John P. Brady. Since he was fifteen years of age John P. Brady had had a varied and extensive experience as an oil worker. He began in his native state of Pennsylvania, and had been in most of the important oil fields of the country. For the past few years he had had his home at Havans, and is one of the leading individual producers in that section.
His birth occurred at Parkers Landing in Pennsylvania on June 3, 1876. His people, however, were early settlers of Ohio. His grandfather Barney Brady was born in County Cavan, Ireland, came to the United States when young, and acquired a homestead in Southern Ohio at Hamden. He died there at the age of eighty-eight.
Jerome Brady, father of John P., was born at Hamden, Ohio, in 1835, and lived there until the breaking out of the Civil war. He then enlisted and served four years in an Ohio regiment, and made a most ereditable record as a soldier, participating in many of the historic battles, including the Battle of the Wilderness. After the war he was attracted to the oil fielde of Western Pennsylvania, going first to Oil Oreek, and was a producer from 1865 until 1900. He also owned a farm with some oil wells on it at Parkers Landing. In 1900, on retiring from the oil industry, he returned to Hamden, Ohio, and bought from his brother, J. E. Brady, the old hornestead which had first been acquired by his father. He died there in 1904. He was a republican, as a good eitizen did his part whenever called upon, and served on the school board. He was a member of the Methodist Church. Jerome Brady married Arietta Hamilton, who was born at Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1845 and now resided at Warren, Ohio. Her children were Edwin H., of Tulsa, Oklahoma, an oil producer and contractor; Jennie, wife of Harry Grinder, clerk in a store at Warren, Ohio; John P.; Harry, who lives at Drumright, Oklahoma, and is superintendent for E. B. Shafer, an oil producer.
John P. Brady received his early education in the public schools of Parkers Landing, but called his education finished at the age of fifteen and then started to work in the oil fields. In Butler County, Pennsylvania, he acquired a thorough preliminary experience as a pumper, tool dresser and driller. He afterwards operated in Monroe County, Ohio, at Salem in Harrison County, West Virginia, at Manlington, Marion County, West Virginia, and in February, 1912, came to Kansas and had since been located at Havana. He is both a contractor and oil producer, and now had twenty-six producing oil wells in the vicinity of Havana. He also owned a good home in that town. Politically he is independent as a voter, and fraternally is affiliated with Lodge No. 84, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Salem, West Virginia.
On October 27, 1897, at Petrolia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Brady married Miss Luln Walker. Her parents, Daniel and Jane Walker, are both now deceased, her father having been an oil prodncer and farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Brady have three children: Berths, who was born in February, 1898, and is now a sophomore in the Oswego College for Women; Ralph, born November 6, 1901, is in the eighth grade of the public schools of Havana; Fred, born December 9, 1905, is now in the fifth grade of the Havana public schools.
