In summer 1919, Tom Gallagher was back in Junction City. He was out of the army. It was time to rejoin the work force and the social scene.

In summer 1919, Tom Gallagher was back in Junction City. He was out of the army. It was time to rejoin the work force and the social scene.


Jesse Cole was born in 1875 in Fort Scott, Kansas. His father William, 27, was a bartender and mother Mary, 22, was a homemaker. Jesse grew up with an older sister and four younger brothers.
In 1897, at age 22, he was a partner in The Cyclone, a dry goods store in nearby Garnett, Kansas. The partners were Glaze, Lewis, and Cole.
Continue readingMike Gallagher and Ellen Dugan had married in Lamar in 1885. Their first child, a son John, was born in 1886. Sadly, John died at two months. There were no more children born in the 80s.
The 1890s were a different story. In the early years of the 90s, Mike and Ellen had three sons.

Kathleen Gallagher Teply died Monday morning, June 6. She was our mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, mother-in-law, and friend.

1920 was a leap year. It was the 20th year of the century and the 1st year of the Roaring Twenties. A lot of things happened in 1920. But then, a lot of things happen every year.

We think of Prohibition beginning in 1919 (18th Amendment ratified) or 1920 (Enforcement began), but it began years earlier.

What did the Rileys think? What were they going to do? How about the Pensa brothers in St. Louis?
Continue readingIt’s 1916. The Riley children were coming of age, with weddings, jobs, and school. Will and Josie Riley were enjoying the fruits of their labor. Will was age 53, Josie was 47.

It’s 1916. Let’s check in on each of the Riley children. Then we’ll see what Will and Josie are up to.

Sedalia’s growth slowed in the first decade of the 1900s, up slightly to 17,800. It was still a railroad center, but the new-fangled automobile was beginning to make itself known.


Sedalia’s population growth had slowed in the last decade, but it reached 16,000 in 1905.
It was a cosmopolitan town, with streetcars, electric lighting, and two telephone companies.
The Missouri State Fair began in 1901 and has been held in August every year since.
Anything you needed could be found for sale in downtown Sedalia.
Continue reading