Indiana

Biography of Samuel J. Crawford

Samuel J. Crawford was one of the first members of the Kansas State Legislature, by service on the field of battle attained the rank of brigadier-general during the Civil war, and was the third governor of the state. He was one of the history makers of early Kansas, and what he did to influence the early political development of Kansas must be told on other pages. Following is a brief sketch of his personal career. He was born in Lawrence County, Indiana, April 10, 1835, grew up on a farm, attended the graded schools of Bedford, Indiana, and the law … Read more

Biography of George H. Keller

The name of George H. Keller, one of the founders of Leavenworth, stands among old-time residents for all that is brave and generous and stable and whole-souled, in the most trying times of the territory and the state. As John Speer once said: “His name was a synonym for honesty, integrity and patriotism; his house in Leavenworth illustrated the proverbial hospitality of the ‘Old Kentucky Home.’” “Uncle” George Keller was born in that state in February, 1801; his wife, a Van Dyke, was also a native of Kentucky, and both were descended from Holland Dutch stock. Soon after his marriage … Read more

Biography of Robert G. Elliott

Robert G. Elliott was one of the founders of Kansas as a free territory and state. He was born in Union County, Indiana, July 23, 1828, of South Carolina parentage, and was graduated from the University of the Hoosier State in 1850. Among his classmates were the son and three nephews of Henry A. Wise, governor of Virginia. After teaching four years in Indiana and Tennessee, and becoming thoroughly educated and aroused in his absorption of the prevailing issues of the ante-war days, he became associated with Josiah Miller in the establishment of the Kansas Free State newspaper at Lawrence. … Read more

Biography of John Warner

Nearly sixty years have passed since John Warner, then a young man in the full prime of enthusiasm and ambition, came to Kansas to seek his fortune in the young state. At that time his available eash assets consisted of $13, not a great sum with which to start in an unknown country. This was sufficient, however, and not many years had passed before he was on the high road to success. Now, in his eighty-fourth year, this Kansas pioneer and Civil war veteran is living in retirement at Manhattan, at which city he took his residence in 1908, after … Read more

Biography of Robert Bruce Spilman

The name Spilman has for half a century been one of prominence in Riley County. The people of that county, including both the bar and the general public, will always recall with special marks of affection and esteem the life and services of the late Judge Robert Bruce Spilman, who was one of the pioneer lawyers of Manhattan and for ten years occupied a seat on the district bench. A son of William and Dorcas Jane (Garrison) Spilman, who were natives of Kentucky, and early settlers in Indiana, Judge Spilman was born at their home at Rockville, Indiana, August 7, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Robert Bruce Spilman, Jr.

The only son of the late Judge R. B. Spilman still living in Manhattan is Robert Bruce Spilman, Jr. He was born in Manhattan September 7, 1875, and that city has always been his home. He attended the public schools, and in 1894 entered the halls of his father’s Alma Mater, old Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He continued his studies at Wabash until 1896. Returning home he occnpied himself with various lines of employment until 1900, and in that year was elected clerk of the District Court for Riley County. Since beginning his duties as clerk of the District … Read more

Biography of Rev. William Knipe

Rev. William Knipe is one of the few surviving participants in the war with Mexico, which was fought nearly seventy years ago. Many other interesting distinctions attach to this venerable and useful resident of Kansas. He was one of the pioneer Methodist missionaries in Jackson County, Kansas, and is one of the very oldest members of the Methodist Conference. He was also a soldier of the Civil war and few men who live so long succeed in compressing so much useful service to humanity within a lifstime. His birth occurred in a log house in Wayne County, Indiana, September 28, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Charles W. Goodlander

Charles W. Goodlander was an able and large hearted business man, and among other tributes to his benevolence is the Home for Children which he founded at Fort Scott. He was a Pennsylvanian of English-Quaker ancestry, born at Milton, April 25, 1834. He obtained a partial high school education and mastered and followed the carpenter’s trade in Ponnsylvania, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, before deciding to venture west of the Mississippi in his search for a location. Finally, in April, 1857, he arrived at Fort Scott, the first passenger to come from Kansas City by stage coach. Mr. Goodlander at … Read more

Biography of William Henry Redeneraugh

Now conducting one of the best equipped and most orderly dairy farms in Shawnee County, W. H. Redenbeaugh was for many years an active railroad man, chiefly with the Santa Fe Company, and deserves mention as one of the early settlers of Shawnee County, where he had resided for forty-five years. His birth occurred in Boone County, Indiana, March 2, 1865. His father, James F. Redenbaugh, was born in Montgomery County, Indiana, in 1847. The grandfather, Fred Redenbeaugh, was also a native of Indiana, where the family settled when Indiana was a territory. George Redenbeaugh served as a soldier in … Read more

Biography of Jesse White

A widely known and universally esteemed citizen of Riley County, a retired farmer living in great comfort in the pleasant Town of Riley, is Jesse White, an honored veteran of the Civil war. For almost sixty years his home had been in the Sunflower State and he had done his part in aiding in its agricultural, religious and educational progrees. He was born July 10, 1844, in Jackson County, Indiana. His parents were Jesse and Naney (Kinlon) White. From their native state, North Carolina, the parents of Jesse White removed to Indiaua in 1842, and thence to Kansas, arriving at … Read more

Biography of Hon. P. I. Bonebrake

There is great truth in the sontence “biography is history teaching by example.” After considering the story related in the following paragraphs one is convinced that there is more real history pertaining to a city, county and state in the life record of such a man as P. I. Bonebrake of Topeka than can be found in many pages of the detailed statisties. The editors of this publication have been fortunate in securing a transcript of Mr. Bonebrake’s personal reminiscences of his life and time, and the following article is a digest of those reminiscences, together with such comments as … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Judge John Guthrie

Judge John Guthrie, during the forty years of his residence at Topeka, was recognized as one of the leading men in professional, public and scholarly circles, in the State of Kansas. Previously, he had been known as a successful criminal lawyer of Indiana and an honorable officer of the Civil war. He was born in Switzerland County, that state, in July, 1829; was admitted to the bar in 1857, and served as a private and the captain of Company D, Forty-sixth Indiana Infantry, from the beginning of the war until the breaking of his health in 1862. In May, 1865, … Read more

Biography of Solomon Secrest

Sixty years have rolled away since Solomon Secrest, one of Riley County’s pioneer settlers and most respected citizens, first surveyed with wonder and admiration, the beautiful, peaceful valley of Fancy Creek, then sleeping quiet and praetically unknown within the enfolding hills. In November, 1856, with his brother Edward and Henry Shellenbaum, returning from a buffalo hunt on the Saline River, whither they had accompanied a band of Wyandotte Indians, journeyed up the Blue River in search of Henry Coundry, an old acquaintance, who had settled in the previous year near the mouth of Mill Creek. In their search they came … Read more

Biography of Edward Secrest

While his hundreds of well wishers and admiring friends in Riley County speak— as they often do—of Mr. Edward Seerest, they seldom use his full name, but a term of more significance and affection–simply “Uncle Ed.” In a country where titles of nobility are forbidden, there is more of genuine honor and esteem accompanying these words than are signified in the more august titles so prevalent in the undemocratic comtries across the sea. There have been several enechal events in the career of this honored pioneer settler of Riley County. The first came when he was fourteen years of age. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Scott Kelsey

Scott Kelsey, the eldest son of Dandridge and Mercy (Laycock) Kelsey, was born in Dearborn County, Indiana, July 1, 1847. He was reared to manhood there and attended the district schools. In August, 1864, he enlisted in the United States navy for service in the Civil war and was assigned to duty in the Mississippi Squadron. At various times previously he had sought to enlist, but owing to his youth had been refused. During his term of service he was. engaged mainly in patrol work on the Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers and participated in both the battles at Nashville … Read more

Biography of Boyd Elias Pollom

The men who came to Shawnee County in 1871 were of necessity patient plodders, content to await the rewards of a developing civilization. There were no short cuts to fortune such as fired the zeal of the argonauts of ’49, but there existed sane and practical opportunities for the man to whom labor was a beneflcent and necessary festure of his existence. To such a class belonged William Pollom, father of Boyd Elias Pollom, the latter one of the successful agrienlturists and substantial citizens of the vicinity of North Topeka. William Pollom was born in Ohio, in 1838, a son … Read more

Biography of Robert Pugh

One of the valuable acquisitions to the citizenship of Shawnee County was made about the close of the Civil war when Robert Pugh came to Kansas and became one of the pioneer homesteadors in Topeka and Tecumseh Township. During his active lifetime Robert Pugh developed a splendid estate as a farmer, and the qualities of his enterpriss descended to his only son living, Burton H. Pugh, who for many years had been one of the leading factors in the potato industry of the Kaw Valley. A native of Preble County, Ohio, Robert Pugh was born January 26. 1830, a son … Read more

Biography of Andrew Arnold

One of the old and substantial business houses of Topeka is that now conducted under the style of Arnold Drug Company, an establishment which had been operated by father and son. This business was founded nearly forty-seven years ago by the late Andrew Arnold, who same here as a poor young man and subsequently advanced to a substantial position in business circles and to a leading place in civic affairs. Andrew J. Arnold was born in 1845, at Columbus, the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, a son of Ephraim Arnold, whe was a pioneer of Indiana and prominent in … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Albert G. Patrick

Albert G. Patrick, of Jefferson and Calhoun counties, Kansas, was one of the free-state leaders and, although he finally died full of years and honor, had a most narrow escape from death in the most exciting period of the border troubles. He was an Indiana native, born at Salem, Washington County, in 1824, and a settler at Leavenworth, February 18, 1856. He wrote an account of the robbery and stuffing of the ballot box in the Currler-Beck contest for a seat in the Council, which was published in an Indiana paper and aroused the men of the town. In the … Read more

Biography of William Divine Davis, M.D.

Dr. William Divine Davis, who has engaged in the practice of medicine in St. Louis since his graduation from the medical department of Washington University in 1909, save for the period of his service in the World war, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, August 29, 1887, a son of Thomas Winfield and Mary (Divine) Davis. The father was born August 26, 1859, his parents being William G. and Jane (Thomas) Davis, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, who in 1868 emigrated to the new world, settling in Terre Haute, Indiana. The father comes of a musical family that for years sang throughout … Read more