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 of Joseph Pollom, of Pennsylvania-Dutch antecedents who was a pioneer of both Ohio and Indiana. William Pollom grew up as a farmer, a vocation which he followed throughout his life, with short periods of participation in sawmilling, as timber in his community was very plentiful during his young manhood. He was married in 1856 to Ann Boyd, of Muskingum County, Ohio, and not long thereafter moved to Clay County, Indiana, and then to Putnam County, in the same state. A loyal Union man, never afrald to express his views, he enlisted in the Fifty-first Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war and fought with that organization until wounded in battle, when he returned to Putnam County and thereafter did duty as a home guard as long as the war lasted. While he was greatly interested in local political affairs, he never sought office. Mr. Pollom was an upright citizen, of high moral character, who never used intoxicating liquor, and a devout member of the Methodist Church. In 1871, with his large family of young children, he started for the West, traveling overland for a journey of twenty-six days, under the most favorable conditions, there being but two days of rain during the entire time. Locating in North Topeka, Mr. Pollom bought considerable real estate and installed a number of improvements, but after two years returned to the old Indiana home, partly because he still owned property there that had not been disposed of. Eight years later Mr. Pollom again came to Kansas by wagon, but this journey was not so pleasurable, as during eighteen days of the trip it rained, the roads were made almost impassable and the little party underwent many discomforts and some real hardships before they reached their destination. This was again North Topeka, where they remained for one year and then occupied the David Shellabarger farm for five years. Subsequently they went to Pottawatomie County, Kansas, and lived near Louisville for five years, and then returned to Shawnee County and bought the Hickman farm, on Indian Creek, where Mr. Pollom erected a residence. His final move, at the time of his retirement from active affairs, was to the City of Tacoma, Washington, where Mr. Pollom is living. Mrs. Pollom is deceased. They were the parents of eleven children, and all are yet living, as follows: Philip A., who resided near Grantville, where he is engaged in farming; lessie R., who is now Mrs. J. F. Elliott, of Tacoma, Washington; Joseph M., who lives on the Marple homestead, in Shawness County; Boyd E., of this notice; Edna Day, of Tacoma, Washington; Noah D., who is engaged in the mercantile business in Tacoma, Washington; Annetta Anderson, of Richland, Kansas; Mary E., who is now Mrs. George Goodrich, of Yelm, Washington, where Mr. Goodrich had a ranch; Willie, who is employed by the Karlan Furniture Company, of Topeka; Walter, twin of Willie, and the only single member of the family; and Arthur Earl, who is engaged in the mill and feed business at Chehalis, Washington.
Boyd Elias Pollom was born in Putnam County, Indiana, in 1863, and there received his education up to the time he was eight years of age, when he made his first trip to Kansas with the family. Two years later he returned to Indiana, but in 1879 again came to Kansas, this time to remain permanently. During the next eight years he divided his time between farming and sawmilling, and then took up agricultural work exclusively, which he had followed since as the owner of the old Pollom homestead. Mr. Pollom represents the substantial and reliable element of his community, and, still in the vigor and prime of manhood, is cheered by the good will and affection of many friends and the consoiousness of having performed, to the best of his ability, his obligations as farmer, husband, father and citizen. Mr. Pollom had always taken a keen interest in the welfare of his community, and had rendered valuable and intelligent service, having been formerly a trustee of Soldier Township for four years, and at present being a member of the board of county sommissioners of Shawnee County.
Mr. Pollem was married to Miss Mary E. Pitcher, who was born at Winchester, Kansas, in 1869, and to this union there have been born six sons and two daughters, namely: Ray H., a graduate of Manbattan K. S. A. College, class of 1912, and now manager of the Co-Operative College Store, at Manhattan; Lester Boyd, a graduate of Manhattan K. S. A. College, class of 1913, and now principal of Wamego High School, is married and the father of an infant son; Constance May, who died in infancy; Fred E., a student in his third year at the K. S. A. College; William Oletus, a senior at the Topeka High School; Edgar Thomas, a sophomore in that school; and Harry M. and Ruth E., who are attending the Rochester school.