Sedgwick County KSGenWeb

Portrait And Biographical Album of Sedgwick County, Kan.

Chapman Brothers 1888

Pages 952 - 955

MARTIN HELLAR is classed among the wealthy and influential citizens of the city of Wichita. His residence is at No. 245 North Topeka avenue. He is a native of Hagerstown, Washington Co., Md., where he was born July 20, 1831, and is the son of Jacob and Isabelle (Quinzy) Hellar, natives of Germany and Maryland respectively. His father had come to America's shores with his parents at the age of seven years, and was reared in Maryland. He was a millwright by trade and general mechanic, and reared a family of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the youngest.

      Martin Hellar was reared upon a farm in his native State until reaching his fifteenth year, at which time he procured, at Petersburg, Va., a position in a store as clerk. Two years later he went to Mansfield, Ohio, where, as salesman in a boot and shoe store, he remained another two years. Feeling that there was a larger field for his efforts in Illinois, he settled on a farm on Rock River, in Ogle County, that State, where he employed his time in agriculture and in burning lime. After a two-years trial of this he moved into the town of Mt. Morris and entered into the livery business, where he remained for a little over two years, and was highly successful. In 1855 he erected a warehouse at Forreston, on the Illinois Central Railway, where he was engaged in the grain and lumber business for ten years. Disposing of his interests there he removed to the vicinity of Mt. Morris, on Pine Creek, and erecting a flouring-mill, continued its operation for ten years, when he sold out and moved his family to Freeport. Taking a trip, which lasted some six months, through Iowa, Nebraska, and all the Western States, he finally located in Wichita, where he now resides, in 1876. On locating in the city, Mr. Hellar began the manufacture of artificial stone, which he continued for about four years, and was also engaged in pork-packing, and two years' experience of the latter led him, in the spring of 1878, to purchase a drove of cattle in the Indian Territory, and sell them in Kansas.    This proving a financial success, in 1879 he made a trip to Texas and purchased another herd of cattle, which he sold in the Indian Territory. About that time, his attention having been called to sheep, he went to our sister Republic, Mexico, and purchased 7,000 head of the latter animal, which he brought to this State and sold. In 1880 he bought double the number of sheep in the same country, and after having transported them to Kansas, sold some   6,000 head, and wintered 8,000. He continued to buy wool and raise sheep until 1884, when he closed out all his stock and engaged in real-estate business, buying and selling farms and wild land. Having been engaged in many lines of business, in 1886 he essayed a new departure, and commenced the manufacture of the Morris type-writer, at New Haven, Conn., which is a new and brilliant success in the market. The following year he disposed  of one-half interest in this invention to a manufacturing company in Connecticut.

      The subject of this sketch has always been an active and enterprising business man, and feeling convinced that this country is underlaid with coal, in 1882 he organized a company for the purpose of boring into the bosom of mother earth, to ascertain what the prospects were. They drilled down 1,025 feet, but with little success. At the distance of 780 feet from the surface they found water which was intensely salt. Mr. Hellar occupies a very pleasant and prominent place in the business part of Wichita, both from his wealth and social qualities. He is a stockholder in the Wichita National Bank; is stockholder and Director in the Savings Bank, and deals largely in real estate, both in the city and the surrounding country. In politics he is a Democrat, but cast his first vote for President, for John C. Fremont, in 1856. Since that time he has generally cast his ballot for the Republican candidate, but feels convinced that in the principles of the Democratic party, as now formed, there is truer freedom, and a better guarantee of the perpetuation of this country's greatness.

      Mr. Hellar has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Annie M. Newcommer, a native of Maryland, with whom he was united Dec. 3, 1856. She was the mother of nine children, eight of whom are still living, as follows: George M., Flora, Samuel, Mary, Grant, Ella, Clinton and Frederick. Sept. 8, 1871, he was bereft of his wife by death. She was a most estimable woman, and her death was deeply felt by her family and the community among which she had lived. Strongly imbued with that "mild and gentle sympathy that steals away the pain" of trouble and care from our neighbor, she was greatly beloved by all who knew her. His second marriage took place Nov. 27, 1873, at which time he led to the altar Margaret D. Brander, of Petersburg, Va., a daughter of Alexander and Catherine (Morgan) Brander, both natives of Scotland. Mrs. H. is a member of the Episcopal Church.

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