Anderson County KS Archives History - Books .....Chapter XXV 1877
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Book Title: THE HISTORY OF ANDERSON COUNTY, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1876.

CHAPTER XXV.

   Walker Township—Its Organization—Settlement-— Towns—Prominent
Men—Elections—Successive Township Officers.

  WALKER TOWNSHIP was established by the board of county commissioners on the
7th day of October, 1857, with the following boundaries: Beginning at the
northeast corner of the county, at the northeast corner of section 22, in
township 19, of range 21; thence west along the north line of the county five
miles, to the northwest corner of section 24, in township 19, of range 20;
thence south nine miles, to the fourth standard parallel, at the southwest
corner of section 36, in township 20, of range 20; thence east on said parallel
five miles, to the east line of the county, at the southeast corner of section
34, in township 20, of range 21; thence north along said county line nine miles,
to the place of beginning; containing an area of 45 square miles. The township
was named in honor of Robert J. Walker, Governor of Kansas Territory. The first
settlement of whites in the county was made in this township, at the present
town of Greeley, in May, 1854. The settlers were Valentine Gerth, Francis Myer,
Henry Harmon, Oliver P. Rand, Samuel Mack, J. S. Waitman and Henderson Rice;
and, of these persons, Valentine Gerth and O. P. Rand, Mrs. Wm. Tull and Mrs. W.
F. Priest, daughters of Henry Harmon, are still residents of the county; and
they are the only persons who came to the county as early as 1854 who still
reside in it. About the first of May, 1854, V. Gerth and F. Myer came to Kansas
Territory with an ox team and a few horses and cattle. They were both unmarried
at the time. They came from Missouri, and pitched their tent on the present
town-site of Greeley, it being then an old Indian field, the Indians having left
during the same spring. Gerth and Myer planted about five acres of corn, and in
October following built them a log .cabin on the bank of Pottowatomie creek,
near where the bridge now spans the stream. At the time they came they found Dr.
Lykins three miles east of Paola, and Henry Sherman, who had settled among the
Potto-watomie Indians, at Dutch Henry crossing of Pottowatomie creek. These were
the only white settlers west of Missouri on the line of travel of these bold
immigrants.

  Gerth afterwards selected a claim about one mile south of Greeley, and
improved and pre-empted it, and resided thereon until 1868, when he sold it to
Rev. Joseph Welsh, and bought unimproved land two miles northeast of Greeley,
where he has made him one of the finest farms in the county. He is a native of
Saxony, Germany, and has resided in the township ever since its organization,
and is doubtless the first white settler in the county. He is a worthy citizen,
an industrious farmer, and has passed manfully through the "time that tried
men's souls" in this part of the country.

  Francis Myer took a claim north of Greeley, and built a log cabin thereon,
but, belonging to the Pro-Slavery party, he fled the country in the summer of
1856, having taken part on the Border Ruffian side.

  Henry Harmon came with his family in 1854, a short time after Gerth and Myer,
and settled north of Greeley, near the junction of the Pottowatomies, where he
lived with his family until the 2Oth of August following, when his wife, l£liza
Harmon, died* which was the first death in the county. She was buried near the
present residence of Jacob Reese. Her funeral was preached by Rev. W. C. McDow.
After the death of Mrs. Harmon, Mr. Harmon sold his claim to C. H. Price, and
moved about ten miles west, on North Pottowatomie, and took and preempted
another claim, built him a house, and resided there until the beginning of the
rebellion, when he and his only son went into the army, served through the war
and returned, but soon thereafter he died.

  His daughter, Mary Ann, married William Tull, an old and respectable citizen,
and now resides with her family near Greeley. The other daughter, Eliza, married
Giles Sandlin, with whom she lived for several years on North Pottowatomie,
until he died; and she afterwards married W. F. Priest, with whom she lives in
Greeley.

  Oliver P. Rand came to the Territory in May, 1854, a single man, and in 1856
married Patsy Sutton, daughter of James Sutton. This was the first marriage in
the county. Rand is an industrious farmer and worthy citizen, now residing in
Reeder township, in the western part of the county.

  In the spring of 1855 a large immigration came from the border counties of
Missouri, and the struggle soon commenced between the Free State men and Border
Ruffians. Prominent among the Free State men that settled in Walker township
that spring were Rufus Gilpatrick, W. C. McDow, James Sutton, Hardy Warren,
Richard Robinson, Jacob Benjamin, P. D. Maness, Frederick Weimer, A. Bondi, J.
F. Wadsworth and many others. Among the most active of the Pro-Slavery men were
John S. Waitman, C. H. Price, David McCammon, Henderson Rice and J. P. Barnaby,.
When the Pro-Slavery men found they were out-numbered and that Kansas was to be
free, many of them took an early departure for Missouri and other slave States.

  W. C. McDow was commissioned justice of the peace in 1856, and was afterward
elected by the people and served as such for several years.

  In the spring of 1857 a postoffice was established at Greeley, and named
Walker, and was the first postoffice in the county. Jacob Benjamin was appointed
postmaster. A mail route was established in 1857 from Osawatomie, via Walker and
Hyatt, to Neosho City. In 1858 the postoffice was removed to Mount Gilead, one
mile west of Greeley, and George S. Holt appointed postmaster. The office
remained there for several years, but has since been removed to Greeley, and the
name changed to "Greeley" postoffice.

  The townsite of Greeley was selected in the spring of 1856; surveyed and laid
out April 7, 1857. On the 21st day of November, 1857, Jacob Benjamin, August
Bondi and Fred. Weimer, associates of the town company of Greeley, filed their
plat of said town and a petition in the probate court claiming the right to
pre-empt the townsite; and on the 14th day of October following it was
pre-empted by George Wilson, probate judge, for the benefit of the occupants of
the townsite. In the spring of 1857 building and business commenced lively; but
 for want of better material, most of the houses were constructed of logs. In
1857 saw mills were erected and good lumber could be obtained for more
substantial buildings. The first store opened in Greeley was by B. F. Smith, in
1857. He kept such articles as were generally needed by the settlers. They were
sold at high prices, because of the freight and risk in getting them by wagons
and teams from the Missouri river.

  In the years 1857-8-9 a heavy immigration settled on the Pottowatomie, and in
1859 the population of the township was as large as it has ever been since.

  During the war improvements were almost entirely suspended; but with the
return of peace the patriotic soldiers that survived the war returned to enjoy
the blessings of a free country, which in its fullness could only be appreciated
by them. Then prosperity blessed the country, and Greeley shared its growth,
until it now contains three wagon shops, three blacksmith shops, one cabinet
shop, one hotel, one general store, one dry goods store, one tin shop, one saw
mill, one flouring mill, a commodious school house, and a good church edifice,
belonging to the United Brethren denomination.

  The general desire for making money and speculation caused the early settlers
to lay out townsites in various portions of the Territory; and many town-sites
failed to become the cities anticipated, and are now known only in the history
of the country. One of these towns was organized about the first of September,
1857, and was known by the name of " Pottowatomie," afterwards called "Mount
Gilead." The town company was composed of Rufus Gilpatrick, J. G. Blunt, Henry
Nugent, Willis Ayres, J. F. Wadsworth and others. September 11, 1857, Dr. Rufus
Gilpatrick, president of the Pottowatomie town company, presented a plat of the
town of Pottowatomie to John Shannon, a notary public, who made a certificate to
the same, setting forth that the lands covered by the plat were claimed as a
town-site. . On the 2ist day of July, 1860, J. G. Blunt, secretary of the
Pottowatomie town company, presented for filing in the recorder's office of the
county 'a plat and a survey, made by N. J. Roscoe, surveyor, of the townsite. It
was laid out as a rival town to Greeley, being only one-half mile west of that
town. The proprietors of Mount Gilead were men of energy, and soon succeeded in
getting the postoffice and most of the business removed from Greeley to Mount
Gilead; but time proved that the new town was not well located for a prosperous
city, on account of the great depth to water; so the enterprise was abandoned,
and the townsite has since been inclosed, in connection with several other
adjacent tracts, by Gen. Blunt, and is now one of the finest farms in the county.

  The first saw mill erected in the township was located by the Mount Gilead
town company, on the townsite, in the fall of 1857. The Greeley town company
erected a saw and grist mill on their townsite in the spring of 1858, which did
a good business for six or eight years, and then gave place to a better and
larger one, John Robinson and _____ McLaughlin in 1867 built a mill in Greeley
that is still in successful operation. In the spring of 1874 Chris. Bouck, of
Newel, Iowa, a practical miller and mill-wright, who had been engaged in that
business in Iowa for several years, being desirous of locating in a better wheat
country, came to Greeley, where the leading business men gave him some
inducements, which he accepted, and immediately, commenced the construction of a
first-class merchant mill; but meeting unexpected reverses in financial matters,
was delayed in the completion of the same until in the fall of 1875, when he
enlisted J. K. Gardner and John Weaver, of Albany, N. Y., men of capital, to
assist him in the enterprise, as partners, and Greeley can now boast of a fine
merchant mill in full operation.

  The first school taught in the township was by T. Wads worth, in a cabin on
the claim of M. E. Mitchell, for three months, commencing November, 1856. His
wages were $30 per month, and board among the pupils, twelve in number, some of
them living a distance of five miles from the school house. This was the first
school in the county. The next fall and winter Allen Jaqua taught a term of four
months in the same cabin, with an average attendance of twenty pupils.

  In the spring of 1857 a Methodist Sabbath school was organized by W. C. McDow,
near his claim, where he acted as superintendent of the school, which was well
attended. This was the first Sabbath school in the county.

  In the summer of the same year another Sabbath school was organized, with
Richard Robinson as superintendent, in Sutton valley.

  In 1859 W. H. McClure, Bishop D. Edwards, Henry Hamler and others commenced
solicitations for means to build a house of worship at Greeley, for the United
Brethren in Christ. The building was commenced and inclosed during the summer of
1860, but was not finished for several years. This was the first church building
in the county. A union Sabbath school was organized at the same place during the
same spring, with W. H. McClure as superintendent. The number of pupils in this
school was about thirty; and the school thus organized, with some degree of
success, was kept up for fourteen years, when a denominational school took its
place, under the auspices of the United Brethren in Christ, with L. Champe as
its superintendent.

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS.

  At the March election, 1853, for supervisors, J. E. White was elected
chairman, and Wesley Spindler and C. W. Culten, members of the board; John T.
Lanter, clerk, and J. F. Wadsworth, treasurer.

  In March, 1859, J. F. Wadsworth was elected chairman, and C. W. Culten and
Isco Sutton, members of the board.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

  In March, 1859, the justices of the peace elected were Samuel Mack, W. C,
McDow, James Button and James D. Ridgeway.

  At the election in December, 1859, under the Wyandotte constitution, Jacob
Benjamin and James Sutton were elected justices of the peace; and their term of
office commenced in 1861. 1863, D. W. Smith and John Macklin were elected; 1865,
W. H. H. Lowry and James Sutton were elected. Lowry resigned in June, 1866, and
A. R. Mumaw was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1867, A. R. Mumaw and John Wilson
elected; 1869, J. W. Lyon and Henry Wilson elected; 1871, J. W. Lyon and Henry
Wilson elected. Lyon left the county in 1872, and D. W. Smith was appointed to
fill the vacancy; 1873, William Tull and J. T. Weeden elected; 1875, D. W. Smith
and Henry Wilson elected.

TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES.

  1860-1-2, Isco Sutton; 1863,William Beeler; 1864, Webster Brown; 1865-6, Isco
Sutton; 1867-8, Jesse N. Sutton; 1869, John Fox; 1870-1-2, D. W. Smith; 1873, S.
A. Springston; 1874, J. W. Vaughn; 1875, John Poplin.

TOWNSHIP TREASURERS.

  1868-9-70, M. A. Mitchell; 1871-2-3, W. F. Priest; 1874, W. H. McClure; 1875,
John Fox.

TOWNSHIP CLERKS.

  1868-9-70-1, M. W. Latham; 1872, J. J. Montgomery: 1873, J. W. Lyon; 1874, E.
W. White; 1875. J. W. Vaughn.



Additional Comments:
THE HISTORY OF ANDERSON COUNTY,
FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1876.
BY
W. A. JOHNSON,
CHAIRMAN OF HISTORICAL COMMITTEE.

PUBLISHED BY KAUFFMAN & ILER, GARNETT PLAINDEALER,
1877.

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1877, by
KAUFFMAN & ILER, In the office of the Librarian of Congress,Washington, D. C.


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