Franklin G. Adams settled on a farm in Leavenworth County in 1856. He held various positions of public service, and on the organization of the State Historical Society in 1875 he was made its secretary, which position he held until his death in 1899. He organized and developed the work of the Society, in which work he was materially assisted by his daughter, Miss Zu Adams, who continued her work from 1880 until her death in 1911.
Mrs. Sara T. D. Robinson came to the Territory in 1854 with her husband, Dr. Charles Robinson, and took an active part in early Kansas affairs. She wrote Kansas—Its Interior and Exterior Life, the most notable book produced by a Kansan of that time. It had a wide circulation and a great influence. Mrs. Robinson died at her home near Lawrence in 1911.
Noble L. Prentis came to Kansas in 1869 as editor of the Topeka Record. From that time until his death in 1900 he was connected with various Kansas newspapers: the Topeka Commonwealth, the Lawrence Journal, the Junction City Union, the Atchison Champion, and the Kansas City Star. He wrote five books: A Kansan Abroad, Southern Letters, Southwestern Letters, Kansas Miscellanies, and History of Kansas.
Daniel W. Wilder, who first came to Kansas in 1857, was at different times the editor of a number of newspapers. He was one of the founders of the State Historical Society, served one term as state auditor and two terms as superintendent of insurance. It was as a newspaper man that Mr. Wilder’s influence was especially felt. He was the author of the Annals of Kansas, Life of Shakespeare, and was one of the compilers of all editions of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.
Eugene F. Ware came to Kansas in 1867. He practiced law, and was for many years the editor of the Fort Scott Monitor. He served in the state legislature, and from 1902 to 1905 was United States Pension Commissioner. He died in 1911. It is as a writer that Mr. Ware is best known. His Rhymes of Ironquill is his most widely read work.
KANSAS WRITERS
The Kansas struggle was the source of a great deal of writing. Eastern newspapers were full of the Kansas question. During the Territorial period many of the eastern papers kept correspondents in the Territory, and these men wrote much of the conflict here and of pioneer life and conditions. The Kansas people themselves were too busy to give much attention to literature and produced but few writings of permanent value. Kansas—Its Interior and Exterior Life, by Mrs. Sara T. D. Robinson, was written during this period. Other early writers were: William A. Phillips, Richard Realf, James Redpath, Albert D. Richardson, W. P. Tomlinson, and Henry Harvey.
During the Civil War practically all of the writing produced in Kansas was concerned with the struggle that the people were going through. The period from the close of the Civil War until the “grasshopper year” of 1874 was one of remarkable growth and expansion and the people were full of confidence and enthusiasm. It was in this period that The Kansas Magazine was published. Though it lasted less than two years, it was a magazine of real literature. Among the contributors were: Henry King, James W. Steele, John J. Ingalls, D. W. Wilder, R. J. Hinton, Charles Robinson, and Noble L. Prentis.
The depression caused by the grasshopper raid affected Kansas in literature as well as in other activities. For several years but few books were published. Two of the books produced during this period were, however, very valuable ones: Andreas’ History of Kansas, a compilation by many writers, and Wilder’s Annals of Kansas. George R. Peck and John J. Ingalls came into prominence about this time as orators. Many of their speeches have become a part of our literature. Joseph G. McCoy and Joel Moody were writers of this period.