ROBERT MERCER ARMSTRONG
Robert Mercer Armstrong, pioneer Kansan, was born
in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, October 3,1 841, son of Thomas and Mary Armstrong. His death occurred at Council
Grove, March 24, 1932. He attended common schools until he was sixteen and for three years was a student in select
school, preparatory to teaching.
At the age of twenty-four Robert Mercer Armstrong came to Kansas. After a railroad and steamboat trip he took the
stage to finish his journey to Council Grove. On December 7, 1871, he was married to Mollie Strieby, whose brother
he had met on the stagecoach west. Uncle Mess and Aunt Mollie, as they were known, were prominent in social, civic,
and religious life. Although no children were born to them, they made homes for several orphans. Mrs. Armstrong
died on February 14, 1910 and from that time Mr. Armstrong's home was kept by Hughes Strieby, son of Mr. and Mrs.
S. M. Strieby, who was reared by Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong.
Mr. Armstrong clerked for Reuben Case, the Aiken Brothers, Ledrick and Robins and was a partner in the hardware
business with the Reverend Joab Spencer. For many years he was associated with W. F. Shamleffer, his closest friend
for almost sixty years. For more than twenty-five years he was a member of the firm of M. C. Armstrong in partnership
with his sister-in-law, Mrs. Clara Hughes
A Republican, he was active politically in his youth. He served as town treasurer 25 years; clerk of the district
court 12 years, postmaster 14 years and assistant postmaster two years. In 1918 he was elected city clerk and in
August of that year was appointed a member of the library board.
Mr. Armstrong joined the Odd Fellows Lodge on August 7, 1869, and held various offices both in lodge and encampment.
He was one of ten charter members of the Presbyterian Church, and in that church occupied every office. From 1885
until his death he was secretary and treasurer of the Sunday School.
A staunch supporter of all moral and spiritual projects, Mr. Armstrong bore the brunt of many battles in the interest
of his friends and his community. For sixty-seven years, through struggles and vicissitudes, Council Grove was
his first consideration. His death is deeply mourned by all who knew him. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin
& Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 42)
ATKINSON, FRANK WILSON
Frank Wilson Atkinson, banker and cattleman, was
born at Latimer, Kansas, May 23, 1889, son of William and Clara Matilda (Reeves) Atkinson. His father, a farmer
and cattleman, was born at Lexington, Missouri, February 5, 1857. His mother was born at Albany, Ohio, November
16, 1865.
Educated in public school, Mr. Atkinson attended Bethany College at Lindsborg, and Salina Business College. He
is now president of the Kansas Livestock Association, and the Farmers State Bank of Burdick, and a member of the
national meat board.
On July 25, 1921, he was married to Emily Jane Harrison at Densmore. She was born there June 25, 1898. Mr. Atkinson
is a Republican, and Elk and a Mason. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Chamber of Commerce,
the Order of Eastern Star, the Herrington Country Club, and the Kansas City Club of Kansas City, Missouri. Residence:
Burdick. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 47)
ATKINSON, WILLIAM
William Atkinson, farmer and banker, was born at
Lexington, Missouri, February 5, 1858, son of Stephen H. and Elizabeth (Young) Atkinson. His father was born at
Marietta, Ohio, and died at Latimer, Kansas. The mother, a native of Pennsylvania, died in Morris County, Kansas.
On March 27, 1886, Mr. Atkinson was married to Clara M. Reaves at Parkersville, Kansas. She was born at Athens,
Ohio, December 16, 1869. To them the following children were born: Edna Frances, Frank. Agnes, Margaret, William,
Charles and Vivian.
Mr. Atkinson is a Republican. He is a Mason and a member of the Baptist Church. His hobby is raising livestock.
Residence: Burdick. (Illustriana Kansas, by Sara Mullin Baldwin & Robert Morton Baldwin, 1933, page 48)
COLUMBIA, CHRISTOPHER
Christopher Columbia, of Morris County, was born
January 8, 1821, in Athens County, Ohio, the oldest of eight children. When a boy his parents moved to Fort Wayne,
Ind., and a portion of that city is now located on the farm where the subject of this sketch lived. He cross the
plains in 1849 or 1850, returning by way of the Isthmus. He removed to Kansas with his family in 1852, becoming
a licensed trader to the Kansas Indians, settling in what became Breckinridge (now Lyon) county, at the crossing
of Rock creek, near the town of Dunlap. He was a blacksmith and farmer. He was elected to the legislature of 1857
over a very strong pro-slavery man. He died November 16, 1861, and was buried in the old graveyard near the mission
building. His remains were afterwards removed to the city cemetery. He obtained the title of captain from the party
with whom he crossed the plains. His widow remained in Council Grove until his four boys were grown men, when she
moved with one of them to Chetopa, where she died a few years ago . (Transactions of the Kansas State Historical
Society 1907-1908, Vol. X, edited by Geo. W. Martin, Secretary, State Printing Office, Topeka, 1908, page 209)
NICHOLSON, MALCOLM BEATON
Malcolm Beaton Nicholson, ex-judge of the Eighth judicial district and one of the best known lawyers of Central
Kansas, was born at Skye Glenn, Inverness county, in the British province of Nova Scotia, June 15, 1844. His parents,
John and Ann (Beaton) Nicholson, were natives of the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Judge Nicholson received his early
schooling in the academy of his native town, after which he attended Dalhousie College, at Halifax, Nova Scotia,
and graduated at the Westminster College, Fulton, Mo., as a member of the class of 1869. He then read law with
J. D. Campbell and J. P. Lewis of Rockport, Mo., and, in 1870, was admitted to the bar. About the same time he
was elected superintendent of schools in Atchison county, Missouri, on the Democratic ticket, and at the expiration
of his term, in 1872, removed to Council Grove, Morris county, Kansas, where he began the practice of his profession,
and there he still resides. In 1876 he was elected county attorney of Morris county, which office he filled with
such signal ability that, in 1883, he was elected judge of the Eighth district, and at the close of his first term
was reelected, in 1887, and on conclusion of his service, in January, 1892, engaged in private prac-tice. Judge
Nicholson was appointed by Governor Morrill a member of the board of managers of the state reformatory, at Hutchinson,
and was one of the organizers of that institution. He selected the first inmates of the reformatory from a group
of some thirty boys in the penitentiary, at Lansing, soon after which he resigned his place on the board. As an
attorney Judge Nicholson has a high standing and commands the respect and confidence of bench, bar and public.
He has been admitted to practice in all courts of the United States, including the supreme court. Among his clients
are the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the Missouri Pacific Railroad Companies, the Farmers' & Drovers'
Bank of Council Grove, and the First National Bank of White City. His early legal training, supplemented by his
long experience on the bench, qualifies him for the practice of all branches of the law, and to these qualifications
might be added the fact that he makes thorough preparation of each case before it is brought to trial, so that
he is never to be taken unawares by some crafty opponent. His success is evidenced by the long list of legal contests
in which he has come out victor. He has never ceased to take an interest in political affairs and was three times
nominated for justice of the Kansas supreme court by his party, though he cannot be classed as a professional office-seeker,
his interest being merely that which should be manifested by every patriotic American citizen, and his nominations
came to him unsolicited. In Masonic circles he is a familiar and prominent figure, being a member of Council Grove
Lodge, No. 36; Royal Arch Chapter, No. 60; and Knights Templars Commandery, No. 32, all at Council Grove; and of
Wichita Consistory, No. 2, Scottish Rite Masons. He is also affiliated with Isis Temple Shrine at Salina, and of
Salina Lodge, No. 718, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
On June 8, 1871, Judge Nicholson married Miss Albertine, daughter of Dr. J. Y. Bird of Rockport, Mo., and of this
union have been born the following children: John Bird, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, now in California;
Josephine, wife of Ernest D. Scott, assistant cashier of the Farmers' & Drovers' Bank of Council Grove; Winifred,
at home with her parents; Sarah Ione, wife of George G. Stuart of Salina, Kan.; and Malcolm E., who completed a
course at the Kansas State Agricultural College in 1903. (Kansas Biography, Vol. III, Part 2, Pages 805-806, Transcribed
by Millie Mowry)
WHITING, RICHARD H.
Richard H. Whiting. To have accomplished so notable
a work as did the late Major Whiting, in connection with the early development of Morris county, Kansas, would
prove sufficient to give precedence and reputation to any man, were this to represent the sum total of his efforts;
but Major Whiting was a man of broad mental ken, strong initiative and distinct individuality, who left not only
a lasting impression on the early life of Morris county, but also was a most potent, though unostentatious factor
in the commercial, social and public life of Illinois, where he took up his residence in 1841.
Richard H. Whiting was born in West Hartford, Conn., Jan. 17, 1826, a son of Allen and Elvira Amanda (Alford) Whiting.
He received his education in the schools of his native city and, in 1841, when sixteen years of age, immigrated
to Illinois, locating at Altona, where he secured employment as clerk, subsequently becoming the owner of a prosperous
mercantile business in Victoria, Knox county. In the early '50s he removed to Galesburg and founded the gas works
there, as well as in Aurora, and owned them until his death. In the early days of the Civil war he was commissioned
an army paymaster by President Lincoln, with the rank of major, and on the conclusion of the struggle was appointed
assessor of internal revenue at Galesburg, Ill., but on the abolition of that office in 1869, he was appointed
collector of internal revenue by President Grant, to succeed Hon. J. J. Henderson, with office in Peoria. In 1814
he resigned this office and was elected to Congress from the Fifth Illinois district, serving one term with honor
and distinction, but refusing to become a candidate for renomination. From its organization he was an active and
influential member of the Republican party and served as a delegate to two national conventions, in 1880 being
one of the "306 immortals" who received bronze medals as souvenirs of their gallant fight in the interest
of ex-President Grant, who for many years was a close friend of Major Whiting.
In 1866 Major Whiting made his first trip to Kansas, where he purchased his first land, and during the succeeding
five years accumulated holdings of 8,100 acres, situated in different parts of Morris county. He expended large
sums in improvements and stocked his ranches with the best horses, mules, cattle and hogs, and was justly accredited
one of the most progressive ranch owners of Kansas. These properties were bought with the view of placing his children
in the new and growing West, and his sons, Charles R. and Thomas Wilbert, were given leases and the active supervision
of the properties. He was from an early day interested in the Morris County State Bank, and on the organization
of the Farmers' & Drovers' Bank of Council Grove, became its largest individual stockholder, and placed his
son-in-law, John Farnham, as assistant cashier and director. His sons, Charles R. and Thomas Wilbert, are now directors
and large stockholders in the institution. He was one of the most potent factors in the development of Morris county,
and from 1876 until 1887 spent a large part of his time in the general supervision of his largest interests in
the county.
In the fall of 1887 Major Whiting was summoned to the bedside of his daughter, Mrs. Howard Knowles, who was ill
in New York City, and who never recovered. Grief over her death resulted in illness, from which Major Whiting died
May 24, 1888, in New York. His burial was in Springdale cemetery, Peoria, Ill.
Major Whiting married July 28, 1851, Elizabeth Hanna Kirkbride, born May 25, 1827, daughter of David M. Kirkbride,
of Woodsfield, Ohio. The widow, now a resident of Los Angeles, Cal., and the following children survive him: Charles
R., born March 17, 1854, is the owner of the Diamond Spring Ranch in Morris county, Kansas, a director in the Farmers'
& Drovers' State Bank of Council Grove, and is one of the most prominent citizens of the county; Ella, born
Jan. 22, 1858, is the widow of John Farnham and resides in New York City; Thomas Wilbert (see sketch); and Frank
K., born Aug. 14, 1867, is a resident of Los Angeles, Cal. Ida A., born May 2, 1852, the eldest child, married
the Hon. Howard K. Knowles, collector of internal revenue at Peoria, Ill., and died in New York City in 1887. Two
children died in infancy.
The following tribute to Major Whiting, from his lifelong friend, Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, who was a daily attendant
at his bedside during his last illness, has been published in full:
"The river of another life has reached the sea. Again we are in the presence of that eternal peace that we
call death. My life has been rich in friends, but I never had a better or truer one than he who lies in silence
here. He was as steadfast, as faithful as the stars. Richard H. Whiting was an absolutely honest man. His word
was gold, his promise was fulfillment, and there never has been, there never will be, on this poor earth, any thing
nobler than an honest, loving soul. This man was as reliable as the attraction of gravitation; he knew no shadow
of turning. He was as generous as autumn, as hospitable as summer, as tender as a perfect day in June. He forgot
only himself, and asked favors only for others. He begged for the opportunity to do good, to stand by a friend,
to support a cause, to defend what he believed to be right. He was a lover of nature, of the woods, the fields
and flowers. He was a home builder. He believed in the family and the fireside, the sacredness of the hearth. He
was a believer in the religion of deed, and his creed was to do good. No man has ever slept in death who nearer
lived his creed. I have known him many years, and have yet to hear a word spoken of him except in praise. His life
was full of honor, of kindness and of helpful deeds. Besides all, his soul was free. He feared nothing except to
do wrong. He was a believer in the gospel of help and hope. He knew how much better, how much more sacred, a kind
act is than any theory the brain has wrought. The good are the noble; his life filled the lives of others with
sunshine. He has left a legacy of glory to his children. They can truthfully say that within their veins is right
royal blood, the blood of an honest, generous man, of a steadfast friend, of one who was true to the very gates
of death. If there be another world, another life beyond the shore of this-if the great and good who died upon
this orb are there then the noblest and best with eager hands have welcomed him, the equal in honor, in generosity,
of any one that ever passed beyond the veil. To me this world is growing poor. New friends can never fill the place
of the old. Farewell! If this be the end, then you have left to us the memory of a noble life. If it is not the
end, there is no world in which you, my friend, will not be loved and welcomed. Farewell!" (Kansas Biography,
Vol. III, Part 2, Pages 880-882, Transcribed as written by Millie Mowry) (A picture of R. H. Whiting, may be obtained
by contacting the contributor at Rock2Plate@aol.com).
WHITING, THOMAS WILBERT
Thomas Wilbert Whiting. As a representative citizen
of Morris county, one who for the past thirty years has been actively identified with its growth and development,
Mr. Whiting merits distinctive recog-nition in this publication. Progressive and energetic in the management of
his varied interests, loyal and public spirited as a citizen, he holds a secure position in the confidence and
esteem of the community and is contributing in a very large measure to the advancement of the city of Council Grove.
Thomas Wilbert Whiting was born in Galesburg, Knox county, Illinois, July 9, 1862, a son of the late Hon. Richard
H. and Elizabeth Hanna (Kirkbride) Whiting. (See sketch of Richard H. Whiting.) His education was acquired in the
public schools of Peoria, Ill., and, in 1881, when nineteen years of age, he came to Morris county, where he took
active charge of an 1,800 acre ranch, which was leased to him by his father and was situated about eleven miles
from Council Grove. As a farmer and stockman Mr. Whiting has been exceptionally successful, and his present holding
of 2,400 acres, known as "Sylvan Park Stock Ranch," offers an example of modern farm methods at their
best. The property contains every improvement possible at this writing and also has its own railway station building,
on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad, a church edifice erected by him for the use of the family and neighbors,
as well as a suitable school building. Mr. Whiting was the first to bring Duroc hogs to Morris county, and became
an extensive breeder in this line, and also for several years had a large number of registered Percherons, and
from 1895 to 1908 he bred Hereford and short horn cattle quite extensively. He has also been a large cattle feeder
since coming to Kansas. In 1910 he began to purchase a number of choice business and residence properties in Council
Grove and engaged in improving them. He erected the Whiting Garage on Main street, a modern brick and cement building,
80 by 140 feet and equipped with a thoroughly modern machine shop for repair work, and established an automobile,
automobile supply and repair business. This plant is considered by the trade one of the two leaders in Kansas,
as regards quality of construction, size and equipment. He has in course of construction four modern bungalow residences
for rental purposes, and has completed a cut-stone residence for himself, the most ornate and costly home in Council
Grove. He has also purchased the old Main Street Hotel property and adjoining buildings, giving him a frontage
of ninety-one feet in the center of the business district, with the idea of constructing in the near future a modern
hotel building. He contemplates erecting several modern residences for rental and investment. His entrance into
the commercial and social life of Council Grove has been of marked advantage to the city, and he is entitled to
be called her most progressive citizen. He is also a large stockholder and director in the Farmers' & Drovers'
State Bank. He has attained to the Knights Templar degree in Masonry and is affiliated with Isis Temple Shrine
of Salina.
Mr. Whiting has been married twice; first, on Oct. 17, 1894, to Stella, daughter of the late Porter L. Howard,
a pioneer of Morris county, Kansas. Mrs. Whiting died, July 20, 1897, leaving a son, Howard K., who died March
16, 1911. On April 11, 1898, Mr. Whiting married Alice Howard, sister of his first wife. They are the parents of
a daughter, Stella E., born Oct. 2, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Whiting are members of the Christian church and are generous
in their contributions to its support. (Kansas Biography, Vol. III, Part 2, Pages 882-883, Transcribed as written
by, Millie Mowry)
