Oil and war were interdependent. World War I was the first war to depend on submarines, tanks, airplanes and motorized transport. The American economy was also dependent on oil.
The Maningers got knee-deep in oil and war.
Construction of the new Harper High School began in the fall of 1916. The contractor was Sharp Brothers Construction.
Charles Sharp and his brothers John and Ray owned Sharp Brothers, based in El Dorado, Kansas.
As the school board member responsible for buildings, John Maninger monitored the project daily. He and school board president Charles Miller worked closely with the contractor, Charles Sharp.
We don’t know the details, but the talk soon turned to oil wells.
Oil
In January 1917, the Sharp brothers and a group of investors in Harper founded a new business, El Dorado – Harper – Emporia Oil and Gas Company.
Do you want to be rich?
If you do, you’ll want to invest in the El Dorado – Harper – Emporia Oil and Gas Company. Do it now, while the stock is $1 per share.
There was lots of activity. Trips to El Dorado oil fields. Selling stock. Electing officers and directors. And then the drilling began. The first effort was a well in El Dorado, just northeast of town. El Dorado had oil fields all around, so it seemed like a reasonable beginning.
The investors and operators were eternally optimistic. But production and weather delays slowed things down. More money was required, so more stock must be sold.
1917 turned into 1918. Still no oil.
A mortgage
We don’t know each investor’s number of shares, but I imagine John Maninger bought a large number. That could be the reason John and Priscilla needed a loan. On September 1, 1918. they borrowed $1,500 from Marcel Duphorne and the First National Bank of Harper, mortgaging their farm as collateral.
Maybe John Maninger attended church more than usual, praying for an oil gusher.
First Christian Church
John and Priscilla Maninger had become active members in the First Christian Church. It was one of the early churches in town, founded in 1880.
Val and Lena Maninger were devout followers of the Apostolic Christian Church. But many of their children found other churches as they came of age and married and had families.
Several other Maninger families had also joined the First Christian.
Priscilla was particularly involved. She volunteered and hosted often.
In 1918, a new church building was dedicated.
Other news
Before we talk about war, let’s look at everyday family news.
Happy New Year 1918
John and Rena Irion hosted a Maninger family reunion on New Year’s Day.
Rena Smith Irion was the daughter of Joseph and Barbara Smith, the advance family that moved to Harper in 1883. Rena’s father Joseph was the younger brother of Magdalena Smith Neuhauser Maninger. So all the children of Val and Lena Maninger were her first cousins.
Mrs. H.A. Doughty was Lena Smith Doughty, Rena’s sister Lena.
Ida Wynett was the daughter of Priscilla Maninger’s brother Albert Weyeneth. Albert was the one who got the ransom note.
Luella Berg was the sister of Mina Berg Maninger, Fred Maninger’s wife.
So there were Smiths and Irions and Maningers and Weyeneths at the New Year’s Day festivities. About fifty guests.
War
The US declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.
The Selective Service Act of 1917 was enacted one month later on May 18, 1917. It called for a draft to raise a million man army.
The first registration was just a month later, on June 5, 1917. It included all men between 21 and 30.
Later registrations included all men ages 18 to 45.
Jess and Curly drafted
The draft operated by lottery number. Each person had a serial number, the sequence their name was drawn locally. Each person also had an order number, the sequence in which the serial numbers were selected by the national lottery board.
Other Maninger boys also served. Charles Maninger enlisted in January 1918. He was stationed at Vancouver, Washington and involved in wood production. He also was assigned to the band in his regiment.
Earl Maninger applied for radio service. He attended radio school in Lawrence, Kansas and then was assigned to the eastern part of the U.S.
Dude Maninger received a 4a deferment because he was age 27 and married with three children.
Jess and Curly to Camp Funston
Jess and Curly received orders to report to the local draft board in Anthony on Friday, October 4, at 8 am. They were bound for Camp Funston, near Fort Riley and Junction City, Kansas.
After arrival processing, they were assigned to the 353rd Infantry Regiment of the 89th Division. Of the 30,000 men in the 89th Division, about 3,000 were assigned to the 353rd Infantry Regiment. Most of the men were from Kansas.
353rd Regimental Band
Jess was assigned to the 353rd Regimental Band. In the months before their deployment to France, the band made a concert tour of Kansas.
Visits home
For the first four months of 1918, Jess and Curly were able to visit home a few times. Eunice captured the visits with her camera.
Eunice visits Camp Funston
Eunice and Magdalena Maninger visited Jess and Curly Minger at Camp Funston in May 1918, just before the boys shipped out for France. Fortunately, Eunice brought along her Brownie camera.
To France
On May 26, 1918, the 89th Division’s trains left Camp Funston. They were bound for France.
Curly is a hero
Nibbles Extra Credit – 353rd Infantry Regiment
Coincidentally, our grandparent Ben Teply was also in the 353rd. We’ve written extensively about Ben’s experiences and the details of the 353rd Regiment. These are the same experiences and locations as Jess and Curly would have experienced.
Here are the links to those stories.
Timeline
Sources:
- Image – Oil and War Monopoly – AI generated image – Microsoft Co-Pilot Designer
- News – Sharp Brothers Construction ad – The Walnut Valley Times – July 24, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – Kansas state charter granted to EHE Oil Company – Harper Sentinel – February 1, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – EHE Oil Company ad – The Wichita Daily Eagle – March 11, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – excerpts of EHE Oil Company’s bright future – various newspapers and dates – newspapers.com
- Mortgage deed – John and Priscilla Maninger to Marcel Duphorne – September 1, 1918 – Harper County Register of Deeds – Anthony, Kansas
- Image – Formation of First Christian Church, Harper, Kansas – 1880 – A Historical Collection of Harper County Churches – Harper County Religious Heritage Committee – Anthony Public Library – Anthony, Kansas
- News – Priscilla involved in First Christian Church – Harper Sentinel – August 26, 1915, and October 14, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – A good outlook for First Christian Church – Harper Advocate – January 10, 1918 – newspapers.com
- Image – Images of First Christian Church – old and new buildings – Harper Museum Scrapbook – Harper Historical Museum – Harper, Kansas
- News – Maninger family reunion – Harper Advocate – January 3, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Dude Maninger family moved to Wellington – Harper Sentinel – November 15, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – Matilda Maninger has farm sale – Harper Advocate – March 21, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – John Maninger first to harvest wheat – Harper Advocate – June 13, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Earl Maninger and Mabel Haskins marry – Harper Advocate – June 14, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – Maninger women volunteer at Red Cross Auxiliary – Harper Advocate – June 6, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Emily Maninger has appendectomy in Wichita – Harper Advocate – June 27, 1918 – newspapers.com
- The Selective Service Act of 1917 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_Act_of_1917
- American Entry Into World War I – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_entry_into_World_War_I
- Uncle Sam and Military Registration photos – Wikipedia (above)
- News – Jess Maninger and Curly Minger orders to Camp Funston – Harper Sentinel – October 4, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – John and Priscilla visit Jess at Camp Funston – Harper Sentinel – November 8, 1917 – newspapers.com
- News – Jess Maninger visits home – Harper Advocate – March 7, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Curly Minger visits home – Harper Advocate – April 11, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Eunice and Magdalena visit Jess Maninger at Camp Funston – Harper Advocate – June 6, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Jess and Curly get orders for overseas – Harper Advocate – May 23, 1918 – newspapers.com
- News – Curly is a hero – Harper Advocate – November 8, 1918 – newspapers.com
- Image – Photos from Eunice Maninger’s album – Maninger family documents – Emily Maninger Cheney collection
- Family Tree diagrams – Ancestry.com and Mark Jarvis
- Music – America First March – John Philip Sousa – 1916 – THE COMPLETE MARCHES OF JOHN PHILIP SOUSA – United States Marine Corps – https://www.marineband.marines.mil/Audio-Resources/The-Complete-Marches-of-John-Philip-Sousa/America-First-March/
Family Nibbles 