Theodosius Botkin (1846 - 1918)

Born 25 Jun 1846 in Catawba, Clark County, Ohio, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Ellen Maria (Broadhead) Botkin — married 28 Jul 1872 in Linn, Kansas, United States

Descendants

Died 27 May 1918 at age 71 in Campbellton, Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada

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Biography

Theodosius Botkin served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: September 14, 1861
Mustered out: July 20, 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): Ohio 44th Infantry, Co F; Ohio 8th Cavalry Regiment

Asst Adjutant-General Theodosius Botkin served with the United States Army during the Spanish-American War.
Service Started:
Unit(s):
Service Ended:

Theodosius Botkin was born 25 Jun 1846 at Catawba, Clark County, Ohio the son of Isaac and Sarah (Dalrymple) Botkin.^[1] He would later become a highly controversial figure with tarnished connections to two county seat wars in southwest Kansas, both of which resulted in murders.

Judge Botkin, as he would become known, was the fifth child of his parents and grew up in Clark County, Ohio.^[2] On 14 Sep 1861 he enlisted in the Union Army serving in the Ohio 44th Infantry Regiment, Company F and then the 8th Cavalry Regiment, transferring out 30 Jul 1865 at Clarksburg, West Virginia.^[3] Immediately after the Civil War and still a young man, he came to Kansas and settled near Mound City, Linn County^[4][5] and was a trader between the Old Trading Post near Butler, Missouri and Fort Scott, Kansas.^[6] He maried Ellen Maria Broadhead on 28 Jul 1872 at Linn County, Kansas.^[7] He moved to Harper County, Kansas about 1885 and then shortly onward in 1887 to Fargo Springs in Seward County, Kansas. In March of 1889, Kansas Governor Humphrey appointed him Judge of the 32nd Judicial District which encompassed six counties of the state in the late 1880s. This included the Stevens County Court where in June 1891 Samuel N Wood was assassinated in the court. Impeachment proceedings were brought against Judge Botkin, but he was acquitted on all charges.^[8]

Judge Botkin also became entangled in the Seward County seat war which raged between Springfield and Fargo Springs and was "an insult-tossing, gun wielding fuss that changed the county seat from one town to the other," according to historian Lidia Hook-Gray.^[9] In this embroglio, Seward County Sheriff Sam Dunn was attempting to protect Judge Botkin and ended up shot dead in a canyon. Both county seat wars and the involvement of Judge Botkin are the subject of a collection of views of the events collected by the Seward County Historical Society and available here. Judge Botkin saved his own hide by wiring the Governor who sent two companies of troops into Seward County and placed thousands more on standby.

On October 11, 1892 he resigned his judgeship and moved to Hutchinson, Kansas from 1892-1903 and then went to Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1898 he was recalled to active duty as a Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General of the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. In 1904, he was appointed a US Consul to Port Louis Island, Mauritius and in 1906 was transferred to Port Cambellton, New Brunswick, Canada where he remained until death.^[6][10][11] He was interred at the Bellefontaine Cemetery, Logan County, Ohio.^[12]

Children^[11]

• Ethel - 1875-1955
• Clyde Jabez - 1880-1957
• Nell Marie - 1888-1956

Research Notes

While the marriage record of Ellen and Theodosius Botkin is dated 28 Jul 1872 at Linn County, Kansas the 1870 US Census shows them living together as husband and wife.

Records indicate that Theodosius and Ellen separated sometime after the move to Hutchinson, Kansas in 1892. She and the children remained there while he moved on.

Sources

1. ↑ US Census, Year: 1850; Census Place: Pleasant, Clark, Ohio; Roll: 666; Page: 281b
2. ↑ US Census, Year: 1860; Census Place: Pleasant, Clark, Ohio; Page: 28; Family History Library Film: 803943
3. ↑ Historical Data Systems, Inc.; Duxbury, MA 02331; American Civil War Research Database
4. ↑ US Census, Year: 1870; Census Place: Potosi, Linn, Kansas; Roll: M593_438; Page: 112A; Family History Library Film: 545937
5. ↑ US Census, Year: 1880; Census Place: Blue Mound, Linn, Kansas; Roll: 386; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 124
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} The Topeka Daily, Topeka, Kansas, 29 May 1918, p 4
7. ↑ Marriage Records. Kansas Marriages. Various Kansas County District Courts and Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas. Film Number: 001521455
8. ↑ Kansas State Historical Society
9. ↑ Hook-Gray, Lidia, Images of America: Liberal and Seward County, Arcadia Pub., Charleston, South Carolina, 2011, p 7, Library of Congress Control No 2011931576
10. ↑ 1895 Kansas Census, Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1895 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: v115_124; Line: 7. Hutchinson, Kansas.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} US Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Hutchinson Ward 1, Reno, Kansas; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 0203; FHL microfilm: 1240496
12. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #20667893

See Also:

The Seward County Seat Wars, Seward County Historical Society