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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were S. L. Shotwell, afterward county superintendent, and Mrs. Alma Wilkie, then Miss Henderson. Then J. W. Shively took up the work.

In 1881 a branch line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad was extended from El Dorado to Douglass, which was the terminus of the road for six years before the line was extended to Winfield.

Up to 1870 the Texas cattle trail crossed the Walnut River a mile north of the present city of Douglass. This trail was a great thoroughfare, over which vast herds were driven from the ranges in Texas, through the Indian territory, to shipping points in Kansas. With the herds and along this trail venturesome men traveled, many of them too dishonest and reckless for the regions of settled society. Their doings in those wild days, just after the close of the Civil War and border troubles, in which men were educated to deeds of violence, have furnished instances for many true, tragic and thrilling stories of frontier life. This trail, passing through the Indian reservations, first touched the country open to white settlement, and presumably under civil law, at the point where it struck the territory now in Douglass Township. Naturally Douglass was the rendezvous of wild characters. Horse thieves and cattle rustlers came and went. Some took claims and made their stations near here.

On the afternoon of May 17, 1869, Samuel Dunn and a boy companion named Henderson were slain by a band of Osage Indians. The killing occurred on the prairie near the timber that skirted the Walnut River. Dunn and Henderson had been hunting and looking over the land. Henderson’s folks were looking for a claim on which to settle. Returning from their wandering, they stopped to rest upon a log that had been washed up on the prairie bottom on the west side of the Walnut and east side of Eight-Mile Creek. As they were seated upon the load a band of Osages rode up from the southwest, dashing down upon them. Dunn and Henderson ran for the timber, but were overtaken by the Indians and killed and scalped. The savages not only scalped Dunn, but cut off his head and three of his fingers. It is said that some of the Osages had a grudge against Birney Dunn, Samuel’s brother, and when they made the attack supposed they were killing Birney.

The government called the Osages to account for the murder and two members of the tribe were turned over to civil authorities for trial. The sheriff of Butler County, James Thomas, of El Dorado, had the Indians in charge and was bringing them to El Dorado from some point at the northeast. Coming up the south fork of the Cottonwood River, the two prisoners disappeared. Some assert that they made their escape. Others claim they were shot and buried. At any rate they never appeared for trial.

Joseph W. Douglass, founder of the city, and after whom the city and township were named, was shot and mortally wounded on the townsite in 1873. He had taken a lively interest in suppressing theft in the community. On the night of his murder he had arrested, without a warrant, a camper he suspected of stealing chickens. Douglass marched his prisoner to several places where he had said he purchased the fowls, but the parties denied having sold them to him. The prisoner, evidently fearing the fate of others, shot his captor with a small pistol. Douglass was armed with a larger revolver, but had failed to disarm his prisoner. The man ran and Douglass fired at him several time, but failed to hit him. Douglass lived a day or two after being wounded and requested that no injury be inflicted upon the murderer, who was captured, tried and sent to the penitentiary for ten years.

AN ENTERPRISE FAILS

One event that had great effect upon Douglass and community was the building of a great sugar mill for the manufacture of sugar from sorghum, in the year 1888. Investigators had set up the claim that sugar could be made at much profit from sorghum, and so heartily did the people of Douglass take up with the idea that they promoted a company, built a great mill, and induced the farmers to plant a large acreage of sorghum. When the mill was put in operation at great expense it was found to be unprofitable. Those who had put money into the scheme lost it all. The city had voted bonds for water work and turned the bonds over to the sugar mill company, under contract of building the water works. The failure of this enterprise carried down with it the Wilkie bank. Mr. Wilkie had been a pioneer banker in both El Dorado and Douglass, having considerable wealth for those times. He had ventured it all to build up the city of Douglass and lost.

EL DORADO TOWNSHIP

El Dorado Township was organized in 1867 in the original division of the county into townships. Parts were detached in 1877 to form Glencoe, Little Walnut, Prospect and Rosalia. In 1879, part of Chelsea was attached.

El Dorado postoffice, as originally located, stood 1 ½ miles south of the present

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site of El Dorado. Mails were, however, handled at the Henry Martin home on the present townsite and the postmaster, Daniel Stine, lived in Augusta. A small frame building stood on the site of El Dorado proper, but in 1867, when county lines had been moved to their present south limit, the building stood untenanted. It was then that D. M. Bronson, representative from this district, proposed to J. D. Conner that the building he used as county seat headquarters. Conner, in various conferences, declined to take any action. Bronson left this part of the county for a point below Augusta. When he returned, the present El Dorado had been located and made the county seat. A postoffice had been located across the Walnut, opposite the present El Dorado for four or five years before the old El Dorado was surveyed, with D. L. McCabe as postmaster. Daniel Stine, of Augusta, although postmaster in the old El Dorado, never had performed the duties of that office. (Postmasters in the present El Dorado have been Henry Martin, H. D. Kellogg, Mrs. M. J. Long, Nathan Frank Frazier, Alvah Shelden, T. P. Fulton, J. C. Rodgers, B. F. Meeks, A. J. Palmer, W. H. Ellet, Mary Alice Murdock Pattison, T. P. Mannion, W. R. Childs, acting postmaster; A. B. Ewing, and Wilbur B. Morris, present postmaster. Since 1879 the postmaster has been appointed by the president of the United States.

Enterprising citizens, after much labor and persuasion, secured the Florence, El Dorado & Walnut Valley Railroad from Florence to El Dorado—the first railway in the county. It reached El Dorado in July, 1877, and the town turned out en masse to welcome it. Immediately after its completion, an excursion train was run to the town, a grand ball and banquet was given, and a new era of prosperity welcomed. The future of the town seemed assured. Old and small business houses gave way to handsome brick and stone structures. A two-story brick building 104 feet long, was built by N. F. Frazier in 1878.

In 1870, El Dorado with 400 inhabitants, advertised in The Times one hotel, the El Dorado House, where the Citizens State Bank now stands. J. L. Shough advertised Chelsea House as having “ample accommodations for the traveling public,” and many of the guests rolled up in blankets and slept on the floor. Meals were 50 cents. Eli Corliss was stone mason and plasterer; Crimble & DeLong were carpenters and builders; so were D. A. Rice & Company, W. G. Ward and Thomas M. Potts. Henry Martin (settled on the old Teter farm, northeast of El Dorado, in an early day), was a “licensed conveyancer and notary public;” S. P. Barnes was the town’s lumber dealer; Henry Rohr made books at $8, $10, and $12 per pair.

Thomas R. Pittock owned a saw and grist mill, southeast; H. Martin & Company had a saw mill on the Walnut adjoining town on the east, sawing over 6,000 feet of lumber per day. Sleeth Brothers had a saw and grist mill on West Branch. Burdett & Wheeler had a saw mill on the L. B. Snow farm, south of town.

T. B. Murdock said in the Walnut Valley Times: “We publish herewith the first number of the Walnut Valley Times. We have no apologies to make. Our paper speaks for itself. We made no promises, as we might not be able to fulfill them. If you, after carefully examining The Times, conclude that it is worthy of your support, make it known to us by sending $2 in advance. It is scarcely worth while for us to state that we are Republican in political faith, as politics is so little thought of or talked about in this country. We will not, however, support Republican nominees when they are known to be dishonest or corrupt. We will not support men for office who have a reputation for dishonesty. We are in favor of the fifteenth amendment, the present administration and the payment of the government debt according to contract.”

Nearly all the settlers were poor. They did not understand the country, soil or the climate. Many never had owned land before and the prospect was so flattering that air castles readily were constructed.

Early day item: “W. R. Lambdin has a claim at the junction of the north and south branches of the stream. He has 86 domestic cattle, nine horses, four hogs, mowing machine, rake and plows. In 1869 he raised 300 bushels of potatoes. He has refused $3,500 for his 160-acre claim and stock. The next claim, on the north branch, is T. J. Lambdin’s. He has a log house of one room, which serves as parlor, bedroom, dining room, kitchen and nursery. He values his claim at $900. The next claim belongs to a Mr. Hart who settled in August, 1869. He has built a house of hewed logs. Mr. Hart has 40 acres of timber and 100 acres of bottom land which he offers for $500.” Timber was considered precious.

“George Miller,” says the chronicler, “owns a claim with a log house, which cost him a horse. He would be badly scared if offered $600 for it. Mr. Miller’s daughter has taken an adjoining claim, 160—no improvements. This is an example for other young ladies, and darn the man who dares to jump that claim. B. R. Boarce has a $400 claim with hewed log house.”

This records goes to show the humble beginnings of the pioneers.

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Dr. J. P. Gordon laid out a row of lots south of Finley’s addition, continuing Main Street. Then, greatest in importance, came Wilson’s addition, adjoining the old townsite on the west and containing 86 acres of prairie, affording building sites, parks and gardens. Prof. T. R. Wilson generously disposed of this land to a company of Dr. H. D. Kellogg, Allen White, J. S. Danford, J. K. Finley, and A. D. Knowlton, who had it sub-divided into lots of one-fourth acre, for sale. With all this array of additions the townsite of El Dorado contained less than 320 acres, and needed 40 acres to make a square corner on the northwest.

Under the head of business men of El Dorado, the first Times published in 1870, said: “Henry Martin came to the Walnut Valley in 1857, before there was a house in Butler County. He drove a yoke of oxen to a wagon, his entire stock in trade, his home being wherever he said so. Mr. Martin could then see in the resources of this country its immense riches, and being a plucky Englishman of 28 years, began to work for his share. He built the first store in El Dorado. It is 22x46 feet, two stories, with a good cellar; three rooms on the second floor (this building stood on what is now the site of A. G. Haberlein’s clothing store—known as the Sunderland block, and built by N. F. Frazier in 1878.) Mr. Martin lost his life when his legs were frozen while on a buffalo hunt in 1870 near Medicine Lodge.”

“Mr. Martin,” continued The Times, “has seen some hard times, and while he has accumulated his own fortune, he never neglected the interests of the citizens of Butler County. He has served one year as probate judge, as justice of the peace five years, and county treasurer four years. He now owns, within two miles of town, 200 acres of first-class bottom, cultivated land, a saw mill in town, and one-fifth of the original townsite of El Dorado.”

“Judge J. C. Lambdin came to Butler County in 1857, and in 1859 was elected to the Territorial Council, serving two years. The judge and his two sons entered the Civil War in 1862. In April, 1869, they built the two-story frame house on the northwest corner of Main Street and Central Avenue (the site of the old Boston Store—later Haines Brothers’ store, then the Hough store and now the Levinson store) where they engaged in general merchandising.”

“John H. Betts and N. F. Franzier coming from Leavenworth opened a first-class grocery in their (frame) building 26x38 feet, on Central Avenue.”

“On lot one, block one, Central Avenue (the site now occupied by the postoffice,) is located the first and only drug store in the Walnut Valley. It is 40x40 feet, with a proprietor about five feet by 240 pounds, which is to say, Doc White. When gathering the notes from which to prepare this article the doctor said: ‘I make no pretensions financially but physically I am as big as any of ‘em.’ The doctor successfully practiced medicine in Lyon County nine years before coming to Butler. He commenced business here in 1868 by opening as fine a stock of dry goods and groceries as has ever been offered in this market, which, together with the doctor’s plain, honest and outspoken manner of dealing, soon won a full share of the people’s patronage. His trade went on swimmingly until last July, when, actuated by the want of the people, he concluded to sacrifice his flourishing trade in dry goods and groceries and put in his extensive stock of drugs. He also deals in real estate. Besides his Emporia property, he owns 150 acres of Wilson’s addition and lots on the old town site. Our citizens are all pleased at the doctor’s success in business, for to ‘do unto others as he would have others do unto him,’ has ever been the motto of Dr. Allen White.” Dr. White was the father of William Allen White.

“Thomas G. Boswell, who owns the beautiful farm connected with the original townsite on the northeast, has laid out an addition of ten acres, making 50 lots adjoining Lower’s addition on the east. J. B. Kind, grocer, came in 1863. The J. C. Fraker & Company store is of first class pine with latest style of glass front, on the northeast corner of Main Street and Central Avenue.” (Present site of the El Dorado National Bank.)

“Messrs. A. D. Knowlton and Ed. C. Ellet, formerly of Bunker Hill, Ill., located here in the hardware business late in December. They built one of the best buildings in town on lot one in block two. It is 16x44 feet, with glass front. They have everything from a needle to an anchor.”

“Messrs. H. H. Gardner and John Gilmor, late of Chicago, are preparing to wholesale and retail dry goods, groceries and hardware. Their store will cost about $3,200.”

“Jacob Gerhart, Esq., has a large stock of saddlers’ hardware. . . Here too is the shoe shop of Henry Rohrs. Messrs. Holt & Wagner (butchers) buy nothing but fat stock.”

“Bronson & Kellogg are in real estate. Dr. H. D. Kellogg came when an isolated log cabin marked (if he could have seen it through the sunflowers) the present site of El Dorado.

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“D. M. Bronson has served the citizens of Butler County as register of deeds. He is county attorney, besides serving Kansas as journal clerk of the senate. Whatever greatness in the point of progress and improvements El Dorado may claim today is in a large degree owing to the energetic efforts of Dr. H. D. Kellogg and D. M. Bronson. Sallee, Gordon & Company are in real estate. W. A. Sallee is register of deeds. William Galligher & Moulton connect with law practice a real estate agency. W. P. Campbell, attorney-at-law, came from Kentucky last fall. Dr. E. Cowles, homeopathic physician, is principal of the high school. Dr. J. C. McGowan could get a good practice if this climate were not so unfavorable for his profession. John Wayne & Company have established a branch lumber yard at El Dorado, supervised by M. B. Raymond. S. P. Barnes is building a neat office at his lumber yard on lot No. 1, on North Main Street. McFeely & Gordon, Ward & Potts; and Crimble & Delong are architects. D. A. Rice & Company and Eli Corliss carry on masonry.”

“John Cook, Esq., opened the first hotel in El Dorado. He built El Dorado House, the largest stone structure in Butler County.

“T. R. Pittock is making money. His new mill compares favorably with any in the state. He recently purchased El Dorado House and will enlarge it.

“William Jewell bought one-fifth of the original townsite of El Dorado. Many lots he has sold at a sacrifice to induce immigrants to build. He donated one of the best lots on the west side of Main Street to the newspaper enterprise, for which he will accept our thanks.”

Those were the business men of little El Dorado in 1870.

The lumber price list was: First and second clear, one to 2 inch, $65 per 1,000 feet; select, $55; common $45; flooring, $72; common, $40; ceiling, $55; siding, $27.50 to $32.50; fencing, $40; dimension lumber, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8 and 2x10, $40 to $42.50; “A” sawed shingles, $6.25; No. 1 warranted, $5 to $5.50, mouldings, battens, etc., manufacturers’ prices—freight added. Kellogg & Bronson and other agents advertised land and lots thus: Dwelling, on lot 2, block 15, North Main Street; one story, four rooms, $700; 160 acres adjoining El Dorado on the north, all bottom or second bottom timber and water, $3,000; 80 acres, a mile northeast of town, half bottom, on Emporia State road, $10 per acre; 80 acres on Whitewater adjoining Towanda, fine bottom; $8 per acre; the southwest of 21-24-6, all choice bottom near Chelsea, price $1,200; 240 acres, 35 cultivated, 47 acres fenced, hewed log house, No. 1 spring, timber and water, in section 3-25-5, $3,150; 1,440 acres, forty acres broken and hedged, thirty acres of timber, $6 an acre; 80 acres on 2-25-5 on West Branch, forty acres broken and under fence, $1,600; 320 acres, the north half of 22-25-5, $5 per acre; southwest of 3-23-7, $3 an acre; west half of 10-23-7, $3 an acre.’

There were 60 boarders at El Dorado House in 1870. A. M. Burdett put up a “beauty of a residence” at 39 Central Avenue. It cost $3,000.

School district No. 2 built the first stone school house, 20x30 feet, in Butler County, six miles north of El Dorado.

E. L. Lower moved into his new residence in block three, Settler Street, vacating the oldest house in El Dorado. Having built it before the town was surveyed, it happened to be located in the middle of Main Street and he moved the relic to his new home for a stable. (This cabin stood in front of and a little north of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank.)

“Our office is upstairs on the southwest corner of Main Street and Central,” announced The Times, in 1870. “We issue 2,000 copies of The Times, dating the paper several days in advance in our issue to give us time to get out our next issue. Our paper is printed in bervier and nonpareil. We have 40 fonts of display and job type. Our double medium Washington hand press is new. We will have a new job press soon. Our entire office cost $2,000.”

“Persons have asked us how far we are from Indians and buffalo. We will state that we are on the verge of civilization. About three hours ago the last Indian might have seen gathering his blanket around him and silently departing for more genial climes. He was closely followed by his squaw and faithful dog. The last buffalo, of the male persuasion, after gazing for a few moments at The Walnut Valley Times office, departed thence, not, however, until we had securely fastened 100 copies of The Times to his tail. We will say to Eastern readers that the civilizing and enlightening influences of the papers thus scattered will prevent any more shedding of blood on the border.”

FAIRMOUNT TOWNSHIP

January 6, 1873, was the date of organization of Fairmount Township and in April these first officers were elected: M. Guinty, trustee; A. J. Nation, treasurer;

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J. Davis, clerk; J. Cutler and F. S. Wallace, justices of the peace. D. M. Daffron and G. A. Watson, constables.

In 1870, H. D. Olinger and family, J. C. Olinger, George M. Daffron and James W. Ferguson from LeClare County, Minn., located in Fairmount, according to M. Guinty who was historian of the township’s earliest history. Among other early settlers were: Asa White in 1870; Albert, Marion, Jerome and Monroe Worline and John Burns and Alexander Kennedy from Pleasant Hill, Mo., John W. Williams, Evan and Dick Jones, all in May, 1871. They were preceded by Mace Nickeson and John and Samuel Fullerton who had arrived from Illinois in the fall of 1870. J. K. Nellans arrived from Rochester, Ind., March 22, 1876. In 1878, he bought the northwest quarter of section 3, where he lived until February 27, 1916, when he was struck and killed by a Rock Island passenger train at Elbing.

Peter Dyck, Abraham Regier, J. W. Regier and Bernhardt Regier arrived from Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in 1885, becoming the nucleous of the Mennonite German settlement.

In May, 1871, these families arrived from Woodbine, Iowa: I. J. Davis, John A. Baskins, M. Guinty, William and Henry Robinson. Alexander Hewitt arrived the same month with his family, from Keokuk, Iowa. During 1871 A. G. Moore, J. P. Moore, Aaron Branson and A. Brubaker and families arrived from Iowa and Hiram Brown joined the new settlement. Milton Embry of Missouri came in 1872. Singleton Shepherd came in 1870 from Missouri and lived in the township until 1890. Matthew Stipe arrived from Indiana in October, 1873; J. B. Spangler, of Pleasant Hill, Mo., settled on the south half of the northeast quarter of section 14.

Odd numbered sections were owned by the Santa Fe railway company, having been donated by the government to assist in constructing the railroad. These sections were not subject to homestead entry, and consequently there were not so many homesteaders in Fairmount as in other townships.

FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP

The first settlement in Fairview Township was by John Hink, a Swede, in 1857, near the head of Rock Creek, according to H. H. Hulburt, the township’s chronicler. In 1857, Burge Atwood, who later lost his life in the Civil War, settled. In 1866, John Foulk, bought the place of Atwood’s widow. Wesley Hager settled in 1858; this place later was sold by Mr. McKee to Martin Green, who sold it to J. R. Appleman. In 1858, Peter Johnson settled in northwest Fairview. Isaac Gillian, Daniel Mosier, Anthony Davis, Ben Atkinson, Kirk and Perkins lived on section 19 at different times between 1860 and 1870. Lewis Maxwell made the first permanent settlement of this section in 1872. Christian Jacobs settled in 1866; S. S. McFarlane in 1868 and J. P. Blankenship in 1867.

During 1870, township settlers were J. A. Godfrey, Hezekiah Hayman and son, Robert; W. H. Fountain, Levi Thompson, E. B. Cook, J. F. Wheaton, F. M. McNally, A. J. Boyles, E. O., G. S. and J. T. Nye, Martin Pierce, A. S. Cory, G. D. McDonald, H. B. Hulburt, L. V. Olin, Silas Welch, Joseph Sharp and Frank Tipton.

Hervey Hayman now lives on the Hayman homestead.

During 1871, I. D. Varner, George Byers, Thomas Andrews, William Paul, Levi Varner, H. H. Hulbert, J. A. Haymaker, Bert Olin, William Snyder, J. F. White, D. D. Winkler, William Painter, A. L. Wheaton, Richard Childers, Richard Taylor, J. M. Randall, H. G. Whitcomb, F. Flagg, Jacob DeCou, Mrs. S. J. Foskett, Geroge Foulk, F. Meyers, Martin Reynolds, J. R. Appleman, William Grey, John Edmiston, E. G. Richards, John Hayes, John Stunkard, Daniel W. Weidman, Milton Braley, Charles Torrey, D. M. Baker, J. S. Dick, Mr. Potter and Charles Girod settled.

In April, 1873, at the first township election, I. D. Varner was elected one of the justices. E. B. Cook and H. B. Hulburt killed a deer near where Springdale school house later stood, during the winter of 1870-71. Rosette Childers, later Mrs. E. B. Cook, and H. T. Foskett, who later lived a few rods from where he held the plow while his mother drove the ox team to break the first sod, were among “pioneer children.” It was a custom, each fall, for several families to drive to Medicine Lodge country to hunt buffalo for a winter supply of meat.

On October 20, 1872, Mr. and Mrs. Al Wheaton and their little boy and girl were caught in a prairie fire which started in the west part of the township, spreading northeast. They were in a wagon drawn by oxen, near Four-Mile Creek. Seeing the fire approach, Mrs. Wheaton grabbed her small son and jumped from the wagon. There was nothing then to stop a prairie fire. As Mr. Wheaton was trying to save his wife and son, the oxen ray away, thus saving the life of the little girl who had stayed in the wagon. So badly burned were Mrs. Wheaton and the son that they died a few hours later. A neighbor witnessed the scene, caught