RENO COUNTY, KANSAS
BIOGRAPHIES
RENO COUNTY, KANSAS
BIOGRAPHIES
DAVIES, JOHN MILTON
John Milton Davies was born on July 19, 1873, in Guernsey county, Ohio, the son of Hiram and Sarah (Slack) Davies, both of whom were natives of that county. Hiram Davies was a coal miner in Ohio, and moved to Sumner county, Kansas, in 1884, where he lived for one year. He then moved to Lawrence county, Missouri, and lived on a farm for some time, after which he removed to Monett, Missouri, and worked as a machinist in the 'Frisco railroad shops. Mr. Davies is still living at Monett. His wife, Sarah (Slack) Davies, died in 1907, at the age of sixty-six years. She was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which denomination Hiram Davies still takes an active interest.
Hiram and Sarah (Slack) Davies were the parents of seven children, as follow: John Milton, the subject of this sketch; Edgar, who was killed in a railroad accident in North Dakota; Harry, who is an engineer on the 'Frisco railroad, lives at Monett, Missouri; Charles, who was an engineer, was killed on a railroad in Texas; Pearl died in 1903, at the age of twenty years; May, deceased, was the wife of a Mr. Ulman; Loyal is attending college in Morrisville, Missouri.
John M. Davies attended the elementary schools in Ohio for a few years, and later had several years training in the schools of Kansas and Missouri. While living in Lawrence county, Missouri, he assisted his father with the work of the farm. After the family had moved to Monett he secured employment in the division offices of the 'Frisco lines, and later worked as a brakeman on that railroad. Mr. Davies then went to the zinc mines at Oronogo, Missouri, and was working there when he met with an accident through which he lost a hand and an eye. Mr. Davies was married in 1903, and in 1907 he and his wife came to Reno county, Kansas, where Mr. Davies worked for his father-in-law, Ulysses Hendrickson, who owned a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Salt Creek township. In 1912 Mrs. Davies inherited the farm, and since that time the farm house has been remodeled, so that Mr. and Mrs. Davies now have a comfortable, modern home.
On October 22, 1903, at Oronogo, by Rev. James Sullens, John Milton Davies was united in marriage to Grace Hendrickson, who was born in Jasper county, Missouri, the daughter of Ulysses and Mary J. (Cochran) Hendrickson. To this union have been born two children: Gordon, who was born on June 19, 1905, and Loyal, who was born on March 12, 1907.
Ulysses Hendrickson was born on April 24, 1832, in Holmes county, Ohio, and died on May 19, 1912. He was the son of Samuel and Sarah (Wetherby) Hendrickson. The Hendrickson family was long prominent in Maryland and was represented among the pioneers in Holmes county, Ohio, where Samuel Hendrickson was born. In 1846 he removed to Linn county, Iowa, and settled on government land. He went to Jasper county, Missouri, in 1866, and there died at the age of eighty-three years. He was a Mason.
Sarah Weatherby was born in Massachusetts and was reared in Ohio. She died in Missouri, at the age of seventy years. Her father, John Weatherby, was one of the early settlers of Holmes county, Ohio, and was of English descent. Samuel and Sarah (Weatherby) Hendrickson were the parents of eight children, as follow: Marietta, Martha, Ulysses, Lucretia, Iantha, Andrew J., Melvina, who married J. W. Hawn; James W. Ulysses Hendrickson received his early school training in Holmes county, Ohio. He was fourteen years old when the family moved to Linn county, Iowa, and there he attended school in the log school house on Otter creek. He was an apt student and with reading and travel in later life acquired a broad education. He endured the hardships of pioneer life in a sod house in Iowa, and lived at home until his marriage, in 1855. After farming for a few years in Fayette county, Iowa, he moved to Jasper county, Missouri, and bought forty acres of land in Mineral township, three miles west of Oronogo, and there erected a cabin sixteen by eighteen feet. He subsequently increased his land holdings in Missouri to four hundred acres. In 1874 Ulysses Hendrickson was elected sheriff of Jasper county, Missouri, and went to live at Carthage, the county seat. When his term of office had expired he returned to the farm until 1890, when he was elected to the Missouri state Senate, from the twenty-eighth district. He served four years in the Senate, after which he located in the town of Oronogo, where he bought a fine residence in 1897. He was an ardent Democrat Later, Mr. Hendrickson came to Reno county and here he died. On September 26, 1855, Ulysses Hendrickson was united in marriage with Mary J. Cochran, who was born on February 28, 1837, in Pickaway county, Ohio, the daughter of George and Hannah (Ward) Cochran, both of whom were natives of Ohio. Mrs. Hannah Cochran died when Mary J. was one year old. Mrs. Mary J. Hendrickson died in Reno county, June 3, 1913. Ulysses and Mary J. (Cochran) Hendrickson were the parents of six children, as follow: Commodore Perry, retired, of Hutchinson, Kansas; John B., of Hutchinson; Iantha, wife of Thomas R. McLaughlin, a retired farmer of Hutchinson; Minerva, who married Harvey Nance; Grace, wife of John M. Davies, and Cole C. John Milton Davies is a Democrat, and has been elected by that party to a place on the local school board. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Davies are interested in every measure calculated to advance the welfare of Reno county, and have many Wends in their home neighborhood. (History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 245-247)
J. S, Thurman, superintendent of the great Viles plantation in Medora township, this county, is a native of Illinois, born in Fulton county, that state, February 8, 1870, son of Stephen and Margaret (Snodgrass) Thurman, the former also a native of Illinois and the latter of Ohio.
Stephen Thurman was born on February 26, 1830, and is still living, long having made his home in Butler county, this state. He is an honored veteran of the Civil War, having served for three years and eight months as a member of Company A, Forty-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry; and during the service was shot three times, still carrying a bullet to his thigh. The Forty-seventh Illinois saw much active service, and Mr. Thurman was right in the thick of the most of it. Upon the completion of his military service he resumed his life as a farmer in Illinois and remained there until 1884, in which year he chartered two cars and moved to Kansas, settling in Butler county. He bought a quarter of a section of partly improved land and there established his home. His wife died in 1913, at the age of seventy-three years. She was a member of the Dunkard church; he had been reared a Quaker. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the youngest, the others being as follow: Levi H., who lives in Oklahoma; Edward, who lives in Cherokee county, this state; C. G., who lives in Fulton, Illinois, and Sarah C, who married J. C. Cook and lives near Larned, this state.
J. S. Thurman received his early schooling in the schools of his native county in Illinois and was fourteen years old when he came to Kansas with his parents in 1884. He grew up on the home farm in Butler county, assisting in the labors of developing the same, and remained there until his marriage, in 1888, at the age of nineteen years, after which he bought a farm of twenty-eight acres near the town of Keighley, rented another bit of land adjoining and was extensively engaged in market gardening- for thirteen years, or until 1901, in which year he came to Reno county and settled at Medora, where for six years he served as foreman of the railway section at Medora, in the employ of the 'Frisco Railroad. In 1907 he was made joint car inspector for the Rock Island and the 'Frisco at Medora and served in that capacity for something more than a year, at the end of which time he engaged in the hotel business in that same town, operating a retail store in connection with the same. In 1909 he sold his hotel and store and accepted the position of section foreman for the Rock Island railroad at Groveland, which position he held until September, 1910, when he received the appointment to his present position of superintendent of the eight-hundred-acre plantation of James Viles, in Medora township, this county, where he ever since has lived. This great plantation is devoted almost wholly to the raising of catalpa trees, the first stand of which was set out twelve or thirteen years ago. In the winter of 1915-16 Mr. Thurman cut out one hundred thousand trees, the same to be converted into posts, thus thoroughly demonstrating the value of catalpa culture in this county, Mr. Thurman is a Republican and takes an active interest in political affairs, having been township treasurer for the past four or five years.
On June 30, 1888, J. S. Thurman was united in marriage to Martha L. Easton, who was born in Mercer county, Missouri, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Easton, the former of whom was a transfer man, and both of whom are now deceased, and to this union eleven children have been born, all of whom are living save Viola, the second in order of birth, who died in infancy, the others being as follow: Nola, who married E. Kinley and lives in Ford county, Kansas; Vina B., who married George Shea and lives on a farm in Medora township, this county; Nettie, who married A. G. Johnson, night telegraph operator at the junction at Medora; William, who assists his father on the plantation; Dewey, also an assistant to his father, and Virgil, Lee, Opal, O'Neal and Austin, who are still in school. Mr. and Mrs. Thurman are members of the Brethren church and their children have been reared in that faith. Mr. Thurman is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and takes a warm interest in the affairs of that order. (History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 247-249)
William H. Miller, one of the real pioneers of Reno county, for years a prosperous and well-known farmer of Troy township, now living comfortably retired in a pleasant home in Hutchinson, enjoying the ample rewards of a life of well-directed industry, is a native of Iowa, having been born on a farm in Wapello county, that state, July 16, 1849, son of John arid Sophia (Walworth) Miller, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New York state.
John Miller was reared on a farm and was married in New York and later emigrating to Indiana, where he began developing a fine farm, but presently a cloud was discovered on his title to the same and he was ousted on a legal technicality, after which he moved farther west and settled in Illinois, where he remained until 1846. About the time he settled in Illinois the Black Hawk War broke out and he served in that brief but conclusive struggle. In the summer of 1846 he and his family drove through by ox-team to Iowa and settled in Wapello county. There John Miller pre-empted a half section of "Congress land," on which he lived until 1855. In which year he sold out and moved to Decatur county, where he bought a quarter of a section of land and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in the spring of 1874, he then being seventy-eight years of age. His widow survived him for nearly eighteen years, her death occurring in February, 1892, at the age of eighty-six. They were the parents of nine children, three sons and six daughters of whom the subject of this sketch was the youngest that grew to maturity and of whom three are now living, he having a brother, Henry, who still makes his home in Decatur county, Iowa, and a sister, Mary, widow of Henry McVay, living in Wayne county, that same state.
William H. Miller was about six years old when
his parents moved onto the frontier farm in Decatur county, Iowa, and there he grew to man hood. The nearest school,
house being about three miles from his home, his early opportunities for schooling were limited. In the spring
of 1872 he married a daughter of Zeno Tharp, a prominent farmer of that neighbor hood, who, that same spring, came
to Kansas and pre-empted a homestead in Reno county, and in the spring of 1873 Mr. Miller and his wife accompanied
the other members of the Tharp family to this county, arriving here on April 3. William H. Miller homesteaded the
northwest quarter of sec-tion 20, in Troy township, and was thus one of the three earliest settlers of that township,
there being but one other family besides his and that of Mr.
Tharp in the township at that time. He built a sod house on his place, but during the first summer they lived there
he and his wife continued to sleep in their "prairie schooner," which had brought them down from Iowa.
Their nearest neighbor was five miles distant. The buffaloes were still ranging the plains, and it was during that
summer of 1873 that the great herd, noted in history as "the big herd," passed their place, the countless
mass requiring fifty-four hours to pass a given point. Cash was scarce and hard to get throughout this section
of Kansas in those days, and Mr. Miller, in order to obtain a bit of ready money, from time to time, gathered buffalo
bones up off the plains and hauled them to Hutchinson, where he received about six dollars a ton for the same.
Mr. Miller and his wife remained on their original homestead about four years, at the end of which time they sold that place and bought the northeast quarter of* section 10, in Troy township, where they established their permanent home and where they lived until their retirement and removal to Hutchinson in 1908. Mr. Miller was a progressive and energetic farmer and made a success of his business, gradually enlarging his land holdings until he became the owner of six hundred and eighty acres in Troy township and was regarded as one of the most substantial farmers in that part of the county. About 1889 he became extensively engaged in the cattle business and so continued until his retirement from the farm, being also quite successful as a stockman. Mr. Miller has always been a steadfast Republican and for years was looked upon as one of the leaders in the party in Troy township, a constant attendant at party conventions and otherwise active in the affairs of his party. For years he served as school director in his home district and also served for some time as township treasurer. In 1908 he retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Hutchinson. He bought a house at 225 Sixth avenue, west, and there he and his wife are very pleasantly situated.
On February 11, 1872, in Decatur county, Iowa, William H. Miller was united in marriage to Catherine Rose Tharp, who was born on a farm near Winchester, Indiana, daughter of Zeno and Christina (Fry) Tharp, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Germany. Zeno Tharp was born in Ashland, Ohio, May 20, 1827, and grew to manhood on a farm. When a young man he went over into Indiana and settled in Jay county, where he married Christina Fry, who was born in Germany in 1835 and who was but five years old when her parents came to the United States, settling in Jay county, Indiana. About 1853 Zeno Tharp and his family emigrated to Iowa, settling in Decatur county, that state. When the Civil War broke out Mr. Tharp enlisted in Company K, Fifty-third Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served for ten months, at the end of which time he was discharged on a physician's certificate of disability, illness incapacitating him from further service. In 1872 Zeno Tharp came to Kansas and in November of that year filed on a half section of land in Troy township, this county. The next spring he brought his family here and established his home. He also bought a half section of railroad land and it was not long until he was accounted one of the most substantial farmers and stockmen in the county. Mr. Tharp was very active in the general affairs of the community during pioneer days and it is generally agreed that no man had more influence in the days of the early development of the southern part of the county than he. In 1902 he retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Hutchinson, where his last days were spent.
He and his wife were the parents of ten children, six of whom are living, of whom Mrs. Miller is the eldest, the others being Mary, who married Harry Wright and lives in Hutchinson; John, a farmer, who makes his home in Hutchinson, and George who lives on the old home farm.
To William H. and Catherine Rose (Tharp) Miller three children have been born, as follow: Walter J., born in 1876, who married Laura Croas and lives in Troy township; this county; Cora A., 1877, who married A. F. Hood and also lives in Troy township; and Frank Z., 1880, who married Gladys Hambrick and also makes his home in Troy township, all substantial farmers and useful citizens of that part of the county. Mr. Miller is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and both he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah. He also is a member of the Modern Woodmen and of the Fraternal Aid Society and in the affairs of all these organizations takes a warm interest. (History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 249-252)
George Astle, one of the best-known farmers of Haven township, this county, an honored veteran of the Civil War and one of the pioneers of Reno county, is a native of England, having been born in the town of Melbourne, Derbyshire, October 21, 1842, son of Richard and Sarah (Hibbert) Astle, both natives of Derbyshire, the former of whom was born on February 15, 1811, and the latter, February 3, 1810, who came to Kansas in pioneer days, settled in Haven township, this county, and there spent the rest of their lives, useful and valued citizens of that community.
Richard Astle was reared in Derbyshire, married there and became a market gardener. To him and his wife ten children were born, all of whom grew to maturity. In 1852, their elder children having them grown, the two eldest having married and settled in their home town, Richard Astle and his wife and their younger children emigrated to the United States, locating neat Quincy, Illinois, where Mr. Astle engaged in gardening. In 1861 the family moved to Godfrey, near Alton, Illinois, where they farmed until 1866, in which year they moved to Alhambra, that same state, and farmed there until 1872. In this latter year, the good word of the promising conditions presented in this section of Kansas having begun to attract much attention in the East, Richard Astle and his wife and their elder children equipped a couple of "prairie schooners" and drove through to this county, arriving in Haven township in the month of April, the younger children joining them a few months later. Richard Astle and those of the children who had reached their majorities each homesteaded a quarter of a section, the father's homestead being in section 20. There he established his home and there he and his wife spent the rest of their lives, his death occurring on June 10, 1883. His widow survived until January 22, 1891. Richard Astle was a Republican and took a prominent part in local political affairs in pioneer days, long serving as justice of the peace in and for Haven township. He and his wife were earnest members of the Methodist church and were among the leaders in the organization of a church of that denomination in their neighborhood. Their children were as follow: John, born on November 17, 1832, who remained in England and who died on September 2, 1896; Elizabeth, March 15, 1834, who married Henry Barber, of Melbourne, England, where she died on September 28, 1899; Richard, February 15, 1836, a well-known retired fanner, living at Haven, this county; William, November 21, 1840, a veteran of the Civil War, who was prominent in the establishment of the town of Haven, where he was successfully engaged in the grain and general mercantile business, married Louisa Tissius and is now living retired at Haven; George, the subject of this sketch; Joseph, April 27, 1845, a well-known hardware merchant in Haven, who died in 1899; Sarah, February 16, 1847, now deceased, who married Henry Challacombe; Mary, February 20, 1849, married J. W. VanBuren and died in Haven township on March 22, 1910; Henry, June 21, 1851, a retired farmer now living at Haven, and Charles W., the only one of the children born in the United States, born at Quincy, Illinois, November 21, 1854, former postmaster of Haven, which town he also served as mayor, and former manager of the farmers' elevator at that place, where he is now living retired.
George Astle was about ten years old when his family came to America from England and he grew to manhood on the farm in Illinois. In August, 1862, he then being not quite twenty years of age, he enlisted in Company I. Ninety-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, for service during the Civil War, and was at once sent with his regiment to Kentucky, the regiment there forming part of the army under General Buell in the campaign against General Bragg. After participating in the battle of Perryville the regiment was sent on to Memphis, thence to Vicksburg, an attack, under General Sherman, being made on the latter town, upon the repulse of which the regiment retired to Arkansas Post, which place was taken in January. In the spring of 1873 the Ninety-seventh Illinois fought in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hills and Black River, following which it was engaged in the siege of Vicksburg until that city fell. The regiment then assisted in the capture of Jackson, Mississippi, after which it took part in the famous Red River expedition, being ordered thence to New Orleans to k fitted out as a regiment of mounted infantry. On the way to New Orleans the troop train was wrecked, leaving fewer than two hundred men lit for service, and these were put on provost duty while the regiment was being recruited to its normal strength. The regiment was then sent on the expedition against Mobile and after the capture of that city was sent to take Selma, Alabama, upon the destruction of which town the Ninety-seventh was sent to Galveston, Texas, where it was mustered out in July, 1865.
Upon the conclusion of his military service Mr. Astle stopped for a couple of years in Missouri and while there married Mattie Shuron, a native of Missouri, who died one year and twenty-eight days after her marriage, without issue. After that Mr. Astle rejoined his father in Illinois and remained on the farm there until the family came to Reno county in 1872, since which time he has made his home in this county. Upon arriving in this county George Astle homesteaded a quarter section in section 28, Haven township, but continued to make his home with his parents as long as they lived. He then bought the interests of the other heirs in the home place and continued to reside there, being now the owner of two hundred and twenty-live acres in this county, all well-improved and profitably cultivated. He erected a new set of buildings on the home place and set out a good-sized orchard and is now very well circumstanced.
In the fall of 1887 George Astle married, secondly, Mrs. Huldah (Michaels) Tucker, who was born in Virginia and came to Kansas with her three children in 1887, her marriage to Mr. Astle taking place shortly there-after. She died in the spring of 1913. By her first marriage Mrs. Astle was the mother of three children, John R. Tucker, who lives in Oklahoma; Franklin DeWitt Tucker, who lives on his step-fathers place,which he is now farming, and Gertrude, who married Josiah Foreaker and died in 1907, leaving three children, whom Mr. Astle is rearing. Mr. Astle is a member of the United Brethren church and of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Haven, in the affairs of which he takes much interest. (History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 252-254)
Isaac Smith, the well-known grocer of Hutchinson, Kansas, located at 7 South Main street, is a Hoosier by birth, having first seen the light of day on December 6, 1861, in Washington county, Indiana. He is a son of Stephen H. and Mary A. (Hoar) Smith, both parents being also natives of Washington county, Indiana. Stephen H. Smith was born on April i, 1836, and died on September 15, 1884, his entire life being spent in that same county, where during all his active years he followed the vocation of farming. Mary A. Hoar was born on September 15, 1839, and passed from this life on July 26, 1882. Isaac Smith is one of a family of six children, the others being Mary F., wife of Thaddeus K. Benson, a farmer of Reno county; John E., a former grocer of Hutchinson, who died on January 22, 1909; Jesse E., a banker at Grainfield, this state; Martha J., a physician located at Indianapolis, Indiana, and Emmett, also engaged in the grocery business in Hutchinson.
Isaac Smith received his elementary education in the district schools near his home in Washington county, Indiana, supplemented by special and more advanced study at the Northern Indiana Normal at Valparaiso, that state. Later in life, Isaac Smith took a complete commercial course at the Campbell University, Holton, this state. For eleven years after completing his normal studies he engaged in school teaching, being located at various times in Washington county, Indiana; Sangamon county, Illinois, and Gove county, Kansas, serving two terms of two years each as superintendent of the Gove county schools. Mr. Smith homesteaded a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Gove county, same being the southeast quarter of section 30, township 11, range 28, and after proving same, he disposed of it. On May 20, 1899, he engaged in the retail grocery business on South Main street, Hutchinson, to which business he has since given his best efforts and attention. In addition to his business, Mr. Smith owns his residence, located at 312 Ninth avenue, West, where he has resided for the past eighteen years. Mr. Smith has a well established business which he well merits by virtue of his honest desire to correctly meet the demands of his customers, and being possessed of a cordial temperament, he easily wins and holds friends.
On May 19, 1886, Isaac Smith was married in Sangamon county, Illinois, to Jennie Bridges, a daughter of Chester L. and Margaret E. (Abrams) Bridges, born in that county on August 28, 1862. Chester L. Bridges was born in Arkansas on April 2, 1834, and died at his home in Hutchinson on April 10, 1912, while his widow, who is still living in Hutchinson, was born in Illinois, on April 16, 1841. There were two children in the Bridges family, the one other than Mrs. Smith being Josephine, who married John A. Garber, a contractor and builder located at Hutchinson, Kansas. Chester L. Bridges was for many years a farmer and also a harness maker, following the latter occupation during the latter years of his life. Both he and his wife were for many years active workers in the Baptist church and in that faith Mrs. Smith was carefully reared. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born five children, namely: Carroll M. who was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, on March 6, 1887, and assists his father in the grocery; Margaret A., born in Gove county, this state, on April 16, 1889, married William Lester, musician and composer of Chicago, Illinois; Chester L., the third child, was born in Gove county, this state, March 6, 1891, and is located in Kansas City, Missouri, where he is engaged in the practice of the law; Eldon B. was born in Gove county, March 20, 1896, and is at present attending the state university at Lawrence; Melvin C, the youngest of the family, born in Reno county. May 26, 1900, is still in high school in Hutchinson. Isaac Smith and his family are numbered among the best people of the city wherein they have made their home for many years and are justly entitled to the high esteem in which they are universally held. (History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 254-256)
Martin Burris, truck farmer and gardener, living at 126 Fourteenth avenue, West, Hutchinson, Reno county, Kansas, was born in Morgan county, Indiana, a son of Caleb and Frances (Brown) Burris, April 6, 1856. Caleb Burris was a son of James Burris, of English parentage, and was born on September 29, 1818, in Ohio, "a day's drive" (as it was then termed) from the town of Cincinnati, now the thriving city. His death occurred in 1875. Frances Brown was born on August 28, 1817, in the hill country of North Carolina, and her death occurred in 1879. Caleb and Frances Burris were married on August 15, 1841, and to them were born six children, Those other than Martin, the immediate subject of this sketch, are William R., Rebecca L., who married Charles T. Mendenhall; Fernando, a truck farmer living near Savannah, Missouri; Mary and Allen J., all of whom have passed into the life beyond with the exception of Fernando and Martin.
Martin Burris when a young boy attended the common schools near his home in Morgan county, Indiana, and after the family moved to Iowa, he continued his studies in the public schools of Dallas county. He early engaged in farming and went to Stunner county, Kansas, in 1876 and rented a farm on which he lived for some time, during which time he was also engaged in freighting goods from Wichita, this state, to the supply camps and forts across the line in the Indian Territory. His load when going in that direction consisted of supplies and provisions for soldiers and Indians and on the return trip principally of hides. In 1877 Martin Burris moved to Rush county this state, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres. Securing a patent to his "claim" he sold and moved to the territory of Washington in 1888, purchasing one acre in the town of Sidney (which is now known as Port Orchard) and forty acres in Kitsap county, adjoining the town of Sidney. In the early nineties, he returned to Kansas, locating in Hutchinson, where he bought city property and has since made his home, giving his time and attention to truck gardening and light farming. Martin Burris was married at West Point, Rush county, this state. October 30, 1883, to Emaline Caroline Carr, daughter of Cyrus and Mary Jane (Haworth) Carr, both in Harden county, Iowa, April 3, 1865. Cyrus Carr was a farmer, who owned land in Harden county, Iowa, and also in Rush county, this state, where he homesteaded a claim of one hundred and sixty acres and where his death occurred on February 11, 1895. He was born on August 20, 1828, near Clarksburg, in Highland county, Ohio, a son of Benjamin Carr, born on December 28, 1792 (died in 1885), and Permela (Evins) Carr (born in 1801, died in 1871). Permela (Evins) Carr was a daughter of Evin Evins and Permela Bales. Benjamin Carr was a son of Benjamin Carr, and Patience, his wife. Mary Jane Haworth, wife of Cyrus Carr and mother of Mrs. Martin Burris, was born on March 25, 1834, in Vermilion county, Illinois, and died on February 1, 1901. She was a daughter of Rees Haworth (born in 1804 and died in November, 1895), and Permela, his wife, who died in 1885. Cyrus Carr and Mary Jane Haworth were married on October 30, 1850, and to them was born a family of seven children, namely: Emaline (Mrs. Burris), John R., Melvina, who married Charles Osborn; Elven, Martha, a minister of the Quaker church living in Mead county, this state; Rees B., a farmer of the same county, and Harvey, a farmer in Pawnee county, this state. The Carr family have been members of the Quaker church for many generations, active in the work of their various local organizations.
To Martin Burris and wife have been born ten children, as follow: John W., George R., Harvey M., Mabel E., Alice A., Grace M., Allen J., Willie F., Mary R and Lavina. John W. was born on August 28, 1884, in Rush county, this state and is now proprietor of a bakery in Lexington, Nebraska. George R., was born on January 2, 1886, in Rush county, and is now a linotype operator with the Mid-West Printing Company and secretary of Typographical Union No. 243. He has had conferred on him by. his local organization the honor of being delegate to the international body and has discharged the responsibilities thus devolving upon him in a manner highly pleasing to all. George R. Burris is a student of archaeology and has spent three of his summer vacations in research work in the interesting field which New Mexico offers to such students. He is known in local labor circles as a leader among his fellow-workmen, and a broad-minded man of ability and excellent judgment. Harvey M., born on October 10, 18S7, in Rush county, is a printer. Mabel E. and Alice A. are twins, born on April 20, 1892, the former being a teacher in the schools of Reno county, and the latter the wife of Fred Leeburg. These twins were born in Stunner county, this state. Grace M. was born on August 29, 1894, in Hutchinson, and is also a teacher in the public schools. Allen J. was also born in Hutchinson, June 9, 1897, and is engaged in clerking. Willie F. was born in Hutchinson, September 26, 1899, and is attending school, as are also Mary F., born on August 9, 1902, and Lavina, born on February 24, 1905. One other, child was born in this family, Oliver, who died at birth. The Burris family are numbered among the excellent people of their home city and are descended from forefathers who have been pioneers in their various times, moving with the advance of civilization from Ohio over into what is now termed the Middle West. Martin Burris hailed with delight the coming of the railroads to this section of the country, and during constructive days was known as an expert grade finisher. He worked with the Southern Pacific and also with the Northern Pacific in that capacity.(History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 256-258)
Hutton & Oswald, proprietors of the American Steam Laundry at Hutchinson, this county, one of the largest and best-equipped laundries in the state of Kansas, long have been recognized as among the most enterprising and progressive forces in the commercial and industrial life of that city. After ten other firms had unsuccessfully attempted to establish steam laundries in Hutchinson, Mr. Hutton and Mr. Oswald took hold of the situation, adopted business-like methods, inaugurated a strictly up-to-date system in the operation of their plant and succeeded from the very start. Starting in a comparatively small way, they quickly were compelled to enlarge their plant, owing to the demands of their growing business, and so continued extending their facilities until they came to be recognized as among the leaders in that form of enterprise in Kansas.
The American Steam Laundry, which now occupies more than ten times the floor space it occupied when its present proprietors took hold on April 20, 1891, not only does a general laundering business, but is engaged as well in dry-cleaning and employs from seventy-five to one hundred and twenty-five persons and maintains agencies in more than one hundred and fifty towns throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. Since 1895 its proprietors, Hutton & Oswald, have been members of the National Launderers Association and since July, 1913, members of the National Association of Dry Cleaners, while they have for years taken a prominent part in the affairs of the Kansas State Launderers Association, of which Mr. Oswald .is the present president. Messrs. Hutton &, Oswald, also, are extensive landowners in Reno county, the owners of a half section of land in Grant township and a half section in Medora township, which they devote to alfalfa and fruit growing and cattle raising, and are regarded as among the substantial citizens of this county.
Emmett Hutton, senior member of this successful firm, is a native of Tennessee, born in Bedford county, that state, December 10, 1866, son of George D. and Mary A. (Houston) Hutton, the latter of whom, before her marriage to Mr. Hutton, was the widow of Russell Whiteside, a Tennessee lawyer, and mother of Houston Whiteside, who became one of Hutchinson's most di3tinguished lawyers. Upon coming to Kansas in 1887 and locating in Hutchinson, Mr. Hutton for a year was employed in the office of the St. John & Marsh Lumber Company. He then, shortly after the inauguration of the mail delivery system in Hutchinson, was appointed a letter carrier and was thus engaged for three years, at the end of which time he bought an interest in the laundry business of H. L. Willis & Brother, which business, on April 20, 1891, he took over, in partnership with Charley W. Oswald,, established the American Steam Laundry and has ever since been successfully engaged in that business. Mr. Hutton is a Democrat and gives a good citizen's attention to local politics, but has never been an aspirant for public office. He is a member of the Hutchinson Commercial Club, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America, in the affairs of all of which organizations he takes a warm interest.
On October 25, 1899, Emmett Hutton was united in marriage to Lottie F. Bay, daughter of G M. and Maggie J, (Sloan) Bay, well-known residents of. Roscoe township, this county, and to this union two children have been born, Hildred and Emmett, Jr. The Huttons have a handsome home at 320 East Sherman street, where they have resided for years, and where they are very pleasantly situated, Charley W. Oswald, junior member of the firm of Hutton & Oswald, is a native of Ohio, born in Wayne county, that state, November 3, 1867, son of Anthony and Maria (Ewing) Oswald, the former of whom was born in that same county, son of William Oswald, a native of Pennsylvania and a pioneer of that section of Ohio, who for more than fifty years was engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes. In 1877 Anthony Oswald and his family came to Kansas and settled in Reno county. Mr. Oswald bought eighty acres of railroad land in Center township and later bought four hun-dred and eighty acres in Salt Creek township, where he farmed for four years, at the end of which time, in 1881, he retired from the farm and moved to Hutchinson, where he presently became engaged in the real-estate business. His wife died in March, 1885, and in 1890 he left Hutchinson and for ten years was engaged in the mining business at Joplin and Galena. In 1900 he went to Beaumont, Texas, where he ever since has been successfully engaged in the real-estate business.
Charley W. Oswald was ten years old when he came to Kansas with his parents in 1877. He continued his schooling in the schools of Salt Creek township and of Hutchinson and was graduated from the Hutchinson high school in 1885, after which for two years he was engaged in teaching school. Upon the inauguration of the mail delivery system in Hutchinson he was the first letter carrier appointed in that city and entered upon the duties of that position on October 1, 1887, serving the public in that capacity until September 1, 1890. On April 20, 1891, he became associated with Emmett Hutton in the ownership of the American Steam Laundry at Hutchinson and has ever since been thus engaged. Mr. Oswald is a Democrat and from the days of his youth has been an active figure in the political life of this section of the state. For four years he served as a member of the Hutchinson city council and when that city adopted the commission form of government he was elected one of the members of the first commission of three, in April, 1909, and served until May, 1911, as commissioner of public utilities and streets. In 1904 Mr. Oswald was elected a delegate from this district to the Democratic national convention and in other ways has rendered able service in behalf of his party and the public Mr. Oswald is a thirty-second degree Mason and a Knight Templar, a member of the blue lodge, the chapter, the council and the commandery at Hutchinson and the consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, at Wichita. He also is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and takes a warm interest in these several fraternal affiliations. He takes an active interest in the general business life of the city and is at present vice-president of the Hutchinson Commercial Club.
On May 24, 1896, in Troy township, this county,
Charley W. Oswald was united in marriage to Myrtle Lewis, daughter of S. C Lewis and wife, and to this union two
children have been born, Anthony L., born on December 9, 1898, and C Wallace, April 11, 1900, both of whom are
now students in the high school. The Oswalds have a handsome home at 301 Ninth avenue, west, where they have resided
for years and where they are very pleasantly situated.(History of Reno County, Kansas, George W. Dunn, Pages 258-261)