The story of Robert Marshall McCracken as submitted by Andy Miller

A5  Robert Marshall McCracken, born 5 April 1790, Cumberland Co., PA.  Died at the age of 95, circa 1885, probably in Sedgewick County Kansas.  Alexander McCracken 60th anniv. article from 1899 Cambridge paper says that Robert died at the age of  between 93 and 94, in Illinois.  ( I think this is a mistake.  Most likely, he died in Sedgewick Co., Kansas.) 

            According to Charles Henry Robinson, he lived in Rush County, Kansas near a town called McCracken Station, which is still on the map.  The reunion paper mentions that he had a son named William who was a successful farmer and gave a huge barbecue for the entire county.  I have since found that Robert actually lived in Sedgewick County, Kansas, where I found him on the census, and his biography was included in the Sedgewick County history.  Sarah Smith says he was married twice.  (This Sedgewick County, KS, is the right one, as in his bio., he mentions his mother as Margaret Marshall,…etc.)   Robert had the following children, to wit:

                        A5a  William McCracken                     1826

                        A5b  Robert Marshall McCracken

A5c  Sarah McCracken

A5d  Jane McCracken

A5e  Mary McCracken

A5f  Martha McCracken

            A5a  William McCracken was born on __________.  Lived in Sunny Dale, Kansas.  William was married, but according to Sarah Smith, he had no children.  There was an article in the Sedgwick County, Kansas Biographical Sketches and History, Grant Twp., part 17.  See below:

            “William McCracken, farmer and fruit grower, Section 22, P.O. Box Sunnydale, is the son of Robert and Catherine McCracken.  Was born in 1826, Allegheny County, PA, and in 1853, married Miss Mary Lindsey.  Mr. McCracken removed to Illinois where he resided for many years, and came to Kansas in the Fall of 1872 and located the following spring.  Of his 270 acres the greater part has been improved, and while devoting considerable attention to agriculture he has made a specialty of fruit raising.  His orchard contains 25,000 peach, 3,500 apple, 3,000 cherry, 1,000 pear, and about 500 plum trees, while ten acres are devoted to raising choice varieties of berries and other small fruits.  Flora, too, has been remembered, there being in addition to other flowers at least forty varieties of the rose, while throughout the entire farm evergreens and other ornamental shrubs are tastefully interspersed so as to blend in one harmonious whole, while at a short distance from his residence he has a fish-pond well stocked with German carp.  His residence, which was erected in 1879, at a cost of $4,000.00, is one of the finest in the county.  Although now possessing one of the finest fruit farms in the state, Mr. McCracken had from the first to contend with many difficulties; having naturally a taste for horticulture, he determined from his first location here to establish such a farm as he now has.  At great labor and expense he had in 1874 made considerable progress when the grasshoppers destroyed all his trees, thus entailing upon him a loss of $4,000.00; but nothing daunted, he determined to succeed in his undertaking and replanting the following spring, his industry was rewarded three years later by selling $2,000.00 worth of fruit in the short space of three months.  In 1879 he sold $5,000.00 worth of fruit.  He has never since had a failure of his crop, thus showing what may be attained by industry, perseverance and patience, assisted by the fertile soil and genial climate of Kansas.  Mr. McCracken is a member of the Horticultural Society, which meets monthly at his house.  He is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is a liberal-minded, public spirited and enterprising citizen.  He has contributed towards building five different churches.  The money which he extends in charity amounts to hundreds of dollars annually, while he has ever evinced a warm and active interest in all that pertains to the welfare of the community.”

A5b  Robert Marshall McCracken was born on _____________.  According to Sarah Smith he had one son and five girls.

A5c  Sarah McCracken was born on __________________.  Married John M. Fouts.  Together they had the following children, to wit:

            A5c1  Robert G Fouts

            A5c2  William Fouts

            A5c3  Mary Jane Fouts   m. __________Hauk

            A5c4  Franz Seigel Fouts

            A5c5  John Grant Fouts                                    died at 18

            A5c6  Sarah Elizabeth Fouts (twin to Michael) 

            A5c7  Samuel Francis Fouts

            A5c8  Michael Henry Fouts (twin to Sarah)

            A5c9  Rachel Lillie Fouts    m. _______Young

            A5c10  Frank Milton Fouts

A5d  Jane McCracken was born on ______________.  Married __________Cavett.

A5e  Mary McCracken was born on ______________.  Married _____________Morgan, and lived in Sunnydale, Kansas.