JAMES H. GARSIDE.
James H. Garside, retired, is one of the best known and best liked pioneer citizens of Atchison. He has resided in this city for the past fifty-one years and has a large acquaintance throughout the city and county. For thirty-eight years Mr. Garside was engaged in railroad work and for twenty-seven years he served as a member of the board of education and was vice-president of the board which had charge of the erection of the Ingalls High School building and other school edifices in the city. During the time in which he served as the local freight agent of the Santa Fe railroad Mr. Garside’s position brought him into contact with all classes of men and his fine courtesy and obliging manner of conducting the company’s business won him high regard and an enviable reputation.
Mr. Garside was born in Canton, Fulton county, Illinois, January 26, 1848, a son of Joshua and Anna (Cox) Garside. His father was born in England and immigrated to America in 1836. He became engaged in banking and was a member of the banking firm of Maple, Stipp & Garside, at Canton, until his removal to Nebraska City, where he opened a bank for S. F. Nukols. The family came to Atchison in 1864 and Joshua Garside was associated with A. S. Parker & Company, forwarding agents, and also agents for the Star line of steamers plying between St. Joseph and St. Louis. This firm later became Garside & Son and did an extensive freighting business to Denver, Salt Lake and Montana points. They shipped a vast amount of grain by river steamer; a single boat used in their freighting sometimes took on from 3,000 to 10,000 bushels of grain and lay at the levee two or three days while loading. This was in the days when the Missouri river was the great waterway for transporting freight to southern and eastern points. Joshua Garside and wife reared a family of two sons and seven daughters, of which James H. was the eldest.
James H. Garside received his education in the public schools of Nebraska City, Neb., and the high school of Atchison. For several years he was engaged in the freighting business with his father, as above stated. Prior to the completion of the Atchison bridge across the Missouri river, Mr. Garside had charge of the business of transferring the railroad freight cars across the river and which were carried to the Missouri side, and vice versa, by the “William Osborne.” When the bridge was completed he was in the employ of the Hamilton & Flint Transfer Company, engaged in transferring freight with teams across the river. In 1881 he entered the service of the Santa Fe Railroad Company as local freight agent and held this position continuously until his retirement from active service. Before he was engaged by the Santa Fe Mr. Garside was an agent for the Continental Fast Freight line, the Commercial Express line and the Star Union line.
Mr. Garside was married in 1872 to Miss Hattie H. Preston, of Canton, Ill. One son blessed this union, William Preston. Mr. Garside is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and is a member of Washington Lodge, No. 5, of Washington Commandery, and of the Mystic Shrine. For twenty-seven years he was a member of the board of education and did his duty as a very useful citizen in helping forward the advancement of the Atchison city schools to first rank in the state of Kansas. He served as vice-president of this body for several years, and was always found in the forefront of the movement for better school buildings and the installation of better educational facilities for the benefit of the youth of Atchison. He is one of the charter members of the Flambeau Club and also of the Atchison Gun Club. He is religiously affiliated with the Congregational church and has been one of the trustees of this body for several years. In the days of his retirement the same geniality and courtesy which he maintained during his years of public service marks the demeanor of this grand old citizen of Atchison.