Marshall County KS Archives Biographies.....Rodkey, Clayton 1857 - ************************************************ 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 May 5, 2007, 6:44 pm Author: Emma E. Forter (1917) CLAYTON RODKEY. Of the well-known farmers of Marshall county, who have made good in their chosen work and who have had much to do with the growth and development of the county, it is fitting to mention Clayton Rodkey, of Blue Rapids township, who was born on June 6, 1857, in Huntington county, Indiana, and is the son of Joseph C. and Frances (Dohner) Rodkey. Joseph C. and Frances Rodkey were natives of Pennsylvania, where they spent their childhood, after which they went to Ohio with their parents and in that state they grew to maturity and were married. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Indiana, where they established their home on a farm in Huntington county, where they lived until the fall of 1880. In the latter year they came to Kansas and located on a farm, one and a half miles south of the home of the son, Clayton. The father engaged in general farming and stock raising until the time of his death in 1907, since which time the mother has made her home with the daughter, Mrs. G. B. Layton. Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey were always held in the highest regard and were prominent in the activities of their home community. To them were born ten children, six of whom are now living: John J. of Blue Rapids; Clayton ; Abraham Lincoln, of Oklahoma; Mrs. Anna Koutz, of Nebraska City; Mrs. G. B. Layton; Grant C, a resident of Colorado. Clayton Rodkey received his education in the schools of Indiana and there he grew to manhood and married. He came to Kansas in the fall of 1884 and located on a farm of eighty acres, which he had purchased some time before, one mile south of his present home in Marshall county and in Blue Rapids City township. He has met with much success and is now the owner of four hundred and forty acres of splendid land in the home farm, and has three hundred and twenty acres of irrigated land at Garden City, Kansas, that is worth one hundred dollars per acre. He began with nothing, and is now one of the substantial men of Marshall county. His home farm, one of the best in this district, and worth one hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre, is situated at the southeast line of Blue Rapids. Here he erected a beautiful, nine-room house in 1913, which is modern throughout. The structure cost him over four thousand dollars, in addition to the work that he did himself. The house, with stone pillars and handsome designs, is a pretentious residence. The approach from the highway is by a beautiful driveway, the entrance to which is through an artistic gateway, with stone posts. The large barn, thirty-eight by eighty feet, with nineteen-foot posts, adds much to the appearance of the home. The home farm is of Blue river valley land and is possessed of great possibilities. For a number of years the place has averaged over forty-five bushels of corn to the acre, and has produced over sixty bushels. He also has a farm of two hundred acres west of Blue Rapids, which is one of the good farms of the district, and is worth one hundred dollars per acre. He came to his present home farm in 1912, until which time he had lived on his original farm of eighty acres. Mr. Rodkey is a firm believer in thorough cultivation of the land. He formerly engaged extensively in the breeding of high-grade cattle, but of late years he has devoted his energies to the higher development of his land. In the fall of 1880 Clayton Rodkey was united in marriage to Eliza Everhart, who was born in Wabash county, Indiana, on September 15, 1859, and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lance Everhart. To this union the following children have been born: Jesse E., Fred, Ralph and Ruth. Jesse E. is the proprietor of a garage at Blue Rapids; Fred is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he made an enviable record as a student and athlete. He is now teaching in the university. Of his record in the games and sports, Marshall's Manhood says of him: "Fred Rodkey, crack runner of the West and a Marshall county boy, who is making good, has demonstrated that an athlete can maintain a high standing in scholarship and participate in literary and religious activities, while making records in an athletic way. Reports from Kansas University, where Rodkey is attending school, show that last year he carried seventeen hours a week in recitations with grades of five firsts and one second. He has also been prominent in the other activities of the school, being a delegate of the Young Men's Christian Association, to their student conference at Estes Park, Colorado, and being also a member of the college gospel team." Ralph, now eighteen years of age is a student of the university; Ruth is thirteen years of age and a student of the eighth grade of the Blue Rapids schools. Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey take much pride in the success of their children, and one of their greatest desires is to make them happy and useful men and women. Mr. and Mrs. Rodkey have long been active in the social life of the county, where they and their family are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know them. 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/rodkey401gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ksfiles/ File size: 5.8 Kb