2023 Fall Newsletter

“From the Past” Let’s look into the life of William Jasper Bratton. William was born June 14, 1840 in Montgomery, MO. He moved to Lykins now Miami County in September of 1857 with his parents. He was seventeen. They set tled on a claim south of Spring Hill, KS. Sometime in 1858 William started a freight hauling business. The following article taken from “The Louisburg Her ald” newspaper by editor Phil Thomas who wrote a column titled “From The Past”. Dated November 24, 1904, W. J. Bratton was interviewed; “Do I remember old Chief Baptiste? (Pronounced Bateese) Yes! Baptiste and I went to Leavenworth. 60 miles from here, in 1859. I took my team and wagon and he was on horseback. On our arrival in Leavenworth we stopped at the Fort. Baptiste went in and got $ 20,000 in gold from the government officers. All in one box. Took the two of us to lift it into the wagon. We stayed there all night and the next day I started for home. Baptiste told me to take the gold to Beaverton to pay off the five tribes and he would meet me there the next morning at 10 o’clock. I got through all right with the gold. No one offered to bother me nor I hardly thought of such a thing. Many people believe that we had very lawless times here on the border in those days, but such was not the case. Property was safer then than now. That was the only way of carrying money then, and we had no paper money. Everybody coming out from the East brought gold and silver as their paper money would not pass here. It was quite a sight to see the money distributed. The five tribes were there dressed in their blankets. The money went to the chiefs and from them to the mem bers of the tribes. Most of them were in debt to the chiefs who deducted their claims and paid over the balance with no grumbling by anyone. When old Baptiste died the Indian’s best friend was gone. I knew most all the Indians up this way, part wore blankets. They lived along the creeks, in homes of some kind. One house was here at the Shields spring. No Louisburg in those days. Ed Shields’ father,

By LeAnne Ellis Shields, Paola, KS.

Ambrose lived there. Heavy prairie grass all over these prairies high as a horse’s back. Deer, wolves and turkey were plentiful. Pat Sloan said that when he first came here it was all pasture. Farm grants brought in cattle and soon covered the range. Baptiste was the big gun of the Indians and his word was law. I worked for him part of two winters and farmed in the summer. In September 1861, William J. Bratton, age nineteen and his friend Edward Shields, a Wea Indian, age four teen enlisted in Co. 1, 12 th Volunteers. William and Ed fought in the Civil War and continued in service until June 29, 1865, when they mustered out at Little Rock, Arkansas. William J. Bratton suffered the rest of his life from what probably today would be called par asites. He received a $ 6.00 monthly disabled pension from the government until his death, March 20, 1906. Ed shields had to sign papers yearly to verify his con dition. They were lifelong friends. Ed’s father was Am brose Shields, a Wea Indian, known as “Wea Tons”. Ambrose was among the first persons to live in what later became Louisburg. Ambrose was a relative of Chief Christmas Dagenette and is buried in the Dagen ette cemetery South of Louisburg. William J. Bratton married Mary Wall, October 12, 1863. To this union were born 10 children, 7 sons and 3 daughters. They farmed on 80 acres West of Louis burg on 322 St. (Centennial Road). Two miles West of the Bratton farm was where the John Hinderliter fam ily lived on 360 acres. Arthur Bratton met Pearl Hin derliter and later they were married. From this union were born 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. Their daughter, Esther Bratton married Loren “Bud” Ellis. From this union were born 3 children, 2 sons and 1 daughter. This article is written by that daughter and great grand daughter of William Jasper and Mary Wall Bratton.

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