John Edward Sullivan attended the public schools of Atchison until he was fourteen years of age, and after his parents removed to the farm in Grasshopper township he remained at home and assisted his father on the home farm until he was thirty years old. He then purchased his present farm of 160 acres, made improvements upon it, and has brought the land up to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Sullivan has his farm stocked with well graded horses and cattle, and has frequently exhibited his fine draft colts and mules at the county fairs, held at Effingham, Kan.
Mr. Sullivan was married in 1890 to Anna Small, and to this union were born eight children, namely: Mary E., deceased: Anna, John, Lauretta, Leo, and Lucy, all at home with their parents; Grace, deceased; one child died in infancy. Mrs. Sullivan was born October 29, 1864, in Ireland, a daughter of Patrick and Elizabeth (McVay) Small, who immigrated to America, settling in Pennsylvania, and came to Atchison, Kan., in 1879; they were engaged in farming for some years, and are now living at Effingham, Kan. Mrs. Sullivan died November 23, 1906. She was a well educated woman, being an accomplished musician and a teacher of music. Mr. Sullivan is a stockholder and director of the Farmers State Bank of Muscotah. He is not allied with any political parties, and casts his vote independently at election time for the candidates of his choice, who seem best fitted to perform the duties of the office sought. He is a member of the Catholic church, and is fraternally allied with the Knights of Columbus of Atchison.
RIENZI M. DUNLAP.
Rienzi M. Dunlap, editor and publisher of the Muscotah Record, Muscotah, Kan., was born in Illinois, February 25, 1850. He is the son of John M. and Nancy (Fletcher) Dunlap, the former a native of Maine, and the latter a native of Illinois. John M. Dunlap was a descendant from Scotch-Irish ancestry, who immigrated from North of Ireland to America. His wife was of English descent, and a daughter of Kentucky parents, who emigrated from Kentucky to Illinois in the early days. John M. received his education in his native State, and was engaged in teaching school, a profession which he followed for twenty-five years. He taught school in Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and also in the State of Iowa. He finally located on a farm in northern Iowa, near Nashua, which he developed into a fine productive plant. He became well known as a skilled horticulturist, and originated several different kinds of fruits. He died at his home near Nashua, Iowa, in 1909. His widow still lives on the home place.
Rienzi M. Dunlap was educated in the schools of northeastern Iowa, and entered college with the intention of completing a college course, but his eyesight failing him, he was unable to complete his classical studies. Later, he prepared himself for the teaching profession by self-study, and received a teacher’s certificate. He taught school for fifteen years at various places in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. The last five years of his teaching was of a professional character, with the backing of a professional certificate. During all this time he had been preparing himself by hard study to enter the ministry, and on September 1, 1893, went to Wisconsin and began preaching in an Advent Christian church. He preached for four years in Wisconsin in the interest of the Advent Christian denomination, and later engaged in the market gardening business for the benefit of his health at Baraboo, Wis., where he resided until 1909, in the meantime preaching in the churches of the nearby towns. From 1909 until 1910 he had charge of a church at Linn, Kan. Mr. Dunlap, while engaged in teaching, managed to obtain considerable journalistic experience by working in various newspaper offices, among them being that of his uncle. Consequently, it is not surprising that in 1910 he came to Muscotah, Kan., and purchased the Muscotah Record. He is operating an excellent newspaper, which is noted for its clean, moral and fearless stand on all public questions.
Mr. Dunlap was married at Mendota, Ill., August 23, 1893, to Miss Retta Morris, of Ohio, who was also a public school teacher, who taught school fifteen terms previous to her marriage, several years of which were in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap are the parents of three children: Morris O., a student of journalism in the Advent Christian College, Aurora, Ill., which course is to be followed by two years in the university; Ella M., a pupil in the eighth grade in the Muscotah school; Mary, a pupil in the sixth grade in the public school. Mr. Dunlap is an independent in politics, who has not allied himself in any form of politics, and believes that the best government results from the independent voting of its citizens. His newspaper is also noted for its independence.
LEWIS P. Du BOIS.
Lewis P. Du Bois has the distinction of being the oldest living pioneer settler of Atchison county residing in Shannon township. The story of his life since coming to the great West in search of health reads like a romance and is well worth recounting in the pages of this history of the county which he has helped to create during the past fifty-seven years or more. The last days of his eventful life are being peacefully spent in the beautiful country home which he erected several years ago, which sets far back in a park created by his own hands and shaded by great trees planted in years gone by on the barren prairie which he broke and brought to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Du Bois can look out over the broad acres which he and his good and faithful wife have accumulated, and be well content that providence has been kind to them and theirs.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Du Bois—Golden Wedding Anniversary.