Residence of D. C. Newcomb, Atchison, Kan.
D. C. Newcomb was one of a family of five children and is now the only one living, except a sister, Mrs. Lydia M. Shephard, of Minneapolis. A brother, Dan J. Newcomb, was a very early settler in Atchison county, coming here some time before D. C. arrived. He was prominent in the organization of Atchison county and was the first register of deeds of the county, D. C. serving as his deputy. D. C. Newcomb was reared in the town of Waitsfield, Vt., where he attended the public schools and later was a student at Newbury Seminary. In early life he clerked in a store at Johnson, Vt., and also clerked for a time in Montpelier, Vt. In 1858 he came to Atchison county and first landed at Sumner, but immediately went to Atchison, and, although the latter town was also in its early stages of development, the location impressed Mr. Newcomb so favorably that he determined to locate there. Soon after coming here he was appointed deputy register of deeds and served in that capacity for three years. He then engaged in clerking in a store, and in 1864 entered into partnership with Samuel Gard, who had been a fellow clerk of his, and they organized the firm of Gard & Newcomb and engaged in the mercantile business. Their capital was limited, perhaps less than $2,500, but they were two industrious young men and had a reputation for honesty and square dealing, which was an important asset. Mr. Newcomb went to New York and bought a stock of goods valued at about $15,000, mostly on credit, and at the end of the first year they had paid for every dollar’s worth of goods which they had bought in the meantime and had a stock of about $15,000 worth on hand. The partnership arrangement continued about four years, when Mr. Newcomb purchased his partner’s interest, who desired to dispose of his business on account of failing health. Mr. Newcomb continued in business alone and conducted the great Newcomb department store, the business of which developed far beyond his most fanciful dreams. Mr. Newcomb continued in the mercantile business until 1905, and for years was the leading merchant of Atchison. He sold his business to Ed Lake, who has conducted it since 1905.
Mr. Newcomb has not only been a merchant prince in northeastern Kansas, but has been identified with the growth and development of Atchison from many standpoints. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank and was closely identified with that financial institution for fifteen years. He served successively as director, vice-president and president, but when he went out of business he disposed of his banking interests.
Mr. Newcomb was united in marriage in 1866 with Miss Anna E., daughter of Capt. George W. Bowman, an early-day steamboat captain, but later engaged in the mercantile business at Atchison. He was a native of Brownsville, Pa. To Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have been born two children: Hattie May, now the wife of Maj. Harry A. Smith, U. S. A., a graduate of West Point Military Academy. During the Spanish-American war he held the rank of major in the Twenty-first regiment, Kansas infantry, and is now major in the Twenty-eighth regiment, United States infantry, doing duty on the Mexican border. To Major Smith and wife have been born two children: Newcomb, a cadet in the United States Military Academy, West Point, N. Y., and William A., a graduate of Shattick’s school, Fairibault, Minn., now a student in the University of Minnesota. George Edgar, the youngest child born to Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb, born March 19, 1869, died March 25, 1909, aged forty years. He was married in October, 1895, to Miss Dorothy Jones, a native of Wisconsin, and three children were born to this union: Clara Forest, D. C., and Charles Jones. Mr. Newcomb has been a life-long Republican and has always supported the policies and principles of that party. He has had many flattering inducements to enter politics, but has refused to accept, preferring to follow his commercial career in which he has been so successful. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and for years have been active in the work of their congregation and both have lived exemplary Christian lives. Mr. Newcomb has held every office within the gift of the church, all of which have come to him without solicitation. In fact, every preferment has come to him unsolicited. In 1896 and 1900 he was elected a lay delegate to the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church held at Omaha in 1896 and Chicago in 1901.
WILSON R. SMITH.
Wilson R. Smith, of the firm of Snyder, Smith & Company, Effingham, Kan., is an admirable type of a successful business man who has been a resident of Effingham for the past six years, and has so identified himself with the life of the community that it seems to the average citizen that Mr. Smith has been a resident of the city and county all of his natural life. The firm, of which he is an active member, handles hardware, implements, grain, coal and feed, and is composed of G. M. Snyder, W. R. Smith and U. B. Sharpless, present county treasurer. This firm was organized in February of 1915 and took over the business of Sharpless & Snyder. The concern also operates a grain elevator of 10,000 bushel capacity, and has two large warehouses and coal-yards, in addition to the business room on Main street.
Mr. Smith is a Virginian by birth, and was born at Salt Sulphur Springs, Monroe county, W. Va., on April 28, 1856. He is a son of Granville and Caroline (Clark) Smith, both of whom were born and reared in Virginia, and were descended from colonial ancestors. A direct ancestor of Wilson R. was the first settled in Monroe county, and headed a long line of tillers of the soil, the parents of Wilson R. living on their farm in Virginia until their deaths.
Wilson R. left his ancestral home in Virginia in April of 1884 and journeyed to the town of Craig, Holt county, Missouri, purchasing a farm in the neighborhood of Mounty City, which he cultivated with considerable success for ten years, and then engaged in the grain and stock business for a period of nine years. He resided in Holt county until 1909 and then came to Effingham, Kan. His first venture here was in the grain and elevator business, which he conducted for a period of four years, and then sold out to the Farmers’ Elevator Company. In February of 1915, he purchased an interest in the business in which he is now engaged. Continuous success has followed Mr. Smith’s efforts, and practically every business venture in which he has embarked has proved to be uniformly successful. His methods of transacting business are above reproach and are such as to commend him to the public in general.
He was married in 1885 to Mrs. Celia C. Zachary, a widow, who was the mother of one child, Edith Belle, by a former marriage. Two children have blessed this marriage: Alberta, wife of Ross Meador, living on a farm, five miles southwest of Effingham; Jennie, wife of C. A. Hawk, residing three miles north of Effingham on a farm.
Mr. Smith is a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen and the Brotherhood of American Yeoman. He is one of Effingham’s substantial and enterprising citizens, who is ever ready to assist his adopted community to better the conditions of things in general and readily lends a hand when needed to assist the growth and well being of the city.