George F. Hayman, chief engineer of the El Dorado waterworks, belongs to a Butler county pioneer family. He was born in Meigs county, Ohio, on the banks of the Ohio river, in 1858, and is a son of H. H. and Emeline (Casten) Hayman, natives of Maryland. They were the parents of the following children: Mrs. Mary R. Hudson, who came to Kansas with her parents, and died here in 1875, and has a son, C. F., now living in Chicago; R. H., Middleport, Ohio; Thomas, died in Ohio; Mrs. Rosa A. Fountain, died in Butler county; C. A., night watchman at the Boston Store, Wichita, Kans.; George F., the subject of this sketch; H. C., resides on the old homestead in Fairview township.

George F. Hayman was about twelve years of age when he came to Butler county with his parents, in 1870. They settled on the northwest quarter of section 34, Fairview township, where the father homesteaded a claim. One of the daughters, Mrs. Hudson, and the eldest son, R. H., also homesteaded claims. The father died in 1873, and the mother passed away in 1883. George F. grew to manhood on the old homestead in Butler county, remaining there until 1890, when he went to Ohio, and remained in that State and in Chicago, Ill., until 1894. He then returned to Butler county, and on March 1, 1894, he entered the employ of the city of El Dorado in the waterworks department, as engineer, and has had charge of that department of the system for twenty-two years.

Mr. Hayman was married January 10, 1916, to Miss Millie Barker, of Eureka, Kans., a daughter of James Barker, who died in California in 1915, and the mother now resides at Pomona, Cal. Mr. and Mrs. Hayman have no children, and reside in their cosy home, 211 Griffith street.

Although, comparatively a young man, Mr. Hayman is an old settler in Butler county. In fact, he is an older settler than he is a man, for the reason that he came here when he was a boy, and had an opportunity to observe many of the early day incidents and doings when they made a greater impression on his mind than they would a more mature

person. He recalls the scarcity of food and the hardships of the pioneers, during the winter which followed the devastation of this section of the country by the grasshoppers, in 1874. During that time he recalls that a ray of hope came through the gloom of despondency to him, in the shape of a barrel of pork and a barrel or[sic] beans which were sent to him by an uncle who lived in Kentucky. The pioneers had other troubles in those days besides grasshoppers and scarcity of food. Ague was prevalent, and one thing that the early pioneers could always depend upon, no matter how uncertain the crops and the weather, and that, the chill was always sure to come at the regularly appointed time. However, the Hayman family, after suffering with the ague for several months, wrote to a doctor who was a relative of theirs, at Pocomoke City, Md., who prescribed "Fowler's Solution," which in a short time gave relief.

The early pioneers' lives were not all made up of grief, grasshoppers and ague; they had their amusements and pastimes which they enjoyed, perhaps fully as much as people enjoy what they call good times now days. They had their dances, the literaries, and other pastimes which have left bright spots in their memories.

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