George Allen Root Papers

Creator: Root, George A. (George Allen), 1867-1949

Date: 1895-1949

Level of Description: Coll./Record Group

Material Type: Manuscripts

Call Number: Manuscripts Collection 490

Unit ID: 40490

Restrictions: None

Biographical sketch: Newspaper worker, manager; archivist; historian. Of Colorado, Kansas.

Abstract: Correspondence, diaries, chronologies, research notes, newspaper clippings, and misc. material written, collected, and compiled by George A. Root. The collection contains materials on the histories of Kansas & its localities; 3 Colorado towns; Kansas counties; a large number of topics in Kansas history including the Kansas Legislature, Indians, the Pony Express, stagecoach lines, & trails; the Kansas State Historical Society (Topeka); the Missouri & Kansas rivers; and Topeka & Shawnee County, Kan. Also included are records of the American Pioneer Trails Association, 1939-1947.

Space Required/Quantity: 16.35 cubic feet

Title (Main title): George Allen Root Papers

Titles (Other):

Papers
George A. Root papers
George Allen Root collection
George A. Root collection

Biography

Biog. Sketch (Full): George Allen Root was born in Atchison, Kansas, on 13 March 1867. His father, Frank A. Root, was a newspaper publisher and frequently moved his family around to various northern Kansas towns establishing newspapers. Among the papers Frank published were the Atchison Daily Free Press, Waterville Telegraph, Seneca Courier, Holton Express, Kansas Farmer, and North Topeka Times.

During his youth George would work for his father as a printer's apprentice. In 1880, George's father left his family in Topeka and went to Gunnison, Colorado, to start the Daily Review. George joined his father the following year to work on that paper. He soon, however, went to White Pine, Colorado, to help establish the White Pine Cone. He remained there for the next two years. George then left for Lake City, Colorado, and worked on the mining newspaper Silver World for six months. He then returned to Gunnison to take his former position with his father's newspaper.

In 1886, Frank sold his interests in Gunnison and returned to Topeka along with George to start the firm of Frank A. Root and Sons. This firm published the Topeka Mail.

George withdrew from the firm in 1889 and went back to White Pine to become a partner in publishing the Cone. He was only there for a year when he made arrangements to go to Alaska in the spring of 1891 on a reconnoitering expedition for the United States government. George went to Los Angeles to spend the winter before going to Alaska and there learned of the death of his proposed partner in the expedition. This put an end to the scheme, but he remained in California until the end of 1890.

He then returned to Topeka to resume his employ at the Mail. In March 1891, he was offered the position of curator of archives at the Kansas State Historical Society. During his tenure in this position, he spent much of his time researching various subjects for his own use in writing articles and for the patrons of the archives. George published articles on state and local history and on numerous topics such as ferries and steamboats in Kansas; he also produced maps of Kansas trails, roads, and stagecoach routes. During this time, he was also integral in the establishment of the Shawnee County Historical Society and served as the secretary of that organization. He retired from his position at the Kansas State Historical Society on 1 January 1947 after almost 56 years of service. George Root died two years later on 7 May 1949 at the age of eighty-two.

Scope and Content

Scope and content: The George A. Root collection, dated 1724 to 1949, consists of correspondence; diaries; research notes; chronologies; newspaper clippings; and other items written, collected, and compiled by Root. Although the collection contains some personal material, the majority of it was generated because of Root's work as the curator of archives at the Kansas State Historical Society from 1891 to 1947. The collection is primarily composed of the research material that Root gathered for himself and others about state and local history. Therefore, this collection would be useful to individuals researching the history of Kansas, Shawnee County, Topeka, and the Kansas State Historical Society.

The original order of the George Allen Root Collection was compromised during the move of the Center for Historical Research to its current location. Every effort was made to restore this order when it was processed in 2000. The collection has been organized into eight series: Correspondence (series 1), Diaries (series 2), Chronology (series 3), Notes on Miscellaneous Subjects (series 4), Annals of Kansas (series 5), American Pioneer Trails Association (series 6), Julien V. C. Root (series 7), and Family History & Genealogy (series 8). Series 4 and 8 are arranged in alphabetical order. The other series are arranged chronologically with undated material placed at the end of each series. For preservation purposes all of the newspaper clippings have been photocopied onto acid-free paper.

Contents: Ser. 1. Correspondence, 1901-1947 (folders 1-177) -- ser. 2. Diaries, 1895-1949 (folders 178-223) -- ser. 3. Chronology 1724-1945 (folders 224-76) -- ser. 4. Notes on miscellaneous subjects (folders 277-727) -- ser. 5. Annals of Kansas, 1931 (folders 728-41) -- ser. 6. American Pioneer Trails Association, 1939-1947 (folders 742-49) -- ser. 7. Julian V. C. Root, 1916-1919 (folders 751-57) -- ser. 8. Family history and genealogy (folders 758-68).

Portions of Collection Separately Described:

Locators:

Locator	Contents
007-04-08-03 to 007-05-04-07
078-06-03-03

Related Records or Collections

Other Finding Aid/Index: Full finding aid can be found at the Kansas State Historical Society and online, www.kshs.org

Related materials: Papers of George A. Root's father, Frank Root, are also at the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka): Ms. Collection 489.

Index Terms

Subjects

Creators and Contributors

Root, George A. (George Allen), 1867-1949

American Pioneer Trails Association

Additional Information for Researchers

Restrictions: None

Use and reproduction: Information on literary rights available from the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka).

Cite as: [identification of individual item, sub-series, and/or series]; George A. Root collection, 1724-1949, ms. collection no. 490, Library and Archives Division, Kansas State Historical Society.

Action note: Arranged and described by Holly Wright, Lela Barnes Intern, 2000.

Notes

General Note: No new additions to the collection are anticipated.