MARSHALL J. CLOYES.
The demise of Marshall J. Cloyes May 5, 1915, marked the passing of one of the sturdy figures who assisted in developing Atchison county, and was one of the grand old men of the city. At the time of his death he was probably the oldest living pioneer settler of Atchison county, in point of age and years of residence in the county. For over half a century he had been one of the well known and distinguished characters whom people trusted and respected. In the days when strong men were required to redeem a wilderness and make it habitable for men and their progeny, Marshall Cloyes was one of those who never gave up the fight. During the terrible drought of 1860, when scores of families deserted their homes and left the State, he and his family were among those who decided to remain and win out over the vagaries of nature. His faith in the future of Kansas was amply justified as the years rolled on and ever increasing prosperity came to him and his, as a just and equitable reward for a faith and confidence bestowed upon the new country during a time which tried men’s souls and caused weaker mortals to give up the fight.
He was born at Salisbury, Vt., October 24, 1826, and descended from sturdy New England ancestry. His parents were Elijah and Mary (Beach) Cloyes. On his father’s side his ancestry can be traced back in the centuries to two brothers who settled in New England in the seventeenth century. His grandfather was William Cloyes, who fought for his country in the War of 1812. The boyhood days of Marshall were spent in the town of Salisbury, where he attended the public schools and later pursued his education in a private school. He learned the trade of shoemaker but did not follow it to any great extent. In 1847 he engaged in the lumber business at Ripton, Vt., and was there for twelve years prior to coming to Kansas. From the town in which he was born he came to Kansas, arriving here in Atchison June 2, 1859. The following autumn his wife and sons followed him and during the ensuing winter the family lived in a two room hut, on the rear of the lots where Mrs. Jacob Leu’s residence now stands. On February 21, 1860, they loaded all their goods in a wagon, and with an ox team moved to a farm north of Lancaster. During the night an old-time Kansas blizzard gave them a cold reception in their new home. When Mr. Cloyes had agreed to pay $650 for his first quarter section of land he was still shy $2.50 of the necessary amount, and was forced to borrow this small sum from a kind neighbor. During the following summer he worked in Oliver Davis’ sawmill and got enough lumber to build a shanty on his farm. While this was building the family lived in two rooms in the home of John S. Rust. In the fall of the bad year of 1860, Mr. Cloyes decided to try to cash in on the reputation he had left behind him in Vermont, and applied to an uncle for a loan of $400. The uncle readily responded with the statement in his letter, “If you are ever able, I know you will pay it back; if you are never able to pay it back I can get along without it.” During the summer Mr. Cloyes put in his spare time cutting prairie hay and stacking it. When fall and winter came on, the returning freighters from Pike’s Peak were willing to sell their oxen and wagons for almost any price. Mr. Cloyes invested a part of his $400 capital in these outfits, wintered the cattle on the hay, and in the spring was able to dispose of the oxen for more than double the purchase prices. During the next two years he was enabled to pay off all of his debts, and prosperity attended his efforts from that time on. By the hard work and good management of himself and his two sons he increased his holdings to an entire section of land. He remained on the farm until 1872, then gave the farm to his sons and removed to a home at 417 North Seventh street in Atchison.
On July 5, 1848, Mr. Cloyes was married to Miss Betsy Henderson, of Middlebury, Vt., who died in Atchison in 1893, leaving two sons, Frank E. and Mark S. On September 15, 1909, he took a second wife, the bride being this time Mrs. Matilda Franke, of Atchison. She was born at Thuringen, Germany, November 16, 1855, a daughter of John and Christiana (Temme) Franke, who immigrated to America in 1858, making the long sea voyage in a sailing vessel which took six long weeks to make a trip, which is now made in six days. From New York City the Frankes came directly to St. Louis, and there made their home until their removal to Atchison. At the outbreak of the Civil war, John Franke volunteered his services in defense of the Union which had given him a home. He served in a Missouri regiment of volunteers for one year, and was then discharged on account of serious disability, caused by the hardships which he had undergone. He was never the same man afterwards, and died in 1865 as a direct result of his disabilities incurred in behalf of his adopted country. The mother and family lived in St. Louis until 1883 when they removed to Atchison. Mrs. Franke died some years later at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Cloyes. Matilda Franke was first married to Theo A. Franke, a native of Saxony, Germany, in 1879, and who came to America when a youth of eighteen years of age, and settled in Pittsburgh, Penn. Theo A. Franke was also a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in 1861 in Company D, Seventy-fourth regiment, Pennsylvania infantry. He served throughout the great conflict and was wounded several times while participating in the battles fought by the Army of the Potomac. He enlisted again, after being discharged on account of a serious wound, and was a brave and valiant soldier who fought for sheer love of his adopted country. Mr. Franke’s first trip to Atchison was made in 1859, but he returned to Pittsburg upon the outbreak of the Civil war and there proffered his services as stated above. He returned to Atchison after the close of the war and here met, in the course of years, Matilda, who was visiting friends in Atchison. Their acquaintance ripened into a warm friendship which gave place to love and they were married March 10, 1879. A happy wedded life endured until Mr. Franke’s death in 1882. Children blessed this union as follows: Rose M., wife of Bert Gilmore, an electrician of Atchison; Elsa, wife of Fred Moore, a railway engineer of Falls City, Neb.; Theo Franke, of Pierce, Ariz. During Mr. Franke’s first year of residence in Atchison he was a freighter across the plains. Upon his return in 1865 he entered the grocery business and prospered, accumulating considerable property interests. He was well known in Atchison and was considered to be one of the city’s most substantial men.
Mr. Cloyes was prominently identified with the political affairs of the county and was an influential leader of the Republican party for many years. Even before coming to Atchison from the farm he had taken an active interest in politics in his home township and county. He was elected to represent his district in the State legislature in 1867, leaving the impress of his individuality upon laws passed in the following session. For eight years he served in the Atchison city council and in 1891 was elected mayor. Two years later he was reëlected. Honorable and thoroughly upright in all his dealings, his administrations were characterized by integrity, sound judgment and an unusual amount of good sense. He was a member of Washington Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and all who knew him respected him for his sterling worth.