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Smith Winchel
Silverdale Township.
1901 BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
[MARCH 16, 1871.] PAGE 484.
SMITH WINCHEL was a prosperous and well-to-do farmer residing in Silver Dale Township, Cowley County, Kansas, who took up his farm March 16, 1871.
Smith Winchel was born in Perry County, Indiana, February 20, 1842, a son of Richard and Rosella (Finch) Winchel. His father was a native of New York State, and most of his days were spent in Indiana, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits.
When but a young man, Smith Winchel enlisted, in 1861, in Company D, 1st Reg., Ind. Vol. Cav., under Conrad Baker, ex-governor of that state, and rendered gallant service until he was mustered out in September, 1864.
Young Smith Winchel remained at home, helping his father cultivate the homestead, until 1868. Then he started west and did farm work in the state of Missouri, until he settled in Cowley County. He built a small log cabin on his farm, and in it resided until 1900, when his present handsome home was completed. He made many improvements upon the place, having put up a good barn and other outbuildings. His land was very fertile, and especially adapted to the raising of corn, of which he cultivated about 50 acres every year. He made a specialty of hogs, favoring Poland-Chinas; he carried on, however, general farming, raising a little of all kinds of grain.
Mr. Winchel was married twice, the first union being with Mary Hawkins, a native of Missouri, whom he wedded January 24, 1869. Four children were born to them: John, Elmer, Wallace, and Frank, who helped to care for the homestead. Their mother passed away January 1, 1878.
Mr. Winchel’s second wife was Mrs. Hathaway, who was married to Mr. Winchel October 1, 1880. Mrs. Winchel had four children by her first husband: Jessie (Harvey), Rosa (Warren), Maude (Perrick), and Albert Hathaway, who lived at home. Her last union resulted in the birth of two more children: Clara Winchel and Alice Winchel—both of whom were living at home in 1901.
Mr. Winchel, as was his father, was a Republican, while in religious views, he was inclined to be liberal.
Silverdale Township 1874: Smith Winchel, 33. No spouse listed.
Kansas 1875 Census, Silverdale Township, Cowley County, March 1, 1875.
Name age sex color Place/birth Where from
S. Winchel 31 m w Indiana Missouri
M. E. Winchel 20 f w Missouri Missouri
Frank Winchel 11 m w Missouri Missouri
John Winchel 5 m w Kansas
J. W. Winchel 4m m w Kansas
FROM THE NEWSPAPERS.
Arkansas City Traveler, September 18, 1878.
BIRTHS. Smith Winchel, of Grouse Creek, was made the happy recipient of a pair of twin boys on the sixth day of September.
Arkansas City Traveler, January 8, 1879.
Dr. Shepard informs us that Mrs. Smith Winchel, residing on Grouse creek, was nearly burned to death one day last week. Her recovery is very doubtful.
Winfield Courier, February 12, 1880.
Last Wednesday, Dick Rhonimus, young McMahon, and another prisoner effected their escape from the county jail in a very mysterious manner. The next morning two horses were missing from Rev. Henderson’s stable. Monday afternoon McMahon, one of the escaped prisoners, was brought in, together with one of the stolen horses, by Messrs. P. F. Haynes and J. B. Splawn, of Silverdale township. The particulars of his capture are as follows.
Thursday morning a man stopped at the house of Smith Winchel, in that township, and asked for his breakfast, stating that he was hunting a man with a horse on which he had a chattel mortgage. Mr. Winchel gave him something to eat, and went with him when he started to get his horse. He noticed that the horse had neither saddle nor bridle and was being ridden with a rope over his nose, which aroused his suspicions, and he called in several of the neighbors and stated the circumstances, when it was decided to go after the stranger and make him give an account of himself. They came within sight of their man near the state line, and had their suspicions confirmed by his putting whip to his horse and making for Salt Fork. After following the thief for about a day, two of the party turned back, leaving Splawn and Haynes to continue the pursuit. They followed the trail until dark and on the following morning were again on the track, determined to take him in if it took all summer. They followed the trail all day Friday and Friday night and Saturday discovered the horse, which the thief had abandoned while trying to get back into the state. They kept the trail by learning from time to time where the thief had tried to get something to eat. Sunday morning they rode into South Haven and found their man in a livery stable.
A warrant was procured and they started for home with the prisoner. On the way up they came through Arkansas City, where McMahon’s mother resides, and the prisoner was allowed an interview with her. Mrs. McMahon is a respectable, hard-working woman, and her grief at seeing her boy under such circumstances was heartrending. She sold a cow, the only one she possessed, and purchased him a suit of clothes, the ones he had on being in tatters. On the way home McMahon conversed freely with his captors, confessing the whole affair and stating that someone opened the jail door and let them out, but refused to tell who the party was. Monday afternoon the prisoner was turned over to Sheriff Shenneman by the captors, who received the $50 reward offered for his return. The smile that illuminated our Sheriff’s countenance, when told that one of his birds had come home to roost, was a sight to behold. The most remarkable fact about the matter is that McMahon’s time was almost out, and on the very day when he was returned to the jail as a horse thief, his time would have expired.
Arkansas City Traveler, December 1, 1880.
See the notice from Grouse Creek with reference to hunting and shooting on the farms in that vicinity.
NOTICE TO HUNTERS. LOWER GROUSE, Nov. 29, 1880.
We, the undersigned, hereby give notice that all persons found hunting or shooting on our respective farms on or after this date will be prosecuted for trespass.
A. MANN, J. B. SPLAWN, WILLIAM PARKER, JACOB PROBASCO, C. W. PHILLIPS, N. S. PROBASCO, SAMUEL BONE, DRURY WARREN, MRS. MELON, SMITH WINCHEL, J. P. MUSSELMAN, I. F. AUSTIN, J. N. BADLEY, J. W. IRONS, B. F. HAYNES, I. D. HARKLEROAD, W. W. IRONS, J. A. TIPTON, A. J. CESSNA, CHARLES LISH, W. T. ESTUS, D. J. COBURN, A. HARVEY, DANIEL BUNNELL.
Arkansas City Traveler, June 27, 1883.
Smith Winchel of Grouse Creek takes the cake for big corn. He says that the stalks are so big and so high that hogs get lost in the field and imagine themselves in a pine forest and kill themselves rooting for burrs. This accounts for that hog W. W. Irons lost last week, we suppose.
Arkansas City Republican, March 14, 1885.
Our friend, Smith Winchel, could not rest until he had renewed his subscription to the REPUBLICAN. Monday we relieved him of his trouble.
Arkansas City Republican, March 27, 1886.
Mrs. Smith Winchel and daughter, living out on Grouse Creek, have been very sick several days past with an attack of pneumonia.
[GROUSE CORRESPONDENT: “HURRAH.”]
Arkansas City Republican, April 3, 1886.
There is considerable sickness on the Creek. Mrs. Winchel and her little daughter, Maud, had quite a siege of sickness. From last accounts both are much better. Little Maud is a nice child, a good scholar, and has been missed by the school and from her class by both teacher and pupils.
[GROUSE CREEK CORRESPONDENT: “JUMBO.”]
Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, October 23, 1886. From Saturday’s Daily.
Farmers are busy cribbing their corn. Some give favorable reports, while others are not so flattering. Smith Winchel is cribbing his corn. He has about as fine a corn as the Creek affords.
[GROUSE CREEK CORRESPONDENT: “JUMBO.”]
Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, December 11, 1886. From Friday’s Daily.
The order of the day is butchering hogs and making preparations for the winter.
Smith Winchel has been on the sick list for some time. Mr. Winchel is an industrious man and we regret to learn of his illness.
