My Kansas roots go back four generations on my maternal side, to 1876, when my Great Grandparents, Jacob & Barbara Schoenfeld , (Jacob, b. 6 Feb. 1855 - d. 19 Sept. 1922 and Barbara, b. 4 Oct. 1856 - d. 10 Oct. 1937), and Jacob & Elizabeth Pfeifer , (Jacob, b. 19 Nov. 1850 - d. 19 May 1943 {at the age of 93} and Elizabeth, b. 15 June 1857 - d. 19 March 1922), immigrated to America from Pfeifer, Saratov, Russia.

Jacob and Barbara Schoenfeld were among the handful of Volga German immigrants to found and settle Pfeifer, Ellis County, Kansas.
My beloved Grandmother, Anna Marie (Schoenfeld) Pfeifer , seen here with her husband. (Anna Marie, b. 29 Jan. 1890 - d. 12 Dec. 1977), daughter of Jacob and Barbara Schoenfeld, married Andrew Pfeifer, on 18 November 1908.
The tallest man in this next photograph is also grand dad, Andrew Pfeifer , (b. 1888 - d. 1 May 1945), son of Jacob and Elizabeth Pheifer.
My mother, Mary (Pfeifer) Lawler , (b. 6 Feb. 1921), married, on 8 July 1939, my father, John D. Lawler , (b. 16 Jan. 1919 - d. 17 June 1998).
Which brings us to me. I am the second child of John and Mary Lawler.

My roots go back five generations on my paternal side, to when my Great Great Grandparents, John O. & Susanna Hopkins , (John O., b. 17 Dec. 1824 - d. 2 Sept. 1907 and Susanna, b. 1 Aug. 1833 - d. 8 May 1918), immigrated to and settled in Sheridan County, Kansas.

I'm not sure of the exact date they came to Kansas from Wisconsin. Through my research, I have found where in 1888, John O. Hopkins and his son-in-law, C. E. Perkins, (my great grandfather), founded the small town of Guy, Kansas, in Sheridan County, close to where present day Hoxie is located. (Guy no longer exists).
The town, Guy, was named after the oldest son of, C. E. & Jennie Perkins , (Charlie, b. 21 Dec. 1854 - d. 18 Oct. 1947 and Jennie, b. 23 April 1867 - d. 3 Nov. 1948). The full name of their oldest son was, Guy Row Perkins, (b. 22 June 1886 - d. 19 Oct. 1971).
My Grandmother, Elfie Lelia (Perkins) Lawler , (b. 14 Jan. 1888 - d. 4 Dec. 1978), daughter of Charlie and Jennie Perkins, married, on 24 Dec. 1906, my Grandfather, Jasper Cleon Lawler , (b. 12 Feb. 1884 - d. 11 Nov. 1972).
My father was the youngest of four sons born to Jasper and Elfie Lawler.

The state of Kansas runs deep in my blood. I was born here and no doubt I will die and be buried here, like so many of my ancestors.

As the sun rises over Kansas, we native Kansans know that the beauty of Kansas is unparalleled to any other state in this great America of ours.
Although we are noted as being "the flat landers" , which granted, we have miles and miles of gently rolling plains and lands so flat that you can see to the ends of the earth. We have monumental natural structures such as Castle Rock , Camel Rock and Kissing Rock which are equal in beauty to that of any natural structure.
No, there are no forests in Kansas, but we have some wooded areas that will afford one the pease, serenity and cool comfort found in any forest. Nor do we have the Florida swamps, but doesn't this scene look much like them?
And we have some of the most beautiful creeks , rivers and lakes found anywhere in the U.S.A.

To find the 'pot of gold' at the end of the rainbow , is to find the golden grains of wheat that can stretch for miles and miles just before the mid summer harvest .

Kansas, located in the Heart of America , is favored with a distinct difference in all four seasons.
Spring , Summer , Autumn and Winter .

Weather is a very important factor in Kansas. Our farmers depend on the weather for the production of their 'dry land' crops.
The annual rainfall in Central Kansas, (recorded between the years 1955 and 1995), was 26.45 inches.
The average summer temperature, during this same period, was 77.3 degrees. (this average has factored in the day and night time temperatures).
The hottest recorded temperature, on July 24, 1936, was 118 degrees and the coldest recorded temperature was 28 degrees below zero, in February 1899.
The winter temperatures can range from between 40 & 50 degrees during the day time hours to below freezing during the nights.

Because most stock ranchers have their breeding programs scheduled so that calving time begins around the fifteenth of February, they to are dependent on the weather for the production of their 'calf crops'.
It is well known that the weather in February can be very severe some years.

The weather and temperatures in Kansas can very so drastically that the temperatures can go from a balmy warm temperature to below freezing within a short period of time.
On October 31, 1991, the temperature dropped from 60 degrees to below freezing within a twelve hour period.

We have a saying in Kansas, it goes like this, "If you don't like the weather in Kansas, just hang around for a while, because it will change".

The wind also plays a very important role. Before the rural water systems became widely used, unless his land was near a creek or had a pond on it, the farmers and ranchers had to rely on the wind for their water by the use of the windmill .
The blowing wind would spin the head of the windmill and in turn would pump the water up out of the ground. Thus supplying the water for stock and in many cases their homesteads.

The name "Kansas" comes from the "Kansa Indians", our first native inhabitants. The word "Kansas" in their native language means, "People of the South Winds".

The movie, "The Wizard of Oz", a film supposedly having taken place in Kansas, depicts the famed "tornadoes" we have in Kansas. A weather phenomena that can be destructive and deadly as well as beautiful to see, with it's twisting, swirling cloud funnels and formations.

I feel even more blessed, because not only is Kansas in the heart of America, but because my ancestors chose the Heart of Kansas to settle, build their lives and to rear their families.

The early settlers in Kansas were a people with a strong will and determination. They were survivors who endured hardships, poverty and the elements.
They were an ingenious people who were able to adapt to the harshness of the land. Where, in the lack of tember for which to build their homes, they used squires of thickly matted buffalo grass 'sod' pieces to construct their homes.
these structures were called a sod house .

And because they were so ingenious, they later discovered a way to 'harvest' the limestone deposits found in the rocky hillsides around the area, from which they built not only their "natural stone" homes, (#1) and (#2), they built churches, such as St. Mary's Catholic Church , in Gorham, Russell County, Kansas. The work of preparing the stone for this church was started in 1892. The cornerstone was laid on April 3, 1894. The church was not completed until 1898, and the first mass was said on the feast of St. Stephen, December 26, 1898.
Many of these limestone buildings, which are well over a hundred years old, are still standing and in use today. They may well be one of the most durably constructed building forms of the nineteenth century, comparable to the ancient castles of far away lands. These beautiful, rugged structures will surly still be here long after you and I are long gone.

They also used the limestone to surround their pastures to contain their livestock and to mark their property lines. With the use of the stone posts , they constructed the stone post fences . Many of which are still found throughout the area.

We proudly fly our Kansas Flag alongside "Old Glory" on most flag poles throughout the state.
The Kansas State song is, "Home On The Range" {now playing}.
The Kansas State Flower is the "Sunflower" .
The Kansas State Bird is the "Meadowlark" .

As the sun sets over Kansas, her people rest in peaceful slumber till the dawning of the morrow.

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"Welcome to My World"
"NewView Photo Labs."
"About Me"
"A Memorial to Our Father"

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