The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-05
FOrefathers of Topeka Meet to
Celebrate Birthday.
City Is Fifty-Six Years Old
Today.
TALK OF EARLY DAYS.
One Member Of the Town Com.
pany Left.
Mayor Billiard One of the Real
Pioneers.

The fifty-sixth anniversary of the
founding of Topeka is being celebrated
today by $50 pioneers of Shawnee
county who are holding a! meeting al
the First Christian church, 61S Topeka
avenue. The meeting opened at noon
today and at 1 o'clock a big basket
of the church.
Many of the early residents of the
county and state are attending the
meeting and they are busily swapping
yarns of frontier life in the Sunfower
state. The old settlers did not heed
the snow storm this morning and the
meeting this year is largely attended.
Several persons attending the meeting
were in Shawnee county before the
founding of Topeka and one member
of the original townsite company is
present, Thomas Hickey.
Mrs. D. L. Lincoln, in point of resi-
dence in Kansas, is the oldest person
attending the meeting. Mrs. Lincoln
is a daughter of Anthony Ward and
wife and her father was a wagon
maker for the Shawnee and Pottawat-
omie Indians She was born at the old
Shawnee mission. near Westport, Oc-
tober %, 1914. Her father and mother
were married at the mission and Mrs.
Lincoln spent her early childhood
there.
F. Sardou came to Topeka with J.
B. Billiard, now mayor, Aug. %, 1854.
They came direct from France and
they are the only two men in Shaw
nee county still occupying their old
HON eSteadS Mr.. SardOu'S mother came
to Topeka last September, after spend
ing a few years at her old home in
France. She lived in Topeka thirty
years and when she returned last fall
said she expected to spend her remain
sT7er 1ux-c In Tho xrrr1o hnT
sons homestead.
when We came to Kansas. May 25,
1885," said Mrs. Dolman F'inlay, who
is attending the celebration. there
were wild Strawberries everywhere.
The woods were literally full of them
and believe it was the grandest sight
of my life. We stayed in Lawrence
the night following the burning of the
Eidridge house and then came by stage
to Tecumseh. That was a great town
in those days. The court house was
there and the place was much larger
than Topeka. We thought it would
certainly be the capital of the state
but Topeka got ahead of it. Julia
Stimson was the earliest settler in Te-
cumseh and she and used to go ber-
rying together and had great times.
But along with the fun we girls had
there were some stormy times. re-
member Jim Lane ran my husband
and me out of Tecumseh and hauled us
women were taken to Lawrence for
protection on that occasion and it was
ten days before they allowed us to re-
turn"
Mrs. F1nlay has lived in Topeka 4C
years. She is now making her home
at 603 Topeka avenue.
]. A. Hickey. of Topeka, is attend
ing the meeting today, and his stories
of early day Kansas life are equal tc
those Of any of the old settlers.
IT came in 1854" said Mr.. Hickey
land am the only survivor of the or
iginal townsite company. We had lit
tie thought then that Topeka would be
the town 1t is today and when one
looks back over the events of a hall
century, it seems almost impossible
that Kansas could have grown from the
wilderness of the early SOS to the great
state it is today"
Albert McClain, of SOC Lawrence ave-
nue.. came to Shawnee county earlier
than any other man attending thi'
years meeting.
I'VE came in November. 1S4S.' sale
Mr.. McClaln. There was no Topeka
here in those days and it was all one
great vast wilderness. 1 remember W.