Historical and Biographical Sketches (Kansas) - Chapter 1



CHAPTER 1
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP - VIENNA TOWNSHIP - WESTERN VIENNA TOWNSHIP


LINCOLN TOWNSHIP

We will commence our narrative with a few families who settled near the
western border of Lincoln township:

Benjamin F. Buzbee first came to this locality in August, 1856, with his
two brothers, Leonard and George, and paid a visit to Henry Hoover, who
was living here then. They camped for dinner on the rocks at the ford on
the McBride farm, and the same day started to return to Osawkie, in
Jefferson county, where he was living then. He enlisted in Company G,
Tenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry. He married during the war (in 1864), and
came to Lincoln township with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Anna (who was
then two months old), in company with T. J. Roosa, who brought him out
here in his wagon. He settled on a homestead now the property of Joe
Johnson. His second house (a frame one) built on this farm was erected in
1870. To him were born, while living in the old house, Maggie (Mrs.
Charles Harris, of Laclede,) and Richard, now of Belvue. Claudius and
Clarence were born in the new house. Claudius died in December, 1875. Anna
was married to Samuel Thomas, and died June 26, 1886. Mr. Buzbee is a
native of Illinois, while his wife was born in New Jersey, but she lived
in Illinois before coming to Kansas. Mr. Buzbee sold out in 1887, to W. A.
Heald, and moved to the Anthony farm. In 1874 he purchased a thrashing
machine in partnership with Major Jenkins, and ran it two years. He once
took the machine into Nemaha county, where belts and one thing and another
were stolen. He found it a poor- paying investment, though it was new when
he got it. In the early 60's Mr. Buzbee made a trip through the south part
of the county, and be found every stream from Soldier creek to the
Vermillion had a toll bridge. The year Mr. Buzbee came to Vienna he was
living near Leavenworth. May 3, when his daughter, Anna, was born, was
very sultry and hot, while the next morning there occurred a heavy frost,
necessitating the putting up of a stove in the house. Corn was about eight
or ten inches high, and was frosted so it had to be replanted.

Miles Furman and his wife, Arvilla, were natives of New York. They had two
sons, Isaac H. and Daniel, when they came to Kansas, in 1859. Mr. Furman
first went up the Solomon river to make himself a home, but came back to
Oskaloosa, in Jefferson county, the fall of the year. His wife died while
he was living there, and during the war he moved back to New York, among
his folks, with his children, as he supposed he would be drafted and did
not care to leave them here among strangers. There he married his second
wife, Mrs. Maria Ellison, and returned to Kansas about 1866. At Oskaloosa
he went into the nursery business, which occupation seems to run in the
family. In 1869 he moved to this locality, to what is now the Lank
(Leander) Fields farm, where he opened up the nursery business anew. Mr.
Furman died on his farm in 1874. The records of the varieties of fruit
trees he had in his nursery are supposed to have been buried with him, as
it is thought they were in the clothes in which he was interred, a search
elsewhere failing to find them. As it was not policy to sell fruit trees
without knowing for certain what they were, the trees were allowed to go
to waste. Mr. Furman had two children from his second marriage, Ora and
Cora, both of whom were born in New York. Cora is now Mrs. Sigel Ingalsbe,
and is at Perkins, OK., where her husband is postmaster. A third child,
Fred, was born to him after he moved out here, who went to Oklahoma,
married, and died there. Mr. Furman's second wife, Mrs. Ellison, had three
children from her first marriage, who accompanied their mother when she
came out here. These are Mary (Mrs. James Blaine, of Dakota), Sarah Jane
(Mrs. Hiram Fields), and Irwin, who was married to Miss Ella Robison. When
last heard from he was a mail carrier in Colorado. After Mr. Furman's
death, Mrs. Furman went back to New York, where she married Elijah
Collins, moving back to this locality during the 70's. Mr. Collins and his
wife lived on different rented farms, and are at present back in New York
again. While living at Oskaloosa, Mr. Furman wore wooden shoes, such as
the German peasants wear. When Mr. Furman was living on the Solomon river,
in 1859, he found but five families there besides himself in all of what
is now Saline county. Food was rather scarce there then, and the few
people who were there resorted to hunting the buffalo, which were
plentiful not far away. Most of them were killed only for their tallow,
which they tried out by the barrelful and hauled to Leavenworth. They had
to subsist mostly on "jerked" dried buffalo meat, and fish, some of which,
taken in the Solomon river, were as tall as a man. This last statement is
corroborated by Alfred Cory, so it must be so. Mr. Furman's family could
not live on meat alone, which accounts for his leaving there so soon.
While there Mr. Furman took part in a rather exciting buffalo chase, in
company with his neighbors. They struck a herd that was so vast they could
not see across it. They had to lay their plans so as to not scare them
away at the first fire, nor did they care to be attacked by the whole herd
should they kill some of those in front and get the rest mad; so they
drove half a day before they came to the rear of the heard, where they
killed some sixty head of them. Those they killed they tried to drive
towards and nearer the camp, so they would not have so far to drag them to
where they could better attend to cutting up their carcasses. In this hunt
one of the men had shot a yearling, which it was intended to carry home so
they could have some fresh beef. The animal, however, was only stunned,
and when it was grabbed by the ear it commenced fighting by striking with
its front feet. About the first lick it gave it rather surprised its
captor, whose name was Burroughs, by ripping his trousers from one end to
the other. This amused Mr. Furman so much that he lay on the ground,
laughing for dear life and utterly unable to offer the least assistance.
Finally, when Mr. Furman got over the worst part of his hilarity, he
grabbed the creature by one of its feet, but it continued striking with
its other foot and once landed a well placed blow in the region of his
shirt collar, which made this garment of use only for the rag man. All
this time Mr. Furman was vainly striving to stab it with a butcher knife
which he held in his free hand.

George Mason, his wife and son, Randolph, came from Lawrenceville, Tioga
county, Pennsylvania, in 1866. He settled in or near section 20, in
Lincoln township. Mrs. Mason died here and is buried in the Jenkins
cemetery. Mr. Mason was a painter by trade, and painted the first Jenkins
home.

Mr. Sprague, wife and two daughters, one of whom was named Mary, came from
New England and settled just east of the Masons.

Rev. Willard Thompson, who is a native of New York, came here from
Michigan in 1870, and homesteaded the farm on which he is now living. He
commenced preaching during the winter of 1872-3. He went to conference and
was ordained to the ministry in 1874. He preached continuously for three
years, working his farm at the same time. He organized the Baptist
churches at Wheaton, Bluff Creek and Westmoreland, during the winter of
1874-5, all three of which are still in existence. Afterwards he did
missionary work at Neuchatel and Mulberry, also in Neuchatel township,
Nemaha county, and in Jackson county.

Robert Wilson and his wife, Hannah, came to Lincoln township from Ontario,
Canada, in 1868. He homesteaded his present home, and built his house (a
frame one) of lumber hauled from Corning, Kan. His children, who were born
on the homestead, are; Ada (Mrs. Arthur Wilson, of Canada), Andrew,
Robert, Henry, and Eddie, who died in 1878 or 1879.

Charles W. Thompson, sr., with his wife, Alice May, and children, Henry,
C. W., jr., Allie (Mrs. Lute Kidney), Cora (Mrs. John Davis), and Mel J.,
came to Lincoln township in 1870, from Illinois, and homesteaded a farm
near Fairview school house, now owned by Fred Bob. Mrs. Thompson died in
Onaga, in 1874, while Mr. Thompson's demise occurred in Topeka a few
months ago.

Isaac N. May came from Valley Falls to his present home, which he
homesteaded, in 1870. He built a frame house on his farm. His wife, Emma,
came with him, and to them were born; Mary (Mrs. Edward McClellan), Joe,
who was killed by a horse a couple of years ago, and Arbie. He served in
Company I, Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, during the war. He and Robert Wilson
are the only ones in that neighborhood who came so early who are still
living where they then settled.

Benjamin Michaels and wife, natives of West Virginia, came to Kansas, at
Valley Falls, from Ohio, about 1871; then moved to Vienna about 1872 or
1873, and took the homestead now occupied by Abe Godlove, in Lincoln
township. His children, who came with him are; Minnie (Mrs. E. S. Lewis),
Zany (Mrs. Will Jenkins), Lena (Mrs. Will Elliott). George was born on the
homestead. Mr. Michaels died on his farm about 1891. Mrs. Michaels and her
son, George, are now in Chautauqua county, this state.

James W. Slater, who is a native of Ohio, and his wife, Lydia, who is from
Illinois, came from the latter state 1876. Their children, brought with
them, are:; Lewis, Nettie (Mrs. Henry Randall), Flora, and another young
daughter, who have since died. Mr. Slater bought his farm of Orin Foote.


VIENNA TOWNSHIP

Moses Day, sr., who was the first settler in what is now Vienna township,
was a native of France, coming to the United States when he was 5 years
old. He lived in Ohio a while, then moved to Illinois, coming here from
Boone county, Iowa, and arriving coming here from Boone county, Iowa, and
arriving at his farm, on the Vermillion, the 11th day of May, 1857. His
nearest neighbor the first summer was Obil Beach, of Lincoln township. He
came with his wife, Mary Jane, and his oldest son, Charles, who was born
in Illinois. His other children were all born on the old home place. Of
these, Mary Ann was the first white child born in that township. She was
born on the 20th of September, 1857; then followed Thomas, Mattie (Mrs.
Henry Schwarz), Frank, Moses, jr., and Fred. Mary Ann was married to
Daniel Lewis, who came here from Platte county, Missouri. Dick, another
son, was born in 1867, and died when two years of age. Mr. Day drove
through from Iowa, like nearly all the earliest settlers, with a yoke of
cattle. He brought everything in the way of provisions, such as flour,
meat, lard, and soap, with him , besides agricultural tools, such as
plows, etc. He had one ox, one cow, and three horses. Mr. Day and his
family lived in their wagon through the summer, and towards fall he built
his first house of logs. The floor was made of puncheons, and there were
openings left for windows which were left open until he could make a trip
to Leavenworth to get the glass to place in them. Mrs. Day says that from
the time they left Iowa, in April, until September, she did not get to
cook a meal inside a house, she doing all her cooking outdoors. When the
new house was built the old one was sold to J. B. Mumaw, who turned
mallets out of some of the logs and presented Mrs. Day and each of her
children with a specimen as a memento of their first home. Mr. Day used to
provide his family with meat by going out west and killing buffalo, which
were quite plentiful there. He and Robert Wooley had succeeded in
capturing each a couple of buffalo calves, which they intended to break
and yoke up when grown, but during the war the men had to be gone, as they
belonged to the state militia, and the buffalo having reached the age of
three or four years they became too mischievous and were continually
breaking down fences and getting into the crops, which necessitated their
being killed and used for beef, Mr. Day's boys being too small to care for
them. The first year of Mr. Day's residence here Mrs. Day was subjected to
a severe scare. There was an Indian reservation just south of them then,
as it reached to and took in the southern border of the present Vienna
township. Mr. Day had gone off on a buffalo hunt, and one evening while
Mrs. Day was gone after the cows she heard in the direction of her house
an Indian horse bell, for the Indians were in the custom of putting bells
on their horses. She had left the children at home, but she hoped there
would be no Indians about to molest her dear ones. Anyway she hurried
towards home to see and make sure of it. As she got nearer home the bell
sounded clearer, so that the nearer she got the more convinced she was
that Indians were about, and she quickened her pace, only to become more
alarmed, for as she got nearer she was not left to doubt the proximity of
Indians. She finally started to run, to see if the worst had happened and
her children had been killed. What was her suprise [sic] when she got in
sight of the house to see a very dark Indian sitting on the wood pile
holding her baby (Mrs. Lewis) in his arms, while Charlie was seated beside
him talking to him like a little man. She felt immensely relieved when she
saw her children alive, and coming nearer she was asked where the smoke
man was, meaning Mr. Day, as he was addicted to the habit. They had
learned he smoked in their presence. He was told that he had gone buffalo
hunting. When asked what he wanted of him, he said he wanted to swap. Then
he was asked what he wanted to swap, and he replied, "Buck," meaning
venison, for flour. Partly by talk and partly by signs, he made her
understand that he had brought no meat with him, but that his sons were
gone on a deer hunt, and that when they would return the next day with
some he would bring it to her. So she gave him some flour-some that had
been brought from Iowa-and sure enough the next day when the son went down
he brought her a choice ham of venison. On another occasion, several years
afterwards, an Indian came to Mrs. Day to buy a chicken of her, but she
told him she did not care to part with her chickens. He then said he would
take a man chicken (a rooster), and Tom, who was a little boy then and
full of mischief as he could be, burst out laughing and made all manner of
fun of the Indian, but the later took it good-humoredly and was rewarded
by having gained his point , for he took a rooster home with him. This
incident recalls to the writer some amusing remarks made by foreigners
before they had mastered much of the English language, two of which he
will recite. One was by a Belgian, who was trying to make a chicken trade
with Ben White when he was living on the Hall farm. Among the poultry that
was being dickered for was a turkey that Ben had for which the Belgian
wished to trade a rooster. It happened the Belgian didn't know what the
word in English was for the male of a chicken, so, to make Ben understand,
he imitated a rooster's crowing as best he could. This excited Ben's
risibles so that he laughed and appeared as if he was about to take a fit.
It was some time before Ben got calmed down again so he regained his
speech, when he requested the imitation crow be repeated; but once was
enough, for it was perceived Ben knew what was meant. Another time a
Frenchman was at the sawmill which was running near Cedar Bluffs, in the
early 70's, who wished to trade for a sow. He didn't know the word for a
female hog, but knew what the female of the horse was called, so he asked
if someone had a mare pig to trade. Mr. Day's death, which occurred a few
years ago, and that of his son, Frank, who was killed in an accident in
Washington, are of so recent date that they are still fresh in the
memories of our citizens.

Frank Day, sr., his wife, Harriet, and children, John, Lewis, Ham, and
Martin (who were born in Illinois), came from that state about 1861, and
settled on the place now occupied by William Day and his mother. At this
farm were born to him Moses F., William, and Rhetta.

On July 3, 1869, several of the settlers had decided, as there was to be
no celebration of Independence day that year, to have a picnic together.
Mesdames M. Day, Blain, and Benedict were among those who had got together
to settle the question of the dinner, which was agreed to. It happened
that John Day was at his Uncle's, Moses Day's. When the dinner had been
agreed upon, John, his cousin, Charlie, and Oliver Meskimens were sent to
Frank Day's to see about procuring a sheep for the dinner. It was getting
pretty well towards evening, and the several persons got on horses to
cross the Vermillion, which was swollen by recent rains at the Day ford.
When they got in the water it was found to be pretty deep, and care was
taken that no accident should occur; but the water proved too deep for the
horses, and John, who was a young man nearly 21 years of age, was drowned,
as he could not swim, while Charles, who was a good swimmer, and Mr.
Meskimens managed to save themselves. This incident put a damper on the
preparations for the next day, which was one of the saddest anniversaries
the pioneers experienced. Mr. Day died about 1873 or 1874, and is buried
in the Jenkins cemetery.

Samuel W. Blain, his wife, Elmira, and children, James, George, and Anna
(Mrs. W. A. Heald) came to Vienna in 1857, from Des Moines, Iowa, and
settled where Major Jenkins and his son, John, now live. Mr. Blain died in
1867, and his wife died in 1880. George passed away, in Onaga, in 1882.
Anna married Mr. Heald in 1875, while James married Miss Mary Ellison, who
was a daughter of Mrs. Miles Furman, in 1872. James had two children, Emma
and Frank, born to him while living here. He is now running a sawmill at
Hill City, S. D., and having moved there in the 80's. Albert Blain was
born in Vienna, in 1862, and died the same day his mother did, in 1880.
During the famine year of 1860 Samuel Blain returned to Iowa with his
family to tide over the hard times of that winter, and returned to Kansas
the following spring. As a sample of what the pioneers had to go through,
Mrs. Heald says that she was bought a calico dress at 25 cents a yard,
which her mother said was the first cheap dress her daughter had. This
occurred in the early 60's. The Indians used to gather rushes that grew at
a spring near where Mr. Blain lived, which they wove into mats, trading
them to the settlers for flour, bacon, and other substantials. They also
used to buy calico and such things at St. Marys when they received their
government allowance, which they traded to their white neighbors for
something to eat. Mrs. Heald says that in their dealings with the Indians,
who lived but a little way off, they were always well treated, and, and
her testimony is corroborated by others, who say that the red man was
always perfectly honest with his white brother. As an instance of their
integrity, the following is given: Mrs. Heald says that one time an Indian
squaw came to her mother with two pails of grapes, which she tried to
induce Mrs. Blain to take, but as Mrs. Blain could get all the wild fruit
she wished without buying she would not take them. The squaw could not
make Mrs. Blain understand what she wanted to part with the grapes for, so
she went away. A few days afterwards she returned with a number of Indian
companions. Among these were some that could talk considerable English,
and they informed Mrs. Blain that the squaw wished to pay her for
something she had got of Mr. Blain some time before , which Mrs. Blain
knew nothing of, as it was some trifling favor which Mr. Blain did not
think worth while informing his wife about, and which was why the squaw
wished her to take the grapes, as Mrs. Blain refused to accept them, she
thought money instead of grapes was wanted.

Charles Myers, his wife, Susan (who was a sister of Mrs. Blain), and their
children, Lovilla and Mary, came from Des Moines, Iowa, in 1857, and
settled where George McVicar now lives. Mrs. Myers died in 1862, and Mr.
Myers enlisted in the 11th Kansas Volunteer Infantry. The children were
left with Mr. Blain, with whom they lived a year. They then returned to
Iowa to live with their grandparents. At the close of the war Mr. Myers
sold out to Major Jenkins and went back to Iowa. Mr. Myers and family
spent the winter of 1860-61 in Iowa, and returned to Kansas the following
spring.

Almon Benton and his wife, Betsey, were natives of New York. They moved to
Illinois in the 50's. From there they went to Wisconsin. In 1858 they
started for Kansas, stopping over the winter near Pella, Iowa. They drove
through with oxen. Next spring they resumed their journey, landing at
Oskaloosa, Jefferson county, in June, in company with R. W. Jenkins and L.
M. Benedict. The next year Mr. Benton, his wife, and children, C. Othello,
Lucia (Mrs. A. Case of Topeka), J. Ordo, and Lewis O., came to Vienna in
November, and lived a year on the George McVicar place, which then
belonged to Charles Myers. The next fall he moved to his own farm, now
owned by William Kolterman and occupied by James Burnison. Here his son,
Otis L., was born. Mr. Benton moved with his family to Louisville, this
county, in 1867. Lucia was married to Mr. Case in August, 1873. J. O.
married Belle Walker the 22d of August. C. O. is at St. Marys. Otis is in
Decatur county, this state. Lewis died about twenty years ago. Mrs. Benton
is living in Topeka with her daughter, Mrs. Case. Mr. Benton acted as
county superintendent of schools in 1862. He died at Topeka a year ago.

Robert Woolley came here from Iowa in 1857. He owned the John Grossnickle
farm (the Anthony farm). He married Emma Rosecrants in 1861; sold out to
George T. Anthony about 1876, and went south-probably to Texas. He was
interested in a number of enterprises, which will be mentioned in their
places.

L. M. Benedict came to Oskaloosa, Kan., from New York, in 1859. He came to
Vienna in 1861, with his wife, Ann, and daughter, Flora, and settled just
west of the Ed Schwartz farm (Huffman's). Mrs. Benedict died in 1869.
Flora was married to William Zimmerman, of Laclede, who was county clerk
of this county in 1876. Mr. Benedict sold out to A. E. Landon about 1873,
and moved to Wabaunsee county, where he is still living.

James Guffy came to Kansas about 1860. He settled on the farm just west of
where Andy Guffy lives. In the fall of 1867 he went back to Pennsylvania,
where he got married, and returned to Kansas soon after. He occupied his
farm until after the town was started, when he removed to town to live.
His wife died on the farm. He died at his home in town ten years ago. Mr.
Guffy took Andy, a nephew, to raise.

Christian B. Huffman came to Kansas from Ohio, and settled on the Wakarusa
river, near Lawrence. In the fall of 1862 he removed to Vienna, with his
wife and three children, Maggie (Mrs. Frank Alvord, of Oklahoma), Lawrence
(of Oregon), and Eldora, settling on the farm now owned by Ed Schwartz.
Mr. Huffman was a carpenter, and many of the first frame houses built in
this locality were erected by him. Mr. Huffman was elected justice of the
peace of his township. Wheat used to be a good crop when Mr. Huffman first
moved here, and he and others of the earlier settlers who were his
neighbors raised much of it., which they sold to the Indians; and this was
practically the only way they had of making money. What they wanted for
flour they took to Circleville to get ground, that being their nearest
mill. Most of their trading was done at Louisville.

Adget McGuire was a native of Ohio; his wife, Polly, a native of
Pennsylvania. They came to Vienna in 1863, from Indiana, with their
children, Levi, Mattie (wife of J. K. Whims, who was register of deeds in
the early 70's), of Wichita, Kan., Isabel (Mrs. Frank Degraft, now of
Beverly, Mass.), and Ella, an adopted daughter, who is a niece of Mr.
McGuire's children. Mr. McGuire settled on 80 acres of land, of which one
40 is now home of Moses McGuire's family. Isabel was married about 1869 to
Mr. Degraft. Levi married Miss Nancy Nivens, of Valley Falls, in 1870.
Mattie married Mr. Whims about 1871. Mr. Whims lived at Louisville until
the early 80's, when he moved to a part of his father-in-law's farm, 40
acres of which he bought and later sold to Levi. One of Mr. Whim's sons
(Levi), who fought in the Philippine war, drowned on the 20th of June,
1899, in those islands, while crossing a stream on a raft. He was heavily
loaded with arms and accouterments, and was unable to save himself. Five
of his comrades were drowned with him. Another son of Mr. Whims (Wilbert)
started about the 1st of last June for Alaska, in the interests of his
brother-in-law, who is interested in gold mines in that territory. Wilbert
was given $600 with which to equip himself for the trip. He is to receive
a certain percentage of the profits made in managing the mines. When he
started on the expedition he met thirty others at Kansas City who were
bound for the same place and on the same mission. The band then elected a
leader, who had each member turn over to him the $600 each had received,
for safe keeping, amounting in all to about $18,000. A day or two
afterwards the leader claimed he had been robbed. The boys would not
believe it and had him arrested. He was not slow, after this, to produce
the money he said he'd lost.

After he was married, Levi homesteaded 80 acres, on which he lived and
which he still owns, until 1882, when he moved the 40 acres bought of his
brother-in-law, Mr. Whims. To him were born, Frank, Belle (Mrs. George
Walker, now of Elk county, this state), and Ida (Mrs. Clark Mumaw). Frank
is now in Texas, where he is getting rich in the general merchandise
business. Ella was sent as a missionary to Japan, under the auspices of
the Presbyterian church, about 10 years ago. She taught Greek and Latin in
the schools at Dayton, Ohio, and is now delivering lectures under the
management of a company, who pay her $25 per lecture. John, a brother of
Levi, did not come here until 1864. Moses McGuire, another brother of
Levi, and his wife, Dianna, came to Vienna in 1869. He held a first-grade
teacher's certificate, and taught school in Leavenworth, Lawrence, and
Franklin counties before coming here. He served during the civil war in
Company C, 15th Kansas Cavalry. As has been mentioned before, he lived on
a part of his father's farm, where his family now is, but he is in
California at present. His children, born on the homestead, are Will, Acy,
and Ruth. Adget McGuire taught school during his residence here, which
will again be referred to later. He died in 1880, and his wife died in
1881. John is in California, where he went about eight years ago.

Major Richard W. Jenkins is a native of Kentucky. In April, 1864, he came
to Vienna on a visit to his brother-in-law, L. M. Benedict, for Mrs.
Jenkins and Mrs. Benedict were sisters. The next spring he came back with
his wife, Emily M., from Denver, Colo.., where he was staying then, and
purchased the farm where George McVicar lives of Charles Myers. He was a
member of the 2d Colorado Cavalry at this time, and returned to that
state. He was mustered out of service the next spring, and in March, 1866,
he moved with his family, consisting of his wife and daughter, Allie Dell,
to the farm bought the year before. He was elected to the state
legislature in the fall of 1866 and re-elected the next year, for the term
of the legislators then was but one year. He served as a commissioner of
the Kansas penitentiary during the years 1867-8. In 1868 he was
commissioned by the governor as major of the 19th Kansas Cavalry, and was
with General Custer in the march against the Comanches and Kiowas and
helped rescue two woman held in captivity by them-Mrs. Morgan and Mrs.
White. His daughter, Allie Dell, died Feb. 16, 1867.

Another daughter, Minnie, was born on the McVicar farm, who died in
infancy. His son, John, also, was born on the McVicar farm. In 1867 or
1868 he built a frame house, the present George McVicar residence. He
helped secure the extension of the Kansas Central narrow gauge railroad
from Holton to Onaga, in 1877, and after this became engaged in railroad
building exclusively for several years, necessitating a change in
residence. As the house in which he was then living was considered by Mr.
Jenkins to be too good to be left in care of tenants, it was decided to
sell a portion of the farm where the house stood, which accordingly was
done, Mr. Vicar becoming the purchaser. The following article, which will
be of more or less interest to our readers, was copied from the "Soldier's
Letter" of July 8, 1863, printed at Fort Riley, Kan., a publication which
was published in the field wherever the regiment happened to be. Cow Creek
station was near what is now Great Bend. For the act of bravery mentioned
therein Mr. Jenkins was promoted to the captaincy of Company II, 2d
Colorado Cavalry, over nine first lieutenants:

"Headquarters District Upper Arkansas - Fort Riley, Kan., June 29, 1865-
General Orders No. 22. -Lieutenant Richard W. Jenkins, 2d Colorado Cavalry
and 7th Iowa Cavalry, while escorting the mail coach from Cow Creek
station to Fort Zarah, Kan., on the 11th inst., and when about four miles
from the former station, was attacked by more than one hundred Indians,
who rushed in upon him from all sides, wounding two of his men with their
lances. With his small force, Lieutenant Jenkins succeeded in keeping the
Indians at bay until the coach returned to Cow Creek station and
reinforcements arrived, with whom Lieutenant Jenkins gave chase to the
Indians, following them for twenty miles, crossing the Arkansas river, and
pursuing them for five miles on the other side. Two of the Indians were
killed when the attack was first made on the coach, and fifteen at the
crossing of the river, besides a number killed and wounded whom the
Indians succeeded in carrying away with them. A large number of ponies
were killed or captured, also a large amount of blankets, robes, etc., and
the enemy's camp with all its equipage. Lieutenant Jenkins' entire loss
was two men wounded. Following are the names of the men who, with
Lieutenant Jenkins, so honorably held their ground until reinforcements
arrived, viz.: Quartermaster Sergeant True, Privates Chaffee, Day, and
Heycus, of Company I, 2d Colorado Cavalry, and Cudding, Platte, and
Couburn, of Company G, 7th Iowa Cavalry. Great credit is due Lieutenant
Jenkins and these seven men for the bravery and coolness displayed by them
when attacked by such unequal odds. This order will be published to all
the troops of the district, and it is hoped that the same sprit and
courage may be displayed by all when the exigency requires it.

By Com. Brevt. Brig. Gen. Ford,

Robert S. Roe,
Act. Asst. Adjt. Gen."


Major Jenkins served as a member of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture
for 16 years from 1873. His wife died March 29, 1899, at his present home.

Edgar S. Lewis, who is a native of New York, came to Vienna in April,
1855. The next spring he bought his present home place of a party living
in the east by name of Cope. In 1875 he was married to Minnie Michaels.
His daughter, Jennie, was born the next year. Before he was married, like
most single men, Mr. Lewis worked around for his neighboring farmers. He
tells us that during the 60's all the country north of the Pottawatomie
Indian reserve was organized into one township, known as Vienna. This is
now divided into Lincoln, Grant, Mill creek, Vienna, Sherman, and Lone
Tree. Mr. Lewis once owned a tax deed to the present site of Onaga. Mrs.
Abigail Lewis, mother of Ed, and Lemira and Chloe Estella, sisters, came
to Vienna with him and made their home with him. Lemira died March 7,
1872, and his mother passed away January 9, 1888.

Orin Foote was a native of Michigan, and came from that state to Kansas in
1866. He homesteaded the farm now owned by James Slater. He was married to
Chloe Estella Lewis, Nov. 5, 1868. His children born on the farm are
Minnie (Mrs. Guy Foster, of Idaho), Charles (who died in infancy), and
Foote moved to Onaga soon after the town started, where his daughter,
Grace, was born, she being the first child born in the city. Grace is now
Mrs. A. L. Truman, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Mrs. Foote died Nov. 12, 1880.
Mr. Foote is now in Topeka.

Mr. Points settled on the Steve Ellis farm, north of Havensville, in Grant
township. He had a brick house, built in 1859, which was headquarters for
the distribution of aid next year. The bricks for his house were made and
burned by a man by name of William Blankley, who lived near America City.
After the bricks were burned, but before the house was completed,
Blankley's body was found in the river. It was ascertained that he had
been murdered. A man by the name of Cornelius Reed, who lived on the
Warren Fulton place, near Onaga, had been helping Mr. Blankley make the
bricks, and he was suspected of being the murderer. Accordingly, a
lynching party was formed, who were going to hang him for the deed, but he
protested his innocence so strongly that he was released. It was supposed
that Mr. Blankley had been paid off for his work, and that this was the
incentive for his murder, and that Mr. Reed, who was much in Mr.
Blankley's company, would be about the only one who would know anything
about his having any money. As it is, the murderer was never discovered,
and there have been many rumors that the house built with those bricks has
been haunted since, the inference being that the murdered man's blood is
crying for revenge. We will have more to say in this connection in the
sketch of Mr. Reed. Mr. Points' widow is still living, in Havensville, one
of the few who are yet living here who came so early. Charles Points
settled on a place just east of T. I. Eddy's place. Mrs. Henry Hamar and
Mrs. Thomas Giles are his daughters. He came here about 1857, and died on
his farm in 1876 or 1877. James Points came with his brother, Charles, and
bought the McBride farm of one Jack Price, and later owned the Amos Regar
place. He had a house and lived near where the Savannah school house
stands. He sold out to Mr. Regar about 1865. He died in Havensville, in
1882. Daniel Points came, also, in 1857, and settled on some land east of
the T. I. Eddy farm. He then moved to near Arispie, where he died about
1865. He had a son, Charles, who married Martha Hinshaw, while a daughter
is living in Junction City with his widow.

Tunis J. Roosa, sr., came to Vienna from Jeffer- [sic] county in July,
1865, as has already been mentioned in the sketch of B. F. Buzbee. He came
with his wife and two sons, Tunis, jr., and Herman. The elder Tunis
settled on the DeGraw farm, which is opposite J. T. Smith's. He ran a
sawmill for some time, and later traded his farm to George DeGraw for the
D. J. Howard farm, which George had homesteaded and on which he was living
at the time. Tunis, sr., died in Topeka about seven years ago. His two
sons both served in the civil war. Tunis, jr., married Mollie Cross, of
America City, about 1868, and they had two or three children. He is now
living near Louisville. He became blind in the early 70's, and has never
regained his sight. Herman died in the Soldiers' Home five or six years
ago.

James Gorman, who is a native of Belfast, Ireland, and who was brought by
his parents to the United States, in 1840, at the age of 16 months, came
to Vienna from Mercer county, Illinois, in 1866, and took a homestead,
which is now owned by Frank Lieb. He drove through with a mule team in
company with Lemuel Guffy. He went back to Illinois in 1868, on a visit,
returning soon after. In 1869 he broke 82 acres of land for his neighbors,
using three yoke of oxen, and was helped by Frank Huston, who drive the
oxen. It seems rattlesnakes were rather plentiful that year, as he turned
up and killed thirty- two of them that summer while breaking prairie. He
married Mary A. Auld, of Frankfort, Kan., in June, 1870. The grasshopper
and drouthy [sic] times of 1873-4 were two much for him, so he hitched up
to a wagon and he and his wife drove back to Illinois in the fall of 1874.
While there he received a letter from a neighbor here, saying that he (the
neighbor) had been eating walnuts the day he wrote, and it was the first
time he had his throat greased that winter. Jim says he used to pick up
bones on the prairie these hard times and extract the marrow with which to
grease his boots. The writer had a similar experience, and while he was
breaking the bones and saving the marrow his dog would sit close by on his
haunches and longingly wait for the discarded bones, which were pretty dry
licking by the time his master was through with them. Mr. Gorman returned
to Kansas in the spring of 1875, and has been living here since. He served
in the war in Company C 102d Illinois Infantry. Mr. Gorman's friend,
Lemuel Guffy, who served in the war in Company G of the same regiment as
himself, settled on the place now owned by Mrs. R. A. Guffy. He built a
frame house on his farm. He died June 28, 1868, and was buried at
Louisville.

William A. Heald, who is a native of Pennsylvania, came to Vienna from
Colorado in the fall of 1867. He had heard about the mill on the
Vermillion, and thought the prospect good for a thriving community at that
place, which induced him to cast his fortune with the people of Vienna. He
did not conclude to stay here, though, until 1868, when he turned his
attention to farming, which he interspersed with railroading. He made his
home with Mr. Butts all this time, and was married to Anna Blain in 1875.
In 1877 he bought out Mr. Buzbee, and lived on his farm for several years.
Mr. Heald served in Company B, 1st Ohio Cavalry, during the war.

J. Albert Butts came to Vienna from Illinois in 1867, with his wife, Emma,
and children, Jerome (who is now in Phillips county, this state), Levi
(who returned to Illinois and died there about ten years ago), Ida (wife
of Obil Beach, of Lincoln township, now dead about three years), George
(now of Cross Creek, Jackson county), and John (who died in Lincoln
township about 10 years ago). Mr. Butts and his wife were natives of New
York. Mr. Butts is living at Bucks Grove. His wife died there last winter.

Samuel Leinbach came here March 20, 1867, from Pennsylvania. He did not do
much that first year, so the next he had his carpenter tools shipped to
him and followed that occupation. For five years he worked in company with
Judge Huffman, and about all the frame houses built about here following
that date were built by them. He homesteaded where he now lives, and
eighteen months afterward built a frame house on it, as his first was only
a temporary affair. With the proceeds of his trade he gradually improved
his farm. He recalls having worked two weeks at his trade for $24, as he
got $2 a day for his work, and with the money bought three kegs of nails
at $8 a keg, with which he built a board fence. He also recalls that the
first barbed wire offered for sale at Wamego, in 1875 or 1876, sold for 18
cents a pound. He married Lucy Fulton, daughter of Joe Fulton, in 1872.
His oldest child, Mary, is now Mrs. Lee O'Meara, of Rock Creek township.

Joseph Fulton, his wife, Mary, and children, Warren and Lucy (Mrs. S. E.
Leinbach), came here from Clark county, Illinois, in 1868. He bought a
farm (the E. S. Johnson place) of an Indian named Jim Cu Wadnum, and built
a frame house for his home.

Mr. Fulton died seven or eight years ago.

Lewis Fulton, brother to Joseph, and his wife, Rosetta, came here from
Clark county, Illinois. He brought with him his children, Robert, Sherman,
Cornelia, and Mary (Mrs. Clark, of near Havensville), about 1869. Cornelia
married William Stricker about 1873. She is living in Oregon since her
husband died. Robert married a daughter of Thomas Points, about 1874, and
lives south of Havensville.

Frank Huston, his wife, Amy, and daughter, Minnie, came here from Clark
county, Illinois, in the fall of 1868. He homesteaded the farm on which he
lived until recently, and taught the Schneider school the first winter he
was here. Mr. Huston, his wife (who is a sister of Al Meskimens), and
daughter (Mrs. Colder) are now residents of Stafford county, this state.

J. B. Mumaw and his wife, Susan, who are natives of Westmoreland county,
Pennsylvania, came here soon after they were married, in March, 1869. They
lived with Moses Day until Mr. Huffman and Mr. Leinbach could build them a
home-a small frame house, 14x26 feet-on the homestead now occupied by Mrs.
Mumaw. Here Mr. Mumaw began to make a home on the raw prairie, with the
experience of thousands of others in a new country, in strong contrast to
the homes they left in the old states, where every foot of land was
improved and where the farms had their fine old orchards, good houses, and
barns to shelter the stock. One of their memories of early life on the
farm, never to be forgotten, was the music made by a neighbor's horse that
carried a bell, and that rubbed, rubbed all night long on the northwest
corner of the house, while the occupants tried to rest their weary bodies
and get some sleep after their day's labor was done. To drive the horses
away was only to be followed back by them, to be repeated over and over
again. About the time Mr. Mumaw got fairly started his health failed, and
in the spring of 1874 he moved with his family, in company with Mr. Emery
and family, of America City, and Joe Stout, to Denver, Colo.. They all
went in wagons. Mr. Mumaw hauled lime out there from Platte canyon, a
distance of twenty miles. He had the misfortune to lose his best horse,
and it required $125 to replace him. One of the proprietors of the lime
kilns gathered all the money he could lay his hands on and skipped for
parts unknown, leaving his partner to settle the debts of the firm as best
he could. His partner was honest, but had nothing left save the kilns,
shanty, and cooking utensils. Mr. Mumaw had $107 due him, and received in
payment a dishpan and a hoe, which were highly prized as long as they did
service. The second year [sic] he was there he gardened, but the
grasshoppers took everything. The third summer he managed to save over a
hundred bushels of onions by going over the garden from sunrise until four
o'clock in the afternoon, when the grasshoppers would settle on near-by
bushes for the night. That fall he started back for his Kansas home. Mr.
Heald was living on his farm that year, and the grasshoppers were here,
too, as a swarm. The last one seen here had come that fall (1876). Mr.
Heald did not realize much for his summers work, either. Mr. Mumaw
borrowed money, paying 15 per cent interest on it, but after years of work
and economy paid off the mortgage on his place. Of his children born since
he came from Pennsylvania, Flora died in 1887, aged 17 years; Emma was
buried in Colorado, in August of 1875, aged 2 years; Mary Grace died in
1887, aged 11 years; Clark is living on Kate Hutchinson farm. Mr. Mumaw
was superintendent of the Vienna Sunday school for many years; he was,
also, a deacon of Congregational church at that place.

Richard A. Guffy, cousin to James Guffy, and Elizabeth, his wife, came
here in 1868, and homesteaded the place where Charles Guffy lives. His
children, who came to live with him, are: Hattie (Mrs. James A. Taylor,
now dead), May (Mrs. Frank Day), Ella (Mrs. W. O. DeGraw). His other
children, born here, are: Cora (Mrs. Fred Brown), Grant, Charles, and Etta
(Mrs. George Newlin).

Charles Lieb came here the spring of 1867, and bought 160 acres of land in
partnership with S. E. Leinbach. In 1871 he married Mattie J. Auld, and
lived a year with Sam Leinbach, when he built a house of his own on the
land they had bought. Soon after they divided the land. His sons, Frank
and Charles, were born on this farm. Mr. Lieb served in a Pennsylvania
regiment during the war. He died in March, 1873.

Isaac H. Furman, who came to this locality with his parents in 1869, went
back to New York in 1874, where he got married, returning immediately and
homesteading the farm where he now lives. His son, Jared, was born long
enough ago to receive mention here.

Amos E. Landon is a native of New York, while his wife, Harriet, was born
in Canada. They came to Circleville, in Jackson county, from New York, 1n
1858. He kept store at that place until 1870, when he moved his store
goods (some four or five loads) to Vienna. He had come here with intention
of securing the grist mill on the Vermillion and setting up a store near
it. The mill was washed out soon after he located there. He kept store at
that place three years, when he moved his stored to west of the Huffman
farm. The merchandise for his store was hauled from Wamego, St. Marys,
Holton, and Corning, and roads were rather scarce then, so much of the
teaming was done over the untracked prairie. He kept store at the latter
place until 1877, when he removed to Onaga, where he was the first
postmaster. He says he could have made his fortune while at Vienna if he
could have foreseen and better understood the conditions of those times.
Mr. Landon's children who came with him to Vienna are : Frank B., Florence
F., Kate I. (Mrs. H. C. Rushmore, now deceased).

Rev. Lewis E. Sikes, a Congregational minister, his wife, Lucretia, and
children, Melva, William, and Ernest, came to Vienna, in 1870, from
Louisville. He bought railroad land, now owned by Josiah Davis. Rev. Sikes
removed to Leonardville, Riley county, where he and his wife died. His two
sons are living there now. Melva married a Mr. Gales, of Manhattan. She
died there soon after she was married.

Theodore D. Leinbach came to Vienna in 1872, arriving here Sept. 16. He
made his home with his brother, Sam, for a number of years. During the
civil war he enlisted in the 9th Michigan Cavalry.

David A. Cook came to Kansas from New York. He located at Big Springs, in
Douglas county, where he was married to Lydia A. Thompson. In 1872 he
moved to Vienna, where he bought his present home place, 160 acres, of
Sydney A. Clark. He built a small frame house on his purchase, partly of
native lumber and partly of some bought at Wamego. He had a son, George,
who died in August, 1874, at the age of 6 months. His oldest living child
is Mabel. Mr. Cook enlisted in Company I, 33d New York infantry, in 1861.
He was mustered out the 22d of May, 1860, and re-enlisted in Company M,
22d New York Cavalry, and was mustered out the second time Aug. 1, 1865.
He and about thirty of his comrades were captured by Mosby, who had about
four hundred men with him , but soon heard firing, when a body of Union
troops bore down on their captors, and rescued them after having been
rebel prisoners only about ten minutes. In 1869 Mr. Cook and a gentleman
named Dave Kirk made a trip up the Kaw river, where they had been looking
for land to take. On their way back they came to the Vermillion, which was
up, at the Vienna bridge. The bridge consisted only of a plank thrown
across the stream, so that only foot passengers could cross it. Those on
horseback would take the saddles off their horses and carry them across,
while the horses swam over. While crossing they were joined by five other
horsemen, who also made preparations for crossing. They were fine
specimens of manhood, and each wore a belt containing two revolvers. They
would give orders to one another, and the names "Bob" and "Cole" were
mentioned. Mr. Cook, at first sight of them, decided they were men whom it
would be as well to leave altogether alone, but Mr. Kirk was not so far-
seeing, and thought he would have a little chat with them. He walked up to
the nearest one and asked him where he was going. The answer was a couple
of significant pats on his revolver, while not a word was said. Mr. Kirk
concluded he knew enough, and was glad to get away alive. It was afterward
learned that the five men were four of the Younger brothers and one of the
James boys, who were returning to their rendezvous in Missouri from a
robbery they had committed in Texas.

Dr. Telfer came to Vienna from Circleville, in 1874. He married Mrs. Blain
the same year, and then lived a couple of years on the Benedict farm. His
wife died in 1880, and he went to Washington territory, where he died a
few years ago.

In 1867 Dr. Angle came to Vienna from St. Marys. He built a grist mill on
what is called the "Anthony" farm, now owned by John Grossnickle. Bob
Wooley was associated with him in this enterprise. As has already been
mentioned, the mill was swept away by a freshet in 1870, and Dr. Angle
moved away from here.

About 1868 or 1869 a Mr. Curliss came to Vienna from Dakota, accompanied
by his wife and her five children, as she was a widow by the name of Hill
before Mr. Curliss married her. One of the children (Belle) became James
McKowen's wife, while another married Chapel Foote. A third (Nora) made
her home a number of years with Major Jenkins after her folks moved away,
which was about 1870. She died at Louisville. The others were young
children at the time, whose names have been long forgotten. Mr. Curlis was
boat-wrecked on his way here on the Missouri river. A young man by the
name of Sydney Lake provided funds so he could finish his journey. Mr.
Curliss lived on the Anthony farm and worked in the Grist mill there. His
wife died in 1870, and was buried in the Jenkins cemetery.

Gov. George T. Anthony, his wife, Rosa, and son, George, jr., came to
Vienna in 1876,, when Mr. Anthony bought the present John Grossnickle farm
of Robert Woolley. He also bought the adjoining farm on the west, now
belonging to Henry Schwarz. As is well known, the governor died a number
of years ago and his widow and son went away.

Before the early 60's the people of Vienna and surrounding country got
their mail at various remote postoffices, [sic] one of which was St.
Marys. In the early 60's the Vienna postoffice [sic] was established, kept
by Jack Minch, on the August Wegner farm. Afterward Almon Benton, sr.,
kept it about 1867, when he was succeeded by Mr. Butts.

The early settlers were widely awake to the many advantages of education,
and early commenced to look about them to see what could be done in the
matter of having their children taught the first requisites of an
education. They met and organized the Vienna school district (No. 13) on
Dec. 6, 1862. John Gibson was elected director, S. W. Blain, clerk, and
Moses Day, sr., treasurer. Arrangements were made to have a term of school
taught as soon as could be done. A term of school was arranged for early
in 1863, which was kept in a room of Almon Benton's house, Mrs. Benton
being the teacher. Among some of the children who attended this primitive
school were Day's, Benton's, and Blain's. Another term of school, taught
in a private house, was taught by Mrs. Benedict in her own house. Judge
Huffman had been elected director of the district by this time, and in the
fall of the year 1863 a school house was built. It was a frame one, and
Judge Huffman was the architect. Some of the early teachers in this
district have been forgotten, but we give below the names of those whose
names are still remembered, or which the school records still in existence
show to have taught here, with the year in which they taught: Miss Cheney,
of Manhattan, who taught school in the fall of 1866 or 1867, and Miss Kate
White, who taught during the summer of 1867 or 1868, and boarded at Major
Jenkins'. Prof. J. J. Hostutler taught the school in the spring of 1870.
The schoolhouse was enlarged in 1870, and turned around, as it had been
standing north and south before this. The first teacher to teach after the
above change was E. T. Robinson, who taught the winter of 1870-1. The next
was C. O. Benton, in the fall of 1873; Miss Addie Points, the fall of
1874; Jerome A. Buts, the winter of 1874-5; Amelia Resing, the summer of
1875; Mrs. Flora Benedict, the summer of 1876.

Matters of religion were also considered of prime importance by the
pioneers, and a Sunday school (perhaps the first in the county) was
organized as early as 1862. This was a union school, and was held in
private houses until the school house was built. This like the district
school, was first held in the Benton house and taught by Mrs. Betsey
Benton in the spring of the above year. The Sunday school was soon
followed by religious services, which, like the Sunday school, were held
in private houses, being held in different houses by turn. Rev. Knipe was
was [sic] about the first preacher who preached here, and he held services
once in from one to two months. The Sunday school and other religious
services led to the organization of a church-the Vienna Congregational -in
1868. Rev. Alfred Conant organized the church, with the help of Mr. and
Mrs. Butts, Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, Mrs. Benedict, Mrs. Mason, Ben
Menkinson, and Miss Mary Auld (Mrs. James Gorman), who became charter
members. Rev. Conant was succeeded in the pastorate by Rev. L. E. Sikes,
in 1870. When Onaga was built the church headquarters were removed to the
city. The present Congregational church of Onaga is the outcome of the
early Vienna church.

In June, 1873, L. M. Benedict, Frank Alvord, Sarah J. Grossnickle, and
Lenora Hill were baptized by immersion in the Vermillion river, about half
a mile west of the Vienna school house, by Rev. Peter McVicar, president
of Washburn college. This baptism by immersion, like the Vienna Sunday
school, is considered to have been the first to take place in the country.

When Major Jenkins' daughter, Alla Dell, died, in February, 1867, it was
found necessary by the people of Vienna to locate a cemetery. Accordingly,
Messrs. Benedict, Benton, Blain, and Day met Mr. Jenkins, who agreed to
give a piece of land to be set aside for a burial ground. The five men
proceeded to walk over Mr. Jenkins' farm to select a suitable site, when
Mr. Blain, who was carrying a stick in his hand, using it as a cane,
stopped, said: "This place suits me." So it was decided, and Major
Jenkins' little daughter was interred twelve feet north of where Mr. Blain
had put his stick. A few months later Mr. Blain died, and he was buried in
the exact locality which he had selected as suitable. The cemetery was
chartered under the name of the "Jenkins Cemetery," though it is usually
called the "Vienna Cemetery."

The 12th of August, 1873, there occurred a heavy hail storm at Vienna,
which cut some fields of corn all up. Mr. Bellows was a heavy loser by
this storm.


WESTERN VIENNA TOWNSHIP

The following concerns the west half of Vienna township:

Gil Grossnickle, his wife, Sarah, and children, Seth, Cass (Mrs. Martin
Day), Clara, Maggie, Amy, and Sydney, came to Kansas from Des Moines,
Iowa, in the fall of 1866, and homesteaded his present home. He drove
through with a team of mules. He built a log house on his claim. In 1868,
when the grasshoppers came, he went back to Iowa to earn subsistence for
his family. A son, James, was born to Mr. Grossnickle after he came here,
who died at the age of two years. Mr. and Mrs. Grossnickle are natives of
Pennsylvania.

Samuel Grossnickle, a brother to Gil, his wife, Lavina, and children,
Sarah (Mrs. Andrew Clark), Daniel, William, Elizabeth (Mrs. Daniel Elder,
of Crawford county), and John, drove from Des Moines, Iowa, in company
with his brother, but he drove a horse team. He homesteaded his present
home. The fall of 1868 he drove back, with his family, to Iowa, and
returned the following spring, but his family did not come back until the
year following (1870). Mrs. Grossnickle died eight or nine years ago.

Henry Newlin came to Kansas in 1869, and was soon after married to his
wife, Mary, at Louisville. He lived a year near Mr. Roosa's place, and the
next homesteaded the place where he lived until recently. His children
born on the homestead are: Lida (Mrs. Frank Hodgson), Newton and George
(twins). He served in the 12th Illinois during the war. His death last
spring is still fresh in the memory of our citizens.

Frank A. Brown, who was born in Ohio in the same town (Lafayette) as
General Alger, came from that state with his wife, Ella A., to Vienna,
August, 1869. He came through on the cars, instead of driving with the
conventional team, or yoke of oxen. He settled on his present homestead
and built him a temporary house, in which he lived from September till the
following January, of poles stuck in the ground and boarded up with lumber
made of logs he hauled to Zimmerman's sawmill, which was then located on
the DeGraw place. He built him a better house soon as he could, into which
he moved during the following winter. His older children, Fred M. and
Pearl (Mrs. Al Hardy, who died recently), were born on the homestead. Mr.
Brown was in Company K, 42d Ohio Volunteer Infantry-Garfield's regiment-
during the war. He bought 160 acres of additional land from the railroad
some time after he came here.

Joseph Makins, his wife, Rosilla, and children, Edward E. and Emory Clark,
came from Indiana in 1869, and homesteaded the place now owned by John
Grubb. His son, Edward, died in 1885. Mr. Makins was in Company C, 74th
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, during the war. He was a wagon maker by trade.
He had some property in Indiana, which he traded for 160 acres of land
adjoining his homestead.

Mr. Makins had a neighbor living on adjoining farm, by name of Hank
Nelson, who came from Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife. He had a son born
here. He removed to Cowley county in 1870. Mr. Nelson's father-in-law, Mr.
Eckels, was living with him.

Oliver Meskimens and his wife came from Ohio in the late 60's, and
homesteaded a place on Jim creek. He had two children, Ira, a son, and a
daughter, Mrs. John Cockerel. He went South, where he died some years ago.

Albert Meskimens, his wife, Catharine, George Malone (a son of Mrs.
Meskimens by a former marriage), and their children, Maid (Mrs. Jeff
Harrison) and Harry, came from Birds Run, Grundy county, Ohio, in 1870,
and settled on the farm now owned by Carl Figge. Mrs. Meskimens died a few
years ago in Westmoreland, while Mr. Meskimens is now living in Oneida.

In the summer of 1871 there came up a storm while Mr. Meskimens was away,
and the house was struck by lightning. The fluid followed down the
stovepipe, damaged the stove somewhat, killed a lot of little chickens for
Mrs. Meskimens (who had placed them under the stove), and tore a hole in
the floor where it passed out of the house into the ground.

Andrew McClellan, who is a native of New York, came here from Lexington,
Mo., in September, 1870. He wished to homestead 160 acres of land, but
instructions had not yet been received at Topeka whether 160 or 80 acres
should be taken on account of the proximity of the Union Pacific railroad,
so, as he had to wait, he returned to Missouri, coming back soon after
with J. C. Taylor, who brought his family, consisting of his wife, Eunice,
and children, Everitt H. and Nellie, who was born on the way, in a wagon.
He homesteaded the farm now owned by William Nicholas. He built a
temporary shanty when he first arrived, and built his house, a frame one,
in the fall of 1871. His son, Everitt, is now in Colorado, while Nellie is
married and living in Iowa. His wife, Eunice, died in June, 1872. Mr.
McClellan served during the war in both the 21st and 96th Illinois
Infantry.

Peter Moshinaw was living on the John Berges farm in 1870.

James C. Taylor first came here from Missouri, in October, 1870, when he
moved Mr. McClellan and family, and homesteaded his home that fall. The
next spring he came back with his family, consisting of his wife, Mary,
and children, James A., Thomas, Hannah (Mrs. A. Crumbaker), George, and
Maggie. He first built a small temporary frame shanty, and the ensuing
fall built his house. His sons, John and Samuel, were born on the
homestead. Mr. Taylor is a native of New York, while his wife came from
Ireland in 1846. Mr. Taylor had for early neighbors Phil Thorne, an
Englishman, who owned and lived on the John Berges farm (the A. Crumbaker
place).

He had come here in the late 60's. He sold out to Frank Brown, and is now
in Sherman township. Another neighbor was John Binley, also an Englishman,
who lived on what is now the Henry Berges farm. He married a widow by the
name of Ellison, a sister of Mrs. Robinson. He sold out to Brown and went
to Missouri, to the "Land of the Big Red Apples," but not liking it there
he returned to southwest Kansas. He also came here in the late 60's.

Albert L. Stallard is a native of Virginia. He came here from Platte
county, Missouri, of which state his wife, Harriet, is a native, in 1873.
He bought school land and built a frame house on it. Mr. Stallard and Rev.
Wade helped to organize a Baptist church at Laclede soon after the former
came here. Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Baskett were members of that church.

Daniel B. Smith and his wife, Rebecca, were natives of Pennsylvania, going
from that state to Iowa in 1842. They came, with their son, Frank, to
Douglas county, this state, in the fall of 1873. They came to this
locality April 16, 1874, and bought 320 acres of land of the county, which
land had been intended for a poor farm, paying $2,600 dollars therefor.
Mr. Smith died in 1897, and his wife died a year later. Mr. Smith's son,
Frank, had preceded him to Douglas county by several years. Frank got
married there in 1869. He went to Rossville in 1870, and worked in a
sawmill for a year and a half. He came here when his parents did, with his
wife, Mary Jane. A frame house was built on the farm his father had
bought. He and his father brought a McCormick self-reaper with them from
Douglas county, this being the first one brought to this locality. though
[sic] Dick Guffy had some sort of a reaper in 1874, perhaps earlier. Mr.
Smith brought 38 head of hogs with him from Douglas county. There being 4
sows that raised 18 pigs, the balance being shoats. Many will remember the
drouth that occurred that year, and the grasshoppers that came in the
fall. As there was no corn raised, it was necessary to do something with
all those hogs besides trying to feed them; so Frank asked of Cox, of
Wamego, who was a hog buyer there in those days, what he would give for
them. He said he would give $1.50 per hundred for them. That was rather
cheap, but it was take that or nothing; so the hogs were hauled down-that
is, the 34 that were shoats on the spring-and when Cox saw them he said it
was a shame to sell such hogs for $1.50, so he paid $2.00 for them. The
pigs, of course, were too small to sell, so Frank bought oats of Jim
Gorman at 45 cents per bushel, and went to Blue Rapids, where he got wheat
at 50 cents, with which to winter them over. He butchered some of the sows
for meat, but it was so lean that it would have required grease to fry it,
and, as this could not be got from the butchered hogs, the meat had to be
cooked by boiling. The next spring he had but one sow left, and she became
the mother on the hogs he raised from that on. That same spring (1875) he
had just $8 left. He went to Wamego, and with that money bought 8 bushels
of corn at $1 per bushel. Seed corn was selected out of this, and the
balance used for the horses while another crop was being raised. Frank
recalls what must have been a general custom of those times. As prairie
grass was free and unlimited, each man in starting to cut a piece of grass
land would cut around what he could mow in a day, and no one dared molest
him while cutting that piece. Just like school children, when one
discovered a strawberry patch he would immediately proclaim, "This is my
patch," and no one would dare to pick berries off said patch without the
consent of the discoverer, though sometimes a favored girl schoolmate
would be allowed to share in the find if the finder was a boy. The rule
about cutting grass seems to have been followed pretty closely, so that if
anyone should be too greedy he could not take advantage of more than the
rule allowed him. The writer remembers how one time a neighbor thought,
when the haying season commenced and most everybody started making hay
about the same time, he would make sure of getting enough by cutting
around a piece of grass that it would take two or three days to mow.
Another neighbor, seeing the scheme, drove with his machine into the
middle of the piece of grass land occupied by the first party, and
proceeded to lay off a piece that he could mow in a day or less. The first
man on the ground wanted to know what business the other had to trespass
on his patch, but he was told he had no right to try and keep his
neighbors from getting any hay by cutting around all the grass in the
country. The first man, though not liking it, took the hint. Frank
remembers a storm that occurred the night of the 3d of July. The wind blew
a gale, beating the rain against the crops with a fury, and it was thought
the corn would be ruined, but when the morning dawned and a view was taken
of the fields, it was found the corn was but little hurt.

The three families following, though not having settled in Vienna
township, are given a place here:

Peter Ott, with his wife, both being natives of Ohio, came to Kansas from
Illinois in the spring of 1873. Mr. Ott bought his farm, which is in
Sherman township, of Ben Huey. He brought all his children with him. They
are: Charles, James, Albert, George, and Nora (Mrs. Edgar Forrester).
James has since passed away, while Albert and George are in Cowley county.

William Randall, his wife, Lucinda Amanda, and children, Mary (Mrs.
Ebenezer Elliott, of Stockdale, Riley county), Maud (Mrs. Garrard Mack),
Minnie (Mrs. James Elliott), and William, came here from Rock Island,
Ill., in 1871. He bought 148 acres of land of Pierce, a brother-in-law of
Pomeroy, of Emporia, which is now owned by Will Grossnickle, near Arispie,
in Sherman township. Mr. Randall is a native of England, having come from
there in 1848. He was a sailor by profession, and served in the United
States navy in the Mexican war, where he lost his arm. His wife is a
native of New York.

James P. Basket moved from Missouri to Leavenworth county in 1852. From
there he came here, with his wife, Florella, and daughter, Alice, in 1871,
and settled on the place now owned by James Jenkins, northeast of Laclede,
in Center township. Alice married Charles Day in 1872, and died in 1892.

Though the history of the early schools of this part of Vienna may not be
so interesting as that of the one to the east, it is no reason that it
should be overlooked.

The first school held at Rolling Prairie was taught by Mrs. McClellan, at
her home, in 1870 or 1871. The spring of 1871 the people of this part of
the township concluded their locality was populous enough to deserve and
support a school of their own. Accordingly, a move was made to have that
portion of the Vienna district lying west of the Vermillion river detached
from that on the east, where the school house was located. A meeting was
called, which was held in Jim Gorman's house, to select a site for the
school house for the new district. The people of the east part of the
detached portion, which afterward was set off in the Victory district,
wanted to locate the school house by Dave Cook's, which location was a
mile from the east boundary of the new district and three and one-half
miles from the western, to which the people in the west part of the
district objected. Then a vote was taken to build the school house a mile
further west from the first proposed site, which was carried by a majority
of one. Then the people of the east part moved that the school house be
built still further west, which was carried. The people of the east part
then immediately petitioned to have the new district sub-divided into two,
which was done. The east part selected a site one on the Guffy farm, and
the school was known as the Victory. Then it was left for the people of
the western district to select a new site for their school. The people
became divided into three factions. One wanted to have the old Roosa log
house bought, which could be had for $5, and move it to the site which
should be selected. A second wanted to build a moderate-sized building.
The third went to the other extreme, and wished to build the largest and
finest school house in the township. The selection of a site was a
difficult matter, and before it was done a number of the voters got into a
fight over it. Then James Taylor offered to donate two acres of land on
which to build the school house, which finally was accepted. When it came
to deciding what kind of a house to build, the faction in favor of buying
the log house went to the other extreme and took sides with those who
wished to build the highest priced one. The two factions, combining, had a
majority, and then they wanted to vote $800 bonds for building purposes,
as they expected the railroad land in the district to bear the brunt of
the taxes to pay the bonds. Mr. Taylor suggested $500 as a sufficient
amount to raise, to which could be added the $70 already in the district
treasury, and that if these two amounts should prove insufficient more
could be raised by direct taxation to finish the building. This suggestion
was well received by the more conservative element in the district, and
finally voted. At this time there was a suit in court to decide the claims
of the Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads for possession of the
railroad lands, but the bonds had to be paid. As there were but two
residents of the district having deeds to their farms, and these were the
only ones liable to taxation, the bulk of the taxes had to be paid by
them. The two were Phil Thorne and Joseph Makins.

There is but one known battlefield in the territory covered by this paper.
Tradition has it that on the plain at the foot of the high hill standing
across Jim creek, south of George Malone's and to the north-west of
Ballentine's, many years ago, the Pottawatomie and Cheyenne Indians had a
fierce fight, in which the latter band were exterminated. After the
battle, in going over the battle ground, the Pottawatomies discovered a
living babe of their foes, the Cheyennes, for they killed the women and
children as well as the men. They spared the life of this child, however,
as all of its band had gone to the happy hunting grounds, never to return
to this earth again. The child was named Cheyenne. When grown up he
married and had one daughter, Mary, who is now dead; but the venerable
remnant of his band is still living among the Indians on Soldier creek. If
such a fight were to take place today on that old battlefield. what a
panorama might be viewed from the brow of that high hill; and if it were
known that such a battle would take place without danger to the
spectators, the hill, large and high as it is, would hardly hold the
multitude who would wish to see it, even at an exorbitant price for
reserved seats. But that event is past, and its like, it is to be hoped ,
may never be repeated.

About 1870 or 1871 a squaw was found murdered in her home, near the mouth
of Jim creek, but her murderer was never discovered. If anyone living
knows who the guilty party is, it has not yet been ascertained.