Mr. Ingram is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Baptist church. He is a man of high and strong character, which has been developed in the stern and exacting school of adversity. Mr. Ingram has seen the time when he was unable to borrow even twenty-five dollars, and his credit is now good for as much as $2,500, should he desire it. One of his daughters, Grace, is a graduate of the Atchison county high school at Effingham, and the others have been given similar opportunity. Grace Ingram taught school in Atchison county before her marriage. Mr. Ingram is a striking example of the progress which his race has made since the negroes have been freed from bondage.
Charles J. Ferguson, farmer, of Oak Mills, Kan., was born in Platte county, Missouri, in April 1881, a son of Daniel and Sarah (Williams) Ferguson, the former a native of Kentucky, and the latter a native of Missouri. The parents of Charles came to Kansas from Missouri in 1881, and settled on a small farm of twenty acres, which Daniel bought with his savings, and still owns. Charles attended school in District No. 20, and was reared on the parental farm. After his marriage in 1900 he began doing things for himself and has become the owner of 100 acres of fine farm lands, overlooking Bean Lake, and located in Walnut township. Mr. Ferguson has attained to his comfortable position of affluence by industry, economy, and good financial management, and began his career with practically nothing. He was the first man in Walnut township to ship a carload of wheat, and others have since followed his example. He shipped his first carload of wheat in 1910 and has become noted as a grower of small grain, having raised 1,690 bushels of wheat in 1914, and raises on an average over 1,200 bushels annually. He was married March 7, 1900, to Eliza, a daughter of H. C. Buchanan, and is the father of the following children: Granville F., born December 19, 1900; Sarah, born March 1, 1902; Sheffield, born January 12, 1905; Rothschild, born September 8, 1908; Luella, born June 17, 1910: Decina, born May 31, 1912.
Mr. Ferguson is a Republican in politics and has taken an active and influential part in the affairs of his party in Atchison county. He was elected a member of the county central committee in 1908, and has held this position since that time. He is treasurer of the school board of District No. 20 of his township. He is a member of the Knights of Tabor, of Atchison, and is well thought of and highly respected by all who know him.
Henry Dickey, farmer, of Walnut township, was born February 24, 1850, in Barron county, Kentucky. He was a son of Jackson and Edith Dickey, who were slaves until freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. After the Civil war, which resulted in the Dickeys becoming freemen, the parents remained in Kentucky until 1884. Henry was at that time working on a farm in Kentucky for fifty cents a day, and he wished to better his condition and that of his parents. Accordingly, he came to Kansas in search of a location, and found it in Atchison county. After his brother, Prior Dickey, joined him in this county, he and Prior pooled their interests and invested in farm lands until they now own over 500 acres of land in partnership. They also own forty head of fine Hereford cattle, seven-eighths pure bred stock.
Mr. Dickey was married February 23, 1903, to Celia Kerford, a daughter of Abraham Kerford, a well known colored family of Atchison county. The Kerfords came from the home county of Abraham Lincoln, in Kentucky. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dickey, Sarah E., born September 24, 1906.
Politically, Mr. Dickey is allied with the Republican party, and has served as a member of the school board of his district. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church. Mrs. Dickey is affiliated with the True Eleven lodge of Atchison. Mr. Dickey is one of the most influential and successful members of the negro race in Kansas, and is considered as one of the industrious and highly successful agriculturists and live stock men of Atchison county.
Dr. Frank Adrian Pearl, M. D., Atchison, Kan., is one of the self-made men of the present generation. He was born September 2, 1886, in the city of Atchison, a son of Ryes and Sarah J. Pearl, the former of whom was a native of Missouri, and removed to Atchison, Kan., shortly after the close of the Civil war. He lived in Atchison until 1888, and then moved to Butte, Mont., where he lived until his demise. After his demise the widow married a man named Davis.
Frank A. was reared to young manhood in Butte, and attended the public and high school of his home city, afterwards pursuing a course in business college. When yet a boy he began to work for himself and early became self-reliant in doing any and all kinds of honest labor. In 1905 and 1906 he studied in the Topeka Educational Institute, and supported himself by hard work while studying in this institution. He then entered Howard Medical College, of Washington, D. C., and graduated from this school in 1912. After his graduation Dr. Pearl located in Kansas City, and for one and one-half years served as interne in the General Hospital of Kansas City. He located in Atchison in August of 1914, and has built up an excellent practice among the people of his race, and has made a name for himself as a skilled and well educated physician. Dr. Pearl is a member of the County Medical Society, the Tri-State Medical Association, embracing Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and the Kansas Medical Society. He is an independent in politics, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Dr. Pearl is fraternally allied with the Odd Fellows, the United Brotherhood of Freemen, and the Knights of Tabor. He is well educated, courteous, a great student, and is fast making a place for himself in his chosen profession.
Dr. W. W. Caldwell, M. D., of Atchison, Kan., was born in Nashville, Tenn., in 1877, a son of Jefferson and Elizabeth (Bell) Caldwell. His mother was a native of Louisiana and had the entire support of ten children thrown upon her after the removal of the family to Topeka, Kan., in 1880. Mrs. Caldwell was a capable woman of more than ordinary ability, thoroughly untutored, but possessed of a strong character, she determined that her children should be fitted to cope with the battle of life with well trained minds. She early installed into the minds of her children those qualities of character which have produced great men. She possessed an iron constitution and an unconquerable will which enabled her to put in long hours each day at the wash-tub in order to gain the means of feeding the hungry mouths of her children. She also taught each of her offspring to become self-supporting as soon as they were able and encouraged them to strike out for themselves. An instance of her nature is shown in an occurrence in the life of Dr. Caldwell: “When the boy was fourteen years of age he made his way to St. Louis, via ‘the side-door Pullman’ route. He did not like the appearance of things in St. Louis, and returned to the safer haven of his home in Topeka, only to be chided by his mother for his inability to stay away from home and make his own way in the world as she desired him to do.” The night following his return he again left home and did not return until time for school to re-open in the fall, with money in his pocket which would suffice to carry him through the winter. The mother was an expert laundress and kept all of her children in school as long as they desired to go. Two of her daughters nearly finished the high school course in Topeka, but Dr. Caldwell was the only child of the family to acquire a collegiate education and a professional training.
He attended both the public and high schools of Topeka and afterwards studied for three years in the State Normal school at Topeka, and was granted a life teacher’s certificate. While at college Dr. Caldwell made a great reputation as a runner and football player, serving as halfback on the State Normal football team. He acquired his education practically by his own efforts, encouraged by his ambitious mother. In 1892, when he was fourteen years of age, he made his first trip away from home, to St. Louis, but returned home after one month’s stay in that city. His mother having ridiculed him for coming home, he caught the Rock Island flyer out of Topeka that night and rode part of the way to Denver. After a thrilling experience covering a period of two weeks, he finally arrived at the western city, just as he started, without funds, but with the desire to obtain employment. He worked in Denver at any honest employment he could obtain, such as shining shoes, laying concrete, hotel porter, and similar jobs. His hardships were many, but he was eventually well repaid for his early struggles. One place which he held as porter in a barber shop enabled him to lay by a considerable sum of money each week. He was paid ten cents per shine and allowed to keep the money thus earned, and saved eight dollars during his first week. He worked for this shop for three successive summers, and made it a rule to lay by eight dollars each week. When it came time for school to open he would “beat” his way back to Topeka via the overland trains and study during the winter and spring months, and would then again make his way to Denver in time for employment. Thirty-five dollars saved usually sufficed to pay his expenses during the winter months while in school, and he would sometimes make his way home with $300 in his pocket. He kept up this plan of working and studying until he had completed his medical course, entering medical college in 1902, and graduating therefrom in 1906. After practicing in Topeka for one and one-half years he went to Independence, Kan., but remained there only seven months. In 1908 Dr. Caldwell came to Atchison and opened an office for general medical practice. He has made a great success in his noble profession, and has attained to a high position of leadership among the members of the Afro-American race.