Early Settlers: Brauns of Edgerton
In the southwest corner of Johnson County, the town of Edgerton, Kansas, has thrived for over 100 years. Today, Edgerton is the home to many families that are the descendents of the early settlers. Frank and Mary Braun were the beginnings of one such family. Frank Braun was born in Germany in 1850 and came to the United States as a young man. In 1870, he moved to the Edgerton area where he started farming. On February 16, 1882, Frank Braun married Mary Dwyer who had lived in the Edgerton area most of her life. Edgerton benefited from the Braun family. Frank helped to found the Edgerton State Bank serving as president from 1909 until his death in 1927.
The children of Frank and Mary continued to be active members of the community of Edgerton. William F. Braun, born in 1889, started working at the Edgerton State Bank in 1911. In 1915, William married Vincentia McCarthy, the daughter of Florence and Ella McCarthy, another prominent family of Edgerton. William Braun twice served as the mayor of Edgerton. During the early depression years Braun’s strong sense of philanthropy prompted him to cut the young children’s hair for free.
Ernest Braun was born to Frank and Mary Braun on October 3, 1890. In college, Ernest played baseball and continued to play with the Edgerton Grays. In 1920, he married Maurine Kelly, the daughter of William H. Kelly, a leading businessman in Edgerton. Ernest supplemented the farm income by becoming a rural mail carrier in 1939 and continued until 1960. Both Ernest and Maurine were active community members. He was the state president of the Kansas Rural Carriers Association and she served as the secretary of the Auxiliary. They also served for many years on the school boards.
The Braun family is one of many families who have shaped the development of Johnson County. Ray Braun, a grandson of Frank and Mary, served as the mayor of Edgerton from 1955-57 and again in 1959-1965. Katherine Braun O’Connell, another grandchild, donated family photographs to the Johnson County Museums in 1990, including the one seen here.
--ALBUM vol. 15, no. 1 (winter 2002)