Marshall County KS Archives Biographies.....Garrison, A. B. 1859 - ************************************************ 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@yahoo.com April 16, 2007, 1:55 am Author: Emma E. Forter A. B. GARRISON. A. B. Garrison, a well-known and successful farmer and stockman of Summerfield, Marshall county, was born in Rush county, Indiana, on July 21, 1859, the son of William and Louisa (Cruse) Garrison, who were natives of Indiana, the former having been born on July 1, 1836, and the latter on March 9, 1839. The father died on January 16, 1910, and the mother on September 12, 1911. They received their education in the schools of Indiana and there grew up and we were married. The father of William Garrison was born in the state of Kentucky and was one of the early pioneers of Rush county, Indiana. After their marriage, William and Louisa Garrison continued to live in Indiana until 1867, when they decided to come to Kansas. On their arrival they established their home on a homestead in the northeast part of section 1, Balderson township, Marshall county. This farm was at that time wild prairie and unimproved. The pioneer home was soon established in a small house that had been erected, and here Mr. Garrison engaged in the task of clearing and developing his farm, and here he engaged in general farming and stock raising, until five years before his death, when he and his wife retired from the more active duties of life and moved to Summerfield, where they continued to live until their deaths. They were married on March 2, 1858, and were the parents of four sons as follow: Charles S., of Chicago; Henry L., a farmer of Richland township; E. M., of Richland township, and A. B. A. B. Garrison received his education in the public schools of Marshall county and grew to manhood on the home farm, where he assisted with the farm work. The first school that he attended in Kansas was in a log school house, with cottonwood slabs for seats and no desks. School was in session but three or four months during the winter months, and it was amid those primitive conditions that the children of the district received their education. A. B. Garrison remained on the home farm until he was twenty-two years of age, when he engaged in work for himself. For two years he worked as a farm hand, when he purchased eighty acres of land in section 8, Richland township, and. a part of the present farm. He purchased the tract at ten dollars per acre and that on time. The place was undeveloped and unimproved, but at the present time is one of the well-developed and improved places of the township. In 1893 he purchased another eighty acres of land at thirty-five dollars per acre, and is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres in the home place, in addition to another three hundred and twenty acres in the township. As a general farmer and stock raiser, Mr. Garrison met with much success and was soon recognized as one of the prominent and substantial farmers of the district. In 1907 Mr. Garrison left the farm and moved to Summerfield, where he lived until 1912, when he again returned to the farm and took up the duties of farm life. Here he remained until February, 1915, when he again moved to Summerfield, where he now lives. He and Mrs. Garrison were married on November 29, 1882, at Beattie, Kansas. Mrs. Garrison, who was Jessie B. Winter, was born in Rush county, Indiana, on May 20, 1859, the daughter of Gideon and Priscilla (Knisely) Winter, the former born in 1815 and died on January 18, 1879, and the latter born in 1819 and died on May 3, 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Winter were natives of Kentucky and there received their education and grew to manhood and womanhood. They later moved to Indiana, where they remained until 1869, when they located on a farm in Richland township, Marshall county. They were from the same section in Indiana, as were the parents of A. B. Garrison, and it is known that both Mr. and Mrs. Garrison, when babies, were rocked in the same cradle together. Mr. and Mrs. Winter were the parents of the following children: Jane Thruman, now a resident of Marysville; Elizabeth and Mary are now deceased; William is a resident of Shelby county, Indiana; Joseph resides in Colorado; Frances Small resides at Summerfield, her husband being a well-known retired farmer; Mary Turner lives in Oregon and Adeline Martin is a resident of Council Grove. A. B. and Jessie B. Garrison are the parents of the following children: Floyd, Etta, Clarence, Walter, Austin, Benjamin, Raleigh, Etta May and Bessie. Floyd is a successful farmer in Lincoln township. He is married to Manda Duckworth and they are the parents of three children, Lola, Velma and Elsie; Etta is the wife of Ervin Glick, of Richland township, and is the mother of three children as follow: Cecil, Ethel and Ruth; Clarence died at the age of four months; Walter married Lottie Finnerty and is engaged in farming on the home place. He and his wife are the parents of one child, Weston; Austin is at home and Benjamin Harrison is on a farm adjoining the home place. He married Marie Sharp and they are the parents of one child, Glenna; Raleigh, a successful farmer, is married to Cora Easter and they are the parents of one child, Imogene; Etta May and Bessie are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Garrison. are identified with the Republican party and take much interest in local affairs. Mr. Garrison has served as township assessor and treasurer, and as treasurer of the school district. Since becoming a resident of Summerfield, he has served as city school clerk. In all his official life he has given the same care and attention to the business of the township and city, that he gives to his own business affairs. His record as a public official spread beyond the confines of his home district, and he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board of county commissioners; in 1904 he was elected to the same position, and because of his excellent services he was retained in the important office until 1911. Mr. and Mrs. Garrison are regular attendants of the Methodist Episcopal church and give liberally of their means to its support. They have long been prominent in the social life of the community and are held in the highest regard by all who know them. Fraternally, Mr. Garrison is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In addition to his many other duties, he is a director of the Summerfield State Bank since 1904, and has had much to do with its growth and success. During his active life, Mr. Garrison has always taken much interest in the breeding and raising of purebred Poland China hogs, and since 1898 has exhibited many of his animals at the county and state fairs. At the state fair in Nebraska in 1904, he won many first prizes on hogs of his own breeding. Today he is recognized as one of the most successful breeders in this part of the state, and on his farm may be seen some of the finest animals, many being supplied for breeding purposes in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska. In addition to the breeding of hogs, he is an extensive breeder of Shorthorn cattle and. sheep. He has served as president of the Standard Record Association with headquarters at Maryville, Missouri. 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/garrison174nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ksfiles/ File size: 7.8 Kb