Help identifying this team

[edjs]

Hi all, I have been trying to identify this team for years. My Great-grandpa is one of the team members. They played near Jewell, Kansas. The three guys in the photo are all team members, and their names are Bert Cluster, Harve Kramer, and Harry McClain (my Great-grandpa). I don't have any other info, I just want to figure out who Grandpa Harry played for. Any help/info/ideas are all appreciated. Thanks!

[edjs]

Thanks to everyone for looking, I know this team has something out there. A copy of it was used during pre-game before one of the Superbowls, my whole family saw it, except, me, I was at the fridge getting a beer. The original is owned by one of my cousins, we all have a copy we hang in our house. Any info about Kansas pre-professional football, the uniforms, the type of ball, etc. would be helpful. I'm just looking for a place to start. Thanks again for looking.

[Myachelydra]

I wish I had more information to share. From the mixed ages I would say it is town team or an athletic club.b The possibility that it is a college team also exists. The picture, based on the vests, ball, and grooming styles was likely taken in the 1890's.

What is your Great Grandfather's date of birth? Do you know if he attended college? Did he have memberships in any clubs or fraternal organizations?

[edjs]

Well, I'm not sure exactly when Grandpa Harry was born, but setting this team in the 1890s is right, but it would probably be the later half of the 1890s. I know he was paid to play, which would put it for sure after 1892. His family was from Cincinnati, and they owned the newspapers there. He was dis-inherited because he wanted to play football for a living instead of going to college or working for the newspapers. I know the photo on the bottom was taken in Jewell, Kansas, and all three guys are in the team photo, and I know Harry lived in Kansas for a while. So I am guessing that this was an athletic club team from Kansas around 1895-99. But I can't find any reference guide that lists Harry McClain (any spelling variation), Harve Kramer, or Bert Cluster from that time period. Anyway, thanks for thinking about it. I knew it would be hard to place, like a needle in a haystack for these semi-pro teams that didn't always keep great records.

[jefferyepayne]

Found this in ancestry.com

Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 1890s View Image
Name: Harry McClain
Birth: abt 1876 - location
Residence: date - city, Jewell, Kansas

Some state census records are available on the web.

jeff

Is it me, or does it read " '96 " on the football?