AncestorNews: Sunflower State Settlers

Since I wrote about Missouri in another column, I’m going to indulge myself and write about another state close to my heart: Kansas. If my Aunt Helen in Hiawatha, Kan., is reading this, send German chocolate cake!

My Hendrickson family moved to Kansas a bit after the Civil War; the thought of free land was clearly an enticement. They didn’t stay long though. Apparently the area they settled wasn’t the world’s greatest for farming, and the Indian raids got to be a bit much. However, their brief stay is the source of some of my favorite family stories—particularly those about “Uncle Mart” Hendrickson, who apparently was the first in the crowd to grab a gun and ride off to face trouble. Read any exciting story of Lincoln County, and you’ll find some reference to Uncle Mart!

Apparently Mart was also a bit of a seer, too. I’ve read more than one story about his “feelings.” One of them led him to leave home and locate two little girls who had been captured by Indians. There are more great stories, but I’ll save them for another column.

Do you have an “unforgettable ancestor” like Uncle Mart? If you do, write and tell me about him or her.

For those of you whose ancestors settled in the Sunflower State, I’ve found some nifty resources I’d love to share:

• Lincoln County USGenWeb
skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/lincoln/index.html

• Kansas GenWeb
skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/index.html

• Kansas Interactive Genealogy
www.ku.edu/heritage/research/inter-gen

• Kansas Migrations
www.horsethieves.com/migrations

• Old West Kansas
www.ukans.edu/heritage/owk/128/index.htm

• History of the State of Kansas
www.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/books/cutler/
Go to the Lincoln County page and read about Uncle Mart’s rescue of the two girls!

• 1872 Map of Kansas
www.chasenegw.com/1872kansas.htm

• Kansas Census Project
www.rootsweb.com/~census/states/kansas