In 1912 Mr. Ingalls received the Republican nomination for lieutenant-governor of Kansas and was elected, although the head of the State ticket was defeated. It fell to Mr. Ingalls’ lot to preside over a Democratic senate, which he did in such a fair and impartial manner as to win the commendation of both Democrats and Republicans. (Copied from Blackmar’s History of Kansas and revised by R. M. Gibson.)
E. P. PITTS, M. D.
E. P. Pitts, M. D., a prominent Atchison physician and surgeon, and well known specialist in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, is a native of Virginia. Dr. Pitts was born in Northampton county, Virginia, October 13, 1880, and is a son of E. D. and Emory (West) Pitts, both natives of the Old Dominion. E. D. Pitts, the father, was a prominent lawyer and was successfully engaged in the practice of his profession for a number of years at Norfolk, Va. He was a son of Edward P. Pitts, who was also a prominent Virginia lawyer of Northampton county, and for a number of years served as United States district judge in Virginia. He was a graduate of William and Mary’s College, and Dr. Pitts still has in his possession the diploma which his grandfather received from that institution. The Pitts family is of English descent and traces its ancestry back to the Hon. William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. Dr. Pitt’s mother belongs to an old Virginia family, and is also of English descent.
Dr. Pitts was reared to manhood in his native State and received a good education. When he was eighteen years of age he went to St. Joseph, Mo., where two of his uncles, brothers of his father, were practicing physicians. Here, Dr. Pitts entered the Ensworth Medical College in 1898, and was graduated in the class of 1902 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He then studied under, and practiced in conjunction, with Dr. Barton Pitts, his uncle, who is a noted specialist in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. Dr. Pitts then went to New York, and after spending six months in an eye and ear infirmary, he came to Atchison in the summer of 1902 and engaged in the practice of his profession, specializing in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. Dr. Pitts has met with a marked degree of success in his chosen field of special professional work. He is a close student of the wonderful advances made in his profession and ranks as a leader.
Dr. Pitts was united in marriage to Miss Beulah Judah, a daughter of Samuel Judah, of Buchanan county, Missouri, and Dr. and Mrs. Pitts have one child, Spencer, born in 1907. Dr. Pitts is a member of the Masonic lodge and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
JOHN FANKHANEL.
John Fankhanel, deceased, was born June 11, 1822, in Saxony, Germany. When a youth he learned the blacksmith’s trade which he plied in his native village until 1862, when he immigrated to America, first settling in Weston, Mo., and later going to Ft. Leavenworth, where he was employed as a blacksmith by the United States Government. He saved his money, and in 1879 came to Atchison county and invested in 160 acres of land in Benton township, located four miles northeast of Effingham. He improved this farm and cultivated it successfully for a number of years, and about the year 1900 he turned it over to his son, Henry, and purchased the farm now owned by Gus Stutz. He resided on this place until his retirement to a comfortable home in Lancaster in 1901, where he died December 24, 1914, leaving a reputation for honesty and industry second to none in his neighborhood. Mr. Fankhanel was a member of the German Lutheran church. He was twice married, his first wife having been born in Germany, and died in Leavenworth, Kan., leaving one son, Henry, now a farmer in Benton township.
Mr. Fankhanel was again married in 1882, to Mrs. Emma Lindel, widow of Frederick Lindel. She was born in Bavaria, Germany, August 20, 1841, and lived in her native country until she was eighteen years of age, and then came to Illinois. Shortly after her arrival she married Frederick Lindel, also a native of Germany, and a farmer in Illinois. To this union were born five children, two of whom are living, namely: Mrs. Minnie Dorety, of Garfield, Okla.; and Herman, a farmer, residing near Leavenworth, Kan. The marriage of John and Emma Fankhanel was without issue.
Mrs. Fankhanel is a capable and worthy lady, who enjoys the respect and esteem of her neighbors and friends. She is kind and neighborly, and is ever ready to assist those of her acquaintances who are in need. She is living in Lancaster in comfortable circumstances, where she owns a good home and village property, and also a farm of sixty-five acres in Leavenworth county. She is a member of the German Lutheran church.