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May 15, 1908

HE WALKS WITH THE

GHOSTS OF LONG AGO.

THOMAS REYNOLDS VISITS INDE-

PENDENCE AFTER 55 YEARS.

Ran Away When a Boy and Comes

Back to Find the Old Playfel-

lows -- "They Are All

Dead," Says He.

After the absence of fifty-five years Thomas Reynolds returned to Independence yesterday to refresh the memories of his youth. When 13 years of age he ran away, going West, and yesterday attempted to locate some of the old familiar spots, some of the old playgrounds.

"There was an old well here," said he, pointing to the southwest corner of the square, but some of the old inhabitants had even forgotten it. "I guess I am lost, or rather I am like the Indian when he came back to the old camping ground. 'Indian lost?' was asked of the brave. 'Indian not; wigwam lost,' was the answer of the Indian. That is my fix. Where is the Nebraska house?" No one knew until he ran up against James Peacock, a '49er, who told him that it, too, had changed and was now known as the Metropolitan hotel.

Mr. Reynolds is a son of Joseph Reynolds, long since dead and known only to a few of the older citizens of the old town. "I left Independence in 1853 and have never been back since. I just want to wander around the old town and see if it is possible after a half-century for a man to locate the old familiar places. There is no use talking, it gives me a strange feeling to come back to this place after having pictured in my mind for fifty years or more certain playgrounds. Then another thing -- nearly everybody I knew is dead, that is the worst of it. If I could come back and find them as they were there there would be some satisfaction, but they are gone.

"THERE WAS OLD MR. BEATTY."

"I suppose everybody who has been away from his old home for fifty years and goes back has the same experience. No doubt more than one man has gone up against just what I am doing today. There was old Mr. Beatty, who did business in jewelry away back there; how I remember he kicked a stovepipe hat with a brick in it and then sent for me to come and nurse him. I went over to see his son today -- the old man is dead, died many years ago, they told me. Judge Woodson, too, has passed away, and I met his son, a gray haired gentleman, today.

"I remember James Peacock. He left for the California gold fields before I, as a boy, left for Oregon. Nathaniel Landis is gone; in fact, they are all gone. Away over on that hill yonder," said Mr. Reynolds, "there used to be a house. A man named Wilson lived there; had a boy named Rufus. The old gentleman is gone, but his boy is older than I am. I remember Aubrey and his famous ride. Aubrey made two from Santa Fe. It was a great event. Then another fellow came through on a mule. Both of them went to sleep, the mule and the rider. That mule was the hardest thing to awaken I ever saw. No amount of kicking would bring him back to earth, and the man on top of him was sitting there astride and as fast asleep as the mule he rode. That was in front of the old Noland house. Place is all gone now.

"A SAD DAY FOR ME."

"I tell you, this is a sad day for me. Shatters all of the old-time pictures I have been carrying about with me in memory for fifty-five years. Sometimes I wished I had stayed away. Does not pay for an old man to do this way. I went down to the jail. Used to have a jailer in there every day or two, but the jail they have there now was built in 1859 and the old one is torn down. William Head is dead; his son is with the Metropolitan now. Very little satisfaction in coming back except to shatter youthful pleasures; it will do that all right enough."

Mr. Reynolds passed the entire day trying to place himself, and occasionally met with some of the passing generation of old men and then they would fall to chatting over things which belong to another generation several times removed. He visited the old home place of his father, Joseph Reynolds, one of the early day settlers.

Mr. Reynolds lives at Salem, Ore., where he is connected with the Wells-Fargo Express Company, having been with that company in the overland express business and later in the mail service.

Labels: Independence, Native Americans, pioneers, Seniors, visitors

May 13, 1908

HAD LIVED HERE 58 YEARS.

Francis Phillips, a Jackson County

Pioneer, Is Dead.

A citizen of Jackson county since 1850, Francis Phillips, father of Captain Thomas Phillips, license inspector, died yesterday at the home of the latter, aged 90 years.

Mr. Phillips was a native of Monahan county, Ireland, and came direct from there to Independence. On a farm one mile north of that city he lived for forty-five years and eighteen years ago came to Kansas City to reside with his son. Three other children survive him: Mrs. E. J. Cannon and Mrs. George Brangin of this city, and Frank Phillips, living near Olathe, Kas., who was formerly a member of the Missouri legislature.

The burial is to be in Independence cemetery tomorrow forenoon, after services at the home, 3540 Central street, at 8:30 o'clock, and at St. Aloysius church, Eleventh street and Prospect avenue, at 9:30 o'clock.

Labels: cemetery, Central street, churches, death, Eleventh street, immigrants, Independence, Olathe, pioneers, Prospect avenue

May 2, 1908

MEEKER'S WORK NOT IN VAIN.

Receives Word That Committee Fa-

vors Marking Oregon Trail.

Ezra Meeker, the pioneer, who has spent much of his time in endeavoring to get congress to make an appropriation to mark the old Oregon trail, received a telegram from Congressman Humphrey at Washington yesterday to the effect that the house committee had reported favorably on a bill appropriating $50,000 for the purpose. Mr. Meeker will write a brief history of the trail to be incorporated in the committee report.

Labels: pioneers, Seniors

April 9, 1908

HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY JEWS.

Mrs. Ethel Feineman Writes of Early

Settlers in Reform Advocate.

In the last issue of the Reform Advocate, a Jewish magazine published in Chicago, there appears an interesting article by Miss Ethel Feineman of this city, styled, "A History of the Jews of Kansas City." The article is liberally illustrated, with cuts showing buildings and views of the city, and a fine picture of Convention hall adorns the cover of the page.

Beginning with a brief history of the founding of the city, Miss Feineman goes at once into he subject with sketches of the pioneers among the Jews and shows how active this race has been in the development of this commercial center.

The Jews became identified with Kansas City as early as 1851, when Meyer Kayser and Moses Wolf settled here. M. Eisbach and W. J. Friedsam followed these two later in the same year, and the next year welcomed Herman Ganz. M. Waidsuer and Louis Rothschild. Mr. Ganz still makes this city his home.

B. A. Feineman, Miss Ethel's father, is another one of the old settlers who helped to make history For some years previous to the organization of the the Congregation B'Nai Jehudah, the Jews maintained a temple in which services were held twice a year, but in the fall of 1870, the first congregation was organized and Rabbi M. R. Cohen was called as minister. The Jewish Burial Association was also merged into this congregation. The congregation now has a magnificent house of worship at Oak and Eleventh streets, as have the Keneseth-Israel synagogue, the Tavares-Israel, and the Gomel-Chased congregations in other parts of the city. They also maintain several charitable institutions, and are in many ways interested in philanthropic work.

Among the leaders of the women are mentioned Mrs. H. H. Meyer, Mrs. Leo Lyon, Mrs. Helen Leavitt, Miss L. Hammerslough and Mrs. Ida M. Block. Excellent portraits with brief sketches are given of some thirty or forty of the leaders in society and church work.

Labels: churches, Convention Hall, Eleventh street, ministers, Oak street, pioneers, race, women

March 5, 1908

WIDOW OF PIONEER DIES.

Mrs. Mary Egan Leaves Twenty-Two

Granchildren.

Mrs. Mary Egan, widow of Thomas Egan, one of the pioneer residents of Kansas City, died last night at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John F. Ward, 3037 Main street. Mr. Egan died about three months ago.

Mrs. Egan was 70 years old and had lived in Kansas City for the last forty-five years. Her husband was interested in the building of the first street railway lines in Kansas City and was a prominent figure in the early days. She is survived by three daughters, twenty-two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, every one of whom lives in Kansas City. The three daughters are Mrs. John F. Ward, Mrs. Michael Gormon and Mrs. John Gorman.

Labels: death, Main street, pioneers, streetcar

August 11, 1907

PROFESSOR A. CARROLL DEAD.

For Years Was Superintendent of In-

dependence Public Schools.

Professor A. Carroll, for seven years superintendent of the city schools of Independence and an educational leader of Western Missouri, died at his home in Vaile place, Independence, at 9:30 last night. Professor Carroll retired from active work fifteen years ago on account of poor health and has been an invalid ever since. He had been ill with stomach trouble for the past two weeks. He leaves a widow, Mrs. Mary T. Carroll, two sons in Independence, Charles A. and Carey M., and two sons in Butte City, Mont., William E. and Frank M. Carroll.

Seventy-five years ago February 14 last, Professor Carroll was born in Grandville, O. He graduated from Washburn Reserve university, now Adelbert university, near Cleveland, and from McCormick university at Chicago. In 1859 he opened an academy at Charleston, Ill., and in 1867 came to Independence, where he was appointed superintendent of the city schools. This position he held until 1874, when he went to Olathe, Kas., in the sme capacity. He returned to Independence two years later as president of the Presbyterian Ladies' college, which place he held until 1884. In that year he became superintendent of the city schools in Hays City, Kas. In 1892 he returned to Independence because of poor health and remained there until his death.

Professor Carroll was one of the pioneers of education in this section of the country. While he served as superintendent of the Independence schools, he assisted in the organization of the city schools in Kansas City.

Labels: death, Independence, pioneers, schools