Today's Opinions

My job that day was to clean shelves in my office. Among and amidst the papers, boxes and books, was a slim black metal deed box.

I carried the box to the kitchen table, and with slight pressure, opened the lid. The 5-inch-by-10 l/2-inch box had last been the property of an uncle, Renatus (Noddy) Torbeck of St. Paul. It was given to me some years back by my cousin, Leila Dippold, who co-administered his estate.

At the suggestion of Gale Red, I sat down one day and worked my way through the 1870 Federal Census of Fayette County, searching for men who may have been soldiers of the Confederacy.

Gale, a member of the Dixon Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, is heading up the effort in Illinois to compile a list of all known Confederate veterans buried in the state.

The results surprised me a little, because as I scanned the entries and identified families from Virginia, Tennessee, etc., all of the Confederate veterans known to us showed up in this census.

Emmett Kelly, who became famous worldwide as "Weary Willie," the sad-faced clown, had his beginnings in a small Kansas town. But there is a local connection, too.

Born in Sedan, Kan., on Dec. 9, 1898, Emmett was called “Tater” in his youth, alluding to his Irish heritage. His father, for whom he was named, was a section foreman for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad, and owned the house in which Emmett Jr. saw the first light of day.