This appears to be the source of the Blish-Mize-Silliman business:
From: William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas
JOHN E. WAGNER, retired merchant, residence on Fourth street, South Atchison, is a native of
France, born in Valenciennes, July 20, 1822. emigrated to the United States in 1850, and for eight years
was connected with a large hardware store in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1858, having a desire, as thousands of
other business men of the eastern cities had, to transfer his place of business to some of the young,
enterprising towns of the West, he accordingly set forth, in July of that year, to look up a location, having
his eye on St. Joseph, Leavenworth or Kansas City, all three of these towns at that time bearing a good
name in the East. After his further examination of several of the western towns, Mr. Wagner decided that
Atchison was a very desirable location, but was doubtful of the propriety of opening a hardware store in
so small a place. He, however, met with Senator Pomeroy, whose faith in the location of Atchison as one
that, in time, must make a large city, inspired Mr. Wagner with a similar confidence, and his decision was
that this place should be his future home. Removing from Cincinnati, he at once opened his stock of
hardware in the then only brick building in the town, standing on Commercial street, near the Levee, of
which Mr. Wagner was the first occupant. Here he did business for two years, meeting with a liberal
patronage of the people, and then removed to a frame building on the same street, between Second and
Third; but after three years, the growth of the city had been so large that his place of business was too far
from the business center, and he erected a brick building on the corner of Fourth and Commercial
streets, three stories high and 25X75 feet, for his business had grown to such an extent that it needed a
great deal of room for the display of goods. Here Mr. Wagner continued business until January, 1871,
when he sold out to Messrs. Blish &
Silliman, and during the same year, in company with his wife, took a
trip embracing Colorado, California, Panama, Jamaica and San Domingo; and since that time they have
made several voyages to Europe. Mrs. Wagner was born in Lierre, France, and both are original
members of the Congregational Church of this city. Mr. Wagner erected the first residence in South
Atchison, in 1859, and built his new residence, the present brick edifice, in 1880. |
Photo circa 1880 |
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