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Christopher and Barbara de Graffenried to Entertain

VIRGINIA GAZETTE*
Williamsburg, Va. – Feb. 18–25, 1736

This is to give notice to all Gentlemen and Ladies that Mrs. Barbara de Graffenried intends to have a Ball on Tuesday the 26th of next April and an assembly on the 27th in Williamsburg: For which tickets will be delivered out at her Home.

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*Quoted from the "Virginia Magazine" as cited in Todd, Vincent H. (ed.), 1920, Christoph von Graffenried's Account of the Founding of New Bern, Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Historical Commission, Edwards & Broughton, p. 96.

Christopher de Graffenried struggled gallantly to pay off the debts that his illustrious but impecunious father left behind in the New World. One source of income drew upon the culture and refinement that attended his upbringing as a member of a Swiss patrician family. Christopher, with Barbara's energetic help, served as a colonial dancing master. From their town house in Williamsburg and their plantation on the James River in Prince Edward County, Virginia, the enterprising couple gave dancing lessons and instruction on etiquette and proper conduct for ladies and gentlemen of society.

Graffenried's Drawing of the Tuscarora Encampment Where He was Held Prisoner in Fall 1711 (The original drawing is housed at the Burgerbibliothek Bern, as are many documents and objects relating to Graffenried history.)

After the Indian captivity of Baron Christoph (Christopher's father) and the Indians' concomitant uprising, the Baron's New Bern colony was in the proverbial "dire straits," with dwellings and livestock destroyed and scant supplies.

Gov. Spotswood urged Christoph to travel to Europe to confront the financial backers who were seemingly oblivious to the needs of the colonists, despite their pledge to provide for them. On Easter Day in 1713 Christoph departed on horseback for New York to catch a ship. In London, he tried unsuccessfully to present his supplication through the Duke of Beaufort, the first Lord Proprietor and Palatine of North Carolina. The duke died suddenly on 25 July 1714 and Queen Anne, herself, died a week later.

Upon arriving in Bern, the Baron's pleas for his colony were treated with contempt. Todd (1920) says: "..his efforts for his colony did not stop even after he reached home.... Too poor to sue his company for their breach of contract, he next tried to have a commission appointed to investigate and hear his proposition, but this was refused. His efforts to interest others failed, and at last, to his own regret, he had to abandon his colony. The story of the rest of his life is soon told. He was dependent upon his father for a support which was not cheerfully granted."

Wife of Tscharner C. DeGraffenried Departs Life

THE SENTINEL/VIDETTE
Miller County, Mo. – Apr. 4, 1878

We are sorry to record the death of the wife* of an old and respectable citizen of this county, Chasner [sic] DeGraftenreid [sic]. Mrs. DeGraffenreid [sic] was a member of the United Baptist Church and much esteemed by her brethren and sisters and in fact by all who knew her. She departed this life on the 26th instant. We understand from good authority that she died as she had lived in the full enjoyment of the hope of eternal life.

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*The unnamed departed is the second wife of Tscharner C. DeGraffenried [1799–1880], Cynthia (McCubbin) Snelling Ellison. Cynthia was twice widowed and had a son, John Snelling (see "Missouri Cousins" by A. Maxim Coppage, 1978, p. 89). She and Tscharner were the parents of two children: Martha Ann and Wilson L. B. "Bud" DeGraffenried. Tscharner's first wife, Elizabeth [unknown] died ca. 1855. Her age is given as 46 yrs. on the 1850 Missouri Census; she was born in Virginia. Tscharner and Elizabeth were the parents of one son and five daughters. Their son, William Monroe DeGraffenried [1823–1884], was my great-great grandfather. –MsDeG

THE REVEILLE*
Linn Creek, Camden Co., Mo. – 1907

Wanted. 500 Makers on Tie Job on Big Piney River. The best tie works in Missouri, now open and 500 makers are now wanted. Fine Timber. Will pay 12¢ cash per stick at stump. No commissary. Also want tie haulers and will pay good prices. Apply to Pillman Bros., Arlington, Phelps Co., Mo., or T.P. Jeffries, Big Piney, Mo.

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*Advertisement reproduced in 'Descendants of Toliver Jeffries and Mary "Polly" Warner Jeffries of Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri' compiled by Etta Jane Voss Hays, 2003 (v. 1, p. vi). The Jeffries and DeGraffenreid families of the Baker de Graffenried branch are closely allied.

Hansford & Sanford Jeffries – One Set of Many Jeffries Family Twins

LaClede County Republican
Lebanon, Missouri

HANSFORD JEFFRIES

Hansford Jeffries, a well know citizen of Laclede County [MO], died on Thursday morning, July 16, 1925 about 7 o'clock at the home of his daughter, Mrs. P.P. DeGraffenreid, near Lebanon. He was 87 years and 10 months old.

Mr. Jeffries had not been well for the previous week, but his condition was not regarded as serious. On Thursday morning, he was about the house as usual and had eaten his breakfast with the family. Five minutes later, he passed away, death coming very suddenly.

The body was laid to rest in Auglaize cemetery [Camden Co., MO], funeral services being conducted by George Calken at 1 o'clock, on Friday afternoon, July 17, at Auglaize Church. There was a large attendance of relatives and friends at the funeral services.

Hansford Jeffries was born in Casey County [or Russell Co.], Kentucky, on September 16, 1837. When he was about 14 years old, he came to Missouri, settling in Camden County, near Passover. At the age of 18 years, he was married to Miss Susanne Kuykendall [on 9 Aug 1855 in Miller Co., MO] and to this marriage eight children were born, six boys [two died as infants] and two girls. Of this family, all have passed on but three children, J.W. Jeffries and Mrs. P.P. DeGraffenreid, of Lebanon,* and W.C. Jeffries, of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

He was a twin brother of Sanford Jeffries, of Miller County, and the two were devoted companions. Both served their country during the Civil War and throughout their whole lives they were never separated three months at one time.

Mr. Jeffries was a good citizen, a kind father and husband and a loyal friend. He lived to a ripe age and passed on to the beyond leaving a record of a life worthily lived here.

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*Rev. J.W. (John Walton) Jeffries and Lucinda (Mrs. P.P. DeGraffenreid) Jeffries were also twins; John Walton continued to preach until he d. at age 94 – he conducted Lucinda's funeral service in 1953.

Note: I have attributed this obituary to the Republican, but have not yet been able to ascertain the exact source. —MsDeG

THE OBERLIN HERALD
Oberlin, Kansas – Jan. 17, 1935

Recently it was called to the attention of this writer* that Walter Winchell took a whack at Kansas folks in general when he said in a newspaper article that he wouldn't mind the trip to California if it were not for passing through "that dreary width called Kansas." That makes the old Irish get right up. If Mr. Winchell feels that way about it, we have a suggestion to make. Let him go by air, and save the wear and tear on the Kansas highways.

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*The writer was Dorothy "Sunflower Sue" Kelley. Her column, "Out with the Hillbillies" appeared in the Oberlin Herald for over 65 years, until her death in 1998 at age 91.

Endless Kansas Highway with Rainbow

Eric DeGraffenreid and Ferne Cooper Married at Home of Bride

Mr. & Mrs. Eric DeGraffenreid, 1941

TORONTO REPUBLICAN
Toronto, Kan. – Mar. 12, 1941

Miss Ferne Cooper, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Cooper of Toronto, and Mr. Eric DeGraffenreid, son of Mr. and Mrs. T.C. DeGraffenreid of Quincy [Kan.], were united in marriage at 2:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon, March 9, 1941, at the home of the bride's parents. Rev. J.W. Burkett of Virgil [Kan.] officiated.

The bride wore a street length dress of navy blue sheer with a corsage of pink rose buds.

The bride is a graduate of Toronto High School with the Class of 1938 and for the past several months has been employed as a stenographer in the Woodson County Farm Bureau office. Mr. DeGraffenreid is a graduate of Quincy High School with the Class of 1935 and is now employed in an airplane factory in Wichita.

Immediately following the ceremony a buffet luncheon was served to the following invited guests: Bus and Bill Cooper, Rev. J.W. Burkett, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Boone and twin daughters of Oswego, Mrs. Ewing Boone of Fall River, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Erickson and Alfred of Virgil, Mr. and Mrs. A. Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Fuhlhage and Esther Jo, and Miss Josie Cooper, all of Toronto, and Mr. and Mrs. T.C. DeGraffenreid, Eleanor and Paul of Quincy.

Mr. and Mrs. DeGraffenreid are now at home at 930 West St. Francis Street, Wichita, Kansas.

Pearl Harbor

A "General" Ship, Sister Ship of the WIEGEL, that Transported T.E.D. to Japan, Docked at Pier 1, Yokohama, West Shore of Tokyo Bay

Eric DeGraffenreid in Toyko, bet. Nov. 1945–Sep. 1946, with Buddy, Jack Lamoreaux, at Right

Sgt. Tess Eric DeGraffenreid, U.S. Army Air Force*

Eric DeGraffenried with Daughters, Jo Anne and Donna Lou, 1946

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*The Lawrence KS Journal-World included the following information about the U.S. Army Air Force in Monday's, July 21, 2003, paper, p. 2B (Lawrence was celebrating U.S. Sen. Bob Dole's 80th birthday and the dedication of KU's Dole Institute of Politics with the 4-day "Greatest Generation's Greatest Celebration"): "SOUND OFF – Q: What was the Army Air Corps and how was it different fromn the U.S. Air Force? A: Essentially they were the same thing known by different names at different times. According to the Army Air Forces Historical Assn., the present-day U.S. Air Force previously had several other names. It came into being in 1907 as the Aeronautical Section of the Army Signal Corps. In 1914, the name was changed to Aviation Section (Signal Corps). In 1918, the official name became the United States Army Air Service. Then, in 1926, it became the United States Army Air Corps. In 1941, the corps became the United States Army Air Forces [sic]. And finally, in 1947, it became the United States Air Force."

Note to MsDeG: Find article about Dad's first post in Paola.

Lynda's Fiancé of Noble Blood

KANSAS CITY STAR, Kansas City, Mo. – Dec. 6, 1967

BERN, SWITZERLAND (AP) – The Swiss news agency has traced the family tree of President Johnson's future son-in-law and discovered that he is a direct descendant of Swiss nobility.

Captain Charles Spittal Robb will marry Lynda Johnson, the President's daughter Saturday. The

agency's research showed he is descended on his mother's side from the famous old Bern family of Von Graffenried.

His great-great-grandmother was Cicely* de Graffenried, a member of the so-called Worb branch of the family founded by Abraham von Graffenried, born 1580, who married Ursula von Diesbach – Worb.

• • • • •

... [Abraham's great grandson, Christoph] supported by King Charles II .... set forth on a colonizing expedition to North America in 1702 [sic]. He became hereditary governor of Carolina province in 1709 and in the following year founded the city of New Bern, now in North Carolina. He and his followers fought many battles with the Indians.

Returning to Europe in 1713, Christoph found the new King George I less enthusiastic about his ambitions so he returned to his home estate of Worb in Switzerland. His eldest son, also called Christoph (1691–1744), decided to settle in America to take up the family heritage. Cicely de Graffenried who was born in 1806, was a great-granddaughter of Christoph, jr.

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*Cicely was the daughter of Allen de Graffenried [1764–1821] and Sarah Thomas. Allen was the son of Christoph's son, Tscharner, by his third wife, Elizabeth Embry née Allen. This article was also published in the Chicago Tribune, Dec. 5, 1967, with additional remarks: "At the White House in Washington, a spokesman said the Robb family is aware that they have ancestors among the Swiss nobility. Asked for comment, a family spokesman said the Robbs are 'proud of all their ancestors.'" Cecily de Graffenried [1806–1855] married John McCaw [1791–1880] in 1822. She was the mother of 13 (one source says 15) children, including Lucy McCaw (1844–1905) who married Frank Wooley and became the great-grandmother of U.S. Senator (VA) Charles Spittal Robb.

Presidential daughter Lynda Johnson married into the de Graffenried family. First Lady Laura Welch Bush, Mrs. President George W. Bush, is a de Graffenried descendant in her own right. Her ancestor is Tscharner's son, Baker. See details on a "working" website at http://hometown.aol.com/wreitwiesn/candidates2000/welch.html .

Sgt. Eric DeGraffenreid, Kansas Highway Patrol [1947–1977], Ret.

Note to MsDeG: Find the copy about Dad's retirement!

De Graffenrieds Gather

SUN JOURNAL, New Bern, N.C. – June 7, 1991
Baron's family holds 1st reunion in New Bern

*Excerpts from article by Rosi Blake, Sun Journal*

Most of us know who our great-grandparents were, maybe even our great-great-grandparents. But Betty Thomas knows a family history that goes back to 1191. She is one of the direct descendants of Baron Christopher de Graffenried, the Swiss founder of New Bern. She is also the organizer of the first national de Graffenried family reunion.

Over 70 family members from all over the country are expected to attend the reunion headquartered at the New Bern Sheraton this weekend. Events began this morning and activities are planned until Sunday evening. "We're having a lot of discussions on what to do in the future. We're scheduling research into the colonial periods of the family history," said Betty, who lives in Gulfport, Miss.

[Betty Thomas now resides in San Antonio, Texas, where she carries on her research and publishes The de Graffenried Association™ Journal. Her 719-page volume entitled 'Baron Christopher de Graffenried V His Ancestors and His Descendants 1191 to 2001' appeared in 2003. MsDeG]

Thomas is the proud owner of a trundle bed – measuring 6 feet 10 inches square and 9 feet high – that she said belonged to the baron himself. A trundle bed has a children's pull-out bed underneath it.

"Christopher's son Tscharner was the first American-born relative of the baron. He married four times and had 16 children, two of which died in infancy." said Thomas. She believes that between 2,000 and 3,000 descendants of the baron are now living in the U.S. Those attending the reunion will divide into groups for each of Tscharner's children. They will each select one person to be on the board of advisers for the family.

Memorial Service Conducted in New Bern, North Carolina, During First Annual de Graffenried Family Reunion, June 7–9, 1991

AFFINITY

By Jo Anne DeGraffenreid

We are gathered in North Carolina, in the town of New Bern, to celebrate the ancestry we all share and, at this particular moment, to commemorate the lives of three de Graffenried relatives who have contributed to our rich heritage: Dr. Robert Timberlake Kemp, Jr.; William Munro Minto; and Gaines de Graffenried.

Relatives, of course, are persons related to one another – by blood ("consanguinity" is the formal term) or by affinity. "Affinity," in this case, means relationship by marriage, such as the relation between a husband and his wife's blood relatives. However, beyond this narrower definition (or, if you happen to be a physicist or a chemist, the attraction between particles and various metals and compounds), affinity denotes the sympathetic response of one person to another – your response to an individual or to a particular group; that is: being drawn to certain people and liking them, recognizing shared interests, having feelings of loyalty and concern, and perhaps perceiving a sense of emotional and intellectual accord.

The reason I accepted the responsibility to assist at this memorial service certainly has more to do with affinity in the latter sense than any oratorical skill; in fact, as my husband will attest, I am a reluctant speaker! Yet, in April, when I was contacted by Mrs. Betty Wood Thomas – our gracious kinswoman whom we have largely to thank for this gathering – I didn't hesitate to say: "Yes, I'll do it." I feel I have known the gentlemen we are honoring – Robert Kemp, William Minto, and Gaines de Graffenried – despite the fact I never had the pleasure of their acquaintance. I know my father. I knew my father's father. I seem to know his father before him, although he died when I was still an infant; and so on, back through the generations, in some sort of mysterious continuum of kinship.

My husband, Professor John Davis, is interested in heraldry and has a number of books on the subject. Thanks to this interest (and his generous indulgence), we have made several pilgrimages to Switzerland: • to the cathedral in Bern where the pews bear the devices of generations of Graffenrieds... [I had in my deep freeze a plasticine mold of one of the carvings we made in 1978; this was unfortunately lost during a remodeling project in 2000.]; • twice to Worb, near Bern, with its Schloß – or castle – the home of our forefather Baron Christopher who founded this city of New Bern; • to Grafenried, the village where our earliest known ancestors lived; • and on yet another occasion, to the Château de Chillon (near Montreux) on Lac Léman – Lake Geneva or "Genfer See" as it is called in German. There we photographed the Diesbach and Graffenried coats of arms.

Eugene Zieber's classic work 'Heraldry in America' (originally published in 1895) remarks that "...the commendable pride of Ancestry has a great hold on Americans" (New York: Greenwich House Crown ed., 1984, p. 76). Zieber wrote this almost a hundred years ago, but it's just as true today. It has to do with affinity, I think, with our sympathetic historical consciousness. No doubt it is why many of us are participating in this "spiritual homecoming" to New Bern.

How many of you, like myself, once pored over your father's copy of "Uncle Tom's book," trying to discern a likeness of your own face among our early Swiss forebears? I'm talking, of course, about Thomas P. de Graffenried and his 'History of the de Graffenried Family – 1191 A.D. to 1925' (Binghamton and New York: Vail-Ballou Press, 1925). We might note that the history of the de Graffenried family predates that of modern Switzerland by a hundred years. This is the 800th anniversary of the year 1191 – the date attributed by Thomas to the earliest existing records of our Graffenried ancestors (Uolricus and Cuno de Gravinsried) and this year, 1991, is the 700th birthday of the Swiss Confederation. Because the Swiss Parliament, in 1848, was patterned after our American system, the USA and Switzerland have jointly issued a commemorative stamp which features the Swiss Parliament Building and our Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

No, I never personally knew "Uncle Tom," as he is affectionately called, any more than I knew Robert Kemp, or William Minto, or Gaines de Graffenried. But Uncle Tom's writings and his efforts to preserve our sense of familial pride and promote a concomitant sense of obligation to emulate the intellectual and professional achievements of our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents have stirred my emotions since I was a young girl. I know there are those of you in the audience who have likewise been inspired by the example of those whose lives we are commemorating.

[There followed the biographical information about these de Graffenried descendants: Dr. Robert Timberlake Kemp, Jr., 1909–1991; William Munro Minto, 1913–1991; and Gaines de Graffenried, 1909–1991.]

BALDWIN LEDGER
Baldwin City, Kan. – June 29, 1995

DeGraffenried family celebrates in North Carolina

On Saturday, June 17, New Bern, NC, celebrated "Founder's Day." Festivities were planned to coincide with the third national DeGraffenried Reunion, attended by over 90 family members from 18 states.

A farmer's market, folk dancing, alpenhorn and accordion music by costumed members of the local Swiss-German Alpenverein and a noon "pig-pickin'" (North Carolina's version of a barbecue) culminated in the laying of a wreath at the bust of Baron de Graffenried at City Hall, and brief remarks by officials, including New Bern Mayor Tom Bayliss and Mr. Fred Jenny, Swiss Consul General for the southern United States.

Midwest descendants participating in the reunion were: Mr. and Mrs. T.A. DeGraffenreid, Brumley, Mo.; Mrs. Fay Miller, Bolivar, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Jacobson, Sr., Kansas City, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Gary Perkins, Maineville, Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. Eric DeGraffenreid and Prof. and Mrs. John C. Davis, Baldwin City; and Mr. and Mrs. Paul DeGraffenreid, Oklahoma City.

New Bern, a charming colonial town across Pamlico Sound from Cape Hatteras, is situated at the confluence of the Trent and Neuse rivers. The town was founded in 1710 by Baron Christopher de Graffenried and takes its name from Berne in Switzerland, the Baron's homeland.

New Bern is not a sister city, but the daughter city of Berne, and very proud of this status. Incorporated in 1723, New Bern is the second-oldest town in North Carolina and served as the capitol for 20 years during the state's early history.

Honored guests at the June 15–18 Reunion were Mr. and Mrs. Helmuth de Graffenried, Berne, Switzerland, representatives of the Burgistein branch of this very old, Swiss patrician family. Although he bears the hereditary title of Baron, Helmuth is on a first-name basis with his American "cousins" and entertains a number of American visitors each year in Berne. Helmuth and his father, Col. Baron Victor de Graffenried, contributed enormously to the historical research of New York lawyer Thomas P. de Graffenried, author of "History of the de Graffenried Family – 1191 AD to 1925 (Binghamton and New York: Vail-Ballou Press, 1925).

Revision and updating of the long out-of-print book is underway, with hopes to include all descendants of Anton Tscharner de Graffenried, a formidable task which will result in multiple volumes. Tscharner, the first American-born DeGraffenried, and grandson of New Bern's founder, Baron Christopher, was married four times and produced 16 children. Seventy years ago, upon publication of the original history, its author could already speak ruefully of numerous descendants in the United States that remained to be identified.

The Emporia Gazette
Emporia, Kan. – Aug. 28, 1995

DeGRAFFENREID

The Emporia Recreation Center was the site of the Aug. 12, 1995, "DeGraffenreids and Friends Reunion," organized by Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Stout of Emporia. According to the reunion reporter, "friends were heavily outweighed by DeGraffenreids – all descendants of Tess Charner DeGraffenreid (1883–1962) and his wife, Edith Marie Ericson (1895–1972)."

Family members represented the extended families of Tess and Edith's three children (an infant daughter died shortly after birth in 1928) and spouses: Tess Eric and Ferne Cooper DeGraffenreid of Baldwin City; Lewis A. and Eleanor Anne DeGraffenreid Stout of Emporia; and Paul and Marla Mills DeGraffenreid of Sedgwick. Eric, Eleanor, and Paul were reared in Greenwood County and graduated from Quincy High School at Quincy. Tess and Edith DeGraffenreid are buried in Quincy Cemetery.

Forty-one people attended the reunion, including 28 of the 30 direct descendants to date (3 children, 13 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren). Family members ranging in age from nine months to 77 years came from three states and included Gary and Kathy DeGraffenreid Perkins and son, Kyle, of Maineville, Ohio (missing from the group were Kary Perkins of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jim Perkins of Mason, Ohio); Dr. Philip and Ellen Rahnke Stout and daughters, Sarah and Anne, of Shaker Heights, Ohio; Sue Anne Stout Frost (husband Randy was unable to attend) and daughters, Erica and Olivia, and Nancy J. Stout Blanchard and daughter, Emily, of Northampton, Mass.

And, Eric and Ferne DeGraffenreid, Jo Anne DeGraffenreid and husband, John Davis, and Donna L. DeGraffenreid Cumley, all of Baldwin City; Jo Anne's son, Tom Kellogg of Lawrence; Paul and Marla DeGraffenreid, of Sedgwick; Phil and Ellen DeGraffenreid Loomis and children, Angela and Mitch, of Topeka; and Jeff DeGraffenreid and Tess DeGraffenreid of Wichita.

And, Theresa K. Stout Byerley of Council Grove; Robert and Christine Stout Arndt and children, Beau, Seth and Annabelle, of Americus; Lew and Eleanor Stout and Beth Ann DeGraffenreid of Emporia. Friends who attended were Dave Briggs of Olathe; "Red" Jeffers of Northampton, Mass; Kelly Bender of Wichita; Gary Harris of Roeland Park; and Kara Schuster of Lawrence.

It was noted that several of the DeGraffenreid family have graduated or received some of their college education from Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, now Emporia State University, and Beth Ann DeGraffenreid is now attending E-State.

THE TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL, Topeka, Kan. – Mar. 8, 1996

BALDWIN CITY – Lida Ferne DeGraffenreid, 75, Baldwin City [Kan.], died Wednesday, March 6, 1996, at a Lawrence [Kan.] hospital.

She was born Sept. 26, 1920, at Toronto [Kan.], the daughter of Lee and Mary Whisler Cooper. She was graduated from Toronto High School and attended Central Business College at Kansas City, Mo. She had lived at Hiawatha [Kan.] before she moved to Baldwin City in 1953. She and her husband had spent the winters at Mission, Texas, since 1977.

Mrs. DeGraffenreid was a 50-year member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Philmatheon Club and United Methodist Women. She was a Girl Scout leader for several years.

She married Tess Eric DeGraffenreid on March 9, 1941, at Toronto. He survives. [Eric died Jan. 9, 1999, in Baldwin City.] Other survivors include three daughters, Jo Anne DeGraffenreid Davis and Donna Lou Cumley, both of Baldwin City, and Mary K. "Kathy" Perkins, Cincinnati, Ohio; a brother, William R. Cooper, Albuquerque, N.M. [Ferne was preceded in death by her older brother, Anthony Lee Cooper (1917–1995) of Pittsburgh, Pa.]; four grandchildren; and two stepgrandchildren.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church at Baldwin City. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery at Baldwin City. Relatives and friends will meet from 7 to 8 p.m. today at Lamb-Roberts Funeral Home at Baldwin City. Memorial contributions may be made to the Building Fund at the Baldwin First United Methodist Church and sent in care of the funeral home.

First United Methodist Church, Baldwin City, Kansas

BALDWIN LEDGER
Baldwin City, Kan. – Jan. 15, 1999

ERIC DeGRAFFENREID

Eric DeGraffenreid, 81, of Baldwin City, died early Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Baldwin Care Center.

Tess Eric DeGraffenreid, son of Tess Charner and Edith Marie (Ericson) DeGraffenreid, was born Oct. 30, 1917, in Waynesville, Mo. His family later moved to the Quincy area [Greenwood Co., Kan.], where he attended Quincy schools and graduated from Quincy High School.

He later attended Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia. He was a Sergeant in the U.S. [Army] Air Force 7th ASAC, May 1945 – Oct. 1946, 13th. Repair Squadron, 7th Air Service Area Command (ASAC), Att. to 5th. A.F., and was stationed in Japan from Nov. 1945 – Sept. 1946.

On March 9, 1941, he was united in marriage to Lida Ferne Cooper in Toronto, KS. In 1991 the DeGraffenreids celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Texas. Mrs. DeGraffenreid preceded her husband in death on March 6, 1996.

The DeGraffenreids were residents of Baldwin City since 1953, moving from Hiawatha [Kan.]. Prior to that Eric was stationed in Paola [Kan.]. Eric joined the Kansas Highway Patrol in October of 1947 and retired in October of 1977 as Sergeant with over 30 years of service, retiring from the 5th. Div. HQ stationed at Valley Center, Kan.

After his retirement, he and Ferne became enthusiastic "snowbirds," with a winter vacation home in Mission, Texas. After Ferne's death in 1996, Eric resumed his winter life-style at the urging of family and friends. He enjoyed weekly square dancing and bridge games and frequent trips into Mexico until the day he suffered a massive stroke at his Texas home on December 17, 1998.

Eric was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church in Baldwin City; a member of Lloyd Beaton Post No. 228 of the American Legion; Kansas Peace Officers Association; a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge and the Order of Eastern Star. He was devoted to his profession as a Kansas State Trooper and proud to serve the state of Kansas; he served as escort for various Kansas governors and was official escort for the University of Kansas athletic groups and band.

He is survived by three daughters... ; four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren ...; one sister...; one brother, Paul DeGraffenreid of Sedgwick [Paul DeGraffenried, b. 1926 in Greenwood Co., Kan., died Dec. 5, 2002, in Newton, Sedgwick Co., Kan.]; and a number of nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, at the First United Methodist Church, with Rev. Nanette Roberts officiating. Interment will follow in Oakwood Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church Building Fund.

Kansas Highway Patrol Honor Guard, Oakwood Cemetery, Baldwin City, KS, 14 Jan 1999

UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, 1999

LAWRENCE, KS – A senior researcher from the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas, has been recognized by the Geologische Bundesanstalt (Geological Survey of Austria) for his contributions to the science of geology. John C. Davis, head of the Kansas Geological Survey’s mathematical geology section, was presented the Wilhelm Ritter von Haidinger Medal by the Austrian Survey in a ceremony in Vienna. The medal is named for the founder of the Imperial Geological Institute, forerunner of the modern Austrian Geological Survey. The medal is among the highest civilian awards given by the Austrian government.

Prof. Dr. John C. Davis Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria 1994

The medal was first presented in 1856 to W. R. von Haidinger in recognition of his services to the Crown in promoting the natural sciences in Austria. The original mold for the Haidinger award was the only survivor in the Austrian Survey’s collection of medals following World War II. The medal was revived as a modern award during the Survey’s Centennial in 1951. Since then, 11 medals have been presented in recognition of distinguished contributions to applied geology. A unique aspect of the award is that recipients are chosen by a vote of the entire professional staff of the Austrian Survey.

Davis is the first American to receive the Haidinger medal. He was selected for the award based on his applications of mathematical and statistical techniques to geological problems, particularly the mapping of chemical elements in the environment. Davis has studied environmental problems in Austria for some years and was a 1994 Senior Fulbright Scholar in Austria. Davis’ research group at the Kansas Geological Survey developed the computer mapping software used by the Austrians in their geochemical studies.

The award was presented on November 15th at Rasumofsky Palace, Vienna, headquarters of the Geologische Bundesanstalt, during the Austrian Survey’s 150th anniversary celebration.

Wilhelm Ritter v. Haidinger Medaille

W. von Haidinger Medal - Reverse

A Fine Time

Was Had By All!

SUN JOURNAL, New Bern, N.C. – Mar. 26, 2003
City's "Mama Bear" dies in Switzerland

Blanche de Graffenried, the official "Mama Bear" of New Bern, has died in her native Switzerland. She was 88.

Mrs. De Graffenried died March 8 in her home. She was married to Helmuth de Graffenried, a descendant of Baron Christopher de Graffenried who helped establish the town of New Bern with John Lawson in 1710.

The de Graffenrieds weren't unknown to the New Bern area. In 2000, Helmuth and Blanche de Graffenried made the trip to New Bern for a family reunion with area descendants of Christopher de Graffenried. At that time, the de Graffenried archives were donated to East Carolina University's library.

During their visit, New Bern Mayor Tom Bayliss made them honorary citizens and named them the official "Mama Bear" and "Papa Bear" of New Bern.

"The first time Blanche and I came to the U.S. (was) in 1961 and to New Bern in 1984," Helmuth de Graffenried wrote in notifying friends and family here of Blanche's death. "Very soon, New Bern became our second hometown. ... Blanche and I made many friends among New Bern people."

Mr. Sam — Cat of the Realm — Beloved Pet — ca. 1997–2005 — R.I.P.

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