Person:William Walters (41)

Hon. William Walters M. D.

Paola

Among the early settlers of the border who passed through all the border trials as a representative free-state man, Dr. Walters stand conspicuous for his patriotism and devotion to principle. He was born at Nicholasville, Kentucky, March 1, 1818, but was brought up in Decatur county, Indiana. His father, William Walters, was a native of Virginia, of Welsh descent, and was a participant in the struggles of 1812. He was a farmer and a business man of ability. His mother, who's maiden name was Elizabeth Donner, was of Holland Dutch descent, of good education and acquirements.

Dr. Walters was educated at Greensburg, Indiana, and was also educated for the medical profession at the Louisville University. He commenced the practice of medicine at Lebanon, Boone county, Indiana, and for a short time at Indianapolis, and came to Kansas in 1857, located in Paola, where he has since continued to practice with good success. On arriving in Kansas he purchased lands and opened up a farm, making valuable improvements and carrying on farming as well as his profession, and has a valuable, well-improved farm near Paola, upon which he still resides.

He was a soldier in the Mexican war, and placed upon the frontier west of Austin for the defense of the frontier, during which he was in one severe Indian engagement, and experienced many hardships, frequently being without food or water, and killing horses to preserve the live of the troops.

One year after the close of the Mexican war, while en route, with six others, from San Antonio to El Paso, on the Rio Grande, he had a thrilling adventure with Buffalo Hump, and three hundred other Comanche Indians. He sent out a flag of truce, pretended that he was going to San Antonio after Government stores to be disturbed among them, and, by that piece of shrewd strategy, saved his own life and the lives of his party. He has traveled over Texas, the southern portion of Mexico, Mississippi, Louisiana, Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.

He was appointed a commissioner for establishing county lines in Colorado, then a part of Kansas Territory. While in Denver he built the first bridge acres the Platte rive which was ever constructed.

He was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1859 as a free-state man, and served one term. He is a Master Mason, having joined the institution about fifteen years ago. He was brought up religiously, but to-day is a free thinker. He was originally a Democrat, but became a Republican on anti-slavery principles, and participated with the Fee Sttate party until kansas was made free, but has since been a Democrat.

He was married at Greensburg, Indiana, in 1856, to Miss Olive I. Armington, a native of Vermont, brought up in Massachusetts, a lady of culture and education, an artist and a fine musician, some of her paintings being remarkable for their skill and perfection,and bringing premiums at many of the county fairs. They have one son—Willie A. Walters, a young man of promise, now pursuing his studies.

1.   United States Biographical Dictionary: Kansas. (Chicago [Illinois]; Kansas City [Kansas?]' S. Lewis and Co., 1879)
   565-566, 1879.