Capt. Henry Booth – Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas

Capt. Henry Booth passed away at the age of 59. In that time, Henry accomplished quite a lot. He served as a Union Soldier in the Kansas Cavalry, was a member of the Kansas legislature for two different counties, worked in the land office at Larned, and was an early organizer of Pawnee County.

Henry Booth was born on May 11, 1838, in England. He came with his parents and seven siblings to Rhode Island in 1841. At the age of 18, Henry moved west to the Kansas Territory.

In 1862, Henry enlisted in Co. G 11th KS Cavalry as a 1st Sgt. His unit patrolled the eastern border of Kansas and faced many skirmishes. The most notable would be attempting to stop William Quantrill’s raid on Lawrence on August 21, 1863. Toward the end of the Civil War, 1st Sgt. Henry Booth was promoted to captain and was given his own unit. His Co. L 11th KS Cavalry traveled to Fort Larned to assist in Indian skirmishes. Capt. Booth was discharged in September 1865. His war records indicated he was “wounded by Indian arrows twice”1 and “wounded in left shoulder and right arm.”2

Henry returned to Manhattan, Riley County where he operated an agricultural implement business. The year 1867 was an eventful year for Henry as he married Lucia Preston and was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives.

In 1871, Henry, Lucia, and their four children came to Fort Larned. Two years later when the city of Larned was founded, the family moved into Larned. Henry continued being active in politics. He was again elected to the Kansas House of Representatives, served as Speaker of the House, and was chairman of the Republican State Central Committee.

Capt. Henry Booth died on February 14, 1898, at the age of 59. Lucia passed away in 1911. They are both buried in the Larned Cemetery.

1Kansas, U.S., Enrollment of Civil War Veterans, 1889 for Henry Booth

2U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865

The rest of the story: I was only able to locate one of their four children’s headstones. Nathaniel Ogden Booth was born in Larned in 1870. He passed away in 1925 and is buried with his parents.