DAVIS COUNTY, Part 10

SMOKY HILL TOWNSHIP.

R. R. CLEMONS, farmer, P. O. Alida, came to Davis County, December 14, 1868, locating on the southwest quarter of Section 12, Township 11, Range 4; has 160 acres, eighty of which are cultivated. He was the first postmaster of Alida, receiving his appointment in 1870, and resigned his office in April, 1873. He was one of the Board of County Commissioners for a term of two years. He enlisted September 6, 1864, in Company E, Ninth Regiment New York Volunteer Heavy Artillery, and participated in the battle of Cedar Creek, in October 19, 1864, one at Fort Fisher (on the lines at Petersburg) March 25, 1865, taking of Petersburg, April 2, 1865, and at Sailor's Run, April 6, 1865, during the pursuit of Lee's army. He was mustered out June 28, 1865. He was raised on a farm, and lived in his native State until he came to Kansas. He was married January 12, 1870, to Miss Mary J. Gilbert, a native of Allegany County, N. Y., and was born February 7, 1850. Mr. Clemons was born in Livingston County, April 5, 1843. They have one daughter--Lorena E. Clemons, born March 18, 1874. They are members of the Congregational Church.

WILLIAM CUTTER, P. O. Junction City, proprietor of the Glenwood Nursery, located in Republican Valley on special Sections 12 and 13, Township 11, Range 5, on what is known as Bridge Land, in 1871. He has 101 acres, seventy of which are in a fine state of cultivation. There are twenty-five acres planted to a nursery of a general assortment of fruit trees, evergreens and shrubs, also a large orchard containing the choicest fruit. It is the only nursery in Davis County. He was born in Middlesex County, N. J., September 10, 1825; his parents settled in Adams County, Ill., in 1835, where he began the nursery business before he was twenty years of age; has since followed the business. He was married in 1848, to Miss Mary J. Harvey, a sister of ex-Gov. Harvey, of Kansas. They have four children--Charles, John H., Charlotte and Nancy. He has a farm of 240 acres in Riley County, Kan., 125 of which are cultivated. He is a member of the State Horticultural Society and president of Davis Horticultural Society; also a member of the Masonic order.

W. B. FINLEY, farmer, P. O. Junction City; came to Kansas in 1871, locating near Junction City. He has engaged in farming and stock-raising since. He is the proprietor of the well-known Glenmore farm, one of the first farms taken on Lyon's Creek. The above farm has the record of being the oldest farm in Davis County. It contains 400 to 500 acres with about 250 cultivated. There was once a village laid out on it and named Chetola, by Judge Gordon and others, but was abandoned on account of Junction City. It is really a beautiful location with plenty of timber, and on one side of the farm flows the Smoky Hill on the west, Lyons Creek on the south, and the Mankato, Kansas & Topeka Railroad through the centre with Kansas & Pacific Railroad on the north and west. The finest specimens of timber were sent from this farm to the centennial exposition of any place in Kansas. The farm was first taken up by Capt. J. R. McClure, a lawyer of Junction City. Mr. Finley was born December 10, 1849, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and came from the latter place to Kansas. He has been general superintendent of the Davis County Agricultural Society of Davis County for four years.

WILLIAM D. GRANT, farmer, P. O. Junction City, first came to Kansas in 1872, settling in Junction City, and engaged in farming. he bought his present place in 1880, being located on Sections 20, 21 and 18. He now owns 1,410 acres of fine land, 300 of which are cultivated. He has also 640 in Dickinson County, Section 29, Township 12, Range 5, 600 of which are cultivated. Since he came to Kansas he has raised 45,000 bushels of wheat, including the crop of 1882; he now has 375 acres in corp (sic), which promises a yield of 50 bushels per acre; his farm is well watered and finely timbered; he also has 140 head of cattle, and makes stock-raising a specialty. He was born in Newark, N. J., November 20, 1856, and lived in his native State until he came to Kansas. He was married in 1881 to Miss Vina James, a native of Illinois. They have one daughter, Josie Kate.

JOHN P. GRASBERGER, farmer and dealer in general merchandise and grain; carries a stock of about $600. He came to Kansas in September, 1855, as a soldier, being a member of the Second United States Dragoons, locating in Fort Riley. He was born in Germany, December 25, 1833, came to America in 1852, and lived in Philadelphia, Pa., about a year, with an uncle. He then enlisted in Company I, Second United States Dragoons, and served the full term of five years; re-enlisted in 1861 in Company F, Sixth Kansas Cavalry, and participated in the battles of Newtonia, Mo., Kane Hill, Prairie Grove and Honey Springs, and was mustered out in Leavenworth in 1864. He then located on his present place, Section 14, Township 11, Range 4; has eighty acres, forty-six of which are cultivated. He has a warehouse at Alida for handling grain, etc. He was married in 1863 to Miss Susan E. Maxfield, who was born in Van Buren, Crawford Co., Ark., November 11, 1846.

R. E. LAWRENSON, farmer, P. O. Junction City, was born in Ireland in 1832, and came to America in 1852, lived in New York City a few months, and came to Kansas in October, 1855, as a soldier in the Second United States Dragoons, was stationed at Fort Riley; served until the expiration of his time, and was mustered out in March, 1857. He served three and one-half years in Texas before coming to Kansas. He then pre-empted his present farm, now adjoining the city limits, Section 11, Township 12, Range 5, east, being the east half of the northwest quarter and west half of the northeast half, containing 160 acres, 100 of which are under cultivation; has about ten acres of fine magnesia limestone for building purposes; also two and one-half acres of fine vineyard; in 1881 manufactured two barrels wine and sold $180 worth of grapes; has a fine orchard of ten acres, containing all varieties of fruit. He was appointed adjutant of the Fifteenth Regiment Kansas State Militia, November 17, 1863; served under Gen. Curtis against Indians and Price's raid; elected County Treasurer of Davis County in 1865; re-elected in 1867; Democratic candidate for State Senator in 1868 for the Twentieth District; in 1870, appointed assistant marshal to aid in taking the census; was Presidential elector for O'Connor in 1872; County Commissioner in 1872-1874. He assisted to erect the first house in Junction City in the spring of 1858. He was married in 1867 to Miss Ellen M. Barry, of New York; they have five children--Edward C., Mary E., Bertha C., Margaret and Clara.

CHARLES E. MURPHY, farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Junction City, located here in 1879, being on Section 19, Township 12, Range 5; has 1,400 acres of fine land, all in one body, 700 of which are cultivated; raised 400 acres of corn in 1882; also, 100 acres of wheat, 40 of oats and 67 of rye. He keeps about 100 head of cattle. The nearest post-office and grist mill is Junction City. He was born in Bradley, Me., in 1846, and was raised a lumberman. He went to Michigan in 1866, and followed the latter business until he came to Kansas. He is a member of the Masonic order and Detroit Commandery, No. 1, of Detroit, Mich., and Knight Templars of Michigan. He was married in 1871 to Miss Helen P. Towsley, of Waterloo, N. Y.; they have one son, Fred T. Murphy.

COLONEL JOHN. T. PRICE, farmer, P. O. Junction City, was born in Louisville, Ky., February 14, 1826. His parents died when he was but a child. He was reared by his mother's brother, William A. Cocke, a gentleman of high standing in life. Mr. Price was educated in the common schools of his native city, completing at Hanover College, Indiana. At the beginning of the hostilities between the United States and Mexico, he enlisted as a private in the First United States Dragoons, with which he marched across the plains to Santa Fe, and thence to Old Mexico. Col. Kearney having been promoted to the position of brigadier general in the regular army, left Companies I and G at Santa Fe, under command of Capt. J. H. K. Burgum. These companies took part in the battles of Elamboda, La Hoya and Pueblode (sic) Taos, in the fall of 1847. They then went with Col. Sterling Price to Chihuahua, and assisted in the battle of San Rosalie. After the capture of this point, Mr. Price was made a sergeant, and was sent, with a squad of ten men, to Monterey as a bearer of dispatches to Capt. Thomas W. Sherman, then commanding Bragg's Battery. Having safely delivered the dispatches, they were sent to Washington, where he and his men were requested to remain in Monterey to await an answer. With two soldiers, he returned to Col. Price bearing the answer. The entire distance from Monterey to Chihuahua is four hundred miles, which they accomplished in twelve days, traveling only at night, and hiding in the day, to escape capture by the wily enemy, in whose country they were traveling. After being mustered out at the close of the Mexican war, he accepted a position as clerk in the Quartermaster's Department, at Fort Union, which he held until 1854. When Kansas was organized as a Territory, he re-crossed the plains and settled in what is now Davis County. He was elected County Treasurer in 1872, and re-elected in 1874. In all the positions he has held, he has discharged his duties with fidelity. He was married on October 7, 1859, to Miss Elizabeth Badger, of Davis County, Kan., formerly of Pennsylvania; they have nine children--Flora M., Martha, John T., Jr., Hiram, Elizabeth, Charles B., Lucy, Annie and James C. He is a member of the Masonic order. He is one of those who assisted to organize the town of Junction City, in May, 1857. He was Sheriff of what was then Arapahoe County in 1854 and 1855, including all of the country from the eastern part of Davis County west to the Rocky Mountains. He rode down three horses and collected 25 cents fee for his trouble during his term of office. It will, therefore, not be difficult for the reader to imagine that the country was very thinly settled.

DUSTIN SANDS, farmer, P. O. Junction City, came to Kansas in March, 1871, taking a homestead in Dickinson County, twelve miles west of Junction City, where he farmed a year, then sold out and worked a rented farm five years. Finally he located on his present place in the spring of 1878, Township 11, Range 5, Sections 20, 21, 29, 28, owning 600 acres, all bottom land, 350 of which are cultivated. He makes a specialty of raising stock and grain. He raised 1,200 bushels of wheat on 40 acres of land in 1882, and marketed a share of it at 76 cents per bushel. He was born in Piscataquis County, Me., December 1, 1844, was raised on a farm, living in his native State until 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Eleventh Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry, and served about a year, when he contracted the typhoid fever and measles, and was discharged in 1862. Returning to the army in 1863, he was in the Sanitary Commission until Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered. He then went to California, where he followed mining and lumbering until 1870, soon afterwards going to Kansas. He was married in Boston, Mass., in 1870, to Miss Henrietta Rich, a native of Penobscot County, Me.; they have two children--Earle and May. He is a member of the Masonic order of Junction City.

GEORGE A. TAYLOR, farmer, Section 27, P. O. Junction City; was born in Hartford County, Conn., September 24, 1836, where he was reared and educated. He made farming his occupation until 1855, when he came to Kansas, and was engaged in various pursuits for quite a while. In 1857 he moved to this county and settled on his present home. He has held the offices of County Commissioner and County Assessor. In 1861 he enlisted in Company I, Old Second Infantry, and was engaged in several battles; was discharged in 1863. He was married, in Dickinson County, this State, March 24, 1864, to Miss Jane Lamb. She was born in Butler County, Ohio, August 25, 1846. They have four children--Henry S., Maud E., Grace A., and Eveline R. Mr. Taylor is a greenbacker.

LYON TOWNSHIP.

CAPTAIN ROBERT HENDERSON, farmer, P. O. Junction City, is farming 400 acres of land on Section 24. He first settled in Junction City in 1858, and followed house-building until 1861, when in September of that year he enlisted in Company F, Sixth Kansas Cavalry, as a private, and after about ten months' service he was promoted to second lieutenant of Company G. He participated in the battles of Coon Creek, Kane Hill and Prairie Grove; was promoted to first lieutenant in December, 1863; then participated in the latter battle, and confined in the Rebel hospital at Camden, Ark., for some time, and in the Rebel prison in Shreveport, La. He was then removed to Tyler, Texas, and there confined for six months, finally escaping, and was twenty-six days and nights in making his way into the Union lines at Fort Smith, Ark. He was promoted to the captaincy of his company while in Rebel prison, in November, 1864, and was mustered out as captain, May 20, 1865. He then returned to Junction City soon afterward, settling on his present fine home. When he first settled in Kansas, his nearest grist mill was Topeka, seventy-three miles distant, and nearest post-office, Fort Riley, five miles distant. He was born in Ireland, February 8, 1833, and came to America in 1851. He was married in 1857 to Miss Elizabeth Douglas; they have five children--James B., Lizzie E., William J., Mary D. and Robert D. He has served one term as County Treasurer, and is a member of the Masonic order.

THEODORE JONES, farmer, P. O. Junction City, first came to Kansas in October, 1854; located near Osawatomie, where he assisted to erect the first house in that place; began farming, but soon sold out and went to Westport, Mo.; remained there a short time and returned to Shawnee County, Kan., for a short-time; then to Lawrence, until April, 1856; was there during the first well-known troubles in that place; he soon afterward settled near Fort Riley on a farm, on Section 24, Township 12, Range 5 east; 158 acres of land, 75 under cultivation, with a fine orchard, timber, etc. He enlisted in May, 1861, in Company B, Second Kansas Volunteer Infantry; participated in the battle of Wilson's Creek; after serving five months, was mustered out; re-enlisted in Company E, Second Kansas Cavalry; participated in the battles of Kane Hill and Prairie Grove; was mustered out at Fort Leavenworth, February 18, 1865. He was born in Onondago County, N. Y., January 25, 1831, and married in 1879 to Miss Mary P. Smith, of Lawrence. Eliza Roxy is their only child.

E. S. MCFARLAND, farmer, P. O. Junction City, came to Kansas latter part of August, 1855; worked for the Quartermaster at Fort Riley; was also a member of the Second United States Dragoons. He was born near Lake Champlain, N. Y., July 3, 1828. His parents moved to Worcester County, Mass., when he was a child, and there he lived until twenty-four years of age, when he enlisted in the Second United States Dragoons, being sent to Carlisle Barracks, Pa., soon after to Texas, where he remained until 1855, and then to Fort Riley, Kan. Mustered out of service in 1857, since which time he has made his home in Kansas. Took a pre-emption claim in 1858, on Section 11, Township 12, Range 5. He has 160 acres of finely watered and timbered land, sixty acres of which are now under cultivation. He built the first house in Junction City in the spring of 1858 for P. Z. Taylor. He enlisted April 14, 1861; served five months and re-enlisted in Company B, Second Kansas Volunteer Infantry. Transferred to the Second Kansas Cavalry; participated in all the battles of his command; mustered out February, 1865. He was married in 1871 to Miss A. L. Staples, of Needham, Mass. They have two children--Mary E. and James E.

JAMES MANSFIELD, Section 33, Township 12, Range 5, P. O. Junction City, owns 900 acres of land, 300 of which are under cultivation. He first came to Kansas in the fall of 1859, locating on his present place where he began farming and stock-raising. He was born in Orleans County, N. Y., December 8, 1831. His parents removed to Washtenaw County, Mich., in 1833. He lived there twenty-four years, then went to the mines of California, and followed mining until the fall of 1859, then came to his present home. He was married in 1865 to Miss L. A. Ableson, of Ontario, Canada. They haye (sic) four children--Helen V., Ida F., Lucien H. and Clark. He is a member of the Masonic Order of Junction City. He has one of the finest orchards in Davis County.

G. R. WOODWARD, farmer, P. O. Junction City, came to Kansas in 1857, locating in Ashland, Davis County (now Riley County), where he engaged in farming until 1865. He then located on a homestead, Section 20, Township 12, Range 5, of eighty acres. Sold out and now is located one-half mile west of Junction City, where he is engaged in farming. He was born in Rutland County, Vt., September 20, 1836; lived in his native State until he was twenty-one years old, then came to Kansas. He was a member of the Kansas State Militia some time during the Rebellion. He was married in 1861 to Miss Maria M. Kelley, a native of Ireland. His wife's parents emigrated to America when she was a small child, and located in Cincinnati, Ohio. They have two children--Mary Janette and William Raymond.

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.

PAUL KRAMER, farmer, Section 4, P. O. Junction City, was born in Germany, October 12, 1824. He was reared and educated in his native country; came to America in 1851 and lived in New York for quite a while. Came to Kansas in 1855, and enlisted in Company B, First United States Cavalry, where he served for five years. In 1865 came to Davis County and settled on his present house. He was married in this county in 1863 to Miss Mena Tobeern. She is a native of Prussia; born October 15, 1844. They have seven children--Herman F., Paul, John, William, Florence, Elizabeth E. and Annie C. Mr. Kramer is a Republican.