Veterans – All in the Family - Payne Larned Cemetery, Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas

On June 7, 1861, Cpl. Theodore G. Payne enlisted in Co. I 14th IN Infantry. He was wounded twice and promoted to sergeant for his meritorious service at the Battle of Antietam. His son, Elmer, enlisted in Co. B 21st Kansas Infantry during the Spanish-American War.

Theodore Gilbert Payne was born in Ohio in 1838. He was the oldest of seven known children of Moses and Mary Payne. He grew up in Ohio and remained there until 1861 when he moved to Indiana.

“. . . He was wounded at Chancellorsville, Va., May 1863, by a gun shot in the left side of the chest, and was confined in a hospital at Washington, D.C. for about three months, then rejoined his regiment at Culpeper, Va. He was wounded at Spotsylvania, Va., May 10th, 1864 by a gunshot in the left ankle, and did not engage in any other battled after that wound.”1 Sgt. Payne received a $14.00/month pension.

On February 14, 1872, Theodore married Lavina Jane Carr in Coles County, Illinois. The following year the couple moved to Pawnee County, Kansas where they settled one mile of east of Larned. All six of their children were born there.

Theodore passed away in 1909. Lavina passed away in 1934. They are both buried in Larned Cemetery.

Elmer Richard Payne was the second child of Theodore and Lavina Payne. He spent his entire life in Larned. When the call came for volunteers to serve in the military, Elmer traveled to Topeka and enlisted on May 14, 1898. Along with other members of Co. B 21st Infantry, they took the train to Chickamauga Park, Georgia. One month later, Elmer was in the hospital with typhoid fever. He died on August 26th at the age of 19. His father and brother traveled to Tennessee to escort the body back to Larned for burial.

The rest of the story: Cpl. Payne is the only casualty of the Spanish-American War

buried in Larned Cemetery. Elmer’s brother, George, who was also a member of the same unit stayed at Elmer’s bedside until he died. George died in 1914 at the age of 39. The cause of his death was inflammatory rheumatism.

The Battle of Antietam was fought in Maryland. It was a three-day battle that began on September 16, 1862, and ended on the 18th. A combined 132,000 soldiers fought with an estimated 22,717 wounded and/or dead. The Union claimed victory.

The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought from April 30-May 6, 1863. General Robert E. Lee led the Confederacy to victory. Of the 154,734 Union and Confederate forces who fought, 30,764 were wounded and/or died.

1The Tiller and Toller (Larned, Kansas) 26 Feb 1909 p. 1