Unsubscribe ----- Original Message ----- From: ~DITSY~ <Flower2@sofnet.com> To: <KSNORTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 7:12 AM Subject: Re: [KSNORTON] Defunct Norton County towns - Gath and Hanback > Ok, thanks Ardie > > Ditsy > > National Domestic Violence Hot Line (1-800-799-SAFE) > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Ardie & Greg Grimes <agrimes@inetnebr.com> > To: <KSNORTON-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 1:10 PM > Subject: Re: [KSNORTON] Defunct Norton County towns - Gath and Hanback > > > > He is the author of the book "Kansas Post Offices". There is no > > biographical information in the book except in 1961 when the book > > was published he was living in Liberal, KS. The book was > > published by the Kansas State Historical Society. You could try > > contacting them for more information. Good Luck, Ardie > > > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > To subscribe to the list, send a NEW e-mail > message to: KSNORTON-L-request@rootsweb.com or > KSNORTON-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode) > with only one word in the body: subscribe > > ============================== > Free Web space. ANY amount. ANY subject. > RootsWeb's Freepages put you in touch with millions. > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/acctform.cgi > > _____NetZero Free Internet Access and Email______ http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html

He is the author of the book "Kansas Post Offices". There is no biographical information in the book except in 1961 when the book was published he was living in Liberal, KS. The book was published by the Kansas State Historical Society. You could try contacting them for more information. Good Luck, Ardie ~DITSY~ wrote: > > Ardie, who was the Robert W. Baughman you mentioned below? Did he live in > Norton? I have just found that name in the family. > > Ditsy > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Ardie & Greg Grimes <agrimes@inetnebr.com> > To: <KSNORTON-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 2:48 AM > Subject: [KSNORTON] Defunct Norton County towns - Gath and Hanback > > > The Gath post office was established 21 Feb 1902 with Elizabeth > > C. Campbell as postmistress. It was discontinued 14 Oct. 1903. > > > > Gath was name of an ancient Biblical city, supposedly the > > hometown of Goliath, one of the five royal cities of Philistine. > > There was also a town named Gath in Fleming County, Kentucky. > > Other than these little factoids, I know nothing about Gath. If > > anyone out there has any information, please let us know. > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > Hanback was located near the Kansas Nebraska border in Aldine > > township on Dry Creek. Changes in township boundaries place this > > in the current Harrison township. > > > > The Hanback post office was established 04 March 1884 with the > > first postmaster, Devillo R. Blanding. The post office was > > formerly called Reagle. You can see the Reagle location at > > http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/graphics/maps/norton.jpg > > The Hanback post office was discontinued 31 Dec. 1892. > > > > Hanback was named for Lewis Hanback, a Civil War veteran, Topeka > > lawyer, served in the Kansas House, and served three terms as > > representative of the Sixth Kansas District. See > > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioh/hanbacl2.html > > or > > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioh/hanbacl.html > > > > The only other settler I find mention of in the Hanback area were > > Mr. & Mrs. John Case, who lived in Furnas County, NE near Hanback > > from 1873 to 1877, when they moved to Norton. The 1900 plat map > > has the following names in the immediate vicinity: James > > Montague, Sarah J. Montague, Sarah M. Stamey, Henry Hatfield, > > Mark Smith, G. W. Hubbard, J. H. Rising, S. E. Renner, J. T. > > Smith, Robert Taylor. > > > > Any additional information you may have about Hanback would be > > welcome. > > > > Kansas" by F. M. Lockard, Kansas Post Offices by Robert W. > > Baughman, and "Seventy Years in Norton County, Kansas" by D. N. > > Bowers.> Info from "The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, > > > > > > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > > Check the KS GenWeb Queries for Norton County, Kansas at > > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/norton/queries.htm > > For more recent queries, be sure to click on "Use our new query system" at > the top of the page > > > > ============================== > > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ > > > > > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > Check the RootsWeb Queries bulletin board for Norton County, Kansas at > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ks/Norton > > ============================== > The RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Tens of millions of individuals... and counting. > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/

Ok, thanks Ardie Ditsy National Domestic Violence Hot Line (1-800-799-SAFE) ----- Original Message ----- From: Ardie & Greg Grimes <agrimes@inetnebr.com> To: <KSNORTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 1:10 PM Subject: Re: [KSNORTON] Defunct Norton County towns - Gath and Hanback > He is the author of the book "Kansas Post Offices". There is no > biographical information in the book except in 1961 when the book > was published he was living in Liberal, KS. The book was > published by the Kansas State Historical Society. You could try > contacting them for more information. Good Luck, Ardie

The Gath post office was established 21 Feb 1902 with Elizabeth C. Campbell as postmistress. It was discontinued 14 Oct. 1903. Gath was name of an ancient Biblical city, supposedly the hometown of Goliath, one of the five royal cities of Philistine. There was also a town named Gath in Fleming County, Kentucky. Other than these little factoids, I know nothing about Gath. If anyone out there has any information, please let us know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hanback was located near the Kansas Nebraska border in Aldine township on Dry Creek. Changes in township boundaries place this in the current Harrison township. The Hanback post office was established 04 March 1884 with the first postmaster, Devillo R. Blanding. The post office was formerly called Reagle. You can see the Reagle location at http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/graphics/maps/norton.jpg The Hanback post office was discontinued 31 Dec. 1892. Hanback was named for Lewis Hanback, a Civil War veteran, Topeka lawyer, served in the Kansas House, and served three terms as representative of the Sixth Kansas District. See http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioh/hanbacl2.html or http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioh/hanbacl.html The only other settler I find mention of in the Hanback area were Mr. & Mrs. John Case, who lived in Furnas County, NE near Hanback from 1873 to 1877, when they moved to Norton. The 1900 plat map has the following names in the immediate vicinity: James Montague, Sarah J. Montague, Sarah M. Stamey, Henry Hatfield, Mark Smith, G. W. Hubbard, J. H. Rising, S. E. Renner, J. T. Smith, Robert Taylor. Any additional information you may have about Hanback would be welcome. Info from "The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas" by F. M. Lockard, Kansas Post Offices by Robert W. Baughman, and "Seventy Years in Norton County, Kansas" by D. N. Bowers.

A copy of "The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas by F. M. Lockard is for sale on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&tc=ps&item=375419287 Good luck to you all! Ardie

Ardie, who was the Robert W. Baughman you mentioned below? Did he live in Norton? I have just found that name in the family. Ditsy ----- Original Message ----- From: Ardie & Greg Grimes <agrimes@inetnebr.com> To: <KSNORTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 2:48 AM Subject: [KSNORTON] Defunct Norton County towns - Gath and Hanback > The Gath post office was established 21 Feb 1902 with Elizabeth > C. Campbell as postmistress. It was discontinued 14 Oct. 1903. > > Gath was name of an ancient Biblical city, supposedly the > hometown of Goliath, one of the five royal cities of Philistine. > There was also a town named Gath in Fleming County, Kentucky. > Other than these little factoids, I know nothing about Gath. If > anyone out there has any information, please let us know. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Hanback was located near the Kansas Nebraska border in Aldine > township on Dry Creek. Changes in township boundaries place this > in the current Harrison township. > > The Hanback post office was established 04 March 1884 with the > first postmaster, Devillo R. Blanding. The post office was > formerly called Reagle. You can see the Reagle location at > http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/graphics/maps/norton.jpg > The Hanback post office was discontinued 31 Dec. 1892. > > Hanback was named for Lewis Hanback, a Civil War veteran, Topeka > lawyer, served in the Kansas House, and served three terms as > representative of the Sixth Kansas District. See > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioh/hanbacl2.html > or > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/bioh/hanbacl.html > > The only other settler I find mention of in the Hanback area were > Mr. & Mrs. John Case, who lived in Furnas County, NE near Hanback > from 1873 to 1877, when they moved to Norton. The 1900 plat map > has the following names in the immediate vicinity: James > Montague, Sarah J. Montague, Sarah M. Stamey, Henry Hatfield, > Mark Smith, G. W. Hubbard, J. H. Rising, S. E. Renner, J. T. > Smith, Robert Taylor. > > Any additional information you may have about Hanback would be > welcome. > > Kansas" by F. M. Lockard, Kansas Post Offices by Robert W. > Baughman, and "Seventy Years in Norton County, Kansas" by D. N. > Bowers.> Info from "The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, > > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > Check the KS GenWeb Queries for Norton County, Kansas at > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/norton/queries.htm > For more recent queries, be sure to click on "Use our new query system" at the top of the page > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/ > >

Hi Jean, Obviously you already have the text from "The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas". I don't have any information here at home about cemeteries/burials in Norton. Try writing to Walta Russ, Norton County Genealogy Society, 322 West Lincoln, Norton KS 67654-1942. She does ask for a small donation for the genealogy society, and she does NOT have email or internet access. Once you have a date of death for the children, you can order newspapers on microfilm from Kansas State Historical Society. See their web site at http://www.kshs.org/library/news.htm The newspaper would probably be the best source for information about the scarlet fever epidemic. Good luck, Ardie Admin. - Norton County, Kansas Mailing List Admin. - Norton County, Kansas GenConnect Bulletin Boards http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ks/Norton Jean & Ramsey Thiel wrote: > > Am looking for information concerning my great-grandfather: > Dr. William David LITTLE, who practiced medicine in Lenora and Norton, > KS from 1878 to 1893-4. > In 1879 he was elected Norton Co., Treasurer serving one term. > In 1881 he and his wife Louisa lost 5 children in the Norton, KS scarlet > fever epidemic. Another died later in Norton. > In 1889 he was appointed to the position of County Pension Manager. > Family lived on a farm 5 miles west of Norton. > > Also would like information concerning the 1881 scarlet fever epidemic > in Norton, KS., and the cemetery where their 6 children were buried. > Children were: > Mary Ann b. 13 Apr 1874 > Floyd, b. 1 May 1875 > Willie Carle, b. 11 Jul 1876 > Frank Mayo, b. 5 May 1880 > Walter Edwin, b. Nov 1881 > Charence Raymond, b. 2 Feb 188? > > Thank you for your help. > > Jean M. Thiel > jjoner@bright.net > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > To subscribe to the list, send a NEW e-mail > message to: KSNORTON-L-request@rootsweb.com or > KSNORTON-D-request@rootsweb.com (for digest mode) > with only one word in the body: subscribe > > ============================== > Join the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project: > Linking the world, one GEDCOM at a time. > http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/

Am looking for information concerning my great-grandfather: Dr. William David LITTLE, who practiced medicine in Lenora and Norton, KS from 1878 to 1893-4. In 1879 he was elected Norton Co., Treasurer serving one term. In 1881 he and his wife Louisa lost 5 children in the Norton, KS scarlet fever epidemic. Another died later in Norton. In 1889 he was appointed to the position of County Pension Manager. Family lived on a farm 5 miles west of Norton. Also would like information concerning the 1881 scarlet fever epidemic in Norton, KS., and the cemetery where their 6 children were buried. Children were: Mary Ann b. 13 Apr 1874 Floyd, b. 1 May 1875 Willie Carle, b. 11 Jul 1876 Frank Mayo, b. 5 May 1880 Walter Edwin, b. Nov 1881 Charence Raymond, b. 2 Feb 188? Thank you for your help. Jean M. Thiel jjoner@bright.net

Fair Haven was located in the NE quarter of Sec 1, Township 3 South Range 21 West - see the map at http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/graphics/maps/norton.jpg Fair Haven (or Fairhaven) post office was established 30 July 1879 with Judson C. Wilson as the first postmaster. The post office was discontinued 29 Feb. 1904 and mail was sent to the Densmore office. Fairhaven consisted of a general store, post office, blacksmith shop, and cream and egg station, telephone switchboard, ice house, wagon scales and gasoline pump during its lifetime. The general store was operated by James Alderson Maddy and his family. James A. Maddy and wife Mary Catherine "Mollie" Bright Maddy, homesteaded 11 miles south of Almena in Sec 3, Twp 3 South, Range 21 West. About 1900 they moved about 1/2 mile east to a new home on the Densmore-Almena road. An addition to this new home became the general store in 1903. When J. A. Maddy died in 1935, his widow sold out and left the Fairhaven community. The Fairhaven blacksmiths were George Delana and Dave Saltzman. The Fair Haven Church of God was established about 1917. It was located about a half mile north of the store. The land was deeded on 17 Nov. 1917 by Charles O. Bailey to the trustees: J. W. Stewart, Jr., T. Neal, P. A. Harper, J. D. Wright and Sarah E. Glenn. After church gatherings, people assembled at the store to pick up a few groceries or catch up on on the neighborhood news. Many Sunday afternoon ball games were played on the field just north of the store, against teams from the Cactus Community, Prairie View and others. Other families in the immediate area of Fairhaven from a 1900 plat map include: J. C. Wilson, Aug. Zellmer, Leonard Bogart, E. C. Campbell, Frederick, William, August & Herman Roeder, John Birkholz, R. D. Irwin, C. W. Zellmer, W. T. McGlasson, J. E. Palmer, Chas. Suhr, L. S. Schesser, Y. H. Tromp, Geo. Eli, Harmon Kroes?, Martin Vander?, but the store apparently drew patronage from many miles around. This information was gleaned from "Seventy Years in Norton County" by D. N. Bowers, "Treasure the Memories: Almena Centennial 1893-1993" and an article from the Almena Plaindealer written by Leola Maddy Luft (June 1982)

Ardie, I would like to have you add a name to the list for Norton County searchers. I tried forwarding your site to her, but she hasn't been able to access it yet, so if you could contact her directly maybe it will get her started. Her name is Olive Keener, email Okeener@uswest.net or okeener@juno.com. She is an excellent researcher, has been at it 20 years at least, and has loads of interesting information about Norton, both City and County. She is most generous about sharing, and will surely be a great contributor to the Norton pages. I'll be sending more later, and am anxious to get working on this. Regards, Linda Gae Kelly Ballakelly@aol.com

The Edmond post office was established 03 June 1879 with Albert Weaver as postmaster. The post office was formerly named Port Landis. The post office in Edmond was discontinued on 20 March 1993; the last postmistress was Karen Walters who served from 22 Oct. 1988 to close. The plat for Edmond was filed 03 Sept. 1879 by John D. Edmond. Edmond was a young grocery salesman. He told Noah Weaver that he would include 1000 flour sacks in an order if he would call the town Edmond after him. Mr. Weaver did this and that same year started building the Edmond Mill which was completed in 1880. Purviance Addition was platted by E. S. Purviance and P. J. Purviance, his wife and filed for record 08 Sept. 1881. The railroad came to Edmond in 1881, and was the beginning of the "boom years" lasting until about 1887. Edmond was incorporated as a city of the third class on 04 April 1916. It's location is in Solomon township near the southwest corner of Section 9, Township 5 south, Range 22 West, or for those who prefer map directions - on State Highway 9 five miles west of Densmore, 15 miles west of Logan or 9 miles east of Lenora. An electric light plant was built in 1919, using the old Mill for the plant and operating on water power during the afternoons. This provided the only service until 1931, when the city was connected to a line running from Lenora. A rural high school district was formed in 1921, with more than 80 students. This district unified with Lenora in 1958, with the elementary school remaining a few years longer. The earliest settler to the area was Dan MacLaren, who came to Norton County to trap in 1870, at age 50. The first year he trapped along the Solomon River and caught over eighty otter, on what he named Otter Creek, four miles northwest of Edmond. Other early settlers to the Edmond area included Evan S. Purviance, John Landis, Noah Weaver, E. P. Davidson, Mr. Lock, William Wells, J. T. Smith, M. J. Kelley, James Lobsitz, Albin Cox, Otto M. Dannevik, Fred A. Barlow, J. W. Langford, Kuney Sage, David Ferris, Elijah Graham, James F. Wray, Chester Conkley, C. L. Hazlett, Mullen family, O'Connor family, Arva Sproul, Rev. Bonnet (of Lenora), Perry L. Cobb. Later comers included McNeive family, Dr. G. M. Jaquiss, Roy Woodward, J. H. Stephenson, Roy Deever, F. W. Nelson, I. P. Williams, C. D. Sanborn, E. C. Edgar, H. Jones, A. Personnett, J. W. Woodward, C. C. Bishop, W. T. Newbold, C. H. Merriweather, H. C. Pace, J. A. Weatherly, L. A. Newbold, J. W. Conarty, W. W. Boyd, Geo. Cowling, Staus, Rockover, Spurlin, Alsdorf, Boling, Coursey, Grover Smith, Walser, Woodruff and Conklin. Resources for Edmond information include "Seventy Years in Norton County, Kansas" by D. N. Bowers, "The Desert's Hidden Wealth" by William Wells and "The Times of Edmond Kansas & Some Densmore, 1886-1974" compiled by Walta Hunter Russ. The first two books are out of print, but can usually be obtained through interlibrary loan. The Norton Genealogy Society "MAY" have copies of Walta's book for sale - they have been doing limited printings and I don't know just how many are left. Their address is Norton Genealogy Society, 1 Washington Square, Norton, Kansas 67654.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much information is available about Devizes. I had a hard time deciding what to include and what to leave out. Sources of this information are listed below. You should be able to interlibrary loan these books through your local library, and the newspaper microfilm is available for interlibrary loan from the Kansas State Historical Society. Devizes Post Office was established 04 March 1874 and discontinued 15 April 1926. The first postmaster was Reuben Bisbee, Sr. The town was platted by Reuben and Lucinda Marvin and the plat was filed 04 Jan 1890. I don't find a source here at home with the legal description for the town of Devizes. If any of you out there have the section, township and range #, please post it for the rest of us. General location is the northeast corner of Crystal Township, about 2 miles south of the Nebraska/Kansas border. John C. Fremont was an early visitor to Devizes in June 1843, according to the Lockard book. Fremont named the Prairie Dog River (Creek), then continued on northwest and crossed the Sappa creek about where Devizes once stood. F. G. Adams of the Kansas State Historical Society visited Norton County in 1872, located Fremont's route from field notes left by the General and claimed that the old trail was plainly visible at that time. Both Lockard and Bowers say that the first settlement near Devizes was made in Dec. 1872, when Henry Zimmerman and Herbert Shaw settled on claims one mile west of Devizes. Charles Abernathy has Zimmerman & Shaw arriving in Sept. 1872, followed in December by P.F. Soverns and John O'Brian who settled on land two miles east of Devizes. John DeMott (Dermott in Bower's book) settled near Devizes in Dec. 1872. Other early settlers in 1872 were John Page and Victor Clark. Bowers says that Reuben Bisbee Sr. came from Canada in 1873 and settled south of Devizes while Abernathy says they arrived in 1875. Anyone out there with evidence? Also arriving in 1873 was Ira Applegate. Other settlers were Nelsons, Wm. Watts, Billy Page, Geo. Watters, Geo. Hannum, Seth Coats, John Brainard, Henry Lebeau and John Dopps. 1874 arrivals included Byron Wray and Lon Butler. The first store in the community was opened in the Bisbee home, where L. M. Sherburne kept a small stock of merchandise. Abernathy says that Sherburne sold out to E. C. Fortney, who operated the second mercantile business in a log shanty on DeMott's land. It was near the mill which was built by Colby Bates and John Lindsey in 1877. They hauled lumber and milling supplies overland from Lexington, Nebraska in a caravan with the round trip taking approximately three weeks. The mill burned after being in operation only 2 years and was never rebuilt. Reuben Marvin built a new store, also hauling lumber from Lexington. He purchased an empty warehouse, salvaged the lumber and built the store, about 30 x 60 feet. Investors in the building were Ed. I. Jones and John Van Cleave. Jones lived in the upper part of the new building. It is unclear when this building was built but it burned Sept 30, 1916. Other owner/operators of the store were Wyatt Brothers, Hill, E. J. Phipps, Ed I. Jones as receiver for Phipps, Jones & Ballew, Jones & Jenkins. The owner when the store burned in 1916 was Ira Jenkins, who rebuilt it and restocked merchandise. When rebuilt, the store was smaller, built over the basement of the old grocery department. It was run by a man named Deeter from Norcatur. Deeter sold out to Melvin Weed, who sold to Fred Shaw, who sold to Frank Applegate. Frank built a dance hall alongside the store building, but it was never successful. In the 1870's, Devizes' doctor was Phoebe Briggs, wife of John Story Briggs who was a licensed Indian trader. Other names associated with Devizes include Will Jones for whom a creek was named. Jones came in 1874, looking for a suitable place to settle. During a thunderstorm, he took refuge under his wagon and accidently shot himself. He was buried in a coffin made of the sideboards of his wagon. Yet others include Wm. McGuire, Dr. Newton, Mr. Collins (supposedly son of Phoebe Briggs and sheriff of Furnas County for 8 years), Herman Manley, William Watson, E.J. Phillips, James Martin, Foote, H. B. Hannum, George A. Hannum, Porter, Nelson, Maggard, Dey, Fawcett, Wycoff, Utterback, Hudsonpillar, I. P. Burke, Archie Hewitt, Joseph Collins, Fred Foote, Mary H. Deal, George C. Post, and Michael O'Toole. I'm sure this is not an exhaustive list - if I left out your family, please post a message and let us know. The Devizes school, District No. 17 was first taught during the fall and winter of 1878-79. J. C. Pettyjohn was the first teacher in the sod school house, located west of the "present" school house. Sources (1) Kansas Post Offices by Robert W. Baughman (2) Seventy Years in Norton County by D. N. Bowers (3) The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas by F. M. Lockard (4) Devizes by Charles Abernathy (5) 1916 Historical Edition Norton County News

from Norton Daily Telegram 15 July 1981, p. 4 "The storm which swept through Norton County recently wrote 'finis' to one of the last remaining evidences of the former 'Devizes' community. The one-room rural Devizes school burned to the ground when it was struck by lightning. The school house was on land now owned by Cecil McMullen and located nine miles west of Norton, 11 north and one east. The building had been unoccupied for a number of years. The last annual school report for Devizes School District No. 17 on file at the Register of Deeds office was for the school year 1946."

Hi Janice where are you from? what families are you researching? Ardie Donald Patterson II wrote: > > The article you wrote is so real! Thanks!!! > It's so sad to see our small towns like Densmore slowly disapear . > > Janice > from another small Kansas town > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > Take a look at the Norton County, Kansas GenWeb page at > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/norton/index.htm > > ============================== > Search ALL of RootsWeb's mailing lists in real time. > RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing Lists: > http://pml.rootsweb.com/

Yes that article was really interesting. I personally would like to see more of this kind of thing published. I have a request, as a matter of fact. My grandparents were married in Fairhaven church by Reverend Cumbow. Would love to know the background of this church. Was it in a town etc> Thanks Judy Donald Patterson II wrote: > The article you wrote is so real! Thanks!!! > It's so sad to see our small towns like Densmore slowly disapear . > > Janice > from another small Kansas town > > ==== KSNORTON Mailing List ==== > Take a look at the Norton County, Kansas GenWeb page at > http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/norton/index.htm > > ============================== > Search ALL of RootsWeb's mailing lists in real time. > RootsWeb's Personalized Mailing Lists: > http://pml.rootsweb.com/

The article you wrote is so real! Thanks!!! It's so sad to see our small towns like Densmore slowly disapear . Janice from another small Kansas town

This is the town where I grew up, so I am biased here. Bear with me and I'll try not to overwhelm you all. The Densmore Post Office was established 20 December 1880. The first postmistress was Elizabeth E. Densmore. The post office was located in a dugout near the bank of the Solomon River. Nora Mullen served as postmistress from about 1922 to March 1952. Henry Lohrmeyer served as acting postmaster from March - November 1952 when he was appointed postmaster. Hank retired on 04 April, 1980. Karen Walters served from 12 July 1980 to the closing of Densmore Post Office on 22 Oct. 1988. Jess Bauguess served as rural letter carrier for 40 years until 1950. Homer Bernard was appointed 17 April 1950 and served until a route consolidation resulted in his transfer to Stockton, Kansas on 24 April 1976. After the route consolidation, the west part of the Densmore route was served by Lawrence Hake, out of the Lenora office; and the east part of the route was served by Max Donahey, out of the Logan office. On 28 February 1980 another route consolidation took place and the entire area was served by Lawrence Hake out of the Lenora office. Subsequently, the route has become a "highway contract route" - which are put up for bid to private contractors. Previously, the post office serving this area of the county was the West Union Post Office. It was established on 24 June 1874 with Alfred J. Coleman as postmaster. The name change took place as mentioned before on 20 Dec 1880. The West Union Post Office was located about 2 1/4 miles east of Densmore. Densmore was laid out and platted by Thomas J. Densmore who settled in 1874. The plat was drawn 13 April 1881 and filed 01 July 1881. Manville and Heck Addition was platted by Albert M. Manville and Mrs. M. J. Heck on 27 June 1885 and filed for record the same day. An article from the Norton County People, 07 July 1881 states: "...they are expecting a rush upon the completion of the railroad to that place. A steam saw-mill has just been located there by Messrs. Wiltrout, Hanson and Company. The store is under the sole control of Robert Coats, who by good bargains and agreeable manners is building up an extensive trade." >From the advent of the railroad to about 1930, Densmore was apparently quite a thriving little community. A hotel was built there in 1886 by Sam Baxter, and was still standing as late as 1951. Other businesses included a general store run first by Albert Manville; a hardware store first owned by O. B. Cackley; a livery barn (A. C. Berch), a restaurant, a blacksmith (Jim Reins), a lumber yard (Archer), a Farmers Union store and creamery, an elevator (built 1905) and stockyards. Missouri Pacific established a depot at Densmore late in 1909. December 1909 saw the opening of the "new" C. E. "Charlie" Campbell store. The Farmers State Bank was organized in 1909; it closed about 1932. In March of 1910, the town gained a new barber shop and a harness shop. 1910 saw the Mann Mercantile Company (Gene Mann). In 1924, Charles Sullivan was the barber who also did cleaning and pressing. Businesses in the 1950's and later that I remember include the Kitzke general merchandise/grocery store (burned down); hardware store (after Kitzke store burned they had a small stock of groceries), managed by Ivan & Louveta Boyd; Home Lumber Coal & Grain (Leland Archer); Densmore Garage (Homer Bernard) and Walters Oil Company (Ray Walters), plus the Mo-Pac depot still had an agent, Mildred Vest. The first frame school was built in 1885; a two-story school of cement blocks was built in 1909 - it was condemned and another was frame building was built about 1915. A two story brick grade school was in use by 1925; it was used until the grade school closed (about 1968-70). The high school was started the second semester of the 1922-23 school year in a vacant house. The brick high school building was completed for the 1923-24 school year. There was one graduate in the class of 1924, Averill Loughry Smith. The last graduating class was the class of 1965. The Free Methodist church was established about 1880, meeting first in homes and the schoolhouse. Their first building of limestone was built in 1902; a brick building was completed in 1930. The church closed its doors circa 1960. The first Catholic mass in Densmore was celebrated in 1878. The early parishioners gathered in homes until the first building was built in 1899. A modern native rock church was completed in 1948, and the old church was then used as a church hall for social gatherings. In 1968, the old church hall was replaced with a modular building. The church has since been closed. Today, Densmore is truly a ghost town with old buildings falling down, weed covered streets, and a only a few residents. But it is still "home" to me.

Some hints about researching in Norton County: (1)The courthouse hours are 8 am - 12 noon and then 1 - 5 pm Monday thru Friday. The Register of Deeds office has land records, a few cemetery records and some school records. The County Clerk's office has birth and death records. The Clerk of the District Court office has marriage and divorce records, plus naturalization records. The Probate Court office has probate records and civil court records. (2) The book collection and research of the Norton County Genealogy Society is located in the Kansas history room of the Norton Public Library. Their hours are Monday thru Thursday - 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Friday - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday - 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed on all major holidays. If you want any help with their resources, the best bet is to contact Walta Russ, the society's researcher, ahead of time and have her meet you there. She does not have email; her snail mail address is 322 W. Lincoln, Norton, KS 67654. (3) The genealogy society has hard copies of Norton newspapers (you may NOT photocopy them), but also has microfilm of area newspapers and a reader printer that makes excellent copies. Sometimes it is easier on the eyes to read the hard copy, find the obit or marriage announcement, note the date and page number, then go to the microfilm and make a copy. (4) An index to the Norton City Cemetery is at the genealogy society. Many of the smaller cemeteries have erected on-site indexes to assist family and researchers. As usual, these indexes include existing stones and do not necessarily include information on ALL burials in the cemetery. (5) The Historical Society also has a museum in the old Carnegie library. They also have a filing cabinet filled with historical information collected through the years. I don't have a brochure with their hours - just ask at the library or courthouse and someone can tell you or will call someone who knows. Hope this helps, Ardie

The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas by F. M. Lockard makes reference to John C. Latham, born in CT 12 Oct 1839. Are M's and N's sometimes confused in the Lathan name? Let me know if you want the text about John Latham. Ardie

Hi, my name is Curtis Lathan and I'm new to the list. I have direct ties to Norton county through three families. The first are the ALLENs and LATHANs. I will be visiting Norton June 1-3 to research the LATHAN families. Any information you can provide about the LATHAN families will be appreciated. Curtis Lathan Lathan Family Connections 2385 N. Academy Blvd. PMB 256 Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Voice: (719) 271-0557 E-Fax: (801) 730-0931 E-mail: Curtis@Lathan.org Web: www.Lathan.org 1) (My GGG-grandparents) Reuben R. ALLEN; b. 1818 in New York; d. November 28, 1878 in Norton, (Norton Co.) Kansas m. Almira ASHTON; b. August 19, 1824 in Pennsylvania; d. April 13, 1895 in Norton County, Kansas. They had 5 sons (Perry Levy, Emmit Josiah, Merritt Colonel, Scott Andrew, and John) and 3 daughters (Helen Almyra, Emma Jane, and Susan E.) all born in Pennsylvania and Iowa. 2) (My GG-grandmother) Helen Almyra ALLEN; b. June 28, 1850 in Powerstown, (Crawford Co.) Pennsylvania; d. October 22, 1925 in Norton, (Norton Co.) Kansas; buried October 1925 in Mount Hope Cemetery, Beaver City, Furnas Co., Nebraska. (A.) m. July 18, 1868 in Alamakee County, Iowa to Frank B. LATHAN; (My GG-grandfather) b. Abt. 1843 in Lewis County, New York; d. Abt. May 1899 in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Divorced Frank between 1880 and 1885 and moved to Norton Co., KS / Furnas Co., NE with their three sons: (i.) Perry Josiah; b. September 1873 in Iowa; d. Bef. 1925? (3)(ii.) John Leroy; b. May 10, 1874 in Rossville, (Allamakee Co.) Iowa d. December 09, 1932 in Wilsonville, (Furnas Co.) Nebraska (iii.) Charles Merritt. b. March 16, 1879 in Iowa d. January 01, 1940 in Portland, (Multomah Co.) Oregon (B) m. June 22, 1885 in Norton, (Norton Co.) Kansas to Milton Eugene McCORMICK; b. July 17, 1853 in Iowa; d. 1927 in Hastings, (Adams Co.) Nebraska. They had two daughters: (iv.) Rosa Elizabeth; b. March 28, 1886 in Beaver City, (Furnas Co.) Nebraska; d. March 29, 1975 in Colorado Springs, (El Paso Co.) Colorado) (v.) Almira Rachael; b. August 19, 1888 in Furnas Co., Nebraska; d. November 14, 1964 in Denver, (Denver Co.) Colorado 3) (My great-grandparents) John Leroy LATHAN; b. May 10, 1874 in Rossville, (Allamakee Co.) Iowa d. December 09, 1932 in Wilsonville, (Furnas Co.) Nebraska m. March 28, 1900 in Norton (Norton Co.), Kansas to Martha Ann BISBEE; b. February 11, 1880 in Devizes (Norton Co.) Kansas d. November 29, 1962 in Minatare, (Scotts Bluff Co.) Nebraska They had three children: (A) Forrest Merton LATHAN (My grandfather) b. May 10, 1904 in Caldwell, (Canyon Co.) Idaho d. October 07, 1952 in Minatare, (Scotts Bluff Co.) Nebraska (B) Bernice V. LATHAN b. Abt. 1907 in ???, Kansas d. 1934 in Wilsonville, (Furnas Co.) Nebraska (C) Franklin Eugene LATHAN b. February 17, 1909 in Beaver City (Furnas Co.) Nebraska d. April 1975 in Morrill, (Scottsbluff Co.) Nebraska The BISBEE side of my family also played a part in Norton County history. Reuben BISBEE was the founder of the now abandoned town of Devizes. He was also its first Postmaster. I've done a lot of research into the BISBEE history. 1) (My GGG-grandparents) Reuben BISBEE b. September 18, 1804 in Bellow Falls, (Windham Co.) Vermont d. January 28, 1887 in Devizes, (Norton Co.) Kansas m. January 04, 1826 in Crown Point, (Essex Co.) New York to Mary Jane ARMSTRONG b. January 02, 1807 in Connecticut d. April 02, 1892 in Devizes, (Norton Co.) Kansas They had 5 sons (Ebenezer Albert, James Barber, John Henry, George Armstrong, and the Rev. Reuben, Jr.) and 3 daughters (Mary Jane, Elizabeth, and Sarah (FINLEY) who was adopted). All of the children were born in Vermont or in Devizes, (Middlesex Co.) Ontario, Canada, which Reuben BISBEE also founded around 1830. Around 1875, Reuben and several of his children and grandchildren moved with him to Kansas. Mary Jane BISBEE married William U. NELSON on July 05, 1866 in Canada. Their children are listed in the 1885 Kansas Census, Rock Branch Twp, and include R. B., W., J. C., and Mary E. NELSON. George Armstrong BISBEE married Charlotte PATTISON in Canada. Their children include Ebenezer Albee, Elizabeth, Mary, William P., George Lawson, Margaret, and Charlotte. Reuben BISBEE Jr. married Hannah Burk on July 22, 1867 in Ontario, Canada. they are listed in the 1880 U.S. Census for Kansas, Norton Co., Rock Branch Twp. Their children include James Thomas, Charles Wesley, Mary Jane, Eunice Amelia, Millie, George Lawson, Reuben Ebenezer, Milton Haney, and Hannah Elizabeth. Elizabeth BISBEE married Archie HEWITT. Their children include Charlotte and George. 2) (My GG-grandparents) John Henry BISBEE b. 1832 in Devizes, (Middlesex Co.) Ontario, Canada d. 1882 in Devizes, (Norton Co.) Kansas m. August 23, 1865 in Ontario, Canada to Jennette MCFARLAND b. July 16, 1847 in London, Ontario, Canada d. July 11, 1906 in Rock Springs, Wyoming while traveling by train from Idaho back to Norton. (Jennette was remarried to John BURGIN in 1885 in Norton Co., Kansas. I don't believe they had any children.) John Henry and Jennette BISBEE had 3 sons (James B., Daniel, and Archie Thomas) and 5 daughters (Margery B., Mary C., Ella Jane, my great-grandmother Martha Ann, and a daughter who was unnamed in the 1885 Kansas Census, Norton Co., Rock Branch Twp.) Margery B. BISBEE married Taylor M. BURGIN on January 20, 1887 in Norton (Norton Co.), Kansas. Mary C. BISBEE married Edward L. EMERY on February 17, 1890 in Norton (Norton Co.), Kansas. their children include Archie, Claud, and William B.) Archie Thomas BISBEE married Ella MURPHY on December 27, 1905 in Phillipsburg, (Phillips Co.) Kansas.