Person Page

     Orpha J. Putnam was born on 14 April 1917 (her marriage record says 14 April 1918) in West Virginia.^3,1 She married Marion Wilfred Farnsworth, son of Henry Stephen Farnsworth and Vietta Storrow Keillor, on 19 October 1946 in Toledo, Lucas Co., Ohio.¹ She died on 1 May 2013.^3,2 She was buried on 7 May 2013 at Perry Mount Park Cemetery in Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan.^2,4
     She worked for the school system in Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan.²

     Charlotte Mable Benson was born on 26 August 1885 in Michigan.^1,3 She was married by Alfred Bentall, Clergyman, to Edward Manley Farnsworth, son of Henry D. Farnsworth and Julia A. Leary, on 14 October 1902 in Sherman, Wexford Co., Michigan.³ She died on 18 November 1972 in Riverview, Wayne Co., Michigan, at age 87.¹ She was buried on 21 November 1972 at West Mound Cemetery in Taylor, Wayne Co., Michigan.^4,1
     After their marriage she and her husband Edward lived on their own farm in Wexford Twp., Wexford Co., Michigan, until at least 1918.^5,2 They gave up farming soon afterwards, and moved, probably with Edward's brother Henry and his family, to Waterford, Oakland Co., Michigan.⁶ The two families were living there together at the time of the 1920 census.⁶
     Sometime after her husband's death she and her children moved to Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, where they are listed in the 1930 census, along with a boarder, Nelly Wilbert.⁷ She is listed living alone in the 1940 census, in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan.⁸ She was working in a factory in 1930, and as a grocery manager in 1940.^7,8

     Carl E. Farnsworth was born about 1905 in Michigan.¹
     He is listed in the 1930 census living with his mother in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan,² and working as an auto worker.²

     Julia S. Farnsworth was born about 1907 in Michigan.¹ She married first John F. Trim on 10 November 1925 in Michigan.^4,5 They were divorced on 19 August 1935 in Wayne Co., Michigan.⁴ She married second Charles Smith, son of William Smith and Carrie Fisher, on 29 October 1938 in Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan.³
     She and her first husband John are listed in Waterford Twp., Oakland Co., Michigan, in the 1930 census, along with four children, two of whom were John's from a previous marriage.⁶
     She and her second husband Charles are listed in River Rouge, Wayne Co., Michigan, in the 1940 census, along with Julia's daughter June from her previous marriage, and Charles's father William.⁷ She was then working as a sewer for a wax paper manufacturer.⁷

     Russel Farnsworth was born on 7 November 1908 in Michigan.^2,1 He probably married first Marion L. (?) on 29 April 1930 in Michigan.^3,4 They were divorced on 21 September 1942 in Wayne Co., Michigan.³ He married, probably second, Nina B. Newberry on 21 November 1942 in Crossville, Cumberland Co., Tennessee.^5,6 He died on 26 March 1988 in Trenton, Wayne Co., Michigan, at age 79.^2,7 He was buried at West Mound Cemetery in Taylor, Wayne Co., Michigan.⁸
     He is listed in the 1930 census living with his mother in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan.⁹ In 1940 he was living as a boarder with the family of Warren Wheeler in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan, and listed in the census as married, but without his wife.¹⁰
     He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, enlisting on 30 June 1941, and was discharged on 12 October 1945.⁷

     Clair Erbin Farnsworth was born on 15 April 1915 in Cadillac, Wexford Co., Michigan.^4,5 He was married by Norman S. James, Justice of the Peace, to Roberta Richards, daughter of Alexander Richards and Elizabeth Massaw, on 15 April 1939 in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan.² He died on 8 May 1989 in Niles, Berrien Co., Michigan, at age 74.^5,3 He was buried at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles, Berrien Co., Michigan.⁶
     He and his wife Roberta are listed in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan, in the 1940 census.⁷ He was then working as a laborer for a motor parts manufacturer.⁷

     John F. Trim was born about 1903 in Michigan.³ He married Julia S. Farnsworth, daughter of Edward Manley Farnsworth and Charlotte Mable Benson, on 10 November 1925 in Michigan.^1,4 They were divorced on 19 August 1935 in Wayne Co., Michigan.¹
     He and his wife Julia are listed in Waterford Twp., Oakland Co., Michigan, in the 1930 census, along with four children, two of whom were John's from a previous marriage.³
     He was working as a salesman for a bakery company in 1930.³

     Charles Smith was born about 1905 in Pennsylvania.¹ He was married by Pastor Henry Zapf to Julia S. Farnsworth, daughter of Edward Manley Farnsworth and Charlotte Mable Benson, on 29 October 1938 in Monroe, Monroe Co., Michigan.¹
     He and his wife Julia are listed in River Rouge, Wayne Co., Michigan, in the 1940 census, along with her daughter June from her previous marriage, and Charles's father William.² He was an auto worker at the time of his marriage in 1938, and working as a roll turner in a steel mill in 1940.^1,2

     Marion L. (?) probably married Russel Farnsworth, son of Edward Manley Farnsworth and Charlotte Mable Benson, on 29 April 1930 in Michigan.^1,2 They were divorced on 21 September 1942 in Wayne Co., Michigan.¹

     Nina B. Newberry was born on 9 April 1910.³ She married as her second husband Russel Farnsworth, son of Edward Manley Farnsworth and Charlotte Mable Benson, on 21 November 1942 in Crossville, Cumberland Co., Tennessee.^1,2 She died on 29 July 1972 in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan, at age 62.³ She was buried at West Mound Cemetery in Taylor, Wayne Co., Michigan.⁴

     Roberta Richards was born on 1 July 1920 in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada.^2,3,1 She was married by Norman S. James, Justice of the Peace, to Clair Erbin Farnsworth, son of Edward Manley Farnsworth and Charlotte Mable Benson, on 15 April 1939 in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan.¹ She died on 9 June 1992 in Niles, Berrien Co., Michigan, at age 71.³ She was buried at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles, Berrien Co., Michigan.⁴
     She and her husband Clair are listed in Lincoln Park, Wayne Co., Michigan, in the 1940 census.⁵

     Lizzie May Allen was born on 11 October 1866 in Pittsfield, Warren Co., Pennsylvania.^5,6 She married George William Andrus, son of William Perkins Andrus and Mariah Curtis, on 9 March 1882 in Burlingame, Osage Co., Kansas.⁷ She died on 21 March 1938 at Wesley Hospital in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas, at age 71 from heart disease.⁶ She was buried on 22 March 1938 at Wichita Park Cemetery in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.⁶
     After their marriage she and her husband George lived in Kansas until 1891⁸, when they moved to Oklahoma.⁸ The following year George took part in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1892, which drew 25,000 people seeking claims to 160-acre sites in the former Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation. The land had become available by proclamation of Pres. Benjamin Harrison on 12 April 1892, after separate 160-acre plots had been granted to Indians on the reservation. The run officially began with the firing of a cannon at noon on 19 April, and George secured a claim about a half mile south of Okeene, in what is now Blaine Co.
     However, like many others he was apparently anticipating the opening of the Cherokee Outlet, a 60- by 225-mile strip of land in northern Oklahoma that had been ceded to the U.S. government by the Cherokee. He gave up his earlier claim, leased farmland west of Hennessey, Kingfisher Co., Oklahoma, and began hewing logs for their future home.⁹
     The Land Run of 1893 into the eastern end of the Cherokee Outlet was Oklahoma's fourth and largest land run. It officially began at noon on 16 September with as many as 100,000 land seekers, many of whom had been camped out waiting for weeks or months. But the event was poorly organized, registration booths were understaffed, and in some areas land seekers started early. Although most participants were unsuccessful because the demand for land was much greater than the amount available, George and his brother Leroy were among the lucky ones, securing claims to adjoining 160-acre tracts in Sheridan Twp., about 16 miles southwest of Enid in Garfield Co. (Leroy had to trade away a horse and saddle to another claimant to secure his title.) It was reported that George made the run on a large mule, arriving at the site of his claim within an hour.^9,8,10
     Lizzie and George lived on their claim in Garfield Co., probably until about 1907⁸, when George sold his rights in the Lahoma Roller Mills to Wm. Sprague, and their farm to W. B. Royer for $5000^11,12, and they moved to a farm near Thomas, Custer Co., Oklahoma. They remained there until about 1921^13,14,15,8. when they moved to Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.^8,16

More Information / Background

• Cheyenne-Arapaho Opening
  
• Land Run of 1892
  
• Cherokee Outlet Opening
  
• Land Run of 1893.
  

     Henry Justin Allen was born on 11 September 1868 in Pittsfield, Warren Co., Pennsylvania.^1,5 He married Elsie Jane Nuzman, daughter of Frederick C. Nuzman and Mary Jane Anderson, on 19 October 1892 at the bride's home in Circleville, Jackson Co., Kansas.⁶ He died on 17 January 1950 at his home in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas, at age 81 from a colon infection, after suffering a stroke about a month earlier.⁷ He was buried on 19 January 1950 at Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.^7,8
     He was a newspaperman and politician, described as "one of the Midwest's most militant Republican leaders," with a "colorful political and newspaper career of more than half a century."⁹
     He attended Washburn College in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas,⁵ and Baker University in Baldwin City, Douglas Co., Kansas,^10,11,12 where he met his future wife Elsie Nuzman.¹¹
     His newspaper career began in 1891, when he left Baker University to take a $10/week job as a reporter for the Salina Republican (which later became the Salina Journal), then owned by Baker graduate Joe Bristow. Within about a year he held the position of city editor. During the Spanish-American War in 1898 he served as a war correspondent with Gen. William Shafter's division, covering the invasion of Cuba.
     Over the course of his career he owned (or co-owned) and published nine Kansas newspapers, starting with his purchase of the Manhattan Nationalist in 1894, which he sold back to the previous owner three years later at double the price. Other papers he owned include the Salina Journal, the Ottawa Herald, the Parsons Daily Sun, the Fort Scott Republican, the Garden City Telegram, the Wichita Daily Beacon, and the Omaha Bee-News.
     He acquired his largest paper, the Wichita Daily Beacon, on 1 March 1907. He was also president of the Beacon Building Co., which owned the building where the Beacon was published. He sold controlling interest in the Beacon on 3 July 1928, but remained as board chairman until his death in 1950.^11,7,3
     While running his newspaper businesses he also became involved in politics, first as private secretary to Kansas Republican Gov. William Stanley (in office 1899-1903).
     In June of 1912, as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago, he was among those favoring former president Theodore Roosevelt over current president William Howard Taft, and contesting the legitimacy of many of the Taft delegates. When Taft was ultimately nominated, Allen joined with Roosevelt in the formation of the Progressive Party, and gave a seconding speech for Roosevelt's nomination at the party's convention in Chicago the following August. In 1914 he ran as a Progressive for governor of Kansas, but lost, and by 1916, as the Progressive Party was declining, he was back among the Republicans.^3,13,5
     During World War I he served in France with the American Red Cross.^10,9,14
     In 1918, while still in France, he was nominated as the Republican candidate for governor of Kansas. He won, and was reelected in 1920. In 1919, during his first term, Kansas coal miners joined a nationwide strike, and he called up troops and volunteers to take their place. He then convinced the Kansas legislature to pass an industrial court law requiring labor disputes to be settled by three-judge panel, resulting in much opposition from labor unions. The law was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
     In 1929, when Sen. Charles Curtis took the office of vice president under newly-elected Herbert Hoover, Allen was appointed to fill the remainder of his term, serving for 18 months. He was also publicity chairman for the Republican National Conventions of 1928 and 1932.⁷
     He served as president of the Kansas State Board of Charities for five years, and as special commissioner for Near East Relief (now the Near East Foundation) in 1924.¹⁰ In 1932 he was appointed by President Hoover to the staff of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation under Charles G. Dawes.⁷ He also served as president of the Baker University Board of Trustees for 20 years.¹¹
     After their marriage he and Elsie lived for a time in Salina, Saline Co., Kansas.⁶ They are listed in Ottawa, Franklin Co., Kansas, in the 1900 census, along with Henry's sister Cora.¹⁵ They are listed in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas, in the censuses from 1910 to 1940.^16,17,18,19
     In 1946 he and Elsie were decorated by the British government for their service and leadership of the "Bundles for Britain" program and the "Save the Children Foundation" in the aftermath of World War II.⁹

More Information / Background

• Henry Justin Allen
  
• William Rufus Shafter
  
• Progressive Party
  
• Court of Industrial Relations
  
• Reconstruction Finance Corporation
  
• Allen-Lambe House.
  

     Cora Ethel Allen was born on 27 February 1876 (her obituary says 27 February 1875, and the 1900 census says February 1877) in Clifton, Kansas.^1,4,5 She was married by R. E. McBride, Preacher, to Edwin Sargent Sheldon, son of Herbert Franklin Sheldon and Orissa A. Packard, on 5 November 1902 in Clifton, Washington Co., Kansas.^6,4 She died on 17 December 1970 at the Cedar House Nursing Home in Ottawa, Franklin Co., Kansas.⁴ She was buried on 19 December 1970 at Highland Cemetery in Ottawa, Franklin Co., Kansas.^4,7
     She moved to Ottawa, Franklin Co., Kansas, about 1893 ("at 17 years of age"), and lived there the rest of her life.⁴ In 1900 she was living there with her brother Henry and his wife Elsie⁵ and working as a post office clerk.⁵ After her marriage she continued to live in Ottawa with her husband Edwin^8,9,10,11,12, who owned a hardware store there for over 60 years.^{8,10,11,12,13} Cora's parents John and Rebecca (Goodwin) Allen came to live with them sometime between 1910 and 1915, and her mother Rebecca continued to live with them after John's death in 1917, until her own death in 1931.^9,10,11
     She was heavily involved in various educational and civic organizations in Ottawa. She started the first PTA group, and was a founding member of the Women's Educational Society of Ottawa University. During World War I she served as vice-chair of the Franklin County Central Republican Committee and had a leadership role in the Franklin County Women's Club. She also re-organized the local Red Cross organization, which she led for 26 years.⁴

     John Laverne Allen was born on 24 October 1878 in Clifton, Clay Co., Kansas.^4,3,6,7 He married first Rose Agnes Germann about 1901.^8,9,10 They were later divorced, probably after 1924, when their daughter Virginia was born, but certainly before 1930, when Rose was listed as divorced in the census, and John was listed with his second wife.^11,12,13 He married second Nancy Ida Lam, daughter of Peter Sylvester Lam and America Bond, sometime between 1924 and 1930 (see below). He died on 20 March 1949 at St. John's Hospital in Iola, Allen Co., Kansas, at age 70.¹⁴ He was buried on 23 March 1949 at Highland Cemetery in Iola, Allen Co., Kansas.^14,15
     The identification of John Laverne Allen's second wife as Nancy Ida Lam is based on a variety of sources. First, the name Nancy comes from their shared grave marker,¹⁵ John's World War II draft registration,⁶ the 1940 census,¹⁶ and their obituaries^14,17 (neither obituary names a spouse, but both give their home as 316 S. Fourth St. in Iola). The surname Lam is based on two obituaries. Nancy's obituary names (among others) a brother Everette Lam and sisters Mrs. erna [sic] M. Holman and Mrs. Cora Haynie,¹⁸ and Verna Mae (Lam) Holman's obituary names her parents as Peter Sylvester Lam and America Bond.¹⁹ Finally, her middle name of Ida is based on (1) her entry in the 1930 census, which gives her name as Ida N. Allen¹³; (2) her father Peter's obituary, which names a daughter Ida Allen²⁰; and (3) legal notices in Iola newspapers concerning her estate, which give her name as Nancy I. Allen, with Cora J. Haynie as the petitioner.²¹ It should be noted that the Andrus genealogy gives her name as Nancy Jones, not Nancy Lam.⁸ But, she had been previously married (the 1930 census gives her age at first marriage as 18). Perhaps Jones was the name of her previous husband.
     John and his first wife Rose are listed with their children in Cimarron Twp., Blaine Co., Oklahoma, in the 1910 census⁹, and in Weatherford, Custer Co., Oklahoma, in the 1920 census.²²
     He is listed in the 1930 census in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas, with his second wife Nancy (listed as Ida N.)¹³ They moved to a farm a few miles southeast of Iola, Allen Co., Kansas, about 1934¹⁴, where they are listed in the 1940 census¹⁶, then into the town of Iola in 1948.^14,17
     He was a farmer early in his life, and owned his own farm by 1910, but was employed as a thresher in 1918, and at a grain elevator in 1920. He was working as a truck driver in Wichita in 1930, and as a stock farmer in 1940.^{23,9,2,22,13,16}

     George William Andrus was born on 5 October 1857 in Horseheads, Chemung Co., New York.^2,4 He married Lizzie May Allen, daughter of John Allen and Rebecca Elizabeth Goodwin, on 9 March 1882 in Burlingame, Osage Co., Kansas.¹ He died on 19 September 1939 in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas, at age 81 from a stroke.² He was buried on 22 September 1939 at Wichita Park Cemetery in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.²
     When he was 8 months old (about June 1858) his father left the family and went to Canada. His mother left about a year later ("when [George was] 20 months"), leaving him and his older brother Leroy. The two boys were taken in by their paternal grandparents Elisha and Lavina (Locke) Andrus, and moved with them from Chemung Co., New York, to East Canton, Bradford Co., Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1871 ("the spring after I was thirteen") their uncle Herman E. Andrus, who had recently married, took the two boys to live with him, and moved to Kansas, living in Shawnee and Osage Cos.⁵
     After their marriage George and his wife Lizzie lived in Kansas until 1891⁶, when they moved to Oklahoma.⁶ The following year he took part in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1892, which drew 25,000 people seeking claims to 160-acre sites in the former Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation. The land had become available by proclamation of Pres. Benjamin Harrison on 12 April 1892, after separate 160-acre plots had been granted to Indians on the reservation. The run officially began with the firing of a cannon at noon on 19 April, and George secured a claim about a half mile south of Okeene, in what is now Blaine Co.
     However, like many others he was apparently anticipating the opening of the Cherokee Outlet, a 60- by 225-mile strip of land in northern Oklahoma that had been ceded to the U.S. government by the Cherokee. He gave up his earlier claim, leased farmland west of Hennessey, Kingfisher Co., Oklahoma, and began hewing logs for their future home.⁷
     The Land Run of 1893 into the eastern end of the Cherokee Outlet was Oklahoma's fourth and largest land run. It officially began at noon on 16 September with as many as 100,000 land seekers, many of whom had been camped out waiting for weeks or months. But the event was poorly organized, registration booths were understaffed, and in some areas land seekers started early. Although most participants were unsuccessful because the demand for land was much greater than the amount available, George and his brother Leroy were among the lucky ones, securing claims to adjoining 160-acre tracts in Sheridan Twp., about 16 miles southwest of Enid in Garfield Co. (Leroy had to trade away a horse and saddle to another claimant to secure his title.) It was reported that George made the run on a large mule, arriving at the site of his claim within an hour.^7,6,8
     Leroy was shot and killed in Johnson's Crossing, Texas, in December of 1899, without leaving a will, and his land went to his mother, then living in Candor, Tioga Co., New York. On 14 November 1900 George purchased the land from her for $60, but "resented having to pay this woman," who had abandoned him as a young child.⁹
     He and Lizzie lived on their claim in Garfield Co., probably until about 1907⁶, when George sold his rights in the Lahoma Roller Mills to Wm. Sprague, and their farm to W. B. Royer for $5000^10,11, and they moved to a farm near Thomas, Custer Co., Oklahoma. They remained there until about 1921^12,13,14,6. when they moved to Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.^6,15
     He was primarily a farmer while living on his claim in Garfield Co., but also opened a general store in Enid, selling mostly feed, flour, and coal. He would often stay at the store during the week, coming home only on weekends.^8,16 After moving to Thomas, he was still listed as a farmer in the 1910 census, but also ran a livery stable and traded in horses and mules, selling to the U.S. Army during World War I.^13,12 He later worked as a grain weigher and elevator operator, and was grain weighmaster for the state of Kansas milling department.^14,17,18,2

More Information / Background

• Cheyenne-Arapaho Opening
  
• Land Run of 1892
  
• Cherokee Outlet Opening
  
• Land Run of 1893.
  

     Charles Bert Andrus was born on 22 September 1884 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas.^1,2,3,4 He married Fanny Kate Clark, daughter of John Justus Clark and Susannah Andrus, on 4 November 1903 in Enid, Garfield Co., Oklahoma.^5,6 He died on 12 February 1952 in El Dorado, Butler Co., Kansas, at age 67 from a heart attack.⁷ He was buried on 15 February 1952 at Sunset Lawns Cemetery in El Dorado, Butler Co., Kansas.⁸
     He went by the nickname "Charlie."^3,4 As a boy he was once playing at a neighbor's farm when another boy accidentally shot him in the lower leg. A cattle drive boss, who happened to be having dinner with his parents at the time, removed the bullet using his knife, using camphor as an antiseptic.⁹
     After their marriage he and his wife Fanny lived in Lahoma, Garfield Co., Oklahoma, until about 1907¹⁰, when they moved to a farm in Deer Creek Twp., Custer Co., Oklahoma, about a mile from Charlie's father's new farm.^10,11 About 1918 they gave up farming and moved into the town of Thomas^10,12, where he worked in a hardware store.¹⁰
     Around 1920 they heard through Charlie's sister Effie about the booming oil business in Butler Co., Kansas. Charlie moved there, to the town of Midian¹⁰, and began working with the Empire Oil and Gas Company (later Cities Service Oil and Gas), first as a carpenter, then teamster, and finally in production.^10,12,13,14 Fanny and the rest of the family joined him after she recovered from a serious bout with the flu.¹⁰ They lived for a time with Effie and her family, then moved into their own place.^10,13,14
     When Charlie had to retire due to health problems, they moved to El Dorado, Butler Co., Kansas, into a house at 625 N. High St.¹⁰

     Bessie Henrietta Andrus was born on 26 July 1886 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas.^2,4,1 She was married first, by R. J. Shive, Probate Judge, to Charles Walton Speelman on 11 September 1907 in Arapaho, Custer Co., Oklahoma.⁵ They were divorced in 1911.⁴ She was married second, by Allen J. Smith, Minister, to George Victor Rummery on 14 December 1911 in Drummond, Garfield Co., Oklahoma.⁶ She died on 13 April 1965 at age 78.² She was buried on 16 April 1965 at Del Norte Cemetery in Drummond, Garfield Co., Oklahoma.^2,7
     She and her first husband Charles are listed in Deer Creek Twp., Custer Co., Oklahoma, in the 1910 census.⁸
     She and her second husband George lived in Drummond, Garfield Co., Oklahoma,^9,10,11, where George worked for a time as a clerk and salesman for a Ford garage^12,9, and later as manager of a grain elevator.^10,11,13
     She suffered from diabetes, which affected her eyesight later in life.⁴

     Effie Leora Andrus was born on 11 July 1888 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas.^3,2,1 She married George Lyman Mouchette on 1 March 1916 (the Andrus genealogy says, apparently mistakenly, 8 September 1915) in Woodward, Woodward Co., Oklahoma.^4,2 She died on 9 July 1981 or 1982 in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.^5,6 She was buried at Wichita Park Cemetery in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.⁷
     Although she is listed as Effie in "official" records (censuses, marriage record, and Social Security records), she hated the name, and was usually called Eft, or later in life Shay (a phonetic version of the last part of her married name Mouchette).⁸
     About 1898 ("when I was ten years old") she went to live with her grandparents John and Rebecca (Goodwin) Allen, where she stayed for two years.⁹ She is listed twice in the 1900 census, once with her parents in Sheridan Twp., Garfield Co., Oklahoma, and again with her grandparents in Bloom Twp., Clay Co., Kansas.^1,10
     While living with her parents on their farm near Thomas, Custer Co., Oklahoma, probably about 1908, she was bitten by a rattlesnake. According to her brother John, their father George "grabbed a chicken, pulled its leg off," and rubbed it on the bite to draw out the poison.¹¹
     In 1910 she was living as a boarder with the family of Nancy Atkison in Gotebo, Kiowa Co., Oklahoma,¹² and working as a stenographer in a real estate office.¹²
     About 1911 she decided to become a nurse, and moved to Guthrie, Logan Co., Oklahoma, where she enrolled in the Oklahoma Methodist Episcopal Hospital and Training School for Nurses, graduating after three years. A note in the September 1912 issue of the "Methodist Hospital Record" states that "Miss Andrus is nursing our Typhoid cases. They are making splendid recoveries."^13,14
     After graduation she was asked to go with others from the school to Fort Supply, Woodward Co., Oklahoma, where she took the job of superintendent of nurses. While working there she met her future husband George Mouchette.^13,14
     After their marriage she and George filed a claim to some government land near Lucy, Torrance Co., New Mexico. However, the land was poor for farming, and neighboring ranchers were fighting over grazing rights, so they soon relinquished their claim^2,14 and moved back to Thomas where Effie's parents were then living.^14,2
     George ran a dry cleaning business in Thomas for a time, but wasn't very successful.^2,15 In June 1917, when he registered for the World War I draft, he was working as a warehouseman at Red Star Mills in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.¹⁶ Around that time, trying to make more money, he left Effie and their infant daughter and went to Texas to work in the oil fields, but soon injured his foot and returned home to Thomas.^2,17
     They moved to Wichita about 1919^2,17,18, and George took a job on an oil pipeline.^18,2,17 They soon afterward moved to Butler Co., Kansas, where a large oil field had been discovered¹⁷, and George went to work for the oil company, becoming an assistant foreman by 1930.^17,19 Effie wrote to her brother Charlie telling him about the oil boom, and he and his family also moved to Butler Co. to work in the oil fields, and lived with them for a short time.²⁰
     George's death in 1934 left Effie with five children aged 8 to 18. She sent the two youngest, boys ages 8 and 10, to live at the Masonic Home in Wichita²¹, and she and her three daughters moved to El Dorado, Butler Co., Kansas,²¹ where she found a job with a W.P.A. servicing unit for 19 months.²¹ They then moved to Augusta, Butler Co., Kansas,^21,22 where she worked for five years as a visiting nurse for the state education department.^22,21 She next moved to Fort Dodge, Ford Co., Kansas,²¹ where she worked as a night nurse until "it was time for the boys to leave the Masonic Lodge" (possibly because of their age).²¹ They then moved to Wichita²¹, where she was nursing supervisor for the night shift at Sedgwick County Hospital for five years, before retiring due to health problems.²¹
     In Wichita she lived with her sister Ada for several years, then had her own apartment for a time, then lived with her daughter Betty.²³ She had several health issues later in life, especially arthritis and various digestive problems, and underwent several operations, including having both hips replaced. She also suffered a heart attack in February 1977.²⁴
     She was much interested in family history, and in 1980 wrote several pages of memoirs about her life. She sent them to her grandson Robert B. Meeker, who added additional background information from other relatives and historical records.^8,25

     Ada Elizabeth Andrus was born on 15 September 1890 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas.^2,1 She married first Horace William Carl Jones, son of Horace Jones and Lydia J. (?), on 6 October 1924.² She married second Harry Newton Edwards, son of George A. Edwards and Sarah J. (?), on 19 November 1957 at the bride's home in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.² She died in 1998.³ She was buried at Wichita Park Cemetery in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas.³
     She graduated from Guthrie Business College in Guthrie, Logan Co., Oklahoma. In 1910, while attending classes, she was living in Guthrie as a boarder with the widow Sarah Smith.^4,2 She moved to Wichita, Sedgwick Co., Kansas, about 1918 ("three years before the folks")^2,5, and in 1920 was boarding there with the family of Richard Prophet⁵ while working as a saleslady in a dry goods store.^5,2
     She and her first husband Horace are listed in Wichita in the 1930 and 1940 censuses.^6,7
     After her second husband Newt's death in 1962, she lived in smaller apartments in Wichita, sharing with her brother Allen for several years. She later moved into the Kansas Masonic Home in Wichita.²
     She held variety of jobs throughout her life. She started as a dishwasher in a restaurant, and later a hotel, and worked in department stores (including several years with one owned by her future second husband Newt Edwards), a bank, and post offices in Clifton, Kansas, and Thomas, Oklahoma.²
     She loved seeing different places, and when she got tired of one job would quit and travel somewhere. She had been "clear across the U.S.A. - north to south, east to west, Canada, Old Mexico, Hawaii, etc.," including several trips to New York and Chicago, and eight months in Connecticut.²

     Hazel Faye Andrus was born on 7 October 1892 in Hennessey, Kingfisher Co., Oklahoma.^3,4 She was married by A. H. Latimer, County Judge, to Homer Daniel Baker, son of Harvey J. Baker and Grace Paige, on 8 June 1910 in Arapaho, Custer Co., Oklahoma.⁵ She died in May 1990 at age 97.³ She was buried at Littleton Cemetery (Block 9, Lot 25, Grave 1) in Littleton, Arapahoe Co., Colorado.⁶
     She usually went by the name Faye.⁷ She and her husband Homer were living in Arvonia Twp., Osage Co., Kansas, in 1920⁸, where Homer was working as a laborer on a stock farm.⁸ They moved to Steamboat Springs, Routt Co., Colorado, in 1929⁹, where they lived until Homer's death in 1944.^10,11,9 In Steamboat Springs Homer worked as a garage mechanic, and served as assistant fire chief.^10,11,9 In 1985 Faye was living in Littleton, Arapahoe Co., Colorado.⁴