Bio of James K. Belk, Early Resident of Liberal, Missouri

James K. Belk, a retired farmer residing at Liberal, Mo., was born in Russell County, Ky., in 1837, and is a son of John and Nancy (Stanton) Belk, who were born in Virginia and Kentucky in 1811 and 1815, respectively, and were married in the latter State. In 1839 they removed to Buchanan County, Mo., where Mrs. Belk died in the spring of 1856, and the family moved to Brown County, Kan., where the father is still living, having been a farmer throughout life, and a prominent man wherever he has resided. He is a German by descent, and is a member of the Methodist Church. James K. Belk is the fourth of eight children, and was reared to a farm life and received a fair education in the common branches. During the war he served in Northwestern Missouri with a battery of Missouri troops, under Maj. Joseplis, and soon after the cessation of hostilities, he took the overland route to California and was engaged in teaming in that State of eight years. He then returned to Brown County, Kan., and a short time after to Smith County, Kan., in which county he built the first house. He was married there in 1874 to Miss Charity, a daughter of Aaron and Catherine Palmer, who were born in Ohio in 1815, and Kentucky in 1817, respectively, and removed to Indiana, thence to Iowa, and afterward to Smith County, Kan., where they have lived since 1873. Mrs. Belk was born in Indiana, in 1849, and she and Mr. Belk are the parents of one daughter, Lillian Myrtle, born in 1875. Since 1881 Mr. Belk has resided in Liberal, owning a fine farm of 120 acres adjoining the town, and four houses and about thirty acres in town. Besides this he owns 160 acres in Kansas. He is a Republican in politics, and cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln, in 1860. From July, 1883, to January, 1886, he was postmaster of Liberal, and while in Kansas was assessor and trustee for some years. He has been a successful financier, and is now looking after his real estate.

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Note: I forget from where I extracted the above bio. John Belk, the father of James King Belk, didn’t die until 1894 and was in Padonia, Brown, KS. His daughter, Elizbeth Weltmer, continued there with her husband, Jacob, who died in 1919 in Hiawatha and she died in 1929.