Warren E. Comstock

 Warren Ennis Comstock (1859-1928) = Advertising Sales Rep. Poet. Born in Calhoun County, Michigan, on May 3 to Hattie (Ennis) and Nicoll H. Comstock, grandson of Congressman Rev. Dr. Oliver Cromwell Comstock, Sr. and nephew of American Baptist missionary to Burma , Rev. Grover S Comstock. 

Warren married Maria Wilson "Boxie" Chiles (1869-1955), daughter of William H. and Mary (Graves) Chiles of Lexington, MO. on 17 October 1888.  They had three lovely daughters, Gladys (b.1889-90), Catherine (b.1892) and Grace (b.1893) and they spent many happy hours in Lexington visiting their daughter's maternal grandparents.  

Near the end of the 19th century, Kansas City's Commercial Club (Chamber of Commerce) was inspired to create their own version of a New Orleans' Mardi Gras festival to bring people into Kansas City, so they invented the Priest of Pallas festival complete with a large parade with floats. Invitations were sent to all the socialites to attend a ball (it ran annually until about 1912).  Boxie wore a brown satin ballgown with a Persian waist, overlaid with blue velvet bands, pink carnations and diamonds to the 1896 Pallas Ball. 

Gladys, in October of 1912, married a Mr. Rollins Smith in her parent's home at 806 East 41st Street. The ceremony was performed by Rev. J. C. Armstrong of the Westport Baptist Church. Catherine, Gladys' sister, was her maid of honor and Mr. Henry Clay Chiles, Glady's uncle, was the best man. 

Warren wrote poetry during his leisure hours when he wasn't engaged in traveling for an advertising sales agency. In 1917, Mr. Comstock was elected as the President of the Quill Club of Kansas City and was a member of the Writer's Guild in Missouri.  

He took a trip to England and returning, he left Liverpool on the ship Cedric and arrived back in New York on 17 Oct 1927 almost a year before he passed away on 17th of September 1928 of cancer and was quietly buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Kansas City. His tombstone carries the inscription "Missouri's Beloved Poet." 

Warren's Writings:

1. "The First Woman and Other Poems." By Warren E. Comstock, Bishop Press, Kansas City. 1907.
2. The days of long ago and Immortality (antithesis of "The Rubaiyat"), by Warren E. Comstock. Richard G. Badger, Boston, MA, 1908. Internet Archive.
3. Poem: "Evolution." By Warren E. Comstock. The Lexington Intelligencer. Lexington, MO. 13 Nov 1909. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
4. Various Poems. By Warren E. Comstock. Livezey Studio, Kansas City, Missouri, 1910. UMKC Library.
5. Poem: "Hail! and Farewell!" by Warren E. Comstock. 1910.
6. "Mother" By Warren E. Comstock. The Lexington Intelligencer. Lexington, MO. 24 Sept 1910. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
7. The days of long ago and immortality (antithesis of "The Rubaiyat"), by Warren E. Comstock. Foss Publishing Co, St. Joseph, MO. 1912.. UMKC Library.
8. Poem: "The Great Southwest." By Warren E. Comstock. 1912.
9. Poem: "Mental Hospitality." By Warren Comstock. The Detroit Times, Detroit, MI, 15 July 1916. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
10. Poem: "If". By Warren Comstock, President of the Kansas City Quill Club. 1917. 
11. Poem: "Made-In-Japan" Banquet. By Warren E. Comstock (Kansas City). The Daily Missourian, Columbia, MO. 30 May 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
12. "Courage & Culture," "The Willow Tree, or A Legend of Old Japan." By Warren E. Comstock of Kansas City. 1920. 

Farewell forever to the past;

Regrets to leeward we must cast.

Live well the Present; ne'er despair;

Hail to the Future bright and fair. 

By Warren E. Comstock, 1910. 

More to Read:

1. His mother's family's genealogy = Genealogy of the Descendants of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick of Salem, Mass.: the original emigrants, and the ancestors of the families who have since borne his name. By James Moore Caller (1813-1884), J. H. Coate & Co, Salem, MA, 1881. p. 278, 425. Internet Archive.
2. "Rev. Grover Smith Comstock." By Rev. Pharcellus Church, D.D. Brandon, VT. 
    American Missionary Memorial: including biographical and historical sketches. By Hamilton Wilcox Pierson. Harper & Brothers, New York. 1853. p. 149. Internet Archive.  
3. "Personalities." The Intelligencer. Lexington, MO. 13 October 1888. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
4. "The Priests of Pallas Shaped Kansas City's Spirit." by Diane Euston. Martin City and South KC Telegraph. Kansas City, Missouri.  1 July 2019. 
5. "Pallas' Tenth Annual Ball: Scene in the Ballroom." Kansas City Daily Journal. Kansas City, MO. 8 Oct 1896. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
6. Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, MO. 21 Feb 1897. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
7. "Was Like a Dream." and "Invitation List." Kansas City Journal. Kansas City, MO. 5 Oct 1899. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
8. Some Descendants of Samuel Comstock of Providence, R.I. who died about 1660. Edited by C. B. Comstock. The Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1905. p. 127-128, 190, 221. Internet Archive, HathiTrust. 
9. The Lexington Intelligencer, Lexington, MO. 8 July 1905. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
10. "A Clever Poet." The Lexington Intelligencer. Lexington, MO. 1 Feb 1908. Chronicling America Newspaper. 
11. "Local Briefs." The Lexington Intelligencer, Lexington, MO. 5 September 1908. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
12. The Annual American Catalog, 1900-1909. The University of Michigan, 1901. Vol. 6., p. 1908. Google Books. 
13. The Lexington Intelligencer. Lexington, MO. 8 Jan 1910. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
14. "Talk About Ads: Big Men in Business World at Leavenworth." The Topeka State Journal. Topeka, KS, 21 Feb 1912. Chronicling America Newspapers.  
15. "Smith-Comstock." The Lexington Intelligencer. Lexington, MO. 25 October 1912. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
16. The Daily Missourian. Columbia, MO. 14 May 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
17. "MO. Writers Open Journalism Week." The Daily Missourian, Columbia, MO. 14 May 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
18. "Journalism Week Notes." The Daily Missourian. Columbia, MO. 15 May 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers.  
19. "Missouri Ranks High in Literary Field: Active and Associate Members." The Daily Missourian, Columbia, MO. 18 May 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
20. "Paddling" Impresses Visitor: Warren E. Comstock of Kansas City Tells of Journalism Week Incident. The Daily Missourian, Columbia, MO. 31 May 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
21. "Echoes of Journalism Week: An Honor to Missouri." The Daily Missourian, Columbia, MO 21 June, 1917. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
22. "Journalism Week: Switzler Hall." Two Poems," Warren E. Comstock of Kansas City. 
23. The Evening Missourian, Columbia, MO. 3 May 1919. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
24. "Guild Opens Tenth Journalism Week." The Evening Missourian. Columbia, MO. 5 May 1919. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
25. "I. D. Mullinax First on Week's Program." The Evening Missourian, Columbia, MO. 3 May 1920. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
26. "Script-Crafters Please." The Evening Missourian. Columbia, MO. 4 May 1920. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
27. "Will Hear Missouri Writers on Monday." The Evening Missourian. Columbia, MO. 1 May 1920. Chronicling America Newspapers. 
28. USA Census Records
29. Missouri Death Certificate #30591 and Marie's Missouri Death Certificate #4700. 

Places to Visit:
Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri. 

XXVIII

We'll dwell throughout Eternity, and Wait

For other Pilgrims who have traveled Straight

The Narrow Path that leads to Heaven's Gate. 

By Warren E. Comstock, Immortality (Antithesis of "The Rubaiyat")