Kansans Find Connections to Territorial Ancestors

When Mary Buster spends time in her great great grandmother Florella Adair's cabin at the state historic site in Osawatomie, she feels at home, connected with her abolitionist ancestor.

The Burlington schoolteacher’s connection to Kansas' territorial period is an important part of her family history. Other Kansans also can look in their family trees and find ancestors who played integral roles during that turbulent period. In June 2004 the Kansas Humanities Council will sponsor "Bleeding Kansas: Where the Civil War Began," a Kansas Chautauqua to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Kansas Territory. Kansans will be able to learn about this pivotal time in Kansas history, including the opportunity to "talk" with historical figures such as John Brown and Abraham Lincoln.

Buster, whose middle name is Florilla, cannot remember a time when she did not know that she was descended from Florella Adair, John Brown’s half sister. Growing up on a farm near Osawatomie, she helped take care of the Adair cabin and park, which became a symbol of Bleeding Kansas and the slavery conflict. Florella Adair came to the Kansas Territory with her minister husband Stephen in 1855. Her half brother John Brown, the fiery and controversial abolitionist who fought pro-slavery advocates throughout northeast Kansas, spent some time at the cabin, which was moved to BrownMemorial Park in 1912. Because of their connection to John Brown and the location of their home, the Adairs, who sheltered runaway slaves and protected the wives and children of men who were fighting, were in the middle of the violence of Bleeding Kansas.

After the cabin was damaged by fire in 1995, Buster’s interest in Florella Adair piqued. She had seen a first-person portrayal of Adair, and she didn’t like it, so Buster began researching to develop her interpretation of Adair. Kaw Indian Mission Historic Site, Constitution Hall in Lecompton, and the Adair cabin are among the places where she has performed. Wearing period clothing, Buster portrays Adair on her last night in Kansas, sorting letters and telling stories to her daughter.

"I have the greatest admiration for Florella. She made the decisions that put them in danger, and she stood up for her convictions," Buster said.

Gerald McFarland’s strong orientation toward history goes back to his great great grandmother, Florella Adair. McFarland, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, spent a year in Osawatomie when he was a child.

"I sat in a closet with a map reading Florella's letters so I could map their trip to Kansas from Ohio," McFarland said.

That early interest in history translated into his 1985 book A Scattered People: An American Family Moves West, which discusses the Adair family’s move West.

"My family has a very high level of historical consciousness. It was rare to have a family dinner where Florella and her daughters did not come up. I come from a long chain of strong women," he said.

When customers walk into Lane's Barbeque in Topeka, the first thing they see are walls covered with photos and memorabilia. Some of the photos are of Harold Lane's distant relative Jim Lane, the fiery and bombastic U. S. senator from Kansas and leader of "Lane’s Army," dedicated to making Kansas a free state. Harold Lane began learning about Jim Lane about 15 years ago, including doing genealogical research and connecting with other relatives.

Having a restaurant with his name prominently displayed helps relatives find Lane.

"Recently a distant relative who I hadn't met before came to the restaurant. We started talking, and we shared information," Lane said.

Jim Lane is a controversial figure in Kansas history because of his violent and unpredictable methods but not for Harold Lane.

"I see him as a positive figure who gave me some political aspirations to run for the Topeka City Council," Lane said.

Abraham Lincoln was not as closely tied to Kansas as John Brown and Jim Lane, but his influence was felt here during his 1859 visit and his presidency.

Lincoln County and the community of Lincoln are named for the 16th president, so it is fitting and coincidental that Julia Bland and her family live there. Bland’s family never spoke about their family history, but several years ago a distant relative told her that her family was related to Abraham Lincoln.

"That’s when my husband got interested and did a lot of research. He found proof that the stories where true," Bland said.

They discovered that Lincoln’s great grandparents are Bland's great great great great grandparents. Other family connections to Lincoln's family have been rumored. One has been proven in Kentucky court records. In 1815 Thomas Lincoln, Abraham's father, and Ignatius Strange, Bland’s ancestor, bought land without good titles. After the lawsuits were settled, the Lincolns and Stranges left for Indiana. Other members of the Stranges family came to Kansas after the Civil War.

In June 2004 the Kansas Humanities Council sponsors a statewide, month-long event, Bleeding Kansas: Where the Civil War Began, a Kansas Chautauqua. Through evening programs featuring portrayals including Clarina Nichols, Abraham Lincoln, and John Brown, workshops, historic tours, and reenactments, participants learn about Bleeding Kansas and Kansas’ rich history. Kansas Chautauqua will be in Junction City (June 4-8), Colby (June 11-15), Fort Scott (June 18-22), and Lawrence (June 25-29). For more information, contact info@kansashumanities.org or call 785/357-0359.

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