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| 49th MA Infantry Regiment Port Hudson, LA 1863 |
Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > William Munson II > David Munson > Stephen Munson > Miles Standish Munson m. Genevieve Mather
Miles Standish Munson was born to Stephen Munson, originally of Litchfield, Connecticut and his wife, Nancy Nash. An early account of the Munson's mentions that Nancy was related to a Virginia governor, but I don't know if that's true. Her lineage does go directly from the early Connecticut freeman, Thomas Nash, immigrant of England, who was a blacksmith.
By the time Miles was born on 05 Jul 1841, the couple lived in Sandisfield, Amherst, Massachusetts. Miles was the youngest surviving child. Stephen was a carpenter and during the mid-1800s, many sawmills had popped up along the nearby river. A planned railway stop in nearby Farmington Hills failed and most industry in the area failed.
Reportedly, Miles went to Chicago to work for SP Brownell on South Water Street and later at Board of Trade for "several years." He worked for a company that John Lake was president of that provided the grain and hay for the street car horses. He came to Kansas to find pasture for retired street car horses at both Burlingame and Council Grove, where he was buying corn for the Chicago market.
Genevieve "Jenny" Mather's parents were Jebediah Peck Mather and Sara "Sally" Amelia Deming who originally hailed from Watertown, New York. Jenny was born in 1859 in Kansas City, Missouri. Her family had lived in Butler County, but were living in Council Grove in Morris County, Kansas in 1877. Her background was described as follows:
"...The father was extensively engaged in the lumber business and rafted lumber down the Ohio river to Cincinnati for a number of years. In 1857 he had a great amount of lumber on hand, owing to his inability to run rafts on the river the two preceding years on account of low water. Being unable to sell his lumber in Cincinnati when he reached that point, he went on down the Ohio river and up the Mississippi, and after selling most of his lumber at St. Louis, he went up the Missouri river to Leavenworth, where he sold the first shingles to be sold in Kansas, and after disposing of his lumber he bought machinery for a flouring and saw mill, which he shipped from St. Louis by river transportation to Westport, which is now the site of Kansas City."
"He had determined to haul his mill machinery to Council Grove and build a mill near the Kaw Indiana reservation, but when he reached Westport the Border war was raging with such fierceness that he decided to remain there for a time. However, the following year, or in 1860, he continued his journey with his mill machinery and erected a mill at Council Grove, according to his plan. This was the most distant mill west located in Kansas and the third one to be built in the State, the other two being at Lawrence and Fort Scott."
"The Mather mill at Council Grove on the Neosho river was a substantial three story building, built of brick, and was located near the old Kaw mission, the brick being manufactured on the east side of the river. When this mill was built it was a great wonder to the 3,000 Kaw Indians who lived on the reservation there and they called Mr. Mather Ta-poos-ka."
"Mr. Mather also built a twelve-room house in the vicinity of the mill, which in those days was considered a mansion. The house is still standing and is in a good state of preservation...Mrs. Mather, who was active in the early suffrage movement in Kansas, entertained in this house, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Kady Stanton and other prominent women of the times. J. P. Mather spent the last six years of his life in Emporia, where he died on May 8, 1905, aged ninety years...""...Mrs. Munson had an opportunity to observe much of the early life in Kansas, living in such close proximity to the Kaw Indian reservation, she had an opportunity to study the "Noble Red Man" in his native heath, and she has had many exciting experiences with Indians. She has seen three thousand Cheyenne redskins on the warpath, and at one time a drunken Indian came to the Mather home and threatend to scalp her, demanding $5 and some flour. Her sister covered the Indian with a revolver, whereupon the inebriated child of the forest departed. Mrs. Munson could speak the Kaw language fluently, and knows a lot about the traits of Indians. When she was a girl she owned an Indian pony and was some rider, too..."[1]
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| The Kaw Nation |
Miles and Jenny married in Council Grove on 09 Apr 1877. A year later, they moved on to El Dorado, Butler County. At that time, he and Capt JT Anderson had a lumber business. Miles bought him out at some point and continued to operate the business for an additional 14 years.
Miles had his fingers in lots of pies and was a leading citizen of El Dorado. He ran the coal works for many years, had real estate holdings, and loaned money to folks to help finance the purchase of homes and farms, and owned a 640-acre well improved farm. Things were going so well, that Mrs. Munson had a housekeeper. Munson reportedly never foreclosed on anyone. His humor was described as dry and sparkling with philosophy.[1]
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| El Dorado Republican, 15 Aug 1902 |
About the time Miles sold his lumber yard, he built a market on lots he owned east of the lumberyard. He continued to farm and raise horses and cattle and his coal yard continued to flourish. Around the turn of the 20th century, Miles sold the coal yard.
All through this period, his wife, Jennie, would participate in all sorts of women's clubs, beautification projects, and good works and built a stellar reputation as a lady of substance.
The couple raised five children; four sons and a daughter.
On 10 Oct 1906, Miles died of heart disease at age 49. Jennie was named executrix.
This loss did not slow Jenny down. In 1908, she was the local representative to the state-level Woman's Federation of Clubs meeting. She also served as the Treasurer of her local club. This was also the year her mother, Sally Deming Mather, died in Emporia.
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| Women's Suffrage Win in Kansas! |
Events, they were a'changing in the country. Women were battling all over the country to get the right to vote. Wyoming was the first state to grant women that right. Kansas was the eighth state to grant women equal rights to vote in November of 1912. Reform was moving at the speed of molasses - it had been since 1867 when the idea was first proposed in the US. It still would not be until 1920 when the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution would be ratified.
A strange thing happened in Butler County in 1912, shortly after women received their rights. A judge in Butler County sat the first all-women jury for a trial, which included Jenny Munson. And here's what happened:
Reportedly, the case in question was originally tried with a jury of men, who could not reach a verdict. The judge felt the only option he had was to empanel a group of women.
"The first jury composed of women to sit in a case in district court in Kansas was empaneled in El Dorado, Butler County, part of the 19th judicial district. Wednesday morning, November 27 (1912). The case before the court is H H Boeck vs Carrie M Schreiber, et al. The case is a damage suit where the plaintiff alleges he purchased a tract of land from the estate of Carrie M Schreiber and when he received the land, it was not the tract which he alleges was shown him when he made the deal."
"The empanelling of the jury was not attended with undue excitement from spectators other than men, for but few women knew that the jury was to be called Wednesday morning. "
"Undersheriff Purcell was kept busy Tuesday night and Wednesday morning summoning the women. Many and varied excuses were given the undersheriff, to which he turned a deaf ear. Most of the women summoned were at the court house by 9 o'clock, others were a little late, but by 10:30, a jury was secured. And it did not take any longer to secure the jury than it would a jury composed of men."
"The plaintiff's lawyers used two challenges and the defendant's lawyers used one. Each side is entitled to three challenges, besides their challenges for cause." When the jury box was filled, Judge AIkman addressed the women with a few remarks giving them to understand that he had called the women to act as jurors in good faith. Also that if any lady was offended by being called as a juror, he would excuse her. And htat if they would serve he would appreciate the honor."
"In the examination of the women in the jury box, only three were challenged, three being excused for cause. Mrs Meeks stated that she objected to women being on a jury as did Miss Edna Smith. Mrs Kilgore was excused on account of sickness. Mrs. Ida Lawrence was excused on account of her little boy being sick, she not having had time to secure someone to remain with him during her absence..."
"...Judge Aikman announced to the jury after it had been empanelled that he woudl adjourn court in the afternoon and give the women a chance to look after necessitites about their homes. Court will convene again Friday morning."
El Dorado Republican (El Dorado, KS) 06 Dec 1912, Fri, p1
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| Walnut Valley Times, 04 Apr 1913 |
The next year, both plaintiff and defendant attempted for a new trial. Part of the argument was based on the process by which an all-women panel was selected. The verdict stood. Also in 1913, the mayoral race was heavily weighted for the elected Citizen's Party, but Mrs Munson managed to pull in one vote!
In 1917, Mrs. Munson and her five children were beneficiaries of a Munson uncle's will. The amount was not known. I believe this money came from Albert Munson, who died in 1915 by way of his wife Sara Heath Munson, who died in 1917.
Mrs. Munson continued to work in the community for the rest of her life. She bought and sold real estate like a champ. Her daughter lived with her until her death in 1938. Her daughter would never marry and never have a career, so I would assume assets were such that the children were left comfortable.
[1] History of Butler County, Kansas by Vol. P. Mooney, Standard Publishing Company, Lawrence, Kans: 1916. ill.; 894 pages (pages 428-421)
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