Burwell/Tate Family Papers (KC0233)

Burwell/Tate Family Papers (KC0233)

Mose T. Burwell (1844-1908) was a prominent Kansas City businessman: a member of the stock exchange, a real estate broker, and founder and president of several banks in Missouri and other states. Born and raised in Illinois, Burwell married Isabella Goodfellow in 1865, and the couple moved to Paris, Illinois where he engaged in business. They bore six children that survived to adulthood: Nettie, Guy, Mary Alice, Thomas, William, and Mose.

From the 1860s through the early 1890s, the Burwells lived in several cities in Illinois, including Gibson City. In 1872 Burwell established Gibson City's first bank. The Burwell family moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1892, where a newspaper called Burwell one of the wealthiest men in Kansas in 1895. The family moved to Kansas City in 1896 to take advantage of business opportunities in the livestock trade. Isabella died of pneumonia in 1898, and three years later Burwell married Emma Isham and moved to Colorado City, Colorado, to organize a bank. M.T. Burwell died at his Colorado City ranch at age 63.

George and Mary Jane Tate were the parents of Bernice Tate, who married Guy Burwell. George Tate sold and installed cast-iron stoves and the family lived in Georgia before moving to Kansas City in approximately 1899.

The papers contain primarily photographs of the Burwell and Tate families, including studio portraits and exterior and interior shots of the Burwell's late-1800s home. Also included is a scrapbook, newspaper clippings, and other family papers. 1850-1930s.

44 folders.

INVENTORY

updated: Friday, November 21, 2008
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City
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