Individual Notes
Note for: Elijah Massey, 1740 - 1812
Index
Individual Note: Elijah Massey owned "Massey's Venture" and had 20,000 acres in 1743.
1839
A grandson of Elijah Massey married Mary Withers who was a grand daughter of Richard Lee, the founder of the Robert E. Lee family.
Individual Notes
Note for: Benjamine Massey, 1767 - 1835
Index
Individual Note: A great uncle of ours, Benjamine, bother of Ebenezer Massey was secretary of state of the state of Missouri during the confederacy.
1816Benjamine Massey was a presidential elector
Individual Notes
Note for: Ebenezar Thomas Massey, 1798 - 1853
Index
Individual Note: 1850 Census
Ebenezer Thomas Massey had real estate of $30,000.00
Individual Notes
Note for: Thomas Hamden Massey, 1831 - 1891
Index
Event: Type: Fact 1
Place: 10 children from two marriages
Individual Note: VIIIThomas Hamden Massey 1831-1891
First Marriage - Mary Nivin 1850
Second Marriage - Rosalie Rice Taylor (our grandmother) 1863
Ten children between the two marriages. Left Friendship Farm (first mentioned in will
of 1714) to son, Robert Bruce Massey and turned it over to him before moving to Colonial
Beach, Westmoreland county, Virginia.
Thomas Haden Massey owned nine slaves and
gave them the surname "Featherstone" upon giving them their freedom.
Individual Notes
Note for: Elizabeth Viola Whited, 23 NOV 1865 - 28 OCT 1940
Index
Event: Type: Fact 1
Place: Dates taken from Margaret Mead Whited
Event: Type: Fact 2
Place: Family Bible (Mother Of Elizabeth)
Individual Note: My Grandmother Elizabeth (Lizzie) Died when I was only 7 years old. I remember getting out of school to go with my mother to Topeka, Kansas for the funeral. Her body was the first dead person I had ever seen and I still remember looking into that casket in Topeka. I visited my grandmother's home every summer from the time I was born until her death. In May 1936 Topeka had a bad spring flood and my grand parents home had a basement full of water. I was only 3 at the time but can remember it vividly because I had got very mad because my mother would not let me help bail water out of the basement. My mother could not believe I could remember this house because of my age but I wrote out a complete floor plan for her in my twenties. My Grandparents then sold this home and moved to one which had many steps out front. I remember this home best of all as I loved to play on the steps. Grandma was a very good cook and always grew a garden with lots of berries and good vegetables. She was also an excellent seamstress and we had in my childhood home many dollies which she had made. was very surprised when I did these studies to find out my Mother Ruth Fritts had two sisters that died very young. She had never mentioned them to me as best I can remember. Both Grandma and Grandpa Cross were strong Christians. Artifacts include many wonderful pictures of Lizzie and also some comic strip drawings which my grandmother made. (See Artifacts section)
My Grandmother Died when I was only 7 years old. I remember
getting out of school to go with my Mother to Topeka, Kansas
for the funeral. I visited my Grandmother's home every summer
From the time I was born until her death. In May 1936 Topeka
had a bad spring flood and my Grand parents home had a
basement full of water. I was only 3 at the time but can remember
it vividly because I got very mad because my mother would not
let me help bail water out of the basement. Grandma was a very
good cook and always grew a garden with lots of berries and
good vegetables. She was also an excellent seamstress and
we had in my childhood home many dolies which she had made.
I was very suprised when I did these studies to find out my
Mother Ruth Fritts had two sisters that died very young. She had
never mentioned them to me as best I can remember. Both
Grandma and Grampa Cross were strong Christians.
Topeka History
1838 First use by an American Fur Company caravan of the Kansas crossing in present Topeka area.
1842 Joseph and Louis Papin arrived and were probably the first white settlers at what is now Topeka. Papin's Ferry operated at the "Topeka" crossing of the Kansas (Kaw) River on the Oregon- California Trail until 1857 when a bridge was constructed.
1852 Smith's Kansas river ferry established at a site a few miles above Papin's "Topeka" ferry.
1854 Topeka was founded by five antislavery activists.
1854 Col. Cyrus K. Holliday came to "Topeka, Kansas Territory." Holliday was a founder of Topeka and promoter of the Sante Fe Railroad.
1855 A freestate constitution was framed in Topeka. It did not receive serious consideration in Congress.
1861 Topeka became the state capitol. Topeka was probably chosen for its promiximity to trails (Oregon Trail, Smoky Hill Trail) and water (Kaw (Kansas) River)
1866--Construction begins on the State Capitol at Topeka.
1879 The first telephone switchboard was used in Topeka.
1880's--Topeka passed through a great real estate boom and the population of the Capitol City more than doubled.
1887 The Rock Island Railroad line stretched westward from Topeka early in 1887.
1897 In the place of sermons or civic service or crusading leagues, Charles M. Sheldon (1857-1946), a congregational pastor in Topeka, wrote a novel: In His Steps, first published in 1897 and reprinted or serialized innumerable times thereafter.
1903--State Capitol at Topeka is completed.
September 1908 five men were arrested in Topeka for playing checkers on Sunday.
1914 The Memorial Building at 120 W. 10th in Topeka was completed at a cost of more than $600,000. Most of the money came from the federal government in settlement of Civil War claims.
1917 Over 15,000 children attended Governor Arthur Capper's birthday party at Garfield Park in Topeka on July 14.
1954--Construction begins on the nine million dollar State Office Building in Topeka.