The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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in Brown county, Kans., June 11, 1874; they had two children both dead.  Mrs. Anderson was again married, this time to Harlow M. Waller February 7, 18y7; they have one child, Harry, born February 14, 1880.  Mr. Waller was born in Crawford county, Ohio, May 18, 1836; moved with his parents to Washington county, Wisconsin, in 1847, was married there to Henrietta Newcomb.  In September 1861 he enlisted in company D 18 Wisconsin infantry; went out as orderly sergeant, appointed in May 1862 to second lieutenant; was in siege of Vicksburg and in command of his company through the Atlanta campaign; resigned September 17, 1864.  Moved to Fon Du Lac, Wisconsin in 1865; came from there to Hiawatha, Kansas, March 1868.  Was on the city council of Hiawatha for three years; his wife died there in 1875.  They had three children all girls: Ida, Myrtle and Lillie.  Ida married Voley Schilling in Brown county in 1888; come to Norton county in 1889; now lives on the Henry Notson farm.  Myrtle married Elliot Irvin and lives in Hiawatha; Lillie married Dave Bruner in 1893 and lives in Norton.

Mr. Waller learned the carpenter trade while a young man and has followed it all his life except while in the army, and four years he was a railroad conductor on the St. Jo. and Grand Island Railroad.  He came to Norton county in 1886, has did (sic) the carpenter work of several of the finest buildings in Norton.  He and his partner Mr. Kuhn built the court house in 1888.  On this job which is one of the best and cheapest ever built in Kansas, through the failure of his subcontractor suffered a loss of $1000.00.  Mr. Waller now owns the Pres Crevlin farm five miles north east of Norton where he resides.  He has been deputy grand master of the I.O. O. F. for his district for many years.

Benjamin Franklin Williams was born August 22, 1850.  He first came to Norton county with J. H. Simmons and W. E Case in the fall of 1872.  He went with them on a buffalo hunt that winter and returned here in the spring of 1873; he took the land south of Henry Oliver now owned by John E. Davis.  In the summer of 1873 he went into the mercantile business with W. E. Case.  Frank was elected county treasurer in November 1873, but resigned before the expiration of his term.  After he and Case failed in business in 1873, he went to farming; he purchased the David Close farm, where his brother Isaiah now lives and lived there for some years.  He was married to Miss Phoebe Loretta Rogers August 8, 1875, by David Close, justice of the peace.  Nettie's parents were opposed to the marriage, so Frank drove up in a spring wagon on Sunday afternoon and they went out for a ride; they drove straight to the home of Justice Close.  Some time the same evening W. B. Rogers learned they were married; the atmosphere around Norton at once became blue; the gentle south wind that pervaded (sic) nature that afternoon began to smell of sulphur powder and duels; this strange phenomena in nature soon brought the settlers out of their dugouts, but when they learned that Frank Williams and Nettie Rogers were married every thing was plain to them.  A reconciliation between Frank and Rogers was affected (sic), and everything including dame nature wore a smile.  Frank was appointed postmaster of Norton in 1879, after the resignation of Capt. Jarvis, and for a time run a restaurant in the postoffice building on south west corner of square; he sold the building and resigned the office in 1880; he moved to Milton, Oregon in 1882 where he now resides.  He is engaged in the lumber business, and is also a contractor and builder.  Mr. and Mrs. Williams have eight children.

Albert Richard Williams was born November 28, 1854; came to Norton 

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