Johnson County KS Archives Biographies.....McAnany, Patrick 1839 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 22, 2008, 12:00 am Author: Ed Blair (1915) Patrick McAnany, of Mission township, is one of the historic landmarks of Johnson county, within whose borders he has made his residence for fifty-seven years. Mr. McAnany is a native of Ireland, born in 1839, and when nine years of age immigrated to America with his parents. In 1858, he came to Johnson county, then in the Territory of Kansas, and located in Shawnee township. When he first came to this locality he went to live with a Shawnee Indian named David Daugherty, and worked for that Indian a number of years. Mr. McAnany was very familiar with the civilized Shawnees and entertains a very high regard for their intelligence and honesty. He says that his main objection to the Shawnee Indians is to their style of cooking, and that they made the least progress in the culinary art of any of the accomplishments of their white brethren whom they endeavored to imitate. Mr. McAnany relates many instances concerning the habits and customs of the Shawnee Indians and refers in particular to the carnival season, which was always celebrated about the time that their corn had developed to the roasting stage. Mr. McAnany remained with his Shawnee employer for several years, receiving $16.00 per month, most of which he gave to Mrs. Daugherty, the Indian's wife, for safe keeping. The custom was to pay him the exact amount due each month, the money being tied up neatly in a small sack, and as above stated, Mr. McAnany in turn deposited most of it with Mrs. Daugherty, and when she died, she had in her possession about $200.00 of his money which was then paid to him. He then worked for Wilkerson & Knaggs, who kept a general store and sold groceries, dry goods, boots, shoes, etc. Mr. McAnany remained in the employ of this firm for two or three years, or until Wilkerson was killed by an Indian in a saloon brawl at Shawnee. At that time there were eight or ten saloons in the little settlement. Later Mr. McAnany bought 160 acres of land and has made farming the chief occupation of his life, in which he has been very successful and accumulated a competence. He was here during the uncertain days of the Border war and enlisted in Company F, First regiment, Kansas infantry. He received a gunshot wound in the right cheek at the battle of Wilson creek and still carries the bullet, as the doctors refused to remove it fearing that the wound would never heal. He also received a hot minnie ball in the left ear. This ball was partly melted when it struck him, presumably being fired from an overheated gun. And on another occasion he was struck on the buckle of his cartridge belt by a minnie ball. He says that on that occasion, the bullet struck with sufficient force to have penetrated his body had it not been deflected by the buckle. He was taken prisoner while in the service but shortly after his capture was exchanged and sent to the hospital at Fort Leavenworth. On one occasion, while he and two other soldiers were on their way between Fort Scott and Kansas City, they stayed all night with a hotel keeper who was a Union man, and who, during the night, learned of a plot of the bushwhackers to kill Mr. McAnany and his comrades. The plan was to hold up the stage on which they were expected to be passengers, but the landlord of the hotel apprised the soldiers of the plot and they made their escape in the night and got a conveyance to take them to Westport during the night, and thus escaped with their lives. Few men in Johnson county have had the variety of pioneer and military experiences that has fallen to the lot of Mr. McAnany. In the early days he frequently went on buffalo hunting trips in the central and western part of the State with the Indians. He could speak the Shawnee language fluently and during his career has frequently been called upon to act as interpreter in matters concerning the Shawnee Indians. Mr. McAnany was married at Kansas City, Mo., in 1869, to Miss Helen Mansfield and he and his wife are now spending their declining years in peace and plenty on their farm which is located three-fourths of a mile north of Shawnee. They have one of the well improved farms of Johnson county. They are the parents of nine children, all of whom are living: Edwin S., born in Kansas City, Mo., living in Kansas City, Kan., of the firm of McAnany & Alden. He is a graduate of St. Benedict's College, of Atchison; Phillip, born in Kansas City, Mo, educated in the schools of Kansas City, Mo., is with the Hearst papers of Boston, Mass.; J. Paul, born in Kansas City, Mo., an engineer, lives in western Canada; May, born in Kansas City, Mo., married Carl Dahoney, Cincinnati, Ohio, attended the Mount St. Scholastica's School of Atchison, Kan.; Rose, born in Kansas City, Mo., lives at home; Patrick D., born in Shawnee, attended St. Benedict's School, Atchison, Kan., associated with the firm of McAnany & Alden, of Shawnee, Kan., lives at home; Helen G., born in Shawnee, attended Mount St. Scholastica's School at Atchison, Kan., married W. W. Marshall, lives in Kansas City, Mo.; George S., born in Shawnee, attended St. Benedict's College, and is a salesman for Cook Paint Company, and Robert A., born in Shawnee, attended St. Benedict's College, Atchison, Kan., farming at home. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF Johnson County Kansas BY ED BLAIR AUTHOR OF Kansas Zephyrs, Sunflower Sittings and Other Poems and Sketches IN ONE VOLUME ILLUSTRATED STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY LAWRENCE, KANSAS 1915 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/johnson/bios/mcanany140bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/ File size: 6.0 Kb