Marshall-Pottawatomie County KS Archives Biographies.....Denton, James Washington 1843 - 1915 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com July 23, 2005, 5:22 pm Author: B. F. Bowen JAMES WASHINGTON DENTON. James Washington Denton, deceased, formerly one of the prominent and successful residents of Biglow township, Marshall county, was born in Bath county, Kentucky, on April 22, 1843, and was the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Denton, who were Southern people and lived their lives in the South. James Washington Denton was united in marriage on December 1, 1866, to Caroline Jackson, also a native of Kentucky. They established their home in the state of their nativity and there they resided until 1871, when they decided to locate in the state of Kansas, where they might better have an opportunity to obtain a home for themselves and those dependent upon them. They left their home at Owensville by stage and proceeded to Maysville, Kentucky. From there they proceeded by boat to Cincinnati, Ohio, and from there to Barrett, Kansas, by railroad. From Barrett they journeyed to Springside, Kansas, with horses and wagon, and there they established their first home in the new state. Mr. Denton home-steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Marshall county, but continued to maintain his home in Pottawatomie. He engaged in the cattle business, and bought and shipped many head. He proved up on a claim he had made in Pottawatomie county, and there he lived for nineteen years. In 1894 he sold the farm and purchased the farm of W. J. Williams, in Bigelow township, Marshall county. This farm, of fourteen hundred acres, was located near Irving, and here he engaged extensively in general farming and stock raising until 1906, when he moved to Irving, where he lived until the time of his death on May 19, 1915. During his active life on the farm he kept many cattle and for many years delivered to the markets some five hundred head. His aim was to keep only the best stock, to which he gave the most careful care and attention, and when placing them on the market he received the highest prices. As a farmer and stockman he was recognized as one of the most successful in the county. Few men in this section of the state attempted either farming or the handling of stock on so large a scale. He was a man of great ability and was able to master large business interests. He was most systematic and conservative, and was possessed of keen business acumen. He was a member of the Republican party and while taking the greatest interest in the civic life of the district, he was not a seeker after office. Being a man of pronounced convictions and possessed of a wide range of information, his advice was often sought in matters that pertained to the welfare of the community, as well as for individual advice relative to financial matters. He was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was a liberal supporter of the local society. He was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and of the Order of the Eastern Star. James Washington and Caroline Denton were the parents of four children as follow: George H., Elizabeth, Ida M. and Roscoe. George is a well-known and successful farmer and stockman, living six miles north of Frankfort, Kansas. He married Gertrude Dexter and they are the parents of two children, Kenneth and George W. Elizabeth is the wife of P. C. McCall, of Marshall county, and they live on the old home place. They are the parents of three children, Denton, Luceil and Elizabeth. Ida M. Hughes is a resident of Fulton, Missouri, and Roscoe is a successful farmer and stockman. He is married to Alena Boyd and they are the parents of two children, Hazel and Kale Everett. Few people of the county have ever been held in higher regard than have Mr. and Mrs. Denton. They were a most estimable people and they had many friends throughout the county and were most active in all that tended to make better and greater the county wherein they resided. In the social, educational, religious and the general activities of the district, they were always active and influential. Mrs. Denton is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and holds the office of Martha in that organization. While their early lives in the state were fraught with hardships, they ever remembered their duty to society. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History of Marshall County, Kansas: its people, industries, and institutions by Emma E. Forter Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co. (1917) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/marshall/bios/denton84bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/ File size: 4.9 Kb