Jewell County

Mankato, formerly Jewell Center, is situated about the center of the county, on Sections 15 and 22, Township 3, Range 8 west. In Center Township, in 1872, a “town company” was formed, of which M. W. Whitney was President, P. S. McCutchen, Secretary, and G. S. Bishop, Treasurer. They surveyed and platted 320 acres, now included in the town site, and named it Jewell Center. Their design was to start a town and secure the county seat. In the fall of 1872, C. W. Petigrew built and opened a store, and the future county seat, in the minds of its […]

Mankato Lodge, No. 186, I. O. O. F., was instituted May 28, 1881. The society is in a flourishing condition, with forty-five members. Officers: C. Angevine, N. G.; N. Stone, V. G.; J. F. Hudson, Sec’y, and L. A. Saunders, Treas. Mankato Lodqe, No. 87, A. F. & A. M., was instituted March 18, 1882. L. M. Butts, W. M.; E. E. Chapman, S. W.; B. W. Slagle, J. W.; L. P. Vance, Treas., and A. Evans, Sec’y. They have about forty members in good standing. Jewell Lodge, No. 31, K. of P., was instituted September 22, 1880, and has

There are four organized religious denominations here, namely: – the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran. The last has been organized for about three years, but is at present without a pastor. Most of the members reside in the country. They are intending to soon erect a church building. The Mankato Baptist Church was organized in 1876, by Rev. Mr. Howard. They worship in the Methodist Church, but are now making arrangements to build. They have about forty-five members, and Rev. J. Shutz is their pastor; he also has charge of East Buffalo Baptist Church, of eighteen members, which was organized

Jewell County is located in the northernmost tier of counties, 150 miles from the Missouri River. The county is thirty miles square, divided into twenty-five Congressional townships, and contains 900 square miles, or 576,000 acres of land. The county is among the first in the State in agricultural resources. Its central portion is rolling, and in places somewhat broken, but contains many fine farms and much good pastureland. The valley of Marsh and Buffalo Creeks – a tract embracing the southeast quarter of the county is, next to the White Rock Valley, the finest, richest and most densely settled portion

The Jewell County Monitor was established at Jewell Center, now Mankato, May 19, 1874, with Frank Kirk as editor and publisher. The press and equipment was purchased by the citizens of Mankato of A. B. Wilder, Belleville, Kan., having been used in printing the Belleville Republic. In June 1874, W. P. Henderson succeeded Mr. Kirk as publisher, and in October following, Byron J. Thompson became editor and sole proprietor. In April 1878, it was consolidated with the Diamond, edited by M. Winsor. B. J. Thompson soon bought out the establishment, and continued as editor until April 1882, when he sold

In July 1870, Col. E. Barker and Orville L. McClung presented a petition to Governor Harvey, asking for the organization of the county. On the 14th of that month, C. L. Seeley, F. T. Gandy and A. J. Davis were appointed the first Commissioners, James A. Scarbrough, County Clerk, and Jewell City was designated as the county seat. The county and the city were named in honor of Lieut. Col. Lewis R. Jewell, of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry, who died of wounds, received at the battle of Cane Hill, Ark, November 28, 1862. Col. Barker had been commissioned Notary Public

The Assessors of Jewell County, in their returns for 1882, give the following statistics, which fairly exhibit its wealth and prosperity: Acres of taxable land under cultivation 123,379; not under cultivation, 225,147; total, 348,526 acres. Of the total valuation of all real estate and personal property ($2,048,452), $1,146,206 is in taxable land. $102,360 in town lots, $656,030 in personal property, and 142,856 in railroad lands. Acres of winter wheat, 19,515; rye, 2,634; spring wheat, 17,509; corn, 120,734; oats, 5,211; barley, 70; buckwheat, 556; potatoes 1,885; sorghum, 739; tobacco, 15; broom corn, 614; millet, 4,891; Egyptian or rice corn, 226; tons

In 1871 Guy Whitmore and Jake Hanes, noted horse-thieves, were arrested at Grand Island, Neb., by William Stone, the Sheriff of Jewell County. When taken, they had eleven stolen horses in their possession. When the Sheriff reached his home near Salem, in Jewell County, he remained over night with the prisoners. Leaving them with his Deputy he went out on an errand, and during his absence a mob overpowered the deputy, and hung the prisoners to a tree. Efforts were made to discover the perpetrators, but without success. The Sheriff never received his pay for the capture, as the County

County Officials of Jewell County, 1870 First County Commissioners (appointed in 1870) – A. J. Davis, C. L. Seeley and F. T. Gandy Present County Commissioners – J. B. Davis, M, D. Ross and M. Daily County Clerks – James Scarbrough, William Allen, W. M. Stephens Treasurers – H. B. Kellog, L. M. Butts, John Burns, W. C. McClung, John Burns and O. S. McClung Probate Judges Abraham Jackson, J. W. George, J. W. McRoberts Recorders – J. W. Worick, S. F. Scripture, M. Stone Sheriffs – E. E. Blake, A. B. Smith, J. Q. A. Chives, O. F. Johnston

The following 82 biographies were extracted from the History of the State of Kansas, 1883 and pertain specifically to Jewell County. Baggott, J.C. Baggott, J. E. Barker, E., Col. Barnett, William Baughman, F. A. Beeler, Fred Bishop, George S. Bowles, S. C. Breed, H. G. Breed, Leslie A. Burns, John Burns, N. E. Bush, W. E. Butts L. M. Case, G. H. Case, G. H. Chandler, Albert Chapman, W. S. Christ, G. S., Dr. Collins, George W. Colson, Herman Dalton, J. J. Dillman, D. F. Dillon, D. H. Dow, B. F. Enoch, John W. Capt. Faidley, J. E. Gilbert, Frank