S. A. Altman papers

Restrictions: None

Biographical sketch: Teacher, farmer, salesman; of Lincoln County, Kan.

Abstract: The collection consists of the diaries of Solomon Altman, 1875-1887 and 1907-1936, and other personal papers, 1875-1951. Weather is an oft-mentioned topic in the diaries. He also concentrates on his travels & his teaching and progresses to family, friends & farming. After he leaves farming, traveling salesman duties and family & friends make up the bulk of diary entries. The final diaries deal with fellow Lincoln County, Kan., residents' obituaries or his medical problems. The entries seem to show a different slant after World War I. His son Duane died shortly after his induction into the Army in 1918. Solomon's struggles to get death benefits from government sources for over a year are evident in the diaries. His strong faith in both American and Protestant ideals in shown throughout his diary writings. The 1920s entries deal with his involvement in the Ku Klux Klan. The 1907 diary volume includes a few entries for 1916, 1935 and 1936. His family is described through either visits or family celebrations. Many neighbors and friends are also mentioned. The personal papers (ser. 2) contain correspondence, 1877-1929; family history information, 1875-1951; school related documents, 1881 Sept. 25; and other items, 1876-1930. The correspondence includes detailed descriptions of his activities.

Summary: Highlights

Diaries, 1875-1936:

Microfilm Roll MF 5792: Vol. 1: Mar. 1875 through June 1880

• July 4, 1876 – for the centennial celebration, he was going to pull a wagon carrying 13 girls signifying the original colonies, and one woman to signify the country, however a gun salute scared the horses, and that changed everything


• Dec. 19, 1876 – elected trustee at the I.O.O.F. Lodge


• July 29, 1877 – a doctor attempted to extricate a tooth, however it broke off close to the gum line, with a sharp edge protruding; to make matters worse, it was 104 degrees F. in the shade on that day


• Aug. 11, 1879 – attended Normal School (Teacher's College)


• Sept. 10, 1879 – received Teacher's Certificate


• Sept. 15, 1879 – signed a contract with District 29

• Dec. 31, 1880 – his teaching usually passed without incident, but he gave a “severe whipping” this day.


• Jan. 13, 1881 – there was a fire near their school house where pigs were killed and a cow was badly burned

• Apr. 15, 1882 – "during which time she made me a happy mortal by accepting a proposition I had made to her sometime ago to become my wife and thus make my life a happy one"


• Apr. 23, 1882 – reflected on a happy 29th birthday


• June 4, 1882 – married Mary Stites at 5 P.M. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on June 4, 1907.


• Feb. 12, 1887 – mentioned how the Saline Bridge collapsed on July 25, 1884, resulting in both his fire engine and himself falling into 8 feet of water

• Jan. 31, 1907 – had honor to preside over farmers meeting “A. S. of E. (American Society of Equity)” with H. B. Sherman speaking


• Feb. 12, 1907 – received membership certificate in A. O. U. W. (Ancient Order of United Workmen)

• Jan. 20, 1910 – saw Halley's comet


• Dec. 13, 1916 – described how a son killed his father in self defense


• Jan. 11, 1918 – "was -24 F with snow drifts five feet deep and sixty feet wide, some eggs in the case froze so hard that they cracked open"


• June 30, 1918 – “two years of entire wheat failures and almost the same with feed of all kinds have reduced the farmer that he has no surplus cash, and the majority of them living on borrowed capital is the cause”


• Oct. 27, 1918 – son Duane had recently enlisted in the Army when he became ill with the Spanish Influenza, died a short time later as flu became pneumonia (also gave detailed obituary listing family members)

• Apr. 14, 1919 – “worked hard to keep the Farmers Union Store from being closed out, but a bunch of traitors succeeded in having it ordered sold”


• June 22, 1919 – "decided to close out my farming implements and stock at public auction,” rented a house and sold "Pitkin's Products"


• Dec. 28 1919 – volunteered to be District No. 85 enumerator for 1920 census, began work on Friday, Jan. 2, 1920

• Mar. 18, 1920 – formation of the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union (National Farmers' Union)


• Apr. 18, 1920 – described his frustrations with a high school bond issue and the manner in which it was executed


• Sept. 18, 1920 – bemoaned what happened to the county fair, “it has become a gambling den,” where everything is so expensive to buy


• Jan. 27, 1921 – lost leg in car accident

• Apr. 29, 1921 – "102nd anniversary of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows observed last Tuesday. Lodges of Lincoln, Hoxie, Moreland, Hill City, Plainville, Codell, Natoma, Paradise, Waldo, Luray, and Lucas participated in the celebration."


• May 5, 1921 – showed displeasure over the way a meeting was being held. The meeting dealt with a proposed new high school for Lincoln “and as is all public business done, so was this done. The slate was all prepared by a select few, and, Railroaded through”


• Aug. 10, 1921 – reviewed the Horner Chautauqua and enjoyed what he took in

• Sept. 27, 1921 – told of Lincoln County Fair, and a baseball game between Dorrance and Lincoln


• Oct. 25, 1921 – described the proposed day of prayer requested by President Harding and slated for November 21. It would be a holiday and the prayers would be for firstly the speedy disarmament of nations and secondly to defeat the “Brewers Bill” or if you prefer to pray for prohibition

• Dec. 13, 1921 – described procedures that he followed to purchase a “Fit Well Artificial Limb Company” device used for an above-the-knee amputation


• Jan. 2, 1922 – “small pox scourge took a large toll from the middle aged sown to eighteen and while it has almost passed into history, typhoid and pneumonia is gathering a rich harvest from the cradle up regardless of age or person”

• May 21, 1923 – listed all of the graduates of Lincoln High School for 1923


• Dec. 11, 1923 – "KKK's purpose is to unite all the Protestant peoples, regardless of their Denomination, into one great co-operative organization, or Brotherhood, for the purpose of overcoming the evils of the present day that are drawing us gradually into the meshes of the satanic fiends who worship the One Man God, the Pope"


• Feb. 11, 1924 – “tragic death last Wednesday evening she attempted to save her child from harm in the corral where it had followed her, and a vicious mule kicked her on the head as she reached down to catch the child, crushing the skull”

• Oct. 8, 1924 – complained against wheat pool combines


• Nov. 10, 1924 – pleased that Ben Paulen is governor elect, "Now the KKK's can have a chance to cooperate with the Protestants to Christianize not only the Nation but the whole world."


• July 15, 1925 – mentioned a parade which both involved the Klan and as such angered the Knights of Columbus

• Nov. 23, 1925 – described “Brotherhood” meeting and accompanying dinner and lecture; the Brotherhood was a local Presbyterian Church association to which S. A. Altman not only belonged but was an officer of as well.


• Dec. 30, 1925 – described in detail his wife’s operation and recuperation from gall bladder surgery

• Mar. 19, 1926 – noted "the Pope will make America Catholic by the first of June 1926"


• Apr. 26, 1926 – hoped that all Klansmen in Kansas would vote as a block and vote only for those who are “true Americans” and therefore accept Klan ideals for the U.S.


• May 17, 1926 – described how a drunk driver was involved in a car crash that cut his nose completely off of his face and injured two sober people in the car that he hit.


• Sept. 24, 1926 – mentioned Fellowship Forum, "a paper whose mission is to raise the morale of our American people, and break the clutch of the Pope of Rome on our beloved Nation, and make America for Americans"

• Dec. 10, 1927 – described a Klan initiation ceremony


• July 12, 1928 – told of worst flooding since 1903

• Nov. 1, 1928 – fell in hen house and could not “wear it off”; that only made it worse


• Feb. 3, 1929 – described his stroke which occurred in the kitchen

• Apr. 21, 1929 – flood in Salina Valley


• Aug. 9, 1929 – included James Mitchell's obituary (born a slave)


• Oct. 5, 1929 – described broom sale

• Nov. 29, 1929 – described Thanksgiving dinner


• Feb. 6, 1930 – described violent illness

• Aug. 12, 1930 – described Depression for farmers in Lincoln County


• No date (page 32) – “A Klansmen” a poem that extols the virtues of the K.K.K.


• Nov. 6, 1930 – pleased “Dr.” John R. Brinkley (governor's race) is leading in Lincoln County

• Dec. 30, 1930 – special election regarding pool hall in city, most were against it


• Jan. 1, 1931 – talked of church politics regarding the pastor


• June 7, 1932 – Solomon and Mary celebrated "Golden Wedding Anniversary”


• Feb. 24, 1936 – "dust storm that shut sunshine down to nothing but a red streak in the sky."

Biog. Sketch (Full):

Solomon Aaron Altman was born to David & Elizabeth Altman in Elderton, Pennsylvania, on April 23, 1853. Solomon and his brother Will left by train for Kansas when Solomon was 21 (March 12, 1875). He stayed and worked at various train stops along the way. He eventually took the train to Atchison, Kansas. After that point he walked west to reach Lincoln Centre, Kansas, on November 5, 1875. (From January 14, 1870, through November 29, 1878, inclusive, the present city of Lincoln [Lincoln County, Kansas] was known as Lincoln Centre.) He homesteaded on a farm and buildings that he started from scratch. Altman was a Republican, a devout Protestant, and a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

He married Mary Stites at age 29, and they had ten children, four sons and six daughters. Their son Duane died from complications from influenza during World War I. Solomon A. Altman died on June 5, 1943, at home in Lincoln, Kansas.

Scope and content:

The two series of this collection are S. A. Altman's Diary, 1875-1936, and his other Personal Papers, 1875-1951, some of which were annotated after his death.

Solomon Aaron Altman kept a personal diary for a number of years. His first entry was dated Friday, March 12, 1875, and the last was dated as Friday, March 6, 1936. However, it should be noted that there are gaps in the diaries. It is not known if this was due to a lack of entries being made or a loss of the physical diaries.

Solomon Aaron Altman's diaries give an extended view of both his life and life in general in and around Lincoln city and Lincoln County, Kansas, for the late nineteenth and early twentieth century time frame. Weather is a common thread throughout. In one sense he concentrates on his travels and his teaching early on. As the years progress and his life changes, he is more concerned with family, friends and farming. As he retires from farming the emphasis shifts to his traveling salesman duties and continues with family and friends. The later years deal quite a bit with fellow Lincoln County residents’ obituaries and his various medical ailments.

It would seem that the First World War changed his views on certain matters. His son Duane died from pneumonia, which had started as the flu. This illness and subsequent death resulted from his induction into the Army in 1918. Solomon’s struggles to get death benefits from government sources for over a year are evident in the diaries.

Before the war and his son's death, Solomon had belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I. O. O. F.) However, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) membership and various rallies and meetings mark the 1920s. He had always voted as a Republican and that did not change over time.

The people listed as subjects in the “Subjects” section of this finding aid, below, are all of his immediate family consisting of his wife and ten children. His family is mentioned very often in the context of personal visits or medical problems including hospitalization.

Interestingly the diaries are not completely in sequential order. The 1907 volume includes a few entries for 1916, 1935 and 1936.

The Personal Papers, 1875-1951 (series 2), contains correspondence, 1877-1929; family history information, 1875-1951; school related documents, 1881 Sept. 25; and other items, 1876-1930. The correspondence includes detailed descriptions of his activities found in his letters to others, business correspondence, advertisements and solicitations for contributions, and a letter from an aunt in Pennsylvania. The family history material includes copies of obituaries; lists of births, deaths, and marriages, some annotated to 1951; and a chronology of Altman's initial trip to Kansas. The school documents include maps, math problems, and other lessons that appear to be given to Altman by students; there is also what appears to be student grades. The remaining items include essays by Altman, tax and other statements, a photocopy of the patent to his land in Lincoln County, and printed items.

The strength of this collection lies in Lincoln County history and genealogy. It appears to offer a sense of rural life in that part of Kansas for parts of two centuries. The KKK material might prove beneficial to researchers but is not as detailed as the social history aspects offered by these diaries and the other items in this collection.

Contents: Ser. 1. Diaries, 1875-1936 (microfilm rolls MF 5792-MF 5793, 20 v.) -- ser. 2. Personal papers, 1875-1951 (box 2 + 1 oversize folder).

Associated materials: Associated materials in the Photographs collection

Other Finding Aid/Index: Diaries, 1875-1936 (microfilm rolls MF 5972-MF 5973): Collection finding aid available on the microfilm; at the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka); and on its website, http://www.kshs.org/research/collections/documents/personalpapers/findingaids/altman_s_a_diaries_finding_aid.pdf

Related materials:

• Olive Capper miscellaneous collection (Misc.: Capper)


• Anna M. Cooley collection (Ms. coll. [MC] 20): Anna M. Cooley, Correspondence Concerning Land in Lincoln County (available through interlibrary loan) (Microfilm MS 1074.02)


• William E. George miscellaneous collection (Misc.: George)


• Ku Klux Klan history collection (MC 608)


• Lincoln County history collection (MC 704)


• John Malone collection (MC 767)


• William Allen White collection (MC 87)


• William Allen White, Correspondence, 1899–1939 (not available through interlibrary loan) (Microfilm MS 43–MS 51)

Restrictions: None

Use and reproduction:

Notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The user is cautioned that the publication of the contents of these records may be construed as constituting a violation of literary property rights. These rights derive from the principle of common law, affirmed in the copyright law of 1976 as amended, that the writer of an unpublished letter or other manuscript has the sole right to publish the contents thereof unless he or she affirmatively parts with that right; the right descends to his or her legal heirs regardless of the ownership of the physical manuscript itself. It is the responsibility of a user or his or her publisher to secure the permission of the owner of literary property rights in unpublished writing.

The donors gave copyright to the Kansas State Historical Society at the time of donation.

Add'l physical form: Diaries, 1875-1936: Microfilm. Topeka, Kan. : Kansas State Historical Society, 2002; reels MF 5792-MF 5793, lab no. 53372-53373; available for research or inter-library loan.

Cite as: S. A. Altman papers, 1875-1951, Ms. Collection 778, Library and Archives Division, Kansas State Historical Society.

Action note:
Diaries, 1875-1936 (microfilm rolls MF 5972-MF 5973): Processed by Joseph Laframboise, 2003.
Personal papers, 1875-1951 (ser. 2): Processed by Robert L. Knecht, 2013.

Holder of originals: Originals held by the Kansas Historical Society.