Brown County KS

Kickapoo Indian Tribe of Brown County Kansas

The Kickapoo Indian Tribe of Brown County, Kansas, played a significant role in the region’s history, particularly during the westward expansion of the United States. Originally settled in Illinois, the Kickapoos were forced westward as settlers encroached on their lands. Led by their prophet Kennekuk, the tribe moved into what is now Kansas, where they initially occupied land near Wathena before being relocated to a reservation in Brown County. Over time, treaties reduced their landholdings drastically, eventually leaving them with a smaller area in the southwestern part of the county. Despite these reductions, the Kickapoo have adapted to changes by embracing farming and integrating aspects of white culture, while the government continues to manage their lands and protect them from exploitation.

Biography of Walter C. Palmer, M. D.

Walter C. Palmer, M. D., after practicing several years in Kansas City, Missouri, where his father was for a number of years a member of the medical profession, removed to Hiawatha, Kansas, and is now giving all his time and attention to surgery. In addition to his broad experience as a practitioner and his equipment in American schools, Doctor Palmer, went abroad in 1916 and from April to July worked in the war hospitals in France. Nowhere had surgical methods undergone greater changes and been brought to a higher degree of perfection than in the hospitals in the war zone … Read more

Biography of Elmer Birdell Gift

Elmer Birdell Gift, a native Kansan, spent his active years in educational work. He is now city superintendent of the public schools of Manhattan, and has been a teacher or a student in higher educational institutions continuously for the past twenty years. He was born on a farm in Smith County, Kansas, April 28, 1874, a son of John and Rachel Ann (Akers) Gift. His parents came to Kansas from Iowa in 1873, settling on a farm. His father was a native of Pennsylvania of German lineage, while his mother was born in Ohio of Scotch and English ancestry. Their … Read more

Biography of Wallace H. Anderson

Wallace H. Anderson, county attorney of Allen County, had won many of the honors of his profession during his active practice at Iola, is a native of Kansas, and is a worthy product of Kansas country life and schools. His family came to Brown County in 1869 and Wallace Harmon Anderson was born on the farm there December 26, 1877. His ancestors were Englishmen who came to Pennsylvania in colonial days. His grandfather Amos Anderson was born in Pennsylvania in 1802, and had a brother who served in the War of 1812. Amos Anderson lived in Ohio, in Iowa, came … Read more

Biography of Tom D. Smith

Tom D. Smith, lawyer at Hiawatha, had for a number of years been regarded as one of the most forceful orators and leaders in the republican party of Kansas. Because of his unusual resources as a speaker and reasoner, he was given some of the most important assignments during the national republican campaign of 1916. Much of his work was done in the far East. He spoke at President Wilson’s home and at Long Brauch, and spoke with Charles E. Hughes and William Taft during the Union Square meeting in New York City. He stumped all over New Jersey, Connecticut … Read more

Biography of Charles H. Browne

Charles H. Browne is proprietor and editor of the Horton Headlight-Commercial, now the only journal published in that enterprising and flourishing city of Brown County. Mr. Browne had been largely identified with newspaper work since he left school, and is a vigorous type of citizen and easily a leader in any community. For a number of years he had been connected with the National Guard of Kansas and had been especially active in recent events in which the country had been involved in tronble, first with Mexico and later with Germany. The Horton Headlight-Commercial is a consolidation of half a … Read more

Biography of Edmund Needham Morrill, Hon.

Hon. Edmund Needham Morrill. Of the record of Governor Morrill during his term as head of the state government of Kansas a review is given on other pages of this history. It will be wise to supplement that record with some of the more personal details of his career and his various connections, public and business and philanthropic, with Brown County, where his name will always be revered and where he was regarded by common consent as the foremost citizen. He was born at Westbrook, Cumberland County, Maine, February 12, 1834, and died in 1909, after completing three-quarters of a … Read more

Biography of John G. Laughlin

John G. Laughlin. The name Laughlin had been well known in Atchison County and other sections of Kansas for nearly half a century. John Gregory Laughlin of this family is a prominent young banker and is cashier of the Devon State Bank in Bourbon County. He was born at Atchison, Kansas, April 25, 1889. The previous generations of the family came out of Ireland. Grandfather Patrick Laughlin came from Ireland to the United States in 1852, first locating in Wisconsin, and from there coming to Kansas in 1867. He was a farmer and stone mason, lived retired after coming to … Read more

Biography of T. W. McCarthy

T. W. McCarthy is master mechanic of the Rock Island lince in the Kansas Division, and is a veteran in this branch of railroad service. He began his career many years ago as an apprentice back in New York, and had risen stsadily in the grade of responsibilities until he is now at the head of the large shops of the Rock Island Road at Horton, which is division headquarters. He is master mechanic in the shops situated just west of the city limits, and had the general oversight and supervision of 700 employes. At one time or other every … Read more

Biography of Charles H. Schneider

Charles H. Schneider is one of the veterans of the Rock Island Railway System, in whose employed  he had remained continuously for over thirtyfive years. His post of responsibility for a long time had been as storekeeper for the Rock Island lines west of the Missouri River. His headquarters and offices are at Horton. When it is stated that Mr. Schneider had the supervision of furnishing supplies to 2,500 miles of this railroad, the importance of his department and its volume of administrative detail can be better appreciated. Detailed administrative work had been Mr. Sehneider’s strong forte and though he began as … Read more

Biographical Sketch of David E. Ballard

A native of Franklin County, Vermont, David E. Ballard is a leading citizen and a prosperous farmer of Washington, and looks back with still keen interest to the days of nearly sixty years ago, when he assisted in the civil organization of his county and his state. He was born March 20, 1837, of English and Revolutionary ancestors. When he was a boy his father, Appleton Ballard, moved to Morrow County, Ohio, not to cultivate the land, but to provide his family with a home while he fared forth on the high seas of the East. While thus engaged, he … Read more

Biography of William Colfax Markham

William Colfax Markham, son of the late Dr. L. A. Markham and younger brother of Dean Markham of Baker University, is a Kansas man distinguished by exceptional talents and a versatile ability which have caused him to be referred to as editor, poet, playwright and enterprising citizen. He was born at Bolivar, Ohio, September 10, 1868, and he spent his youth in the various places where his father was engaged in his ministerial labors. For three years he was a student in Baldwin University at Berea, Ohio, and in 1886 he moved with his parents to Missouri and subsequently entered … Read more

Biography of Samuel V. Mallory

Samuel V. Mallory, now superintendent of the city schools of Morrill, Brown County, had been a, Kansas educator for many years. He had been connected at different times with the public schools of three states–Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma–and both as a teacher and administrator his work rests upon the seeure foundation of sincere and effective service. Mr. Mallory had lived in Kansas since early youth and he represents some of the best elements of American ancestry. His great-grandfather, John William Mallory, spent his life in Virginia, having been born near Harper’s Ferry. He married Elizabeth peyton, who was the daughter … Read more

Biography of Frederick M. Thompson

Frederick M. Thompson, superintendent of the city schools of Horton, and an educator of long and successful experience, is a native of Kansas, and his family have been identified with this state since the territorial period. His father, Samuel C. Thompson, who is now living at Leavenworth at the venerable age of eighty-two, came out to Kansas in 1856 and for a time was identified with the frontier Town of Leavenworth and later removed to Springdale. where he was employed by the firm of Russell Waddell and Major in their big sawmill twelve miles west of Leavenworth on “Big Stranger.” … Read more

Biography of Myron White

Myron White, an active representative of the Muskogee bar for the past two decades, has been accorded an extensive and gratifying clientage in recognition of his skill in the handling of intricate legal problems. He is numbered among the native sons of Kangas, his birth having occurred in Brown county on the 6th of September, 1875. His father, Jesse H. White, a native of Ohio, came of Revolutionary stock and was of English lineage. He served as a soldier of the Union army during the four-year period ‘of the Civil war and after the close of the conflict he married … Read more

Biography of Sardins Mason Brewster

Sardins Mason Brewster was born in Irving Township, Brown County, Kansas, on June 19, 1870. When he was about four years of age his parents moved to White Cloud, Doniphan County, Kansas, where he resided for more than thirty years. His father was Arthur Seeley Brewster, a native of New York, who came with his parents to Ashtabuia County, Ohio, at an early age. His father was a practicing attorney at White Cloud and practiced in Doniphan, Brown and neighboring counties. He was for six years county attorney of Doniphan County, Kansas, and held many positions of public trust. He … Read more

Biography of Charles D. Lamme

Charles D. Lamme is president of the Morrill-Janes Bank of Hiawatha, one of the largest and most prosperous financial institutions of Northern Kansas. His is a business career that may be studied with profit by all members of the rising generation. He was not yet twenty years of age when in January, 1880, he became connected with the Morrill-Janes Bank. At first his dutles were not classified on the regular payroll. Morning and night he did janitor work and during the day was variously employed as a messenger and in any other duties thought best by his superiors. He possessed … Read more

Biography of Hon. Isaiah W. Hope

Hon. Isaiah W. Hope is one of the most prominent men in Malheur County today, and he has been a leader here for many years, having started in the mercantile business with his brother in an early day and building up one of the mammoth establishments of the west, while also in many lines of industry he has brought the fine talent of which he is possessed into play with the gratifying result that he has achieved a general round of success in the realm of merchant, general developer of the country, organizer of the Vale Commercial Company, promoter of … Read more

Biography of James Boyd Hitt

James Boyd Hitt, who had been actively identified with school work nearly twenty years, is now superintendent of the city schools of Everest, Brown County. Mr. Hitt did his first work as an educator in his native State of Ohio and had been connected with kansas schools for about ten years. His forefathers in the Hitt family were of Scotch-Irish ancestry and were early settlers in Virginia. His grandfather, Garrett T. Hitt, was born in Culpeper County, Virginia. He came North and located in Ohio, at first in Tuscarawas County and later in Williams County. He followed farming, and after a … Read more

Biography of Edmund Woodbridge Buffon

E. W. Buffon. For the greater part of twenty years Edmund Woodbridge Buffon had been engaged in educational work and is now superintendent of the city schools of Centralia. He is a highly educated gentleman and had made his influence a decided factor in Nemsha County in other ways than as a school man. Mr. Buffon was born at Beatrice, Nebraska, November 30, 1875, but had lived in Kansas since early childhood. His ancestry goes back to Denmark. His great-grandrather came from that country and settled in one of the New England states. Mr. Buffon’s grandfather, George Buffon, was born … Read more