Biography of Alexander Jacob Waldraven

Alexander Jacob Waldraven. Among the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Riley County, Kansas, is Alexander Jacob Waldraven, who has spent more than half his life in this state. His remote ancestry was Pennsylvania Dutch, and no more solid and substantial people can be found, but for many years the Waldravens had lived in North Carolina. He was born in Stokes County, which was later divided forming Stokes and Forsythe counties in that state, April 15, 1839, and was reared on the farm of his father, John Henry Waldraven. Alexander Jacob Waldraven has led an agricultural life. After the … Read more

Biography of Henry J. Calnan

Henry J. Calnan, publisher and editor of the Weekly Kansas Chief at Troy, had had an unusually varied experience even for a newspaper man. Since acquiring the Kansas Chief he had improved its influence and strengthened its organization and equipment in keeping with the dignity of the paper as the oldest journal under one continuous name in the State of Kansas. The files of the Kansas Chief contain sixty complete volumes. The paper was founded in 1857 by Sol Miller at White Cloud, Kansas, and was first known as the White Cloud Chief. The paper was moved to Troy July … Read more

Biography of Frank Levi Root

Frank Levi Root has lived in the vicinity of Oketo for thirty years. he had prospered in a degree sufficient to meet his sanguine expectations, and not only owned and controls a large body of rich farming land in Marshall County but is also actively identified with Oketo’s business affairs and its civic and community life. Mr. Root was born in Cedar County, Iowa, May 21, 1865. His father, Levi Root, born in Ohio July 9, 1832, grew up in his native state and when a young man moved to Iowa. He was married in Cedar County and had a … Read more

Biography of L. A. Winsor

L. A. Winsor is superintendent of the city echools of Irving, and for a number of years had been identified with public school work in Marshall County. He is known as a very capable educator and stands high among the school men in the northern part of the state. His people have been in Kansas for over forty years. His grandfather was born in England in 1837 and on coming to this country located first in Canada and from there moved to the State of Iowa, and in 1874 went to Thomas County, Kansas. After about a year he returned … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Robert S. Shope

Robert S. Shope is superintendent of the city schools of Bigelow, Kansas. While not a native of the state, his life had been spent largely within the borders of Kansas, and he is a product of its schools and his work had becn chiefly as a teacher. He belongs to the colonial branch of the Shope family, which originally came out of Germany. His grandfather, William Shope, spent his life in Kentucky, and was a carpenter by trade. His father is David W. Shope, for many years a resident of Maraball County, Kansas. He was born in Kentucky in 1867 … Read more

Kansas Registrations of Enemy Aliens, 1917 – 1921

Enemy Alien Registration Affidavit for Bernhardt Vick - Cropped Photo

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.

Biography of George T. Smith

George T. Smith is one of the veteran editors and newspaper men of Kansas and owns and directs the editorial management of the Marshall County News. The Marshall County News is an old and influential paper in Northern Kansas. It was first established in 1869 as the Locomotive. The first proprietor, P. H. Peters, sold it in 1870 to Thomas Hughes, who changed the name to the Marshall County News. This branch of the Smith family had furnished several notable names in Kansas and in Marshall County. George T. Smith is a brother of the late James Smith, former secretary of state of Kansas. … Read more

Biography of Thomas J. McInerney, Father

Father Thomas J. McInerney is a devoted and zealous young priest of the Catholic Church, and most of his work had been done in the State of Kansas. he is now pastor of St. Monica’s Catholic Church at Waterville. This church was established in 1909 by Father Redeker. Its first pastor was Father Elast. The parish extends to the west line of Marshall County, to Blue Rapids on the east, to College Hill on the south, and adjoins Marysville parish on the north, It contains about twenty-three Catholic families, with about seventy members. Father McInerney was born in County Clare, … Read more

Biography of Charles J. Searle

An attorney whose marked ability has been repeatedly recognized not only in Rock Island County, by whose Bar Association he has, at the time this sketch is written, recently been honored by the election as its president, but throughout the State of Illinois, is Charles J. Searle, of Rock Island. A biographical sketch of a man so well and widely known, seems almost superfluous, for there are but few in Rock Island County, and indeed in this section of Illinois, who do not enjoy a personal acquaintance with the gentleman himself. And were these sketches written and published merely for … Read more

Biography of Rev. William Knipe

Rev. William Knipe is one of the few surviving participants in the war with Mexico, which was fought nearly seventy years ago. Many other interesting distinctions attach to this venerable and useful resident of Kansas. He was one of the pioneer Methodist missionaries in Jackson County, Kansas, and is one of the very oldest members of the Methodist Conference. He was also a soldier of the Civil war and few men who live so long succeed in compressing so much useful service to humanity within a lifstime. His birth occurred in a log house in Wayne County, Indiana, September 28, … Read more

Biography of Albert E. Mayhew

Albert E. Mayhew, who had lived in Kansas since early boyhood, had built up the leading hardware business at Effingham in Atchison County, is also a banker there, and is now serving his second term as a representative in the State Legislature. Mr. Mayhew was born at St. Mary’s, Canada, March 17, 1866, and was brought to Kansas by his parents when he was four years of age. He grew up at Centralia, was educated there in the public schools, graduating from high school in 1883, and for one year was a student in the State Normal School at Emporia. … Read more

Biography of Leonard V. McKee

Leonard V. McKee. The life, the personal character and the influence of Leonard V. McKee impressed themselves strongly upon the formative period of Marshall County’s history. He was founder and president of the Frankfort State Bank, was a large land owner and one of the leading business men and citizens of the community. He was born in Allen County, Ohio, August 18, 1845, and died at his home in Frankfort, Kansas, December 22, 1916, aged seventy-one years, four months and four days. His parents, Robert and Sarah (Dunlap) McKee, were both natives of Ohio. His father was a cabinet maker … Read more

Biography of William E. Durant

William E. Durant. Few citizens of Clay County are better known than William E. Durant, who is clerk of the District Court, a veteran of the Civil war, and a representative and bearer of a name that had been honorably known in this state for over a half century. He was born in Will County, Illinois, April 25, 1843. His parents were Edward T. and Sally Ann (Whallon) Durant, and his paternal grandparents were Edward and Lucina (Willey) Durant, natives of New York. The Durant ancestors went from France to England and in colonial days came to the United States … Read more

Graham, Hattie C. Mrs. – Obituary

La Grande, Union County, Oregon In La Grande Friday morning August 5, 1888, Mrs. Hattie C. Graham, wife of J.H. Graham, an employee of the O.R.&N. Railroad. Mrs. Graham was the daughter of A.O. Porter well known in La Grande and now living in Los Angelos, Cal. She was born in Irving, Marshall County, Kansas, February 7, 1863 and was married in La Grande September 22, 1887. Hattie was well known and highly respected by the citizens of La Grande. She became a Christian and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church under the preaching of Rev. G.W. grannis(?) in … Read more

Biography of Gottlob Ziegler

Gottlob Ziegler. A life of quiet effectiveness marked by a record of many duties well done and many responsibilities faithfully fulfilled was that of the late Gottlob Ziegler, best known by his long residence at Marysville, but who died in Salina November 20, 1911. While he never held an important public office and was not identified with the conspicuous activities of the world, he rendered a faithful and intelligent performance of every task that was allotted to him during his long life. He left a record that may well be envied and admired by the generations that follow him. He … Read more

Biography of Channing John Brown

Channing John Brown. One of the most beautiful spots in the State of Kansas is Blue Rapids in Marshall County. Besides its picturesque location near a waterfall that had furnished power for manufacturing purposes for many years the town itself was originated by a colony of very substantial people from Genesee County, New York. The secretary of this company was Mr. C. J. Brown, still living in Blue Rapids. Mr. Brown is a former state senator and for many years was clerk of the Supreme Court of Kansas. Mr. Brown was born in Genesee County, New York, October 31, 1847. … Read more

Biography of Leonard Elmore Henderson, M.D.

Leonard Elmore Henderson, M. D. The medical profession of Wilson County numbers among its skilled and careful practitioners Dr. Leonard Elmore Henderson, who since 1907 had been located at Coyville, an enterprising community in the northwest part of the county. Prior to locating at this place, Doctor Henderson had valuable and comprehensive experience both in Kansas and Indian Territory, and this, combined with a thorough training in his calling and a natural predilection therefor, gave promise for a successful career in his professional work. That this promise had been fulfilled is shown by his excellent standing in medical circles and … Read more

Biography of Fred W. Reed

Fred W. Reed is publisher and proprietor of the Beattie Eagle, a paper of independent proclivities, issued weekly and with a large circulation and influence in Marshall and surrounding counties. The Eagle is a continuation of the North Star, founded at Beattie in 1884 by A. J. Tucker. In 1885 the name was changed to the Star, with W. W. Brooks as editor. In 1891 the name was changed to Williamson’s Beattie Eagle, and in 1894 was shortened to Beattle Eagle. In 1902 it absorbed the Beattie Palladium, which had been founded in 1898 by J. M. Kendall. Mr. Reed … Read more

Biography of William Acker

William Acker has for many years been prominently known in Marshall County, at first as a teacher and educator, afterwards as a farmer and stock raiser, and in connection with various public interests and affairs. Mr. Acker is vice president of the State Bank of Vermillion and is one of the leading blooded stock raisers in that community. He is a native of Kansas and was born in Seneca March 19, 1862. He was left an orphan almost in infancy, and was adopted and reared by the late D. W. Acker, whose family name he took. His own family name … Read more

Biography of Ernest N. Bailey

Ernest N. Bailey, a brother of former Governor W. J. Bailey, reference to whom is made on other pages, had largely concentrated his efforts and businees enterprise at the Town of Baileyville, named for the family, in Nemaha County. Mr. Bailey had been an extensive farmer and stockman, and in later years a grain merchant, and owned the principal grain elevator at Baileyville. He was born in Carroll County, Illinois, June 15, 1857. The Bailey ancestry is English and the Baileys were Colonial settlers in New York. His grandparents, Joshua and Eleeta Bailey, were both born in or near Tieonderoga, … Read more