William Whites Graves papers
Overview
The papers of St. Paul, Kansas newspaper editor and historian William Whites Graves contain research files from which he authored books concerning the history of the Catholic Church in early Kansas, including the history of Osage Mission (which later became the community of St. Paul), the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, and the Greenbush Parish of Crawford County, Kansas. Included are Graves' correspondence files, which include family correspondence, memorabilia, and photographs.
Dates
- Creation: 1857 - 1951
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of W. W. (William Whites) Graves, 1871-1952
William Whites Graves was born on October 26, 1871 near Loretto, Marion County, Kentucky to James Paul and Minerva Ann (Ballard) Graves. In 1881, he became a resident of Kansas, graduating from the St. Francis Institution at Osage Mission, Kansas in 1891. On April 30, 1895, he married Emma C. Hopkins, daughter of Joshua and Cherrille (Peck) Hopkins. She died July 30, 1936 at St. Paul, Kansas. The given name of Graves' second wife was Susie.
Graves was newspaper editor of the St. Paul Journal from 1895 to 1925 and again from 1935 to 1945. He also was editor of the Anti Horse Thief Association News from 1902 to 1925, and for many years was employed as an insurance agent. He was a member of the Royal Neighbors of America, and was a leader of the Neosho County Historical Society and Knights of Columbus. As an active historian, he authored many books regarding St. Paul and Neosho County history and the early history of Jesuits in Kansas, including histories of Neosho County's Osage Mission, various Jesuit leaders in early Kansas, the Kickapoo Indians, and St. Aloysius Church of Greenbush, Crawford County, Kansas. He died July 22, 1952 at St. Paul.
Extent
3.25 Linear Feet (7 boxes + 1 volume, 1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
The W. W. Graves papers contain many of Graves' research files concerning the history of the Catholic Church in Kansas, including Jesuit leaders, the history of Osage Mission (later St. Paul in Neosho County, Kansas), the Kickapoo Native Americans, and the Greenbush Parish of Crawford County. Most of Grave's correspondence files (including his career correspondence as well as family correspondence) are located in Box 1. Correspondence related to his research also appears in his research files, which otherwise include source notes, clippings, and many full-text transcriptions of sources consulted by Graves.
Included with family correspondence in Box 1 are letters to Emma (Hopkins) Graves from her mother Cherrille (Peck) Hopkins, as well as Cherrille Peck's 1857 scrapbook containing labeled (often woven) locks of hair from family, friends, and herself. In Box 6 is Graves' handwritten ledger of financial records for participants in the Royal Neighbors of America, founded in the 1890s as a fraternal benefit insurance society. The collection's photographs, which include portraits of W. W. Graves, are at RH MS-P 922. A minute book for the Royal Neighbors of America is located at RH MS C2.
Physical Location
RH MS 922
Physical Location
RH MS-P 922
Physical Location
RH MS C2
Physical Location
RH MS P49
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, Smoky Hill Booksellers, 1980 [and another date].
Processing Information
Previously shelved at RH MS 309.
Subject
- Hopkins, Cherrille Peck, 1844- (Person)
- Ponziglione, Paul M., 1818-1900 (Person)
- Schoenmakers, John, 1807-1883 (Person)
- Graves family (Family)
- St. Aloysius Church (Crawford County, Kan.) (Organization)
- Royal Neighbors of America (Organization)
- Jesuits -- Missions -- Kansas (Organization)
- Jesuits -- Kansas -- Biography (Organization)
- Knights of Columbus. Kansas State Council (Organization)
- Catholic Church -- Missions -- Kansas (Organization)
- Linn, James Monroe, 1820-1915 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the William Whites Graves Papers
- Subtitle
- William Whites Graves papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by mh, 2007. Finding aid encoded by mh, 2007. Finding aid revised by cl, 2010; mwh, 2021, 2023.
- Date
- 2007
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/9146757728
- Preferred citation
-
William Whites Graves papers, Kansas Collection, RH MS 922, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository