how a box on a loft is connected to Howard

[andy]

I have a story to tell.

One day in 2004 a lady in a small village in northern germany opened
an old suit case she found in her loft.
In there, she found  letters from an uncle of her mother.
He once  left Germany to emmigrate to America.

He wrote letters back home regularly.
First from Wichita, Ks., then he moved to Howard, Ks.

The last letter, which reached Germany, was from his daughter.
It is dated May 6th 1932.  His daughter Edith reports to the relatives back home in Germany, that her father died on April 15th. He was severly ill for 12 days,
but she did not write from what he suffered. 

The family tree in Germany continued to grow, but the loose connection to
Kansas was not living on. 

So, no one living today knows, where to these two ladies, Millie and Edith went,
nor if Edith ever married and the American family tree continued also.

The name of the father was Henry Priess, the proprietor of the Metropolitan hotel
in Howard, Kansas.

Although this man is a not so close person among my ancestors,
I adore his courage and trust in his faith to leave his home country and make a new
start in a totally unknown country.

I wonder if anyone living in Howard today, may know what happend to his beloved.

Thankful for any information   

Andy
Frankfurt, Germany

[genealogynut]

Hello Andy,

Your inquiry certainly raised my curiousity.  I checked the 1920 census (I, personally, do not have access to the 1930 census).  Henry's last name was spelled "Paris" and his occupation given was Ice Maker.  His wife, Millie, was 45 years of age, and born in Kansas.  Edith, their daughter, was either 7 or 9 years of age (census taker's handwriting was hard to read) and born in Kansas.  To determine if Edith had ever married in Elk County, one would need to check the marriage records.  But it is possible she could have married elsewhere, too.

[W. Gray]

The Elk County History books shows the Metropolitan Hotel owned by an A. W. Steele--at least in 1890. The Metropolitan was torn down in 1940 to make way for a Ford dealer.

The book also reflects that in the early twenties, the Howard Hotel was built and operated several years by Henry Pries and his wife, Millie. That hotel became the Prairie Heritage Hotel, which is still standing but used as a flea market.

The book index shows mention of a Pries on page 248, however, I have read that and the surrounding pages, and do not see the name.

[Ms Bear]

I checked the 1930 Census and didn't find anything by doing a search so I read all of Howard, Elk, District 5, 22 images and District 6, 13 images and did not find anything.  I will try reading the rest of Elk County tomorrow night.

[andy]

Thanks for your help....

Already in 2002 I got some valuable hints from Mary Nelson at Wichita State Library,
where the only known picture of Metropolitan Hotel is part of the Special Collections.

She sent me an excerpt of the Elk County History book, which was very interesting.

I got a copy of a letter from Henry Priess to his relatives in Germany,
where at the head of the paper ,,Metropolitan Hotel Howard   Prop. H. Priess"  is printed.

I guess, when he died, it was no longer possible for his wife and daughter to make
a living from it.  It was in the years of the great depression and money was short,
so the hotel simply might have had no guests.

Is there any report of sandstorms near howard in the dust bowl era?

I found, that mainly the western parts of Kansas where affected.

More info at  http://www.pbs.org/shptv/Dust%20Bowl/dustarea.html

Andy

[genealogynut]

Don has been looking thru my large stockpile of unposted material and found this small, but interesting news item that Andy may be interested in .

Howard Courant
February 11, 1932

"Miss Edith Pries this week handed us the subscription renewal for the copy of The Courant taken by the Henry Pries family, at the Howard Hotel.  By the way, the Howard Hotel has lately been treated to generous and tasty interior decorations, new paint and other tasty improvements. It has always been kept neat and clean, and now it fairly shines."

[Janet Harrington]

Andy,

I have a picture of the Metropolitan Hotel that is on a postcard.  I know there is a picture of it in the Elk County History Book.  I think my picture is better than the one in the book.  I am going to have Mother scan it, so that I can post it for you.  Maybe this weekend.

[Janet Harrington]

The Metropolitan Hotel in Howard, Kansas.  Mother will have to supply the possible date that was on the postcard, if it had one.  I bought this off e-bay probably about 4 years ago.  Not for sale, sorry.  I will, however; be happy to e-mail you the picture if you supply me with your e-mail.

[Wilma]

The date of the postmark on the postcard is 1911.  Possibly Jan.

[W. Gray]

Somewhere in that building my grandfather, Slim Gray, had a barbershop or worked in a barbershop. When the Metropolitan was torn down he went to work for Cooleys barbershop under the old bank until he and his son purchased a shop located under the old post office, which is now Batsons.

In a 1914 or 15 edition of the Howard Courant,a coal furnace manufacturer advertised as being in the basement of the Metropolitan Hotel. I cannot conceive how a business like that could be compatibile with a hotel.

Next to the hotel, you can see the building Dougs Place or Pennys Tavern occupies but with a sidewalk roof.

A Ford dealership replaced the hotel in 1940. It lasted only 17 years until the First National Bank replaced the showroom. Signers garage occupies the dealership's garage.