Wordless Wednesday – Mayfield, Kansas’ Blacksmith Shop & Otto Breneman
by Sherry Stocking Kline
7 May 2010
Mayfield, Kansas Blacksmith Shop - Otto Breneman Blacksmith
The Mayfield Blacksmith Shop…
This is a photograph of Otto Breneman and his father, Constantine Breneman, standing in front of Otto’s blacksmith shop. The blacksmith shop was located in Mayfield, Kansas (about 10 miles west of Wellington, Kansas) till at least sometime in the 1930’s when Otto passed away.
Otto’s mother was Salinda Breneman, and he was married to Nancy Virginia Hoyt, daughter of Joseph and Wilhemina (Dewein) Hoyt, and they had a daughter, Bernice Breneman.
According to information in the book “Mayfield: Then & Now”, Otto served as mayor of Mayfield from 1927 to 1929.
Otto was my great uncle, and he passed away before I was born, (his Tombstone photo can be found here). If the shop or the home was there when I was small I don’t recall it. I wish I had taken an “after” photograph so you could see what it looks like today, but there is a nice white ranch style home there, with a large grassy area in front of it.
This photograph comes from Otto’s daughter, Bernice Breneman Thomas’ collection of photographs, now in her son’s, Orlan Thomas’ collection, and can also be found on Page 71 of the “Mayfield: Then & Now” book. Orlan and his wife recently came to visit and loaned me his genealogy and photograph collection to scan, and nearly 200 scans later, I have many more photographs that he is allowing me to share digitally with other family members.
Ask a Lot of Different Questions…
Looking at this photograph reminds me that until I began working with a friend on the book “Mayfield: Then & Now” and began asking questions of everyone, including my mom and other family members I had no idea that some of our Breneman family lived in the Mayfield area, let alone owned a blacksmith shop.
According to a cousin that I visited with recently, her father told her that Constantine served as a blacksmith in the Union Army when he was a soldier in the Civil War. So, if there is a moral to this story, ask your older generation (as many as possible) and even your siblings and your cousins, a lot of different questions a lot of different ways…
Other Related Posts:
Tombstone Tuesday: Otto and Nancy Breneman
Constantine Breneman and His Buggy Horse Photograph of Ott’s father, Constantine driving a buggy with his beautiful buggy horse.
Constantine Breneman’s Buggy Horse – Photograph of Constantine’s Buggy Horse
Salinda E. (Rose) Breneman – Photograph of Ott’s mother, Salinda, and her tombstone. Ott’s parent’s, Salinda and Constantine, divorced in later life.
Too Young to Die – Photo of Ott Breneman and his siblings, and a photograph of Albert’s tombstone. Albert was killed in a Motorcycle Accident.
Photograph of May Breneman Jones Willey – Sister of Ott Breneman.
Posted in Breneman Genealogy, Family Tree, History & Genealogy, Sherry's Family Tree, Soldiers, Wordless Wednesday | 
Tags: Blacksmith Shop, Civil War, Constantine, Nancy, Salinda, Sumner County
Great picture — and post. oh, how I yearn for the pictures I dinna take, and the conversations I dinna take time to have with the old folks — well, older than me.
Oh yeah! When I think that my grandma knew (probably) what her dad’s father’s name was, her grandfather and where he had come from, etc., I could kick myself. But I don’t kick too hard, because I was a late-in-life child for my parents, being born when Mom was 36 1/2 and Dad was 37 1/2, so my grandfathers were already gone when I was born, and we lost my mom’s mom when I was eight, and my dad’s mom, when I was 13, (and just a year after we lost my dad). My grandma’s sister passed away when I was in my twenty-somethings, but the genealogy bug hadn’t bitten yet. Darn!
looking for info or pictures of the old school in mayfeild. my great grandfather was fred b. ford. i believe he was a plumber of sorts. my grandmother was mary alice fisher(ford). i have an old school bell from mayfeild thats been handed down. i would like to get some history on it, and maybe pictures of it and the school. if anyone can help, please contact me.
thank you
Hi William! Thank you for ‘stopping by!’ I’m not sure which old school that you want a picture of? Is it the one that stood about where the blacksmith shop was? Or the one that was built after that, which is still standing?
There are school photos in the book “Mayfield: Then & Now”, and I will look and see if we have pics of the older school. I know there are photos of the school that still stands now, though it is no longer in use. I will let you know what’s in the book. I don’t think I have any of those photos still on my hard drive.