Person:George Harvey (14)

"George M. Harvey, a son of Henry Harvey, was the first settler in the Dragoon creek neighborhood. He made his claim in June, 1854, but a short time after the signing of the Kansas- Nebraska bill. At that time he was a widower, with three children- two sons and a daughter. These children lived with friends in Arkansas after the death of their mother. About the first of September, 1857, Henry married his second wife, Miss Abigail Hadley, who lived near Emporia.

    Samuel B. Harvey, George's brother, made his claim in August, 1854. I have a letter from him, written Feb. 10th, 1903, in which he describes early events on Dragoon creek. As the timber and best farming land was near the creek, the first settlers chose it. This land was surveyed into sections in the winter of 1855-56. There were deep snows that winter, and severely cold weather, and George told me that the surveyors camped in the timber near the present Harveyville picnic ground. During this time they ran short of rations, owing to the inclement weather, and were forced to eat pumpkin roasted in the ashes of their campfires, to help out their bill of fare until the weather moderated sufficiently to enable supplies to be forwarded to them. After the survey was made, George Harvey's claim was in the southeast quarter of section twenty-eight, and Samuel B. Harvey's claim in the northwest quarter of section thirty-four, both in township 14 south, range 13 east. George M. Harvey and family, from Ohio; five persons, and the Henry Harvey family from Ohio; six persons (including his son Samuel B. Harvey and three grandchildren), located on Dragoon creek by the fall of 1857.
    In 1857 a small sawmill was located at Council City, and considerable timber cut by the Dragoon creek settlers was hauled there and sawed into lumber, thus providing for more comfortable homes. The early houses were built with outside stone chimneys, and the cooking was done at the fireplaces, cooking stoves being a later luxury.
    There were plenty of evidences that the buffalo had roamed this section before the settlers had arrived. Patches of ground were found here and there, trodden so solid that no vegetation would grow, save the prickly pear, until the ground was fertilized. These spots were called 'buffalo wallows.' Buffalo meat and jerked venison were staples of every home. For several succeeding years parties of hunters left this community each fall to go out for buffaloes, but each time they had to go farther to find them.
    In 1858 and 1859, during the period of the Pike's Peak gold excitement, large numbers of gold hunters passed over the trail for the new diggings. Some of these were driving good teams and wagons, some were on horseback, others had small push carts, and some even wheelbarrows loaded with all their earthly possessions tied in a small roll. During one day in 1859 three hundred and twenty-five vehicles by actual count crossed at the ford on Elm creek, near the old mail station. At the height of the gold excitement it was no unusual thing for five hundred vehicles to cross at that ford in a single day. Often the wagons bore the inscription "Pike's Peak or Bust" painted on the wagon covers, and it is a matter of history that many of these pilgrims returned "busted"--some having never reached the gold fields. Others, however, were successful, and became founders of Colorado towns.
    An election to vote on the Lecompton constitution was held August 2, 1858. Should this election result in the constitution receiving a majority of votes it meant that Kansas would be a slave state. Consequently all voters of the Dragoon district made ready to go to the polling place at Wilmington, some four miles south of the creek, to cast their vote against the proposition. When our party arrived at Dragoon creek it was found bank full from recent rains. There were no bridges across the stream in those days, so a temporary structure was managed by cutting a large elm tree that leaned out over the stream, reaching nearly half way across. Albert, the fourteen-year-old son of George Harvey, took an axe, and climbing on the fallen tree, trimmed it so as to get as far out over the creek as possible. He then plunged in and swam to the other bank, carrying the axe with him. On that bank he cut another tree which fell across the first one, thus affording a bridge over which George, Samuel Harvey, Samuel Woods and myself crossed. Before we reached Soldier creek, which was fordable only on horseback, we overtook Jehu Hodgson, who lived on the south side of the Dragoon. He was riding horseback. After crossing Soldier creek he dismounted and led his horse back into the stream, making it swim to the opposite side, where it was caught and ridden back by one of our party. We repeated the performance until we were all across. At the election Wilmington precinct gave a solid vote against the proslavery constitution.
    William Madden returned to Ohio the winter of 1857-58'. But in the spring he again joined the settlement, accompanied by his brothers Jehu and John and Aaron Harvey. Jehu Madden had been on Dragoon creek the previous year, having preempted a claim and sold it to Caleb J. Harvey, who at that time was a school teacher at the Quaker Shawnee Mission.
    The first public celebration of Independence Day in the settlement was on July 4, 1958. All the neighbors met in a grove on George M. Harvey's place and had an interesting and enjoyable time.
    There was no published time card for the first "railroad" through our settlement, and no regularity was observed in the running of the trains. The road was in operation during the years 1857, 1858, and 1859, and all cars ran at night. The stations were few and far apart, the one on Dragoon creek being in the loft of Henry Harvey's house. Enoch Platt's house in Wabaunsee was the next station. This railroad was better known as the "Underground Railroad," and runaway slaves were the only passengers carried.
    In the spring of 1859 three Indians were seen early one morning, by one of the settlers, taking Samuel Devaney's horse and pony along the Indian trail that ran in a northwesterly direction across Samuel Armstrong's claim. The nearest neighbors were hastily notified, and Samuel Devaney, Samuel Wood, Samuel B. Harvey and Jeptha Beebe started in pursuit as soon as horses, arms, and ammunition could be procured. They trailed the Indians to a steep ravine on the east branch of Mill creek, not far from John Copp's claim. The Indians were armed with bows and arrows only. In the fight one of the Indians was so severely wounded that his companions mounted their ponies and fled, leaving him and the stolen property in the hands of the settlers. A member of the pursuing party went to the home of Mr. Copp and related to him the circumstances, whereupon he had the unfortunate Indian carried to his home, placed near a hay stack, and made as comfortable as possible. The men then retuned home with the recovered property and told the neighbors what they had done. Later Mr. Copp, supposing that the wounded Indian was a member of the Pottawatomie tribe (the Alma Signal relates it was the Kaw tribe), living on the reservation north of Mill creek, notified the tribe and they sent a squad to take him away. As soon as the Pottawatomies saw the wounded Indian they said he was a "Pawnee--our enemy," and they proceeded to scalp and torture him, finally killing him.
    There were no schoolhouses or church buildings in the Dragoon creek settlement until 1862, but the church missionary society occasionally sent representatives there to preach. The appointments were four weeks or more apart, and the services were held in the homes of settlers. Sunday-schools were held when there was no preaching. In the fall and winter evenings weekly spelling schools, or "spellings bees," were held at different homes in the settlement. As the homes of the settlers were too far from each other for those attending spelling schools to walk, the principal mode of conveyance was the farm wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen.
    As a result of the admission of Kansas as a free state and the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, seven of the southern states seceded and organized an army in rebellion against the United States government. April 15, 1861, President Lincoln made the first call for soldiers to put down the rebellion, and for the war which followed Kansas furnished more troops according to her population than any other state in the Union. Dragoon creek settlement furnished a large proportion.
    Henry Harvey, jr., enlisted September 13, 1861, in Company E. Eighth Kansas infantry, age 20 years. Died at Luka, Miss., August 30, 1862.
    Albert Harvey, jr., went to Ohio, and enlisted in Company I, Twelfth Ohio infantry, June 25, 1861, age 19 years. Transferred to Company B, July, 1861; appointed sergeant from private, Jan 1, 1864. Died at Fayette, W. Va., March 24, 1864.
    Besides the soldiers in the volunteer service the following men were members of a militia company raised in the Dragoon creek settlement in October, 1864, to help drive Price and his army from the eastern border of the state. They formed part of Company A, Sante Fe battalion, of which N.M. Murdock was colonel. (Samuel C. Harvey).
    After the Post-office Department rejected the name of New Lexington for the post office, a public meeting of the settlers was again called to meet at the schoolhouse for the purpose of selecting a new name. At this meeting Isiah Harris proposed the name of Harveyville, in honor of Henry Harvey and his sons, George M. and Samuel B., who were the first settlers. This motion voiced the sentiments of those present and was unanimously adopted, and the name Harveyville was forwarded to the Post-office Department and accepted as the name of the post office. In the sprig of 1870 John Shaw resigned as postmaster, whereupon the post office was moved about a mile west to Caleb J. Harvey's home, and he was commissioned postmaster. He held the office until 1880.
    In 1891 a site was bought in the Garinger addition to Harveyville, by the members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a church building was erected thereon. Caleb J. Harvey, formerly of Ohio, but later a teacher at the Quaker Shawnee Indian mission, came in December, 1865. In the summer of 1892 F.L. Hodgson was appointed superintendent of the original cemetery, and superintendent by proxy by the trustees of the new cemetery. The following Harvey is buried in this cemetery: Anna Harvey, wife of Henry Harvey sr., died July 8th, 1858. Some of the early settlers have moved, and it has not been possible to secure data regarding all of them: Henry Harvey sr., went to Ohio in 1860, and died there between 1862 and 1865; George M. Harvey and family, plus Samuel B. Harvey, in 1867, went to a farm on the Cottonwood river about three miles southwest of Emporia. George Harvey died there in the fall of 1869, and his widow, Abigail Harvey died a few years later; Samuel B. Harvey died at Emporia March 13th, 1904."
    Written by Stephen Jackson Spear. Contributed by Michael Stubbs, 7/2001.

1. ↑ Harvey History "Book", by N. E. Almond, 12/99..
2. ↑ Family History by Dorothy Madden Luther. (circa 1999).
3. ↑ Stephen Jackson Spear. Reminiscenses Of the Early Settlement of Dragoon Creek, Wabaunsee County. (Kansas State Historical Society).