| WOODSON COUNTIES, KANSAS. | 111 cont'd |
ELIAS BRUNER.
ELIAS BRUNER.—Actively identified with the industrial interests of Iola, Mr. Bruner has been until recently engaged in the flouring business in connection with W. B. and G. S. Davis, and in the
| 112 | HISTORY OF ALLEN AND |
manufacture and sale of lumber. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1846, and is a son of Jacob Bruner, who was born in the same county, about the year 18I4 The father was a wagon maker, following that trade in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania. He married Louisa White, of Lancaster county, and died in 1849, leaving several children. He was a consistent member of the Methodist Church and took an active part in the work. About 1851 or 1852 his widow married Jacob Bender. By her first marriage her children were Mary, who resides in Annville, Pennsylvania; Elias; Elizabeth, wife of Henry Dissler, of Ephrata, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. There were also three children by the second marriage: Jacob, who was probably killed in the great strike in Chicago in 1886; Anna, who died in Annville, Pennsylvania, at the age of twenty; and John, a blacksmith of Annville, Pennsylvania. The mother of this family died March 1, 1897, at the ripe old age of seventy-three years.
Elias Bruner began learning the machinist's trade at the age of thirteen years, serving an apprenticeship to his uncle, Peter Bruner, of Brunersville, Pennsylvania. At the age of eighteen he went to Canton, Ohio, where he remained for one year in the employ of the Malleable Iron Works. After visiting Louisville and Indianapolis, he returned home and was again employed by his uncle, but after a short time there passed, he removed to Kokomo, Indiana, and soon afterward came to Kansas, arriving in this state in December, 1865, having traveled the entire distance in a wagon. He settled near Erie, Neosho county, where he engaged in farming and in working in a saw mill. When a year had passed he came to Allen county and entered the employ of D. R. Hovey, who at that time operated a sawmill and planing mill near Iola. After Mr. Hovey sold out to G. S. Davis & Company, Mr. Bruner continued as engineer in the mill. In 1871 he purchased an interest in the plant, thus entering into partnership with W. E. and G. S. Davis, continuing at the old place until 1880, when they removed their machinery to the more convenient site and building which they occupied until 1900 when they sold it, with all the water privileges attached, to the city of Iola, and retired temporarily from active business.
On the 13th of January, 1872, Mr. Bruner wedded Miss Drucie Davis, daughter of E. S. and Drucie (Allcock) Davis, the former born in Augusta, Maine, in 1806, the latter in Marietta, Ohio, in 1811. Mrs. Bruner is also a native of Marietta, born May 19, 1848. They now have four children: Lettie, who was born October 8, 1874, and is the wife of L. L. Northrup, of Iola; Clara, born September 13, 1879; Freddie, who was born November 25, 1882, and died at the age of one month, and George, born September 20, 1890. The family is one well known in Iola and the members of the household enjoy the high regard of many friends. Mr. Bruner has been a life-long Republican, and as every true American citizen should be, is well informed upon the issues of the day and does all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of the party which he advocates.
Pages 111-112, transcribed by Carolyn Ward from History of Allen and Woodson Counties, Kansas: embellished with portraits of well known people of these counties, with biographies of our representative citizens, cuts of public buildings and a map of each county / Edited and Compiled by L. Wallace Duncan and Chas. F. Scott. Iola Registers, Printers and Binders, Iola, Kan.: 1901; 894 p., [36] leaves of plates: ill., ports.; includes index.
