Bill and Diana Sowers
, Lincoln County CoordinatorsTracee Hamilton, Lincoln County Coordinator
Early Thursday morning people began calling the Sentinel-Republican office telling us just when
they came to Lincoln County, in answer to the inquiry printed last week. The Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce will have a Jubilee celebration Feb. 29 to March 5 in honor of the 60th anniversary of the building of the first railroad in the Arkansas Valley and the beginning of the development of the wheat belt. In connection with the Jubilee they are attempting to find out who are the oldest settlers in each county, those who located there earliest and who are still residing in the county. The oldest settler when located is to be invited to be an honor guest at the Hutchinson celebration.
The early settlers who have sent their names into the Sentinel Republican are: J.J. Peate, Beverly, 83 years of age, came in 1866. George Strange, who came in 1866 with his parents. He is 76 years old. Mr . and Mrs. C.W. Anderson [corrected the next week to be Mr. and Mrs. Charles Anderson] arrived in Lincoln in June 1871. Others who came in 1871 were J.R. Wolford, Mrs. W.C. Page. Mr. Page came in May 1870.
Since the publication of last week’s Sentinel-Republican, the names of early settlers in Lincoln county, still living here, having literally poured into the office. Letters, telephone calls, personal visits, all have given added information. In the list of those named last week, one error was made. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Anderson came in June 1871, and not C.W. Anderson.
This week we are glad to include the following new names:
Dave Shaver, 1871.
Mrs. Hester Dobson, 1870.
Waldo Hancock, Beverly, Feb. 5, 1869. Mr. Hancock served six months in the Kansas State Militia and was stationed near where Lincoln now is, which was outside of all settlement in the county.
Mrs. Anna W. Hall, Beverly, Oct. 23, 1869. Mrs. Hall writes, "The Moffitt brothers were killed in the spring before we came, just about one mile west of where we located. [Transcriber’s note: This is incorrect; the Moffitt brothers were killed in 1864. The Indian raid Mrs. Hall refers to took place in late May 1869.] I have the home place yet."
Jim Moore, Sept. 10, 1872. He came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isom Moore. Mrs. Jim Moore and her brother, C.W. Kilmer, came with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Kilmer, in Sept. 1884.
W.S. Rees, November 1872.
In connection with the early facts and settlers of Lincoln county, Donald Bell of Beverly has written the Sentinel-Republican an interesting item concerning the newspaper history. Mrs. Nora S. Morton of Beverly has a copy of the Lincoln County News, dated March 12, 1874. In this issue appears the obituary of her mother, Mrs. Thomas Skinner, who taught in her dugout the first school in Lincoln county, in 1867 or 1868.