(from the Kinsley Mercury Newspaper July 20, 1954)
Leonard L. Muffitt, Old Timer Here, Dies Monday
Leonard L. Muffitt died Monday at the Edwards County Hospital after a short illness. Mr. Muffitt was forman of the local Kansas Power and Light plant and was serving his 31st year with the company.
Funeral services were held at McKillip's chapel at 2:30 Wednesday afternoon with Rev. Martin Pullman officiating. Interment and graveside services were at Wayne cemetery at Lewis, Kansas.
Mr. Muffitt is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Bill Scheuman, Murdock; Mrs. Clyde Smith, Wichita; Mrs. Raymond Roeabaugh, Geonosa, Colo. and Mrs Henry Lewis, San Diego, Calif.
Two sisters, Mrs. Hazel Bushnell, Lansing, Mich.; and Mrs. Edna Altenburg, St. Petersburg, Fla; and one brother, Earl Muffitt, Kalvesta.
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| Kinsley Kansas Power and Light plant 1937 |
Leonard's mother was Mary Ann Johnson Darling (July 9, 1868 - July 31, 1953). Leonard was adopted by Alonzo Muffitt. Leonard's biological father is not know at this time but the the name "Darling" may be a clue.
Mary Ann Johnson was the daughter of William H.H Johnson (01/15/1841 - 12/27/1910 Lewis KY) and Clara Thomas.
William H.H Johnson was the son of John Johnson (02/02/1800 - 01/28/1888 Mason, KY) and Harriett Wallingford (06/15/1807 - 09/17/1852)
This is the only Photograph that we curently have of Leonard. Dorothy (Muffitt - Preston) Smith wrote "Dad" on the picture with the arrow.
(January 15, 2011)
Although not much of Leonard was previously known, thanks to recently found descendants of Leonard's mother (Mary Ann Johnson - Darling -Muffitt -Leary), A little more is now known !
Leonard's mother Mary Ann Johnson (born in Indiana), was the daughter of William Henry Harrison Johnson (Wm H. H. Johnson, of Kentucky) and Clara Thomas (of Kentucky). Wm H. H. Johnson and Clara had two children Harriet and Mary Ann. Clara died in Hickory Co., Missouri (no death record has been found). Wm H.H. Johnson took the two little girls (Harriet and Mary Ann) and went back to Kentucky. He then married Mary Francis Holland and had 2 more children, John and Clarissa. They moved to Kansas and then Mary Francis died.
Then, according to family stories, Wm H.H. Johnson met and married 'other' women. 3 more, may be 4 more. One was a widow with a big farm and when she found out about all the other wives, she kicked him out. These stories are from Wm H. H. Johnsons' daughter Clarrisa (from the Wm H.H Johnson's second marriage) and she said that Wm H.H. lived with them in between all the different women and she remembered him. She said he had a deep speaking voice and dark auburn hair and wore all his medals (from the Civil War) when he went to the GAR meetings. He always said he was younger than the age on his marriage records. She said she thought that he looked young for his age, so he fooled some of the women!
According to some remembrances of relatives in Kansas, Mary Ann was married first to a "Mr. Darling". But no marriage or divorce records have been found to date. He was always referred to as "the handsome Mr. Darling" according to relatives stories. It is said that Mr. Darling did not like kids and left Mary Ann when he found out she was pregnant (with Leonard). No Birth record of Leonard has been found but census records indicate that he was born in Kansas..
Mary Ann's sister, Harriet Johnson married Will Becker. Will and Harriet had a son Bill who married Anna. The Beckers lived in Kansas as well. They owned a lot of land and oil wells in Kansas.. Leonard was very friendly with the Beckers. Leonard and Bill Becker were 1st Cousins.
Not much is known about how and when Leonard met Ruth Preston. And not much is known about what happened when Ruth died giving birth to the twin girls (Dorothy & Louise). For years, on the Preston side of the family, the story was that Leonard 'left' and Ruth's mother Daisey raised the girls. Although we have family stories that Leonard did make an attempt to reconnect to the twins when they were adults....not much is known. Leonard was not discussed much, if at all.
A recent connection to descendants from Leonard's half siblings provides 'the other side' explanation of events.
"The story we were told was that when Ruth died, Leonard could not take care of 2 new born babies and Daisey took them and wouldn't give them back when he remarried. Leonard 2nd wife was jealous of the girls and couldn't have children, so she wanted to adopt 2, which they did."
When Leonard died (1954), several half sisters and cousins ( from Michigan) attended the funeral and it was thought that the girls (twins Dorothy and Louise) were there. Later, a descendant from one of Leonard's half siblings, found the twins names in Leonard's obituary and tried to contact them but the letters were never answered or returned. The Muffitt 'side of the family' never knew what happen to the Twin's. as reported:
"I have been working on the Muffitt tree for many years and always wondered if the twins had children."
Leonard's nieces and nephew have fond memories of Leonard. They they would often go to stay at his house during the summer. He would always show them the sites. A nephew recalls being driving around in Leonard's 'big ol Buick' The 1930 Census show that Leonard's step father Alonzo (age 80), was living with Leonard in Kinsley, Kansas.
Mary Ann divorced Alonzo (date unknown) then married Walter Leary. She ended up in Michigan and lived near her granddaughter (that she raised ). Her daughters (Edna and Hazel ) also ended up in Michigan. Mary Ann died July 31, 1953.
Searching for Leonard’s Biological Father
Leonard, was the Grandfather my family knew nothing about.
He was Leonard Muffitt.
The reason so little was known is in 1917, Leonard’s wife, Ruth Preston Muffitt died giving birth to twin girls. For reasons unknown, Ruth’s mother Daisy Preston raised the twins with Leonard NOT being involved with them in any way. One of the twin girls was my mother.
We knew nothing of Leonard Muffitt. My mother or her sister, if they know of him, they never spoke about him. The name Muffitt was only seen when flowers were place on Ruth’s grave. Her tombstone is engraved “His wife Ruth Muffitt”, but there is not a grave beside her grave for her husband. In the mid 1960’s, my mother asked me if I could find her father’s grave. She told me she thought his name was Leonard. I started researching. But with limited information, I found nothing.
Technology advanced. About 1990, I created a website concerning my Great Great Grandfather, Judge Preston of Dodge City, Kansas. Judge Preston’s grand daughter Ruth Preston was married to Leonard Muffitt. A few years later, a descendent of Leonard’s half sister found the Preston website and contacted me. This was a huge susprise. I knew nothing of Leonard.
I learned the following:
- Leonard lived for many years in Kinsley, Kansas (not many miles from Dodge City where my Mother and her Sister were raised)
- -Leonard got married again and wanted to get the twins back … but for unknown reasons, that did not happen.
- -Leonard and his new wife had no children of their own but adopted and raised two girls.
- -Leonard died in 1954
- -And to my surprise, I learned that Leonard was not a Biological Muffitt. His biological father was unknown.
The search for Leonard’s biological father begins.
Ancestory.com before DNA was very helpful.
Leonard Leroy Muffitt was born September 7, 1890, in Mackville, Kansas to Mary Ann “Molly” Johnson. No birth certificate has been found. She was the 22 year old daughter of William H. H. Johnson who was trying to put together a life after serving with the Union in the Civil War, and having his wife die leaving him with young Mary Ann and her 2 year younger sister. William H.H Johnson remarried had three addition children. That is the what the Johnson family looked like in Mackville, Kansas in 1885.
Family stories said Leonard's biological father was "the Handsome Mr. Darling". Well, that was a clue. Five years after Leonard was born, the 1895 Kansas census in Mackville listed 4 year old Leonard, and his mother Mary Ann, living with Mary Ann's new husband Alonzo Muffitt and two of their young children, AND Leonard’s surname was listed as Darling.
Census data had earlier shown that there was some Mackville residents with the surname Darling. But that is all the information there was to go on.
Ancestry.com with DNA
With recent improvement to DNA testing, I began the DNA journey with Ancestry.com.
I was hopeful through DNA, the connection might be easy, and Leonard’s biological father could be identified.
When the initial DNA matches came in there were many to sort through. I know the paternal side of my family fairly well and I knew half of the maternal. I spent a few days sorting and building my Tree. There were many 1st & 2nd cousin matches that I knew and could easily place in my tree. But I started to see some unknown DNA matches. I begin to notice that many of these unknown matches also matched with each other. To my surprise, I saw no immediate DNA matches to the name ‘Darling’.
On a close match, that I did not recognize, I looked at their tree and saw that their grand parents lived Kansas. What caught my attention is that they lived 60 or so miles from Mackville, Kansas. I then searched for their great grandparents and discovered their great grandmother's maiden name was ‘Darling’. A little more research and I saw that this great grandmother Susannah Darling and her husband Calvin Chase were living in Mackville, Kansas around 1885.
With this information, family stories and a DNA link that connected me to a ‘Darling’ in Mackville, Kansas, at the correct time, I thought I was on the right track!
I quick Hypothesis was a BROTHER of Susannah Jane Darling might be the biological father of Leonard.
I made the following Ancestry Comment and reached out to members and matches that may have information.
————
Looking for biological father of Leonard.
Mother is Mary Ann Johnson (1868) residing with her family in Mackville Kansas. Father probably is a Darling and I suspect it could be a brother of Susannah Jane Darling born between that would be born between 1850 - 1870.
Possible Brothers are:
Andrew Jackson Darling 1864
Married 1894 to Lena Smedly (then divorced) she died in 1935
Married 1909 to Anna Denslow (she was 19 and he was 45)
Julian George Darling 1870
Married 1901 to Dolly Barrett
Married 1920 to Charlotte Stuart
Fred Henry Darling 1871
Married Florence Ivey 1893
Daughter born 1894
Lewis Orestus Darling 1872
18 when Leonard was born.
He is a little younger than Mary Ann.
In 1900, he was head of household and Single living with His Mother.
Married Lulu Parker in 1904 (Lulu died in 1912)
In 1950, at age of 77, owned/working on farm Widowed.
Any clues appreciated!
————
As I continued to look at DNA matches, I continued to find many of my unknown 2nd - 4th cousins predicted matches were associated with other unknown matches creating an unique group. This group of matches had a common link to Calvin O Chase and Susannah Darling Chase. I just needed to have a connection to a brother of Susannah Darling Chase. But.That. Never. Came.
As I continued researching my DNA connections, I continued to discover my matches were with both Calvin's O Chase’s children's descendants AND of the descendants of Calvin's Siblings. The connections did not have to go through Calvin and Susannah. In addition, I found ZERO DNA connections with a ‘Darling’, Susannah Darling or and surname Darling. I started to question my original "Susannah Darling's brother" hypothesis.
Then I did find one Ancestory member, that I had no DNA match with. This member seemed to have the same people in their tree. I saw that this member had an image with their DNA connection to Susannah Darling Chase, through one of her brothers and a connection to other members of Calvin and Susannah Chase descendants that I connected with. I took this to mean that I was NOT related to Susannah Darling Chase at all. That ended the original "Susannah Darling's brother" hypothesis.
But it was indeed interesting that I had many DNA links to Calvin O Chase, Susannah’s husband.
More DNA matches continued to reveal the same thing. I had over 50 matches that linked to Calvin O Chase with varying percentage of DNA. I worked at placing Calvin in my tree so that the all of the found matches best fit with the shared DNA percentage predicted for the relationship. Maybe an Uncle?, Cousin? … none worked.
Placing Calvin O. Chase as Leonard’s biological father did work.
Placing Calvin O. Chase as Leonard’s biological father made every DNA match connection that I had examined and placed in my tree thus far, a high predicted relationship given the DNA share. There were zero exceptions.
At this time (02/01/2023), the high probability Matches Placed in the Tree with Calvin O Chase as Leonard’s biological father results:
Descendants of Calvin:
19 half cousin matches
Descendants of Calvin’s Siblings:
23 cousins
Descendants of Calvin’s uncles/aunts:
9 cousins
As I continued to place new found matches into the tree, each match placement was highly predicted given the shared DNA. I have found ZERO exceptions to this.
There are over 45,000 Maternal DNA matches that I continue to work through.
I estimate about 5,000 are DNA are distant connections to the Great Grandfather I did not know. I will continue to research. But for now, I strongly believe that Calvin O Chase was the father of Leonard.
As new close matches come in, perhaps more will be revealed.
But if anyone has a DNA connection to Calvin O. Chase, I ask that they check to see if their DNA matches with mine and let me know what they find.
Epilogue
The search for Leonard’s biological father did not go the way that I thought it would go.
It was a total surprise. It may surprise others as well.
The Mackville, Kansas Mystery
•How did the “Handsome Mr. Darling” family story came about?
•Why does the 1895 Census list Leonard as a Darling?
•Did Mary Ann know Calvin Chase was Leonard’s Father?
•Did Leonard know Calvin Chase was his biological father?
•Did Calvin Chase know Leonard was his son?
•Did Calvin’s other children know Leonard was their brother?
I think about what Mary Ann must have went through living in small Mackville under the circumstances.
I think about what Mary Ann’s family went through.
I think about what little Leonard went through.
I think about what Calvin went through.
Mackville, Kansas in 1890 is a mystery.
Yes, history rhymes, so I also think about what agony Leonard must have felt watching from a distance as his twin girls grew up.
Stephen Smith
2023
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