The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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militia in 1876. He was commissioned by governor of the state Thos. A. Osborne. He has always been a democrat and was the nominee of his party for sheriff in 1879, but was defeated by J. W. Vining. Four children have been born to them; Mary E. October 13, 1869, died December 8, 1869; William N., June 20, 1871. He makes his home with his father but is now in Nebraska putting up hay for his cattle at Dellvale, Kansas. Rozetta E. was born January 16, 1874, married Curt L. Davis in 1890, who lives at Levant, Thomas county. Aurora Bertha, was born December 25, 1887.

David Fulton Beck was born May 15, 1830, in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, of Scotch Irish parents; his father was born in Ireland of Scotch parents and a cousin to the late Senator Beck of Kentucky; his mother was also born in Ireland of Scotch-Irish parents, her maiden name was McClellan and related to the late Gen. George B. McClellan; her mother's maiden name was Fulton and related to Robert Fulton of steamboat fame, this is why the subject of this sketch uses the F in his name. D. F. was born and brought up on a farm and obtained a fair common school education. He married a farmer's daughter in the fall of 1856, and bought a farm of 80 acres and farmed till 1861 when he branched out and engaged in the lumber business also in putting down oil wells and boating oil in the oil regions; this was before they had a railroad in that part of the country. His youngest child, a son, died in August, 1865, his wife died of consumption in the fall of 1865, and he was left with three small children, one boy and two girls, the youngest girl has since died at the age of twelve years, the other two, a son and daughter, are now living in Nebraska; both are married and have families. In February, 1866, he moved to Minnesota and bought a site and erected a flouring mill. In the fall of the same year he married a widow, this proved to be an unhappy marriage, for he soon discovered that she was unfaithful to him. He sold out at a sacrifice of $8,000 and moved across the Mississippi river and bought a hotel property in the town of Victory, Wisconsin, and engaged in this business till July, 1870, and finding his wife still untrue he bade good by to his wife and neighbors and on July 3, 1870, started out, he knew not whither, but landed in Brownsville, Nebraska. He did not have a dollar in the world, for he left his all, his home, to his wife; he very soon struck a job of carrying mail, which kept him on the road six days in the week. At the end of eleven months he was taken down sick through the exposure with typhoid fever, in which he lingered between life and death for two months. As soon as he was able to get around he obtained a position as foreman in a warehouse in receiving and shipping grain. He resigned this position in April, 1874, and went to Osborne county, Kansas, and bought a relinquishment which he pre-empted and farmed and lived all alone. This was the year of the grasshoppers, and of course he harvested nothing, but the next year he raised good crops. He sold his farm and sent to Pennsylvania for his daughter to keep house for him. He moved to Smith county and rented a farm and again succeeded in raising good crops during the two years he farmed there. In March, 1877, he came to Norton county, and took a homestead in Sand Creek township then went back and planted corn in Smith county and tended it; he then returned to his homestead and built a log house and did some breaking and lived on his farm till January 15, 1884, at which time he made proof and engaged with P. H. Loomis, register of deed, as his deputy and served in this capacity for two

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