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Elmer Spires Disapearance

 

This is information on the Elmer Spires disappearance and the family split after that disappearance. Elmer Spires married 2/6/1867in Georgtown, Ohio. Later they moved with their children to Labette County, KS around Altamonte. Around Late 1880's Elmer was seen walking the railroad tracks to work and never returned. Until this day it is a mystery where he went, but it caused a family split that lasted for years. This is the story that I got from LaJuana Johnson Lech granddaughter of Oliver Kirby Spires, about the disappearance that was passed down on her side of the family. 

From LaJuana Johnson Lech

I am not really sure what happened with Elmer & Zenith but my mother told me that her father Oliver told her that one morning Elmer said he was going to town (they lived in Parsons, KS) and never returned home. She said the last time they saw him - he was walking down the railroad tracks. I assume he left his family. Zenith returned to southern Illinois as did my grandfather, his sisters, Louie, and Obie. My mother knew Zenith and she said that when people asked about her husband - she would say - "He is gone". Zenith appeared to maintain contact with Elmer's family because I have a picture of her visiting Elmer's brother, Lafayette in Ohio - she has her youngest daughter with her (Hazel) and she is a teenager in the picture. Mother said that Elmer seemed to be a topic that Zenith & my grandfather, Oliver, did not discuss. My understanding is that Charlie still had contact with his father, Elmer, and that is what caused the rift between my grandfather & Charles. Now I do not know for sure that Charles maintained that contact - this was just what my mother suspected was the cause of the problems between her father, Oliver, and his brother, Charles. My grandfather did have a pictures of Charles that he showed me once but to my knowledge they never saw each other. It is sad what a family breakup can cause. I have never seen a picture of Elmer but I do have pictures of Zenith. I have not had time to scan and post the pictures. My parents past away last year and I have all those things in boxes that I need to look through.

I am not sure if Charles did have contact with Elmer, stayed around to see if he could track him down, or just fell in love with this part of the country. Although he never saw his family again, in later years he had a reunion with his sister Hazel. Hazel son Galen moved to Wichita and we grew up knowing our cousin Galen very well. My family when traveling from Wichita to OKC stayed with him and his wife while we were traveling. He was one of our favorite cousins. For a time when he first came to Kansas he lived with Charles and Ella Spires until he got on his feet. The picture below is the first time that Charles and Hazel seen each other since they were 20 something. They had a lot of catching up to do, how I wish we were able to go back and ask these questions that we have now.



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