DANIEL HORVILLE.

DANIEL HORVILLE—The pioneers of a country are the ones who lay broad and liberal foundations of society and engage the attentions of the world by their qualities of daring, determination and tenacity. They furnish the plans for the development of a new country and provide the brain and sinew for their execution. As good men as ever preached a sermon or settled a homestead were among the pioneers to Allen county. They came from all quarters of the east, even across the Atlantic, and took up their residence here with a sincere desire to do an honorable part in the development of the county. One of these men, and a character well known and highly regarded, was Daniel Horville, whose brief history is presented herewith.

"Dan" Horville's origin is French. He was born in the province of Loraine—when that country was French territory—in February, 1824. He is a son of Michael Horville, a successful farmer and stock raiser near Puvergne, and who died there some years since. He was twice married, his first wife, Catharine Ansel, being our subject's mother. Another son, Michael Horville, left a family, at death, near the French-German town above mentioned.

Daniel Horville left France about the time he came of age, sailing from Havre for New York. He had little capital and found little labor of a remunerative character while in the city. When financial matters forced another move he made his way down to Cincinnati, Ohio. While there he had a miscellaneous lot of jobs out of which he accumulated some money. His next move was westward into Owen county, Indiana, where, in

Spencer, he opened a small store. He remained there something near two years, when, in company with James Wood, father of "Bob" Wood, of Iola, he made another move toward the setting sun, this time locating in Lexington, McLean county, Illinois. Mr. Wood offered him a good business arrangement to engage in mercantile pursuit and he accepted, opening a store at this point. They shipped their goods to Peoria up the Illinois river from St. Louis and freighted them across the country in the old westem style. Mr. Horville prospered in his Lexington venture and remained in business there till 1856. Selling out that year he made his fifth and last trip westward. He had made a preliminary trip to Kansas and decided to locate in Allen county and in 1856 he came to stay. He stopped one mile east of Iola, on Elm creek, temporarily, and the next year homesteaded the Sleeper place, southeast of the Elm creek wagon bridge. Some three years later he purchased the Lewis claim on the Neosho river, to which he removed and in which community he has resided since. In an early day, as now, Mr. Horville was not regarded a poor man. The capital he brought with him to Kansas was sufficient for his needs and, with it, he was enabled to handle matters requiring cash which men without his advantage could not touch. He saw a golden opportunity to engage in the cattle business and seized upon it. The range was wide and free, and stock could be raised with little cost but labor. His hopes have been so fully realized in this line of industry all these forty years that he has remained in the business. Scarcely a citizen in Allen county can recall when Dan Horville was not a "cattle man." With his successes in this line came successes in other lines and his general prosperity took form in expanded domain and in its substantial improvement and development. His broad acres number above a thousand and the yearly business he transacts, in the buying and selling of stock and grain, runs up into the thousands.

January 1, 1862, Mr. Horville was married to Margaret Ann Bird, a daughter of Amor Bird, a former Ohio settler. The children of this union are: Flora Horville, Louis E. Horville, Mrs. Bird Foust, whose children are Dorothy and Kenneth; Frank and Ralph D. Horville; Katie, wife of Walter C. Teats, of Iola, and Misses May and Grace Horville.

In public matters Mr. Horville was once an active participant. In the early days of Allen county he was a Republican but his views changed in the early seventies and he has since affiliated with Democracy and its allies. He was elected Commissioner of the county in 1873 and was a careful and conservative guardian of the county's funds. For fifteen years he served on the school board in his district and in this capacity was looked to largely for the success of each term of school.

The history of Daniel Horville reveals a man who has not lived in vain. In no material thing has he been a failure and in all things has he played a manly part. His remarkable successes have not bred in him or his family any element of aristocracy, on the contrary his home is accessible to the most lowly and his society an encouragement to honest labor. The active supervision of his interests are in the hands of his first son, Louis E., whose demonstration of his capacity occurred on the first opportunity. The

latter was equipped with a commercial education, is a friend to progressive ideas and is in every way worthy the confidence reposed in him.

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