A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans Collections – Page 92 of 109

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 Bobbie J. Dunning

Bobbie J. Dunning. Some men in the course of their careers gain wealth, others high public position, but probably the greatest good fortune that comes to any one is a wealth of esteemed and true-hearted friendship such as surrounded the late Bobbie J. Dunning of Kansas City, Kansas. He was one of the widest known Masons in the state, and had pre-eminently the faculty of making and retaining friends. He was by no means unsuccessful in business, and started in a small way, and though still a young man at the time of his death, he built up one of … Read more

Biography of Bion M. McCormick

Bion M. McCormick. A prosperous farmer and representative citizen of Zeandale Township, Riley County, is found in Bion M. McCormick, whose beautiful farm of 160 acres is devoted to general agriculture. He was born September 30, 1867, on this farm, and is a son of Armstead Thompson and Anna (Allen) McCormick. In recalling the honorable pioneers of this section of Kansas, the name of the late Armstead Thompson McCormick comes quickly to mind. He belonged to that band that may be called the pathfinders in Riley County, coming to this section years before the Civil war, accepting hardships, showing courage … Read more

Biography of Bigler B. Basore

Bigler B. Basore. When he first came to Kansas a number of years ago Mr. Basore was in the role of teacher, and he did some successful school work as teacher and principal in several communities. He had been a farmer, traveling salesman, and is now a leading banker at Lyons, being cashier of the People’s State Bank of that city. Mr. Basore was born at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in September, 1873, a son of Peter and Rosa (Bigler) Basore. His grandfather, Peter Basore, was born at Marseilles, France, in 1807, came to America in early life, and for many years … Read more

Biography of Bertrand Rockwell, Captain

Bertrand Rockwell, who had had his home at Kansas City, Missouri, since 1906 was one of the constructive figures in Kansas from the close of the Civil war until he retired from business. Apart from the individual interest of his career, his activities have had the greatest value in connection with Junction City and that section of the state. Before he had reached his majority he had left school and entered the army, and came out with the rank of captain. Two weeks after being mustered out, in September, 1865, Captain Rockwell reached Leavenworth, Kansas. From there he was carried … Read more

Biography of Bert L. Horton

Bert L. Horton, whose full name is Hubert Lee Horton, has spent about thirteen years of his life in Kansas and is one of the large oil producers in Montgomery County. His home and many of his business interests are at Wayside. He is of Pennsylvania birth and ancestry. There were three Horton brothers back in colonial times who came from England. Mr. Horton’s grandfather, Thomas Horton, was reared in New York State, where for a time in the early days he conducted a distillery, but subsequently moved to Tioga County, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming until his death. … Read more

Biography of Bert L. Gardanier

Bert L. Gardanier is a well known Kansas banker, being vice president and now acting president of the Central National Bank of Ellsworth. This is one of the best managed banks in Kansas and had long occupied a position on the honor roll of Kansas national banks. It was established as the Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1884, first opening for business in a small room in Ellsworth November 3, 1884, with a capital stock of $7,000. The first depositor was D. A. Burns and the deposits at the close of the first day’s business were less than $1,000. At … Read more

Biography of Bernhard Warkentin

Bernhard Warkentin was born June 18, 1847, in the Village of Altonan, situate in Southern Russia, just north of the Crimea. His parents belonged to the Mennonites–followers of Menno Simon, a sect originating in Holland, migrating to Prussia, thence to Russia in 1783 when the Turkish government ceded to Russia the Crimea and Empress Catherine h of Russia induced them to colonize her new possession by offering them allotments of land, religious freedom and immunity from military service for 100 years. His father, Bernhard Warkentin, Sr., was born in Southern Russia in 1816. His mother–nee Tiesen–was born the same year … Read more

Biography of Bernhard Teichgraeber

Bernhard Teichgraeber is now sole proprietor of the City Mill and Elevator Company at Emporia. Any institution whose wheels have been turning and whose machinery had been grinding out a useful product for daily consumption during a period of thirty years or more had more than ordinary interest and associations. This is particularly true of the City Mill and Elevator Company of Emporia, which was established prior to 1886 by Doctor Armour, and is one of the landmarks of the city. Its present owner is a practical miller, a profession which had run in the family for several generations, and … Read more

Biography of Bernard Stephen Kelly, Father

Father Bernard Stephen Kelly. A man honored and beloved, an ecclesiastic revered and respected by all sections of the community, liberal natured, broad minded, generous, kindly and free, full of understanding of special circumstances and conditions, and with a heart open in sympathy to every necessity, Father Bernard Stephen Kelly, rector of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, is an individual who exerts a powerful influence for morality and Christianity in the City of Leavenworth. Father Kelly is a son of William E. and Katherine (Dowd) Kelly, natives of Ireland, from which country they were brought by their respective parents in … Read more

Biography of Bernard Flesher

Bernard Flesher died at Leavenworth, April 12, 1909. He had been a resident of that city over half a century. In that time he became one of the best known men of Eastern Kansas. His reputation was based not only upon a remarkable business success as a merchant, but also upon his many acts of public spirited citizenship. Although of foreign birth he was in every sense a loyal American, a lover of American institutions, and of the greatness and power of the new world. He was a credit to his city and state. The amassing of wealth was only … Read more

Biography of Benjamin Richmond

Benjamin Richmond is head of the B. Richmond Department Store at 635-637 Osage Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. One of the leading merchants of this city since 1901, his is a record of success in every way unusual and most creditable. He came to America without capital and at one time worked for very low wages. He comes of a high class and cultured Jewish family. He was born in Russia September 15, 1874, one of the four children still living whose parents were Rev. Moses and Bessie Richmond, who were also natives of Russia. Rev. Moses Richmond was a … Read more

Biography of Benjamin Rees

Benjanin Rees. For a half century the Rees family had been known in Mitchell County, Kansas. While largely agricultural, it had been otherwise connected but had always been numbered with the stable, reliable, progressive and law-abiding class. The leading representative at present, Benjamin Rees, a substantial farmer residing at Asherville, was born on the site of this village in 1869. He is a son of John and Nancy Bees, the former of whom is an honored retired resident of Barnard, Lincoln County, Kansas, and the latter of whom died there in 1906. John Rees was born in Wales and from … Read more

Biography of Benjamin Lynn Wilson

Benjamin Lynn Wilson. A forceful factor in Salina’s commercial, civic, educational and religious life was the late Benjamin Lynn Wilson, one of that city’s pioneer merchants. He had gone to Salina when it was on the edge of civilized things in Kansas, and he did his big life work there and the generous prosperity that rewarded his efforts came from that community, to which he was stanchly loyal to the end of his life and which remembers him with fidelity and gratitude for the much good he did. The late Mr. Wilson was born at Bealsville, Ohio, January 13, 1845, … Read more

Biography of Benjamin Franklin Strong, M. D.

Benjamin Franklin Strong, M. D. Now engaged in practice as a physician and surgeon at Chautauqua, Doctor Strong had a wide acquaintance in the two states of Kansas and Missouri, had practiced medicine in both states and had also a successful business record to his credit prior to his entrance into the medical profession. He was born in Sabula, Iowa, June 4, 1861. He represents an old American family. His first American ancestor was Elder John Strong, who was the founder of Northampton, Massachusetts. The Strong family originated in Scotland but this branch of it came from England. Many generations … Read more

Biography of Benjamin Franklin Morgan M.D.

Benjamin Franklin Morgan, M. D., is a physician and surgeon of nearly thirty years’ experience, almost all of which time had been spent in the State of Kansas, and the past seventeen years in the City of Clay Center. The name “Dr. Morgan” is a household word in almost every family throughout Clay and surrounding counties, as four of the immediate family have practiced in Clay Center and never since the year 1883 had there been a time when the familiar form and genial smile of one or more of this family of physicians did not form a part of … Read more

Biography of Benjamin Franklin Dawson

Benjamin Franklin Dawson. Among the early settlers in Kansas was Benjamin Franklin Dawson, who came to the state in 1855 and selected a home in what is now Shawnee County and maintained it here throughout life. He was one of the sturdy, solid men of his time and was justly admired and respected for his honorable and upright life, for his many acts of benevolence and charity, and for the example he set of worthily filling the place allotted to him by Divine decree. Benjamin Franklin Dawson was born in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, December 2, 1828. His father, … Read more

Biography of Benjamin F. Endres

Benjamin F. Endres, son of the late John Adam Endres, whose career is sketched elsewhere, had been a successful lawyer of Leavenworth, and had also figured in public affairs, being now in his second term as a member of the State Legislature. He was born at Leavenworth, January 27, 1875, was educated in the public schools, read law under Thomas P. Fenlon and John H. Atwood, and was admitted to the bar on his twenty-first birthday. Since then, for twenty years, he had been in the active practice of his profession. In 1903 he was elected police judge of Leavenworth … Read more

Biography of Benjamin F. E. Marsh

Benjamin F. E. Marsh. For thirty consecutive years Mr. Marsh had served with unceasing diligence and fidelity the Santa Fe Railway Company. His many friends in the service and among Topeka people generally had a special sense of pleasure in learning of his recent promotion to the office of assistant general freight agent. He had earned every step of his promotion since taking his first clerkship, and had long been recognized as an expert on many of the technical subjects counected with the handling of the freight department of this great system. A native of Topeka where he was born … Read more

Biography of Benjamin E. Lewis

Benjamin E. Lewis. It is invariably found in tracing the influences which make for good citizenship, integrity and morality that the fundamental of these qualities lies in education. Therein is found the basis of intelligence, of judgment according to the value, of comprehension, and, equipped with these, youth may enter upon the struggle of life well prepared to fight its battles. Southeastern Kansas had no reason to feel ashamed of its educational system, or of the men who direct it. The individuals chosen to manage and to discipline have been carefully selected, and in their ranks are found men of … Read more