Rooks County
KSGenWeb
Please share your Family Group Sheet information, Descendents Chart, Photos, etc. of a Rooks county ancestor. Simply email your contribution to the Coordinator. Please allow us to include your email address for interested parties to contact you.
This picture (photograph about 1" X 1") was inside a Mother's Day card, which was inside a 1929 Stockton High School yearbook "The Prairie Dog." The back of the photograph is labeled Kenita Karel. Submitted by Brenda Reeder.
Brothers who played important roles in the early life of Rooks County were Jonathan W. and William Bradley Callender. Sons of Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Callender who left their native state of Pennsylvania to help develop a newer area, Iowa, the brothers inherited the same spirit of adventure which led them in adulthood to Kansas and settlement in Stockton where both lived out the remainder of their lives. J. W., as he came to be known, was the first to arrive in 1878. W. B. "Doc" Callender, who appears at this distance to have been the less aggressive of the two, came in 1889. Both were well educated: J. W. was a graduate of a Methodist Episcopal institution in Fayette, Iowa, and W. B. graduated from Iowa University, after which he gained medical education at Drake University. Both were members of the Congregational Church in Stockton, an early force for education in the area.
As one reviews accounts of the lives of the two, written at times of death, J. W. at age Seventy-seven and W. B. at sixty-nine, vastly different images emerge. J. W. appears to have been gregarious to an extreme. He brought a wife with him to Kansas. the former Sarah E. Gardner, and when no children came to the union, they opened their home to others, first to a niece, Lydia Callender, and later to an adopted daughter, Marguerite. J. W. was a prominent businessman, dabbling in many ventures. Prior to coming to Stockton he had been a school teacher, a superintendent of schools and an assistant county superintendent at Elgin, Iowa. In the new locality of Rooks he held many real estate interests, he helped organize the Exchange Bank of which he was president for a time, went on to hold various county offices, one of which was clerk of the district court. He was a loyal member and attendant of his church and of the social organizations to which he belonged, chief of which in his interest were Newahcuba Lodge No. 189, Stockton, of which he was a charter member, Solomon Valley Chapter No. 81 R.A.M. and the Order of the Eastern Star, membership in the Odd Fellows Lodge and the Rebekahs. He was widowed in 1913, did not remarry but continued to live a full and useful life until his health began to fail, at which time his adopted daughter, Marguerite, returned to care for him. Upon his death, the various organizations he had served were well represented and the Masonic Lodge had charge of the services at the grave side.
In contrast, W. B. "Doc" Callender never married, seemingly content to devote his life ministering to others. He might have been a successful surgeon, according to report, but preferred the more lowly office of general practitioner. His office was his home, he served as coroner of Rooks County and was county health officer. He practiced medicine for more than thirty years in Rooks County, gaining a reputation of unfailing devotion to his patients. Upon his death, those who had benefited from his ministrations bore witness to his efforts to heal the sick and to relieve the sufferings of the dying. However cold or stormy the day of the night, however muddy the roads, he was always available when the call came for his assistance, they said. An editorial written at the time of his death deplored the fact that he was lax in making collections for his services, and that many who could have did not pay. As a result, contrary to the good life enjoyed by his brother, "Doc" Callender had been forced to forego many of the comforts that money provides. The editorial ended thus: "He never considered the matter of pay and we are sorry to say scores if not hundreds of his patients did not consider it, either." Those who did and those who did not pay came in respect to his memory in numbers that filled the church as did the floral offerings. Fittingly, the scripture chosen was taken from Matthew 25 - 34 and from the 14th chapter of Job, and, as they were to do for his brother, J. W., thirteen years later, the masons buried another of their own and along with them a vital part of Rooks County history.
Submitted by Bernice Brown
4-5-1906
The Barry Co
Iowa City - Iowa
Please mail to me your "eye medicine"
for horses for which you will find enclosed draft $2.00
JW Callender
Submitted by Brenda Reeder
Arvey (REED) GRAVES was ordinary man who lived in the Rooks county area for some of his life. His parents, Matthew William and Jemima L. (MCCLINSEY) REED moved the family moved the family to the Kansas area around 1890. They were originally from the Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, area. Arvey changed his name from REED to GRAVES when he was was adopted by the Martin L.GRAVES family and raised in Plainville. He went to school in Plainville. He served the military in the Kansas Home Guard. He died in Herrington Dickinson County, Kansas, 09 Sep 1919, when a train exploded and caught his clothing on fire. The obituary for Arvey shows that he was born in Plainsville, Rooks County, Kansas, 17 Dec 1890. He married Alice McPHAIL, and they had three children: Gretta, Hazel, and Helen. Arvey had an adopted sister named Bessie Rusella GRAVES, who married Aaron L. HARTER.
Submitted by Cmreed6@wmconnect.com
Milan Hinkhouse
son of Frank & Matilda (Belisle) Hinkhouse
Submitted by Nancy Arseneau
Milan and his mother, Matilda
1937 Holmes Home, in Woodston
My brother, Garry L. Holmes, was born in this house, and I grew up here. I lived in this house from when we moved to town until 1951, when I went into the service. --Harry Holmes, 2006
My mother, W. Maud (Orr) Holmes, was born on the original homestead (picture of the house built of sod and rock). I was also born on the Orr homestead northwest of Woodston, Kansas.
The first picture is of a house with one part sod and the other part rock. The original house on the homestead was sod. The rock portion was later added.
The next picture is after the sod portion of the house was removed and a 2-story frame addition was attached to the rock portion. This is the house in which I was born.
Submitted Oct 2006 by Harry Holmes
William R. POWELL, of Codell, is one of the very
influential citizens of that part of Kansas, a comparatively young man, but has
had a vast range of experience. His people were among the pioneer settlers of
Wallace County.
Mr. Powell was born in South Wales February 10, 1879. His
father, E. A. Powell, born at Radnorshire in South Wales in 1842, grew up and
married there, and for fourteen years of his early life was employed as a signal
man by a railroad company. In 1880 he first came to America, locating on a farm
at Ottumwa, Iowa. The following year he went back to Wales and conducted a
mercantile business in that country for several years. Selling out, he used the
capital realized from this experience to return to the United States in 1884 and
buy a farm near Ottumwa. From there he came to Kansas in 1887, locating in
Wallace County. He was the first settler between Wallace and Laoti. He
homesteaded 160 acres and for seventeen years kept that and farmed, and with
true Welsh industry and thrift developed his holdings until he owned 2,020
acres. Later he was for two years a merchant at Barnard, Kansas, and in 1907 he
bought a ranch ten miles southeast of Codell and lived there until his death in
1915. As an American citizen he voted republican. Mr. Powell at one time held
the office of township trustee. He was a very stanch Baptist, and was an
ordained deacon of that church for forty-two years. He also belonged to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. E. A. Powell married in his native land
Margaret Davis, born in Radnorshire, in 1844 and died at Codell, Kansas, in
1913. They were the parents of ten children, all except the youngest born in
Wales. Edward Albert, the oldest, became a farmer and died in Wallace County,
Kansas. Robert died in Wales at the age of nineteen. The third in age is William
R. Another son of the same name died in Wales at the age of fourteen. Johanna
died in Wales at the age of ten years. Mary Ann died at Little River, Kansas,
and was the wife of J. W. Woods, a farmer still living near Little River.
Margaret, who died at Barnard, Kansas, married Albert G. Ervin, an engineer with
the Santa Fe Railway Company, now residing at Newton, Kansas. Thomas died in
Wales at the age of six years. Peter died at the age of thirteen months on a
train while the family was coming west, and was buried at Dunkirk, New York.
John, who was born in Kirkville, Iowa, is a farmer near Codell.
William
R. Powell first attended public school at Glamorganshire, South Wales, and grew
to manhood on his father's farm in Wallace County, Kansas. At the age of
twenty-one he homesteaded 160 acres, and he farmed that place for sixteen years.
During that time he served as postmaster of Dinas and also conducted a country
store there for 2 1/2 years. Mr. Powell went to Codell in 1902. Thirty days
later he was appointed postmaster of the village by President Roosevelt. Two and
a half years later he resigned and helped his father establish a store at
Barnard. He remained there eight months and then for two years conducted a short
order restaurant at Codell. Mr. Powell in 1906 was appointed a rural mail
carrier in Rooks County, and for twelve years has faithfully performed his daily
round, and is one of the oldest men in the rural mail service in Western Kansas.
Mr. Powell has been an influential factor in the republican party for
several years. During the time of Governor W. E. Stanley he served as sergeant
at arms in the State Legislature. He was also sergeant at arms in the National
Republican Convention when Theodore Roosevelt was nominated for president. Mr.
Powell is a deacon in the Baptist Church, is secretary of Codell Lodge No. 418,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, is past grand of Codell Lodge No. 600,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been a representative to the Grand
Lodge and on the committee of appeal of the Grand Lodge. He is also affiliated
with Codell Lodge No. 4064, Brotherhood of American Yeomen.
Mr. Powell
was state president of the Kansas Association of Rural Mail Carriers two years,
1914-16, and for eight years has been a delegate to every national convention of
the mail carriers. He has a pleasant home in Codell, comprising a residence and
three acres of ground.
Mr. Powell married in Wichita County, Kansas, Miss
Cora Baldwin, daughter of W. S. and Leah (Byerly) Baldwin. Her parents live at
Codell, her father being manager of the creamery station there. Mr. and Mrs.
Powell are the parents of four children: Thomas B., who is studying osteopathy
while working as a railway mail clerk with headquarters at Kansas City. Bessie
is a clerk in the postoffice store at Codell. William E. and Leah are both
students in the public schools.
Submitted by Jan Simpson Reading of Denver, Colorado, transcribed from A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans, written and compiled by William E. Connelley, Secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka. [Revised ed.] Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1919, c1918. 5 v. (xlviii, 2530 p., [155] leaves of plates): ill., maps (some fold.), ports.; 27 cm.
This family is related to the George Washington & Mahalah (HAMMOND) ROGERS
family. --James Gillespie
Our best guess is the portrait of Charles & Calista (ROGERS) VANDERLIP with some of their children, possibly Ida and Nellie, Sarah, William, Jay, and Ray. Please let us know if you can help identify this family.
George Washington ROGERS was born 4 Mar 1829, in Orange County, Indiana.
He was the youngest son of Elijah Sr. and Wilmouth (GRIFFIN) ROGERS.
His father's will left George under his brother,
Elijah's, care until he reached age 21. Soon after their father's death in about
1840, they moved from Ripley County, Indiana, to Rock Island County, Illinois.
George married Mahalah HAMMOND 09 Feb 1854, and they had 12 children:
William, Elijah, Andrew, George, Delaus, Calista, Allen, Jonathan, Elizabeth,
twins Rachel and Wilson, and Leander.
George joined the 126th Illinois
Infantry, Company B, 11 Aug 1862, at Buffalo Prairie, Rock Island County,
Illinois. He was mustered in on 4 Sep 1862. He was in the siege at Vicksburg
from May to July 1863, without suffering an injury. He was mustered out with the
rank of Sergeant 12 Jul 1865.
George, his wife and 8 children left
Illinois in 1870 and traveled to Kansas in two covered wagons drawn by teams of
oxen. They first settled in Washington County, moving to Smith County in 1875,
then to Ash Rock Township, Rooks County in 1878. George and Mahalah were two of
the thirteen founding member of the Ash Rock Church in Ash Rock Township, 25 Mar
1878. George farmed in Ash Rock, most of his life. Mahalah died in 1901. George
lived the last two years of his life in Colorado. He died 22 Jan 1912, in Rooks
County, during a return visit to Kansas.
Calista Sarah ROGERS was born in
Rock Island, Illinois, the 6th child and eldest daughter of George and Mahalah.
She married Charles Sealey VANDERLIP 10 Dec 1882. She helped to raise two
stepdaughters, Ida and Nellie, as well as 10 of her own children: Sarah,
William, Jay, Ray, Bessie, Guy, Emma, Orville, and Etta (another child died
young). In 1900, Charles and Calista operated their farm, raising grain and
livestock. They were active in the community and were members of the Ash Rock
Congregational Church and worked in the Sunday School. Charles served on the
school board, township board, and served for a time as Rooks County Clerk.
Calista devoted her life to her role as wife and mother. According to family,
she died at age 94 from "shock" after breaking her arm in a fall.
1885 Census - VANDERLIP
1900 Census - ROGERS
1900 Census - VANDERLIP
1910 Census - VANDERLIP
Portrait contributed by James Gillespie. Census images courtesy of FamilySearch.
Mary Ann (Morison) Steeples
Born 20 Oct 1847 in Newhaven, Edinburgh, Scotland
Married Francis Oliphant Steeples 8 May 1872 in Edinburgh, Scotland
Died 11 Jun 1929 in Pueblo, Colorado (buried in Loveland, Co.)
Francis and Mary Ann settled in Rooks Co. in 1879 ... (family mentioned in the book,
"Lest We Forget", Vol 2, pages 524-526, story written and submitted by their
granddaughter, Edith Steeples Whisman, 1980: … doctors then called "stone
cutters consumption." He was advised to come to Kansas for his health, arriving
in Rooks County in the spring of 1879, after coming to Fort Hays by train,
purchasing a team and wagon there, and hauling all their worldly goods to the
place he took as a homestead. They built a sod house on the southeast corner of
the SE 1/4 of Section 25 in Northampton Township, Rooks County, Kansas).
Francis died unexpectedly when he caught pneumonia, and died April 29, 1881.
Burial was in the Pleasant View Cemetery, Palco, Kansas. Francis left his wife,
Mary Ann and their two little ones.
Mary Ann remarried a George "Samuel"
Burns, and had three more children: George Henry Burns, Jr., Ethel Mary Burns,
and Olive May Burns. All the children were born in Rooks Co., KS. --Pam Marks
Left to right: Frank MEADE or MEAD and DJ STEEPLES, cousins.
David James STEEPLES (on the right), son of Francis Oliphant and Mary Ann (MORISON)
STEEPLES. "DJ" was born 27 Jan 1873 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He died
24 Apr 1953, in Rooks County, Kansas. His family arrived in Palco, Rooks County,
Kansas, in 1879. --Pam Marks
Left to right: Nellie STEEPLES, with her children Hollis Joseph KROETCH and
Juanita Josephine KROETCH.
Helen Isabelle "Nellie" STEEPLES was born in
Zurich, Rooks County, Kansas, on September 27, 1879, daughter of Francis
Oliphant and Mary Ann (MORISON) STEEPLES. Nellie married John Baptist Henry
KROETSCH in 1901 in Plainville, Rooks County, and they moved to Harrison,
Kootenai County, Idaho. Nellie divorced J. B. KROETCH after having her two
children, and moved back to Rooks County, Kansas. Nellie later moved out to the
west coast, returning to Kansas to visit relatives as often as she could. Nellie
is buried in Pleasant View Cemetery, Rooks County, Kansas. --Pam Marks
I checked for anyone named "Still" in the 1880
Federal Census for Kansas - no luck for a match.
I checked for anyone
named "Still" in the 1880 census with a birth year of 1857: Fred Still, age 22,
born in Iowa was listed as the step-son of John F. "Calendar", age 67, born in
Pennsylvania, a farmer in Bradford Township, Chickasaw County, Iowa. John's wife
was Anne, age 50, born in Ohio.
Backtracking to 1870, Bradford Township,
Iowa: John Callender (age 58, B. Penn.) and his wife Ann (age 40, B. Ohio) other
Callender's (ages 19 - 9mos, B. Penn/Illinois/Iowa) and Fred "Hill"(age 13). (J.
W."Calender", age 24, B. Penn., was working as a schoolteacher in Auburn
Township, Fayette County, Iowa).
1860, Bradford Township: John F.
Callender, age 48, B. Penn. - household included Hannah Callender, age 46, B.
Penn. and John (25), Albert (21), Jonathan (17), Montgomery (9), Louis (7) - all
born in Penn., plus William, age 5, b. in Illinois.
I cannot find the
Still family in the 1860 census, but two trees posted on Ancestry.com (by
deannedriscoll@cableone.net and miller5235@comcast.net ) have the following
info:
Ann Langdon married Franklin P. Still in Boone, Illinois, on July 1, 1853. Their son, Fred P. Still was born in Chickasaw, Iowa, on Dec. 3, 1857. Franklin P. Still died about 1865 at Vicksburg, Mississippi (another record says he died of disease there on July 17, 1863 - ironically, my own great-great grandfather died there at about the same time, of disease).
John Franklin Callender married Hannah S. Harned in Luzerne County, Penn. on Jan. 24, 1833. They had ten children - the fifth son was Jonathan W., born Nov. 2, 1845 in Huntington, Luzerne County, Penn.
A cemetery transcription record on the
Chickasaw County, Iowa, USGenWeb site says that Hannah died in 1865. (John F.
Callender, who died in 1894, is buried in the same cemetery.)
Anne Still
married John Callender in Chickasaw County on April 1, 1866. They had three
children together. Anne died in North Dakota on Nov. 24, 1905.
The 1880
Census lists Fred Still as a single male (not married or widowed).
Confusingly, The FamilySearch.org site shows F P Still married 14 Nov 1883 in
Mitchell, Iowa, to Dora E. Drake, born on May 31, 1862, in Osage, Mitchell
County, Iowa. However, it also lists her as dying in Stockton in 1871. Go
figure.
So, F. P. Still was Jonathan's step-brother ...
Contributed by kristeenealogy@cox.net
Copyright © 1996 - The USGenWeb® Project, KSGenWeb, Rooks County
Design by Templates in Time
This page was last updated
08/07/2024