By Gary White
I continue to research various items relative to previous posts. Here is a sampling of what I have found.
In the article on Bertha Kirby on September 7. I stated that she had been a “mail order” bride. I have since been researching her history and found that, while she was born in Missouri in October of 1875, her parents actually moved to the Cedar Vale area sometime between 1900 and 1910. Bertha was known as “Bessie” in her early years and is so recorded on the U. S. Census rolls. She married Dr. John Kirby in 1909 in Winfield. I believe that Dr. Kirby must have known Bessie/Bertha after she moved to the Cedar Vale area with her parents.
I continue to look at various sources of information on the Cedar Vale Progressive Community (see October 16). I have been unable, of course, to look at the original papers that are housed in the New York Public Library, but I can deduce a lot from the list of titles that I was able to download. There are letters from Alcander (not Alex, as listed in the census rolls) Longley and S. S. Briggs to Frey before the Frey’s came to St. Louis to join the Reunion Community. It was probably on the basis of these letters that the Frey’s joined the community. As to my speculation about the “free love” splinter group at that community, there is a document in the NYPL box entitled “A sketch for a discussion on free love.” As to the founding of the Cedar Vale community, there is a document entitled “Description of journey made by Frey, Brooks, and Briggs to find government land for their commune.” This seems to indicate that these three men came to Cedar Vale to find the land for the Progressive Community. Frey and Briggs were described in the October 16 article, but Brooks is a new name to enter the picture.
Nicholas Brook (or Brooks) is the American name for Nicholas Ponofiloff, another Russian immigrant who came to the U. S. slightly later than the Freys. It seems that Frey met Brook in New York before coming west and they formed a friendship. Brook/Ponofiloff came to Cedar Vale with Frey and Briggs and took a plot of land near the Progressive Community. It appears that Brook was at first a part of the community, but he and Frey had a falling out that is described in some detail by Machtet in his published commentary on the community. By the time Machtet visited the community Frey and Brook were not speaking to each other and various attempts by Machtet to reconcile the two were unsuccessful. Brook and his wife, Julia, are listed on the same 1875 Kansas Census page as the Progressive Community, but it is clear that their place did not adjoin the community’s land. Several other families are listed between the two. Further search for the Brooks shows that in the 1880 U. S. Census the Brooks are running a hotel in Peru, Kansas. They have an adopted daughter, Emma, and another young woman, Rosa Stotts is listed as an employee of the hotel, along with Lee S. B. McPheron, whose occupation is listed as “printer.” Mr. McPheron must be a lodger at the hotel.
As to Frey’s subsequent divorce from Mary and marriage to Lydia Eichoff, there are several letters from Frey to Miss Eichoff that are postmarked Cedar Vale, Kansas. It is clear that they must have known each other, at least by correspondence, before the Cedar Vale community broke up.
I am sure that more will come to light as I continue my research.
6 comments:
Tremendous, Gary ... you are indeed a researcher of much ability.
My info on Mrs. Kirby is from two sources, Ancester.com showed Bertha Kirby living in central Kansas--near Hutchinson before she married Dr Kirby. I did this two years ago, maybe they have newer or better info now. My version was the way her step-grandson remembered it. (John Floyd was the youngest son of one of the Kirby twin daughters). Of course he can't remember back that far and was only repeating family lore.
Well, Don, take a look at my sources and let me know what you think. The word of a family member is pretty strong, I'd say.
However, why would her name have been "Kirby" before she was married??
I think your souce is right. As a matter of fact, I have the five volumn set of "Kansas And Kansans" 1918 Ed. on my bookshelf. I should have used it.
Yes I guess I looked for Bertha Kirby in Ancester.com. Probably there was such a person in central Kansas. I can only plead senility.
My long-term memory is good, but I can't remember what I was going into the next room to pick up. I'm hanging on the the long-term memory for dear life! It's the only thing between me and the blank slate.
Just today I acquired a used copy of A Russian's American Dream, A Memoir on William Frey, by Avrahm Yarmolinsky. This author has has access to the New York Public Library materials and a lot of other sources we haven't had. I'm reading with facination and will share some of the results with the group later.
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