Shawnee-Leavenworth County KS Archives Biographies.....Wellhouse, Frederick 1828 - 
************************************************
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 September 26, 2006, 3:53 pm

Author: James L. King (1905)

HON. FREDERICK WELLHOUSE.

    HON. FREDERICK WELLHOUSE, one of the leading horticulturists of the State of
Kansas, and a prominent and valued citizen of Topeka, was born November 16,
1828, in Wayne County, Ohio, and is a son of William and Hannah (Yohe) Wellhouse.

    The father of Mr. Wellhouse subsequent to the latter's birth removed to
Summit County, Ohio, where he purchased a farm of 300 acres. He died there in
1843, leaving the management of this large estate and the care of several
younger children to our subject, then a youth of 15, and his brother, who was 18
months older.

    In 1853 Mr. Wellhouse moved to Christian County, Illinois, where he engaged
in farming and in literary pursuits. In 1858 he located at Indianapolis,
Indiana, and entered into the publication of an agricultural journal known as
the Indiana Farmer. A year later he sold this newspaper to his partner, J. N.
Ray, and then moved to Kansas, locating in Leavenworth County, in 1859. Here Mr.
Welhouse set out great orchards, the care of which interested him for a number
of years. While it was something of an experiment, Mr. Wellhouse had made
horticulture a scientific study and the remarkable success which rewarded his
care and industry sufficiently demonstrated his wisdom as well as his knowledge
of horticulture. In the fall of 1880, Mr. Wellhouse and his son Walter, who is
associated with him, gathered the first crop of apples, the yield of 437 acres
of orchard being 1,500 bushels. In 1890, 10 years later, the crop amounted to
the vast amount of 79,170 bushels. The total yield of this great orchard up to
1905 has been 498,148 bushels, which sold for $199,253.20, with net profits
amounting to $139,481.44. The fruit is shipped both to home markets and foreign
ports. The whole extent of orchard land includes 1,630 acres, making the
Wellhouse orchard the largest one in the world under one management. No other
orchard in the State of Kansas or in the world, conducted by one man and his
family, has ever equaled its record in annual yield of apples. Between the rows
of trees in the orchard Mr. Wellhouse has also grown 160,000 bushels of corn.
Five varieties of apples are grown: Jonathan, Ben Davis, Gano, York Imperial and
Missouri Pippin; the orchard is noted as much for the quality as for the
quantity of the product.

    While Mr. Wellhouse has always been an enthusiast in the growing of apples,
he has also been much interested in the culture of all kinds of fruit. He was
one of the first horticulturists to call the attention of other States to the
possibilities of fruit culture in Kansas, the fine exhibits made at
Philadelphia, Richmond, Boston and New York attracting universal and favorable
notice and resulting in attracting capital and good settlers to this section of
the State. Mr. Wellhouse has continued his active interest in horticultural
affairs and he was chosen, as eminently fitted, to take full charge of the fruit
display for Kansas, at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 and
at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha, Nebraska, in 1898.

    Mr. Wellhouse has been an active member of the Kansas State Horticultural
Society almost since its organization, has been its president for the past 10
years and for 15 years was its treasurer. He has been vice-president Kansas
State Fair Association in which he has been a director almost since its
organization.

    During the Civil War, Mr. Wellhouse took an active part in military matters
and was captain in the 19th Kansas State militia. In 1861 he was elected county
commissioner and made chairman of the board, and in 1866 he was elected by the
Republican party to the Legislature and was reelected in 1888. Other marks of
party favor have been shown him at various times and for years he was a
prominent figure in public life.

    Mr. Wellhouse married Susan Housely, a daughter of Daniel Housely, and they
reared four children, namely: Walter, who is married and lives in Topeka; Mary
C., Horace M., deceased; and Cora A., wife of H. S. Bullard, of Leavenworth
County, who is living on one of subject's farms.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF SHAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS
AND
REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

EDITED AND COMPILED BY
JAMES L. KING
TOPEKA, KANSAS 

"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples"

PUBLISHED BY
RICHMOND & ARNOLD,
GEORGE RICHMOND; C. R. ARNOLD.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,
1905.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/shawnee/bios/wellhous48nbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ksfiles/

File size: 5.0 Kb