Ann, Ralston James, Zerelda "Zee" James, Burris A. Jenkins

Gertrude Jett, Mary Jones, Abraham Judah, Lizzie C. Kern,

Sarah Keshlear, John Q. A. King

Ann Ralston James
Wife of famous outlaw, Frank James. Ann's services and cremation were carried out at Elmwood in the Armour Chapel. The original records and journals verify this information as well as the information on her sister-in-law, Zee.

Zerelda "Zee" James
Wife of the famous outlaw, Jesse James. Zee was placed in the Elmwood Public Holding Vault (right side) from November 14, 1900 to June 1, 1901. The new information has caused a mystery in the burial of Zee James. it is now thought that maybe she was placed next to Jesse James at the farm in Kearney, Missouri before being moved to the cemetery where she and Jesse currently rest. This new find does not confirm Zee's placement at Kearney, but it does not completely deny it either. The mystery still remains and is still being investigated.

Burris A. Jenkins
A nationally known and highly respected minister and author. He wrote 17 books on different subjects and his nationwide radio broadcasts were heard by millions. The staple of his passionate sermons was "Live Dangerously!" He and his wife were great friends with actress Ethel Barrymore. Writer Sinclair Lewis, in researching religion, dared God to strike him down while he stood at Jenkins' pulpit at the Linwood Boulevard Church. This stunt of Lewis's caused a great stir and helped launch the book Elmer Gantry into a huge success. 

Gertrude Jett
12 year old Gertrude was crossing streetcar tracks on her way to school with her little brother when a streetcar came upon them. Gertrude was struck in the head and killed by an extension of the car and her body was then run over. The principal of her school dismissed the entire school so her schoolmates could attend her funeral. Gertrude's death was the first time in Kansas City History that an entire school was dismissed for a schoolmate's funeral.

Mary Jones
Mary has many famous names attached to her life. She had moved with her family to Lawrence, Kansas around the time of the border troubles, but due to the fighting in the territory, decided it was best to leave Lawrence. Mary and her family packed up and left just before Quantrill’s infamous raid! She and her family got out in time. Sadly, her neighbors did not. Daughter of a Union captain during the Civil War, she came to know and become friends with two very famous faces of “Bleeding Kansas”, namely Senator James Lane and anti-abolitionist, John Brown! Her husband, Andrew would open a dry goods store that their sons, J. Logan and Lawrence Jones would take over after Andrew’s death. That store would come to be widely known as the Jones Store!

Abraham Judah
“The Father of Kansas City theatre” and “dean of the stage profession here” were the titles honorably bestowed upon Mr. Judah for his knack and wisdom of the theatre business! His reputation was worldwide and respected by the great actors. It has been said that “no history of the theatrical business of the United States could be written without the name of Abraham Judah. Without a doubt, he was the best known theatrical manager in America” (Kansas City Journal Oct. 27, 1915). Many of the earliest actors received support and encouragement at his theatres and an unbelievable all star list of legends, that were his good friends, were brought in by Judah to perform at his Grand Opera House! Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, Richard Mansfield, John Drew, Ethel Barrymore, George M. Cohan, Will Rogers, Eddie Foy and boxer James Corbett all graced the stage at the grand to sell out crowds. In fact, when any actors came to town to perform, even if they were not performing at the Grand, would make sure to stop in and see Abraham to reminisce about the old days. To those of you living in or visiting Kansas City, the Grand Opera House stands sadly as a parking garage at 7^th Street and Walnut in downtown Kansas City, MO. The classy and elegant style of it’s exterior is still very visible in this modern day.

Lizzie C. Kern (Elmwood's "Adopted Daughter")
Lizzie Kern was a 12-year-old little girl who died after a terrible kerosene fire nearly burned all the skin completely off her little body. She was trying to make her mama happy by starting dinner while mama was at the market. When she lit the kerosene stove, it exploded and Lizzie was engulfed in flames. She died a few hours later without any pain. We at Elmwood, were so taken by her story that we decided to "adopt" her as our little girl.

Sarah Keshlear
Pioneer of Jackson County, coming with her parents here when she was 12 years old and Jackson County was nothing more than a riverboat ramp and a trading post. One of her sons was John Keshlear, a member of William Quantrill's raiders. Sarah and her family were forced out of their home by General Thomas Ewing's infamous "Order No. 11" that banished all Jackson County residents from their homes. The Keshlear farm home was burned down and the crops destroyed.

John Q. A. King
John was in on two of the most famous Civil War actions of all. He was side by side with General William Sherman firing artillery towards the Siege of Atlanta and later he was on Sherman's "March to the Sea." John moved to KC after the war and opened a store specializing in coal where he controlled a large share of the city's trade.

Bernard Knapp
Well...we're going to let Bernard himself tell you his story. This is his recollections from Nov. of 1987: "I am ninety years old and have had varied and more unusual experiences than the average person. Many of our most popular newspapers, magazines, newscasts, etc. are so far from the facts that in many instances, luck is the proper investigator that determines the truth. One of the so-called facts that amuse me is the story about Amelia Earhart's two ocean flights. I knew Amelia quite well. She was a very good pilot, very knowledgeable and a most lovely person. In regard to her Atlantic flight in the Sat. Evening Post, National Geographic, newspapers, etc. , they were far from the real truth. Lowell Thomas, one of our most popular news reporters who dwelled on sensational news, appeared on Channel 2 in Miami, June 12, 1977 on a show called "Lowell Thomas Remembers." He showed pictures of an old cabin single-engine plane (that could not go a thousand miles without refueling) as the plane that she flew by herself across the ocean. The storms and winds she encountered on her flight over the ocean were bad. Due to a patent on an aerial advertising stint called the "Voice In The Sky", I and my partners had a company in New York. We had three Trymotor Folkers and one Ford plane. Mr. Putnam of the Putnam Publishing Company of Long Island decided to finance a flight for Amelia. He purchased a Trymotor Folker from us. The airplanes then were big old lumbering things that required a lot of fuel. They had a cruising speed of about seventy-five to eighty miles per hour. Therefore, the passenger compartment was filled up with a huge gas tank. Because of this, Amelia had to ride in the men's room at the rear of the plane. It was about four feet high and fout feet wide, with an oval window about 6 inches round and a small light. Bill Stults, our pilot and Lew Gordon as co-pilot flew the aircraft across the ocean. Putnam married Amelia and brought her a twin engine Locheed, and financed another trip across the Pacific ocean. I was also a multi-engine pilot and know flying. I was associated with the Aeranautical Radio Manufacturing Company at that time. We had developed a long trailing wire antenna, on a motorized spool when in the air. It was pulled out by a small cone-shaped rubber sock. When over New York airport, I had talked to Los Angeles with a powerful transmitter and using the trailing antenna. I had installed this arrangement in Amelia Earhart's airplane. I also furnished a red painted clothespin to be clipped on the throttle when the wire was out. They lost the red clothespin and therefore would forget to retract the antenna which would trail on the ground when landing and break the sock. The rubber sock and two spares were destroyed by the time they reached the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the co-pilot decided it was no longer operable, when actually a tin can, rag, or anything else would work just as well as the rubber sock to pull the wire out. They took a little fifteen ft. piece of the wire and installed it from the rudder forward; which was only good for about fifty miles, which ends a true story of my association with a very lovely person." Bernard Knapp-November 1987 (Historian's note: The "Voice In The Sky" was Bernard's invention. It was a broadcasting radio that would allow you to broadcast from the inside of an airplane to the people down below. It was used a lot for advertising) It's not very often we have a bio straight from the individuals mouth!