Albert M. Campbell, of Bentley, Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of Indiana. He was born at Bluffton, Wells county, that state, on October 3, 1869. His parents were John M. and Mary (Falk) Campbell. The father was a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and the mother a native of Ohio. The ancestry of the family is traced to Scotland and Ireland on the paternal side, and on the maternal side to Germany. The father of Albert M. Campbell left Indiana and moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, on March 17, 1871, with his wife and one child and there homesteaded a quarter section in Section 2, Eagle township and there lived up to the time of his death, on April 21, 1894.
During his life he worked at his trade, that of a carpenter, of which he was master in every particular. He followed his occupation up to the time of his entering the army. He enlisted as a private in Company B, One Hundred and First Indiana Volunteer Militia, and after his discharge from the service returned to his home in Wells county, Indiana. The mother of Albert M. died in 1906. After the death of his father, Albert M. Campbell, continued to manage the estate, and up to recently he has rented the home farm. He and his brother have formed a partnership under the firm name of Campbell Bros., and are now devoting their entire time to the manufacture of concrete tiles and blocks. They have kept constantly busy in supplying the demand for their productions. The quality of their work is of the highest class, and they have a big patronage in this vicinity and adjoining counties. Mr. Campbell is a past grand member of the Independence Order of Odd Fellows, Bentley Lodge, No. 446, and is a Republican in politics.
William S. Campbell is younger than Albert M., having been born September 17, 1873, in Sedgwick county, Kansas. He is also a son of John M. and Mary (Falk) Campbell. William S. enlisted for the Spanish-American War in the Forty-fourth United States Volunteers and left San Francisco on the transport Howard on December 31. On arriving at Manila his regiment commenced active operations, and during the year 1900 he was engaged in numerous battles. He was discharged from the service on June 30, 1901. Mr. Campbell is a Republican in politics. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 736 & 737)
John William Campbell, Civil War veteran, of Kechi, Sedgwick county, Kansas is a native of Illinois, where he was born on October 14, 1842, in Adams county. His parents were I. F. and Pauley (Brittan) Campbell, both natives of South Carolina. The father was reared in the state of Tennessee and moved to Illinois in 1849, locating in Adams county, where he lived until his death on April 17, 1882. He was a farmer during his life and both he and his wife traced their ancestry to Scotland. John W. Campbell received a limited education in the old log school house in Adams county, which he attended up to his eighteenth year, when he enlisted in Company D, Fifieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was equipped at Quincy, Ill. The regiment made many moves until it reached Pittsburg Landing, where it was in the heat of the battle, and also took part in the battle at Corinth, Tenn. It was then sent into east Tennessee, where it went into winter quarters at Glenview, afterward participating in the battle of Lookout Mountain, where its colonel and lieutenant colonel were shot. The regiment then went with Sherman on his march to the sea, and after going through some hard campaigning was sent to Washington, D. C. where Mr. Campbell was discharged. The Fiftieth was known as the crack regiment of Illinois volunteers and went through the most severe fighting of any of the regiments equipped in that state. At Louisville, Ky., where it competed in drill with several other regiments from Illinois, it obtained valuable prizes on account of its splendid discipline. After his discharge, Mr. Campbell returned home to Adams county and on March 9, 1866, at Quincy, Ill., was married to Miss Mary M. Lyons, a daughter of John W. Lyons, of Adams county. After his marriage, Mr. Campbell moved from Illinois to Missouri, where he lived for fourteen years as a farmer, and then moved to Denver, Colorado, where he lived for four years. On February 17, 1884, he moved to Wichita, Kans., and afterwards to Kechi township, and three years afterward moved to Kechi, where he now lives in his comfortable home. Mr. Campbell and his wife are members of the Church of Christ. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the G. A. R. and in politics is a Republican. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 737 & 738)
Merrit D. Canaday, one of the substantial and prosperous business men of Mulvane, Kan., was born in Davis county, Missouri, on April 16, 1841. He is a son of John J. and Sophia (Smith) Canaday, the father being a native of North Carolina and the mother of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of four childen, viz.: Francis M., deceased; Merrit D., of Mulvane; Mrs. C. N. Bartlett, of St. Louis, Mo., and Andrew J., who died in California. Mrs. Canaday died in 1853 and Mr. Canaday in 1855. Merrit D. Canaday was a child of twelve years when his mother died, and he was thrown on his own resources when a small child. His father had moved to Bloomington, Ill., where he died, and there Merrit remained until the winter of 1858-59, when he returned to Missouri with an uncle, and in the summer of 1860 went to Fort Scott, Kansas. From there he went to northern Missouri, and on October 4, 1861, enlisted in Company H, Fifth Kansas Cavalry, for three years. He served his time and then went to Illinois and raised a new company, but before it could be mustered in the war came to an end. After the war, Mr. Canaday settled at Clinton, Ill., where he remained until 1871. He then came to Kansas and preempted 160 acres of land in Section 26, Salem township. This was in the fall of 1871. On November 4, 1868, Mr. Canaday was married to Miss America J. Bowles, who was born in DeWitt county, Illinois. She was a daughter of Jesse P. and Maria (Bivins) Bowles, both natives of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Bowles came to Kansas in the spring of 1873 and settled on Section 35, Salem township, and are now residents of Mulvane. Mr. and Mrs. Canaday have three children, viz.: Mrs. J. F. Hufbauer, of Newkirk, Okla., Charles D., of Mulvane, and Mrs. S. C. Massingale, of Cordell, Okla. Mr. Canaday lived on his farm until 1881, when he moved to Mulvane and engaged in the grain and live stock business. In 1886, in partnership with B. H. Ward, he bought out the Chicago Lumber Company, of Mulvane, but after a short time, Mr. Canaday's health failing, he sold his interests to Mr. Ward. In 1891 he bought the entire lumber interest and has since conducted the business under the name of M. D. Canaday. Mr. Canaday has built two residences since living in Mulvane. He is a stockholder and director in the Mulvane State Bank, and also owns a lumber yard at Gotebo, Okla. Mr. Canaday sold his farm in Salem township and now owns a farm of 160 acres in Harper county, Kansas, and a summer residence at Manitou, Col. In politics Mr. Canaday is a Democrat and he is a member of the Church of Christ of Mulane. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 738 & 739)
Sherman O. Carpenter is one of the successful farmers and business men of Ninnescah township, Sedgwick county, Kansas. Mr. Carpenter was born in Chautauqua county, New York, on July 28, 1852. His parents were Joseph S. and Malinda (Lenox) Carpenter, both natives of New York. Mr. Carpenter, Sr., was born May 18, 1828. They were married in New York and in 1877 came to Kansas and settled in Edwards county. Mrs. Carpenter died June 20, 1893, and Mr. Carpenter died on September 20, 1901. Sherman O. Carpenter was raised on a farm and when a young man learned the carpenter's trade. He came to Kansas with his father in 1877, and resided in Edwards county until September 21, 1880, when he returned to New York and remained there until 1884. He then entered the building department of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad on bridge work, and remained with the company part of one year, when he came to Sedgwick county, and in July 1884, bought a threshing machine and commenced operating it. In the fall of the same year he came to Clearwater and built a feed mill. For eighteen years Mr. Carpenter operated his threshing outfit in Ninnescah and Ohio townships in partnership with M. B. Smith. In 1897 he bought 160 acres in Section 16, Ninnescah township. After three years he sold this place and on November 30, 1901, bought the 150 acres where he now resides in Section 13, Ninnescah township. Mr. Carpenter was married on January 10, 1885, to Miss Juliette Warren, who was born in New York. She died on September 12, of the same year, and on September 9, 1888, Mr. Carpenter married Miss Edna Wright, who was born in Indiana. Mrs. Carpenter is a daughter of Edward A. Wright, who came to Kansas in 1876, where he first settled in Pawnee county, and later came to Sedgwick county. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter have one son, Myron W. Carpenter, who was born on June 19, 1889. He is now attending the Lawrence University. Mr. Carpenter has been a director in the Clearwater State Bank since its organization in 1899 and secretary of the Clearwater Lumber Company and a director in the Clearwater Telephone Company. He has served three terms as justice of the peace. Mr. Carpenter is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a liberal in politics. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, page 739 & 740)
Claud N. Cartwright, an enterprising citizen of Wichita, Kan., is a great-grandson of the celebrated preacher Peter Cartwright, and the second child of a family of five children born to Thomas B. and Mary E. (Cloud) Cartwright, the other children being Maude C., who was born August 25, 1868, and died September 26, 1898. Madge E., born April 21, 1877; Oliver V., born March 20, 1880 and Arthur T., born August 25, 1882.
Thomas B. Cartwright settled in Salem township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, with his family in 1872. He lived there still 1882, when he sold his farm and bought a quarter section of land in Waco township, which he improved and cultivated, and where he made his home till 1903. He then sold the farm but still lives in Waco township. He is a man of influence in the community and in 1888 was elected county treasurer on the Democratic ticket and re-elected in 1890. The mother died March 24, 1905.
After leaving school Claud N., in 1889, entered the office of the county treasurer as a clerk, and continued there till 1896, after which he served three years as a clerk in the office of the county clerk. In 1899 he turned his attention to business, dealing in pumps and windmills and continued in that line five years, with good success. In 1904 Mr. Cartwright was nominated and elected county clerk of Sedgwick county, on the Democratic ticket, and re-elected in 1906. At the close of his second term, in 1908, he opened office sin the Anchor Trust building and turned his attention to the real estate and insurance business, which he has conducted with much success to the present time. In political opinion and action Mr. Cartwright has always been a Democrat and is active in the local councils of his party, being at the present time - 1910 - chairman of the County Central Committee.
The subject of this sketch was united in marriage on the 15th of May, 1901, to Miss Harriet, daughter of Aaron Bales, of Bourbon county, Kansas. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 740 & 741)
Howard E. Case, president of the Davidson-Case Lumber Company, of Wichita, Kan., is native of the Empire State, having been born at Fulton, Oswego county, New York on June 10, 1862. His parents were Charles and Susan (Hart) Case. The elder Case died when his son was but five years old, and his mother died when he was fourteen. The guardian of Mr. Case gave him a public school education, which was followed by training at the Cazenovia (N. Y.) Seminary, the Richfield Springs (N.Y.) Seminary and Cornell University, from which he graduated in the class of 1884. Mr Case came to Wichita in the same year, and was first employed by the Oliver Bros. Lumber Company. On March 1, 1887, he began business for himself, when, with William Davidson, he embarked in the lumber business, the first plant being started in Wichita. In 1889 yards were opened in Oklahoma City and Guthrie and after the opening of the Cherokee strip more yards were added. The business was incorporated in 1900 as the Davidson-Case Lumber Company, and is now operating sixteen yards in Oklahoma and vie in Kansas, with Wichita, as the base of operations, or central plant. Mr. Case is a firm believer in the future of Wichita. He is a member of all the Masonic bodies and a thirty second degree Mason. He is also vice-president of the Wichita Commerical Club and president of the Southwestern Lumber Association. He was married in 1887 to Miss Sarah Blair, of Huntingdon, Pa. Mrs. Case's father, Alexander Blair, was the originator of the well known Blair mill of that locality. Four children have been issue of this union, viz.: Margaret B., now a sophomore at Smith College; Helen D., Howard, Jr., and Leslie S. Case. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, page 741)
Anthony E. Chambers, farmer and raiser of standard bred horses, and veteran of the Civil War, of Clearwater, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, on November 15, 1846. His parents were Ahimaaz and Jane (Patton) Chambers, both natives of Indiana, where they passed their lives. The grandfather, Anthony Chambers, was a native of Kentucky, and married Nancy Blue, a native of Virginia. The grandfather on the maternal side was Hezekiah E. Patton, a native of North Carolina, who married a Miss Wilson. Ahimaaz Chambers and his wife were the parents of seven children, viz.: Mrs. Nannie B. Craig, of Clearwater, Kan., Mrs. Mary E. Dyer, of Ohio township, Sedgwick county; Anthony E., of Sedgwick county; A. Worth, of Sedgwick county; Mrs. Annie Hamlin, of Newkirk, Okla.; Catharine C., deceased; Jessie F., deceased. The mother of this family died in 1857, and the father in 1890. Anthony E. Chambers remained at home until the summer of 1863, when he enlisted in Company H, Tenth Indiana Cavalry, and served during the war. He was wounded at a battle of South Tunnel, four miles from Gallatin, Tenn., and was mustered out in July, 1865. After the war Mr. Chambers returned to his home in Indiana and remained there until 1867, when he went to Illinois and remained until the fall of 1873. At that time he moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and preempted 160 acres of land, where he now lives. On January 1, 1878, Mr. Chambers was married to Miss Releaf E. Phillips, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1855, and came with her parents to Kansas in 1874. One son has been born of this union, Joseph C., born February 4, 1881 and married on September 28, 1902, Miss Belva L. Cook, who was born in Greenwood county, Kansas on February 28, 1884. Miss Cook was a daughter of Thomas B. and Mattie E. (Scott) Cook, both natives of Vermilion county, Illinois. Her father was born September 11, 1857 and her mother April 4, 1861. They were married June 7, 1877, moved to Kansas in 1880, and now live in Ninnescah township, where Mr. Cook lives on a farm. There were five children in the Cook family, viz.: Larkin A., deceased; Estella F., deceased, Mrs. Belva Chambers; Claude E., who lives at home, and one who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Chambers have one son, Lloyd W., born May 19, 1906. Mrs. Anthony E. Chambers died December 29, 1888. Anthony E. Chambers in the early days served as constable, until he refused the office and was trustee of the township for three terms. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic Order the Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen, and of the G. A. R. In politics he is a Republican. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 741-743)
C. E. Chrismore, of Bentley, Kan., Sedgwick county, is a son of Virginia. He was born in that state on June 1, 1864, at Winchester, afterwards immortalized by Sheridan's ride. His parents were James and Mary (Fleet) Chrismore. The father was a native of Virginia, whose ancestors originally came from Germany, while on the mother's side the ancestry was Scotch. The elder Chrismore died in 1871 near Winchester, Va., and the mother died the same year. C. E. Chrismore was left an orphan at the age of seven, and acquired his education in the subscription schools of Virginia, which he attended up to his tenth year. In 1874 he came west with his employer, J. M. Wise, in the attempt to better his fortunes, and located at Pawnee, Kan., where he worked as a farm hand and at herding cattle until 1883. Mr. Chrismore was married on March 2, 1883 to Miss Carrie M. Marshall, daughter of C. P. Marshall of Wilmington, Del., at Larned, Kan. Of this union seven children were born, all of whom are now living, viz.: Emily, Mabel, Calvin, Charles E., Marana, Lloyd, Elizabeth, Emily who is married to L. R. Beal, of Bentley, Kan., a farmer, and has one child. Mabel is married to Henry Foglestone, of the same place, a farmer, and has no children. The two youngest children of Mr. Chrismore are attending school in Bentley. After his marriage, Mr. Chrismore removed to Sedgwick county, Kansas, on March 4, 1883, locating east of Wichita seven miles. He farmed as a renter one year, then moved to Eagle township where he bought a farm on Section 4. His specialty on the farm was raising and breeding trotters and road horses. He now is the owner of a fine bred stallion which he values at $1,500. After selling his farm in 1900, he moved to Bentley and engaged with the Kansas Lumber Company as yard manager, and has been in the employment of this company for twenty-seven years. Mr. Chrismore is a public spirited citizen, enjoying the confidence of the entire community, and is active in the Republican party in placing good men in office. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 743)
Ludovic R. Cole, real estate broker of Wichita, Kan., is a native of the Wolverine State, having been born in Michigan in November, 1847. His parents were William M. and Mary (Simpson) Cole, natives of New York state, which they left in 1842 and took up their residence in Oakland county, Michigan where they spent the balance of their days. Young Cole obtained his education in the public schools of Michigan, and his early life was spent on a farm, which he left early, going to Pontiac, Mich., where he was a clerk in a store for eleven years. Following this experience he was a traveling salesman for two years, after which he left the road and returned to the retail business in the mercantile trade. During the years from 1876 to 1880 Mr. Cole served as deputy register of deeds of Oakland county, Michigan, and the years from 1880 to 1884 he served as register of deeds of the same county. In 1885 he came to Kansas, and after a trip through the Indian Territory returned to Michigan; but in the spring of 1886 he again came to Kansas, locating at Wichita and engaging in the real estate business, under the firm name of E. C. & L. R Cole, which continued in business for a year. He was one of the original board of directors of the First National Bank. In 1896 he again entered the real estate business and continued with the ups and downs until November, 1900, when he became manager of the Bell Telephone Company, which position he held until 1909, when he resigned and organized the Midland Investment Company, and has since been its manager. During his career in the real estate business some of the large transactions that Mr. Cole swung were the purchase of the Tremont house, at the corner of Douglas and Emporia avenues, and the organization of the Carey Park Land Company and the platting of Cole's addition to Carey Park. Fraternally Mr. Cole is an enthusiastic Mason and is a member of all the Masonic bodies. He was married in 1885 to Miss Helen Bigelow, of Pontiac, Mich., and of this union there has been issued two children, viz.: Ion C., and Wade B. Cole. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 743 & 744)
Mark S. Colver, a successful farmer and stock raiser of Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of Illinois, where he was born at Little York, Warren county, on September 9, 1855. His parents were Dr. Charles S. and Hadessa T. (Hamilton) Colver. Mark S. Colver remained at home until March 27, 1877, when he went to Page County, Iowa, and engaged in farming, remaining there two years. He then went to Colorado and worked in the mills three years and in the silver mines for the same length of time. He abandoned mining to take charge of the plant that manufactured gas for the lighting of Georgetown, Col., and this he conducted for about five years. Mr. Colver then moved to Denver and worked in the shops and for the gas company for about two years. Then he embarked in business for himself, opening a plumbing and gas fitting establishment, which he conducted successfully until 1895. In this latter year he sold out his interests and came to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and commenced farming, where he remained until 1900, when he moved on to his present place of 240 acres, which he bought in 1899. Mr. Colver practices diversified farming and raises stock, and for about five years has made a specialty of Shorthorn cattle. On June 26, 1880, Mr. Colver was married to Miss Hannah Jane Brownlee, who was born in Warren county, Illinois, on June 26, 1857, being a daughter of Thomas R. and Mary R. (Smiley) Brownlee. Mr. Brownlee was born in Pennsylvania on October 16, 1827, and Mrs. Brownlee was born in Butler county, Ohio, on December 5, 1829. They were married in Henderson, Ill., in October, 1852. There were ten children in the Brownlee family, eight of whom lived to maturity, viz: Mrs. Anna M. Moore, deceased, Mrs. Hannah J. Colver of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Mrs. Alice L. Oliver, deceased; William L., of San Francisco, Cal.; Carl T. of Lincoln, Neb., Mrs. Bessie Shaffer, deceased; John deceased, and Chester R. of Oskaloosa, Ia. The mother of this family died on January 30, 1897, and the father on April 5 of the same year. Mr. and Mrs. Colver has been the parents of seven children, four of whom are living. They are Mrs. Alice Pearl Broadus, born December 2, 1882 and married June 1, 1904; Charles T., born December 27, 1885. Guy Lewis born November 5, 1890, and died April 17, 1892; Ralph B. D., born July 18, 1892; Elizabeth Gertrude, born January 22, 1899, and two who died in infancy. Mr. Colver served as township committeeman for several years and in 1910 was United States census enumerator for Ohio and Ninnescah townships. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Presbyterian Church. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 744 & 745)
Robert O. Colver, of Ninnescah township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of Ohio, where he was born in Union county, on February 13, 1851. His parents were Dr. Charles S. and Addessa (Hamilton) Colver. Dr. Colver was born in Union county, Ohio, on May 19, 1825, and his wife was born in Green county, Ohio, on March 11, 1825. They were married in Ohio, on March 14, 1848, and were the parents of eight children, two of whom died in infancy. The children were: Robert O.; Olive H., deceased; Mark S.; Charles; B. D.; Abi H., deceased, and Merle D. The mother of this family died January 28, 1891, and the father is living with his son, Robert O. Colver. Prior to the Revolutionary War there were eight brothers of the Colver family who came to America. Of this number, Nathaniel Colver, the great-great-grandfather of Robert O. Colver, was one. Nathaniel Colver served in the war against the French and Indians, and also served the Colonies during the Revolutionary War. After the war he married and settled in Spencer, N. Y., where his son Charles was born. Charles Colver married Olive Callander, and moved to Union county, Ohio, where he died. The next in direct line of descent was Standish Colver, grandfather of Robert O., who was born in Union county, Ohio, and married Elizabeth Lockwood. Dr. Charles S. Colver, their son, graduated at the Starling Medical College, Columbus, O., in 1853, and practiced medicine both in Ohio and Illinois for fifty years. He served two years as surgeon at Vicksburg, Miss., in the United States Army. After a long and useful life Dr. Charles S. Colver died, September 20, 1910. Robert O. Colver, his son, received his education in Monmouth College, at Monmouth, Ill. After leaving school he devoted his time to farming, which he has followed ever since, with the exception of two years, which he spent in mining and prospecting in Colorado. In 1878 he located a claim in Rush county, Kansas, which he sold in 1885. In the fall of 1882 Mr. Colver moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and in 1883 bought 160 acres of land in Section 10, Ninnescah township. He has added to his original purchase until he now has 590 acres, all in Ninnescah township. He has improved the land and erected buildings until he now has as fine a farm as there is in Sedgwick county. On January 10, 1884, Mr. Colver married Miss Bessie Watt, who was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1854. Mrs. Colver is a daughter of Andrew and Sarah (Rudy) Watt, both natives of Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. The father of Mrs. Colver was born September 4, 1804, and her mother September 17, 1817. They were married in Huntingdon county, on October 30, 1844. After marriage their lives were spent in Mifflin county. The mother died September 28, 1860, and the father March 30, 1864. They were the parents of eight children, three of whom died in infancy. The others were: Andrew C., deceased; Mrs. William T. Likely, of Ninnescah township, Sedgwick county; Hugh R., of Ninnescah township; Mrs. R. O. Colver, of Ninnescah township, and John R., of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Colver have had three children, viz.: Oken Watt, born December 1, 1886, died February 20, 1896; Charles V., born October 1, 1888, died April 9, 1905; Merle R., born June 18, 1891. On December 29, 1909, Merle married Miss Bertha M. Harding, who was born in Sedgwick county, Kansas, on April 22, 1887, a daughter of Charles A. and Mary L. (Julien) Harding, both natives of Indiana. Mr. Harding was born August 30, 1848, and his wife was born September 16, 1854. Merle R. Colver attended the Southwestern Academy at Win-field, Kan., for three years, devoting one year of this time to the business course. His wife had taught school one year before their marriage. They have one daughter, Bessie May. Robert O. Colver does general farming and raises cattle, horses and hogs. Fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Presbyterian Church. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 745-747)
Rufus Cone, president of the Kansas Steam Laundry Company, the plant of which is located at No. 124 South Market street, Wichita, Kansas, is a native of Illinois, where he was born at Farmington on September 11, 1853. His parents were Lucius and Amanda (Woolsley) Cone, natives of Ohio and Kentucky, respectively, who came to Kansas in 1890, locating at Wichita. The elder Cone was a mechanic and died at the age of seventy two; his widow is still living. Rufus Cone was educated in the public school, the primitive log school house of his native town in Illinois. After leaving school he came to Wichita in 1878 with the sum of $1.40 in his pocket, and obtained employment in the grocery store of Ezra Scheetz, receiving $1 per day for his services. This store was located on the spot where the store of Hermon & Hess is now located, and the building was afterward removed to the corner of Main and Third streets, where it now stands. John A. Ratliff, who came with Mr. Cone from Illinois and was employed by John A. Wallace Implement Company as a salesman in the spring of 1881, with Mr. Cone bought the business of Mr. Scheetz, which was conducted under the firm name of Ratliff & Cone, they making a payment of $500, which they had saved out of their earnings while clerking. In those days they delivered all goods to customers by hand, as they could not at the time afford a delivery wagon. The firm was continued until the fall of 1885, when they sold out to Fur-man Allen, of Danville, Illinois. Mr. Cone was elected city constable the same year, 1885, for a term of two years, and was re-elected for two successive terms. While serving his third term he was put in nomination for sheriff of Sedgwick county, and elected on the Democratic ticket, although the county had a majority of some 3,000 Republican voters. His term of service was 1890-91. At the expiration of his term he entered the real estate business and located his office in the rear of the Fourth National Bank, and continued in this business until the fall of 1893, when he was appointed chief of police, and held this office during the years 1893 and 1894. In the spring of 1895 Mr. Cone bought the Palace Livery business, and conducted it until the fall of 1896, when he was again elected sheriff of Sedgwick county, serving the term of 1896 and 1897. In 1897 he bought a half interest in the Kansas Steam Laundry, which business he has since continued. At the time of purchase the business amounted to $185 per week, but has since grown to $1,600 per week, being one of the greatest industries of its kind in the state of Kansas. It was at first located in small quarters and continued there until 1901, when the company built the Cone-Cornell building, which it now occupies, the dimensions of the building being 120x124. The company has also built the Cone-Cornell hall since that time. In 1905 the business was incorporated with a capital stock of 75,000, of which $45,000 was paid up. The officers of the company are as follows: Rufus Cone, president; G. W. Cornell, vice-president and general manager; A. W. Stoner, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Cone has been a city commissioner since April, 1909, and is a member of the committee on finance and revenue. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the Shrine, a charter member of lodge No. 22, Ancient Order United Workmen, and a charter member of the local lodge of Elks. Mr. Cone was married on August 26, 1878, to Miss Ella Center, of Chantlerville, Illinois. Of this union three children have been born, viz.: Sylvia, wife of Frank Garrety, of Wichita; Edwin and Walter Otis Cone. In 1909 Mr. Cone, with his family, made a trip around the world. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 747 & 748)
P. J. Conklin, of Wichita, Kansas, is one of the men who have helped to build up Kansas by loaning its citizens money. Mr. Conklin was born at Dayton, Ohio, January 2, 1854. His parents were Joseph O. Conklin and Julia (Hunt) Conklin. The early education of the boy was obtained at Champaign, Illinois. After leaving school he obtained employment with the "Gazette" at Champaign. Mr. Conklin came to Wichita in 1893, and it was one of the leanest of the lean years in Wichita and the West. He has been here ever since. In 1907 he organized the P. J. Conklin Loan Company, and while this is in no way connected with the old Jarvis-Conklin Mortgage Company, it is a sort of aftermath. The P. J. Conklin Company is capitalized at $50,000, with P. J. Conklin as president, R. L. Holmes vice-president and A. O. Conklin secretary and treasurer. It does an annual business of from $800,000 to $1,000,000, and now has outstanding on its books over $3,000,000 on long-time farm loans principally. The company does no chattel business, and it is a trust repository for large sums of local money and pays especial attention to this feature. The operations of the company cover scores of thickly settled and prosperous Kansas counties, and while local deposits are only a minor part of their resources, it desires in a large measure to make local idle funds remunerative by placing them conservatively on long-time loans with the very best of security. Fraternally, Mr. Conklin is a thirty-second degree Mason, and belongs to the Wichita consistory. Mr. Conklin was married in Mt. Pulaski, Illinois, in 1876 to Miss Laura Capps, of Mt. Pulaski. From this union seven children have been born-Alfred O., Edward J., Bessie Amy (now Mrs. Jay Chapple), Julia Hunt (now Mrs. Carl Guizel), Minnie Gertrude, Dorothy G. and Stanley Jarvis Conklin. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 749 & 750)
Warner F. Copner, retired farmer, of Salem township, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born in Warren county, Ohio, on February 27, 1850. His parents were John and Nancy J. (Andrews) Copner. The father of Warner F. was born in Warren county, Ohio, on February 3, 1824. The mother was born in Indiana on May 16, 1824. They were married at Waynesville, Ohio, in 1858. John Copner moved from Ohio to Illinois and remained there until 1871, when he moved to Sedgwick county, Kansas, and preempted 160 acres of land in Section 19, Salem township. There were six children in his family, three of whom died in infancy. The three living are Warner F., of Salem township; Henry C., of Oklahoma, and Cassius L., of Salem township. The mother of this family died April 17, 1907, and the father is living in Salem township. Warner F. Copner remained at home until he was twenty-one. In the spring of 1871 he moved to Sedgwick county, and May 9 of the same year preempted 160 acres of land in Section 21, Salem township. In 1874 Warner traded his quarter-section for the one his father had preempted, and remained on his claim and worked at various things. The second winter he worked in a sawmill and for a time operated the ferry at Derby. In 1874 he went to work for Albert Minnick, in the latter's store at Derby, and remained with Mr. Minnick for three years and seven months. On February 18, 1880, Mr. Copner was married to Miss Hulda Parker, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, on March 26, 1858. Her parents were William and Eliza (Myers) Parker. The father was born in Erie county, New York, on April 4, 1833, and her mother was born in Butler county, Ohio, on January 15, 1835. Their marriage took place February 14, 1856. Mr. Parker came to Sedgwick county, Kansas, in 1877. Mr. Copner has devoted his life to farm work. He is now practically retired and living on his home place. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 749 & 750)
J. C. Crawford, farmer, of Valley Center, Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of Illinois, where he was born in Lee county on March 25, 1853. He is a son of Samuel Crawford, a native of Ireland. Samuel Crawford, when he came to the United States, settled for a short time at Philadelphia, Pa. Afterwards, in 1848, he moved to Lee county, Illinois, and after a residence there of several years, in 1871 he moved to Kansas, locating in Sedgwick county, where he bought a timber claim in Section 6, Eagle township. He lived on this claim until his death in July, 1906. Mr. Crawford was eighty-six years old at the time of his death, having been born on August 6, 1820. He was the father of nine children, four of whom are now living, viz.: Lewis C., James C., Asa Dennison and John Wesley. The early education of J. C. Crawford was acquired in the public schools of Illinois and Kansas, which he attended up to his twenty-third year. After that time he bought land in Section 7 of Valley Center township-about 1875-and has lived on the farm up to the present time. Mr. Crawford has held several minor township offices. He was township clerk, constable, justice of the peace, and trustee and member of the school board for several years. In polities Mr. Crawford is a Democrat, and an influential and respected citizen. He was married on March 25, 1880, in Sedgwick county, to Miss Sarah E. Fry, of the same county. Of this union eight children have been born, as follows: Anna, Kay, Mary, Bolindo, Lucy, Burgess, Nellie and Mabel. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Page 751)
George W. Corn, farmer, of Valley Center, Sedgwick county, Kansas, was born September 8, 1856, in Mercer county, Kentucky. His parents were Timothy and Rachel (Yates) Corn, both natives of Kentucky. The parents of George W. after the war moved to Clark county, Indiana, where they remained six years, and then came to Kansas the year after the "grasshopper" scourge. The parents came to Kansas with a family of nine children, of which George W. was the second born. The father afterwards moved to Butler county, Kansas, and remained there until his death, on February 22, 1891. He was a farmer, an upright citizen, and a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church. George W. Corn was deprived of an early education and training, but notwithstanding this deprivation, he is a well-to-do and practical farmer. By industry and economy he bought a farm in Section 28, Valley Center township, on which he now resides. Mr. Corn was married on July 10, 1880, to Miss Mary Murphy, a daughter of John Murphy, of Illinois. Five children have been born of this union, viz.: Bertha, Nellie, Clarence, Minnie and Alva. Fraternally, Mr. Corn is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Sedgwick Lodge, No. 177, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Rebeccas. Politically, he is a Democrat. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 750 & 751)
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