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 Towns...