Family Lore and Legend

Lloyd Wesley Suiter (1880-1956)

—

by

admin
in

Lloyd Wesley SUITER, son of Daniel SUITER (1836-1907) and Hannah ALLBAUGH (1841-1899), was born on August 27, 1880 in Seneca County, Ohio. He moved with his family to Lane County, Kansas about 1894. In 1900, he was living with his brother, Howard, in Cloud County, Kansas.

Lloyd married Elizabeth Ann MCCLELLAN on July 15, 1902 in Glasco, Cloud County, Kansas. Soon thereafter, the couple moved to Macksville, Stafford County, Kansas, where Lloyd was a respected farmer. His name often appeared in the local newspaper, giving his opinion on upcoming crops or market prospects. The couple had three children — William, Martin, and Linda. Lloyd registered for service in World War I in 1918, but there has been no evidence found that he ever served.

During these years, Stafford was a thriving rural county. Between 1900 and 1910, the population grew from 9,820 to 12,510, an increase of over 27%. The first Stafford County Fair was held in St. John in October of 1910.

Stafford County, Kansas is a flat county punctuated with grass-covered sand dunes whose economy thrives on agriculture, oil and utilities. St. John is home to the County Seat. Stafford County is also home to the largest man-made inland salt water marsh in the United States (Quivira National Wildlife Refuge). The marsh welcomes hundreds of thousands of birds to the County each year. It’s a bird watcher’s dream destination. ​

— Stafford County homepage, April 2022 (edited for length)

Sometime in the late 1910s, Eliza’s health began to decline. By 1919, she was considered to be “in poor health”, but took a sudden turn in June. She had felt well enough to attend a school program with her family the night before, but began to feel ill and returned home early. Eliza passed away at home in the morning of June 12, 1919.

After her death, Lloyd was left to raise the children — the eldest was 15, the youngest just 6. Within a month, Eliza’s parents had moved from Glasco to Macksville, and purchased a farm next to Lloyd’s with the stated intention of helping with their grandchildren. This idea must not have gone according to plan, however, as they returned to Glasco again in September of the same year.

Lloyd married a second time, to Laura B. COLE, on May 8, 1922 in Hutchinson, Kansas. Laura had lived for a number of years in Comanche County, Kansas, but had recently moved with her mother to St. John, in Stafford County. It has not been confirmed, but it is possibly how the couple met. They moved around a couple of times within Stafford County, eventually settling down in Richland Township, mid-way between Macksville and St. John. Lloyd and Laura had two children, Lawrence and Ethel.

Lloyd again registered for the military in 1942, for World War II. By this point, he was 61 years old. Again, no evidence has been found that he was called up to serve. Interestingly, for the “Name of Person Who Will Always Know Your Address”, he listed his brother, R.J. (Rollin) Suiter, rather than his wife.

Lloyd died on May 26, 1956 in Grace Hospital, Hutchinson, Kansas, aged 75. He was buried in 1956 in Farmington Cemetery, Macksville.

Bibliography

  • Website “EBooksRead”; (https://www.ebooksread.com).
  • “1920 United States Federal Census.” database with images. Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/
  • view/56514647:6061?ssrc=pt&tid=102479007&pid=250019578271: 2022.
  • “1950 Federal Census.” database online with images. Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29790108?h=9db40d: 2022.
  • “Kansas State Census, 1895.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQ3-PS68-F?
  • cc=1825193&wc=WDC6-GPW%3A1597302971%2C1597302328: 2021.
  • “Kansas State Census, 1905.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7W-V9PJ-D?
  • cc=2659394: 2019.
  • “Kansas State Census, 1915.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7M-3949-1?
  • cc=2640442&wc=4S8Y-RTH%3A1599712325%2C1599642361: 2019.
  • “Kansas State Census, 1925.” database with images. Family Search. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSWM-BR23?
  • cc=2659395: 2019.
  • “Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-196.” database with images. Ancestry.com. 2021.
  • “Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961 .” database with images. Ancestry.com. 2021.
  • “Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961.” database with images. Ancestry. 2021.
  • “Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961.” database with images. Ancestry.com. 2021.
  • “Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961.” database with images. Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/
  • sharing/376564?token=8415dbf12a3e2dff1cec5d217a1ed1e811a53dd106e77c2e1432eaf153a00b3b: 2022.
  • “Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R2B-9Q9P?
  • cc=1932106&wc=Q633-96M%3A227677801%2C227677802: 2016.
  • “U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961.” database with images. Ancestry.com. 2021.
  • “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007.” database with images. Ancestry. 2021.
  • “U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 .” database with images. Ancestry.
  • “United States Census, 1900.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMTC-856: 2021.
  • “United States Census, 1910.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2ZJ-GCX: 2021.
  • “United States Census, 1920.” database with images. FamilySearch. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFXG-7H8: 2021.