Montgomery-Labette County KS Archives Biographies.....FLORA, Volney Pulaski (V P) December 22, 1834 - August 28, 1909 ************************************************ 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: Bill Boggess billboggess@webtv.net January 27, 2006, 4:43 am Author: Bill Boggess (Revised 01/26/06)               VOLNEY PULASKI FLORA        A KANSAS & COLORADO PIONEER   Amanda G Lentz (1810PA-1862IN) & the Reverend John FLORA (1800GER-1876IN) started their family in Harrison County, Indiana. Results were seven known children born; Josephine F, (1833IN-19xxKS), Volney Pulaski, (1834IN-1909KS), Sarah Catharine, (1836IN-186x??), Daniel Rice Boon, (1838IN-1908CO). Margaret Ann, (1841IN-1926MO), Maryetta Isebell (1843IN-184xIN) (assumed, died early), and lastly John Andrew (1845IN-1934KS).           <>-------<>-------<>    VOLNEY PULASKI FLORA (1834IN-1909KS), Duggan Family Bible spells name Wolney, also known as "V.P.", was born just before Christmas, Monday, 22 December 1834 in Harrison County, Indiana to John and Amanda FLORA, married Christmas Day 1856 (Book G; Page 101), in Dublin, Wayne County, Indiana, to Eleanor Hollingsworth (1839IN-1904CO) first known child of William & Martha Hollingsworth. V P is of record attending Hartsville University in 1858 and he's found in census of Wayne County. Indiana, Dublin Township, Dublin P.O., 13 June 1860 in her parents household with 2 y/o daughter Wilhelmina Isidora (1857IN-1937KS) listed "Volny Flay", removing to Kansas Territory that fall following its worst summer drought ever in1860. Daughter Frances Florance (1861KS-1899CO) was born. V P served the Kansas State Militia in1864. V P's brothers are in his household in July 1865 state census but daughter Maggie May (1865KS-1947WV) was not yet born. In 1870 Federal census they are next to her brother's family on Dow creek, one tributary west of Taylor creek, in Fremont Township, Lyon County. 1875 state census has them in Liberty Township, Montgomery County without Florance listed(?). Wilhelmina Isidora married Henry Wilford Conrad (1845IN-1928KS), (Notes: Came to Kansas in 1868. He was one of the first four settlers of Montgomery County, Kansas. Source material: HANBOOK(sic) OF THE KANSAS LEGISLATURE, 1901. Topeka, Kan. : Crane & Co,1900.), a friend of Daniel Rice Boon FLORA (1838IN-1908CO), and John A FLORA (1845IN-1934KS), also a1870 neighbor. V P moved family to Hinsdale County, Colorado Territory , seperated 1887, divorced 1895 and remarried1901. Eleanor died 11 August 1904 in Portland, Ouray County, Colorado, "V P" returned to Kansas and died 28 August 1909 in Montgomery County.    Volney's in-laws, William and Martha (Cooney) Hollingsworth family roots back eight generations to County Armagh, Ireland, --- foundin Cutler's, 1883, History of Kansas, and Emporia Democrat front page, column 5, 26 September 1888 issue.    Volney & Eleanor's first daughter was Wilhelmina (Wilma) Isidora, born (based upon pre-1880 census and marriage certificate as opposed to 1880 census & obituaries), 24 October 1857, its also said, at Dublin, Wayne County, Indiana! "V P" afore stated, moved family, with his in-laws, fall of 1860 to Breckenridge County. Population had peaked at 3,500 before many left following summer's drought, and prior to 1862 Homestead Act, at Fremont Township (created 1857), Breckenridge (6 February 1862, became Lyon) County, Kansas Territory (statehood 29 January 1861). Daughter, Frances Florance was born 27 July1861. CIVIL WAR: "V P" is of record enlisting 25 April 1864 at Emporia, KS (town created 1858, prohibiting gambling and liquor) at age 29, with Captain Thomas C Hill (Later Americus Cemetery Board) in Company F, 11th Regiment Kansas State Militia under Colonel A J Mitchell (of Agnes City Township), as is brother John Andrew, on 14 October, both on "PAY ROLL" 14 October to 16 November 1864. Both issued a horse and rigging, duty for 30 days. They were involved with defeat of Gen Sterling Price's Missouri & Kansas campaign. Active duty was, 9 October to 29 October 1864, between Coldwater Grove, Miami County & Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas. Attached to Colonel Moonlight at Coldwater Grove with assignment to go to Fort Scott, generally along present day Highway #7 from Paola where some State Militia troops assembled (under Martial Law) under Colonel Fishback. They engaged General Price's 12-mile caravan saving Mound City 6:00 am, 25 October 1864 while "Mine Creek" engagement occurred later,11:30 am, 25 October 1864 in Linn County, Kansas. They continued advancing, again engaged at 2:30 pm at Little Osage River, near Fort Lincoln, with Price continuing out of state at Deerfield, Missouri, 10:30 pm, then Price on a "56 mile march" to my home town Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri(ah) (which earlier had been burnt to the ground) at Spring River for forage. No pension was found. (SOURCE. Kansas State Historical Society, microfilm reel # 817, p 89, 11th KSM, Muster Rolls, Records of KS Adj Gen. & "Mine Creek" site manager; Arnold Schofield)    Daniel Rice Boon, on Army leave, and John Andrew FLORA are listed in V P's household in 1865 state census. V P was county road supervisor in 1865 and their daughter Maggie May was born 27 Ocotober1865. Family, less the brothers, appear on ninth Federal Census, 1870, for Fremont Township, Lyon County, Kansas, with population growth to 8,014 (year 2000, 35,925) -- household on Dow creek was next to Eleanor's 27 y/o, brother, Benjamin Franklin Hollingsworth (1842IN-1917) & family. Frank and wife Margaret (Maggie) L (Spencer) (1847PA-1935), married 2 February 1868, Lyon County, found living in Laramie County, WY in1908, but buried in Section 2B, Row 5, Lot 10 Maple Wood -- Memorial Lawn Cemetery, back at Emporia, he 1917, she1935.    Kansas census of 1875 have V P, Ellen, WH and Maggie in dwelling #131, 100-miles southerly at Liberty Township, Montgomery County, with Florence Flora being cited as a School Dist. #22 honor student (reported in the Emporia News, June 4, 1875, p. 3, col. 4), living with grandparents in Lyon county.    18 y/o daughter Wilhelmina (Wilma) & 27 y/o Henry Wilford Conrad (1845IN-1928KS), married 28 November 1875 by J H Vancleave, in her parents home. , 10th child of George & Nancy (Wiseman) Conrad, with 6th child, Jacob Hendrix Conrad, dwelling next to John A Flora in 1870. They lived a very active life in Montgomery County, Kansas, he, one of earliest settlers, a state representative, state senator, postmaster, county clerk, having three daughters and four grandkids, Maud, January 1877,married William Hamilton in 1897 with at least one son Earl, Mary F, February 1879, married local grocer Walter Salathiel, with at least a daughter Wilma (Wilhelmina?) and Opal M, September1886, married Guy White.    "V P" and Eleanor followed Daniel as pioneers into the territory of Colorado, with its seventeen counties formed in 1861, -- to Lake City, Hinsdale County, Colorado Territory where gold and silver had been discovered. Hinsdale County was formed in1874, from Conejos, Costilla and Lake Counties. Lake City's elevation is 8,671, 8,000 higher than Verdigris River in Montgomery, County with mountains over 14,000, town formed when a road crew discovered gold nearby . State of Colorado was created 1 August 1876 under President Grant as our 38th state. Harriette Flora (Hopkins) Anglea, g.granddaugher of John A FLORA, raised in Pueblo, Colorado, wrote: (01/06/06): "That [Lake City] was my Dad's [Dr Guy H Hopkins] favorite fishing place and we went there every  summer for at least a week and usually two weeks. My brother [Dr William G Hopkins] learned to fish there. And Mother [Harriette Pearl (FLORA) Hopkins] and I learned to picnic on the  banks of the different rivers there. One or two summers we acturally had a cabin up on the lake. but Daddy really prefered stream fishing.   "He had a lot of patients  from over there and  they always talked fishing to him.   so when we  went over we would meet some of them down town.      "It use to be a beautiful  mining town-- that petered out and all the lovely homes that had been built were bought up by wealthy Texans who came up to get away from the heat down there. It was at that time  (about the 30's and 40's)  just a very small tourist town."   Grant E Houston, President; Hinsdale County Historical Society, wrote: (12/30/05): "Both families [Flora & Borie] are well known here in Lake City and were among the real pioneers of our region, particularly up around Capitol City and Rose's Cabin, both of which are now ghost towns. Mrs. Flora was also extensively interested at various times in Lake City hotels and boarding houses, including the boarding house of the Ute-Ulay Mine on Henson Creek. Her Second Street boarding house between Gunnison and Silver Streets still exists, although it has been moved about a block from its original location."    Grant followed up by mailing some thirty excerpts of newspaper articles, including obituaries and V P & Eleanor's re-marriage in 1901 after fourteen years separation and about six years divorced, plus Ouray County Cemetery information of Elinor H and D R B's family. received 7 January 2006.    16 y/o Frances Florance (1861KS-1899CO) wed William H Borie (1840MD-1896CO) 13 December 1877, first known born was Anna Stasha (1880CO-1924CO) who married Jerome Emil Milly (1874-1828CO) with at least one daughter Florance Mash who met with Jim Duggan in 1960's, Then Bessie (1883CO-1883CO), then James (1885CO-1887CO0 last was Willie W (1888CO-1904CO) a popular boy of 16, died six months before his grandmother.   Volney was elected street superintendent (county road supervisor in Lyon County, Kansas 1865) at first election of new Capitol City, Hinsdale County, 7 April1879 . This is near Rose's Cabin where Boon FLORA once lived before moving in 1882 to Ouray County,    They both are in 1880 census at Hinsdale County, Capitol, Colorado, he "working in silver mines" She on 14 May 1881 was appointed postmistress of Capitol City. Granddaughter Bessie Borie died 27 July1883. October 1884 V P and Eleanor leased The Public House, fixing it up and announced its re-opening 22 November 1884. Jim Duggan, g,g,grandson of Wolney wrote: (8/05/05): "Wolney's family broke up and Elinor divorced him. My gg-mother Maggie May Flora married James Duggan in Lake City in 1882. He was a slick gambler, who parlayed his winnings first into ownership of a saloon, then into a horse ranch at Ridgway, Colorado. My grandfather William Edgar Duggan was born in 1885 in Red Mountain City (now a ghost town), Colorado. [] "Wolney came to Lake City at least twice to presuade Elinor to turn back, but she fed him (I have photo) and sent him away. Wolney was probably instrumental in getting her a Post Office location in Portland, Colorado (a few blocks from Ridgway). She had a "hotel" there. Billed as a rooming house for women, I later learned it ws a bordello. I Think her son-in-law Henry Conrad arranged for the Post Office there to be formalized."    16 y/o daughter Maggie May (1865KS-1947WV) married James Joseph Duggan (1845-1908CO) 4 May 1882 with five known children, three to adulthood. William Edgar, August 1885 (Jim Duggan's grandfather), Goldie E, November 1888, and Joseph James February 1897. Maggie, on 1910, married old friend Edward Healy, they lived in California having son John in1911. A "High Mass" was held for her 1947 death, with burial in California.    The split-up appears to have occurred during/before she operated a boarding house at Ute-Ulay mine 21 August 1886. She is noted 1 October 1887 giving up at Ute mine, moving next to the Silver World newspaper office. 17 March 1888 she runs an advertisement in Silver World of opening for "Mrs E H FLORA'S" Boarding House on second street, between Silver St and Gunnison Avenue (structure remains, moved about a block away), finding it to small, she had within a week moved to American House and was fixing it up. In 1889 she advertised 12 June the American House then transfers interest to a Mr Davis 17 August. July 1890 she is off to Salt Lake City, then to Denver to make a new home. May 1894 she visits and may be when she divorced V P, then April 1896, after death of son-in-law, William H Borie, February 1896, she bought the Brockett residence on north Silver Street moving her daughter and kids in with her. June 1897 article says; H A Avery is adding on to house once owned by Eleanor who has moved daughter and grandkids, Miss Anna & Master Willie to Ouray. October 1899 her 38 y/o daughter Frances Florance Borie dies, noted as niece of Boon FLORA. Additional Comments: The 140-page booklet "OUR FLORA FAMILY is filed with: "Kansas Room", Independence Public Library, Emporia Public Library, Labette Genealogical Society, Oswego & Lyon County Historical Archives File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/montgomery/bios/flora118bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/ File size: 14.9 Kb