Pioneers of Pawnee County, Kansas

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Captain Henry Booth (1838-??) - Born in Yorkshire, England on May 11, 1838 Booth came to the United States with his parents in 1841, locating at Woonsocket, Rhode Island,  where he resided until he was 18. He then went westward and in September, 1856, settled at Manhattan, Kansas where he took a claim of 160 acres on the Big Blue River. In August, 1862, he enlisted as private in Company F of the Eleventh Kansas Infantry. He was promoted to First Sergeant of his company shortly afterwards. He served about a year and a half in this company before he was given authority to raise another company that was transferred to the cavalry. He was then commissioned as as a First Lieutenant and when he had raised the complement of men, was commissioned Captain of Company L, Eleventh Regiment Kansas Cavalry. During the Civil War, he participated in the battles of Old Fort Wayne, Cane Hill, Prairie Grove and Van Buren, in Arkansas. During the Price Raid the regiment was ordered to Kansas and while here, Captain Booth was in command of Fort Riley. He was detailed on the staff of the commanding officer of the district as Chief of Cavalry and Inspecting Officer of the district of the upper Arkansas. While on an inspection tour, Captain Booth, accompanied by another officer, while separated from their escort, were attacked by 28 Indians and had a very narrow escape from death. He was wounded in two places, the other officer received four wounds and  22 arrows were taken from the wagon in which they were traveling. One Indian was killed by Captain Booth. The regiment was afterwards sent to the plains and had several battles and skirmishes with the Indians in the Wyoming Territory. He was mustered out in September, 1865, at Fort Leavenworth.

He then returned to Riley County and went into the hardware and agricultural implement business at Manhattan. In 1867 he was elected to the legislature, receiving the unanimous vote of the county. In 1869 he was appointed postmaster at Fort Larned, a position he continued until the spring of 1873, when he and others, established the town of Larned, where he built the first house in the town. He was elected to the legislature from Pawnee County in the fall of 1873, and again in the fall of 1874. In 1875 he was elected Chief Clerk of the Kansas House of Representatives, and elected again to the position in 1876. In 1878 he was appointed Receiver of the United States Land Office at Larned and re-appointed to the same position in 1882.

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