The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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were Tom Attebery, John Jones, his brother J. H. Grant and Mr. Fenton.  Joe Eagleberger came a few days later; Grant bought his claim of William Green who now lives at Nicodemus.  His brother J. H Grant stayed here until 1874, he now lives in Iowa.  Eagleberger is in southwestern Missouri. Jones and Fenton left in 1874, but their whereabouts are unknown now.  Grant was a Norton man during the county seat fight; was a delegate to the judicial convention at Millbrook in 1881 and again in 1888 to the senatorial convention at Smith Center; was county commissioner for five years; was elected for two years first time in 1870, in 1878 he was elected for three years: was chairman of board for three years.  He was postmaster for five years in California, from '61 to '66; was also Internal Revenue collector and enrolling officer in California during the war.  When the Cactus postoffice was established in December 1874, he was appointed postmaster and remained in that capacity for seven years.  He was elected trustee of Lincoln township in 1885, and held the same office in Grant township in 1892 and 1893.  On two occasions he was chairman of republican county conventions.  In 1889 he was a defeated candidate for register of deeds.

In explaining his political history, he says he was a republican until he got his eyes open when he became a populist.

posson.JPG (34709 bytes) Charles William Posson was born at Schoharie county, New York, September 20, 1846.  He moved with his parents to Racine county, Wisconsin, in 1855, and from there to Rock county in the same state in 1861.  He was raised on a farm.  He volunteered in company I, 41 Wisconsin infantry in the spring of 1865; was sent with his regiment to Nashvil!e but got there too late for the fight; he served until the close of the war.  He came to Kansas in 1871 and settled in Jewell county where ho was married to Lora Roby on June 4, 1873.  Moved from there to Norton county in December 1873, and settled three miles northeast of Norton.  Six children have been born to them, three of them living; their eldest daughter was born July 4, 1874.  Charley says she was the first child born in Norton on the 4th of July.  Charlie E. and Harry are twelve and nine years of age respectively.

Posson was elected sheriff in November 1875?; there were no political parties here at that time except county seat.  Louis Logan was nominated by the Leota faction against Posson but failed to get votes enough.  Posson moved to Norton and started the Commercial hotel in October 1876 in the Chapman log house which now does service a wash house in the rear of the Peerless hotel.  He also started a livery barn back of the same hotel; this was the first livery and feed stable in Norton county.  He enlarged on the hotel from time to time until from 1880 until 1884 he had the finest hotel in northwestern Kansas.  He built his new livery barn on the northeast corner of the square in 1879; 

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