Although I haven’t heard any family tales about famous ancestors or native American ancestors, I have heard family stories about my grandparents and their families. One of those stories was a brief mention of ‘the creamery mess’ by my grandmother Briles (Pauline Mentzer Briles). When she was telling this story, I wasn’t sure whether it involved her father or her grandfather.
In a recent search of Newspapers.com for articles related to her grandfather, George Mentzer, I found the following:
01 Jun 1906, Fri – Yates Center News (Yates Center, Kansas) on Newspapers.com
Court Docket
Following are the cases on the docket for the June term of court:
Mentzer vs. Davidson et al.
Mentzer vs Wilkinson
Mentzer vs. Burlingame et al
Mentzer vs Fletcher et al
Mentzer vs Ray et al
The 20 July 1906 issue of The Yates Center News [on Newspapers.com] shed more light on these cases:
In the famous “creamery case,” the court at the adjourned term found that Burlingame and others were not liable. This leaves Geo. Mentzer and Fred Wikinson to stand the loss sustained by those interested in the old creamery.
Further information was found in the 19 Jun 1908 issue of The Yates Center News [on Newspapers.com]
The judgment in the case of Mentzer vs Burlingame (old Creamery case) has been reversed by the Supreme court. S. C. Holmes represented Mr. Mentzer and has obtained two reversals in this case in the Supreme Court.
Now, I know that grandma’s mention of the ‘creamery mess’ is based on fact. However, I need to do a lot more research:
- Locate additional newspaper articles for background on the case
- Locate information on the incorporation of the Yates Center Creamery
- Locate the court records in Woodson County
- Locate the Supreme Court records where the case was overturned
Court records can be fascinating and confusing – not to mention difficult to get ahold of. I look forward to hearing about the fruits of your search!
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