HENRY KROTH II

     Henry Kroth, son of Will, was born June 16, 1880, in Bonham, Texas. He was named for his grandfather, Jenry Johann Kroth.
     His mother died when he was quite young and he was raised by an aunt who lived in Waco, Texas.
     At an early age, Henry Kroth began to wonder as to the whereabouts of his parents. He was informed by the aunt with whom he was living that his mother had died at the birth of a baby sister while his father was away at work for the railroad. Since his father worked at,some distance from the home, it was several weeks sometimes before he spent a weekend with the family. Transporation was difficult in those days. Upon arriving home in his little town one weekend, Henry's father found no one at home and everything seemed deserted. Immediately Will went to the next door neighbors to make inquiry regarding his wife and son, Henry. Will was sadly informed that shortly after he had returned to work from his last visit home, which was two weeks before, his wife had given birth to a baby daughter and both had died.
     Henry, who was then past two years of age, had been taken home with some of his wife's relatives, so Will knew nothing of his son's whereabouts.
     Later on as Henry became older, he made more inquiries about his relatives with a deep desire of finding his father. He was told that he was named after his grandfather, Henry Yroth, and that his own father was William Henry Kroth, who had at one time lived someplace in Kansas. As far as the relatives knew, his grandfather Kroth and members of the Kroth family still lived there. Henry was too young to remember where he had lived with his parents and no such information was given him.
     Henry was much interested in education and especially liked the study of maps and geographical places. He often sat in school and pondered over the map of Kansas, silently thinking and wonder- Ing where his relatives and especially his father might be living and if he would ever find them.
     At the age of 17 years he married and began teaching school. The idea of making a search for his relatives became stronger and stronger.
     After several more years had passed, he began writing letters to his grandfather and addressing them to various Kansas towns which he selected from the Kansas map. This haphazard method was to no avail. Finally he had the idea that since every county seat in Kansas had a tax roll, perhaps by contacting the county clerk of each of the counties he might be able to secure the address of his grandfather. He began at the southwestern corner of the state of Kansas and took the counties west to bast, row by row, writing a letter to each County Clerk. He would write four or five letters at a time enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope and await the reply. Sometimes he would wait several weeks before contacting another group of County Clerks for Henry was a telegraph operator for the "Frisco" railroad through Ada,


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