Shawnee County KS

Biography of Marcus A. Low

No intelligent resident of Kansas would dispute the assertion that in Marcus A. Low, of Topeka, is found one of the really big men of the state. He is a man of many achievements. His ability in the law had led to distinguished position with great corporations; his ranching and developing of oil and gas properties have been conducted on so large a scale as seemingly might have been weighty enough interests to engage the ordinary man; his political foresight and intnition have caused his selection for public office as high as he would accept, but not upon these evidences … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Martin Van Buren Van De Mark

Martin Van Buren Van De Mark. Under the constitution and civil government of Kansas the office of county attorney is one of the most important. It is in fact too important to be used by patriotic citizens for the purpose of complimenting a friend by election to such honors and responsibilities. The candidate must be worthy of the honor conferred upon him, and with unimportant exceptions it can be affirmed that the people usually choose carefully the incumbent of such an office. When the people of Cloud County elected Martin Van Buren Van De Mark as their county attorney they … Read more

Biography of William Edward Davis

William Edward Davis is the youngest state auditor Kansas had ever had and one of the youngest men who ever held such an official dignity in any of the states. It may also be added, to express a general opinion current at the capital and over the state, that Mr. Davis’ administration as suditor had been a synonym of efficiency and economy. He represents that splendid type of young American manhood which had drawn attention by its capacity for accomplishment. Though most of his life had been spent in the Middle West, he was born in West Virginia, and his … Read more

Biography of Junius H. Foltz

Junius H. Foltz. On other pages of this publication is given an account of the career of one of the oldest citizens of Shawnee County, Martin L. Foltz, of a family that had been identified with Kansas since territorial epoch. The two living sons of Mr. Martin Foltz are Junius H. and Nevin M. Foltz, both of whom reside in Williamsport Township of Shawnee County, and some reference to their individual careers is also appropriate. Junius H. Foltz was born in Ridgeway, Osage County, Kansas, February 1, 1875. He grew up in his father’s home, attended the common schools, and … Read more

Biography of Samuel Hummer

Samuel Hummer, by his early settlement and his wide interests as a land owner and business man, is one of the sterling pioneers of Kansas whose names should receive the credit of some record in this publication. He was born near Gettysburg and not far from the battlefield of that name in Adams County, Pennsylvania, in 1811. His father, P. H. Hummer, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Samuel Hummer grew up in Pennsylvania, followed farming there for a number of years, and in 1868 brought his family out to Kansas. On the 16th of December of that … Read more

Biography of Thomas K. Tomson

Thomas K. Tomson. A life of more than ordinary fruitfulness and influence came to a close with the death of Thomas K. Tomson at his home in Dover, Shawnee County, November 2, 1910. He was one of the ante-bellum settlers of Kansas. In the fifty years of his residence in the state his name became widely known and respected and as a farmer and stockman he was one of the most successful in his section of the state. He was in his eighty-fifth year when death called him. He was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, September 25, 1826. He grew … Read more

Biography of William Sims, Major

Maj. William Sims. The late Maj. William Sims, whose death occurred July 23, 1907, on his farm in Shawnee County, Kansas, had an enviable record both as a soldier of the Civil war and as a citizen in the years that followed that struggle. He was born May 15, 1831, on a farm in Muskingum County, Ohio, and was a son of Mahlon and Myron (Riley) Sims. He grew to manhood in his native community, securing his scholastic training in the common schools, and when still a young man served for a number of years as a clerk in the … Read more

Biography of Elmer Guy Stahl

The Stahl family had been identified with Kansas history since 1856, from territorial times. It is a family remarkable in several ways. The Stahls have been people of tremendous physical energy and not less notable for their splendid moral character and the presence of such a family is a source of benefit to any community or state. The founder of the family in this state was Michael Stahl, who died soon after coming to Topeka in 1856. He left his widow, and children named Anna, now Mrs. Smith of Highland Park; Belle, who died in 1902 in Gridley, Kansas; Levina, … Read more

Biography of Louis Van Dorp

Louis Van Dorp. More than thirty-five years a resident of Kansas, Louis Van Dorp, though he arrived in the state with only a few dollars available cash capital, had built up and maintained for years a large and important service as a sheet metal contractor. With his headquarters in Topeka, his contraets have called him and his class of workmen to all parts of the state. A native of Detroit, Michigan, where he was born November 22, 1857, Louis Van Dorp is one of the three children of August and Sophia (Kohn) Van Dorp, both of whom were natives of … Read more

Biography of Edward Thomas James

Among the veterans of the great Civil war who came in numbers to Kansas following the end of strife, was Edward Thomas James, whose useful and honorable life closed on December 6, 1915. For almost a half century he was one of the representative men of Shawnee County, an active force in the development of this section and one who will long be remembered for his sterling traits of character. Edward Thomas James was born in Talbot County, Maryland, August 27, 1830. At the time of his death he was the only survivor of his parents’ family of three children. … Read more

Biography of William E. Graves D. V. M.

William E. Graves, D. V. M. Among the men skilled in the practice of veterinary medicine and surgery in Kansas, one who has enjoyed a long and successful career, is Dr. William E. Graves. A graduate of a leading St. Louis institution, he began practice about the time that he attained manhood, came to Kansas in 1896 and carried on his vocation in Franklin County for ten years, and in 1906 changed his field of operation to Topeka, where he now has his home. Doctor Graves was born on a farm in Pike County, Illinois, in 1852, a son of … Read more

Biography of Frank P. MacLennan

Frank P. MacLennan is a fortunate man. Kansas is fortunate in having him as a citizen. As a youth he took from this state the raw materials which by the alehemy of a resourceful and independent mind and a vigorous ambition he transmuted into a career which has been of even greater beneflt to the state than it has been to himself. First and last Mr. MacLennan is a newspaper man. He knows how to write, especially when the subject is something not directly counected with himself. In furnishing the data to the editor of this new History of Kansas … Read more

Biography of Chester Thomas

Chester Thomas. There are two factors which loom larger than any others in determining the life and characters of an individual. They are, first, the stock from which he springs and of which he is naturally an expression, and second, his surroundings. The observance or non-observance of the virtues by successive generations of ancestors largely forecasts and predetermines the character of those who come after them so far as inclination, mental and moral gravity, are concerned. Strength begets strength, weakness reproduces weakness, wisdom and folly advertise themselves in their offspring. Circumstance however, surroundings, environment, play an equally important part in … Read more

Biography of Albert W. Knowles

Albert W. Knowles. Topeka recently had cause to mourn the death of two pioneer citizens and able and successful business men, Albert W. Knowles and his brother Charles O. Knowles, both of whom passed away within a few days of each other. At the time of his death on October, 1916, Albert W. Knowles was vice president of the Bank of Topeka, with which he had been identified twenty-eight years, and he had been a resident of Topeka since the age of twenty. His father was Joshua Knowles, whose name also deserves the distinction of mention in any history of … Read more

Biography of James C. Holland

James C. Holland. The public architecture of Kansas, especially in the capital city, is largely a record of the skill and experience of one man, James C. Holland. Mr. Holland by all the standards that can be applied is a great architect. He has gained a well deserved prominence in this profession. His experience in Kansas covers more than thirty years. At one time he held the office of state architect, but throughout his business has largely been in connection with the designing and the superintending of construction of buildings which serve a public or quasi-public purpose. A few years … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Thomas Amory Lee

Thomas Amory Lee, a member of the Topeka bar, graduated from Kansas University with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts, and from Harvard Law School with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He practiced law at Boston, Massachusetts, for several years, and has traveled in this country and abroad. He is second lieutenant in the Missouri National Guards, instructor on the Law of Real Property in the Law School of Washburn College, a member of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, sometime chancellor of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, ex-member of the Society of … Read more

Biography of George W. Veale

George W. Veale was one of the makers of history in Kansas, in which territory and state ho had his home continuously for sixty years. He was born on a farm about five miles south of the Town of Washington in Daviess County, Indiana, May 20, 1833. Until seventeen he attended school about three months each year. From 1852 until 1857 he was employed as a clerk in the dry goods store of Filching Johnson at Evansville, Indiana. January 20, 1857, he married Miss Nannie Johnson, and on the 29th of March the bride and groom left Evansville on the Steamer White … Read more

Biography of Edward Buckman

Edward Buckman. A few years ago Edward Buckman retired from his farm in Shawnee County, where he had spent the most profitable years of his life, and is now living retired at his home 1516 Guthrie Street in Topeka. The Buckman family has played a very worthy part in developing the lands of Kansas since pioneer times, and Mr. Edward Buckman has also found opportunity at different times to exercise his influence for good in local affairs. He was born on a farm in Columbiana County, Ohio, June 26, 1853, one of the four children born to Thomas and Susan … Read more

Biography of Philander Hamilton Adams

Philander Hamilton Adams. Ever since the year 1871, members of the Adams family have contributed to the good citizenship, progress and development of Shawnee County, their activities having invaded the fields of agriculture, merchandising, consulting engineering, education, religion, and public service. The founder of the family in this state was the late Jacob Clendenin Adams, and at present it is worthily represented at Topeka by Philander Hamilton Adams, who at this time is the owner of the original homestead, in addition to being a well known business man of the capital city. Jacob Clendenin Adams was born in 1823 at … Read more

Biography of Freeman R. Foster

Freeman R. Foster. One of the first men to set foot on the present site of the City of Topeka, and one of those who assisted in the platting of the town in 1854, was the late Freeman R. Foster. Although nearly twenty years have elapsed since the death of this early settler, he is still remembered as a man of sterling integrity, a helpful factor in the various movements which served to build up and advance the city of his adoption, and a citizen whose contributions to Topeka form a lasting monument to his memory. Mr. Foster was born … Read more