taken from Montgomery County History 1903

William Cotton of Costello

NOTE: Costello is just north of Elk City

Near the rural village of Costello, resides one of the leading farmers of Montgomery county, William Cotton. He is a native of the “Blue Grass State” where in 1822 he began life in Madison County, His father, Thomas Cotton, was a son of Charles Cotton who came from Virginia and was one of those sturdy pioneers who redeemed the wilds of Kentucky for civilization. The mother of our subject was Pavlina Brandus, of one of the early pioneer families of Kentucky, who came into that state from North Carolina.

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William Cotton is one of a family of six children, of whom four are now living, viz: James who resides in Missouri; Elizabeth and Lucinda are deceased; Mary, the wife of John Graves Graves, resides in Illinois; Belle is living in Indiana, the wife of Squire Tatum, The parents of this family removed from Kentucky to Indiana where William was reared to farm life.

At twenty years of age, our subject married Ann, daughter of Dr. Travis McMillan of Girrared county, Kentucky. To them have been born: Bettie, wife of John Drybread, a farmer of Louisburg township; Clarence, who married Catherine Hand, who died leaving five children, viz: John, Emma, Prentice, William and Clara. Prentice, the third child of William Cotton resides in California with his wife, nee Juliet Stewart; John M., a bank clerk residing in Elk City, married Mamie, daughter of John Costello of Louisburg township; his two children are Clyde and Cornelia.

The coming of William Cotton to Montgomery county in 1885 constituted a distant gain to the population of the county, as his citizenship since then has been such as to deserve the plaudits of all worthy members of society. In political affairs, he supports the principles of Lincoln and McKiniey, and he and his family are active members of the Christian church. They are held in great respect in the neighborhood in which they have passed the years since their coming to the county, and are deserving of mention in a volume devoted to Montgomery’s best citizens.

taken from South Kansas Tribune, dated March 3, 1909

William Cotton, one of the pioneers in Louisburg, and one of the good men of early days, is very sick at home of is daughter, Mrs. Drybread, in this city, with little hope of recovery

taken from South Kansas Tribune dated March 10, 1909

“Father Cotton gone to his rest.

The illness of Mr. William Cotton, formerly of North Louisburg, noted in last issue, resulted in death Monday. He was born Dec. 12, 1832 near Richmond, Ky., married to Ann McMillin, daughter of Dr. Travis McMillin of Lancaster, Ky., in Mrch 1851. Three years later they moved to Bartholomew County, Ind., and came to Montgomery county, Kansas in 1885. For thirty-five yers he lived a faithful member of the Christian church. His son, John M. Cotton of Coldwater, and daughtter, Mrs. J. T. Drybread of this city, at whose home he died, request us to return thanks to friends and neighbors as well as those from their old home in the country for assistance and sympathy during his illness and after death.