Dr. Johnston Lykins (1800-1876) = Medical Missionary. Kansas City’s First Mayor
(1853-1854). Born in Virginia on August 15. Dr. Lykins received his medical education at Transylvania College (f. 1780), in Lexington, Kentucky.
Dr. Lykins came west in 1831, settling in the Kansas City area as a medical missionary. He is said to have accompanied the Shawnee Indians on their long trek from Michigan to the territory of Kansas. The Federal government began setting aside reservations as early as 1786, but on May 28, 1829, Congress gave President Jackson permission to move various Indian tribes such as the Shawnee and the Delaware to the new Kansas territory.
Dr. Lykins compiled a Shawnee-English dictionary and written alphabet to enable the Shawnees to read his translation of the Bible. He also vaccinated his flock against smallpox.
He was instrumental in organizing First Baptist Church, formerly at 5th and West Streets, which is presently located at Red Bridge and Wornall roads in south Kansas City. Charter members were: Robert and Mary A. Holmes, T.M. and Sarah J. James, A.L. and Elizabeth M. Martin, D.L.Mimms, Dr. Johnston, Martha, and Julia Lykins, Rev. R.S.and Elvira Thomas.
Johnston’s first wife was Delilah McCoy, the daughter of Baptist missionary Elder Isaac McCoy. She died of tuberculosis at the Pottawatomie Indian Reservation in 1844.
He had one son and daughter, Julia, who married
Dr. T.S. Case. He married his second wife, Martha A. “Mattie” Livingston in 1851. He built a two story, 14 room, red brick mansion which was completed in 1857 at 12th and Broadway. He had invested in land, but lost his wealth in the economic collapse during the 1870s and died while still in bankruptcy. Afterwards, Mattie converted the house into a boarding school for girls. It was sold and moved two years before her death in 1889.
More to Read:
1. Blue River Baptist
Association Missouri. By Marshall Louis Mertens and O.P. Joyce.
Brown-White-Lowell Press, Kansas City, MO. 1947.
2. Article abt. Lykins Translation of the Gospel of Matthew
3. A Century of Faith: The Story of the First Baptist, Kansas City, MO. 1855-1955. By Otto F. Dubach & Virginia Sheaff.
5. A Condensed History of the Kansas City Area: Its
Mayors and Some V.I.P.s 1850-1950 ” Assembled by George Fuller
Green. City Historian. The Lowell Press; Kansas City, MO. 1968.
6. History of Kansas City, 1886. T. S. Case.
7. The History of
Jackson County, Missouri. Kansas City, MO; Union Historical Company, Birdsall,
Williams & Co., 1881. Reprinted: Cape Girardeau, MO, Ramfre Press, 1966.
8. John Brown and the Legend of
Fifty-Six. By James Claude Malin. 1942.
10. Here Lies Kansas City: A Collection of our City’s Notables and Their Final Resting Places. Wilda Sandy, 1984. and Union Cemetery Historical Society Walking Tour Map.
11. Polk Family & Kinsmen. By William Harrison Polk (1843- ), Louisville Press, 1912.
12. Wiki List of Kansas City Mayors and Biography
11. Polk Family & Kinsmen. By William Harrison Polk (1843- ), Louisville Press, 1912.
12. Wiki List of Kansas City Mayors and Biography
13. “Missouri Star: The Life and Times of Martha A. “Mattie” Livingston Lykins Bingham. By Dr. Rose Ann Findlen. 2011.
14. Findagrave #6012821
Historical Note: The Lykin's mansion on Quality Hill stood until 1989.
14. Findagrave #6012821
Historical Note: The Lykin's mansion on Quality Hill stood until 1989.
Places to see in Mo & KS.:
1. Red Bridge Baptist Church Marker, 100 W. Red Bridge Road, South Kansas City, MO.
3. Stand on the SW corner of 12th and Washington
streets, Kansas City where Lykins house once stood.
4.. Lykins Community Center, 4012 E. 10th Street, 816-784-2200 (was named in his honor)
5. Pottawatomie Baptist Manual Labor School, 1847-1859, Kansas History Center near Topeka
6. Westport Historical Society, 4000 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City
6. Westport Historical Society, 4000 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City
1. The Lykin's Family Bible is being held in the Kansas City Library Collections.
2. Family: Rev. David Lykins
3. David Lykin's Baptist Wea Mission
4. Daughter: Julia Lykins Case (1839-1872), Elmwood Cemetery, 4900 Truman Road, Kansas City, Mo.
2. Family: Rev. David Lykins
3. David Lykin's Baptist Wea Mission
4. Daughter: Julia Lykins Case (1839-1872), Elmwood Cemetery, 4900 Truman Road, Kansas City, Mo.
Updated: 23 Mar 2022. Biography written by Dolores J. Rush.
Hello, fellow Nut! Even among so many other web resources, your article has provided excellent sources and motivation for my research in expanding the Wikipedia biography of Johnston Lykins. The fact that you listed out your many sources, and they are so extraordinarily broad and old, is great. I would love to connect with you a lot more via email and such! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! From a Seed Planter! What do you want to know? Some of the resources can be found on the Internet Archive and Google Books that you can link into from the bibliography of your Wikipedia article. And he has a memorial on Findagrave as well. I didn't see a way to email you from your blogger profile page. If you want to leave it on a comment, I promise not to publish it, since I have moderation set up.
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