1883-4: Born in Ohio to Leroy Allen Kirgan and Liesetta M. Schmidt. (1)

1885 Mar 1: One-year old Lelah is living with her parents in Florence, KS. (1)

1900 Jun 5: Lelah M. Kirgan does not appear on the US Census, and it reports that two children of Leroy and Liesetta Kirgan have died. (2) Lelah is buried at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Florence, KS. Her marker reads simply "Lelah M. Dau. of L. A. & L. M. Kirgan."

N 38° 15.230'   W 96° 55.773' - 2010 Jun 2
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Russian Mennonite Memorial Lelah's grave marker is the centerpiece of this memorial to a large number of Russian Mennonite immigrants who are believed to have died of a smallpox epidemic in 1874-1875 and to be buried here in unmarked graves. The Kirgans were not one of those immigrant families, but they did live in Florence with one-year-old Lelah in 1885. It appears that, over the years, Lelah's grave marker became used as a guide to where the unmarked graves of the Russian immigrants were believed to be. When the memorial was constructed in the 1980s, care was taken to see that Lelah's marker remained in the location where it was found.

Notes

1. "City of Florence, Marion Co., Kansas" in 1885 Kansas Census (State of Kansas (KS), 1885 Mar 1). Also www.dgatx.com/family...5/Leroy-Kirk/hs.html. Microfilm available through Kansas Historical Society. Leroy Kirk.

2. "Cincinnati City, Hamilton Co., Ohio" in 1900 Federal Population Census (US Census Bureau, 1900 Jun 5). Also www.dgatx.com/family/peo...roy-A-Kirgan/hs.html. Microfilm available through US National Archives. Leroy Allen Kirgan.