Cowley County KS Genealogy – Access Genealogy

Biographical Sketch of Charles A. Baker

Charles A. Baker of Wichita lacked only three or four months of being a native son of Kansas. He has spent practically his entire career in this state, and by close attention to his business as a plumber has built up one of the leading establishments at Wichita, and his business is registered under the state laws. He was born at Rio, Wisconsin, June 30, 1870, and it was in September of the same year that his parents moved to Arkansas City, Kansas. After a public school education, gained in Wichita, he began an apprenticeship at the plumbing trade, and … Read more

Biography of John B. Andrews

John B. Andrews. Cowley County knew John B. Andrews during the later period of a very active and strenuous time. Mr. Andrews was one of Arkansas City’s substantial business men and highly esteemed citizens, and died there August 7, 1913. His was a long life, and it was lived in a number of different places, practically all over the West. He was born at Massena, New York, June 9, 1837, and he was seventy-six years of age when he died. His father, John B. Andrews, Sr., owned a large part of the townsite of Massena, New York, built the first … Read more

Biography of Edward P. Ray

Edward P. Ray. Fortunate is the man who finds his work in the world early in life and concentrates all his energies upon discharging his duties and responsibilities with credit and efficiency. One of this fortunate class was Edward P. Ray of Arkansas City. His father and grandfather before him were in the produce business, established one of the early concerns of that kind in Southern Michigan, and the old house is still flourishing and doing a large business at Coldwater, Michigan, today. Edward P. Ray grew up in that business atmosphere and after breaking home ties and family associations … Read more

Biography of Edward C. Gates

Edward C, Gates. It was in 1887 that Edward C. Gates was admitted to the Kansas bar and undertook to build up a reputation and practice at Fulton, where be resided until he came to Fort Scott. In Fort Scott for the past twenty years he had enjoyed a reputation among the ablest members of the Kansas bar. Until 1913 he was actively associated with A. M. Keene in the firm of Keene & Gates, and since then had pratticed alone. The law had always represented to Mr. Gates a profession rather than an occnpation, and in all his work … Read more

Biography of Peter Calvin Croco

Peter Calvin Croco. With the exception of several years spent in Missouri, Peter Calvin Croco had been a resident of Kansas since 1876, and as he had carried on operations in most every part of the state few men are better informed as to agricultural conditions here. At the present time he is the owner of a good property in Tecumseh Township, Shawnee County, which he is cultivating along modern lines, and on which he had up-to-date improvements that make the farm of 155 acres a model which many agriculturists might copy. Mr. Croco was born in Holmes County, Ohio, … Read more

Biography of Howard L. Snyder M. D.

Howard L. Snyder, M. D. Doctor Snyder is of old American family. His paternal ancestors came out of Holland in colonial times and located in Southern Pennsylvania. From that state the family by successive stages had come fully half way across the continent. Doctor Snyder was born in Woodford County, Illinois, October 10, 1878. His father, David Snyder, was born in Ross County, Ohio, in 1820. He moved west to Woodford County, Illinois, in 1848, and became one of the leading farmers and stock raisers there. He died in Woodford County in April, 1895. David Snyder was a republican in … Read more

Biography of Austin H. Jennings

Austin H. Jennings. For many years the name of Jennings has been honorably associated with business enterprises of importance in Kansas City, through the efforts of Austin H. Jennings, who is president of the Crystal Springs Ice, Fuel & Grain Company and is interested in other concerns that occupy a prominent place in the commercial field. Although not quite so active as in earlier years, Mr. Jennings continues one of the most stable and dependable of the city’s business men and one of the most reputable and highly esteemed citizens. Mr. Jennings was born May 25, 1850, on a farm … Read more

Biography of Lee Scott

Lee Scott. The career of Lee Scott, one of the well known figures in the business life of El Dorado, had been an illustration of practical and diversified activity, and had invaded various fields of endeavor. Mr. Scott had been identified with a number of lines of business, but more recently had given the greater part of his attention to oil and gas brokerage and the real estate and insurance business, and is accounted one of the leaders in these lines of commercial and industrial promotion. He is now quite heavily interested in some of the best oil and gas … Read more

Kansas Registrations of Enemy Aliens, 1917 – 1921

The series contains original affidavits of registration that record personal information about each registrant, their photograph affixed to the majority of documents, and the registrants fingerprints. All of these are specific to Kansas, and most have the actual documents attached.

Biographical Sketch of Edwin C. Manning

Edwin C. Manning, the founder of Winfield, the organizer of the County of Cowley, one of the early editors of the state and thirty or forty years ago a republican leader of Kansas, was born in Redford, Clinton County, New York, November 7, 1838. He was educated both in Vermont and Iowa, taught school at an early age, at the age of nineteen commenced to learn the printer’s trade and in 1859, then about of age, was among the first to start for the Pike’s Peak region in search of gold. He returned a disillusioned young man, but became interested … Read more

Biography of Edna L. Johnson, Miss

Miss Edna L. Johnson. In no other field have woman’s work and influence proved such ennobling factors as in the sphere of education. The instruction and the character training of the children of Kansas are largely in the hands of devoted women, and many of the most responsible posts in the school system of the state are filled by woman teachers. The entire school system of Cowley County is under the supervision of Miss Edna L. Johnson, county superintendent of schools, and the people of the county recognize her unqualified fitness for the duties of the office. Miss Johnson was … Read more

Biography of Edward J. Fleming

Edward J. Fleming is one of the men who apparently realized early in life that the only help for them in attaining success is through their individual efforts. About twenty years ago Mr. Fleming was clerk in a store at Arkansas City. Not long afterwards, and before he reached his majority, he was running a small business of his own at Anthony. The chief comment made by his associates in those early days was that he was a hard worker and willing to earn a little more than his wages. About that time his ambition to become a lawyer took … Read more

Biography of F. S. Cravens, Mrs.

Mrs. F. S. Cravens is the proprietor of the Cravens School of Music at Emporia, and for a number of years had been one of the leaders in musical circles of that city. She is a native of Kansas and one of the notable women whom this Sunflower commonwealth had produced. The daughter of a pioneer citizen of Manhattan, where she was born in February, 1866, she exhibited unusual musical talents when a girl, and by careful training and study both in America and abroad had long enjoyed a high position both as an individual artist and as a successful … Read more

Biography of Carroll L. Swarts

Carroll L. Swarts. During his dignified and successful career as a lawyer in Kansas, covering a period of over thirty years, Judge Swarts gained distinction by his long and capable service on the district bench and had made his profession a medium of important service to several communities in the state. His name is of German origin, but the family had been identified with America since colonial times. His ancestors were prominent people in Maryland. Judge Swarts’ grandfather, Abraham D. Swarts, was born near Abingdon, Maryland, in 1782. He married Ann Bond Carroll, of the prominent Maryland family of that … Read more

Biography of Ralph Chester Dixon

Ralph Chester Dixon. While many of the successful men represented in this publication have found their work as farmers, eattle men, merchants, bankers and in the professions, Ralph Chester Dixon had directed his energies practically along one line since leaving college and had made a notable success as a fruit grower and horticulturist in the vicinity of Arkansas City. He had a splendid fruit farm three miles northwest of the city, and is one of the leading commercial apple growers of the state. Mr. Dixon is a native of Kansas, born at Caldwell August 5, 1875. His people have lived … Read more

Dickson, Mary Ellen – Obituary

Mary Ellen Dickson, 73, of La Grande, died March 7 following an extended illness. Mary was born May 13,1934, in Atlanta, Kan., to Charles and Alma Cunningham. The family moved to Weiser, Idaho, where she attended school. She married Frank Dickson of Homedale, Idaho, on Aug. 3, 1952. Mary and Frank moved to Umatilla, where Frank was employed at the Army Ordnance Depot. Following this, the family moved to Kinzua in Wheeler County, then to La Grande, where Frank worked for Boise Cascade and Mary for Sprouse-Reitz for many years. Mary was devoted to her family and enjoyed activities that … Read more

Biography of James Dodwell

James Dodwell. The career of James Dodwell, pioneer harnessmaker of Butler County and a well known resident of the county seat, El Dorado, is one considerably apart from the ordinary and of unusual interest. In its unfolding it had invaded various fields of endeavor and the occupations of war and peace, and through it Mr. Dodwell had worked out an admirable destiny and had established his right to be numbered among the self-made men who have attained success in spite of the most discouraging circumstances. James Dodwell was born in the City of New York, in 1845, and, having been … Read more

Biography of Harrison Clay Taylor

Harrison Clay Taylor was one of the first settlers in Rice County, and he had had a very interesting career and one filled with business achievement that places him among the notable men of Lyons. He is a veteran merchant of that city and in the passing years had done much for its improvement and welfare. Mr. Taylor was born at Piqua in Miami County, Ohio, November 12, 1849. He is of English ancestry, his forefathers having settled in New Jersey in Colonial times. His grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania, was a member of the Quaker Church, and during … Read more

Biography of L. L. Warner

L. L. Warner, who is successfully engaged in business as a dairyman of Bartlesville, was born in Pennsylvania on the 17th of March, 1867, a son of Joseph and Catherine (Warner) Warner, who though of the same name were not related. They removed to Illinois six weeks after the birth of their son, L. L. Warner, settling in Fulton County, that state, where Joseph Warner carried on farming until 1879. In that year the family home was established in Fremont County, Iowa, where Mr. Warner of this review remained until he was twenty-three years of age, when he was married … Read more

Biography of William M. Sleeth, Maj.

Maj. William M. Sleeth was one of the founders of the modern civic and industrial community of Arkansas City. He was secretary and treasurer of the original townsite company. He was a keen and resourceful business man, but his practical energies were equalled by his splendid public spirit and his readiness to sacrifice his own interests in behalf of some enterprise that would bring benefit to many. Major Sleeth justly earned the honor and esteem of his community during his life, and his death at Arkansas City, September 26, 1906, was felt as a distinct loss to the community, though … Read more