Albert Root's family roots had been in the Hartford, Connecticut, area for 200 years when he moved west to south central New York in the 1830s. Being a stone mason, he may have moved to Greene, in Chenango County, to help build the Chenango Canal. The 97 mile canal excavation began in 1834 and was largely done by Irish and Scottish immigrant laborers, digging by hand, using pick and shovel, chipping through rock and wading through marshland. They were paid $11 per month, which was three times a common laborer's wages at the time. Most of the skilled workers came from the completed Erie Canal project and brought new inventions, such as an ingenious stump-puller, which used oxen or mules. Work camps for the laborers were established along the route and as many as 500 men stayed in each camp. The canal opened in October, 1836, and was billed as the "best-built canal in the state".
In 1833 Albert was married in Greene. On July 3, 1837 his second son, Frank Albert Root, was born in Binghampton just south of Greene. A few years later the Root family moved farther west to Wellsborough, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Cheap land was for sale there starting in 1845 and grew the small town to 600 people by 1850. Thirteen year old Frank Root then started as an apprentice in the printing business at the Wellsboro "Advertiser". His first job was mainly chopping wood to keep the business warm.
As he learned the trade, he soon joined the "Express" newspaper in nearby Mansfield. In 1857 the "Express" was shutting down. Their equipment was being sold and moved to Highland in Doniphan County in the Kansas Territory. Frank decided going west sounded like a good idea.
Nineteen year old Frank's diary entry described his arrival there....
Topeka, Kansas, April 15, 1921
Taking Greeley’s advice, “Go West, young man,” midway in April 1857, while a boy in my teens, I left my home in Wellsboro bound for Kansas. Journeying towards the setting sun I pushed out beyond the “Father of Waters.” My trip by boat from Jefferson City up the mighty Missouri ended at Leavenworth, April 21, during Kansas’ territorial days. I stepped off a Missouri river steam packet and first set foot on Kansas’ virgin soil at Wyandotte, a town with only half a dozen small frame buildings. In the early nineties the name of Wyandotte was changed to Kansas City, Kansas."
As he learned the trade, he soon joined the "Express" newspaper in nearby Mansfield. In 1857 the "Express" was shutting down. Their equipment was being sold and moved to Highland in Doniphan County in the Kansas Territory. Frank decided going west sounded like a good idea.
Nineteen year old Frank's diary entry described his arrival there....
Topeka, Kansas, April 15, 1921
Taking Greeley’s advice, “Go West, young man,” midway in April 1857, while a boy in my teens, I left my home in Wellsboro bound for Kansas. Journeying towards the setting sun I pushed out beyond the “Father of Waters.” My trip by boat from Jefferson City up the mighty Missouri ended at Leavenworth, April 21, during Kansas’ territorial days. I stepped off a Missouri river steam packet and first set foot on Kansas’ virgin soil at Wyandotte, a town with only half a dozen small frame buildings. In the early nineties the name of Wyandotte was changed to Kansas City, Kansas."
The newspaper in Highland, where the Mansfield equipment went to, was started by publishers Faulkner & Seaver. The editor was T. P. Herrick, who afterwards was a Colonel of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry during the Civil War. The paper was neutral in politics during these turbulent times in the Kansas territory. Frank was put in charge of the mechanical department. After an existence of a few months the paper was suspended. Frank then was briefly a journeyman printer in Lawrence at "The Herald of Freedom".
The "Herald of Freedom" was a prominent Free-State (Antislavery) newspaper. It was first published in Lawrence, Kansas, but the press was destroyed in the May 1856 "Sacking of Lawrence", when pro-slavery men attacked and looted this antislavery town. It returned to print in November 1856. Its publisher, former lawyer George Washington Brown, entered the publishing business as an editor for the "Courier" in Conneautville, Pennsylvania. While there, Brown supported the Free-Soil political platform of Kansas through his editorials. After negotiations with the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company, Brown announced he would publish the Kansas "Herald of Freedom", the first free-state newspaper in the new territory. Upon arriving in Kansas, Brown continued to promote the free-state cause to a wide readership. The Herald and another Lawrence paper, the "Kansas Free State", were contemptuous of the proponents of slavery and the proslavery territorial government. Brown served as editor until its last issue appeared on December 17, 1859.
The Kansas Territory was created in 1854. The largest issue by far in territorial Kansas was whether slavery was to be permitted or prohibited; aside from the moral question, which at the time was seen as a religious question, the admission of Kansas to the highly polarized Union would help either the pro- or anti-slavery faction in Congress. As a procedure for resolving the issue, Congress accepted the proposal of Senator Stephen A. Douglas, that the question be settled by popular sovereignty: the residents of the territory would decide the question by vote. This did not work, because there was no accepted definition of who was a resident of the territory and could therefore vote. The upshot was that there were sizeable pro- and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, although the former were more numerous, if one accepted at face value their claim to be genuine Kansas residents. The result was dueling constitutions: for several years Kansas had two governments, in two different cities (Lecompton and Lawrence), with two constitutions, one pro- and one anti-slavery, each claiming to be the only legitimate government of the entire territory.
There were four constitutions made for Kansans to vote on: the Topeka Constitution, the Leavenworth Constitution, the Lecompton Constitution and the Wyandotte Constitution. After voting took place in a climate of intimidation and open violence, the Lecompton Constitution was voted to be the constitution of Kansas, and would have made Kansas a slave state. All that was left to do was to send it to Washington D.C. After a rigorous national debate over the topic, it was overruled. The people of Kansas were set to vote on the four constitutions again. After another voting session, the Wyandotte Constitution was to be voted as the constitution of Kansas. Washington approved it and it was decided that the Wyandotte Constitution was the constitution for Kansas and the state became antislavery.
Again from Frank's diary...
"The first vote I ever cast was in Atchison, October 4, 1859. It was for the adoption of the Wyandotte Constitution, under which Kansas was admitted into the Union as the thirty-fourth state January 29, 1861."
Again from Frank's diary...
"The first vote I ever cast was in Atchison, October 4, 1859. It was for the adoption of the Wyandotte Constitution, under which Kansas was admitted into the Union as the thirty-fourth state January 29, 1861."
Frank's next vote was two months later and just as important....
"My first vote for President was for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. I was then a resident of Kansas, which was still a territory, hence could not vote here on national politics. Having heard Lincoln speak two hours and 20 minutes in the pioneer M.E. church at Atchison, December 2, 1859 – the day Old John Brown was executed for his raid on Harper’s Ferry – I wanted to vote for him. A few days before the election, I went back east 1,500 miles to Wellsboro and there cast my first presidential ballot for the famous “rail-splitter.”
"My first vote for President was for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. I was then a resident of Kansas, which was still a territory, hence could not vote here on national politics. Having heard Lincoln speak two hours and 20 minutes in the pioneer M.E. church at Atchison, December 2, 1859 – the day Old John Brown was executed for his raid on Harper’s Ferry – I wanted to vote for him. A few days before the election, I went back east 1,500 miles to Wellsboro and there cast my first presidential ballot for the famous “rail-splitter.”
Frank was one of the approximately 200 people at the church (Shown on the left) to hear Lincoln make this famous speech. At least half the crowd was pro-slavery. Others who heard Lincoln in Atchison were General Benjamin F. Stringfellow, one of the most violent pro-slavery leaders in the county and in the entire Territory. He later said it was the greatest anti-slavery speech he ever heard and shook Lincoln's hand. John J. Ingalls was another Atchison citizen who was destined later to gain fame as a statesman and poet. John A. Martin, the future governor of Kansas also attended. But, the local paper refused to cover the speech since they supported Lincoln's opponent.
Frank (Shown on the left) was in Atchison because he moved there after the "Herald of Freedom" folded. His new job was chief clerk of the post office. In January 1863 he then became an express messenger on the Overland Stage Line between Atchison and Denver, Colorado, and this would lead him to go west again. Actually 32 times.
The Overland Trail (also known as the Overland Stage Line) was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail was most heavily used in the 1860s as a route alternative to the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails through central Wyoming. The Overland Trail was famously used by the Overland Stage Company owned by Ben Holladay to run mail and passengers to Salt Lake City, Utah, via stagecoaches in the early 1860s. Starting from Atchison the trail descended into Colorado before looping back up to southern Wyoming and rejoining the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger. The stage line operated until 1869 when the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad eliminated the need for mail service via stagecoach.
The Overland Stage Line
Frank drove, or rode shotgun, on the trip to Denver and back 32 times. Usually riding almost non-stop for 6 days at a time. He even learned to sleep curled up like a dog in the boot beneath the driver's feet. From December, 1863, to October, 1864, Frank also served as mail agent at Latham, now Greeley, in Weld County, Colorado.
During his days traveling the territory he made friends with "Wild Bill" Hickok, "Buffalo Bill" Cody and "Calamity" Jane to name a few.
During his days traveling the territory he made friends with "Wild Bill" Hickok, "Buffalo Bill" Cody and "Calamity" Jane to name a few.
"Wild Bill" Hickok "Buffalo Bill" Cody
In late 1864 Frank finally decided to settle down and return to Atchison. There he married Emma Clark. Her family had recently moved to Atchison from Cincinnati, Ohio. Frank gave up his traveling, sort of, and got back into newspapers.
Frank started operating the Atchison "Daily Free Press & Champion" from 1865 to 1870. Then he uprooted his family and moved to Waterville, Kansas, while he published the "Telegraph" for a year. Then he moved to nearby Seneca for 2 years to run the "Courier". After that he took over the Holton "Express" for 5 years. In Holton, he also served as the town's postmaster.
In 1875 he moved south to North Topeka, where he published the "Times" and was once again the town postmaster. During his time there over the next five years he serialized his story about his times with the Overland Mail. His stories were very popular with the readers.
One odd thing I found out about Frank that apparently nobody else has is that he was interested in bugs. Starting in 1878 he was listed as a correspondent for the United States Entomological Commission for a study of the Rocky Mountain Locust. They were studying how to prevent injuries and how to guard against invasions of it. It was funded by the U. S. Congress. Exactly what Frank's job was as a correspondent is not clear.
In 1880 Frank left North Topeka and moved to Gunnison, Colorado, to run the "Review" for 6 years. This time his partner was his son George. Frank's son had followed in his father's footsteps in the publishing business. In 1886 Frank sold his interests in Gunnison and returned to Topeka along with son George to start the firm of Frank A. Root and Son. This firm published the Topeka "Mail". In 1893 Frank sold the newspaper to Arthur Capper and spent time writing.
In 1875 he moved south to North Topeka, where he published the "Times" and was once again the town postmaster. During his time there over the next five years he serialized his story about his times with the Overland Mail. His stories were very popular with the readers.
One odd thing I found out about Frank that apparently nobody else has is that he was interested in bugs. Starting in 1878 he was listed as a correspondent for the United States Entomological Commission for a study of the Rocky Mountain Locust. They were studying how to prevent injuries and how to guard against invasions of it. It was funded by the U. S. Congress. Exactly what Frank's job was as a correspondent is not clear.
In 1880 Frank left North Topeka and moved to Gunnison, Colorado, to run the "Review" for 6 years. This time his partner was his son George. Frank's son had followed in his father's footsteps in the publishing business. In 1886 Frank sold his interests in Gunnison and returned to Topeka along with son George to start the firm of Frank A. Root and Son. This firm published the Topeka "Mail". In 1893 Frank sold the newspaper to Arthur Capper and spent time writing.
Frank first decided to publish something about Kansas. Having been there since statehood and knowing many of the famous people of Kansas he came up with a novel way for others to learn the history. He created "The History of Kansas" on playing cards.
The Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards does not list this deck. Neither does The Game Catalog of U. S. Games or The Comprehensive Guide of American Games. I only learned of this deck from coming across an ad in a 1895 newspaper researching another story.
Even though Frank had the printing and publishing skills he used the local Topeka printing firm of Crane & Company to make his cards.
George W. Crane, president and manager for Crane & Company, owned one of the largest printing houses in Topeka. He was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1843 and moved to Kansas in 1865. His brother, Jesse H. Crane, was operating a store at Fort Larned, Kansas, where he was post trader. George remained with him for one year before moving to Topeka, where he engaged in market gardening, Three years later he embarked in the business of bookbinding and blank-book manufacturing. In 1888 came the founding of the George W. Crane Publishing Company and at great expense improved machinery was installed and a modern plant for doing all kinds of printing on a large scale was placed in operation. A corporation was then formed under the name of Crane & Company, It became one of the largest business houses in publishing, book-making and commercial printing extending all over Kansas and through adjacent States.
But there is one unanswered question about his cards. Frank advertised his cards in the local papers for 5 years with his address as the place to purchase them. But in the only picture I have of this deck, from the Kansas State Historical Museum, the card backs say "Lion Coffee". Why would Frank advertise this company on his cards?
Lion Coffee roared into life in 1864, in Toledo, Ohio. Introducing the fine “fancy roasting” of coffee, Lion revolutionized the taste of coffee with careful roasting and blending of the best beans from around the world. In the early 1870’s, Lion sealed their roasted beans into one-pound bags emblazoned with the distinctive Lion trademark, pioneering new standards of freshness and creating one of the oldest trademarks in American History.
In 1882 Lion Coffee became part of of Woolson Spice Company. Alvin Woolson was a man possessed. Tireless in his efforts to establish Lion Coffee as a major brand, he started including trading cards and holiday greeting cards with every purchase. In addition to the colorful trading cards, Mr. Woolson created paper dolls and special mail-in offers that made Lion Coffee the second largest coffee company in the world! “Save the wrapper” and “Cut out the Lion’s Head” became the watchword of the day in households across America. There was something for everyone in the way of a Lion brand premium from bicycles and jack knives to lace curtains and toys. All one had to do was save the Lion Heads. By the mid-1890’s the company roasted a million pounds a week and had become one of the largest coffee companies in the world.
The volume of mail sent and received by Lion became so great that the United States Post Office decided to weigh their mail rather than meter it… and bulk mail was invented.
The Game Catalog of U. S. Games lists this possible clue to why the Lion brand appears on the card backs;
Woolson Spice Co.
Huron and Jackson Sts., Toledo OH
45 games listed, but there were probably 60 games
Also I found a Lion Coffee deck on Ebay that backs up this statement.
In 1882 Lion Coffee became part of of Woolson Spice Company. Alvin Woolson was a man possessed. Tireless in his efforts to establish Lion Coffee as a major brand, he started including trading cards and holiday greeting cards with every purchase. In addition to the colorful trading cards, Mr. Woolson created paper dolls and special mail-in offers that made Lion Coffee the second largest coffee company in the world! “Save the wrapper” and “Cut out the Lion’s Head” became the watchword of the day in households across America. There was something for everyone in the way of a Lion brand premium from bicycles and jack knives to lace curtains and toys. All one had to do was save the Lion Heads. By the mid-1890’s the company roasted a million pounds a week and had become one of the largest coffee companies in the world.
The volume of mail sent and received by Lion became so great that the United States Post Office decided to weigh their mail rather than meter it… and bulk mail was invented.
The Game Catalog of U. S. Games lists this possible clue to why the Lion brand appears on the card backs;
Woolson Spice Co.
Huron and Jackson Sts., Toledo OH
45 games listed, but there were probably 60 games
Also I found a Lion Coffee deck on Ebay that backs up this statement.
Around 1904 Lion Coffee started placing a full deck of cards in some of their products. Did they buy the rights to Frank's game?
Missing the publishing game Frank started the Topeka "Independent Weekly" newspaper in 1897. It only lasted for one year.
In 1901 Frank decided to write a book of his Overland Stage days based on his old newspaper articles. His 600 page book was, and still is, a popular book of the Old West.
When his old friend "Buffalo Bill" Cody brought his Wild West Show through Topeka he would have Frank drive one of the stagecoaches in the parade.
Click on the button below to read the book.
In 1905 Frank made one last trip west. This time to Portland, Oregon for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. On the way there and back he traveled through much of the northwestern portion of the country, including Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Frank Root died in 1926 at his son George's home in Topeka.
Frank Root died in 1926 at his son George's home in Topeka.