James Clinton Tyner

JAMES CLINTON TYNER, while not one of the pioneers of Lane County, has given a great deal of enterprise and has assisted in the general forward movement in farming and ranching in that district of the county during the past ten years. His home and ranch are in Alamota Township, nine miles northeast of Dighton.

Mr. Tyner came to the county in the spring of 1906. His home is the northeast quarter of section 1, township 18, range 28. He also owns two quarters in section 6, township 18, range 27, the west half of that section.

He is recognized as one of the leading Shorthorn cattle raisers in Western Kansas. He began breeding that strain in 1913. The head of his herd is "Scotch Knight" No. 364222. "Scotch Knight" came out of the Thompson herd at Carbondale, Kansas, his grandsire was "Gallant Knight," imported from Scotland. The dam of "Scotch Knight" was "Mary Gold Queen" No. 80679, and a daughter of "Mary Gold" No. 50, imported.

J. Clinton Tyner was born April 24, 1870, in Tama County, Iowa. His grandfather was James Tyner, who was born near Lexington, Kentucky, April 25, 1796. The grandfather had a fair education, moved from Kentucky to Fayette County, Indiana, was a whig in politics and afterwards a republican, and his son James served with an Indiana regiment in the Civil war. James Tyner, Sr., died in 1880. He married Zillah Reed, who was born October 7, 1794, and died in 1878. Her father, Ephraim Reed, came from South Carolina. James and Zillah Tyner had the following children: Syndor; Elijah, who was born in November, 1820; Harriet, born November 7, 1821, and died in childhood; Archibald, born May 20, 1823; Richard, born February 18, 1825; Amanda, born February 15, 1830, and married Abraham Johnson; Frances, born December 7, 1833, died in childhood; James, who was born September 29, 1835, was a soldier in the One Hundred and First Indiana Infantry in the Civil war; William A., a prominent and well known resident of Lane County; and Theodore, born June 17, 1842.

Sydnor D. Tyner, father of James Clinton, was born in Fayette County, Indiana. March 21, 1818. He was a farmer all his life, lived in Wabash County, Indiana, for a number of years, and in the fall of 1866 moved from there to Iowa. He occupied the same farm in Iowa for thirty years. Though his early advantages were those of the country schools, he was a well informed man and intelligent citizen. He was interested in politics as a republican, but never sought official place. He was a member of the Baptist Church. Sydnor Tyner died in 1902. He married Eliza Carver, a daughter of Eleazer Carver, of New York State. She died in Osage County, Kansas, in 1903, at the age of seventy-eight. Sydnor Tyner and wife had eleven children; Corwin, who died young; Charlton E., of Cherokee County, Iowa; Uriah H., of California; Zillah, wife of J. L. Chapin, of Cherokee County, Iowa; D. Leroy, of Osage County, Kansas; Elizabeth, who married G. A. Maiden, of O'Brien County, Iowa; Emily, wife of George H. Carter, of Hardin County, Iowa; Elmer E., of Osage County, Kansas; Leona, who died in childhood; Harriet, wife of Frank Lawry of Cherokee County, Iowa; and James Clinton.

J. Clinton Tyner grew up and received his education in Tama County, Iowa, attended the country schools, and acquired valuable experience on the home farm. After he became twenty-one years of age he conducted the home place for five years. In the fall of 1896 he moved to Osage County, Kansas, and spent nine years there. He invested his limited means in a farm and did quite well as a general farmer and stock man.

On first coming to Lane County Mr. Tyaer brought the southeast quarter of section 12, township 15, range 28, the east half of section 15 and the northeast quarter of section 24 in the same township and range. It was an improved farm. He made the mistake of emphasizing the raising of wheat. The first year his crop was a total failure. For several successive years his wheat just about paid expenses. He then sold that farm and moved to the Middle Branch of Walnut Creek and acquired the Alva Marshall farm, where he now lives. This is a splendidly improved farm, and when he bought it the land was worth just about half what its value is now quoted.

Aside from his business success as a farmer and stock man Mr. Tyner has been an asset to the county through his public spirited citizenship. Soon after arriving in the county he became a member of the school board in district No. 18. He is now a member of the board of the Iron Bridge School District. For one year he served as trustee of Alamota Township, and in 1910 was elected from the first district as county commissioner. He was re-elected four years later without opposition. His predecessor on the board was Commissioner O. W. West. During his term as commissioner much of the important work of the county has been the maintenance and construction of good roads. Perhaps of even more importance was the provision for the construction of the county high school. The high school has just been erected at a contract price of $21,500. It indicates the prosperity of Lane County at the present time as compared with previous years, when it is stated that this county improvement is to he paid for by a direct tax, levied and paid in a single year. Thus, when the schoolhouse was finished the money was in the treasury to pay for it. The annual taxes also are sufficient to carry on the road work done throughout the county. The county commissioners have also done effective work in the organization of "seed clubs." Through these clubs they caused to be brought into the county and distributed several carloads of seed wheat. Those who know the conditions say that this distribution of first class wheat was responsible for the splendid wheat crop of 1914. Without this aid Lane County would have planted a much smaller acreage in wheat, and many of the wheat raisers who are now independently well off would have been completely "broke" as a result of several preceding bad years.

Mr. Tyner is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Follows in Dighton, Lodge No. 286, has filled the various chairs and has represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge. Mrs. Tyner is an active member of the Christian Church, her father having been a minister of that denomination as well as a farmer. Mr. Tyner was married in Osage County, Kansas, November 30, 1898, to Miss Edith Green. Her father, Rev. Oscar Green, came to Kansas in 1879, settling in Osage County, where he remained until 1900, when he moved to Harrison County, Missouri, and died there in October, 1911. He was born in Wabash County, Indiana, and was a loyal soldier of the Union during the Civil war. He was a member of the One Hundred and First Indiana Infantry, fought under both Grant and Sherman, and was in the famous march to the sea with Sherman. Though he was never wounded, he always suffered poor health after the war. Rev. Oscar Green married Mary D. Hummel, a daughter of William Hummel. She died in Missouri in 1903. Their children were: Ellsworth M., of Kansas City; Benjamin F., of St. Louis; Catherine L., who married Frank Blanch, of Wakeeney, Kansas; Colonel W., of Pueblo, Colorado; Mrs. Tyner, who was born April 4, 1875; Grace, twin sister of Mrs. Tyner, married J. M. Sturn, of Pomona, Kansas; Timothy C., of St. Louis; and Robert E., of Kansas City.

Mr. and Mrs. Tyner have two children: Lyle Leroy and Earl Clinton.

Pages 2081-2082.