Michael Floersch. In the year 1854, the late Michael Floersch, then a young man of twenty-one years, came from Missouri to Kansas and homesteaded a claim in the Pottawatomie country. He had been reared in Missouri, where his parents had settled on coming to the United States when he was eight years old. He was born in Germany, in 1833, and was reared in the faith of the Catholic Church, to the teachings of which he consistently adhered through a long, active and exemplary career. When Mr. Floersch came to Kansas he was without capital other than indomitable courage, unlimited energy and worthy ambition, but these served to carry him through the first few years and served as the foundation upon which his fortunes were builded.
At the time of his arrival Mr. Floersch pre-empted land in Pottawatomie County and began to develop a farm. He succeeded, not only in the formation of a large and valuable country estate, but in co-operating with strong and capable men in the business world, and in addition to being a skilled and thrifty farmer and a large live stock dealer, was prominent in business affairs. As a pioneer of Kansas, he took a conspicuous part in the development of the section of the state that was so fortunate to secure the benefit of his judgment and foresight and to be the scene of his business activities. The Town of Flush, in Pottawatomie County, is located on land formerly a part of his farm, and the town was named in his honor, but the Federal postoffice department changed the name from Floersch to Flush because of easier spelling. True to his religious training, Mr. Floersch donated grounds for the Catholic Church parish house and cemetery at Flush and always continued to be a generous and ready responder to appeals for contributions for worthy movements. In politics he was a republican, but he never cared for nor held public office. He and his wife reared a family of five sons and two daughters. In 1896 Mr. Floersch retired from farm life and removed to Omaha, Nebraska, for the purpose of raising his youngest son, now Doctor Floersch, of Topeka, Kansas. The death of Michael Floersch occurred at Omaha, in January, 1906, when he was seventy-two years of age.
Joseph B. Floersch, president of the Union National Bank of Manhattan, Kansas, is a worthy son of an honored father. He was born on the homestead place in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, September 28, 1864, and is a son of the late Michael and Mary (Dekat) Floersch. He was reared on the home farm, attended the public schools during the winter terms, and in 1884 was graduated from the splendid Catholic school at Saint Mary’s, in his native county. At that time he engaged in farming not far from his father’s place, but April 15, 1889, removed to Manhattan, Kansas, where he has since made his home and where he has been engaged in the banking business for a period of more than twenty-seven years. On coming to Manhattan, Mr. Floersch, in company with his father and other gentlemen, organized the Union National Bank, of which he became bookkeeper. From that position he worked his way steadily to the position of president, which office he assumed in 1906, having been for six years previous to that time the cashier of the institution. Politically he adheres to the principles of the republican party, but is not a politician and has not sought preferment at the hands of his party. In church faith, like his father, he is a communicant of the Catholic Church and has always been a generous supporter thereof, as well as of the cause of education.
In 1893 Mr. Floersch married Miss Mary C. Donnelly, and they have one of the largest, handsomest and most modern homes of Manhattan, a city of fine residences, among whose prominent and highly esteemed citizens they have long been numbered.