HENRY L. PARTRIDGE             GRAVESTONE PHOTO                      

William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas

LABETTE COUNTY, Part 10

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES (PALMER - ROSIS).

HENRY L. PARTRIDGE, Justice of the Peace, was born at Pittsfield, Mass., October 28, 1833, lived there until 1842, when his parents removed with their family to Battle Creek, Mich. In January, 1863, he enlisted and was assigned to duty as Deputy Provost Marshal under Capt. R. J. Berry, at Camp Blair, Jackson, Mich. Served there until April 1865. Afterward at Nashville, Tenn., until September 15, 1865, when he was mustered out of the service. He then returned to Michigan and remained there until August, 1869, when he came to Kansas. In September of that year he secured a claim on Section 13, now a part of Parsons' town site, situated in Walton Township. In November, 1869, he removed his family to his new home, there being an unfinished log house on the premises. He soon made it habitable and in a few days moved his family into it. Being a carpenter, he worked at his trade more or less until 1872. In 1870, he was appointed Justice of the Peace by Gov. Harvey, receiving the appointment as soon as he had been here a year, so as to be eligible to the office. In 1871, he was elected to the same position and re-elected in 1872, serving until 1874. He was elected the first Police Judge after Parsons was organized as a city of the third class. He also served as a member of the School Board of Walton Township before the organization of the city. He has been a member of the Parsons Board of Education and was Vice President of the Board. Served one term as Alderman and eight years as Notary Public. In 1874 and 1875 he was Constable, and in 1881 and 1882 he was Deputy Sheriff; was offered a re-appointment to that position but declined it. In 1876, he spent six months in Colorado, and was in the Big Horn river country and Yellow Stone Park region in 1877. He was connected with the construction of the Memphis, Kansas and Colorado R. R., afterward running a train on that road, being identified with the interests of that company about eighteen months. Then for two months, he was employed by the Adams Express Company to guard their express cars, running through the Indian Territory, leaving their employ after the Jim Barker gang of train robbers and desperadoes were was [sic] broken up. Then he went with the engineer corps of the St. Louis and San Francisco R. R. and remained until the road was completed to Wichita. He then took a contract for grading a part of the M. K. & T. R. R. extension in Texas, terminating his connection with that work in about eight months; returned to Parsons and in 1882 was again elected Justice of the Peace. He is a member of the A., F. & A. M. and is commander of Antietam Post No. 64, G. A. R. He was married at Bellevue, Eaton Co., Mich., June 26, 1868, to Elisa A. Packer, a native of Clyde, Wayne Co., N. Y. They have three children living, Hattie S., Mary E. and James H. They lost their first child, Charles H., who was born in 1861 and died in 1865.