Killed by Train

Are you fortunate enough to to have newspaper clippings in your files? Both of my grandmothers had clippings in their albums. Most of these clippings were not labeled. Thanks to the newspaper collection of the Kansas State Historical Society, I was able to locate these clippings and document the newspaper and the date.

When it comes to my Crawford research, I was also fortunate to connect with a Warren County, Indiana historian, Walter Salts. Walter had a collection of newspaper clippings. If he didn’t already have the clipping, he would research the local papers to see what he could find. While I no longer have a record of what he charged, I do have quite a few documents in my files with his stamp on them.

As I’m going thru the old paper documentation in my files, I recently came across some of those obituaries I got from Walter Salts. One of those obituaries was for Catherine W. Woodward Baughman who was killed by a train in 1899.

Warren Republican
Thursday, June 15, 1899

Baughman (handwritten)
Catherine W. Woodward
This lady was born in this county, at the home of her grandfather, the late Nelson Crawford, in this, Washington township, May 22, 1863, and departed this life in Neoga, Ills., Friday, June 9th, 1899, at 1 o’clock p.m., aged 36 years and 17 days.
In September, 1887, she was united in marriage to Dr. J. A. Baughman, of Ohio, at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Elisha Briggs, this place, her uncle and aunt, Rev. John J. Claypool officiating. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Baughman went to Chicago where they resided one year to enable the doctor to complete his course in medicine. From Chicago, they went to Neoga, Ills., and located and had lived there about eleven years prior to Mrs. B’s death Dr. Baughman first met his wife at Ada, ?, where she was attending music school.
Mrs. Baughman’s death is a sad one, and reminds the living of the great uncertainty of life. She had left home to visit an aunt, Mrs. Demaris Briles, her father’s sister, living in the north part of town. On the way she stopped at her husband’s office, and after chatting pleasantly with him for a few moments, left intending to go directly to her aunt’s. On the way it was necessary to cross the track of the Illinois Central railroad. Upon nearing the crossing she met a lady friend and stopped and chatted with her a short time, then resuming her walk. The two friends had just parted when the lady noticed a fast approaching freight running at 40 miles an hour and making but very little noise. She cried to Mrs. Baughman, who was deaf in one ear, to warn her of her danger, but she did not hear. No bell was rung neither did the engineer use the whistle. Mrs. B. had gotten so near across the tack that one more step would have cleared her of her terrible danger. When the engine struck the unfortunate woman the body was thrown a distance of 69 feet, and when parties reacher her the spark of life had been destroyed at the first contact of the engine. THe accident occurred at one o’oclock last Friday afternoon. Her tragic death was like a great black cloud, casting a shadow over the entire community. TO the loving, devoted husband it s suddenness and terror stunned till sense

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and feeling failed to realize the bitterness of the cup placed to his lips to drink. The first word received by the relatives here of the death was a telegram from the doctor saying, “Kate killed by the cars to-day.” A second telegram notified them that the body would arrive here at 2 o’clock Saturday and to arrange for the funeral. After arrival of train here the remains were taken to the residence of Elisha Briggs, where at 2:30 p.m. the funeral discourse was preached by Rev. G. H. Clarke of the Christian church, of which denomination deceased had been a member from the age of 20. Interment was made in the cemetery at West Lebanon. The pall-bearers were Messrs. P. W. Fleming, Isaiah Smith, O. C. Rabourn, A. E. Wilson, W. H. Stephens and W. B. Durborow.

“Catherine W. Woodward,” 15 June 1899, from Warren Republican; Walter Salts Genealogy Collection, photocopy sent to Marcia Philbrick; photocopy in Crawford Family Papers owned by Marcia Philbrick, , Seneca, KS.

Curious to see if there were other articles about this train accident, I checked Newspapers.com to see what I could find. Unfortunately, my search did not turn up a local article. However, I found a short mention of the accident in the Chicago paper, The Inter Ocean.

Killed by Illinois Central Train
Special Dispatch to the Inter Ocean
Neoga, Ill., June 9. — Mrs. Dr. J. A. Baughman was instantly killed by an Illinois Central South-bound freight about 2 o’clock today. She was going to her aunt’s home, carrying an umbrella which obscured her vision, and, being almost def, she neither saw nor hears the train, and just as she stepped on the track was stuck by the engine.

“Killed by Illinois Central Train,” The Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois), 10 June 1899, page 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 22 February 2023).

Since I love finding other items in the local newspapers, I was curious about whether the Warren Republican was available in a digital format. Thus, I did a simple Google search to see what I could find. The first result was a link to the Chronicling America site for the paper.

Following the link to Chronicling America, I found that the ‘Related Links’ information about the paper included links to NewspaperArchive.

Going back to the Google search, I decided to see what else turned up. Lower in the list of results was a link to an LDS Genealogy site and to the Hoosier State Chronicles. While the Warren Republican was listed on the Hoosier Chronicles site, it was for a newspaper in a different town. The LDS Genealogy page was worth checking out. It listed all of the papers for Warren County, Indiana and included the years of publication. For those newspapers that have been digitized, it included links to the digital formats.

Having found a digital version of the newspaper, I decided to see if I could find a digital copy of the obituary clipping. That search of the Indiana papers on NewspaperArchive for Baughman in June 1899 not only turned up the obituary I got from Walter Salts but another obituary and other items discussing her death and funeral.

The first was an article about the train accident: Run Down by the Cars

Run Down by the Cars
Mrs. Kate Baughman was run down by an Illinois Central freight train at her home at Neoga, Illinois last Friday about one o’clock and died in a few minutes. The mortal remains were brought to Williamsport Saturday and a funeral service was held at the residence of her aunt, Mrs. Elisha Briggs, in the afternoon, Rev. G. H. Clark of the Christian church officiating, after which the body was brought here and interred in the West Lebanon cemetery. The particulars of the sorrowful accident are as follows: Mrs. Baughman was somewhat deaf and in crossing the track she did not hear the train and as no whistle was blown to warn her of danger the train was upon her before she had quite gotten across the track. The engine struck her and hurled her some sixty feet away and death came instantaneously. The deceased’s maiden name was Woodward, her father, Harrison Woodward, who was slain in the war of the rebellion, being a resident of Warren county and the deceased spent her childhood days here.

“Run Down by the Cars,” West Lebanon Gazette (West Lebanon, Indiana), 15 June 1899, page 2; digital image, Newspaper Archives (www.newspaperarchive.com : viewed online 23 February 2023).

The second article was an obituary that provides a few additional details.

Obituary
The deceased, Mrs. Kate H. Baughman was born in Warren county, May 22, 1863. She was struck by the cars and instantly killed at her home in Neoga, Ill, June 9, 1899.
She was best known to the people of Williamsport as Kate H. Woodward. Her father was a soldier in the war for the preservation of the Union and died a few days before she was born. Her mother lived at this place until the time of her death which occurred when Kate was thirteen years old. The orphaned daughter then made her home with her relatives and friends until she was of age.
About this time she attended the school of music at Ada, Ohio. Here she met Dr.Baughman, then, a medical student. Their friendship soon ripened into an engagement for marriage, which was solemized on the 22nd of September, 1887.
The first year of their wedded life was spent in Chicago where the doctor continued his medical studies. They then moved to Neoga Ill., where they lived happily together until her death.
She was a firm believer in the religion of Christ. She answered the Masters’ call at the age of 20, while at Ada, Ohio and united with the Christian church at that place.
Her life was a beautiful demonstration of the religion she professed. She loved God and all his creatures This was not a wasted love for anyone who knew her spoke in her praise.
She died suddenly but not unprepared. She was ready without warning. If we have not misjudged she is now the happy recipient of the reward of the righteous.
Her remains were brought to Williamsport and taken to the house of Elisha Briggs where the funeral services were conducted by Geo. H. Clarke, pastor of the Christian church. The body was taken to the cemetery at West Lebanon and interred by the side of her parents.

“Obituary,” Williamsport Warren Republican (Williamsport, Indiana), 15 June 1899, page 3; digital image, Newspaper Archive (www,newspaperarchive.com : viewed online 23 February 2023).

Another short article gives the date of the funeral.

The remains of Mrs. Kate H. Baughman, who was killed on the railroad at Neoga, Ill. last week were brought here for burial, the funeral occurring Saturday. An extended obituary will be found on page three.

“Local news,” Williamsport Warren Review (Williamsport, Indiana), 15 June 1889, page 8; digital images, NewspaperArchive (newspaperarchive.com : viewed online 23 February 2023).

The last was a short article about Dr. Baughman traveling from Neoga, Ills to Williamsport for the funeral of his wife.

Mr. Sabine Briles and wife, of Neoga, Ills., accompanied Dr. Baughman last Saturday and attended the funeral of Mrs. Kitty Baughman at this place.

“Local News,” Williamsport Warren Republican (Williamsport, Indiana), 15 June 1899, page 3; digital image, Newspaper Archive (www,newspaperarchive.com : viewed online 23 February 2023).

I’m thankful that my grandmothers and Walter Salts helped me gather obituaries and other articles about my family. I’m also very grateful for everyone working to digitize our historic newspapers. Without digitization, I likely would not have found these additional articles.

Kansas Newspapers

When Kansas was not yet 15 years old, the attendees of the 1875 Kansas Editors’ and Publishers’ Convention formed the Kansas State Historical Society “for the purpose of saving the present and past records” of Kansas history. One of the first goals of this society was to collect and preserve the NEWSPAPERS of the state. Thanks to that 1875 initiative, Kansas has a FANTASTIC collection of newspapers. (Kansas Digital Newspapers – Background)

Over the years, that newspaper collection was converted to microfilm. This collection of over 70,000 rolls of newspaper microfilm can be accessed at the Kansas State Historical Society Archives in Topeka, KS. With the advent of the Internet, the Kansas Digital Newspapers (KDN) program was begun. This program seeks to digitize and make these newspapers available online.

• 2009 grant from the National Digital Newspaper Program to digitize 42 newspaper titles from 28 cities that are available thru Chronicling America
• Additional grants in 2011 and 2013 added additional titles to the collection on Chronicling America
• In 2013, the Kansas Digital Newspapers program began working with Newspapers.com to digitize the pre-1923 papers
  • Pre-1923 Kansas newspapers available for FREE using the “Kansas Historical Open Content” link (no login required!)
  • ALL Kansas State Historical Society newspapers on Newspapers.com are available FREE to Kansas residents after they verify their residency by entering a Kansas driver’s license number or Kansas state ID number.
  • Those living outside of Kansas may access the 1923 and later Kansas newspapers on Newspapers.com by logging into Newspapers.com with an Ancestry or Newspapers.com account.

As a genealogist with deep Kansas roots, I am very thankful for the foresight of those who worked to create this fantastic newspaper collection. I am also thankful for all of the efforts to digitize this collection!

Family Tales

Do you use newspapers for your research? Have you ever sat in front of a microfilm reader and ‘read’ an older newspaper issue after issue?

Since I live about 75 miles from the Kansas State Historical Society, I’ve had access to the states wonderful collection of newspapers. Thus, I have sat in front of a microfilm reader and turned that knob to slowly move thru a local Kansas newspaper. At times, I was looking for a specific item such as a birth announcement, marriage announcement or obituary. Other times, I was just looking for mention of the family to see what I could learn.

With today’s computer technology and digital images of those newspapers, it is even easier to locate those little bits of information in the papers. This past week, my husband and I have both been celebrating our newspaper finds. I often use ‘gossipy newspapers’ when talking about our finds. I use this term because I have often found where one relative visited another relative for Sunday dinner. This might seem like an insignificant piece of ‘gossip’ but it provides hints of a relationship.

The Emporia Gazette (Emporia, Kansas), July 23, 1974

Not only have I found birth announcements for my niece and nephew, I’ve found articles about the family dating back to the 1800s. Think about that for a minute. Newspapers have survived for a very long time.

Now, look into the future. We still have newspapers, but I don’t believe we have ‘gossipy’ newspapers. Even my small town newspaper has seen a reduction in what is submitted for the ‘gossip’ section.

Instead of submitting info about the family that gathered for a birthday party to the newspaper, this event is being shared on social media. I love viewing these posts! However, they likely will not survive years into the future. So, what can I do to help these stories and pictures survive for another 50 to 100 years?

Digging Deeper

Have you ever seen an obituary clipping without a source? I know I have quite a few clippings that my grandmothers saved from local papers. Most of those clippings do not have anything on them to identify the source. Recently, I encountered a similar situation when working Ancestry hints for Emma Ralston Bockes. Someone had shared an image of an obituary that was originally shared by a different Ancestry user.

Since I was hoping to find the source to go with the image, I searched Ancestry for the original poster. Unfortunately, I didin’t find any source information with the image he shared. Nor, did I find a source listed on his tree for hte obiturary.

Since the image appeared to be from a digital copy of the newspaper, I started searching my ‘go-to’ newspaper sources: Newspapers.com and Genealogy Bank. And, my search turned up nothing.

My next step was to search Kenneth Marks’ resource, Ancestor Hunt. On this site, he identifies many, many newspapers that have been digitized with links to their source. On his list of Iowa Online Historical Newspapers, I hit the jackpot! The King Memorial Library had digitized many of the Grundy County, Iowa newspapers. thru Advantage Archives.

I did a quick search for the surname and then narrowed the results down to 1911, the year of her death.

And I found the obituary!

Death Angel Calls Two
Both Were Old Settlers
Arscott Thomas and Mrs. Jerry Bockes
Called by Death — Were Widely
Known and Universally
Respected

The sad and sudden death of Mrs. Jerry Bockes Wednesday morning, February 15, was a shock to the entire community. She had been in ordinary health up to Tuesday eening, had eaten a hearty supper and was about to retire for the night when she was suddenly attached with uterine hemorrhage Medical aid was immediately summoned, and owing to the severity of the case a second doctor was soon called and all night worked oer the patient in a vain endeavor to sustain life About three o’clock in the morning she said she was so tired and wanted only to rest, and soon after fell into a queit sleep and appeared to be resting natural But so great had been the drain upon the systemt hat all efforts so supply by means of stimulants and retsoratives were unavailing and by five o’clock every ray of life had fled.
Emma Ralston was born in Grudy county June 2, 1872 when 16 years of age she was converted and united with the Church of God and Alice, and has ever since maintained a deep interest in God’s cause and lived a faithful Christian life.
She was married to Jerry Bockes March 27, 1890. To this union were born eight children all of whom survive the mother and are still within the parental home to the husband the departed has been a faithful companion, bearing her full share of he care and burdens of the home, always listening to the details of his inteest with a marked degree of sympathy and love The children have lost a friend who possessed all the endearing qualities of a fond and patient mother, ever mindful of the care and comfort of her loved ones
The church and community have lost a consistent, faithful Christian and kind and helpful neighbor,she being one ever ready to give her time and talent with more than ordinary ability and tact — hom edutites first considered — to the help of neighbors and the interests of the church.
Husband and children may and will have, many more friends, but do not look for one like you have just lost, and in the moments, yes hours, of meditation and sorrow, may the thoughts of her dear life, the long days of patient toil, the many nights she was watched wearily over the little forms with silent, earnest prayers for your safety — may it influence your dear lives and lead you to exemplify the life of mother
The funeral services were held at the Alice church Friday, February 17, at 10 o’clock a.m. conducted by rev. E. E. Heltibridle, six brothers of the departed acting as pallbearers Besides husband and children,deceased is survived by a father and step-mother, three brothers, one sister one half-brother and four half-brothers. Her mother died when deceased was yet a little girl.

“Death Angel Calls two,” The Grundy Republican (Grundy Center, Iowa), 23 February 1911, page 1; digital image, Grundy Center Advantage Archives (http://grundycenter.advantage-preservation.com/ : viewed online 18 April 2021).

So, I was reminded of several ‘lessons’ that I’ve learned over the past few years.

• Kenneth Mark’s Ancestor Hunt site contains a wealth of information regarding digitized newspapers!
• Many public libraries are paying to have their newspaper collection digitized on Advantage Archives.
• These library collections are their own unique ‘community history archive’. Thus, tools such as Ancestor Hunt make it easier to find these collections.

Thus, it is possible to locate at least some of those clippings if one is willing to dig a little deeper.

Gentle Reminder

Do you ever see an image or a hint that reminds you to look in that source for small bits of information about family members?

I had that “Oh, yeah, I should look at that source.” feeling when I was working hints for Lucius J. Hammond, my 2nd great granduncle. The hint that caused my reaction was an image of an article in the Dodge City Daily Globe.

Since Lucius died in Lyon County, Kansas and not Ford County, Kansas, one might not dig deep enough to find the article in the Dodge City newspaper. However, Lucius’ brother, Richmond Hammond was living in Dodge City at the time. Since I believe the Dodge City newspapers from that time period contained a lot of town gossip, it does not surprise me that a death notice for Richmond’s brother was in those newspapers.

A simple search of Newspapers.com for Hammond in April 1898 in Dodge City, Kansas turned up the death notice.

L. J. Hammond, brother of R. F. Hammond, died at his home in Reading, Kas., after a painful illness, on Monday. Last October an operation had been made for cancer of the stomach. The deceased suffered greatly.

“Additioinal Local,” The Dodge City Globe (Dodge City, Kansas), 14 April 1898, page 8; digital image, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 25 March 2021).

Thus, the reminder! I needed to check the Dodge City papers for other news related to Richmond’s siblings. Since Richmond only lived in Dodge between 1886 and 1909, I decided to look for events within that time span.

That led me to a death notice for Richmond’s brother Jehiel P. Hamond who died in North Dakota in 1907.

Word was received by R. F. Hammond on Wednesday of the death of his brother J. P. Hammond living at Orr, N.D. The cause of death was paralysis.

“Brief Items of Local INterest,” The Journal-Democrat (Dodge City, Kansas), 3 May 1907, page 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 26 March 2021).

I then searched for the death notice of his sister, Juliet Simms. I had previously found notice that Juliet had fallen and broken her hip.

Mrs. Juliet Simms of Denver fell last Tuesday breaking her hip very badly and is not expected to survive the shock. She is the only living sister of R. F. Hammond.

“Local News,” The Journal Democrat (Dodge City, Kansas), 31 May 1907, page 4; digital image, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 23 March 2020).

However, I did not have a death notice and I did not have her date of death. Curious about what I would find in the Dodge City papers, I tried a different search. I searched for Simms in Dodge City in 1907. That search led me to a notice of her death.

Word was received by R. F. Hammond on Thursday morning that his sister, Mrs. W. M. Simms, who fell and injured her hip some time ago died on Wednesday. Mr. Hammond and his nephew Lark Grimm who has been visiting here for three weeks left for Denver Thursday night.

“Local News,” The Journal-Democrat (Dodge City, Kansas), 26 July 1907, page 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 26 March 2021).

Not only did this search turn up a death date for Juliet Hammond Simms, but also uncovered a nephew of Richmond Hammond that I don’t have in my records, Lark Grimm.

Thus, the image hint for Lucius Hammond was a gentle reminder to search the papers where the siblings lived for news of other siblings. This ‘gentle reminder’ also provided reinforcement for why I’m currently researching the siblings of Richmond Hammond — and their descendants. As I learn more about these siblings, I also discover new places to look for more information on the family.

Nemaha County Newspapers

When doing your genealogy research, do you ever encounter a source in a different place? That’s what happened to me recently with The Courier Tribune, a Nemaha County, Kansas newspaper.

The Seneca Free Library had their newspaper collection digitized by Advantage Archives. The library home page contains a link to this collection of digitized newspapers. Several other public libraries have done the same. This includes Sabetha (Nemaha County), Kansas and Hiawatha (Brown County), Kansas.

Thus, when I followed an Ancestry hint for a marriage announcement in a newspaper, I was surprised to find this article in The Courier-Tribune (Seneca, KS) on Newspapers.com.

Curious about what newspapers from Nemaha County could be found on Newspapers.com, I started searching using the papers menu. A search for Seneca in the state of Kansas turned up seven different papers, including The Courier-Tribune.

A similar search for “Sabetha” and “Kansas” also turned up seven titles.

Continuing to search for the smaller communities provided even more titles that had been digitized.

Centralia

Corning

Goff

Wetmore

Bern

Oneida

The digitization of these early newspapers has been facilitated by the Kansas State Historical Society as part of their Kansas Digital Newspapers program. Through grants from the National Digital Newspaper Program, Kansas began digitizing their newspaper collection on Chronicling America. [list of Kansas newspapers on Chronicling America]

In 2013, the Kansas Digital Newspapers program partnered with Newspapers.com to digitize additional pre-1923 papers. This digitization of these pre-1923 newspapers has been completed with nearly 12 million pages available.

Thus all of the early Nemaha County newspapers are available on Newspapers.com. Kansas residents can access these Nemaha papers and all other newspapers from the Kansas State Historical Society collection for free by verifying their residency when logging in.

The Dash

Do you try to find details about an ancestor’s life for the time between their birth and their death, i.e. the dash? Census records help fill in that ‘dash’ since they put a person in a specific place at a specific time. However, I’ve found that gossipy newspapers also help fill in that ‘dash’.

The value of newspapers was brought home when I uploaded images to FamilySearch for my grandfather, Edward Osmund Briles.

It was a ’40 Years Ago’ clipping that my grandmother kept that provided a major clue to my grandfather’s life.

That clipping led me to articles and court records about the time my grandfather defied the law to show movies on Sundays. My grandfather was arrested and convicted for that ‘crime’.

It was while researching newspapers in the communities where my grandfather lived prior to Emporia that I learned that he owned Briles Garage. Not only did he own a garage but he was part of a ‘Grand Tour’ in the early days of the automobile.

All of these findings reinforced my previous experiences with newspapers – pay attention to those local news items. One never knows what they will uncover for the dash.

Alfalfa Mill

I recently posted a photo from my grandmother’s collection of an Alfalfa Mill to the Facebook group, Growing Up in Dodge City.

Since my grandparents lived in Dodge City their entire lives, I just assumed that the caption was correct. However, comments on the post questioned whether there was an alfalfa mill in Dodge City.

So, I turned to the newspapers to learn more about an alfalfa mill in Dodge City. I did verify that such a mill existed. Unfortunately, I haven’t located information for the construction of the first mill. Below is a synopsis of what I found.

Feb 1911

Dodge City Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 09 Feb 1911 Thu

The alfalfa mill will be opened again this week. It is a little unusual for the mill to be in operation at this time of year but the farmers held over much of their alfalfa for better prices and are now ready to place it on the market.

The Dodge City Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 23 May 1912 Thu

May 1912

Alfalfa Mill Is a Total Loss

Fire Started Early This Morning and Burned Rapidly

(Monday)
A fire loss which will probably amount to between $6,000 and $7,000 occurred early this morning when the W. B. Martin alfalfa mill on west Santa Fe trail street was destroyed.
The building and its contents including machinery and supplies were burned, and no insurance was carried to relieve the owner of the loss.
The fire started between the main building and the shed and many believe it was the work of some incendiary, as there had been no workmen or others about the mill since Saturday evening.
The fire was discovered about 3 o’clock this morning and by four the building was in ashes. Besides a considerable amount of expensive machinery it contained several car loads of alfalfa and other food stuff.
The fire department was powerless to save the building as it was covered with flames before the fire was discovered, but the work of the department, saved quite a number of residences in the neighborhood
The residence of Frank Osburn on the east side of the mill was almost completely destroyed, and the one belonging to Archie T. Keech directly west of the mill was badly burned on one side, but no other buildings were damaged.
Sparks from the fire blew over nearly all of the town from the mill ot the stand pipe on the Central Avenue hill, but most of the people of the town had been wakened by the siren whistle at the city power hose and watched their roofs.
W. B. Martin, the owner of the mill is spending the day in Garden City and he had not announced before his departure whether the mill would be rebuilt or not.

May 1912

The Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 24 May 1912

New Alfalfa Mill Is in Prospect

New Building May Go Up on the Site of the One Which Was Burned

It Would be Fire Proof

The New Mill Would Be a Cement Block Structure and Would Be Larger than the Old One — Some Are Protesting

Dodge City may soon have another alfalfa mill. It is possible that one will be built this season on the site of the mill which was burned last Monday morning on west Santa Fe Trail street.
Manager W. B. Martin was talking about the matter this morning, and he said that contractors had been asked to make estimates on the kind of a building that would be required for the purpose.
If a new alfalfa mill is put up it will be a thoroughly fire proof building and will probably be larger than the old mill which was burned. Mr. Martin said today that since most of the debris had been removed it was found that much of the machinery had not been seriously damaged and that with a little overhauling it would easily be put into commission again.
It was stated this afternoon that W. P Kilesen of the Farmers’ Elevator company was circulating a petition protesting against the rebuilding o the alfalfa mill but it is not known what objection is made to the enterprise.

June 1912

The Dodge City Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 06 Jun 1912, Thu

No Action Taken about Alfalfa Mill

Mayor Bell Favored New Mill While Other Commissioners Opposed It

There is still some difference of opinion abouth whether Dodge City is to have a new alfalfa mill. The matter was presented to the city commissioners again last night and was supported by a petition signed by eighty-one business men of the city asking that the commission rescind its former action denying the company the privelidge of putting up a fire proof mill on the site of the old one which was burned. Mayor Bell was in favor of allowing the mill to be rebuilt. Commissioners Miller and Laughead opposed it, but they took no action last night. They said they would consider the matter again at the meeting next Friday evening.
Manager W. B. Martin was there to represent the company and several of those who opposed the proposition for rebuilding the mill were there to speak to the commissioners.
In speaking to the intention of the company, Mr. Martin said:
“I am unable to tell what we will do. Evidently the city commissioners intend to oppose our putting in a mill here. The quesiton is whether it would be better to go ahead anyhow and be the subject to all kinds of annoying orders, or abandon the field and put up a mill at some other point.”

June 1912

The Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 15 Jun 1912, Sat

Considerable opposition is developing to having the alfafa mill re built on the location where it burned down. It is argued that it is too close to the oil tanks and would be a menace to the city water works. The Commercial Club may take a hand at securing new site for the company.

July 1912

The Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 20 Jul 1912 Sat

Produce Company to Build

Site of Old Alfalfa Mill Has Been Purchased and Fireproof warehouse Is to Be Erected There

The wholesale produce company has purchased the lots where the alfalfa mill stood before it was burned and will erect a fireproof warehouse there. Work has already commenced clearing out the rubbish left after the fire and the building will be completed this summer.
C. B. Young of the wholesale company says it has not been decided just the size of the building but that it will be either about 25 by 175 feet or 37 by 75 feet It will be one story of either concrete or brick. The location is an ideal one for a warehouse as it is beside the railroad track and will give a storage house which is needed on account of the growing business of the company

October 1912

The Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 04 Oct 1912, Fri

The warehouse of teh Dodge City Produce company is to be ready for occupancy in two weeks. It is being erected on the Santa Fe tracks on the site of the old alfalfa mill.

November 1912

The Dodge City Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 21 Nov 1912

Plan to Build an Alfalfa Mill Here

Ford County Growers May Form Company to Replace the One Burned Last Winter

Ford county growers of alfalfa are planning to build an alfalfa mill here to take the place of the one that burned last winter. A meeting of some of the leading alfalfa men was held last week to discuss plans for rebuilding. Will Martin, who owned the other mil, has been asked to take a part in the formation of a new company.
It is estimated that a new mill can be put in operation for form $3,500 to $5,00. Alfalfa growers say the mill tends to keep up the price of the hay by providing a steady market. Some growers say that $8 alfalfa cannot be fed here profitably that the grower makes a greater and more certain profit by selling to the mill.
The alfalfa crop in this county this year has been exceptionally good, and the amount of hay produced has resulted in the agitation for a mill.

March 1913

The Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 12 Mar 1913

Build Larger Alfalfa Mill

Contract Let by Dodge Company and Work Is to Start at Once

The alfalfa mill company has let the contract for the new mill and work is to start at once. Morley Bros., of Wichita, get the contract for the machinery and the shed for it. The latter is to be 16 by 24 feet and 24 feet high. A wetterhold grinder is to be installed, and electric power from the Midland company is to be used. Fairbanks A Morse received the contract to supply the motors.
A large hay barn is to be erected and a store room. Both buildings will be put up by the farmers who comprise the company. The plant is to be built on the Santa Fe spur near the Chris Behl tract, east of town. It will cost, complete, about $4,30000 and will be considerably larger than the plant which burned down.

May 1916

The Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, Kansas) 26 May 1916, Fri

Fabulous Find

Do you use Ancestry.com in your genealogy research? If so, have you checked out one of their newest sources of shaky leaf hints: Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current? Randy Searver’s instructions on how to access just the hints from this one source in his Using the ‘Mining Ancestry.com Hints from a Specific Collection’ Tool makes it easy to pull these hints. 

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I’ve been using this tool with great success — but have gone one step further: filtering by name. Since my recent research has centered on the descendants of James and Rebecca (Anderson) Crawford, I entered one of the descendant’s surname: Guthrie.

By using the mining tool for the obituary index and filtering the results by the surname Guthrie, I found a fabulous obituary for William Anderson Guthrie:
William GuthriePark Leader, Dies
Former Senator Recently Honored at Clifty Falls Ceremony on 85th Birthday

Dupont, Ind., August 6 (spl.) — William A. Guthrie, age eighty-five, for many years a member of the Indiana conservation commission and a former state senator, died at his home here last night.He was one of the early leaders in forming the state park system and because of his activity in establishing Clifty Falls state park near Madison, a plaque was placed on the new south gateway of the park in his honor. It was unveiled with ceremonies on his eighty-fifth birthday anniversary, with Governor Paul V. McNutt as principal speaker.Mr. Guthrie was born in Dupont, May 13, 1851, the son of Anderson Crawford and Anne Wilson Guthrie. He received his education at College Hill and Moore’s Hill College, which is now Evansville College. He married Sarah Lewis on October 28, 1875. Mrs. Guthrie died in 1925 in Cairo, Egypt.Lifetime RepublicanMr. Guthrie, a lifetime Republican, was active in the affairs of councils in Indiana and was one of the small coterie of state senators who brought about the first election of Albert J Beveridge to the United State senate. During this session, Mr. Guthrie devoted much time to obtaining passage of the pure food bill. In 1908, he was a delegate to the Republican national convention and a presidential elector in 1916 and 1928. During the world war, he served as vice-president of food production in Indiana and a short time later was vice-president of the deep waterway commission of Indiana.Mr. Guthrie was a Baptist. He was a member of the Academy of Science, an honorary member of the Nature Study Club of Indiana and of the Rotary Club of Madison.Mr. Guthrie was a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, a member of the Odd Fellows, Mystic Shrine, Audubon Society, Columbia Club, Pioneer Society of Indiana and an honorary member of the Historical Society of Jefferson County.He served as vice-president of the Belt Railroad and Stock Yards Company and a member of the executive Committee. He held positions in the Fletcher Avenue Savings and Loan Association, the Guthrie-Thompson Company, the Federal Timber Company, and the Florida Orchard Company. He was president of the Freehold Company.For many years Mr. Guthrie had come to Dupont to spend the summer months at the family home here. He spent the greater part of the year at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis, where he had lived many years. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Lucy Guthrie Crecraft of Akron, O., five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. W. B. Guthrie, a grandson is proprietor of Turkey Run hotel at Turkey Run state park.
“William Guthrie, Park Leader, Dies,” The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, IN), 6 August 1936, page 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online October 2019). 

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Pauline E. Briles

Emporia Gazette
Wednesday, July 18, 1984
page 2 column 4-5

Film E1506

KS State Historical Society

Pauline E. Briles
Funeral services for Mrs. E. O.
Briles, who died Tuesday at her
apartment in Horizon Plaza, will
be held in the chapel of Roberts-
Blue-Barnett Funeral Home. Ser-
vices will be Friday at 10:30 A.M.
conducted by the Rev. William Im-
hoff of the Christian Church.
Burial will be in Memorial Lawn
Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be
made to the First Christian
Church, to which Mrs. Briles be-
longed, and may be sent in care of
the funeral home.
Pauline Edith Mentzer was born
March 28, 1896 at Yates Center,
the daughter of Charles O. and Net-
tie Wells Mentzer. She married
E. O. Briles on Oct. 29, 1915, at
Yates Center, and he died May 28,
1956. Mrs. Briles had lived in
Emporia since 1930.
She is survived by two daugh-
ters, Roberta Crawford, 2314 West
21st Ave., and Letha Doolittle of
San Bernadino, Calif.; a brother
Leslie Mentzer of Neosho Falls,
and 12 grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Briles was a member
of the Whittier Extension Home
Unite and the Birthday Club.
She was preceded in death by a
daughter, Barbara Thompson;
two sons, Walter Briles and Ken-
neth Briles; her parents and sever-
al brothers and sisters.