Luke Lightfoot 1 2 3 4 5
- Born: 2 February 1849, , Wayne County, OH 1 2 3 4 5
- Died: After 1907
 General Notes:
The first school built in Mulvane, Kansas was a two story frame building with two rooms on the first floor and one large room on the second floor. It was in this large room that the upper grades and a few high school subjects were taught. The first term of school taught in Mulvane was in 1880-1881, with Luke Lightfoot as the principal and Mrs. J. B. Shaw as teacher. The second and third terms were taught by Mr. Lightfoot and Miss McCart. The next principal was W. W. Bolton.
(Source: "Mulvane - City of the Valley, 1879-1977", page 41)
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Margaret Wright, who helps run the Mulvane Historical Museum, said that "Mrs. J. B. Shaw" was known as "Janey Shaw" and was probably either the wife or daughter-in-law of the owner of the local Mulvane drug store, Shaw's Drugs.
It is interesting to note the educator occupation of Luke Lightfoot especially knowing that he was born in Ohio, at age 7 traveled by covered wagon to Cedar County, Iowa, and no doubt received his schooling from the predominant Quaker influenced rural school system in Cedar County. Because he was 30 years old when he went with his parents to Kansas, it must be wondered if he did not have any actual teaching experience in Iowa prior to that move. It would be assumed that he must have taught some classrooms there because as soon as he arrived in Mulvane, Kansas, he was made principal of that brand new school. His experience at that point may have been only minimal or perhaps non-existent but his schooling from back in Iowa and his ability to read and write may have been more than sufficient for the fledging school system in Mulvane and the prairie farmers in the area. In nearby Labette County, Kansas to where Luke later moved, were the Alloway family members (Malinda Arnspiger, 2nd cousin of Luke's mother, Susannah Arnsberger, married Abijah Alloway). It is not known if Luke was aware of their presence or his relationship to them but it must be quite a coincidence that he may have taught school to some of his own 2nd and 3rd cousins.
In an E-mail from Melvin and Della Shafer <harjii@mediaone.net> who do volunteer lookups for Sumner County, Kansas, they indicate in the atlas on an "Advertising Directory" page, is listed "The Kansas Mutual Aid Association", of Mulvane, Kansas and shows in its list of officers, "L. Lightfoot, Pres." I have yet to be able to determine the function of the Kansas Mutual Aid Association and there appears to be very little information about it. I suspect that it may have been related to agriculture or the range wars in Kansas.
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"Professor L. Lightfoot is principal of Altamont, Labette County, Kansas. That's quite an educational center, the county high schools being there. Luke came in Sunday to attend his father's funeral. Returned Tuesday evening."
"George Farnsworth and family came up from Arkansas City first of the week to attend funeral of Mrs. Farnsworth's father, Daniel Lightfoot."
(Source: Mulvane Record, Mulvane, Kansas, November 1, 1895)
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I sometimes think my great grandfather Thomas Burnett had itchy feet as he and Luke Lightfoot went on to Arkansas a few years later looking for a better place to grow fruit. They lived there only a year and came back to Kansas.
(Source: from Phyllis Storey-Harrison, June 1, 2004)
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There is a printed flyer made in 1893 that is entitled "Commendations and Awards" for Luke Lightfoot as "Principal of Schools" in Dexter County, Kansas. I'm not sure if this office were an elected one or not but it is full of endorsements and praises from local officials. It shows that Luke held positions in the following school areas:
Mulvane, Sumner County, Kansas: Principalship of Schools (1880-1881?)
Derby, Sedgwick County, Kansas: 1888-1889, 1891-1892
Dexter, Cowley County, Kansas: Principal, 1892-1893
Altamont, Labette County, Kansas: Principal, 1895
Dighton, Lane County, Kansas:
Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas: Institute Instructor
Sumner County, Kansas: Associate Examiner
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Noted events in his life were:
• He appeared on the 1850 US Census in Green Township, Wayne, OH on 20 July 1850. 2
1850 US Census
Page 186B, Dwelling 202, Family 205
Green Township, Wayne County, Ohio
Luke Lightfoot...1..OH
(Living with parents.)
.
• He appeared on the 1860 US Census in Iowa Township, Cedar County, IA on 12 July 1860. 3
1860 US Census
Page 145-146, Dwelling 984, Family 1007
Iowa Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Luke Lightfoot...11..OH
(Living with parents.)
.
• He appeared on the 1870 US Census in Iowa Township, Cedar County, IA on 29 August 1870. 4
1870 US Census
Page 28, Dwelling 210, Family 211
Iowa Township, Cedar County, Iowa
Luke Lightfoot...21..OH
(Living with parents.)
.
• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Gore Township, Sumner, KS on 9 June 1880. 5
1880 US Census
Page 8D, District 189, Dwelling 64, Family 67, Roll 0398
Gore Township, Sumner County, Kansas
Luke Lightfoot...Son..31..OH..School Teaching
(Living with parents.)
.
• He resided in Guthrie, OK in 1907.
In 1907, the obituary for his sister, Elizabeth Lightfoot-Burnett, indicates that Luke lived in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
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