The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

Page 288

Five children were born to them; the writer, their eldest, was born September 15, 1855. A biography of the others appears on page 150 of this book. My father was a farmer and by hard work succeeded in buying a small farm in Coshocton county, Ohio, which he traded for an unimproved farm in Stark county, Indiana, in 1860, and he began making arrangements to move to his Indiana land the following year. The war of the rebellion having in the meantime broken out he decided to go to the war. He enlisted in company G, 80th Ohio volunteers and remained with his regiment until stricken with typhoid fever when he was sent to the hospital at St. Louis where he died December 12, 1866, and was buried in the soldier's cemetery in the city. My father's youngest brother, Alexander Lockard, was a member of company E, 7th Illinois cavalry. He was shot by guerillas and killed at Birds Point, Missouri, January 10, 1862. In 1866 my mother moved to the Indiana farm and remained there four years, but on account of failing health she returned to Ohio and was taken care of by her father, brother and sisters until she died, December 15, 1871.

The writer remained there with relatives until April, 1873, then went to Mahaska county, Iowa, to live with an uncle and in June, 1874, came to Norton county, Kansas, and has lived here continuously ever since.

I taught the Neighborville school (now Calvert) in the winters of 1874 and 1875 and worked on a farm and herded cattle the intervening summers. In 1876 I began carrying United States mail, which I contiued (sic) until 1880, then in company with William Simpson went into the stock business. I spent most of the summer of 1880 on the plains catching wild horses. We succeeded in capturing and taming about fifty head. A description of the mode of catching them would be too long for this article. We made a trip to the Gunnison country in Colorado in 1881 and spent that summer railroad building and prospecting. In February, 1882, Simpson and myself formed a partnership with Ernest Broquet and went to the Indian Territory and purchased ponies of the Indians. In 1883 we continued the pony business in southern Kansas and the Indian Territory. In the spring of 1884 in partnership with G. H. Griffin we went to Old Mexico and purchased 1,000 head of ponies which we imported into Kansas. We traveled extensively over three states of Old Mexico on horse back, but made our purchases at the city of Agualeguas in the state of Nuevo Leon. In September of that year I was married. (See page 150) I then engaged in the real estate business in Norton, which I continued until 1890. I then went into the mercantile business which I continued until May, 1893, when on account of the financial depression and unfortunate speculation I was compelled to make an assignment.

I have taken a lively interest in politics ever since I became a voter; was a candidate for sheriff in 1883, but failed to receive the nomination. I was nominated and elected to the state senate in 1888 and served four years. I was a candidate for congress in 1890 and received the hearty support of Norton, Decatur, Rawlins, Cheyenne, Sherman and Thomas counties, but failed to get the nomination. I have served as chairman of the republican county central committee for several terms and have at different times been a member of the state and congressional committees. I was married to Mrs. Mary Isabelle Stainbrook, of Wyoming, April 16, 1894.

FRANCIS M. LOCKARD.
Norton, Kansas, August 25, 1894.

Page 288

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