M.L. Woodward, an old resident of Cloud county, now living in Glasco, is a native of Coshocton county, Ohio; born December 25, 1839. His parents were Mahlon and Mary A. (Darby) Woodward, both natives of Maryland, who emigrated to Ohio in an early day and on to Iowa in the early settlement of that state. His father was a farmer and homesteaded in Cloud county, near Glasco, in 1871, and where he died in 1891. The Woodwards were of French origin. The Darbys were southern people. The Darby ancestors were among the early settlers of Virginia, near Alexandria, and were slaveholders. Mr. Woodward is one of ten children, seven of whom are living. Mrs. George W. Bartow, of Lyon township, is a sister, and Rezin D. Woodward, a farmer near Clyde, is a brother.

Mr. Woodward began his career as a farmer and came to Kansas in May, 1870. After a sojourn of a few months in Washington county, took up a homestead, the farm where Michael Dillon now lives. He lived on this homestead sixteen years and changed his residence to Glasco. Mr. Woodward, with two of his brothers, enlisted in the army. Mr. Woodward enlisted in the Forty-fourth Iowa Infantry, Company G, under Captain Shaw and Colonel Henderson, the latter a brother of the speaker of the house of representatives. He enlisted in March, 1864, and served one year. Most of the time they were quartered in Mississippi and Tennessee, doing guard duty. His brother, Rezin, of Company I, Fourteenth Iowa Infantry, was wounded at Fort Donelson, disabled for service and discharged. James was a member of the Third Iowa Infantry. He entered at the first call and served until the last.

Mr. Woodward was married December 6, 1871, to Sarah Lavinia Jordan. To Mr. and Mrs. Woodward have been born seven children, six of whom are living, viz: Allie L. has been a Cloud county teacher for about eight years. She is now employed in the LaVeta (Colorado) public schools. She graduated from the Glasco, graded school in 1894, and afterward took a teacher's course in the Salina Normal. She has literary tastes, is poetically inclined and finds inspiration in the mountains of Colorado. Nelie is a successful Cloud county teacher now employed in District No. 6. She is a graduate of the Glasco school and was a student of the Salina Normal in 1901. She is talented in music and has been organist of the Christian church in Glasco for several years. Myrtella has been engaged in teaching six years. She is now employed in District No. 93, near Concordia. She is a graduate of the Glasco schools. Orpha is one of the most successful teachers in the county. She is now employed at Superior, District No. 100, one of the best schools in the county. The first month her school made an attendance of 99.8; the enrollment is thirty. She is a graduate of the Glasco high school of the class of 1899. in 1900 she graduated from the Baker Academy and took part of a year in the freshman course of Baker University. During her school course her work ranked best for seven years and received four scholarships offered as premiums, Bethany, Ottawa, Salina Wesleyan and Baker; she chose the latter. She represented Solomon and Lyon townships in the county contest in mathematics. This was in 1893 before she entered the high school. She brought back the prize from the Glasco school. The Woodward daughters are highly educated, intelligent young women of refined tastes. Hanson S., their eldest son, aged seventeen years, is a student of the Chillicothe (Missouri) Business College. Morris, a little son six years of age, is the second boy and youngest child.

Mr. Woodward is a Populist in politics but his daughters take issue against him politically and are Republicans. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic of Glasco and has held the chair of adjutant for ten years. The family are members and regular attendants of the Christian church. The Woodwards have a comfortable residence and pleasant home in Glasco, and are among that city's most esteemed citizens.