Urban C. Cavaness

The Baldwin Ledger, Friday, Jan. 13, 1899, Pg. 3

Vol. XVI, No. 13

Urban C. Cavaness.

Urban C. Cavaness was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, May 19, 1810, and died in Baldwin, Kansas Jan. 11, 1899.

His childhood days were spent in his home county. Here he was married to Mary Amick Nov. 22, 1832. They enjoyed a wedded life of over 66 years. Mrs. Cavaness preceded her husband to the great beyond by just fifteen days. Two years after their marriage they removed to Indiana. He kept a hotel until 1854. About this time he joined the Methodist Episcopal church and has been a devoted and faithful Christian ever since.

In the fall of ’51 they moved to Howard county, Missouri. Being strong opposers of slavers, they left for Kansas in the spring of ’56 and reached Lawrence in April of that year.

During this time Grandpa Cavaness pushed farther west across the prairie in quest of a claim. He finally took one in Anderson county and in connection with trying to raise enough to keep his family, he plied the trade of a shoemaker. It was while here that he and his noble wife seeing their children growing up without any school privileges began to plan to move to some place where such advantages could be secured.

It was then that they learned of the Methodist college that had just been started at Baldwin. It was the talk of the territory for it was the first attempt of the kind in the state. So they rented the farm and came to the mecca of Methodism.

Mr. Cavaness served in the border wars under Gen. James Lane and John Brown, seeing much service. During the civil war he was a member of the 8th Kansas under Ex Governor John A. Martin and was mustered out for disability.

The old Santa Fe trail, was doing a big business through, Baldwin then and the managers finally persuaded the Cavanesses to have dinner for the passengers and before they knew it they were running a hotel again. Then the stage was put on, between Lawrence and Humboldt and a branch run from Baldwin to Paola. Relays of horses were kept here and of course a livery stable was necessary and so Mr. Cavaness became the liveryman. Soon the stages were so full that he was asked to put o additional conveyances and thus he became the owner of a stage line and carried the express from Lawrence. Then the railroad came and for years he brought the people from the depot. He was always in favor of helping the town along and did everything he could to help out the college from which one of his sons was one of the first graduates.

In Baldwin almost from its beginning Grandpa Cavaness has been a leader in its development. The growth of the college has been his chief pride and no citizen has given more liberally according to his means than Mr. Cavaness. A more kind hearted and generous man never lived in our town. True to all that is ennobling and good he has lived a life of usefulness. The recent death of his wife, who for so many years had been his companion, caused him to lose ambition to live and he passed to the world beyond after being separated from her for the short period of two weeks. His mind was bright and clear to the last and with his work done, and well done, he went to his reward mourned by many relatives and friends.

The funeral services were held in the M. E. church this afternoon. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. James Murray at the special request of the deceased.