The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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township for several years.  He was a republican until 1890; has since been a populist. 

Seywood Larrick came to this county in 1872, when only a boy.  He has been very successful in business and is cashier of the only bank in Lenora at this time. 

W. H. Calloway came here in 1883.  He is the republican nominee for clerk of the court at this time. 

Henry Button came to this county in 1874 and has remained here continuously ever since. 

Elijah Graham came here late in the 70's.  He lives in Edmond at this time. 

David Ferris came in with the Central Branch railroad and has been section foreman at Edmond ever since.

Dexter Robinson came to Edmond in 1879.  He ran a livery barn there for several years but is farming at this time. 

Chalkley Hollowell and Albin Cox came from Washington county in 1877, they went to Iowa in 1890 and are living at Nevinville, Iowa, at this time. 

Elias Hazelet [Hazlett ?] came in 1882, he lives on a farm near Edmond. 

John T. Densmore came here in 1874 and took the "Sorghum" Smith land on the Solomon and lived there until 1891, when he died from the result of a railroad accident.  He laid out the town of Densmore and gave it the name.  His widow still lives there. 

Severe Evans, John Voss, W. B. Kelley, the Archer brothers, and Peter Donnelly all settled on the Solomon near Densmore before 1880 and all live there yet. 

Mr. Manville came to Densmore soon after the town started and has continued in the merchantile (sic) business there ever since. 

Henry J. Howard was the pioneer blacksmith of the Colony, having settled there in 1879 taking up a timber claim and homestead.  He enjoyed the additional distinction of being the earliest democrat on the ground.  When Dr. Rockwell built his store, Henry moved his shop from the Colony church, at Bell post office, to a lot near the store and thus Rockwell city preempted a place on the map of the world, which has since been cruelly obliterated by the circumstances of two railways' building several miles south.  Mr. Howard moved then to Clayton where he has been since engaged in buying grain. 

Frank J. Castle, the Alexander Selkirk of Clayton, "monarch of all he surveys," came to this country with his brother in 1884, from Galesburg, Illinois, to operate a horse ranch.  The brothers were expert circus performers and had traveled for years with many of the "world's glittering wonders of man and beast," and had saved a pile of money.  It was their ambition to sit in the shade of prosperity and age and fatten in the most beautiful country on earth.  Fred still runs the ranch but Frank runs the only store of the town. 

E. L. Pease of Clayton came here in 1878 and since the establishment of a post office there has been in charge. 

Frank Allman also lives near Clayton on a farm, settling there in 1879.  He used to drive stage between points about Norton making headquarters at the Seymours. 

James F. Wray came from Wisconsin in 1884 and settled in Edmond and has been in the mercantile business ever since.  He is a republican in politics.  He was a candidate for the legislature in 1892 but failed to get the nomination.  He was postmaster at Edmond from 1888 until 1893. 

rees.JPG (34337 bytes) Sol Rees came into the buffalo range in 1870 and has made his home on the Prairie Dog since 1872.  Although he never lived in this county he is well known to all the old settlers.  His experience with the hostile Indians would make an interesting book but he modestly 

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