Harvey County KS

Biography of Ruth Emma Mitten

Ruth Emma Mitten, of Newton, is now in her fourth consecutive term as county superintendent of schools of Harvey County. She had given the best years of her life to educational work and progress, and enjoys many enviable distinctions both as a teacher and as a school administrator. Born at Troy Grove, Illinois, Miss Mitten comes of a family of educators and farmers. The Mitten family originally came from England to New Jersey in Colonial times. Miss Mitten grew up on her father’s Illinois farm, attended local schools, and in 1894 graduated from the high school of Mendota, Illinois. While … Read more

Biography of Henry B. Lautz

Henry B. Lautz has hardly attained that period in life when he might be described as a middle aged man. Nevertheless he is a veteran in railroad circles, and beginning as a boy of fourteen in the capacity of messenger he had been steadily with the Santa Fe Railway Company, enjoying successive promotions based on merit and efficiency until he is now superintendent of the Middle Division of the Santa Fe lines at Newton. Mr. Lautz was born in Pekin, Illinois, August 2, 1876. His grandfather, Wendell Lautz, was born in Germany in 1801 and became a German machinist. Coming … Read more

Biography of Edison E. Shive

Edison E. Shive. The Shive family have been identified with Kansas more than forty-five years and have supplied much of the means and personal ability to the banking business of Harvey and Reno counties. The founder of the family is Mr. John W. Shive, now a resident of Burrton. He was born in Barren County, Kentucky, August 1, 1841, and remained in his native state until after the war. He was a Union man and in 1862 enlisted in Company K of the Ninth Kentucky Regiment of Infantry. He fought at the battle of Shiloh, and at the battle of … Read more

Biography of Col. Perry M. Hoisington

Col. Perry M. Hoisington, of Newton, is one of the big men of Kansas today. For over a quarter of a century he had been closely identified with the state military organization, at first with the old Kansas Militia and now with the Kansas National Guard. At the head of his fine regiment, the Second, he gave some good service on the Texas border in 1916 and is now ready for the call to duty in France. His business career had been equally successful and progressive. Colonel Hoisington is president of the First National Bank of Newton and had been … Read more

Biography of James Noble Smith

James Noble Smith, now in his second term as sheriff of Harvey County, is a Kansan of thirty-five years residence and experience. He is a veteran railroader, having handled the throttle of an engine on the Santa Fe road for a score of years or more. He is a capable and trusted officer, and had long been a man of prominence in affairs at Newton and in Harvey County. Mr. Smith was born at Union in Pike County, Indiana, September 22, 1859, and had an interesting family lineage. His great-grandfather was a Scotch Irishman who came to America and founded … Read more

Biography of William Frederick Rapp

William Frederick Rapp, who came to Harvey County nearly forty years ago, had been a pioneer in many things, was one of the first merchants at Hesston, and had been identified with the growth and development of that town from the time it started. Among other interests Mr. Rapp is now president of the Hesston State Bank. Mr. Rapp was a practical farmer when he came to Kansas, and had acquired his early experience in one of the richest and most fertile farming sections of Illinois. He was born in Lee County, Illinois, May 17, 1852. His grandfather, Frederick William … Read more

Biography of Frank L. Abbey M. D.

Frank L. Abbey, M. D., long a resident of Newton and formerly a druggist but for twenty years a successful physician, had during the greater part of his professional career been identified with the Axtell Hospital as a member of its staff of physicians. Doctor Abbey was born at Kingsbury, Illinois, February 1, 1861. He is of English ancestry, his grandfather, Luke Abbey, having been born in Yorkshire, England, in 1787. When about twenty-four years of age he came to America with his second wife and two children, and settled first in New Jersey, then in Ohio and finally, as … Read more

Biography of Arthur E. Mallory

Arthur E. Mallory is superintendent of city schools at Burrton, and is one of the highly educated men of the state, being a graduate of the Kansas University. Mr. Mallory had a thorough scientific training, and is competent to co-operate with every effort to raise the technical instruction standards of his home community. Mr. Mallory was born near Le Loup in Franklin County, Kansas, April 5, 1886. His paternal ancestors came from Ireland to New York several generations ago and some of the family fought in the Revolutionary war. His father, William Mallory, is now living at Scott City, Kansas. … Read more

Biography of Anna A. Perkins, M. D.

Anna A. Perkins, M. D. The success and efficiency of women in the field of medicine are too well established to require any comment. While women physicians are not numerous in any one community they are usually regarded as among the ablest and most successful in the field of local practice, and those in Kansas are no exception to the rule. For a number of years Dr. Anna A. Perkins had enjoyed a splendid practice at El Dorado and over Butler County and is known among hundreds of families throughout the community as both a kindly and able doctor and … Read more

Biography of Leslie Arthur Fitz

Leslie Arthur Fitz. When the Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan called in March 1910, an expert from the agricultural department of the United States Government to take the chair of professor of milling industry, it was a happy choice that fell upon Leslie Arthur Fitz, who is not only an expert in his line but is also a native of Kansas and represents some of the old and prominent families of the state. His grandfather, George W. Fitz, came to Kansas Territory in 1855, being one of the pioneers in Douglas County. Two years later another settler of that … Read more

Biography of John H. Linn

John H. Linn. In the upbuilding and progress of Halstead as a business and civic community, the Linn family had contributed as much as any other one name or group of persons. The late Jacob Linn was one of the pioneers of the town, and many of its most substantial interests centered around his personality, while his son John H. had in every way pursued a similar course, creditable alike to himself and to his honored father. The late Jacob Linn was born in Germany in 1840, and when about three years of age his parents came to the United … Read more

Biography of Edward C. Willis

Edward C. Willis, superintendent of the State Orphans Home at Atchison, is a graduate of Dartmouth College and came to kansas nearly forty years ago with the equipment and training of a oultured New Englander. His work in this state had been largely of an educational nature, and he had taught, had been superintendent of schools, and was finally appointed to his present post at Atchison, where he had served with the exception of two years since 1907. Nearly all of Mr. Willis’ ancestors were colonial families of New England. The Willis family came originally from the northern part of … Read more

Biography of Edward Staton Hymer M. D.

Edward Staton Hymer, M. D. A physician and surgeon of most thorough qualifications, whose work had brought a large practice and a rising reputation, Doctor Hymer had spent his professional career chiefly at Sedgwick. A resident of Kansas most of his life, Doctor Hymer was born at Albany, Missouri, November 6, 1883. His remote ancestors came from Germany. His father is E. R. Hymer, who was born in Illinois in 1852, grew up in that state, and at an early day came to Kansas and located at Centralia. After several years he removed to Missouri, but in 1884 was back … Read more

Biography of William Hasselmann

William Hasselmann is an expert florist. He learned the business in all its details and all its phases in Germany, and had had experience in some of the greatest flower growing centers in the world. Some years ago he located at Independence, Kansas, and is now proprietor of the leading greenhouses of that city and his business had grown so rapidly that it is constantly demanding more room and greater facillties for the better handling of a custom that now extends far beyond the borders of his home city. His full name is William Dietrich Hasselmann. He was born at … Read more

Biography of Frank S. Porter

This representative business man of the City of Wichita was about twenty years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Kansas, and he had since continued his residence within the borders of the Sunflower State, where he had been long and prominently identified with the retail drug business, of which he is now a leading representative in the City of Wichita, his attractive drug store, metropolitan in equipment and appointments, being eligibly situated on East Douglas Avenue, in the College Hill District of the city. Frank S. Porter was born in the Village of Rushsylvania, Logan … Read more

Biography of John Thomas Axtell, M. D.

John Thomas Axtell, M. D. In thirty-six years of practice in Kansas, most of which time had been spent in Newton, Doctor Axtell had made a distinguished name, especially in the field of surgery. He founded Axtell Hospital and had been at its head and its principal surgeon since 1886, and had enjoyed more than a local reputation as a surgeon and hospital administrator. Doctor Axtell had spent most of his life in Kansas and represents a family of early settlers here. His birth occurred at Roseville, Illinois, August 11, 1856. His ancestry goes back to a prominent English family. … Read more

Biography of William R. Thompson

William R. Thompson is a native Kansan and had given his years so far to the work of education and is now superintendent of the city schools of Halstead. Mr. Thompson was born in Brownell in Ness County, Kansas, December 23, 1884. He is of Scotch ancestry, though his forebears settled in Connecticut a number of generations ago in Colonial days. His grandfather, Joseph Thompson, was born in Athens County, Ohio, in 1829, a state in which the Thompsons were also pioneers. He spent his life there as a substantial and hard working farmer and died in 1901. The maiden … Read more

Biography of John R. Beeching

John R. Beeching is a lawyer and since 1910 had been accumulating a large general practice and a rising reputation at the bar of Hutchinson. Mr. Beeching is a native Kansan, and represents a pioneer family in Rush County, where he was born February 19, 1884. His grandfather, Charles Beeching, was an Englishman, born in 1830, was a mechanic by trade, and on coming to America first settled in Connecticut and afterwards moved to Huntington, Indiana, where he died in 1898. Perry Beeching, father of the Hutchinson lawyer, was born in Connecticut in 1858. He was reared at Huntington, Indiana, … Read more