James Hamilton (biography)

[Joanna]

Jim owned the old house that is just South of Randy and Patty Wiseman's (East of the cemetary).  I believe it would be the South 1/2 of the Northwest and the North 1/2 of the Southwest Quarters of Section 12.   The Elk River runs through the tract.   

I think the house became unlivable at the time of the 1976 flood, and I don't know if it even exists anymore.   I remember going there when Wayne and Juanita were still at home.  It lay North of the River and flooded on a regular basis.

The old shipping pens for the railroad were just North of the intersection of the road South of the fairgrounds and the road that runs East of the cemetary. 

Marty

[Wilma]

Thank you, Marty.  With that description, I can find it.  Do you know who owns it now?

[Joanna]

Randy and Patty Wiseman combined it with her folks place (John Martin).   The Martin place would be the North 1/2 of the Northwest quarter.   Most of Barnaby's place lay South of the river, but the house and it seems like a barn and a set of pens was on the North side of the river.   

I have an old history of Kansas book (1906 I think), but it is in a storage unit since our move.   There is a lot on Elk County in it, and maybe there is something about Mr. Hamilton.   Hopefully, when we figure out a place for that stuff I can look in it.   Is there anything in the History of Howard book?   

Maybe it is time to start another thread, but when I was in junior high, I looked up Howard, KS in an old reference book.   The book was old, but it said that Howard was known for the production of veterinary medicine.   Has anyone ever seen anything about this type of enterprise in town?   I have  dug pop bottles with Howard's name, but never a medicine bottle.

[Wilma]

I found it.  The east side of the 160 acres lay along the road that went south out of Howard before the highway was moved to the east side of town.  Does anyone remember when that happened?   My 1954 map shows the new highway but I seem to remember that in 1948 we were still using the old bridge. 

The railroad also ran through this 160.  And I think I am right that there used to be a stone wall along the east side.  I won't rest until I have looked at all of it that I can.  Isn't there an old loading chute still at the site of the loading pens?

[Marty Hunter]

     I was at the cemetery this morning and came across a stone for a James J. Hamilton.   It says he died 07-01-1898 and was aged 49 years and 2 months.   His wife's name was Martha Chesney and it shows a birth date of 02-09-1850 with no date of death.   There is a masonic emblem on the stone.
     I realize this is probably not the same person, but there might be some type of connection.

[Marty Hunter]

Wilma, I drove down towards the old Barnaby place this morning and took the time to look.   I do not see any of the buildings remaining.   In the early 70's the bridge was still used somewhat.   The road going up the bluff South was often not passable and not used a lot, but they still used the flatter part of the road for a while to access the Barber place (West side of the road and South of the Cemetery).   With the leaves off of the trees, you can get a pretty good view of the 160 acres.   I am wondering if Patrick Perkins' house on the bluff was a part of the 160 acres.   Marty

[genealogynut]

I was told that Pat Criger had built a house on the hill top, south of the Barnaby place.

[Wilma]

Thanks, Marty, for checking amd letting me know.  Did you see any remnants of a rock wall?  Does anyone know when the rock wall on the east side of the cemetery was built?  I am wondering if some of the rocks might have come from Mr. Hamilton's place.  I need for this weather to warm up and dry up so Janet can take me for a drive.

That road that went south from the cemetery used to look as if it went straight up.  I think it might have been the source of my dreams of trying to drive straight up a hill.  I am talking almost a 90 degree angle.   Haven't had one of those for awhile.  About the only time I was on the south side of town was when we were on our way out to the old Weyrauch place while Grandma Weyrauch was still alive and Uncle John still lived there.  I was raised on the flat lands in Sedgwick and Sumner Counties and these hills were just amazing to me when we moved over here in 1947.

If James J. Hamilton was 49 in 1898, he would have been about 28  when he settled in Lyons County.  Possibly 30 yrs old when he came to Elk county.  Sounds as if the age would have been right for our Mr. Hamilton.  He should be on the 1890 census.

Pat Criger did build a house on top of the hill south of the cemetery.  I just don't know if it is on the east side of the road or the west side.  There is also a double wide, I think, that is east of the Criger house.  Unfortunately, I don't know who owns what or lives where.  I think we need Janet.

[Marty Hunter]

     Pat Criger built the A-frame house on the top of the bluff.   You are right about the old road being about straight up and down.   I remember trying to drive it in dad's 1963 scout pickup and you had to dodge ruts and rocks every time it rained.   It came up at the top of the hill where Gary Hebb lives.   Pat's house is on the East side of the road, and it is now owned by Patrick Perkins.  You are right, there is a double wide up there also.   Both houses lay just North of the cable TV tower.
     I did not see any rock fence, but I did not go down very far South.   We could ask Patty Wiseman if she knows of a fence, or maybe we could ask Randy and Patty if we could go on the property and look around when it dries up (or freezes up).

[Wilma]

If the houses are on the east side of the old road, then they are probably on the 160 that was Hamilton's or just south of it.  My map shows that the south boundary of the 160 is even with a road that goes west from the old cemetery road.  Having been up there only once, I can't remember just how it is.  This 1954 landowner's map shows L. B. Fleak as the owner of the 160, G. V. Denton owning the 80 just south of it and Sarah Harris owning the 160 west across the road from it.  The newer 1988 (but about to fall to pieces) map shows Gerald D. Hubbell as owner of the 160 and Ruth Barber owning the one across the road.  These names familiar to you?