Finding Aid for the Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection

Title: Finding Aid for the Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection
extracted text: Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection

Collection Summary
Title
Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection
Date
Approximately middle 1800s to middle 1990s
Extent
2 archival document boxes

Name and Location of Repository
Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence (Mo.)
Reference code: MGC 1048-CHRF
Processed by: Sheri Volpe, 2014; Finding aid created by Sheri Volpe and Nicole Pye, 2014

Name of Creator
Ramsdell Family
Biographical History
Chester Howard Ramsdell was born in Wareham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts on October 29, 1883
and died in New Hampshire in November 1965. According to marriage record, his parents were William
C. Ramsdell and Abbie M. Gregory. Ramsdell married Katie Perry Besse on June 12, 1907 in East
Wareham, Massachusetts.

Scope and Content
This collection contains materials from middle 1800s to middle 1960s regarding the family lines of
Chester Howard Ramsdell, considered by the donor as the family historian. Also in this collection is
additional material supplied by Joanne Eakin, a genealogist, as some items are dated after C.H.
Ramsdell’s death. Other family names include Allen, Beets, Calhoun, Eaton, Edwards, Gerhardt, Hall,
Hardin, Heibel, Hentges, Jarrett, Kickbusch, Kizer, Lynch, McDaniel, Merrill, Pierce, Pollock, Schmidt,
Shelby, Sommerhauser, Steiner Gerhard, Trimble, and Walker.

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Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection

Collection Inventory
System of Arrangement
These records are arranged in 8 series.
Series 1, Genealogy and Family History
Folder 1, Beets Family
Item 1, Family history, December, 1964
Item 2, Copies of the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census records
Folder 2, Calhoun Family
Item 1, Smith County Historical Society research, circa 1977
Folder 3, Eaton, H. K.
Item 1, Letter, October 21, 1861
Item 2, Complaint, U.S. vs. P. Hevey, October 20, 1861
Item 3, Letter to Secretary of State, October 22, 1961
Item 4, Transcript, letters and complaints, undated
Folder 4, Edwards, John
Item 1, Article, undated
Item 2, Article, October 24, 1961
Item 3, Article, KC Star, April 13, 1980
Folder 5, Gerhardt family
Item 1, Passenger list, 1852
Item 2, Biography of James Gerhardt, undated
Item 3, Table of Contents page, undated
Folder 6, Hall Family
Item 1, Photocopy of photo of Jacob Hall, undated
Item 2, Descendancy chart, undated
Item 3, Notes, handwritten, undated
Item 4, Typed stories of Jacob Hall’s wife, undated
Item 5, Transcription of sellers of administration from Jacob Hall, May 16, 1865
Folder 7, Hardin, Lt. Hopkins Genealogy
Item 1, Newspaper article on needlework of W. Palmer, Kansas City Star, August
16, 1931
Item 2, Article on John Hardin, Independence Examiner, September 5, 1933
Item 3, Letter to Raymond Westmoreland from John Hardin, March 17, 1969
Item 4, Letter to Ethel from John Hardin, June 24, 1969
Item 5, Letter to Ethel from John Hardin, July 14, 1969
Item 6, Letter to Ethel from John Hardin, September 26, 1969
Item 7, Letter to Ethel from John Hardin, June 27, 1970
Item 8, Letter to Suzanne from unknown individual, June 10, 1971
Item 9, Obituary on William Hopkins Palmer, circa Jan 21, 1997
Item 10, Article on Elizabeth Palmer Thompson, Independence Examiner, May
12, 1998
Item 11, Reminiscence, typed, by daughter W. Palmer, undated
Item 12, Family charts and Hopkins Harding and Susan Westmoreland marriage
information, undated
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Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection
Item 13, Generation chart Beale family (Amanda Jane Beale married Hopkins
Hardin)
Item, 14, Letter to Janet Thompson from Polly Palmer Brunkhardt, undated
Item 15, Letter to Joanne from Martha Miller, undated
Item 16, Notes on reminiscences, undated
Item 17, Notes on Hardin family line by Mrs. W. Palmer, undated
Folder 8, Heibel, Johannes
Item 1, Family unit chart first marriage, undated
Item 2, Family unit chart second marriage, undated
Item 3, Biography, undated
Folder 9, Hentges Family
Item 1, Family unit chart, undated
Folder 10, Jarrett, John
Item 1, Letter, June 14, 1983
Folder 11, Kizer Family
Item 1, Article on reminiscences of Kizer in Civil War, Palmyra, Spectator,
September 8, 1926
Item 2, Article on Mary Robinson, Palmyra Spectator, December 8, 1926
Item 3, Article on Henry Kizer’s Civil War experience, Palmyra Spectator, April
20, 1927
Item 4, Article on death of Henry Kizer, Sept 14, 1927
Item 5, Obituary, Henry Kizer, undated
Folder 12, Lynch Family
Item 5, Article on death of Elijah Lynch, Independence Examiner, July 22, 1918
Item 3, Article, Muster Roll, Kansas City Genealogist, June 1, 1960
Item 1, Family Group Sheet, September 17, 1999
Item 2, Letter from Jon Harris to Joanne, 2001
Item 4, Civil War service record for Elijah Lynch, undated
Item 6, Obituary, Miranda Lynch, wife of Eljah Lynch, undated
Folder 13, McDaniel, Henry and Hattie
Item 1, Photos of Henry McDaniel, 1863, and Hattie McDaniel from Gone with
the Wind, 1939
Folder 14, Merrill Family
Item 1, Petition, Frankie Merrill Allen, Daughters of Confederacy, January 24,
1925
Item 2, Christmas card including photo, article, and stamped napkin, Augusta
Merrill, May 21, 1961
Item 3, Article, Independence Examiner, July 3, 1975
Item 4, Memorial announcement, Martha Willis, 1988
Folder 15, Pierce, Robert
Item 1, Typed manuscript on Civil War experience, undated
Folder 16, Pollock, John C.
Item 1, Article, Tribute, KC Bar Bulletin, January, 1937, V. 14:1
Folder 17, Ramsdell Family Chart, Folder 1
Item 1, Ramsdell chart, undated
Folder 18, Ramsdell Family Chart, Folder 2
Item 2, Ramsdell chart, undated

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Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection
Folder 19, Schmidt Family
Item 1, Family unit chart, undated
Folder 20, Shelby, Jo
Item 1, Article, copy, April 20, 1901
Folder 21, Sommerhauser Family
Item 1, Family unit chart, undated
Folder 22, Steiner Gerhard Family
Item 1, Ancestor chart, undated
Folder 23, Trimble, Francis H.
Item 1, Biography, undated
Item 2, Article, Tribute, KC Bar Bulletin, March, 1936 V. 13:5
Folder 24, Walker Family
Item 1, Legal documents, copies, approximately 1861-63
Item 2, Article, KC Star, May 26, 1950
Item 3, Article, Russian River Recorder, Spring, 1985, V. 29
Series 2, Vital Records
Folder 1, Davis Burial Ground
Item 1, Survey, Davis Burial Ground, Spring 1994
Item 2, Page from unknown book of tombstone inscriptions, undated
Item 3, Tombstone symbolism sheet, undated
Folder 2, Huron Place burial ground
Item 1, Copy of inscriptions by William Connelley, 1980
Folder 3, Riverview Cemetery
Item 1, Name index, Bonner Springs, KS, compiled by Jeffrey Keath, October,
1992
Series 3, Organization
Folder 1, Daughters of the American Colonists, Mary Ball Washington Chapter, KCMO
Item 1, Membership roster, 1964-67
Folder 2, First United Methodist Church
Item 1, Membership, August, 1976
Folder 3, Kansas City Area Archivists
Item 1, Membership directory, 1993 -1994
Folder 4, Knights of the Golden Circle
Item 1, History of, undated
Folder 5, National Society United States Daughters of 1812
Item 1, Newsletter, July, 1965, V. 40:1
Folder 6, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Independence Chapter
Item 1, Brochure, Confederate Flag, 1961
Item 2, Membership roster, 1964-66
Item 3, Breakfast program, 1965
Item 4, Membership roster, 2003
Item 5, Marker dedication, July 10, 2005
Item 6, Membership roster, 2005
Item 7, Membership roster, 2006
Item 8, Membership roster, 2007-2008
Series 4, Military History
Folder 1, Confederate Pension Roll, Missouri
Item 1, Confederate States of America, Missouri pension roll, undated
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Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection
Folder 2, MO Confederate States Infantry, Company 10
Item 1, Roster and Battles, 1942
Folder 3, MO State Militia
Item 1, Article, Missouri Historical Review, July, 1975, 69:4
Item 2, Book chapter copy on border warfare, undated
Folder 4, Paw Paw Militia
Item 1, History, typed, undated
Item 2, Article, Missouri Historical Review, Summer, 1968, V. 62:4
Series 5, Miscellaneous
Folder 1, Miscellaneous, Article, Civil War Letters
Item 1, Article on Civil War Letters, Kansas City Star, August 14, 1938, 3 copies
Folder 2, Miscellaneous, Stories
Item 1, “Old Wire Road” by Paul Butler, undated
Item 2, Typed manuscript, “Log House History Preserved” by Elizabeth Rogers
Jones, June 10, 1986
Item 3, Article, Lee’s Summit Journal, January 28, 1987
Series 6, Correspondence
Folder 1, Letters, Bald Knobbers
Item 1, Letter, March 1, 1886
Item 2, Letter, March 11, 1886
Item 3, Letter, March 11, 1886
Item 4, Letter, March 12, 1886
Item 5, Letter, March 15, 1886
Item 6, Letter, March 27, 1886
Item 7, Letter, May 10, 1886
Item 8, Letter, May 10, 1886
Item 9, Letter, May 10, 1886
Item 10, Letter, March 15, 1886
Item 11, Letter, March 4, 1886
Item 12, Letter, March 20, 1886
Item 13, Letter, May 12, 1886
Item 14, Letter, June 11, 1886
Folder 2, Statements, Bald Knobbers
Item 1, Various citizen statements, circa 1886
Folder 3, Correspondence – Hall Family
Item 1, Copies of letters, some undated, from 1841 to 1868
Item 2, Transcribed typed letters from Jacob Hall, 1849-1852
Series 7, Photographs
Folder 1, Miscellaneous Photographs
Item 1, Mary Regina and Thomas Nicolas Gerhart, circa 1860
Item 2, Andrew and Justina Gerhardt, circa 1870
Item 3, Mary Regina Gerhart, circa 1890
Item 4, Thomas Nicholas Gerhart, circa 1890
Item 5, Nicholas, Mary, and Josephine Heinen, circa 1890
Item 6, William Gerhardt, circa 1897
Item 7, Marie Meistrell, Thomas Gerhart, Ollie Smith, Nannie Meistrell, and
Eleuer Surllume, 1897
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Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection
Item 8, Marie Meistrell, Thomas Gerhart, Allie Smith, Nannie Meistrell and
Eleuer Sevillung, July 18, 1897
Item 9, Joseph Peter Muth and Sophia Mary Regna Gerhardt, June 7, 1899
Item 10, Alphonse Muth, circa 1900
Item 11, Mary Baily Gerhart and Anne Mary Gerhart, circa 1900
Item 12, Katherine and Sophie Murth, Rose Iller, Louis Gerhardt, circa 1900
Item 13, Rose Gerhardt and John Miller, circa 1900
Item 14, Regina and Laura Gerhardt, circa 1900
Item 15, Ida, Joseph and William Gerhardt, circa 1900
Item 16, Conrad Gerhardt, circa 1930
Item 17, Group Photo, Extension College, June 1935
Item 18, Martha (Pat), Gussie, Frankie, and Elizabeth, October 1979
Item 19, Headstones, Mary and Louisa Walker, undated
Item 20, Headstones, Walker family, undated
Item 21, Headstones, W. N. and J. P. Walker, undated
Series 8, Legal documents
Folder 1, Allen, John
Item 1, Dissolution of business, March 6, 1868
Folder 2, Kickbusch, Johann
Item 1, Police report, May 26, 1880

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Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection

Rights and Access
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use by appointment.
Physical Access
Most records within this collection are housed in file folders.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the Midwest Genealogy Center.
Languages and Scripts of the Material
Materials in the collection are mainly in English. One item in German.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Catherine Burr.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected for this collection.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals owned by the Midwest Genealogy Center.
Notes
The following sources were consulted during the preparation of the biographical history:
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FamilySearch.org. (no date). Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915. Retrieved from
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FXDZ-S4F
FamilySearch.org. (no date). United States Social Security Death Index. Retrieved from
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JT54-9PN
FamilySearch.org. (no date). Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915. Retrieved from
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N4DB-HQR
FamilySearch.org (no date). United States Census, 1910. Retrieved from
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M2K6-5B4
FamilySearch.org (no date). United States Census, 1930. Retrieved from
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XQ5K-XBT

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Part of Finding Aid for the Chester H. Ramsdell Family Collection