The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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member of the town company. This was the first store started at Lenora, and in fact the first in the county outside of Norton and Leota. Abram Hendricks came here from Iowa in 1875. He was elected county surveyor in 1877 and has held the office of justice of the peace nearly all the time since his arrival here. His integrity and sound business sense commend him favorably to his neighbors and make him a leader in his township. In politics he is independent with strong democratic proclivities.

Charles Lansing came from Michigan in 1873; he built the stone hotel at Lenora in 1880, which he operated for some time. He went to Oregon in 1884 where he still resides.

Amos S. Burroughs came here in 1874. His wife taught the first school on the Solomon west of Lenora. Burroughs was active in politics during his residence in this county. He was elected county commissioner on the Leota ticket in 1876 and re-elected in 1879. He was the democratic nominee for representative in 1880 but was defeated by Albert Graves. Although unfriendly to Norton in the county seat matters his actions as county commissioner were fair and impartial, and he retained the friendship of the Norton partisans at all times. He left this county in 1883 and moved to Denver where he lived for several years; since leaving there his wife died. He and his only child now live at Columbus, Ohio; he is a painter by trade. He was in the war and belonged to a Michigan cavalry regiment.

Uncle Dan McClaren, another old settler on the Solomon, whom we have previously mentioned, died on Christmas day 1893 near Boise City, Idaho.

Charles Lathrop came from Iowa in 1878; built the mill at Lenora in 1879. He sold out and left Norton county in 1889 and went to California.

Pete Bacon come to this county in 1874 and settled on Lost creek two miles south of Lenora. He was a bad man; while under the influence of liquor he would frequently ride into the saloons horseback, and many other things equally ridiculous. He always carried a pistol in plain sight but did all his shooting with his mouth. All the blacklegs and horse thieves that came through this county were made welcome at his house. He left here in the early eighties and went to Texas and afterward went to Arizona. He and his wife parted after they left this county and it was reported at one time that he was dead but the report was never confirmed.

George W. Hood came to this county from Michigan in 1873. He was a candidate for the legislature on the Leota ticket in 1877, but was defeated by J. R. Hamilton. He returned to Michigan in 1884, and is running a basket factory at Flint in that state at this time.

George N. Cheeseman was born in England, January 3, 1849, came to America with his parents in 1858 and settled in Illinois. He received a common school education and took a course in the graded schools at Shannon, Illinois; in 1871 he moved to Grundy county, Iowa, and was married there January 23, 1873, to Addie E. J. Gilder; she was born in Buchanan county, Iowa, February 21, 1855. Mr. Cheeseman came to Mitchell county, Kansas, in November, 1873, and to Norton county in the spring of 1874 and settled on section 17 township 5, range 23, where he still resides. During the first two years he hunted buffalo and broke prairie, built a house, etc. During the county seat contest he was a Leota man. In October, 1878, a prairie fire burned over his farm and destroyed all his improvements except his house. In politics Mr. Cheeseman has always been a republican until 1890, since that time he has been a Populist. He has held nearly all the township offices in

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