Keeper of the Family

Anne Taylor (Elliott) Irvine

 

1849 - 1913

Grandchildren Shelby Stack, Bobby & Eunice Reed

With grandsons Bobby Reed and Shelby Stack (ca1905)

 

Mrs. A.T. Irvine, the mother of Mrs. W.C. Lansdon of this city died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Robert Stack in Woodworth , La. , last night at twelve o’clock of heart failure.  She had been in very frail health for a long time and a fatal termination of her illness was not unexpected.

 

Mrs. Irvine was the widow of Colonel W.A. Irvine, a distinguished confederate soldier who was an officer in Morgan’s famous cavalry corps.  Col. and Mrs. Irvine came to Kansas in pioneer days and were among the first settlers at Pawnee Rock in Pawnee County , Kansas .  For many months Mrs. Irvine was the only white woman at Pawnee Rock.  Colonel Irvine died about 10 years ago and is buried at Fort.  Scott.

 

Mrs. Irvine left five children to mourn her death; Mrs. W.C. Lansdone of Sailna, Mrs. Robert Stack of Woodworth , La. , Mrs. A.S. Reed of Cushing Ok., William Irvine of Kansas City, Mo., and Miss Katheryn Irvine of Woodworth, La.  She was a woman of remarkably strong character, great intellectual ability and extremely lovable disposition.

 

 

 

 

 

The postmasters of Pawnee Rock

[August 29]   I practically grew up in the Pawnee Rock post office. Mom worked behind the counter, selling stamps and helping postmaster Roger Unruh sort the mail. Before Dad got the permanent job of carrying the rural mail, he was the fill-in guy behind Virgil Smith.

Occasionally -- and this was long before the super-serious-security days in which we live -- Cheryl and I would get to help sort the mail into the mailboxes and the outgoing bags. (If you got the wrong mail in those days, I apologize.)

During a visit to the post office this month, I wondered aloud who all the postmasters had been. And lo, Merita Rice pulled out a framed list.

Here they are. Note that the post office has been open for 134 years and 1 day.

  • George M. Jackson -- August 28, 1872

  • Annie T. Irvine -- April 24, 1873

  • Dennis R. Logan -- April 6, 1875

  • Simon P. Leitner -- December 22, 1876

  • William M. Jenks -- March 14, 1879

  • Alfred W. Metcalf -- August 25, 1880

  • Joseph N. Barrett -- May 14, 1883

  • Job M. Miller -- August 25, 1885

  • Joel Miller -- March 31, 1886

  • Charles W. Vosburg -- July 3, 1889

  • Andrew Daniels -- May 20, 1893

  • George A. Francis -- June 23, 1897

  • Sam H. King -- November 28, 1914

  • Nancy M. McKetchnie -- May 2, 1916

  • Edmond Houdyshell -- August 19, 1921

  • Charles Dean Ross -- March 4, 1936

  • Margaret K. Converse -- January 20, 1940

  • Virgil L. Smith -- August 6, 1957

  • Roger R. Unruh -- May 22, 1958

  • Mary Joan Smith -- October 6, 1979

  • Doug Smith -- February 23, 1991

  • Kathy A. Pechanec -- May 4, 2002

www.pawneerock.org/wind/wind6.html