M. A. CROUSE, retired merchant, was born in Circleville, Pickaway Co., Ohio, November 15, 1844. He was for some time employed as a collection clerk in the First National Bank at that place, and during the war was employed in the United States Quartermaster's Department at Chattanooga, Tenn., for ten months, after which he returned to Circleville where he kept books for an extensive wholesale grocery house. In February, 1870, he came to Garnett and engaged in the general merchandise business, in company with George E. Wittich. They built up a large and extensive trade throughout the neighboring country and in August, 1882, sold out to Pollard & Pierce. Mr. Crouse is largely engaged in real estate speculations in Kansas City and is a stock owner in the Clay County Cattle Company, Texas, which concern has 15,000 acres of land and about 6,000 head of cattle. I found this biography while researching a family line who moved to Anderson County, KS. This is the complete biography, but the book contains much historical data that may be of interest. The book in which these biographies can be found is: William G. Cutler's "History of the State of Kansas" first published in 1883 by A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL. This is a HUGE book and spans two volumes that are 600+ page each. The information in the book is arranged alphabetically by county. The book has been transcribed and can be found at this website: http://www.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/books/cutler/