Contributed Obituaries
Atchison County, Kansas
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E. M. Meinhart, one of the pioneer citizens of Atchison, whose serious illness has been a matter of the greatest solicitude for some time, died at his home, 1129 Atchison street, this morning at 6:30, aged 65 years. Death was due to dropsy and a complication of diseases which first made their appearance three months ago. Ten weeks ago he was down town in his store, but seemed to grow steadily worse from that time. On election day he was so much interested that he insisted upon being taken to the polls, and has never been out since. Mr. Meinhart was born in Minnesota, but came to Atchison in 1862, and for six years drove a stage for Ben Holladay, who had charge of all the freighting from Atchison in the early days. During the time when Mr. Meinhart was not busy driving a stage, he was a clerk in the drygoods store of William Smith, one of Atchison’s ex-mayors, who had the most pretentious store of the town at that time. Mr. Meinhart was in the men’s furnishing department.
Mr. Smith’s store was at the lower end of Commercial street, where all the business houses were situated, so as to be more convenient to where the steamboats landed. Theodore Meinhart, a brother of the deceased, had a flourishing millinery store in those days, which stood near the Smith Drygoods store. After freighting from Atchison to Salt Lake City for six years, Mr. Meinhart determined to go into business for himself, and in 1868 he established the only wall paper business in Atchison, having a very small store, but one that grew with much rapidity, because of the pleasant manner of its owner, and the fact that it has become one of the oldest and most successful businesses of the town, is a tribute to the energy, perseverance and straightforward business methods of the man who has always been at its head and who is one worthy of the respect and esteem in which he is held by every business man on Commercial street, and by so many of the towns people who have been steady customers of his, since the store was established over forty years ago. In 1868 Mr. Meinhart was married to Miss Wilhimena Lullar [sic], of Chicago, who had come from Germany a short time before to visit her people, who were friends of Mr. Meinhart’s family. When their eldest son was three months old, over a year after, Mrs. Meinhart joined her husband in Atchison and has lived here ever since, she and her husband residing in the house in which Mr. Meinhart died, for over 38 years. Mr. Meinhart and August Manglesdorf, Sr., established the German Evangelical church, corner of Ninth and Santa Fe streets, and have been its main workers ever since its founding. The funeral will take place from this church on Sunday afternoon at 2:30. Rev. Stoerker, pastor of the church, officiating. Mr. Meinhart besides his wife leaves four children, a son, J. E. Meinhart, who is in business in Leavenworth, but who was with his father before his death, Mrs. Charles Ward, of St. Louis, Mrs. R. C. Hinze, of Leavenworth, and Mrs. H. Wilman, of Atchison. All the children will be here this week and will remain for the funeral on Sunday. Beside the business which Mr. Meinhart leaves, he left two life insurance policies, one in the Woodmen, and one in the Workmen, each being for $2,000. Mr. Meinhart died without leaving a single enemy in town, which cannot be said of everyone. Interment will be at Mount Vernon.”
Atchison Daily
Champion
Atchison, KS
19 Nov 1908
Contributed by:
Helen
Kesinger
E. M. Meinhart Dead.
E. M. Meinhart, a good
citizen of Atchison for forty-six years, a stage driver across the plains in the
early days and a painter and paper hanger for forty years, died at his home,
1129 Atchison street, this morning of dropsy, after a three months’ illness.
Although in a very weakened condition, Mr. Meinhart insisted on going to the
polls November 3, and voting for Bryan. Since then his decline was rapid. “E. M.
Meinhart was born in McGregore, Iowa, almost sixty-five years ago. He came to
Atchison in 1862 and immediately began driving stage for Ben Holliday. He
followed this life until 1868 when he gave it up and went into the wall paper
and painting business, which he followed until incapacitated by ill health. He
was married forty years ago in Chicago. Two years after their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Meinhart went to housekeeping in the house in which Mr. Meinhart died. They
have lived continuously in the one house an unusual record in Atchison. Mr.
Meinhart is survived by his widow and four children: Mrs. Henry Willmann, of
Atchison; J. E. Meinhart and Mrs. R. C. Hinze, of Leavenworth, and Mrs. Charles
Ward, of St. Louis, all of whom were at his bedside when he passed away. The
funeral services will occur Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock from the German
Evangelical church, Ninth and Santa Fe, and the burial will be in Mount Vernon
cemetery.”
Atchison Daily Globe
p. 8, Nov 19, 1908.
Atchison, KS
19 Nov 1908
Contributed by:
Helen
Kesinger