Newspaper Tidbit

[W. Gray]

Elk County Ledger (Howard), January 6, 1877

"The transcripts and records of old Howard county have been delivered and accepted by the Commissioners."

Elk County was created effective June 1, 1875. One of the provisions of the Howard County division law was that all the original records went to Chautauqua County. All of those records were required by that law to be copied and provided to Elk County. It took two and one-half years for the hand copying to take place.

[larryJ]

Curiously, I wonder how many people were involved in doing the copying and did they do it on a full time basis or just when they had the time? 

Larryj

[W. Gray]

The only information on the transcribers I have is that "others" did the actual work.

The transcript fee was five cents per "folio," which was one-hundred words. Don't have any information on the total payment to the contractor but the Elk County register of deeds received the contract from the Elk County commissioners to do the transcribing. He sublet the contract to an individual in Chautauqua County for four cents per folio. That individual sublet the contract to "others" who were making about three cents between them per folio for their work.

There were around 13,700 people in Howard County at division, which would seem to reflect a large number of records.

I don't know that I have seen any of the transcribed records, but I have seen copies of letters and government documents of the time and in most cases they can be difficult to read; contrary to what some of us have been taught about the expert penmanship of the times.

[W. Gray]

Longton Town Company incorporated on August 23, 1870.

Post office approved May 1870.


Advertising from the Longton Howard County Ledger, February 23, 1871, first issue.

CARTMELL & FULLENWIDER,
ATTORNIES AT LAW, Longton, Kansas. Will practice in all courts of Southern Kansas.

H. H. WILCOX,
NOTARY PUBLIC, Solicits the patronage of the citizens of Longton Howard county.

R. H. REED, M.D.,
PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
Having permanently located in Longton. All diseases of either sex promptly and privately treated.

JOSEPH W. KERR,
Physician, Offers his professional services to the people of Longton and vicinity.

THE LONGTON HOUSE,
GEO. HANSBROUGH. Proprietor, will accommodate the traveling public at reasonable rates.

WRIGHT & KIRBY,
PROPRIETORS Steam Saw Mill, are prepared to furnish lumber of all varieties on short notice.

OLIVER PEASE,
MANUFACTURER OF SHINGLES,
Mill one half mile east of Longton, Kansas.

ALEX. PATTON,
GENERAL BLACKSMITHING & Wagon-making.

[jarhead]

Waldo,
Do you have any idea where the Longton House was located? The oldest Sanborn map I have is 1899 and it doesn't show the whole town. It shows the Gordon House and I think the 1903 map shows it and the Whitmer hotel. I've been told there was a big hotel down near the depot.

[W. Gray]

I have not seen anything that indicates an actual location.

[W. Gray]

Longton Howard County Ledger, April 23, 1871:

Our County Clerk should be instructed to procure a bottle of black ink with which to write public documents. The red ink that he makes use of fades out in a short time after being exposed to the air; besides it smacks to much of the country school boy to use red ink.

[W. Gray]

Cave Springs Globe, May 3, 1882:

The Kansas penitentiary has 666 regular boarders at present.

Croquet is the favorite pastime of the young folks in town.

Go to E. H. Long for your drugs.

A large acreage of flax will be sown in this township this spring.

L. W. Yandall has purchased a new wagon.

Go to Reser for nice notions, straw hats, etc.

We have our rooster in training for the coming victory. [do not have clue as to the meaning of this unless they were having cockfights]

[W. Gray]

Howard Courant, September 24, 1914:

ROUND OAK FURNACES!

Of course you want your home kept warm in winter. There is one way to do it: Buy a good furnace. Many of the best homes in Elk county are warmed with Round Oak Furnaces. Ask anybody who has one if he likes it. They will all tell you "Yes."

Two very dapperly dressed men are in a basement next to a huge furnace talking to each other. One says to the other:

"Brown, this is the greatest furnace in the world—it's a genuine Round Oak. Had I put it in last year; I would have saved a pile of money. It burns half the coal of any other furnace I ever have had any experience with and we have been more comfortable here this severe winter weather than at any time we have lived here."



The Round Oak is at Home in Every Land.
Save Money by buying Right Now!

I am heavily overstocked on furnaces, and you can save enough to pay for your winter's coal by buying NOW! See me.

R. C. RICE
Metropolitan Bld'g, Howard, Kans


My understanding is the business was in the basement of the Metropolitan Hotel and I thought it manufactured the furnaces, although a hotel would be an odd location to make something.

[W. Gray]

Longton Weekly Ledger, April 25, 1874:

"The old man Bender and his son have been caught again. This time in the southern Utah Territory. It seems to be pretty certain that the right birds are in the trap this time."

Again, the feds did not have the Neosho County serial killers.

Besides the father and son, they were also looking for the mother and daughter.

They were never found.