He Wore Linn County's First Star
Copyright © 1997. Reproduced for Linn County KSGenWeb by Jackie (Lamphear) Tromble with the permission of Ola May Earnest.
He Wore Linn County's First Star
by Ola May Earnest, Linn County Historical Society
The man who served as the first sheriff of Linn County, Kansas would seem an unlikely candidate. A Southerner by birth, he moved from Tennessee to Polk Co., Mo., where he married a Southern girl in 1845.
He brought his wife and three children to Kansas Territory, settling in Linn County which had become a battleground for pro and anti slavery forces, driven to violence by the strength of their principles.
The name of Calvin M. McDaniel first appears on a list of Free-staters in Linn county in 1856/57, unlike most Southerners in the territory who were pro-slavery men.
McDaniel became acquainted with James Montgomery, John Brown and others who had dedicated their lives to the abolishment of slavery and to seeing Kansas enter the Union a Free State.
Border warfare continued between the two factions and in 1858 the Territorial Militia was reorganized. Calvin McDaniel was elected by the Territorial Legislature as Brigadier General of the 8th Brigade of the Kansas Militia. He was also elected Sheriff of Linn County in 1858.
After the Marais Des Cygnes Massacre on May 19, 1858, McDaniel organized a posse and rode with Montgomery to West Point, Bates Co., Mo. where Charles Hamilton, who had led the Pro-slavers in the massacre, was reported to have been seen. The element of surprise was lost when Robert B. Mitchell, a member of the posse, stopped to argue against Montgomeryâs plan of attack, allowing time for riders to warn Hamilton and his men to leave West Point.
As conflict between Mitchell and Montgomery continued , McDaniel was ãcaught in the middle,ä between his friends. When ordered to arrest Montgomery, the sheriff visited his home with only a warning. On the second order he was accompanied by Robert Mitchell. But, ãthe tables were turnedä when they were met by members of the Jayhawkers, among them were Pat Devlin and Doc Jenninson. Mitchellâs pistols and a Sharpeâs rifle were taken from him, the sheriffâs guns were also taken but later returned. In December of 1858 McDaniel resigned as sheriff and Robert B. Mitchell was elected to that position.
In the 1860 census, Calvin McDaniel is shown as a farmer in Centerville Township, with his wife and five children, two having been born in the Kansas Territory and the last being named Robert B. Living next to them was Dr. Samuel Ayers, who had treated the victims of the Marais Des Cygnes Massacre and was also an active Free-stater.
Later, McDaniel appears on two other Militia groups formed in the county, serving as 1st Lieut. in 1861 and a 2nd Lieut. in 1863. By 1864 he is again serving as Sheriff of Linn County. Robert B. Mitchell would serve as Captain of Co. F Second Kansas Infantry and later be elected as Colonel of that regiment, which participated in several battles of the Civil War. At the close of the war he was commissioned Governor of New Mexico Territory by President Johnson and served four years. (the LaCygne GAR Post was named in his honor)
Land records show that C.M. McDaniel sold his property in Linn County in March of 1865 and left the state. From a recent visit by two of his great grandchildren, Robert H. Eley, Dean of Instruction, Highline Community College, Des Moines, Washington and Jackie Lamphear*** of Golden, Colorado, I learned that the McDaniel family moved to Montana and became active in the mining of gold. Calvin McDaniel died in Helena, Montana in 1900. His descendants were thrilled to find so much information about their ancestor.
Many accounts of Sheriff McDaniel can be found in the book, BORDER WARFARE, by Murlin Welch, published by the Linn County Historical Society in 1977. Eley and Lamphear purchased several copies of this book, for themselves and other relatives.
After returning home they sent me a copy of a book they had written about Calvin McDaniel and his descendants, which includes photos from an old family album, mining records, letters and other interesting articles. The old photo album had no marked picture of Calvin, but did have those of his wife and children and one of Col. Robert B. Mitchell!
It was a pleasure to meet and share information about our countyâs first sheriff with his descendants and learn what had happened to him after leaving here.
