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14 November 2006
GRINTER REUNION
PHOTOGRAPHS 1930-1941
[Note to myself. Check to see if there is an archive hard copy. Editor]
Moses Read Grinter and Anna "Annie" (Marshal) Grinter constructed their house on the bank of the Kansas River in present Kansas City, Kansas between 1857-1862. As explained in the section on The Grinter Place, Moses Grinter patterned the house at which the reunions were held after that of his uncle, Samuel Grinter. The basic difference seems to be in the presence of the porch that is shown in Moses Grinter's House. It is possible. of course, that the Samuel Grinter House had a similar porch at some time. The Grinter's lived in their Kansas home until their deaths. Moses Grinter died in 1878 and Kansas Delaware Annie Marshall Grinter died in 1905. Their daughter, Martha Vashtie Grinter Kirby, and her husband, Henry Clay Kirby, lived at the Grinter House -- now know as the "Grinter Place" -- for many years. Their daughters, Anna "Annie" Kirby (1886-1938) and Mattie Jewell Kirby (1892-1960) lived there after them. Annie and Mattie sold the property to Harry E. Hanson and Bernice A. Hanson in 1950. The Hanson's operated a chicken-dinner restaurant on the site until the mid-1960s. The Hanson's were tragically murdered later at their home in Kansas City, Missouri (I think it was. Through the assistance of the Junior League of Kansas City, Kansas and the Grinter Place Friends, the State of Kansas acquired the site in 1971 and opened it to the public as a state museum. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From probably 1930 until probably 1940, descendants of Anna (nee Marshall) Grinter and Moses Grinter gathered for Family Reunions at the Grinter House. The earliest photograph that we have is the one for 1931. There should be a 1930 photograph because of the captions on some of the other photos. If anyone knows of the existence of a 1930 Grinter Reunion photograph, please inform Martin Weeks martinweeks@cox.net . The first image to be identified with the year of the reunion is the one for 1933 that says that it is the "4th Annual Reunion," certainly suggesting that there was a photograph for the "1st Annual Reunion" in 1930.
Each of the photographs that we present is accompanied by the same image but with a number for each person. If you can identify anyone in any of the photos or if you detect any errors, please inform Marty Week, e-mail martinsweeks@cox.net . In the case of those still living, the person's name only will be provided with the notation "Living." We are excited about this project and hope that you are too. If you need a better image of any of the photographs, you may want to contact Marty Weeks to see if you can arrange something. We are limited in the size and quality of the images due to space restrictions. Accordingly, some of the photographs have been cropped "reduced" to save space on the web site for other data and to make the loading of the images faster.
The Annual Grinter Reunions were halted as a result of World War II when gasoline rationing made it difficult to travel. A sort of Grinter Reunion began about 1995 when the Kansas Delaware Tribe of Indians, many of whom are members of the Grinter and collateral families, resumed meeting in Wyandotte County. The 2001, 2002, and 2004 Annual Meetings were held at the Grinter House and group photographs were taken at the time. .
Annie Kirby and Other Grinters at probably one of the Grinter
Reunions, perhaps ca. 1930 (Provided by Martin Weeks) Those identified by Kansas
Delaware, Susan Webb, who sent them to Marty Weeks: All bottom row, second
from left, black dress, Charlotte Mooney; 4th from left, little girl with white
dress, Betty Deister; first on right, white dress, Florence (Mooney) Deister
Marty commented in the accompanying email to Editor Tom Hahn: I think I recognize one or two of them. I am positive the person standing to the far right is Annie Kirby Langford. From Annie's age, I would date the photo between 1925 and 1935. . . Reunion photos. I think I recognize the older woman seated in the middle as Mary Elizabeth Grinter Mooney, based on her appearance in the 5 generation photo of about 1900. If that is her, then that might be her husband Robert Mooney seated next to her with the beard. He died in 1930. I have some thought that this may be a side photo at one of the first family reunions, because it appears to include members of the Mooney, Hahn and Kirby families. Your father [Walter Frederick Hahn] would probably be of the same age as the young men on the left, but so would the brothers of Annie Kirby, and probably several others. [Tom Hahn could not identify any of the persons in the photograph as members of the Hahn Family. The two dark-haired women on the front row are in many of the reunion photos. The older women next to Annie Kirby may be some of the sisters of Marie Mooney, possibly Nancy Hill Grinter or Annie V. Grinter.
This Page Was Last Edited on 11/14/2006