Monday's Diggings

A Crandall Public School Souvenir

Did your grandparents save mementos from their childhood? Perhaps an old report card, a class photograph, or a school program?

My maternal grandmother, Pauline Mentzer, saved a small souvenir booklet from Crandall Public School in Coffey County, Kansas. Although the booklet is undated, it provides a glimpse into her childhood and the school she attended with her siblings.

Dating the Souvenir Booklet

Unfortunately, the booklet does not include a date. However, the teacher's name, the ages of the Mentzer children, and the family's movements suggest that it was likely created sometime between 1912 and 1915.

In 1910, the Charles Mentzer family was living in Liberty Township, Coffey County, Kansas. According to the Burlington Independent of Burlington, Kansas, Charles Mentzer rented the H. Harreld farm near Crandall in January 1912.

By 1915, the family was still living in the Crandall area, where the Kansas state census recorded them in Neosho Township.

The family's move from Liberty Township to the Crandall area would have placed the Mentzer children closer to Crandall Public School.

A Glimpse into the Classroom

The souvenir booklet identifies Luella Shields as the teacher and lists the following students:

• Pul Mentzer

• Pauline Mentzer

• Herbert Mentzer

• Leslie Mentzer

• Isabel Crandall

• Mary Crandall

• Ellen DeLong

• Deborah Crandall

• Myrtle Parks

• Karl Welch

Four of these students were children of Charles Mentzer, including my grandmother, Pauline.

The booklet also identifies three school officers:

• Mr. W. Crandall, Sr.

• Mr. L. E. Crandall

• Mrs. Kyty Crandall

More Than a Childhood Keepsake

While this little booklet may have been intended simply as a souvenir of a school year, it has become a valuable piece of family history.

It places four Mentzer siblings in the same classroom, identifies their teacher, and preserves the names of several of their classmates. Combined with census and newspaper records, it also helps narrow the time period when the Mentzer family lived near Crandall.

I wonder whether my grandmother kept this booklet because of a favorite teacher, her classmates, or simply because it reminded her of her school days.

Whatever her reason, I'm glad she saved it!

Do you have school souvenirs tucked away among your family's keepsakes? Those little booklets, programs, and report cards may contain more genealogical information than you realize.