Historic People of Kansas - Last Name starts with "I-J"

Historic People of Kansas - "I-J"

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John James Ingalls (1833-1900) - United States Senator, Ingalls was born at Middletown, Massachusetts on December 29, 1833 to Elias T. and Eliza (Chase) Ingalls. He was a descendant of Edmond Ingalls, who, with his brother Francis, founded the town of Lynn, Massachusetts in 1628. In 1855 he graduated at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and two years later was admitted to the bar in his native county of Essex. In 1858 he came to Kansas, was a member of the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention in 1859; and was secretary of the Territorial Council in 1860. While secretary of the State Senate in 1861, at the first session of the state legislature, he submitted a design for a state seal, and in 1862 was elected to the State Senate. During the Civil War he served as Judge Advocate on the staff of General George W. Deitzler, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and in 1864 was nominated for Lieutenant-Governor on the "Anti-Lane" ticket. Ingalls married Anna L. Cheeseborough of Atchison, Kansas in 1865, and in 1873 was elected to the United States Senate to succeed Samuel C. Pomeroy. He was twice re-elected and served in the senate for 18 years, part of that time being the presiding officer. He was a great reader, a fine parliamentarian, and was probably the readiest man in debate that ever represented Kansas in the upper house of Congress. Senator Harris of Tennessee said of him: "Mr. Ingalls will go down in history as the greatest presiding officer in the history of the senate." Ingalls was possessed of fine literary talent, and had he turned his attention in that direction instead of entering politics, his name would no doubt have been among the great writers of the country. His poem entitled "Opportunity," which has been widely quoted, is a classic. He died at Las Vegas, New Mexico on August 16, 1900. His writings, including essays, addresses and orations of were published in 1892 by his wife and the book was dedicated to the people of Kansas.

Henry Inman (1837-1899) - Soldier and author, was born in the city of New York on July 3, 1837, of Dutch and Huguenot ancestry. In 1857 he was commissioned second lieutenant in the United States army and was sent to the Pacific coast. On October 22, 1861, he married Eunice C. Dyer of Portland, Me., where her father, Joseph W. Dyer, was a well known ship builder. During the Civil War Lieutenant Inman served as an aide on the staff of General George Sykes, and on February 11, 1869, was brevetted lieutenant-colonel. After the war he won distinction as a magazine writer. In 1895 he published The Old Santa Fe Trail, which was widely read. This was followed by The Great Salt Lake Trail, "The Ranch on the Oxhide, and "Delahoyd Boys." For several years before his death Mr. Inman was in feeble health and he left a number of unfinished manuscripts. He died at Topeka, Kansas, November 13, 1899.

Samuel M. Irvin (1812-1887) - An early missionary and teacher to the Sac and Fox Indians, Irvin was born in Pennsylvania in 1812. In 1835 the Presbyterian Foreign Board appointed him missionary to the Iowa Indians, or rather to act as superintendent of the mission, which was established in April, 1837 on what is known as the "Platte Purchase" in northwestern Missouri. The next year it was moved across the Missouri River and located near the present town of Highland in Doniphan County, Kansas. Here, Irvin and his wife continued their labors until the mission was discontinued, after which he was for several years connected with Highland University. He died in 1887.

Juan Jaramillo - Spanish soldier and narrator, Jaramillo was with Coronado in the expedition to Quivira in 1540-42. Some years later he wrote an account of the expedition, which was been to English. In this account, Jaramillo said that when the Indian guide, Isopete, saw the Arkansas River he recognized it as the southern boundary of Quivira. Some historians of Coronado's Expedition refer to him as "Captain" Jaramillo and he was evidently a man of some prominence and influence at that period.

Charles Ransford Jennison (1834-1884) - A physician, soldier, and anti-slavery Jayhawker, Jennison was born in Jefferson County, New York on June 6, 1834. He was educated in public schools until he was twelve years old, when his parents went to Wisconsin. At the age of 19, he began to study medicine. After completing his medical studies he practiced for a short time in Wisconsin and then came to Kansas, settling at Osawatomie in 1857. Within a short time he moved to Mound City, where he remained for three years, and then to Leavenworth. Dr. Jennison was one of John Brown's stanch supporters. Governor Robinson commissioned him captain of the Mound City Guards on February 19, 1861 and on September 4th he was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, which became known as "Jennison's Jayhawkers." Jennison's troops, who wore red breeches, were also referred to as “Redlegs” and became one of the most notorious bands of Jayhawkers during the Civil War. He was assigned command of the western border of Missouri with headquarters at Kansas City. He determined to clear the border of guerrillas and his name soon became a terror to lawless bands. His conduct was such that General Hunter appointed him acting Brigadier-General, and he was placed in command of "all the troops in Kansas west of and on the Neosho River." At the time of the Lawrence Massacre, Governor Carney called upon Jennison to raise a regiment, of which he was made colonel on October 17, 1863 with headquarters at Leavenworth. While in command at Fort Leavenworth he was authorized on March 5, 1864 to raise and organize a post battery. On July 20, 1864, he was placed in command of a regiment in the field and had command of the District of Southern Kansas. During the summer he made a foray into Platte and Clay Counties, Missouri, against bushwhackers who had been committing depredations in Kansas, and in other ways he successfully protected the border until Price's Raid. At the time of this raid, he met Price's forces at Lexington, Missouri while reconnoitering under orders from General Curtis. With his regiment he took part in the engagement at the Little Blue, where he was in command of the first division. In the fall of 1864 he was elected a member of the Leavenworth Council, was made president of the council and ex-officio mayor. In 1865 he was elected to the legislature from Leavenworth County; was re-elected in 1867, and in 1872 was elected to the State Senate. He died at Leavenworth June 21, 1884.

Thomas Johnson (18021865) - A Methodist minister and member of the first Territorial Legislature of Kansas, he was born in the State of Virginia on July 11, 1802. His parents were poor people and he was thrown to his own resources almost from boyhood. At a comparatively early age he went to Missouri, where he prepared himself for the Methodist Ministry and filled a number of charges under the auspices of the Missouri conference. In 1829, he married Sarah T. Davis of Clarksville, Missouri and the same year, he established the first mission school among the Shawnee Indians in what is now Johnson County, Kansas, where he continued his labors for some ten or twelve years, when failing health caused him to resign. He then went to Cincinnati, Ohio for medical treatment, after which he lived near Fayette, Missouri until his health was fully regained. In the fall of 1847 he again entered upon his work at the mission and remained there until after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. On March 30, 1855, he was elected a member of the Territorial Council from the First District. He was a pronounced pro-slavery man and is credited with having brought the first freed slaves to Kansas. In 1858 he retired from mission work and bought a home about two miles from Westport, Missouri. Notwithstanding his views on the slavery question, when the Civil War broke out he stood by the Union. This caused him to become a marked man by the guerrillas and bushwhackers and on the night of January 2, 1865, he was killed by a gang of armed men at his home, the bullet that ended his life passing through the door while he was in the act of fastening it to keep out the marauders.

Samuel J. Jones (1820-1880) - A notorious character during the early border troubles and the first sheriff of Douglas County, Jones was born in Virginia about 1820. In the fall of 1854, he arrived at Westport Landing (now Kansas City, Missouri) on the steamboat F.X. Aubrey, accompanied by his wife and two young children. After making a trip through Kansas, he took charge of the post office at Westport, Missouri. On March 30, 1855, he led the pro-slavery mob that destroyed the ballot box at Bloomington, Kansas and as a reward for his activity he was appointed as the first sheriff of Douglas County on August 27, 1855, by the acting Governor Daniel Woodson. He was also one of the contractors for the erection of the territorial capitol at Lecompton. As sheriff he arrested Jacob Branson in November, 1855, which started the Wakarusa War. The following April he attempted to arrest Samuel N. Wood, and about that time was shot and wounded by an unknown person. This no doubt made him more bitter toward the free-state advocates and on May 21, 1856, he led the so-called posse which in the Sacking of Lawrence. On January 7, 1857, he resigned the office of sheriff because the governor would not furnish him with balls and chains for certain free-state prisoners. He then moved to New Mexico, where in September 1858 he accepted an appointment as Collector of Customs at Paso del Norte. He eventually purchased a ranch near Mesilla, where he was visited in the summer of 1879 by Colonel William A. Phillips, who found him suffering from the effects of a stroke of paralysis that affected his speech. He later died on his ranch.

Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of Kansas, updated April, 2010.

About the Article: The majority of this historic text was published in Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Volume I; edited by Frank W. Blackmar, A.M. Ph. D.; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912. However, the text that appears on these pages is not verbatim, as additions, updates, and editing have occurred.

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