February 2025

The Reverend F.F. Thomas

The Westward Expansion was in full swing by the 1880s, and as American settlement pushed west, a shortage of clergyman led to the common practice of circuit preaching. Traveling by horseback or horse-and-buggy over the open frontier, ministers covered rural circuits that included several communities. Reverend Franklin Forrester Thomas was one such minister.

The reverend had attended Hedding College at Abington, Illinois where he was born in 1855. After completing his studies at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., Thomas went on to teach for a few years, but then he attended a school of theology and entered the Methodist ministry. In 1883, during the early settlement of Furnas County, Nebraska, Rev. Thomas was assigned to preach a circuit and pastor the Methodist church at Beaver City. It was here that he married Ella Francis Gilmore in 1884. Born at Greencastle, Indiana in 1858, Ella had been educated at Asbury University, now known as DePauw University. Her father had moved to Furnas County in 1878 and was joined by Ella and the rest of the family in 1880.

During Franklin and Ella’s time in Nebraska, a son and daughter were born to the couple, Forrest Lemon and Mable Clare. Rev. Thomas also became a trustee of Mallalieu University at Bartley, a church-affiliated institution of higher education that opened in 1886 and was named for Methodist Episcopal Bishop W.F. Mallalieu.

By 1888, Rev. Thomas and his family were in Colorado, and as a circuit preacher, he ministered the Burlington, Claremont and Lansing circuits. Two more sons, Frederick Gilmore and Frank Fleetwood, were born here. In 1891, Rev. Thomas accepted the call to the Methodist Episcopal church at Steele City, Nebraska, but he was back in Illinois serving the congregation at Ustick by 1896. He became identified with the Presbyterian Church, and in 1901, he left his charge at the Greenup, Ill. church for Kansas. His first assignment in the Sunflower State was pastoring the Presbyterian church at Neosho Falls. He would take turns at churches in Colony, Gallia and LeRoy before making his way to Lakin, accepting the call to the pastorate of the Lakin Presbyterian Church in the fall of 1907. While here, he and his family helped build the first Presbyterian manse, and the reverend also preached at the rural school in Fairview in the extreme northern part of Kearny County.

In 1910, Rev. Thomas gave up the pastorate at Lakin when he was appointed superintendent of missions for southwestern Kansas with headquarters at Garden City. In 1913, he was appointed by the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions to lead the mission work among Mexicans at Taos, New Mexico. A man of strong conviction and always ready to help the needy, Rev. Thomas was greatly admired by the congregations he served and highly favored whether he was behind the pulpit delivering a sermon or bellowing out a favorite hymn.

Rev. F.F. Thomas and his wife, Ella, at Taos, N.M.

Rev. F.F. Thomas in 1920 with his son Franklin Fleetwood Thomas’s two oldest children. Jim Thomas, sitting on his grandfather’s lap, gives his full attention to the camera while his older brother, Frank, is spellbound by the flower garden in front of them.

The reverend passed away at Taos on July 4, 1921, and was buried in the historic Kit Carson Cemetery, a national historical site. This cemetery was established in 1847 as El Cemeterio Militar for the burial of American soldiers and civilians killed during the Taos Rebellion. By 1852, it was known as the American Cemetery and was then the only burial ground at Taos for non-Catholics. The cemetery became known as the Kit Carson Cemetery in May, 1869 when the bodies of Kit Carson and his wife were buried there.

After her husband’s passing, Ella Thomas returned to Lakin to be near family. She died September 6, 1929, and was buried in the Lakin Cemetery. According to a family member, an attempt was made to have Rev. Thomas’s grave removed to Kansas and buried beside Ella’s, but because the cemetery he is buried in is a historic site, the request was denied. Several generations of Reverend Thomas’s family have made Lakin their home.

SOURCES: “The History of the House of Ochiltrees” by Clementine Brown Railey; Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; mynehistory.com; Ancestry.com; Wikipedia; HMdb.org; archives of The Scott Republican, Kearny County Advocate, Yates Center News, The Neosho Falls Post, Garden City News, Lakin Independent, LeRoy Reporter, Woodson County Advocate, The Daily Republican, The Times-Tribune, Phillips County Herald, The Lamar Register, Larimer County Independent, Cheyenne County Rustler, Beaver Valley Tribune, and Sterling Gazette; and Museum archives. Special thanks to Donna Neff.

Presbyterians’ church was the first in Lakin

Lakin’s Presbyterian congregation was officially organized with 16 charter members on May 6, 1887, at the home of D.C. Hawthorne. The Rev. David Kingery, pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Garden City, served as moderator, and according to the Lakin Pioneer Democrat, $300 had already been donated to build a Presbyterian church at Lakin. The financial backing came from Senator F.J. Pringle, J.M. Jones and Dr. J.H. Rodgers, all of Springfield, Ohio. “Each of the gentlemen have large landed interests near here and are ready to work for the upbuilding of Lakin, and to secure the county seat for this place.”

In April of 1888, fundraising efforts began in earnest when Hawthorne and Jones began circulating a subscription paper, and on June 2, the Advocate announced that Jones had selected a lot for the new church. The church was to be constructed of brick and stone for around $3,000. A tin box filled with relics of value, church records and other important papers was placed in the cornerstone which was laid in front of a large congregation on July 22, and the following week, the Advocate reported that the material was “mostly on the ground, the foundation is done and the workmen are erecting the building according to plans and specifications adopted.”

Notices began running in the paper asking subscribers of the church fund to pay their first and second installments. “Please pay promptly that work may go forward rapidly.” The Sept. 8, 1888 Advocate printed a letter from Jones who was back in Ohio at that time. “I hope, as soon as possible, to be with my friends in building the church at Lakin,” and that was the last mention of the building that could be found in the local papers. Where the church was being erected and what happened with the project is not known.

The Presbyterians used the 1886 school for services, taking turns with Methodists and other denominations until 1895. In February of 1895, word broke that the Presbyterians were considering purchasing an abandoned church building near Kinsley and having it moved to Lakin. The Lakin Index voiced its support of the Presbyterians’ project, “We sincerely hope they will consummate the deal, as we are badly in need of a church building. It is an improvement which should receive the hearty support of every citizen of Lakin.”

The Kinsley church was purchased and torn down, and the lumber was transported to Lakin where a force of men went to work immediately rebuilding the church at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Western Street on land donated by L.I. Purcell. In late May, the Advocate reported that the tin-box and its contents which had been placed in the cornerstone of the Presbyterian church in 1888 were transferred to the cornerstone of the new church. By mid-June, the church was under roof, and later that month, many strong and willing arms hoisted a large bell to its position in the church’s belfry.

Dr. Browning of Garden City delivered a stirring sermon at the first services in the church on Thursday, July 11, 1895. This was the first segment of a four-day grand dedication service which included sermons by C.E. Williams, pastor of the local Methodist congregation, and ministers from Wichita and Hutchinson. On Sunday, July 14, the church building was crowded to full capacity with many friends from Hartland and Deerfield in attendance. Dr. S.B. Fleming of Wichita surprised the crowd when he announced that $450 was to be raised before the dedication exercises could be completed. In less than 30 minutes, $460 had been given either in cash or by promise.

“The Presbyterian folks are to be congratulated on their success in erecting so beautiful a church free of debt. It is the finest church building in this part of the state, and is a credit to the Presbyterians and an ornament to the city,” proclaimed the Index.

When the church was first opened, local Methodists were invited to use the facility. While a number of them accepted the invite, others opted to continue using the school house. Eventually, the church was used by all denominations for services, funerals, school and other community affairs. Often there was ‘standing room only’ for the evening services and special occasions in the church. When the Presbyterian primary department decided to raise funds for a Sunday School room of their own, practically everyone in town, regardless of creed, contributed. A 12×26 building was erected for this purpose and opened in March of 1904.

The church’s manse sat to the east of the church and was built with a great deal of donated labor from members of the congregation as well as the Rev. F.F. Thomas family. “Rev. Thomas is as happy as a little boy with a new wagon, and well he may be, for after so long a time of working and waiting he has realized his long-cherished dreams of a manse. The family took possession of the new home this week,” revealed the Aug. 6, 1908 Advocate. The manse opened to the public the following month.

The old wooden church served the congregation until 1950 when a new $65,000 church was dedicated free of debt on Sept. 24, 1950. Morning services started in the old church which had been moved to the back of the lot, and following weekly announcements and instructions, a prayer was given by pastor W.E. Dysart. “Onward Christian Soldiers” was sung as the congregation marched from the old to the new church where the remainder of the dedication services were held. The 1895 building was sold to the Community Church at Holcomb and moved there.

In July of 1961, a contract was awarded to Lee and Woolman Construction Company of Garden City to construct a new educational wing on the 1950 building. The church observed its diamond anniversary on Feb. 4, 1962, by dedicating the church’s new facilities which included six classrooms, expanded kitchen facilities, a women’s parlor, storage facilities, two rest rooms and the remodeled chancel which expanded the choir and added a study and choir room. The old manse was purchased by Maxine Campbell and moved in 1967 to 115 N. Campbell Street where it is still used as a residence, and the brick home located at 406 W. Washington was purchased the following year to serve as manse. In 1988, after a severe thunderstorm had caused considerable damage, the flat roof on the north wing of the church was remodeled into a pitch roof, and in 2022, a new shake metal roof was installed by Lianro Construction.

During a severe thunder storm in the summer of 1896, the entire front of the church’s bell tower was downed by lightning and laid flat on the ground. It was picked up and replaced practically unscathed.

The manse which sat east of the church was moved in 1967 to 115 N. Campbell where it is still stands today.

A new $65,000 church was dedicated free of debt on Sept. 24, 1950.

SOURCES: Special thanks to Donna and Martin Neff; archives of the Finney County Democrat, Lakin Pioneer Democrat, Index, Advocate, Lakin Pioneer and Lakin Independent; information provided by the late Olivia Tate Ramsey for History of Kearny County, Vol. 1, and Museum archives.

Harry and Maria Browne, Kearny County Pioneers

David Harold Browne came to Kearny County to work as a clerk in the railroad eating house. The oldest of three boys born to Charles Browne and Helen Potter Browne, Harry was born at Cowansville, Canada on April 18, 1859. While growing up, he spent much of his leisure time ice-skating and attending “sugar-off” parties, a French-Canadian tradition that brought friends and families together to enjoy the sugar high that comes from boiling maple sap into taffy. Harry’s father was a doctor, and Harry often helped in his office and rode with him to visit patients and help with emergencies. The knowledge of medicine which Harry gained in this way was most useful to him in later years as a pioneer in Western Kansas.

His father died five days before Harry’s seventeenth birthday, and his mother moved the family to Chicago, Illinois where her people lived. Harry had to quit school and go to work to help support his mother and brothers. His first position was as a clerk for a packing company, and in 1880, Harry joined his maternal uncle, Guy Potter, who was managing the eating house here. Shortly after Fred Harvey became the proprietor of the dining hall/hotel, the building was moved to Coolidge which became the division point of the Santa Fe Railroad. Harry remained here, and for a time, he joined Alonzo Boylan and Rolla Walter in catching and taming wild horses which they sold to cowboys and horse traders. After a time, Harry took a clerk position at John O’Loughlin’s general store.

While working for O’Loughlin, Harry met Maria Dillon, one of Lakin’s most popular young women. Born in New York City on June 17, 1866, Maria lost her mother as a small child and was educated in a convent in Montreal, Canada. She came to Kearny County in 1879 with her father, step-mother and younger siblings, and she made a name for herself as one of the best compositors in Kansas while working at the Lakin Herald where her father served as editor. Wearing a blue silk taffeta dress fashioned with a fitted basque and pleated bustle, Maria married Harry in an evening ceremony on April 7, 1886, at the dugout home of her brother in-law and sister, Alexander and Annie Cross. Three children were born to Harry and Maria: Helen Florence (Mr. J.H. Rardon), Charles Harold, and Hazel Louise (Mrs. F. Ivor Williams).

Harry was the first elected county clerk of Kearny County, and the Browne family moved eventually to Hartland and then back to Lakin when Lakin won the 1894 election. Harry recalled that one of the most dramatic events in his life was counting votes for the location of the county seat. Each town that had entered the race had the privilege of sending men to see that the votes were properly counted. Barney O’Connor was Lakin’s representative and stood over the election judges with six-shooter in hand, and Harry said he never expected to get out of the building without someone being killed. He was re-elected to the county clerk position several times, serving until 1896, and also worked as assistant cashier in the Kearny County Bank.

When Harry’s health failed, his doctor recommended a change of climate. Harry decided to buy a team and wagon and go overland to Colorado Springs, taking his herd of purebred jersey cattle and selling them along the way. One fine June morning in 1896, the Browne family stored all their worldly possessions in a covered wagon and started to Colorado. First was Maria with one of the girls in a top buggy drawn by a blaze-faced bay horse named Bally, then came the wagon to which were hitched two large gray mares with Harry as driver, and then the herd of cattle urged on by Doc Miller, the hired hand. Except for being awakened one night by water flooding their campground, the trip was uneventful. It took about a month to complete the journey and dispose of the cattle. At Colorado Springs, Harry engaged in the coal business with his friend, Frank Kelly, whom he had made acquaintances with earlier in life.

After three years and the death of Ben Bacon who was the cashier at Kearny County Bank, Harry was beckoned back to Lakin to fill Bacon’s shoes. Harry was always interested in everything for the advancement of his town and county and gave generously of his time to that end serving as a member of the board of education and on the city council. He was an ardent fisherman and lover of nature, and when worries and pressures of business weighed heavily upon him, he would spend the day fishing at Lake McKinney. Harry always came back with a cleared mind and refreshed body. He had the gift of being a good listener and gave to others a feeling of strength and confidence.

Harry maintained his position at the bank until his death on March 8, 1931. He had been in failing health for some time, but the trooper that he was, Harry continued working until three days before his death. He was loved and respected by all who knew him, and all the banks and business houses in Lakin closed during his funeral. Known as Gippy to his grandchildren, his granddaughter, Cora Rardon Holt, wrote of him, “I shall always remember his long fingered, iron strong hands. They revealed his character and always gave me a sense of comfort and security.”

Maria, or Gammy as she was known to her grandchildren, died on Oct. 18, 1948, as a result of shock caused by burns she received earlier that day. It was thought that her robe may have caught on fire as all three burners of her oil stove were lit, and coffee was boiling on the middle burner. Maria also was very much loved in the community, and she was remembered for the sunny disposition that characterized her her entire life. She had been a lifelong caregiver; first to her younger siblings, then to her own children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Left to right: Charles, Hazel and Helen, the children of Harry and Maria Browne. 1892.

The home of Harry and Maria Browne stood near the corner of Campbell Street and Smith Avenue in Lakin but was later moved west on the river road. The house later became the home of Otis and Shirley Jennings and stood next to the Jennings Indoor Arena.

SOURCES: Information provided by the late Hazel Browne Williams and Charles R. Browne, great grandson of D.H. and Maria Browne; History of Kearny County Vol. 1; Ancestry.com; museum archives, and archives of The Advocate and Lakin Independent.