Richard E. Oldbury, a prominent farmer and stockman of Little Walnut township, was born at Evansville, Ind., in 1849. In 1858, he came to Kansas with his father's family. He spent his boyhood on the plains of Kansas, hunting buffalo with the Indians or rounding up cattle. He is now engaged in general farming and stock raising, and is one of the substantial farmers of Little Walnut township, and is also extensively interested in stock raising. He has an excellent farm of 130 acres, which is well adapted to both grain and stock farming. Mr. Oldbury is of the thrifty and progressive type of farmer, and his well kept place bears mute testimony to its owner's prosperity.

Mr. Oldbury was united in marriage to Sarah Stout of Cottonwood Falls, Kans., in 1877. To this union were born two children: David E., and Dora N. In 1882 Mrs. Oldbury passed to the great beyond, leaving Mr. Oldbury to fight life's battles alone, with two small children to "mother" and care for. In 1886, Mr. Oldbury moved to Clark county, Kansas. One year later, he was married to Miss Adaline Palmer, a successful school teacher, and daughter of Henry Palmer, stone mason, from Ohio.

In 1893, Mr. Oldbury made the "run" into Oklahoma, and was the first rider into Pond creek. He staked a claim and, with his family, made a valuable farm of the once cactus strewn, prairie-dog-town

plains. While in Oklahoma, Mr. and Mrs. Oldbury were blessed with two daughters, Wanda A., and Mary F. In order that their daughters might have proper education and yet not be separated from them, Mr. and Mrs. Oldbury returned to Kansas in 1902, settling on a valuable farm, thirty miles east of Wichita in Butler county. Here they made their home until the spring of 1916, when Mr. Oldbury turned the farm over to younger hands and retired from active business.

Mr. Oldbury has seen many ups and downs of the early life on the plains, and was here when many of the settlers asked for and received help from the aid societies, but Mr. Oldbury never asked for, nor received aid, never refused to pay an honest debt, and never was sued. In 1888, when the settlers were all hard up, and many of them asking for assistance from the outside world, he not only made a living, but made money hunting jack rabbits and selling their scalps for bounty. He is one of the substantial men of Butler county, and is made of the kind of material that has reclaimed the wilderness and conquered the plains and deserts of this country.

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