Elwood D. Kimball.—The citizenship of Kansas comprises more contributions, direct and indirect, from the New England stock than from any other section of the country, and the New England characteristics are clearly marked in the population of Kansas. While much of the migration from New England to Kansas has been by families who have tarried for a generation or more in New York, Illinois or Iowa, there is still a small stream of direct migration, and included in this stream is Elwood D. Kimball, who, in 1884, came to cast his fortunes with the then young city of Wichita and has remained these nearly twenty-eight years as one of the active and respected business men of the city.

Mr. Kimball was born in Nashua, N. H., Sept. 29, 1859, a descendant from Pilgrim and Puritan ancestors of English origin, who settled in the Old Colony and Bay Colony in 1640 and prior thereto. His parents were John G. and Betsey C. (Spalding) Kimball, both of whom were born, lived and died in New Hampshire.

The subject of this sketch received his early education in the public schools of Nashua, completing his preparation for college in the high school there, after which he entered Dartmouth College and was graduated in 1881 with the Bachelor's degree. In 1884 his Alma Mater conferred on him the degree of Master of Arts. After completing his college course he was a teacher in the Hague Seminary at Red Wing, Minn., and in the Rayen High School at Youngstown, Ohio, where he continued until 1884, near the end of which year he came to Wichita, taking a clerical position in the loan business, and in 1887 became a member of the firm of Little & Kimball, carrying on the Kansas mortgage-loan business. In 1890 the members of the firm organized the Wichita Loan & Trust Company, with which Mr. Kimball continued as treasurer for a time, but later engaged independently in the mortgage-loan business. Mr. Kimball has been identified wtih[sic] the Commercial Club, the Country Club and the Masonic order, having received the order of Knight Templar and the Thirty-second degree of Sottish[sic] Rite Masonry, and having likewise identified himself with the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

Mr. Kimball takes a lively interest in historic and genealogical subjects, is a life member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and is likewise a member of the Kansas State Historical Society.

On Sept. 12, 1888, Mr. Kimball was united in marriage with Miss Luella A. Johnson, a daughter of Levi L. Johnson, of Burton, Ohio. Mrs. Kimball was born at Burton and graduated at Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio. Like her husband, Mrs. Kimball is descended from the earliest English settlers of New England, is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames of America, and Descendants of Colonial Governors."