G. E. Garrison, a well known grain dealer of Towanda, Kans., is a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and is a son of John A. and Mary (Jones) Garrison, both natives of Virginia, who were the parents of three children, as follows: John, resides in New Mexico; Mrs. Ella Brown, Arkansas, and G. E., the subject of this sketch. When G. E. Garrison was two years old his parents removed to West Virginia, where the father died in 1865. The mother afterwards married M. N. Josephs and they became the parents of six children, as follows: Mrs. Orma Ullum, Leon, Kans.; Mrs. Ida Ashenfelter (deceased); Abram S., Potwin, Kans.; Frank, Furley, Kans.; Rolla, Potwin, Kans., and Mrs. Maud RoIf, Potwin, Kans.

When G. E. Garrison was thirteen years old he came to Kansas with his step-father and mother, who resided for a time at Topeka. This was in 1871, and about one year later they removed to Osage county, locating near Carbondale. Here they resided for three years, and in 1876 came to Butler county and settled on a farm on the Whitewater, near the old town of Plum Grove. They purchased a farm of 160 acres for $3 per acre. G. E. remained at home on the farm until 1895, when he engaged in farming on his own account for a short time and then went to Potwin and engaged in the feed, grain and creamery business. Seven years later he sold his business at Potwin and engaged in the feed and grain business at Towanda, where he has built up an extensive grain and feed business and also deals in coal. He handles large quantities of kafir corn, wheat and oats. He has a grain elevator with a capacity of 7,000 bushels, and at the present time is adding 3,000 bushels to its capacity.

As a grain producer and dealer, Mr. Garrison has met with a variety of experiences in conforming with the inevitable whims of Kansas sea-

sons. For instance, in 1912 he shipped out of Towanda fifty-two car loads of kafir corn, and the following year, which was a dry season, he shipped forty-two car loads of corn into Towanda, which he sold for local consumption. Between the bad years of the early days he can recall some productive ones which were as extremely good as others were bad. In 1875 he paid $2.75 for seed corn, which he had shipped from Iowa for his own use, and he produced from that seed corn one of the finest crops within the history of his recollection, which averaged about ninety bushels per acre. Mr. Garrison relates many interesting incidents of early life on the plains and recalls many of the old pioneers who resided in his neighborhood when he came to Butler county, among whom might be mentioned John Wentworth, Joseph Adams, Chris Jacobs, Joseph Fornie, Mr. Schutz, Mr. McGill, Mr. McSnorf and William Brennan.

Mr. Garrison was married in 1897 to Miss Minnie Horton, of Towanda, and two children have been born to this union: Otis Horton and Amylee, both students in the Towanda schools.

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