the first settlers to claim land in the township were the Dunn brothers, Birney and Samuel, the latter part of 1867. (Samuel was killed by Indians, May 17, 1869.) Their claims were upon the Walnut River at the south side of the township, and at the southern border of the land the Osage Indians then were ceding to the government for settlement. About the same time, Hugh Williams opened a frontier trading post in a cabin near a ford of the Walnut, a little north of the claims of the Dunn boys. His stock must have been the frontier staples, flour, bacon, gun powder, tobacco and whiskey.

In February, 1868, John W. Graves took a claim on “the island,” north of Douglass. The same year D. W. Boutwell, John Stanley, John Long and Samuel Shaff took claims along the Walnut river. G. D. Prindle, George Fox, John T. Martin, Neal Wilkie, William Hilton, Ed Wilford, T. L. Kirkpatrick, Capt. Joseph Douglass and other came and made settlement. Captain Douglass took the claim, the northeast quarter of section 20, township 29, range 4, east, upon which he founded the city of Douglass, to which he gave his name, and after which the township was named.

Captain Douglass built the first house upon the townsite. It was of hewn logs and stood near the present business center of the city.

In early days, Joshua Olmstead and family located on a claim a mile and a half below the present city and started a saw mill. He then put a dam across the Walnut River and built a grist mill. John W. Dunn, a brother of Birney and Samuel, bought the mill and for many years it was successfully operated, farmers coming many miles with the grain to be ground.

In the early organization of the county, the territory now comprising the township of Douglass was a part of Walnut Township, which then comprised the south 16 miles, clear across the county from east to west.

January 6, 1873, the county commissioners organized a municipal township, six by twelve miles, comprising township 29, range 3, and township 40, range 4. The first officers were: J. R. Gardner, trustee; John T. Martin, treasurer, C. B. Scott, clerk; S. A. Goodspeed and J. W. Alger, justices of the peace; F. S. Fleck and Thomas Long, constables. Not long afterward, township 29, range 4, was taken from Douglass and Richland Township organized.

The town of Douglass was organized as a city of the third class in 1879. The first mayor was C. B. Lowe. E. D. Stratford was city clerk and F. W. Rash, city attorney.

In the years 1868-1869 and early 1870, mail was brought from El Dorado by private subscription, John Log making weekly trips. In 1870 a stage line from Emporia was instituted and a postoffice established. C. H. Lamb was the first postmaster. His successors were C. Calhoun, Dave Young, and Rev. J. B. Ives.

The first paper published at Douglass was The Douglass Enterprise, founded by D. O. McCray in 1879. After a year he moved the paper to Burden. Then the Douglass Index was started in 1880 by J. B. Ives.

The first school in the township was a subscription school taught by Miss Agnes Stine, who soon became Mrs. George Fox. Her early successors in educational work