JOHN BEESLEY
One of the most prominent farmers and stockmen
of Summit township was the late John Beesley, a native of Montgomery county, Indiana, born in 1847. He came with
his parents to Missouri in 1855, and shortly afterwards located in Alba, Iowa, where his father died in 1861. In
the spring of 1862, though but fifteen years of age, Mr. Beesley enlisted in the eleventh Missouri Calvary. He
was not old enough to enlist for active service, so he entered the ranks as a bugler, and was known to his comrades
as the "bugler boy."
He carried a saber, gun and revolvers and was chief
bugler of the regiment until 1865, when he was mustered out at New Orleans. Mr. Beesley was wounded in the left
hand, his horse was killed under him, and he was captured and paroled five days later. His hand was not dressed
until he returned to the ranks at Duvall's Bluff, Arkansas. Mr. Beesley experienced many close calls and carried
eleven bullet scars on his person (none of which caused serious wounds) and had four horses shot from under him.
He was under the command of General Steele. When he applied for his pension in 1881, Doctor Slade, the physician
who dressed his hand, wrote to know, "if he was the little boy whose hand he had dressed."
After the war Mr. Beesley returned to a sister
in Iowa and soon after entered upon a freighting expedition across the plains, a business he followed for three
years, through Colorado, Arizona and Wyoming as far as Fort Bridger. For a period of five years there were few
nights that he slept under shelter.
In the spring of 1869, he visited Nebraska City
where he met and married Mary Jane Macy, of Syracuse, Nebraska, a daughter of G. W. Macy (see sketch).. They came
to Kansas with her father's family in 1871, and landed on the ground which they afterward homesteaded, April twenty-fourth.
Their nearest neighbor was four miles distant. A reunion was held by the Macy family twenty-five years from that
day, and there were twenty-five Macys present-one for each year. There had been " but one death in the meantime
of the original settlers, the wife and mother, Mrs. G. W. Macy.
Mr. Beesley advocated the principles of Prohibition,
was an active member of the Free Baptist church, and superintendent of the Sabbath-school at the time of his death,
September 14, 1901. He was a gentleman of high Christian character and a director of the church for years. To Mr.
and Mrs. Beesley nine children have been born, eight of whom are living, viz: Dell, wife of Alvin Hart, a farmer
near Jennings, Oklahoma; Lydia C, wife of Alva Taylor, a farmer with residence in Glasco; David F., Fred N., and
Harvey are all farmers living in the vicinity of Macyville; Josie V., a young lady of sixteen years, and John L.
and Thomas Macy, aged twelve and eight years respectively.
Mr. Beesley was the youngest member of the Concordia
W. T. Sher-man Post, Grand Army of the Republic. Seventeen of the members of this body attended his funeral.
JOSEPH GUIPRE
Joseph Guipre, one of the enterprising sons of
Andrew Guipre, is rec-ognized as one of the most successful farmers and stockmen in Summit township. In 1881, he
purchased the Mrs. Andrew Collins homestead which he has improved, built a handsome residence and commodious basement
barn. His land is a producer of large yields of corn. In 1889, ^e had a total of 6,600 bushels from a field of
one hundred acres. He has some fine graded stock among his herd which ranges from forty to fifty head of cattle.
The Guipres, like most of the Kansas farmers, have acquired their money raising cattle and hogs.
Mrs. Guipre, a lady of culture and refinement,
was Olive, one of the estimable daughters of the late Enos Rushton, who was known to almost every Cloud county
citizen. One little son gladdens their home; Enos, the namesake of his grandfather, aged eleven years. Mr. and
Mrs. Andrew Guipre are members of the Catholic church and all of their sons have been baptized in that faith. Politically
they are Republicans. As citizens, they rank among the best families of the community.
JOHN S. ABBEY
J. S. Abbey, the subject of this sketch, came to
Cloud county in 1877, and settled in Summit township where lie is familiar with each feature of progress made during
his existence there. Mr. Abbey's experiences have been varied and numerous. He is a very interesting narrator of
"war romance" and takes great pride in relating them. He and his excellent wife have proved themselves
to be people essential to the success and prosperity of the vicinity in which the}' reside. They are foremost in
every worthy cause or enterprise that tends to the advancement of their community.
Mr. Abbey was a native of Lake county, Ohio, President
Garfield's birthplace, born in 1839. He is a son of William and Sarah (Wallace) Abbey. His father was born in Yorkshire,
England, in 1807. His mother was also born on English soil. Her birth was in 1803. They were the parents of two
sons at the time they crossed the water, the eldest of whom died while enroute to America and was buried at sea.
They emigrated to America and settled on a farm in Lake county, Ohio. In 1841, they emigrated to Nebraska, and
settled in Salem where he died in 1881. Of the family of eight children there are but four living, one sister in
Fairmont, Nebraska and one in Warren, Illinois and a brother in Falls City, Nebraska.
Mr. Abbey had just attained his majority when the
call for men to protect the stars and stripes was made and he was among the first to respond. He hastily repaired
to Chicago, where he enlisted in Company A, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, in 1861, serving three years and three months.
His company won honors and distinction as General Grant's escort.. They joined his forces at Cairo, remaining with
him until Vicksburg was taken, and then went to Meridian, Mississippi and back to Vicksburg and up the Red river
with General A. J. Smith. They were on detached service the greater part of the three years. President Garfield
was on General Rosecran's staff and Mr. Abbey was one of the orderlies who carried dispatches from Grant to Rosecrans.
Mr. Abbey was at Holly Springs, Mississippi when General Forrest marched in. Mr. Abbey experienced a wild and dangerous
ride of seventy-five miles. He started just as old "Sol" was sinking to rest and arrived at the pickets
of General Sherman's ranks just as the sun arose above the horizon. He demanded an audience with General Grant
but was refused until he could prove his identity, and then was made the hero of the hour, for he was prostrated
from fatigue and the excitement occasioned by meeting a band of guerrillas twelve miles out from General Grant's
quarters, who began a fusilade of firing on sight, but the brave orderly put the spurs to his horse-a fine animal
of the French-Canadian breed-and as they pursued him the twelve miles the bullets whizzed near and all around him,
but he kept running and gained the pickets unharmed but completely overcome physically.
After the war Mr. Abbey returned to his home, married
and settled on a farm in Nebraska near Salem, where he lived until coming to Kansas in 1877, when he bought the
J. B. Stevens homestead, one of the oldest claims in the township. The improvements have all been made by Mr. Abbey.
Mrs. Abbey was Miss N. I. Tisdal, a daughter of
Thomas A. Tisdal, who was a drover in an extensive way in a time when shipping facilities were very different from
the present age. The Tisdals were early settlers in Connecticut from Scotland. The original name which she has
on a receipt dated 1806, is Antisdal, but was changed during her grandfather's time to Tisdal.
Peres Antisdal of Scotland came across the water
early in the last cen-tury. He was stolen when twelve years old by a family of wealthy people and brought to America.
They settled at Norwich, Connecticut where he married Mary Armstrong. She died in the year 1808, and lacked but
one week of having lived a century. Phoebe Tisdal, Mrs. Abbey's great-grandmother attended her funeral. She also
lived to be almost a centenarian. The children of Peres and Mary, were Plimens, Lawrence, Silas and Dorcas. Plimens
married, lived and died at Wellington, Connecticut. His son Chester, moved to Ohio, where he died at middle age,
leaving three sons, Lucien, James and Martin, who lived in St. Joseph, Michigan, where their families still reside.
Silas Antisdal, a brother of Plimens (Mrs. Abbey's great-grandfather) lived at Wellington, Connecticut, and with
his wife Betluah, and their sons, Curtis and Silas and one daughter, Betluah, emigrated to what was then called
New Connecticut, the western reserve of Ohio, where they bought land and when Buffalo, New York was their nearest
milling point.
This was in the beginning of the war of 1812, and
they endured many hardships on the way. It was a great undertaking to make such a journey in those days as northern
Ohio, now so densely settled was then one vast forest. The roads were made by blazing trees. They emigrated into
this country with two wagons, one drawn by horses and the other by oxen. Upon reaching Lake Erie, they traveled
over the ice to their destination, Madison, Ohio. It required the entire winter to make the journey from Connecticut.
Silas Antisdal died September 13, 1817, and his
wife in 1824. They were both buried at Madison, Ohio, where there is a large cemetery about half of whose dead
are Mrs. Abbey's ancestors. They had nine children. Mrs. Abbey's grandfather was the eldest child. Curtis Antisdal,
who changed the name to Tisdal, came to Ohio with his father. He was born in 1779. He was married in 1800, and
he with his wife, Sarah Parker, lived at Wellington, Connecticut and removed to Ohio in 1812, where he died in
1837, and his wife in 1865. Both lie buried in the cemetery at Madison, Ohio.
Mrs. Abbey's father, Thomas, was one of their seven
children born at Wellington, Connecticut, September 13, 1809, and was married to Marie Stowe of Astabula, Ohio,
in 1833. She died March 24, 1837, leaving one child, Harriet, wife of J. W. Leverett of Griesel, Missouri, where
they are both retired from a career as educators. In May, of 1842, Thomas Tisdal was married to Lois Day Gill,
who died ten years later at the age of thirty-three years leaving five daughters, all of whom are living. Mrs.
Abbey's father was a prominent man of Lake county, Ohio; bought cattle from all over the country and drove them
through to New York and other eastern cities. Mrs. Abbey was his favorite child, often accompanying him on his
trips. His pet name for her was "Moses." He died October 5, 1852, of consumption, and the wife and mother
died twenty-nine days later. The daughters are Nancy Louise (Mrs. Abbey), who was educated in the Willoughby College,
Ohio, and was a teacher for six years; Mary Elizabeth, wife of D. L. Wyman of Paynesville, Ohio; Sarah Parker,
widow of H. C. Jennings, of Salem, Nebraska; Phoebe Ellen, widow of H. Q. Storer and Emma Lois, wife of J. J. Watchter,
a merchant of Verdon, Nebraska.
To Mr. and Mrs. Abbey have been born five children:
Don Wyman, married Clara Coen and they are the parents of four children, two of whom are living: Fred Almond aged
nine and Oscar Tisdal, aged three. He is a prosperous farmer of Summit township. Sarah Lois, wife of C. A. DeLong,
an extensive farmer of Osborne county, where he owns four hundred acres of land. They are the parents of two children;
Myrtle Leola, aged seven, and Jessie May, aged one and one-half years. William Herman Abbey, the second son, is
a giant in proportion, standing six feet, six inches, in height. He is a postal clerk on the Missouri Pacific Railroad
from Atchison to Stockton, is married to Myrtle E. Kingston and resides in Atchison. Fred Wallace, married Ida
Belle Thompson and they are the parents of two children, Howard Soule and Walter Wallace, aged four, and one and
one-half years, respectively. Jessie Ellen is the wife of Byron Wheeler, a farmer living near Concordia. They are
the parents of one child, an infant, Ruby Margurite. Both of these daughters, Jessie Ellen and Sarah Lois, are
talented in music and intellectual women.
Mr. Abbey is a staunch Republican. He is a member
of the Scottsville Grand Army of the Republic. The Abbeys are members, ardent workers and pillars of the Summit
Free Baptist church organization, which owes much of its prosperity to their ardent interest. They have a neat
and commodious farm residence where this estimable couple will in all probability spend their declining years.
GABRIEL CRUM
Gabriel Crum, the subject of this sketch, landed
in Cloud county in the year 1878, with fifty cents in his pocket and with a family that consisted of a wife who
was ill and two small daughters, Effie and Hattie. He traded a horse for the improvements, and eighty acres of
land, an uninhabitable dugout, belonging to Miss Manigan. He homesteaded the land and at once proceeded to build
some sort of an abode. He earned the ridge log and poles for the roof by the primitive mode of exchanging work
and in this case he labored seven days. After his house was built they did not possess an article of furniture
to begin housekeeping on. He bought a stove on credit, also a bill of groceries; hung on to his fifty cents like
grim death and came home feeling like a king, one of the happiest events of his life. Soon after getting settled
in their dugout they were deluged with rain. The water came up to the railing of their homemade bedsteads and they
were completely flooded. When the water subsided they were, figuratively speaking, sunk in mud.
These are a few of the many hardships Mr. Crum
and his worthy family endured during their early residence in Kansas. A threshing machine came into the community.
The men who contemplated buying were inexperienced and could not operate it. Mr. Dobbs, the agent who was selling
them the machine, not having had much experience in adjusting machinery could not figure out the difficulty. Knowing
Mr. Crum had worked in that capacity he sought him out and offered him twenty-five dollars to put the thresher
in operation. Mr. Crum was overwhelmed by the munificent offer and affirms that it sounded louder to him than the
heaviest peal of thunder he had ever heard. He set about to solve the problem and found the sieve had been put
in upside down. He adjusted matters quickly and set the whee1s and belts in motion. Agent Dobbs was so overjoyed
that his prospective sale was not cut short by the machine refusing to work, took Mr. Crum around behind the thresher
and thrust thirty dollars into his hand instead of twenty-five dollars. Imagine the smile that enveloped Mr. Cram's
countenance as he shoved his wealth deep down into the pockets of his pantaloons. They then considered his services
indispensible and offered him two dollars per day, full time, wet or dry, and he worked for them one hundred and
twenty-three days. This was where Mr. Crum got his start.
Mr. Crum is a native of Ohio, born in 1844. When
one year of age his parents moved to Wabash county, Indiana, where they both died of lung fever, leaving two sons,
himself, aged five and a brother one and a half years. They found a home with a family named Crasher and when twelve
years old drifted into Illinois with a family by the name of Fox. The two boys remained together and both enlisted
in the Thirty-ninth Illinois Regiment, Company B, which became one of the most famous that entered the Potomac
valley.
They were in this company two years and eight months
and then enlisted in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, Company M. He was mustered out at St. Louis in June, 1865, having
served the entire term. His brother, William, was killed at the first day's battle of Gettysburg, at the youthful
age of nineteen years. He enlisted at the age of sixteen. That he might not be rejected he put eighteen in his
hat and nineteen in his shoe and remarked that he was between eighteen and nineteen. William was among the captured
and thrown in Libby prison. He weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds when he altered and less than one hundred
when released. Mr, Crum was in the battle of Rumley, February 22, 1862; Perthouse Bridge, August, 1862, and Winchester,
June, 1862, where thirty-seven hundred and twenty of the Union boys were thrown in the trenches and the first defeat
"Stonewall" Jackson ever suffered. He was in the battle of Berkley Springs, Bath, Virginia, and a great
many raids and skirmishes. Most of the winter of 1864 they were after Mosby and the guerrillas. In one of these
raids Mr. Cram's horse received five bullets.
After the war Mr. Crum returned to Illinois where he operated a thresher, header and corn sheller. In 1870, he
moved to Lyons, Iowa, where he filled the position of night watch for two years; later returned to Illinois and
in 1878, emigrated to Kansas. He was married February 23, 1870, to Melissa Bardon, a daughter of James Bardon,
of Canada. Mrs. Crum was born in Augusta, Canada, and came with her parents to Ogle county, Illinois when a young
woman about sixteen years of age.
Mr. and Mrs. Crum's family consists of four children,
three daughters and one son. Effie, wife of Charles Hogue, a farmer of Arion township; they are the parents of
two children, Mabel and Lewis, aged seven and five years. Hattie, wife of George Hogue, a farmer of Madison county,
Iowa, near the city of Peru; he is a brother of Charles Hogue. Their children are Floyd Albert, aged three, and
Velma Melissa, aged two. William, who works with his father on the farm, is unmarried. Lusina, aged sixteen, is
a graduate of Fairview school, District No. 67. Mr. Crum is a Republican and takes an interest in legislative affairs.
He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Relief Corps.
Mr. Crum had a hard struggle his first few years
in Kansas; at one time every plow, drag or other implement, including his land and stock, was under mortgage. He
now owns two hundred acres of land, has a fine herd of native cattle and a commodious stone residence which is
a comfortable fortune. His chief industry for a number of years has been cattle. Mr. Crum is an honest, industrious
man; a genial, whole souled neighbor, and one of the best citizens of his township.
FRED GUIPRE
Fred Guipre is a stockman and farmer of Summit
township. He is a native Kansan, born on the original Guipre homestead in 1871. He is a son of Andrew and Gabriella
(DeMauer) Guipre. His father was a native of France, born near the cities of Genoa and Lyon, which are situated
near the Switzerland line. He was born in the year 1824.
His parents having died when he was an infant,
he was placed in an orphan asylum and later found a home with a family of farmers in that country. When twenty-six
years of age he came to America, crossing the continent of South America and the Isthmus of Panama. He spent two
years in Tennessee and assisted as a laborer in building the capitol in the city of Nashville. He spent five years
in California, returning to France, married Gabriella DeMauer and with his wife came back to America and settled
on a farm in Ohio near Cincinnati. Mrs. Guipre was also in an orphan asylum.
After having lived in Ohio four years they emigrated
to Nebraska and settled in Nemaha county, near Nebraska City. In the spring of 1871 he came with his family to
Cloud county, and located the homestead where he now lives with his son, Fred, the subject of this sketch.
Fred Guipre is the youngest of five children, viz: Joseph, Lewis and John, all farmers of Summit township. The
Guipres located in Kansas with very limited capital, but have acquired a large tract of land and made desirable
homes. Fred lives on the homestead that his father located when there was not a house between his claim and Concordia.
They have a bomb shell they found on the old government trail and among other relics an Indian tomahawk and spear.
Mr. Guipre was married in 1896 to Emily A. Rushton,
one of the ac-complished daughters of Enos Rushton (see sketch). They are the parents of one child, a little son,
Fred Rexford, aged nineteen months. In 1875, Mr. Guipre's father erected a small stone residence and later enlarged
and made it a comfortable home, situated in a beautiful and shady retreat on the banks of Lost creek.
This is a desirable farm in a high state of cultivation,
with a large apple and peach orchard, which yields abundantly. The farm is well stocked with hogs, horses and a
fine herd of Shorthorn cattle. Mr. Guipre and sons own a total of nineteen hundred and twenty acres of land which
is all located in Summit township except one hundred and sixty acres, in Solomon township. On this ranch they keep
from one hundred and fifty to two hundred head of cattle.
ELIAS NATHANIEL
BURGESON
One can imagine such a type as Mr. Burgeson suggesting
the theme Longfellow immortalized in his poem entitled "The Village Blacksmith." His shop in the little
village of Maceyville is one of the best equipped in the country, furnished with all of the latest improved tools
and machinery for blacksmithing and wagon repairing.
This enterprising and industrious young man grew
to manhood on his father's farm in Arion township, adjacent to the village to Macyville, where Mr. Burgeson was
born in 1873, and received his education in District No. 51. He is a son of Ole Burgeson, a native of Norway, born
in 1843.
Ole Burgeson served an apprenticeship as painter for three years in his native country. In 1866, he came to America
and worked at his trade in the city of New York, where he met and married Maria Ockerblad, a native of Sweden.
In 1870, while enroute to California they heard of the Solomon valley, stopped off, looked over the situation and
took up a homestead where he lived until 1900, when he moved into Glasco. Mrs. Burgeson is a weaver of carpets,
having learned this trade in Sweden, where she was also a weaver of linen cloth.
E. N. Burgeson is one of six children: Josephine
Christine was a teacher before her marriage to James Shepard, a farmer of Oklahoma; Julia Elizabeth, unmarried;
Levi Benjamin, a farmer; Emma Amelia, wife of Robert E. Cole, and Alice May.
Mr. Burgeson learned his trade by practical experience,
having always been interested in mechanical work. He began operating on a cash capital of three dollars when nineteen
years of age. He established a shop on the farm where he experimented and gradually developed a knowledge of the
different kinds of work incident to blacksmithing, except horse shoeing. His shop now contains a four-horse-power
gasoline engine; sharpens plows and all edged farm tool's with trip hammer. A wood boring machine for tenoning
wheels is run by this engine, which is superior to the old way with a brace. This machine, of his own invention,
is a folding device that serves two purposes-a common boring machine and also a tenoning machine. He also has a
device for blowing the bellows by means of a crank wheel, from which extends a rod down to the bellows handle where
it is attached by means of a screw clutch, thereby making it tight or loose, which gives him perfect control over
his fire. This ingenious device is also run by the engine. Mr. Burgeson is a progressive young man and one who
will undoubtedly keep up with the times. He owns his shop, a building 24 by 36 feet in dimensions.
GRAVES POSTOFFICE
The postoffice of Graves was established in 1883,
in the store of Thomas Graves, for whom the postoffice was named. It was located on a state section of land then
owned by Matt Wilcox. He sold the building to J. B. Wikox and the goods to Sherman Dodson, who was appointed postmaster.
Shortly afterward the building and most of its contents were destroyed by fire. For a time the office was discontinued.
The postoffice inspector endeavored to persuade
Mr. Dodson to erect a building and continue the office but he would not assent. In June, 1900, Isaiah D. Crittin
was appointed postmaster and the office continued under the name of Graves. Last December (1901) the contract was
let for a rural delivery route between Concordia, Graves and Macyville, but the postoffice will be continued in
the store opened by Mr. Crittin in the same year (1901).
BUFFALO CREEK VALLEY
The praises of the Buffalo creek valley have not
been sung like those of the Solomon and Republican valleys. While not so pretentious in point of area it vies with
them in beauty and fertility of soil. From some of the promontories that overlook this prosperous and fruitful
valley a magnificent bird's-eye view is gained,-fields of waving grain, commodious residences and herds of fine
cattle grazing in the pastures indicate its great agricultural wealth and form a rural scene of rare and exceeding
beauty.
Grant township is the banner wheat growing locality
of the county and Buffalo township is not far in the rear. During the harvesting season in the month of June when
the cereals are in a state of perfection this is one of the most beautiful valleys in the entire country. The great
fields of yellow grain extend far beyond the range of vision, and the services of every available man in demand,
many being sent in from outside points. Corn, Kaffir corn and oats are also raised extensively although wheat is
the principle crop. Alfalfa, the great forage plant is being more generally grown-its sphere of usefulness becoming
more and more apparent-while the profits vie with those of other products, with less labor attendant. Almost every
farmer is out of debt and has financial interests in stocks or money on deposit in the banks. The homes throughout
the valley present the same idea of thrift as characterizes those of the Republican and Solomon. There are few
residences or barns in the community but what are freshly painted and present a prosperous, home-like exterior.
Property is constantly increasing in value, and practically none for sale on the market. There has been a revolution
of things since Thomas Hall, of Grant township, "swapped" a quarter section of land for an old cultivator
and a bushel of potatoes. This estate which was purchased for so small a consideration less than twenty-five years
ago, could not be secured for several thousand dollars cash in hand at the present time. A good story originating'
from Grant township is told on one of the old settlers of that vicinity. In the early settlement of the county-if
there was no other means of water supply -a well must be dug before the homesteader could prove up on his land.
To dig a well, or bore for water, penetrating the bowels of the earth to a depth of some forty or fifty feet, and
sometimes more, was considerable of an undertaking and one fellow, presumably a "Yankee," not having
the wherewith to comply with this requirement - devised an equivalent; he dug a hole in the ground, inserted a
barrel in the excavation and filled it with water-although not a fountain or an issue of water from the earth,
it was a compound of oxygen and hydrogen ihat met the essential conditions. During the drouth and grasshopper year
many left their claims and many more would have gone, but were devoid of the wherewith to take them. But they were
not listless, nor did they mope or sit dismally twirling their thumbs "waiting for luck," but continued
to improve their homesteads. Though times were hard they did not wear gloomy countenances, but took a philosphical
view of things, as if the old adage, "It is not the cloud but the sunshine that gives beauty to the flower,"
was ever uppermost in their hearts. Humanity is never free from trouble, and it is well they are not; trouble gives
tone to life-fortitude and courage and enables us to enjoy with more fullness the blessings of life.
FLOODS IN BUFFALO CREEK VALLEY
Although the banks of Buffalo creek are uncommonly
high above the bed of the stream it occasionally gets beyond its confines. During the latter part of the month
of September, 1870, the Buffalo creek valley was visited by a flood which over-flowed the bottoms lands adjacent
to Buffalo, (then known as Salt creek), the two Cheyennes and Whites creeks. The few settlers at that time were
confined to the low lands lying along the streams and though the flood did considerable damage it served as a timely
warning, the advisability of moving upon higher ground. This locality was visited by another over-flow July 26,
1876, which destroyed all the crops in the low lands, also many hogs, turkeys and chickens, involving a serious
loss to many farmers
By another visitation of high water July twenty-third,
Buffalo creek developed into a raging torrent of water and poured its surplus unstintingly over the low lands covering
the fields of green corn, but receded and no serious harm was incurred. August eighth, of the same year, however,
this locality was visited by a severe hail storm, including a stiip two miles in width and several miles in length,
which beat the blades and tassels off the com until there was not enough left worth garnering. In some instances
the farmers gathered the remaining crop, but unfortunately lost rather than gained in the event for the grain was
covered with smut and killed many of their cattle. The storm was an unusually severe one, beating the grass and
vegetables into the ground.
JAMESTOWN
The prosperous little city of Jamestown is situated
eleven miles west of Concordia in Grant township. The town was originally platted by C. I. Gould. A tract of land
comprising sixty acres was divided into lots, of which each alternate division was given to the railroad company.
P. A. Thomas one of the early settlers of that community, who owned a farm adjoining the town site laid out what
is known as the "Thomas Addition" consisting of twenty-five acres, which makes a total area of eighty-five
acres in town lots. The city was named in honor of Senator James Pomeroy. "Roy" Fitzgerald was the first
child born there and was presented with a silver cup from Senator Pomeroy, with the recipients name "Henry
Pomeroy Fitzgerald" engraved upon it. The location of Jamestown is one of the most desirable in the country.
It overlooks the superbly beautiful Buffalo creek valley, which is a veritable garden of rich, fertile country
in a magnificent state of cultivation. The farmers in this locality are exceedingly prosperous and thjeir well
improved country places, well fed herds of cattle and well cultivated fields, tell of thrift and prosperity second
to none in Cloud county.
Jamestown is situated in a hustling, bustling community,
and is said to transact a larger volume of business than any town of its size in the state. This statement is made
by disinterested persons who are conservative and in a position to know whereof they speak.
The first to embark in business in Jamestown were
Strain & Bracken, two well known Concordia men, who opened their store October 15, 1878. The former, Myron
Strain, is still a resident of the city. A. P. S. Ansdell, one of the pioneers of the township, who had conducted
a country store on his farm, one and one-half miles from Jamestown, for several years, moved his goods into the
new town and opened up for business October 27, 1878.
J. E. Fitzgerald, who is often mentioned as the
"Father" of Jamestown, was among the first to locate and establish a business which grew from a very
climinitive affair to an enormous magnitude. The success of the Jamestown merchants is an inspiration to any one
starting on a career with small capital. Among the late arrivals are men of energy and progress who have made remarkable
strides in business, and all lines are represented. The prosperity of their city is attributable to the support
it receives from the people of that vicinity.. They almost invariably patronize home industry and on all questions
of local improvements they stand shoulder to shoulder. Jamestown is located on the summit of the divide and it
is noticeable that these localities escape most of the wind and hail storms; they separate at this point and follow
the creeks and low lands, the town getting none, or at least a small part of the tempest. Never has there been
a destructive storm in the city. The nearest call it experienced was when a cyclone visited Republic county and
Irving was destroyed. No real damage was done but a few buildings were badly shaken.
The kiln that furnished the lime for building the
first houses in James-town was situated one mile east of the present site and was operated by Ed Hobson and James
Nelson; the latter a son of the Reverend Nels Nelson. The pioneer blacksmith shop in the township was established
by Andrew Jackson Belden, just south of the present townsite, on Cheyenne creek in: 1872.
JAMESTOWN
POSTOFFICE
In 1871 a postoffice was established in Grant township,
located just opposite where the "Prairie Gem School-house" now stands in district num-ber thirty-four.
The name was suggested by the late A. A. Carnahan and the new postoffice christened "Fanny," in honor
of Miss Fannie Price, a sister of Commissioner Price. Henry Nelson was the first postmaster.
Fanny (now extinct) was once the scene of considerable
traffic. It was one of the stage lines relay stations, and if the commodious stables were left standing they would
be one of the historical landmarks of that section. They were built of cotton wood timber concreted with lime (burnt
on the premises) to make them bullet proof as a protection against the Indians.
In 1873 the postoffice was removed to the house of Jacob Fulmer, two and one-half miles west of the present city
of Jamestown and was conducted there until the founding of that city.
One Charles Miller was the pioneer United States
mail carrier. Seventy-five pounds was the limit of Uncle Sam's goods to be carried.
John U. Hodgson was appointed postmaster and established a postoffice one mile east of Jamestown, which was named
Alva postoffice. When the city of Jamestown was established Fannie and Alva postoffices were discontinued.
M. M. Strain received the first appointment for
postmaster in Jamestown. A. P. S. Ansdell received the second appointment, and the office has changed with each
administration since. During the great upheaval of Populism, James S. Burton was installed as postmaster and was
succeeded by M. L. Champlin under Cleveland's first administration. J. E. Lundblade was ap-pointed during Cleveland's
second term to the presidency. J. O. Hanson, the present postmaster, was appointed under McKinley. He is a conscientious
and very efficient officer, serving- the public to the universal satisfaction of all.
Jamestown has two exceptionally fine mail routes
and application in for a third. The north route is twenty-eight miles in length and M. L. Chaplin is carrier. It
was established in October, 1900; this route is No. 1.
Route No. 2, also went into effect in 1900. It
runs in a southerly direction and is twenty-five miles in length. Charles E. Carpenter is carrier. Each route carries
from five thousand to six thousand pieces of mail per month, route No. 1 exceeding route No. 2 by a small amount.
JAMESTOWN SCHOOL
The city of Jamestown lies in district number thirty-two.
The first school building still stands and is the office of Hills lumber yard. The present school building was
erected in the spring of 1884 at a cost of about $4,000. The first corps of teachers were Ed. Hostetler (one of
the best educators Cloud county ever had,) as principal; Maggie Jones and Delia Lute, assistants. The Jamestown
schools are up to the standard. Some of the best talent in the county have been employed there; among them the
most prominent perhaps are A. B. Carney, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Tarbox, John B. Wood and their present instructor,
P. M. Bushong. The well arranged course of study as prepared for the grades of the city schools used all over the
state is taken advantage of by many young men and women of superior endowments in the thriving little city of Jamestown;
whose educational advantages are many times superior to many of the graded schools in the much larger towns of
the eastern states.
FIRST NEWSPAPER
The first newspaper of Jamestown was "Gospel
Leaves," a scientific and local paper issued one and one-half years, beginning with October, 1880. It was
a quarto, eight page, fourteen inch column sheet, published monthly and edited by Elder Jame£ H. Lathrop
at his home near the Saron Baptist Church. Although its editor resided several miles in the country the paper was
considered a Jamestown issue, was mailed to its numerous subscribers through the Jamestown postoffice, contained
local data, "write-ups" of the town, personals, ads. of business men, etc.
Gospel Leaves was an earnest advocate of temperance reform, hygiene, and clean literature, and denounced all the
evils and abominations which affect mankind. The paper had a circulation of about three hundred, reaching over
the several counties where Elder Lathrop's services as minister extended.
The Jamestown Optimist, the present paper, after
various changes, has fallen into the hands of J. B. Kimmal.
SALT MARSH
Surrounding six salt springs is the great salt
marsh in Grant township, which attracted much attention in the early settlement of the county, as it was expected
extended manufactories would be established there and much speculation was indulged in regarding it.
The marsh covers an area of about four hundred
acres of land. During the spring time and in wet seasons a lake is formed, but in dry weather the surface is incrusted
to a depth of three-eighths of an inch with salt. To test the quality, a well was sunk to the depth of fifty feet,
from which a vein of salt water flowed. The strength of the surface brine reaches one hundred and thirty to one
hundred and seventy-five gallons to the bushel of salt. It is said to have been found by scientific analysis, the
salt produced by the evapor-ation of these brines is a purer article than most of the brines from which our principal
supplies of this product are obtained. The well dug by the gov-ernment continues to flow. It is situated on the
farm of C. N. Baldwin.
SOME OLD SETTLERS
A record of the Jamestown community would be incomplete
without mention of some of the old settlers who were known personally or whose characteristics have been handed
clown through a line of years by some cir-cumstance or peculiarity.
Lewis Kiggins was one of the first settlers of
the township and was distinguished for his prowess as a huntsman. To him belongs the honor of killing the last
two buffalo in Cloud county. The Clemmons farm was their original homestead. There were two grown sons in his family,
James and John, the latter was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal faith and lived in the neighborhood about
ten years.
Mr. Johnson was universally known by his sobriquet
"Coffee Pot" John-son, which he earned in the following manner: Not yet having established a home on
the frontier he was camping on the banks of Buffalo creek. He was preparing his morning meal, and while his coffee
was brewing over the fire the frontiersman was probably pondering the situation over in his mind or perchance saw
in the glow of the bright red coals visions of his new and uncultivated possessions, transformed into an ideal
home. While thus wrapped in thought his day dreams and the mute stillness of the atmosphere were disturbed by the
cracking of the bushes nearby, and upon looking in the direction from whence the sound came was suddenly confronted
by the painted countenances of two stalwart, broad-shouldered Indians, whose first expression upon seeing and smelling
the fragrant breakfast was "Coffee, coffee."
They seized the pot, drank what they wanted, poured
the rest on the fire and crushed the utensil under their feet. Mr. Johnson, it is needless to say, was somewhat
frightened, and hastily left them in camp, feeling they had granted him an unusual privilege in not detaining him
or depriving him of his scalp. He went down Buffalo creek and over to Lake Sibley, where in broken English the
Swedish settler told his experiences which won for him the name of ''Coffee Pot" Johnson.
Mr. Johnson later met with a sad and untimely death.
He was an in offensive man, and although he traveled all over the country, he never carried weapons. He was of
Swedish birth and had learned the shoemaker's trade in the old country. He was a bachelor and lived on his homestead
about eight years ere he married. After a happy wedded life of a few years his wife, who was a Danish woman, died,
leaving two sons who survive their parents and live on the farm. Mr. Johnson continued to live on the homestead
with his two little sons, who were too young at that time to attend to the duties of the farm. Mr. Johnson's health
became impaired and he found it necessary to rent his land. Trouble arose between himself and the renters over
a division of the crop. Although small of stature he tried to prevent the two men from entering the granary. They
overpowered, struck and kicked him several times. One of his little sons ran to a neighbor, saying they were ''killing
his father." When friends came to his rescue the assailants had fled. Mr. Johnson was tenderly cared for but
his wounds proved fatal and he died a few hours later. These men were charged and prosecuted for the crime, but
evidence was brought to bear that Mr. Johnson was in the last stages of consumption and would have died anyway.
Their claim was that Mr. Johnson assaulted them and they acted in self-defense. Mr. Johnson was conscious and related
the details of the affair. His assailants were cleared of the serious charges preferred against them.
HISTORY OF THE JAMESTOWN
BANKS
N. V. Brown organized a bank in Jamestown in 1885,
in the building now occupied by F. E. Lane as a real estate office. It was under the manage-ment of Frank Kellogg,
who was subsequently succeeded by Ed Hostetler. This bank went into liquidation during the panic of 1892. About
the same time Frank Kellogg, and the Everests, of Atchinson, started a bank which went under during the financial
crisis of 1893, but paid off its depositors.
THE JAMESTOWN STATE
BANK
The Jamestown State Bank began business May 7,
1898, with a paid up capital of five thousand dollars. At the present writing it has a surplus and undivided profits
of three thousand dollars. Its directors are John Kelly, M. E. Kelly, Ed. Pratt and John E. Lundblade, of Jamestown
and J. C. Postlethwaite, of Jewell City. Its officers are J. C. Postlethwaite, president; John E. Lundblade. vice-president;
John Kelly, cashier; and John Pratt, assistant cashier.
Although a comparatively new banking firm it is
on solid footing and the Jamestown people are justly proud of this institution. The bank is located in a building
erected and especially designed for banking purposes by Kellogg and Everest at a cost of seven thousand two hundred
dollars; a two-story brick building with modern fixtures that would do credit to a city much larger than Jamestown,
and far ahead of the town or magnitude of the banking business.
The Jamestown bank is, under the management of
John Kelly, who is also the principal stock holder. Its deposits at the present time (July 1902) are fifty-six
thousand dollars.
PROMINENT WOMEN TAKE
CHARGE OF JAMESTOWN'S CITY GOVERNMENT
The attempt to put down the whiskey traffic had
proven unsuccessful, and the idea originated among the citizens of Jamestown to elect women to the offices of mayor
and council. A suggestion was made half in jest and half in earnest by F. A. Lane, that the ladies be allowed the
management of the city's affairs. Mr. Bradley heard the proposition, repeated it to his wife and from this the
movement was created. The action seemed to meet with the approval of the people and was opposed by but few individuals.
Like most other places, Jamestown was divided into
two factions; the "wet" and the "dry," and while the temperance ticket had usually been elected,
the law has not always been enforced. The male population considered the advisability of turning the administration
over to the women, believing their influence might be more potent in its effects. During this year there was a
strong temperance movement all over the state and the jointists were made to realize "the way of the transgressor
is hard."
Mrs. Anna M. Strain was nominated mayor, Mrs. Mary
E. McCall, Mrs. Jane E. Hartwell, Mrs. Lavina Wilcox, Mrs. Jennie Gould and Mrs. A. L Isbell received the nomination
for board of council. When the matter was first suggested to Mrs. Strain and she was asked to accept the nomination,
she hesitated at the responsibility it would incur, as did her co-workers, but she and three of the members of
the proposed council, Mrs. McCall, Mrs. Hartwell and 'Mrs. Wilcox, were Womens Christian Temperance Union workers;
while all were advocates of the prohibitory law. The ticket won by a large majority. Miss Mamie Hartwell was elected
city clerk by a large vote but did not qualify, and Baird Gould, the retiring clerk was re-appointed. F. E. Lane
was elected police judge. The first move of the mayor and her council was to besiege the joints with requests to
close and thus avoid further trouble. But such a form of government was entirely too mild and their admonitions
were not heeded. Their second move was to secure affidavits and put them in the hands of the county attorney. As
a third they investigated the injunction plan of closing. As a last resort they petitioned the grand jury and had
this body
John E. Lundblade. vice-president; John Kelly,
cashier; and John Pratt, assistant cashier.
Although a comparatively new banking firm it is
on solid footing and the Jamestown people are justly proud of this institution. The bank is located in a building
erected and especially designed for banking purposes by Kellogg and Everest at a cost of seven thousand two hundred
dollars; a two-story brick building with modern fixtures that would do credit to a city much larger than Jamestown,
and far ahead of the town or magnitude of the banking business.
The Jamestown bank is, under the management of
John Kelly, who is also the principal stock holder. Its deposits at the present time (July 1902) are fifty-six
thousand dollars.
PROMINENT WOMEN
TAKE CHARGE OF JAMESTOWN'S CITY GOVERNMENT
The attempt to put down the whiskey traffic had
proven unsuccessful, and the idea originated among the citizens of Jamestown to elect women to the offices of mayor
and council. A suggestion was made half in jest and half in earnest by F. A. Lane, that the ladies be allowed the
management of the city's affairs. Mr. Bradley heard the proposition, repeated it to his wife and from this the
movement was created. The action seemed to meet with the approval of the people and was opposed by but few individuals.
Like most other places, Jamestown was divided into
two factions; the "wet" and the "dry," and while the temperance ticket had usually been elected,
the law has not always been enforced. The male population considered the advisability of turning the administration
over to the women, believing their influence might be more potent in its effects. During this year there was a
strong temperance movement all over the state and the jointists were made to realize "the way of the transgressor
is hard."
Mrs. Anna M. Strain was nominated mayor, Mrs. Mary
E. McCall, Mrs. Jane E. Hartwell, Mrs. Lavina Wilcox, Mrs. Jennie Gould and Mrs. A. L Isbell received the nomination
for board of council. When the matter was first suggested to Mrs. Strain and she was asked to accept the nomination,
she hesitated at the responsibility it would incur, as did her co-workers, but she and three of the members of
the proposed council, Mrs. McCall, Mrs. Hartwell and 'Mrs. Wilcox, were Womens Christian Temperance Union workers;
while all were advocates of the prohibitory law. The ticket won by a large majority. Miss Mamie Hartwell was elected
city clerk by a large vote but did not qualify, and Baird Gould, the retiring clerk was re-appointed. F. E. Lane
was elected police judge. The first move of the mayor and her council was to besiege the joints with requests to
close and thus avoid further trouble. But such a form of government was entirely too mild and their admonitions
were not heeded. Their second move was to secure affidavits and put them in the hands of the county attorney. As
a third they investigated the injunction plan of closing. As a last resort they petitioned the grand jury and had
this body found the parties guilty who were taken in charge, others would have been more easily brought to justice.
The combined call of these officials and the taxpayers of Cloud county was their last hope. The cases were called
before this body, but either the law was lame or evidence incomplete.
A petition was circulated, submitted to the grand
jury and a search instituted for good witnesses to appear against them. One of the two jointists withdrew on account
of popular opinion and through the assistance of the man who owned the building he was "ousted/' The other
man, Lewis, was brought up in court at various times. The male members of the city officers were a drawback to
the administration as they did not act in unison with the mayor and council. Soon after the election a raid was
instituted and her honor, the mayor and her assistants were accused of the attack; but they emphatically pleaded
"Not guilty."
The board did not favor licensing the saloons and
consequently refused to accept their fines. All sorts of reports were circulated regarding James-town's board of
city officers and the press, at home and abroad, were rife with comments for and against. For the purpose of creating
a sensation some person (supposed on good grounds to be a citizen of their town) reported law and order were running
rife; gambling devices free for all, etc.
Through this medium many erroneous statements gained
circulation. Exaggerated articles were published concerning their administration of the city's affairs; many of
them entirely devoid of truth. Their every movement was criticized. Mrs. Strain answered many personal letters
and also replied to newspaper articles and the Associated Press.
The Chicago Tribune of June n, 1897, said in substance:
A unique moral crusade has been instituted in Jamestown, Kansas, by allegedly downtrodden men. By a political freak
at the last election the town was given over to the women and it is claimed the result is disastrous. Saloons are
said to be running wide open, game chickens permitted to demonstrate their prowess in the most brazen fashion,
and even quiet games of the national paste-board variety have found safe harborage; an affair in which the whole
nation seems interested. They further promised for their town, if governed by women it would be a veritable garden
spot of purity and municipal decorum. They then question if the officials themselves have found the rustling struggle
of roosters a legitimate source of enjoyment, and it must be imagined afternoon teas have given away before the
seductive inroads of "draw." The writer then followed with the concession that the rumor must be a plot
created through the conspiracy of base men; a plot to undermine their gentle reign was being insidiously hatched.
This article was followed by a personal letter
from the Tribune editor-in-chief to Mrs. Strain, making inquiry as to the truthfulness of the article. Another
published in the Daily Drover's Telegram stated the town was running "wide open," and that the men were
calling out for reform; that their reign was decried, etc. Others said women were better law makers in theory than
in practice.
Mrs. Strain became a conspicuous figure and while
those scathing arti-cles were sent broadcast over the land she received much encouragement. She was the recipient
of a personal letter from the preceptress of a university in Berlin, Germany, and many considerations from other
parts of the world, asking in most instances if the current reports were true. She was besieged upon every hand
for an expression of her experiences as mayor; a distinction accorded but few ladies and none, prior to her reign.
At the urgent request of the citizens of Sterling, Kansas, where she was attending the United Presbyterian synodical
meeting which convened in that city, Mrs. Strain addressed a large audience. These officials did not seek control
of the city government, neither did they have smooth sailing, but their administration resulted in much good and
their reign was fully as deserving of praise as any of their predecessors.
Among other things accomplished was the improvement
and beautify-ing of the Jamestown cemetery and in their city, new stone street crossings were laid; and be it said
to the credit of these ladies were not paid for with "blood" money. The board of council was constituted
from the best material in their town. Mrs. Strain is an intellectual and cultured woman, competent of assuming
grave issues. The author inquired of one of the board of councilwomen, if she considered their reign a successful
one, to which the ex-official archy responded: "I guess not; they didn't re-elect us."
METHODIST EPISCOPAL
CHURCH OF JAMESTOWN, KANSAS
The Methodist Episcopal congregation at Jamestown
was organized by the Reverend VV. S. Morrison in the spring of 1880. W. H. Robinson received the first appointment
as class leader. Reverend Morrison served the first charge from March, 1880, to March, 1881. Reverend A. Ball was
appointed in March, 1881, and served until March, 1884. In the first year of his pastorate the present church building
was erected and dedicated.
There are three outside points included in the
Jamestown work: "Prairie Gem" school house, four miles northwest, Macyville, ten miles southeast, and
Scottsville, nine miles southwest of Jamestown. A conservative estimate of the cash value of the church is about
one thousand five hundred dollars, writh a parsonage adjoining.
The enrollment on the church books is eighty-two
full members and four probationers. The following ministers have been in charge beside the first two named: B.
F. Hewlett, S. A. Green, J. C. Walker, G. H. Cheney, James Flowers, W. E. Jenkins, W. B. Eley, William D. Vandevost,
C. E. True-blood, H. A. Manker, F. D. Funk and F. A. Colwell, who is the present pastor.
The parsonage was built during the pastorate of
Reverend B. F. Hewlett, in 1884. During Reverend F. D. Funk's pastorate it was remodeled, reconstructed and three
rooms added.
The first Sunday school in Grant township was organized
in June, 1871, with Peter Jones superintendent, C. I. Gould, secretary and treasurer. It was organized as a union
Sunday school, held in a dugout and was largely attended; people coming seven and eight miles. During the first
summer the attendance was from forty to sixty. The first Methodist Episcopal class was organized the following
winter by Reverend Rose, a circuit rider preacher.
During the spring of 1872, their first meeting
was held in May, at West Hope, in Mitchell county, eight miles west of the present Jamestown. The congregation
struggled on holding meetings in dugouts, vacant cabins, school houses and halls until 1881, when the present house
was completed under the pastoral care of John A. Ball.
The church is a frame building with a seating capacity
for about two hundred and twenty-five people. The church is self-supporting and is in good financial condition.
They expect soon to remodel and reconstruct the church, enlarge the seating capacity, build a tower on the corner
and various other improvements.
C. I. Gould is now on his second year as superintendent
of the Sunday school. His enrollment is one hundred and thirty, with an average attendance of about one hundred;
an Ppworth League with Junior department, C. E. Carpenter, president. Both are in fine condition. Clara Vogue is
president of the Junior League. There is in connection a Ladies' Busy Bee society, with Mrs. Fink, president, Mrs.
Annie Ansdell, vice-president, Mrs. Carroll, secretary, Mrs. Col well, treasurer, and are doing good work.
CHURCH OF CHRIST
OF JAMESTOWN
September 6, 1881, a charter was taken out for
the organization of the Church of Christ of Jamestown with the following members: William Spahr, Luther Bradley,
Daniel French, Robert Barton and William French (the two latter are still residents of Cloud county), the corporation
to be sustained by voluntary subscription.
The following year a church edifice was erected,
a frame building with a seating capacity of about two hundred. The congregation is small and the church is not
able to maintain a regular minister. At one time it was one of the strongest denominations in the city. Elder Beaver,
of Glasco, ministers to the congregation twice a month and has many friends and admirers among the people of Jamestown.
FIRST
UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF JAMESTOWN, KANSAS
During the latter part of 1882 or early in 1883,
Reverend J. P. Finey began preaching irregularly for the United Presbyterians, who had secured homes in and around
Jamestown. Even before this time Reverend Patterson, then pastor of the "Concordia Congregation." seven
miles north of the city of Concordia, had preached a number of times in a school house five or six miles northeast
of Jamestown.
By order of Concordia Presbytery a meeting in charge
of Reverend J. P. Finey and the session of Concordia congregation was held at the French school house, two miles
northwest of Jamestown, on April 18, 1882, to perfect the organization. After a sermon and prayer by Reverend Finey,
fourteen persons were received by certificate from Concordia Congegation as charter members of the First United
Presbyterian church of Jamestown, Cloud county, Kansas; of these fourteen, five still remain in the church, viz:
Mrs. Mary E. McCall, Mr. Hugh L. Smith and wife and Mr. David Harnett and wife. In completing the organization,
Messrs. J. H. McCall and Hugh L. Smith were elected elders and Messers William M. McCall, J. H. Coy and David Harnett,
trustees. William M. McCall was chosen treasurer. At another meeting held in November of the same year, Mr. Smith
was ordained an elder, which completed the organization.
On the 17th of March, 1884, a meeting was held
at which a committee consisting of William M. McCall, C. I. Gould and David Harnett, were appointed to draft a
constitution. At this meeting steps were also taken to secure a building fund. An adjournment was then made until
April 7, on which date the committee on constitution reported and the report was accepted and. adopted, and an
application for charter filed. The building committee was not ready to report and was continued.
At a special meeting in the fall of 1884, to take
action regarding the building of a church, it was decided to proceed and a new committee con-sisting of C. I. Gould,
George A. McCall and David Harnett was appointed, to whom was submitted structures of various dimensions, for each
of which they were to ascertain the cost of constructing and report at next meeting; they were also instructed
to choose a suitable location for the building some-where within the limits of Jamestown.
The congregation met February 4, 1885, to hear
the report of this com-mittee and it was decided to erect a frame building 32x54 feet, which was done on a lot
donated by C. I. Gould in his addition in the north part of town.
Reverend H. T. Jackson, late of Stronghurst, Illinois,
was chosen as the first pastor soon after the organization and held services each alternate Sabbath, he being pastor
of the Concordia Congregation also. These two congregations have been united in one pastoral charge ever since,
except a short time in which Hopewell and Fairview congregations were also a part of the same charge. Reverend
Jackson was pastor about tliree years, after which the congregations were without a pastor until the summer of
1891, when Reverend J. P. Stevenson accepted a call and took up the work.
During this long interim a number of ministers
were sent to supply the pulpit. Among them were Reverends Wellington Wright, Thomas McCague, D. D., J. G Torrence,
R. G. Campbell, J. M, Henderson, W. A. Monks, - McKnight, William Murchie, M. M. Milford and R. L. Wilson. Reverend
Monks continued in charge of the work for almost three years. The time each supply remained on the field varies
in length and one or two of them were there at different times. Reverends Murchie, Wilson and Milford were each
theological students at the time they were in charge of the congregations and remained only during the summer vacation.
Reverend Stevenson was very successful during his
pastorate of nearly three years and was highly esteemed by the people of Jamestown and Concordia congregations,
and it was only at his earnest solicitation on account of failing health that the congregations agreed to release
him. He was released by the Concordia Presbytery at its meeting in Hopewell in April, 1902, and Reverend H. A.
Kelsey, a student of the Xenia Theological Seminary, Xenia, Ohio, was appointed to supply for the summer. His appointment
terminates September 14, 1902.
The probability of Mr. Kelsey not returning is a source of regret to his congregations as he is a young man of
exceptionally fine talents. His sermons are clear, forceful and replete with soulful thought.
THE POMEROY
LIBRARY
Following is a brief history of the pride of Jamestown,
an institution in which the city takes a great deal of interest:
September 8, 1898, eleven of Jamestown's fair women
convened at the home of Mrs. Amelia Hartwell for the purpose of organizing a club for promoting study and mutual
benefit. An organization was effected and the following officers were installed: Mrs. Mary E. Kelly, president;
Miss Alice Fitzgerald, vice-president; Mrs. Annie M. Strain, secretary and treasurer; Mrs. Brotchie, historian.
At a subsequent meeting the name "Current Literature and History Club" was unanimously adopted. In December
the motto "Know Thy Opportunities" and the club colors, lavender and white, were chosen. Desirous of
advancing the best interests of their people the ladies decided no one thing would tend more to promote good or
be a more lasting monument in this direction than a public library. Accordingly by an assessment of twenty-five
cents per member, a traveling library of fifty volumes was secured from the state secretary for six months use.
The front room over the bank was offered, rent free by F. A. Lane.
The members alternately taking charge kept the
library quarters open Saturday afternoons. Early in November, 1899, a social was held and out of the proceeds Munsey's,
McClure s and the Cosmopolitan magazines were subscribed for. Many contributions were made by friends of the enterprise
and other entertainments instituted for the purpose of securing funds, hence in May, 1899, tHey received their
first order of books, which numbered forty, and the traveling library was returned. It was decided a room on the
ground floor would be more convenient and the club consequently accepted Doctor Hartwell's proffered room rent
free, and the library was removed to the building south of the drug store, where it remained until their present
quarters were ready for use.
At the beginning of the second year, September
28, 1899, through the gift of numerous citizens and members of the club, along with an accumulated fund, about
seventy-five books and two hundred magazines had been collected. With these results the ladies felt encouraged
to persevere in their cherished plan of establishing a free library and reading room. Through the solicitation
of Miss Alice Fitzgerald, James Pomeroy, the founder of Jamestown, contributed one hundred dollars to the enterprise
in December, 1899. This sum was used as a nucleus for a building fund. Subscriptions were then solicited from citizens
of Jamestown and adjacent territory, and people were liberal with their donations of both labor and finances. Wholesale
firms with whom the various merchants dealt were also generous in their assistance, giving in cash and articles
to be sold and the proceeds applied- a total of three hundred and fifty dollars.
"In April, 1900, the club incorporated under
the name of "Current Literature and History Club" and on May 19, the instrument was signed by the following
charter members: Mary E. Kelly, Ellen L. Nelson, Agnes Fitzgerald, Lizzie Fitzgerald, Annie M. Strain, Stella Lane
and Ellen H. Patton.
Like most enterprises this commendable undertaking had its ripples. Shortly after the plans were well matured three
of the club's members withdrew, leaving the burden to rest on fewer shoulders, but they assumed the responsibilities
with increased zeal, and their efforts have not retrograded, but continued to thrive. Many who in the early stages
of its career prophesied that, like Fulton's steamboat project, "it would not move" gradually came with
helping hands to further a cause that was bound to succeed. Various societies and organizations in the town have
aided materially in support of the establishment that was growing in popularity daily, and the people generally
were awakened to the elevating and moulding influence it would weild for the good of society.
The society holds its meetings weekly in the club
room of the building and new members have been received. The building is a one-story, two-room structure-library
and reading room and a club room-which are so arranged that they may be all thrown together, making an audience
room with a seating capacity of over two hundred. Lectures and various social functions are held here, the library
building being the largest audience room in the city, outside the churches.
THE HESSIAN FLY
The following article regarding the Hessian fly
and the Chinch bug is clipped from a Deering implement phamplet and will be of more than ordinary interest to wheat
growers.
The Hessian fly is a fragile, dark-colored gnat
or midge about one-eighth of an inch long, resembling closely a small misquito. Its operations extend to the entire
wheat belt. It also exists in the form of a footless maggot or in what is determined the flax-seed state, appearing
more or less hidden in the base of young wheat plants and other grains.
The Hessian fly is a wheat insect, but also breeds
in rye and barley. There are two principle broods, viz.: A spring brood and a fall brood. There are, however supplemental
broods in the spring and fall, especially in the southern wheat areas, but very often in the extreme northern areas
there may be but a single annual brood, the progeny of the spring brood sometimes not progressing further than
the flax-seed state, and so passing the late summer and winter. It is possible, however, that in the northern region
an autumn brood may develop in volunteer spring wheat. There are four distinct stages in each generation of the
Hession fly: the egg, the maggot or larva, the pupa or flax-seed and the mature winged insect. The eggs are very
minute, being usually deposited on the upper surface of the leaf in rows of three to five or more. In the occurrence
of the spring brood, the eggs are often deposited beneath the sheath of the leaves on the lower joints. Whitish
maggots are hatched from the eggs in from three to five days and these crawl down the leaf to the base of the sheath
and embed themselves between the sheath and the stem, taking the nutriment from the wheat and causing a distortion
or enlargement of the point of attack. The fall brood works in young wheat very near or at the surface of the ground.
The spring brood develops in the lower joints of the wheat close enough to the ground to escape the harvester.
The insect of the spring brood remains in the flax-seed state during mid-summer, yielding the perfect insect for
the most part in September. The latter phase of the insect's development into the adult fly is of particular importance
because it presents the means of preventing loss by sowing late enough in the fall to avoid infestation. The latest
date at which sowing may be attempted with safety will vary with the latitude and even the altitude of a place.
The first indication, in the fall, of the insects presence in the wheat manifests itself in a much darker color
of the leaves and a tendency to stool out rather freely. This gives the plants a rather healthy appearance, but
later those infested turn yellow and die in part or completely.
The best preventative is late sowing. This method
seems to be the most effective. Burning the stubble of an infested field, or turning it under by deep plowing has
each its advantage. As above set forth, the second or fall brood secrets itself in the lower joints of the wheat
and it is in the flax-seed state at harvest time. This brood may be completely destroyed by promptly burning the
stubble. Plowing a field, turning under the stubble, and afterward rolling it, has also proved efficacious in burying
the pest beyond resurrection.
CHINCH BUG
The Chinch bug seems to flourish in seasons of
drought, when its per-nicious raids are more apparent and far reaching. The whole wheat belt is the scene of its
operations. Wet weather is fatal to it and has often wrought its complete destruction. As these natural conditions
are ungovernable, it is best to revert to such methods as are practical for allaying if not preventing loss from
the scourge.
The Chinch bug is a native of this country, formerly
confining its operations to wild grasses in whose stools it still hibernates. Where there are no wild grasses near,
it is known to hibernate beneath such rubbish as straw, matted grass, hedgerows of leaves, and the like. It is
especially harmful to wheat.
The following table compiled by a United States
government entomolo-gist after a careful study made in Kansas, is a clear exposition of the life cycle of the insect.
These dates given hold for the middle region; northward there will be a retardation, southward an acceleration.
April 10-20, spring flight from hibernating quarters
in the grass stools to wheat fields.
April 20-30, in coitu about the roots of wheat.
May 1-31, deposition of eggs on wheat beneath the
surface of the soil, with young hatching from May 15 to June 15.
July 1-15, maturing of the first brood, followed
immediately, by the midsummer flight, if a migration of immature and adult forms has not been previously occasioned
by the harvesting of grain or the local failure of the food supply.
July 15-30, union of the sexes and deposition of
eggs in the soil about late corn and millet, the young of this brood appearing in maximum numbers about August
5th.
August 10 to September 10, maturing of the second
brood and partial flight of same to late corn or other green crops if in fields of corn already mature and dying.
September 15 to October 15, autumnal flight to
grass lands and conceal-ment in the grass stools for hibernation.
The most important preventative for practical control
of the Chinch bug is to burn over and clean up all waste lands where these insects might congregate, also to burn
grass lands, especially those growing wild grass which may have the stooling habit. This should be done in the
fall, in order to expose the Chinch bugs that might escape the flames to the unfavorable action of the cold frost
of winter. All rubbish in fence corners and hedge-rows should be raked out and burned, removing every possible
place of refuge where the bugs might hibernate.
THE CHURCH OF
SARON
The church of Saron is located about three miles
northeast of James-town. It is a Danish Baptist church which was organized July 30, 1871, with the following members:
Reverend Nels Nelson, Sr., and wife, Nels Nelson, Jr., and wife, Christine Nelson, John O. Hanson and wife, Caroline
Hanson, Peter C. Nelson and wife, Catherine Nelson and daughter, Trine Nelson, Jonas Goodman and Sophia Jensen.
The organization was incorporated in 1872. Its
first pastor was Reverend Nels Nelson, Sr., and its first clerk John O. Hanson, with Nels Nelson, Jr., treasurer.
The first trustees were Nels Nelson, Jr., John O. Hanson and Peter Shott.
Before the building of the church edifice the meetings
were held altern-ately at the homes of the various members and in spite of hard times, drouth and grasshoppers
they set to work to get a church built and through the kind-ness of Mr. N. M. French, they were donated one acre
of ground for church and cemetery purposes, and at once got out rock from the hills and commenced the building.
October 14, 1877, this little church building was
dedicated without any debt hanging over it, much to the satisfaction of its congregation and from that day have
had regular services. Services are conducted in English and Danish, alternately twice a month by the Reverend G.
B. Peterson, who has served the church for many years regardless of compensation.
To the zeal and determination of Nels Nelson, Sr.,
much credit is due for the accomplishing of this work, the erection of the church building, which is the only one
of this denomination in the county. They have a Sabbath school and also young people's meeting. The cemetery in
its bosom holds its first beloved pastor, Nels Nelson, as well as a good many of its first workers who helped to
make the barren prairie blossom like a garden, where the buffalo and coyote roamed at will.
In the thirty years of its existence the following
pastors have served: Reverends Nels Nelson, Sr., Laust Jacobson, A. Sorenson, Christ Lund and G. B. Peterson.
