Thanks to my Ebay purchase, my coin from Kansas arrived. I’m not going to be spending them anytime soon and they certainly fit in any vending machines.
The coin was part of an apparent marketing promotion for the Boerner & Troutfetter store in Colby, Kansas. The store was in operation for part of the first half of the 20th century. At th
is point, that’s about as precisely as I can date them. It’s in good condition, but whether it’s actually worth fifty cents is another matter entirely. The purchase price on Ebay was more than fifty cents.
While I’ve not crafted a citation for the coin, I have thought about what it provides evidence of:
- Boerner & Troutfetter were in business together in Colby, Kansas.
- It doesn’t state that Troutfetter lived in Colby, Kansas, when the coin was used or that he ever actually lived in Colby. He probably did, but…
- It doesn’t mean that Troutfetter was even alive when the coin was made.
It’s still a neat little item to have, but it’s always worth thinking about what something tells us.
And what it does not.
Even if it is a fifty cent piece not worth fifty cents.
4 Responses
It is surprising, and amazing what one can find on ebay. After reading one of your earlier postings about your finds on ebay, I realized that I hadn’t checked ebay in quite awhile. So I went to ebay and just put in the name of the communities where my ancestors had lived. Low and behold, didn’t I find a postcard not only of a location in the community where my great grandfather grew up,but it was signed by a relative. Unmailed, the words written spoke of a young man’s first leanings to love and leaves the reader wondering what story is untold.
I live in Colby, Kansas, although I did not grow up here, nor do I have ancestors from this area.
Even so, I have been interested in learning more about the history of the county. So, I wondered when, where and what kind of store this was (perhaps you already have this information).
But what I found in a quick trip to the library is a perfect example of how genealogy-related information can be found in surprising places (a business ad).
A small book, “The Golden Jubilee Anniversary of Thomas County and its Neighbors, 1885-1935”, had a half-page ad on page 3 for the Troutfetter Department Store. Along with the expected listing of what the store carried, there was a paragraph which contained the following tidbits of historical information about the Troutfetters:
– Troufetters homesteaded 4½ miles north of Colby in 1880.
– George (G.E.) grew to manhood on this farm.
– George took over the farm in 1895 and lived there until 1904.
– George moved to Colby in 1904.
– In 1904 he started in the mercantile business with Earnest Boerner.
– Earnest Boerner was also a pioneer.
– Their firm name was Boerner & Troutfetter.
– Boerner was the senior partner.
– After Boerner’s death [no date given], George purchased the interest of the Boerner heirs.
– At the time of publication of this book (1935) George and his son Frank (F.C.) are still in business in Colby.
– F.C. Troutfetter is listed as the Manager.
This information raises many more questions for further research.
None of the other ads in this little book had a personal history like this (in fact, very few of them were half or whole page ads).
I was disappointed that the ads in this book did not give any street addresses for the businesses.
I have not yet read the book, so I don’t know if there are other mentions of either the Boerners or the Troutfetters in this book or other county histories I haven’t yet looked at.
Thank you so very much for transcribing that and putting it in the comments! I really appreciate it. It does make a good point that one can find information in unexpected places–even in advertising. Frankly that’s probably more genealogical information than one finds in an advertisement of that type. George’s father was Christian Troutfetter and he was a first cousin to my great-great-grandfather, John Michael Trautvetter.
Hello,
I am Constance Heller , and read this with interest. George E. Troutfetter was married to Jennie Mabel Passell. Her father was David Henry Passell from his first marriage. My grandmother, Roberta Maud Passell was one of David’s children from his second marriage to Harriet Adams Jones. They moved to Colby Kansas from Illinois. I am hoping to find any information about a Troutfetter relative that could give me more information about my grandmother, Roberta Maud. I remember my mother, Harriette D. Bess, talking about her aunt Jennie.