W. B. Caton was a stonecutter who established a competitive stone and marble shop in early day Winfield.
If you look closely, you can find his marks on pioneer gravestones at cemeteries across Kansas.
William carved beautiful gravestones at affordable prices for grieving families in southern Kansas until his retirement in 1920.
About W.B. Caton (1847-1941)
William Branwell Caton was born in Delaware County, Ohio in 1847. His family relocated to Missouri when he was a boy. When he was 14, he enlisted with Captain Reed’s Company, a local state militia, alongside his father Aaron. Later he joined the 2nd Missouri Cavalry, Merrill’s Horse, Company E as a bugler.
William’s Civil War Service
“In October of 1862, 15 year old William B. Caton watched as Captain Lewis Merrill’s Cavalry Regiment passed his farm in Sturgeon, Missouri. He followed the enthralling cavalry men to join.
“Capt. Merrill told him he could stay if he could learn to play the bugle. He did and became a Private & Bugler in Company E, the 2nd Missouri Cavalry, known as “Merrill’s Horse” Bugler Caton served with the regiment until he mustered out Sept. 19, 1865.”
William’s war memorabilia, photos, and memorabilia from the 75th Gettysburg Reunion are held in the private collection of Andrew H. Lipps. These images are shared with his permission.
Warrensburg Marble Works, W.B. Caton & Co.
After the war, 18-year-old William went back home to Missouri began apprenticing as a marble cutter. He eventually opened up a marble shop under his own name.
In 1876, William entered into a short-lived partnership with a man named S.P. Day.
Their partnership was dissolved in 1877, and William took a job as a traveling piano and organ salesman while his wife stayed home and offered music lessons until the family headed to Kansas in 1879.
Julie Blankenmeister-Caton (1852-1951)
Julie Blankenmeister was born in Missouri to German immigrants. She attended music school in Booneville and was just 16 when she married 21-year-old William in Missouri in 1869. According to the 1870 census, the couple became quick and proud parents of a new baby boy, Harry.
At their home in Missouri, Julie remembered “a humble home with the library table strewn with literature extolling the wonderful advantages of the new haven for immigrants—Kansas.” She didn’t want to come to Kansas, “but the characteristic disposition of the male prevailed” and the family headed west to the land of “destruction, desperadoes, and cyclones.”
William, Julie and little Harry left Missouri for Kansas on October 1, 1879. “To say I wept bitterly would faintly express the ocean of tears I shed on leaving my beloved home and state to take up residence in the ‘wild and wooly West.”
The family arrived in Winfield in the fall of 1879, back when “houses, of course, were a proposition. In fact, we couldn’t find such a commodity.” Julie likened early Winfield to a circus with stragglers of all kinds, living in tents.
Despite the challenges, Julia felt they “had found God’s own country, and were quite content to accept it as our future home.” Julie thrived in Winfield as a teacher and later as superintendent of all Cowley County schools.
Quotes attributed to Julia Caton are from her autobiography on file at the Kansas State Historical Society, copyright 1982 by Joanna L. Stratton, All Rights Reserved, shared with permission.
Caton Marble Works
William founded Caton Marble Works in 1880, about nine months after the family settled in Winfield.
Caton’s business gave Winfield Marble Works (a branch of Dawson & Sons out of Lawrence) some local competition.
William’s business started small, but Caton Marble Works grew into one of the largest marble and stone manufacturers in the state, serving Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and other neighboring states.
In 1888, a stonecutter working for Caton named Al McHenry patented an invention for drilling stone and marble, which gave them the upper hand in the marble business. The labor-saving machine was said to be “the best ever made for that purpose” and was used by Caton Marble Works.
Harry Caton (1870-1949)
William’s eldest son Harry joined him in the marble business as an apprentice employee when he was a teen. Later the pair would form a partnership, Caton & Son. Harry took the business outside of Winfield and opened up a branch in Wellington.
As a teen, Harry sculpted the Caton Lions that are currently on display in front of the Cowley County Historical Museum in Winfield. They once graced the front of the Caton family home, and neighbors were said to be “astonished” by the “delicacy of finish and correct outlines … worthy of an artist.”
“The lions were carved by Harry Caton in 1888 when he was 18 years old. For many years they sat in front of his parents’ home, W.B. and Julia, on Millington Street.
“Later they moved up and down 10th street. After sitting in front of Harry’s home at 1503 E. 10th they later stood in front of the homes that Bill, his son, lived in.
“Harry and his father owned Caton Marble Works on E 9th Street. Bill, his son, was an architect and designed and built the Caton homes of Winfield.”
When William retired in 1920, Harry took over management of the company and ran it until his death in 1949.
The Last Surviving Veteran
William died in 1941 at age 93. He was the last surviving Civil War veteran member of the Winfield GAR.
Birthday Greetings to BILLY THE BUGLER
They call him “Old man Caton” in the Little Town down there,
But, if you’re listenin’, I’m statin’ that folks like him are rare.
The Lord did him up in whiskers and made his eyes bright blue.
They say at Christmas “the Sisters” tell their kids he’s “Santy come true.”
No one seems to remember that once he was young and gay
And come the month of September he went to fight with the Blue, not the Gray
In fact, he was such a little tad, when he joined with the Forces that day,
They gave me a bugle, which was bad, for he wanted a gun for that fray.
“Billy, the Bugler,” he was called by the men, and he blew that bugle with might.
Folks began saying: “I knew him ‘when.’ He’s a-leadin’ that Army all right!”
October 25, 1937
In addition to his exceptional Civil War service and his skill as a stonecutter, William was also described as “a fisherman of considerable repute.”
Gravestones by Caton Marble Works
Caton Marble Works used several different marks on early gravestones, including “W.B. Caton,” “Caton,” and “Caton & Sons.”
W.B. Caton Mark
“W.B. Caton, Winfield, KS” may have been the earliest mark Caton used. It appears on some of the oldest gravestones I found with the Caton mark.
Pamilia Susan Hatcher Chenoweth (1842-1878), Geuda Springs Cemetery, Geuda Springs, KS
Pamilia died in 1878, a year before Caton came to Winfield, so this may have been one of the first gravestones that he made out of superior quality Cowley County stone.
Geuda Springs, once known as Salt City, has a large salt marsh, and the salt in the environment may have contributed to the detriment of some stones here.
You can barely make out the “W.B. Caton, Winfield, KS” mark on the base.
Lucretia Young (1844-1880?), Geuda Springs Cemetery, Geuda Springs, KS
Lucretia’s death year is not legible on her gravestone, but the 1880 census taken June 4th noted that Lucretia was sick with consumption on that day.
Lucretia died June 10th, which would have been six days after the census was taken, so the missing death year could be 1880.
A faint “W.B. Caton, Winfield, KS” mark can still be seen at the bottom of this stone, just beneath the barely legible epitaph.
Isaac Guffy (1806-1885), Fairview Cemetery, Riverdale, KS
Isaac Guffy, or Grandfather Guffy, wasn’t in Kansas long. Census records show he was living in Iowa in 1880, five years before died in 1885, a month shy of his 80th birthday.
His gravestone bears the W.B. Caton mark and was carved by William Caton.
Caton Mark
“Caton, Winfield, KS” seems to have started to be used in the late 1880’s or early 1890’s, although you can find the mark on some stones with earlier death dates. The removal of William’s name from the mark may have been to transition Harry into the business.
Maggie Carnahan (1883), Belle Plaine Cemetery, Belle Plaine, KS
Maggie, daughter of Alex an Emma Carnahan, was just four months old when she died in 1883.
Her stone may have been placed at a later date, as it bears the Caton mark, which I have mostly found on stones after 1885.
Shelley Hurst (1880-1886), Council Hill Cemetery, Peck, KS
Shelley Hurst’s deteriorated gravestone was carved sometime after her death in 1886. It’s extremely difficult to read the letters and see the dove.
The Caton mark is barely visible near the bottom of the stone, just beneath the now unreadable epitaph.
Rebecca Carr Paddock (1845-1892), Union-Graham Cemetery, Winfield, KS
The most elaborate stone I have found so far with a Caton mark is for Rebecca Paddock.
The Caton name is visible and prominent on the front of this stone, but there’s no “Winfield, KS” here.
Rebecca’s “rustic scroll tablet” gravestone was described in an article published in 1892.
The work of art is covered by a wooden canopy that probably offers some protection from the elements and helps preserve the stone.
Mathews Mother and Children, Calvary Methodist Cemetery, Garden Plain, KS
Emma Mathews and two of her children are buried with her beneath a Caton-carved stone. Jesse died in 1892.
The gravestone was probably originally just intended for Jesse, based on the inscribed epitaph “Thy brother shall rise again.”
But then Memmoria died shortly after she was born in 1893 and her name was inscribed here.
Emma died three days after Memmoria was born, presumably from complications from childbirth, and also has her name inscribed on the stone.
The Caton mark is lightly etched into the base.
Caton & Son
William and Harry teamed up in the late 1890’s to form Caton & Son, and Harry expanded the business into Wellington.
Addie Scarborough (1867-1897), Belle Plaine Cemetery, Belle Plaine, KS
Addie Scarborough (nee Pruett) died at age 30 after being “seized with convulsions” and falling unconscious.
She was a mother to three children.
Her gravestone bears a Caton & Son mark, so it was carved after Harry joined the business.
Unknown, Fairview Cemetery, Riverdale, KS
This gravestone at a rural cemetery fell off its base, and without someone safely lifting it, we don’t know who it is for.
The toppled stone bears a Caton & Sons, Wellington mark, two signs Harry was involved in this sale and/or carving of this gravestone.
Harvey B. Allen (1814-1901), Belle Plaine Cemetery, Belle Plaine, KS
Harvey Allen moved to Kansas to live with his son sometime after his wife died in 1890. He was 86 when he died in 1901.
His gravestone bears the Caton & Son, Winfield, KS mark.
Caton Family at Highland Cemetery in Winfield
William and Julia Caton are buried at Highland Cemetery in Winfield. Harry and his wife Lola are also buried here in the family plot.
Additional Resources
William Branwell Caton, Find a Grave
W.B. Caton, Ancestry (may be incomplete or contain inaccurate info)
“Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier” by Joanna L. Stratton, Simon & Schuster, 1981
William G. Cutler’s History of the State of Kansas
Correspondence to the Governor and Adjutant General of Ohio, October 17, 1861-December 22, 1861
Named Gettysburg Anniversary, 75th, U.S. Military Forum
Gettysburg College Special Collections & College Archives
A Century of Music in Winfield, Kansas by Joe D. Watts , Cowley County Historical Society Museum
The Last Reunion of the Blue and Gray at Gettysburg, 1938
W.B. Caton & Co. Advertisement, The Journal-Democrat, Warrensburg, MO, Apr 25, 1874
W.B. Caton & Co. Advertisement, The Journal-Democrat, Warrensburg, MO, Jul 16, 1875
Caton & Day, The Journal-Democrat, Warrensburg, MO, Mar 17, 1876
Caton & Day, The Journal-Democrat, Warrensburg, MO, Mar 31, 1876
Butler Marble Works, Caton & Day, Bates County Democrat, Butler MO, Jul 12, 1877
Dissolution Notice, Bates County Democrat, Butler, MO, Nov 22, 1877
W.B. Caton, General Traveling Agent, The Butler Weekly Times, Butler, MO, Jul 10, 1878
W.B. Caton grocery, Cowley County Monitor, Winfield, KS, Dec 19, 1879
MUSIC, Cowley County Monitor, Winfield, KS, Jun 19, 1880
W.B. Caton new venture in tomb stones, Winfield Daily Courant, Winfield, KS, Jul 19, 1880
Will B. Caton, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, Mar 5, 1881
W.B. Caton Monument or Tombstone, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, Mar 26, 1881
See W.B. Caton, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, Apr 2, 1881
W.B. Caton, Dealer in Foreign & American Marble, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, May 14, 1881
Wanted, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, May 21, 1881
W.H. Devore appointed agent, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, Aug 6, 1881
Cowley Co. marble works, Winfield Courier, Winfield, KS, Sep 8, 1881
Mrs. W.B. Caton, County Superintendent candidate, The Wellingtonian, Wellington, KS, Jul 20, 1882
Cowley County Marble Works, The Wellingtonian, Wellington, KS, Dec 7, 1882
Cowley County Marble Works, The Wellingtonian, Wellington, KS, Mar 15, 1883
Mr. J.M. Prince left for South Haven, Winfield Courier, Winfield, KS, Apr 17, 1884
A Watery Grave, Winfield Daily Courier, Winfield, KS, Jun 23, 1886
Superior quality Cowley county rock, Wellington Morning Quid-Nunc, Wellington, KS, Sep 15, 1887
W.B. Caton, Winfield Daily Telegram, Winfield, KS, Feb 11, 1888
A Useful Machine, The Daily Tribune, Winfield, KS, May 4, 1888
A Labor Saving Machine, The Daily Tribune, Winfield, KS, Mar 28, 1889
A Winfield Sculptor, Winfield Daily Courier, Winfield, KS, Sep 7, 1889
A young man named Caton, The Sumner County Press, Wellington, KS, Sep 19, 1889
Wanted, Winfield Daily Courier, Winfield, KS, Oct 30, 1891
A Beautiful Memento, Winfield Daily Courier, Winfield, KS, Apr 6, 1892
Died, Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, KS, Feb 15, 1894
Caton & Son open a branch, The Monitor-Press, Wellington, KS, Sep 23, 1897
Caton & Son of Winfield, The Wellington Journal, Wellington, KS, Sep 23, 1897
Do you want a monument?, The Sumner County Star, Wellington, KS, Sep 23, 1897
The marble firm of Caton & Son, The Sumner County Star, Wellington, KS, Sep 30, 1897
Will B. Caton & Son, People’s Voice, Wellington, KS, Oct 14, 1897
Caton’s Marble Works, The Sumner County Star, Wellington, KS, Feb 9, 1898
Mrs. Sarah Zook, The Milan Press, Milan, KS, May 12, 1898
The Caton Monumental works of Wellington, The Belle Plaine Defender, Belle Plaine, KS, Oct 13, 1898
Peniwell granite sold to the Caton Co., The Daily Mail, Wellington, KS, Dec 6, 1898
Harry Caton, Oxford Register, Oxford, KS, Mar 3, 1899
Harry Caton, The Oxford Bee, Oxford, KS, Jul 20, 1899
Caton & Son, The Wellington Daily News, Wellington, KS, Oct 28, 1901
Has Pneumatic Tools, Winfield Courier, Winfield, KS, Apr 4, 1907
Tank and a half of bass of Winfield, Wichita, KS, Nov 25, 1909
Corner Stone, The Wellington Daily News, Wellington, KS, Dec 6, 1910
St. Luke’s Hospital Cornerstone, The Wellington Daily News, Wellington, KS, Dec 12, 1910
A fine granite monument, The Monitor-Press, Wellington, KS, Apr 19, 1911
A very fine monument, The Monitor-Press, Wellington, KS, Sep 27, 1911
The Community Mausoleum, The Winfield Daily Free Press, Winfield, KS, Mar 15, 1913
Former Teacher Hurt, The Wellington Daily News, Wellington, KS, Apr 15, 1914
Caton’s Marble Works, The Winfield Daily Free Press, Winfield, KS, Jun 11, 1915
Artistic Memorials, The Monitor-Press, Wellington, KS, Jun 4, 1919
Caton Marble Works, The Wellington Daily News, Wellington, KS, May 31, 1920
Lost Grand Army Badge, Winfield Daily Courier, Winfield, KS, Sep 6, 1920
Mistaken Identity, Winfield Daily Courier, Winfield, KS, Nov 11, 1921
Span of Years, The Wichita Beacon, Wichita, KS, Mar 29, 1933
72 Years of Marriage, The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, MO, Mar 25, 1941
Winfield Couple Wed 72 Years, The Parsons Sun, Parsons, KS, Mar 26, 1941
William B. Caton, Last Winfield GAR Member, Dies at 93, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Aug 23, 1941
Winfield G.A.R. Vet Dies, The Emporia Gazette, Emporia, KS, Aug 23, 1941
Civil War Vet Dies at Winfield, The Parsons Sun, Parsons, KS, Aug 23, 1941
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Caton Married Fifty Years, The Winfield Record, Winfield, KS, Dec 9, 1943
Memorials, The Winfield Record, Winfield, KS, Dec 9, 1943
Prominent Winfield Businessman is Dead, The Hutchinson News, Hutchinson, KS, Dec 28, 1949
Mrs. Caton, Pioneer Winfield Resident, Dies, The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, KS, Nov 7, 1951
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