Dublin Core
Title
William W. Ross, Rossville, Kansas
Description
W.W. Ross was born in 1828 in Huron, Ohio. His parents, Sylvester and Cynthia Ross, were youthful pioneers on the Western Reserve of Ohio and were originally from the New England States. Ross was deprived of formal schooling as he grew up in the Ohio territory where educational advantages were limited. He learned much concerning history and government affairs from daily conversations with his father, who was a man of intelligence. In 1846 he went with his parents to the new territory of Wisconsin and saw history in the making as it grew into a state. By this time, Ross was 18 years of age and had become dissatisfied with farming. He took an interest in the printer's trade and learned the business at Janesville, Wisconsin. Proving himself an apt student, he soon became foreman of the FREE DEMOCRAT, a newspaper in Milwaukee.
He married Mary Elizabeth Berry in the spring of 1855, and he and his bride started out in a wagon drawn by a team of oxen, pioneering into Kansas territory. Ross had with him as teamster a free Negro whose papers he had secured before leaving Wisconsin. He encountered serious difficulties in passing through Missouri when the Missourians at different times tried to take the Negro away from him, under the pretense that he was an escaped slave. Even after reaching Lawrence several unsuccessful attempts were made to take the man by force. This circumstance identified Ross prominently with the free-state men.
He located on a claim near Lawrence and very shortly after a mob made a third attempt to capture the colored man. About 50 men, armed with rifles, rallied to the protection of Mr. Ross, his family, and the colored man, after threats of violence had been made against him. This is said to be the first rally against pro-slavery aggression.
In 1855, Ross came to Topeka to assist John Speer in printing material for the constitutional convention. In December of 1856 he became associated with Speer in the editorial management and publication of the Kansas Tribune. This was one of the first newspaper publications in Kansas. Early in 1857, his brother, Edmund G. Ross (later appointed United States Senator to fill the unexpired term of James Lane) purchased Speer's interest and it was published by the Ross Brothers until the summer of 1858.
In 1858, W.W. Ross was elected public printer and in 1859 the Ross Brothers established the Kansas State Record in Topeka. They conducted this publication until 1861, making it one of the finest, ablest Republican papers of Kansas, according to the words of a fellow newspaperman.
In his participation in the free-state struggles, Ross engaged in conflicts between the free state and pro-slavery forces. He was a member of the Leavenworth constitutional convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for President. In May 1861, he was appointed by Lincoln as government agent to the Pottawatomi Indians, and served until 1865. It cannot be denied, however, that Ross helped negotiate for the purchase of Indian land for real estate speculators and other white men who wanted the land.
In January, 1862, James Dahoney applied for a post office in the name of "Rossville" honoring William. W. Ross, Indian Agent. The government approved his request but there was no formal Rossville government. Because of the treaty of 1861, four townsite promoters were able to purchase the 100 acre townsite in 1870 from Anthony Navarre, a Mormon preacher, and his Indian wife So-na-ne-qua. The January 16, 1871, Journal of the Board of County Commissioners lists the official adoption of the new Rossville Township.
He married Mary Elizabeth Berry in the spring of 1855, and he and his bride started out in a wagon drawn by a team of oxen, pioneering into Kansas territory. Ross had with him as teamster a free Negro whose papers he had secured before leaving Wisconsin. He encountered serious difficulties in passing through Missouri when the Missourians at different times tried to take the Negro away from him, under the pretense that he was an escaped slave. Even after reaching Lawrence several unsuccessful attempts were made to take the man by force. This circumstance identified Ross prominently with the free-state men.
He located on a claim near Lawrence and very shortly after a mob made a third attempt to capture the colored man. About 50 men, armed with rifles, rallied to the protection of Mr. Ross, his family, and the colored man, after threats of violence had been made against him. This is said to be the first rally against pro-slavery aggression.
In 1855, Ross came to Topeka to assist John Speer in printing material for the constitutional convention. In December of 1856 he became associated with Speer in the editorial management and publication of the Kansas Tribune. This was one of the first newspaper publications in Kansas. Early in 1857, his brother, Edmund G. Ross (later appointed United States Senator to fill the unexpired term of James Lane) purchased Speer's interest and it was published by the Ross Brothers until the summer of 1858.
In 1858, W.W. Ross was elected public printer and in 1859 the Ross Brothers established the Kansas State Record in Topeka. They conducted this publication until 1861, making it one of the finest, ablest Republican papers of Kansas, according to the words of a fellow newspaperman.
In his participation in the free-state struggles, Ross engaged in conflicts between the free state and pro-slavery forces. He was a member of the Leavenworth constitutional convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for President. In May 1861, he was appointed by Lincoln as government agent to the Pottawatomi Indians, and served until 1865. It cannot be denied, however, that Ross helped negotiate for the purchase of Indian land for real estate speculators and other white men who wanted the land.
In January, 1862, James Dahoney applied for a post office in the name of "Rossville" honoring William. W. Ross, Indian Agent. The government approved his request but there was no formal Rossville government. Because of the treaty of 1861, four townsite promoters were able to purchase the 100 acre townsite in 1870 from Anthony Navarre, a Mormon preacher, and his Indian wife So-na-ne-qua. The January 16, 1871, Journal of the Board of County Commissioners lists the official adoption of the new Rossville Township.
Creator
Unknown
Publisher
Rossville Community Library
Date
ca. 1871-1900
Rights
Public domain
Format
reprint of photograph
Identifier
RCL0274
Item Relations
This item has no relations.