The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-25
A NOTED REUNION,
Challis Family of AtchisOn
Gather at Old Home Today.
Come From All Parts of Country
to Celebrate Christmas.
ARE KANSAS PIONEERS
DIR. and Mrs. w. L. Challiss
Came to AtchisOn in 1856.
First Business Was Operating
a Little River Ferry.

Atch1son, Dec. 25-The Globe SAYS:
There will be many family reunions in
Atch1son Christmas but perhaps the
most notable will be the reunion at the
home of ]. M. Challiss, on North River
terrace, Of his parents, DR.. and Mrs
w. L. Challiss, and of his brothers and
sisters from all parts of the country
The reunion will be unusual because of
the distance Travelled by children and
parents to get here; it will be held in
the old home in which many of them
were born, and the family is many
times larger than families of the pres
ent day. Few parents have as many
children, and the number is lamenta-
bly, smaller Of those parents who can
look back after f1fty-seven years of
married life. and find the family circle
still unbroken.
Those attending the reunion are Mr..
and Mrs. w. L. Challiss and their
daughter, Mrs. Blanche Decker of To-
ledo, Ohio; Mr.. and Mrs. Paul Challiss,
Of Greedy, Colo; Mrs. Daisy Faust, of
Philadelphia, little girl with a desire
to paint and become big artist when
she left Atchison, and now a very sue
cessful practicing physician; Mrs. John
A Martin, of Ottawa; Mr.. and Mrs. D.
B. Rogers, of Kansas City; Mrs. ]. F.
Donald, of Erid, Oklahoma, and J. M.
Challiss, of Atchison. Mrs. Dora Ben
nett of Toledo, is sick, and unable to
come, and neither Mrs. Millie Decker,
nor Ralph Challiss, of Adrian, Mich,
will be here.
DIR. and Mrs. W. L. Challiss came to
Atchison in 1856 when there was no
town here, and lived here until five or
six years ago, when they followed their
children to Adrian. Mich, making thai
city their home until within the past
year or so when they removed with
their daughter, Mrs. Dora Bennett, to
Toledo, Ohio. Their long residence
here had made this home so dear to
them that when it was proposed to
have a family reunion they urged that
1t be held in the old home in Atchison
now occupied by their son Jim.
Dr. and Mrs. Challiss are charter
members of the Baptist church, and
they recall that away back in the early
days there were no church bells. and
it was the practice when there was to
be church services for cryer to go
through the streets calling out, Oyer
Oyer, O-yezi There will be a meeting
at early candle light tonight" In ten
der memory of those days the invita-
tions to their golden wedding held at
the Chaniss home on August l, l9oO,
were for "early candle light" and 1t
proved an event that is memorable.
After a reception. a second marriage
ceremony was performed the Rev. J.
r. Conner officiating. Fifty years be-
fore the bride had three bridesmaids;
one Of whom, her sister, Mrs. A. q.
Otis, was present at the golden we'd
ding, but on her hftieth wedding ami
versary she had seven bridesmaids
and three groomsmen. her daughters
and sons, who preceded their parents
to the altar, and finer looking fam
lily of parents and children never as
sembled in Atchison. The bride was
dressed in white. and all her brides
maids were also in white and wore
marigolds in their hair. This was over
seven years ago. and though the fam
fly was large, death has not broken
the family circle. What a pity that
the three absent ones cannot be pres
ent to make the gathering complete.
DR.. Challiss came to Atchison June 8, |
1856, on the steamboat Meteor" from
New Jersey, where he had
been a practicing physician. In COM
pany with his brother, the late Luther |
they operated little river |
ferry for time which was known as
the RED Rover" In the fall of that |
year w. l.. Challiss went to Evansville, |
Ind, and contracted for the building of |
a steam ferry, bringing it to Atchison |
in November. That is, he started for |
Atchison, but got caught in q freeze at |
Mo-. and had to leave the |
boat there, bringing the crew to Atchi- |
son in two stage coaches hired for the |
purpose. He went back after the boat !
in February. accompanied by George
Million. Granville Morrow and John |
Cafferty. They found the boat had |
gone adrift, and walked down the river
after 1t, finding it at Arrow Rock, Mo,
He went on down the river, meeting
his family, who were en- route to Atchi-
son, in St. Louis. They came up on a
boat, and when they reached Arrow
Rock, the captain was induced to pull
the ferry off the sandbar, and within
four days it arrived in Atchison.
This was the introduction of the
Challiss family in Atchison. The boat
was called The Ida" for Miss Ida
Challiss, who became the wife of John
a. Martin. editor Of the Atchison
colonel of the Eighth Kan
sas regiment, and governor Of the state
Two terms.
In 1860 DR.. Challiss built a larger
'erry boat at Brownsville, Pa, bringing
t to Atchison. 1t was called the u. G.
and when it arrived in Atchi-
son the government pressed it into SER
yice and sent it to Yankton with In
iian supplies. Bill Reed was pilot and
Dr.. Clalliss was captain. A quick trip
vas made to within several miles Of
Yankton, where the pilot ran the boat
nto snag and sank 1t. The boat cost
,25, 600, and nothing was saved but the