The Topeka state journal., 1908-08-05
new ROLLS READY
Civil War Records Have Been
Completed.
Make IA Books for Adjutant
Generals Office,
THEY ARE EXPENSIVE
Cost the State $3.50 Apiece OF
Total of $5, 900.
Include All the Famous Price
Raid Records,

| JUST one year go, the STATE OF KAN
sas commenced the investment of
$4,000 In a new set Of civil war mus
| ter rolls.
The work of making those rolls has
| just now been completed. the $1,000
has been spent, and the state has
fourteen new books to add to the
archives of the adjutant generals
office.
These are probably the most expen-
sive books the state owns, except the
old "ofhcial journals of the house and
senate. The fourteen muster rolls cost
the state about $3.50 apiece.
In addition to the fourteen new
| books of muster rolls, the state will
also get thirteen old volumes of vol
unteer" muster rolls rechecked and
rebound.
The work of making the copies of
the old rolls was intrusted to Adjutant
General J. w. F. Hughes in whose
custody the original muster rolls are.
1t was essential that the copies be
made, for the old rolls were literally
SO rotten and old that they had fallen
into a hundred pieces. These rolls are
of the utmost Importance as docu-
ments of reference in civil war mat
ters.
Some years ago the state had copied
the volunteer muster rolls, but the
| muster rolls of the Price raid and of
the Kansas state militia were never
copied until provision was made by the
1907 legislature.
General Hughes decided that the
best way to copy the old rolls would
be by typewriter, so he secured type
writer of immense size, larger than
any ever brought to Topeka. In it the
books were placed and old muster
rolls copied
The books are splendid specimens
of neatness and good workmanship,
and are on the very best paper OBJ
tainable, and bound with the utmost
care. They should last hundred
years or more.
Adjutant General Hughes today gave
out a statement concerning the work
which he has Just completed. He says:
THE work of copying and filing these
rolls was begun in August, 1907, under
the provision of an act Of the legisla-
ture of 1907, appropriating $4,000 for
that purpose.
Most of the companies that served
during the Price raid had several mus
ter and pay rolls, and the one chosen
to be copied, in most cases, was the
one containing the greatest number of
names, the longest term of service, the
most complete general record of the
pany commander. Where the roll
copied was chosen on account of it's
containing the greatest number of
names, and another roll, perhaps un-
signed and containing fewer names
gave a more complete record of the
date of muster in and muster out,
these dates were inserted in the type
written copy to make the company
record more complete. t
I'm comparing the various rolls of a
company, many differences were found
in the spelling of the names. This may
be accounted for in great part by the
fact that in most cases the men did
not write their own names, but gave
them verbally to the clerk of the COM
pany, and it has been noted that these
clerks were fighters rather than wri-
ters To account for these differences
in spelling, notes have been made at
the foot of the pages, showing the Var1-
Gus ways in which the names appear
on the various rolls. Much of the wri-
ting is almost illegible. and in cases
where there is only one roll of COM
pany on file, notes have been made OF
the various ways In which the names
might be deciphered. Thus the result
ing COPY is rather compilation of the
several rolls of a company rather than
an exact copy of any one roll
There is no possible way of dis
tinguishing between the capital L and
j. on the original rolls. and they have
been copied interchangeably, except In
a few cases where the name was found
written in full on one of the rolls not
used as CODY Sometimes there was no
way to determine which was the sur
name. as for example Thomas James
may be James Thomas or Franklin
wallace may be wallace Franklin.
In such cases, If the name wanted is
not found in the index, it perhaps will
be found reversed.
I'm former Adjutant General HolE-
days report for 1854 he states that the
Seventeenth regiment commanded by
! Col. e. c. Manning. participated in the
Price raid, but Richard j. Hinton
| history saws: The Seventeenth regi-
ment. Col. Manning, was the only or
ganization which did not respond to
| the call of Governor Carney, of October
s. 1854. They presented a reasonable
excuse in the fact of the exposure OF
muster and pay rolls Of this regiment
on file in this office do not show any