For this week’s ABC Biography, I’m turning my attention to one of the most dynamic—and at times surprising—lives in my Briles family tree: Edward Osmund Briles. Born in 1891 on the Kansas prairie, Edward’s life unfolded across eras of dramatic change, from horse-powered threshing machines to the rise of automobile garages and small-town movie theaters. His story is woven through Coffey, Woodson, Allen, and Lyon counties, touching nearly every corner of the communities my family called home.

What begins as the life of a Kansas farm boy soon becomes the story of an entrepreneur, mechanic, showman, and devoted family man—someone whose adaptability and energy mirrored the transformations of the early 20th century. Using the rich collection of documents, clippings, and family papers preserved over the years, today’s post explores Edward’s life, one chapter at a time.

A Narrative Life of Edward Osmund Briles (1891–1956)

Edward Osmund Briles was born on 21 June 1891 in Burlington, Coffey County, Kansas—a child of the prairie at a time when rural Kansas was dotted with one-room schools, wheat fields, and the steady rhythm of farm life. Known interchangeably as Edward, Osmond, and occasionally Oscar in early records, he grew up surrounded by extended Briles and Mentzer kin whose lives were intertwined between Coffey and Woodson Counties.

Early Years on the Kansas Prairie

Edward spent his childhood in Neosho Township before the family moved to Pleasant Township, Coffey County, where he attended Rock Creek School. Small school souvenir booklets preserved by his descendants give a glimpse of his early education—names of teachers, classmates, and the sort of rural schooling that shaped Kansas farm children at the turn of the century.

He frequently visited his grandparents in Woodson County, a place that would become central to his adult life. By 1908, he was enrolled at Phelps Public School in Liberty Township, suggesting another family move or shift in responsibilities, typical of families juggling farming, seasonal work, and educational opportunities.

A Young Man at Work

By the 1910 census, Edward—age 18—was living with his parents in Woodson County and beginning his adult working life. He first gained notice in local papers for his work with threshing machines, heavy and vital equipment in the wheat-growing regions of Kansas. Threshing crews worked long hours in summer heat, moving from farm to farm, and Edward eventually became known for operating and managing his own crew.

On 29 October 1915, Edward married Pauline Edith Mentzer in Yates Center, uniting two families that had long shared community, geography, and friendship. He was baptized the following year, and by 1917 he had registered for the World War I draft under the name Osmond Edward Briles.

Threshing, Farming, and New Opportunities

Through the late 1910s Edward continued to run threshing crews in both Coffey and Woodson Counties—large operations that often made the local papers. But the 1920s brought a significant shift: automobiles were transforming American life, and Edward stepped into the new mechanical age.

Entrepreneurship and the Briles Garage

By 1922, Edward had opened Briles Auto Repair and Garage in Iola, Kansas. Within a year he purchased a large brick building on North Jefferson Street, expanding from small-scale repairs to a full dealership and service garage. Newspapers advertised the Chandler cars he sold, the Cleveland Six, and the dependable service offered by “Briles Garage.”

He participated in the Iola Chamber of Commerce Good Fellowship Tour in 1923, driving the service car—a role that suggests both his mechanical skill and his reputation for reliability.

However, by late 1924 he sold the garage, possibly seizing an opportunity or responding to the changing business environment. He returned briefly to threshing work, but his path soon turned again.

From Machinery to Movies: A New Career

In the late 1920s Edward entered a surprising new field: motion picture exhibition.

By 1930, he had acquired picture-show equipment and moved to Buffalo, Wilson County, where he operated the Lyric Theatre. The 1930 census lists him as a picture show machine operator, marking the beginning of a two-decade career as a theater owner, operator, and manager.

His daughter Roberta Adell Briles was born in Buffalo the same year, one of several milestones marking this period of transition.

Throughout the 1930s Edward became deeply embedded in the Kansas movie-house circuit. After moving to Emporia, he leased and later owned the Lyric Theater there, as well as theaters in Cottonwood Falls and Excelsior Springs, Missouri. His work included installing new sound systems, managing promotions, and weathering the competitive and sometimes contentious landscape of film distribution.

The Sunday Show Controversy

Edward’s name appeared prominently in 1933–1934 newspapers when he was twice arrested for running Sunday shows, which violated local ordinances in Emporia. He appealed the charges, but ultimately was found guilty. These articles paint a picture of a man willing to challenge restrictive norms in order to keep his business thriving during the tough years of the Great Depression.

Life in Emporia and Continued Theater Work

By the 1940s, the Briles family was firmly rooted in Emporia. Edward managed the Lyric and later the Strand Theater, installed a modern popcorn machine, and continued adapting his business through wartime and post-war changes in the entertainment industry.

He registered again for the draft during World War II, experienced a minor car accident, and remained active in civic and professional activities—including the Movietime USA promotion campaign of 1951.

Family Life

Edward and Pauline raised five children:

• Walter Emery Briles (1917–1982)
• Kenneth Eugene Briles (1918–1919), who died in infancy
• Letha Marie Briles (1924–2012)
• Roberta Adell Briles (1930–2022)
• Barbara Ann Briles (1934–1982)

Their lives carried forward the Briles and Mentzer lineages through Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, California, and beyond.

Final Years and Legacy

Edward died on 28 May 1956 in Emporia at the age of 64 and was buried at Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery. Pauline would live nearly three more decades, preserving many of the photos, documents, and memories that allow his story to be reconstructed in such detail.

Edward Osmund Briles lived a life emblematic of 20th-century Kansas—rooted in farming but shaped by modernity. He moved from threshing crews to automobile repair to the motion-picture business, adapting with each new era. His work ethic, entrepreneurship, and willingness to embrace new technology left a legacy not only in his family but in the communities where he lived and worked.

Conclusion

Edward Osmund Briles lived a life shaped by change, curiosity, and an unmistakable drive to keep moving forward. From the wheat fields of Coffey and Woodson Counties to the bustling garages and movie houses of Iola and Emporia, he embraced each new opportunity with the same steady determination he learned as a Kansas farm boy. His story reflects not only the evolution of one man’s work and family, but also the transformation of small-town Kansas across the first half of the 20th century. Through the documents, photographs, and clippings preserved by his children and grandchildren, Edward’s legacy endures—not just as a businessman or theater operator, but as a man who continually adapted, reinvented himself, and left a trail of community connections wherever he lived. This narrative ensures that his contributions, large and small, remain part of the family history he helped to shape.