William Nottingham

William P. Nottingham was born in Palmyra, New York around 1833. He apparently never married or had children. He served during the Civil War serving in the 111th Regiment of the New York Infantry. He participated in the defense of Harper's Ferry and Washington, D.C. along with Gettysburg, the Siege (and Fall) of Petersburg, and Appomattox Courthouse among many other battles. After the war, Nottingham seemed to just wander the country mostly traveling between Kansas and Oklahoma Territory and living on a small military pension and inheritance allowance.

Nottingham took up residence in the old Curtis House at 216 West Curtis Street but was forced out due to the 1903 floods. He had been staying with J.F. Blake at 2009 Harrison but had returned to his room at the old Curtis house on July 31. Nottingham was found dead in his room later that night. Originally, it was believed death was caused by a combination of old age and alcoholism--Nottingham had sadly been a heavy drinker and taken the habit back up after the flood. Luckily, the coroner thought the death seemed suspicious and saved the stomach. A chemical analysis showed that Nottingham had more than enough morphine in his system to kill him. Focus now shifted on who had done the deed.

Frank Brown could've had a storied life and career. A lawyer, Brown even served as a deputy attorney for the city of Topeka. In 1898, Brown was arrested for passed forged checks and embezzling money. In Topeka alone, Brown passed more than two dozen fraudulent checks. Famed Topeka attorney A.H. "Hib" Case noted that "[Brown] is not insane. But when he is drinking, his mind is gone." Brown also lived in the old Curtis house which was run by his mother, Sarah. Newspaper articles from 1900 to 1913 had several instances of police going to the Curtis house because Brown was bootlegging, gambling, or just contributing to societal nuisance.

William Nottingham and Frank Brown spent July 31, 1903 together drinking and carousing around town. Around noon, Nottingham returned to his room where he ate lunch and retired to bed. Brown returned home shortly after but soon left to go back downtown. Nottingham was found dead around 5 p.m. Brown, meanwhile, appeared over the next day in different saloons and gambling houses with more money than he had ever been seen with. It is known that Nottingham had $200 on him and a search of his room yielded no money. It was theorized that Brown gave Nottingham the morphine while they were riding together in a carriage before Nottingham went home. Brown then disappeared and wasn't heard from in at least two weeks.

Nottingham was buried in the G.A.R. section of Topeka Cemetery.

There is no evidence that Brown was ever arrested or convicted of Nottingham's death. Brown did return to Topeka and, as noted above, continued being a nuisance to the people of Topeka. He continued to pass forged checks occasionally, bootlegged, gambled, and even posted advertisements violating a city ordinance. Even as late as 1921, Brown was arrested for manufacturing 5 barrels of moonshine which his then 84-year-old mother had to bail him out for. Sarah Brown was aunt to Vice President Charles Curtis and lived at 216 Curtis, one of the first houses built along the Kansas River, from 1875 until her death in 1931. She is buried in the Curtis Family Cemetery in North Topeka. Her obituary mentions Frank as living in Washington, D.C.

The Kafton Family

Between 1820 and 1870, only 7,750 Russians immigrated to the United States. Due to land scarcity, poverty, and starvation, more than 10,000 Russians immigrated to the U.S. in 1881. Sometime between 1866 and 1881, the Kafton family arrived in Kansas to start a new life. Raised Lutheran, the Kaftons were said to be very devout.

George Conrad Kafton was born December 3, 1842 in Mariupol, Russia (now present-day Ukraine). His parents were Johann and Catherine. He married Catherina Charlotte on June 15, 1861. They had 15 children, at least four of which were born in Russia and the others born in Kansas.

They came to Kansas with Charlotte's parents, Leonhard and Johnna Philippa. They originally settled in the Hillsboro area in Marion County, Kansas, but George and Charlotte moved to Topeka. Charlotte passed away January 5, 1901 at their home on Lake Street. George moved back to Hillsboro to live with his son, John, where he lived until he passed away September 30, 1920.

Little India May

On January 7, 1912, dozens of people gathered in the office of Dr. Eva Harding to admire a seven-month old, chubby, hazel-eyed baby girl. The baby girl was being put up for adoption and within twelve hours, hundreds would express interest in Little India May.

India May was born June 9, 1911 in a small town in Oklahoma. The mother was the daughter of a minister and India May had no father. Before arriving in Topeka, Kansas, mother and daughter were residing with a school principal in Oklahoma City. When the principal got sick and she decided to go to a spring, the mother and child were left without a home. They made their way up to Topeka on January 5 to find a relative of India's father. The relative refused to aid them so the mother sought out other help.

She first went to the Orphan's Home, but was turned away because she could not afford the cost there. The Orphan's Home was established in 1888 in a building at 3rd and Fillmore. The orphanage closed in 1947 and the building was gifted to the Capper Foundation. It was later learned that the mother was offered $4 a week to work in the kitchen to pay for the placement, but refused. The mother then went to the Provident Association. The Provident Association was started in 1904 to help people affected by the 1903 flood. It was located in a brick building at 4th & Jackson streets. It would later become Family Service and Guidance Center. However, they had no room to place India May. In desperation, the mother and child came to the office of Dr. Harding.

Dr. Harding and the mother chose a couple late in the afternoon of the 8th. Of the more than a hundred people who were interested in India May, Mr. and Mrs. John R. Graham were selected. "We are tickled to death to get her," Mrs. Graham said. John Graham worked for the Charles Wolff Packing Company as a trimmer and owned a home at 112 Fillmore Street. The Grahams did not any children of their own. "Nothing will be too good for the child," said Mr. Graham.

Information on India May and the Grahams end with the adoption. A John R. Graham is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Topeka having died in 1950. His wife is listed as Ada, but no children are listed with them. It could also be a case of mistaken identity as an Ada Moss was married to a John J. Graham who died around the same time. John R. Graham in Memorial Park Cemetery is buried in an unmarked grave.

Our Darling

MARY ELIZABETH

Dau. of

W.E. & M. SEQUINE

1900 - 1903

OUR DARLING

Mary Elizabeth died of pneumonia at two and a half years old.

The Grote Children

Edwyn and Merwyn Grote were the twin sons of Edward F. and Lotta Mae Grote. E.F. was a grocer with a store at 17th & Kansas. Lotta passed away shortly after the birth of her sons in February 1897. E.F. would remarry to Elizabeth Munn. Both are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery. Lotta and the twins are in Topeka Cemetery.

Edwyn Grote, aged 9 months, son of Mr & Mrs. F.E [sic] Grote of 1328 Tyler Street, died this morning. The child was one of twins, the other still survives. The funeral will be held at the family residence tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock." -The Topeka State Journal, July 7, 1897. According to the Topeka Daily Capital, Edwyn died of "dropsy of the brain."

Merwyn, who passed away in January 1898, did not receive an obituary that I could find.

Anna Faidley

Anna M. Faidley was born in Evansville, Indiana in March of 1846. She married John Peter Faidley on August 21, 1895 in Topeka, Kansas and moved with him to Wakefield, Kansas, where he worked on the railroad. John would die in 1918 after being hit by a train while sitting down to rest on the tracks.

Anna practiced as a "mental scientist and magnetic healer" while in Wakefield. She promised to cure any disease without drugs and her ads were prominent fixtures in the local newspaper.

From the Hutchinson News, February 5, 1923: "Declaring in a long note that she had read her Bible through carefully and found nothing advising against suicide, Mrs. Anna M. Faidley, 77, ended her life early today by gas asphyxiation. 'It seems there is no place in the world for old persons,' she wrote." Outliving most of her close family and faced with the possibility of homelessness due to who she was living with planning to move, Mrs. Faidley decided to "end it all."

If you or someone you know is having emotional distress or suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Hotline at 988.

Chang Kim

Chang Wha Kim immigrated to Topeka, Kansas around 1900 to work for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. He was killed April 4, 1913, while cleaning an engine that was being turned on and was crushed between the engine and the wall of the Santa Fe Round House. His fellow employees took a collection to save him a pauper's burial and got him buried in Mount Hope Cemetery with a simple stone to mark his grave. Kim's death didn't even make the local newspapers until June 10, 1913 when Frank E. Forbes sued the Santa Fe Railroad for Kim's death on behalf of Kim's wife, Song.

Chang Kim came from what is now Cherowon County in Kangwon Province in South Korea. I am not positive about this because newspapers would just spell foreign place-names phonetically. In the Topeka Daily Capital, Kim's home is phrased "Whagaichon, Dawiree, Chull Won county, state of Kang Won, Korea." His marriage to Song consisted of bowing in front of witnesses followed by a feast. Song had to admit her marriage certificate as evidence when she was brought to Kansas for the lawsuit. Chang would send some money back home to Korea for his wife and elderly parents. Apparently, he didn't send very much and never wrote a letter to accompany the money. He was also apparently going to bring his family over to America when he was killed.

The lawsuit was asking for $10,000 to Mrs. Song Kim and, according to the Daily Capital, she was "an uncivilized native" from the "mountain wilds" of Korea and "had to be tamed" before going to trial. Her lawyer was Frank Drenning and a Korean student attending the University of Kansas was brought in as a translator. At the end of it all, Song Kim was awarded $2,000 and, presumably, returned to Korea.

The Hicks Block

Elhanan Hicks was a Topeka realtor and capitalist who, during an economic boom in the 1880s, acquired a permit to build a tenement and business flat at present-day 6th and Tyler. The initial plan was estimated to cost $20,000, but eventually rose to an actual cost near $50,000. During the 1880's boom land values skyrocketed, and confidence and optimism supplanted forethought. Hicks Block was built at the apex of the boom, but eventually the depression found its way to Topeka and took a huge toll. The population dropped an astounding 5,511 people during the 6 years after the boom, and with them many businesses and investments. Elhanan Hicks was one of the casualties of the depression, summarily disappearing from Topeka directories after 1891.

Soon after, Hicks Block was converted into apartment homes and continues to serve temporary residents to this day. Being from an era when entrepreneurs would adorn their names on their buildings, Hicks Block was built to enrich the capital city for many years to come and was included in the National Register in 1977. Over the years, Hicks Block fell into disrepair despite still being occupied. Over the last few years, a new owner took over and has been restoring Hicks Block to its former glory.

Below are photos from a tour featuring an untouched apartment and one that has been restored. The above information came from the Ward-Meade Neighborhood Improvement Association.

Be My Cherry Pie

Malon Burget was born in Indiana in 1870 to Frank and Margaret Burget. The following year, they arrived in Topeka where Malon's education was received at the Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe as he was deaf and mute.

Every day for five years, 1906-1911, Burget sent a letter to the Topeka State Journal with a predication. Despite being deaf and mute, Burget and many other Topekans considered him a prognosticator. He would make predictions on sports, elections, and the weather. His biggest predications being that J.B. Billard would win the mayoral election in 1910 (he would and would serve until 1913), the Athletics would win the 1911 World Series (The Philadelphia Athletics would defeat the New York Giants four games to two), and that the opening day of the state fair would be a beautiful day despite local weather people saying it would be rainy (it was a clear and beautiful day).

Burget was a good friend of New York Giant and fellow classmate Luther Taylor and was a well-respected citizen of Topeka. For employment, Burget typically took odd jobs around the city and was employed for a while at the city street department and the AT&SF Railway.

Burget died of an illness at a local hospital in 1924 and was buried, in an unmarked grave, in Rochester Cemetery.

Illustration of Malon Burget from an issue of
the Topeka State Journal, 1911.

Unmarked graves of Malon Burget and his father in Rochester Cemetery.

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Mother Goose and Grimm

I guess this comic strip is over. I didn't expect it to end like this.

Isn't this how Cathy ended?

Daddy Daze

Someone needs to to tell the Daddy Daze creator that just because you came up with an entire Sunday comic while running errands in your car doesn't mean it's a good Sunday comic.

Mary Worth

I, for one, am very anxious to see Toby cuck Ian with Cal. Will Ian be into it? There's a part of me that thinks, yes, he would be. Sitting across the room with a glass of wine watching Cal rail his wife, thinking about grading papers. Perfection.

The Born Loser

Hey, it's some stupid made-up day of celebration. You should make a complicated dish that goes along with it! No, you don't get a cherry pie. Unless it's a cherry pie filled with dog poo and knives.

If you would like to support my writing or research, and that includes fan fiction of Toby and Ian's marriage, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

No. 9: Topeka Women's Club

The Topeka Women's Club was organized in 1897 by Lucy Kingman and Margaret McCarter. It was a conglomerate of the other ladies clubs in Topeka and focused on musical education and entertainment. The club would raise donations to send to school and other institutions. They helped families affected by the 1903 flood and were instrumental in getting manual training and domestic science into the schools. After World War I, interest in a permanent home increased.

The building was designed by Frank C. Squires and was published in the Topeka Daily Capital in 1921. Construction didn't begin until 1923 and was completed in 1925. Squires was thrilled with his design for the clubhouse, considering it possibly the finest building of it's kind between Chicago and the Pacific Coast. After completion, it was believed that the building was the largest clubhouse west of the Mississippi River.

In 1925, the women's club had over 400 members. Within a few years, the Women's Club building housed numerous civic, artistic, and social organizations. Sadly, through the 1960s and 1970s, membership in the club steadily declined and in the 1980s, the building became home to the Kansas Insurance Department. Thankfully, the state kept everything mostly as is. The Tiffany stain-glass windows remained as did the gothic lights. The major changes were leveling out the floor in the theatre and clamping down the dance floor on the third floor to install cubicles. After the Insurance Department moved in 2020, the building was considered surplus property and sold at auction.

Purchased by local investors, work immediately began to restore the building to its former glory--and function. The Beacon, as it will now be known, plans on becoming the premiere event space in Downtown Topeka. Shorty after beginning work, they offered tours of the building which I gladly went on. The Women's Club of Topeka building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Entrance from 9th Street.

Tile entryway in the entrance to the theatre off Topeka Boulevard.

Beneath this floor is the original spring-loaded dance floor originally installed
in 1925. Plans are to release the springs so it can be used as a dance floor again.

Decorative seal above the stage in the theatre.