Annis Jurists, Lawyers and Lawmen

Adrian Wilson Annes 1854-1935

Franklin Joseph Annis 1854-1924

Orr William Annis 1859-1931

Orien Sands Annis 1866-1923

David Annis 1833-1903

Robert J. Annis 1923-1977

John Joseph Annis 1925-

Charles Edward Annis 1937-

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Adrian Annes was born August 8, 1854 at Amadore, MI, the son of George Nelson and Melissa (Willits) Annes. Adrian attended public schools at St. Clair County, MI until he was ten years old. The family moved to Montcalm County and Barry County, where Adrian concluded his primary studies. He attended and graduated from Kalamazoo College (Michigan)in 1877 with a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy. Upon graduation he took a position as a school teacher in Morristown, MN (1877-1878), and as principal at the Madelia, Minnesota public school system (1878-1880). After two years at this position he moved to Windom, Minnesota (1880) and was in charge of the graded schools there.
He next moved to Hitchcock, South Dakota, with the intention of establishing a merchantile business, but after one summer, he altered his plans, returned to Michigan, and entered the Law Department at the University of Michigan. He graduated from that esteemed institution in 1885, and in July of that year he returned to Windom, MN and soon engaged in the practice of law.
His professional business as a general civil and criminal lawyer became very successful, and his distinction as a jurist, attorney, and public speaker grew in direct proportion to his practice. He also assumed many important positions as an elected official, and from 1894 to 1900 he was county attorney (Cottonwood County), served as village attorney, was president of the village council of Windom for two years, and on September 1, 1911 he was elected Judge of Probate.
Adrian was a republican in politics, and his religious connection was with the Baptist Church.
He married Ella Frances Chadwick on February 1, 1888, at Galesburg, MI, and they had one child, Erle Chadwick, born November 30, 1888. Ella died on March 15, 1889 at Windom, where the young family had made their home. Adrian married 2nd, Nina Jane Hinkson on September 13, 1893 at Amadore, MI and they had two children: Lynn Hinkson, born October 5, 1894 and George Everett Annes. Judge Annes was past master of Prudence No. 97, A.F. & A.M., served as principal sojourner of Windom Chapter No. 48, R.A.M., member Lodge No. 108, Windom Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen of America, and Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Children:

1. Erle Chadwick Annes, born November 30, 1888; died May 2, 1969

2. Lynn Hinkson Annes, born October 5, 1894

3. George Everett Annes

Adrian died December 28, 1935 and his lineage is:

George Nelson Annes 1833-1921, Charles Annes 1804-1872, Levi Annis 1781-1855, Charles Annis 1738-1804, John Annis 1700-c.1771, Abraham Annis 1668-1738, Cormac Annis 1638-1717

Franklin Joseph Annis 1854-1924

Franklin J. Annis was born January 29, 1854 at Pinckney, MI, the son of Eli and Sophia W. (Darwin) Annis. He married October 27, 1877, Maria Vail at Greeley, CO.
Frank was a highly respected and educated man who left his mark upon two separate field of endeavor. After graduating from the Michigan State Agricultural College, he first moved to northern Colorado and settled at Greeley where he served as Principal of the high school. In David Boyd's book "A History: Greeley and the Union Colony" (1890) we find the following:
Remus Robinson was suceeded as principal in the autumn of 1875 by F. J. Annis. a graduate of the Michigan State Agricultural College. He taught three years, when he resigned to accept the chair of chemistry in the Colorado State Agricultural College. For a young man of limited experience in teaching he did remarkably well, and suceeded in forming in the minds of many of the students under him an enthusiasm for learning and a pride in exact and precise scholarship. He afterwards went to Ann Arbor (MI) and graduated at the law school there. He has been practicing at the bar since his graduation at Fort Collins and is now also doing admirable work at the Agricultural College as Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture and Experiment Station. His reports in this line are admirable, and will be of great value to the agriculture of the state.
Frank's graduation from the University of Michigan Law School at Ann Arbor, MI, and his experience as a teacher aided him in becoming one of Colorado's ablest city attorney's and a highly respected citizen of Greeley and Fort Collins, CO.
A Fort Collin's newspaper reported his obituary on December 19, 1924.

"Fort Collins, Dec. 13 - Frank J. Annis, prominent Fort Collins attorney, pioneer of Northern Colorado and one of the members of the first faculty of the State Agricultural college, died at Estes Park shortly after noon Friday from the effects of a paralytic stroke suffered last July. Mr. Annis was born in Wisconsin {ed.note: should be Michigan} seventy five years ago. He came to Colorado in the late 1870's and settled in Greeley, where for several years he served as principal of the Greeley high school. In 1879 he came to Fort Collins to take chair of chemistry as one of the first faculty members of the Agricultural college, serving in this capacity for several years, until he took up the practice of law. He was a graduate of law from the University of Michigan and was one of northern Colorado's most able members of the bar. Early in July, while Mr. Annis was serving as city attorney of Fort Collins, he was stricken by paralysis. Since that time he has failed rapidly and for the last several weeks his condition has been considered hopeless.
Mrs. Annis, who has been staying at the Annis mountain home at Estes Park for the last few weeks, arranged yesterday morning for her husband to be brought to the home there so that she could take care of him. He was taken from the Fort Collins hospital in an ambulance this morning and taken to Estes Park. Shortly after his arrival there he died, the exertion of the trip, it is believed, proving too great, because of his weakened condition.
Mr. Annis, besides his wife, is survived by two sons, Claude, who lives in the state of Washington, and Wade, who lives on a ranch near Laramie, Wyo., and one daughter, Marjorie, who lives at Laramie. He is also survived by two brothers living in California."

Children:

1. Claude H. Annis, born July 24, 1878

2. Donald H. Annis, born February 12, 1880; died August 13, 1880

3. Lorna E. Annis, born May 21, 1882, probably died young.

4. Wade Dwight Annis, born August 15, 1885

5. Marjorie Annis, born January 14, 1888

Franklin J. Annis' lineage is: Eli Annis 1821-1881, Benjamin Annis 1798-1872, Benjamin Annis 1758-1845, Rolfe Annis 1734-?, John Annis 1700-c.1771, Abraham Annis 1668-1738, Cormac Annis 1638-1717

Orr William Annis 1859-1931

Orr William Annis was born June 12, 1859 near Halesburg, Knox County, Illinois, the son of Andrew and Leah (Brown) Annis. He married circa 1880, Sarah Jane Porter at Lafayette, Illinois and had seven children. Sarah Jane Porter was born March 20, 1856 in Knox County, IL, the daughter of Otis Porter.
Frank Marquis Annis wrote a short history of his father's life, and we are indebted to Tammie Ramsey of Texas for contributing the following.

The Annis Family History
As recorded by Frank Marquis Annis

"My father Orr William Annis was born June 12, 1859 on a farm near Galvia, in Knox County, Illinois. My mother Sarah Jane Porter Annis was born March 20, 1856 also near Galvia, in Knox County, Illinois.
To this union were born 7 children, 4 girls, and 3 boys.
Names and birthdates are as follows;
Frank Marquis, born July 5, 1881
Orva Florence, born March 22, 1883
Allie, born July 25, 1884
Roy Jesus, born October 18,1887
Jessie Hannah, born September 24, 1888
Nellie Bell, born July 13, 1891
Ray William, born October 27, 1901

Frank & Orva were born in Knox County, Illinois. My parents and the two children moved in a covered wagon to 7 miles west of Arkansas City, Kansas on Shoefly road, in Sumner County, in 1884.
Allie, Roy and Jessie were born at this place. Father Annis farmed and had a little orchestra and played for dances.
The year 1889, April 22, Father Annis made the run to Oklahoma when the cannon sounded. Some went horseback, some went in wagons and etc. My father went down to where Perkins is now and one mile east of there, he staked out the land that he wanted and then went back to Arkansas City and put an overjet on his wagon and with mother and five little children they started out for Oklahoma. It wasn't easy living in a covered wagon with five children until a log cabin could be built.
When we reached our destination, there was a Sooner on the place that my father had staked out to homestead on. You know what a Sooner is, well he is someone who went down ahead of time set. We camped on Los - Creek and the man that had soonered this land attempted to run my father off and of course O.W. Annis did not run and neither was he run off this farm. So he told this sooner that he had two small ponies that he would give him for this farm. The Sooner seeing that he could not bluff my father decided to settle for the ponies. This Sooner had a set of logs cut on the farm to build his house and he had a garden spot plowed and ready to plant a garden. After we were settled in and a log cabin built, Nellie Bell was born.
Then in 1897 my father was elected sheriff of Payne County, Oklahoma, and we moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma. I started school in the nineth grade, and the kids started calling me boots and father had to buy me some shoes. Then they got to calling me celloloid and father had to buy me a shirt. I played on the first highschool football team in Stillwater Oklahoma. I also had the first singing quartet and first musical instruments played and played on the first stock co. in the old opera house in Stillwater. Here my youngest brother Ray was born on 10th street. My father was elected for a second term in 1897, & later was bookkeeper and jailer for the Payne County jail in the courthouse.
After serving two terms as sheriff we moved back to Perkins an the farm, and later to Yale, Okla. where my father was chief of police and also ran a rooming house. My mother died there Dec 15, 1927. Grandmother Porter died the year before as I remember at the age of 95.
Later my father was offered a job as jailer and bookkeeper for the sheriff and we moved back to Stillwater in 1930 and he died May 30, 1931.
I do not remember much of my Grandfather Annis except his name was Andrew and my Grandmother died at an early age of a heart attack. My Grandmother on my mothers side was Hannah Rice Porter and my Grandfather was Otes Porter. They lived in Galvia, Illinois and they moved to Kansas in a Covered wagon and settled on a farm just west of the Annis family. This is not complete but after Grandfather Porter died she later became blind and lived with my folks for 20 years and died at Yale, Okla. at the age of 95.

Many thanks to descendants, Diane Davis White, Tammi Ramsey and the beautiful Mrs. Maxine Moore for furnishing the following biographical record and photograph of Orr William Annis.

Orr William Annis

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

Orr William Annis. The life of Mr. Annis has been rather on the eventful order, for in the pursuit of occupation, experience, and pertinent location he has wandered over a large part of the country and seen many sides of life. His position of sheriff of Payne county was prolific of ample opportunity for the application of his wide range of information and for the knowledge of human nature acquired by the intelligent when traveling over the country. Of sturdy Scotch descent, Mr. Annis was born in Knox County, Illinois, near Hales burg, June 12, 1859. His parents, Andrew and Leah (Brown) Annis were born, respectively, in Maine and Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather, Ellison, was born in Maine and came from an old New England family of Scotch descent. During the war of 1812 he served in the American army. He was a sailor in the coasting trade, which occupation he followed until an old man. He died in Knox county when his son was a youth of twelve years. Thrown thus upon his own resources, Andrew Annis early settled on a farm in Knox county and in time became prominent man and a large land-owner. His farm consisted of four hundred acres and was finely improved. His useful life terminated at the age of sixty-three years. His wife lived to be fifty years old.

The second in a family of six sons and one daughter, all of whom are living, OW Annis was reared on his father’s farm and educated in the public schools. He had an ambitious nature and the surroundings in Illinois seemed far too circumscribed, so in 1878 he set out for the far west and in the Black Hills engaged in the cattle business, and worked on ranches in South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. After three years of this kind of life he returned to Illinois and in Lafayette, Illinois engaged in the meat market business, continuing the same until 1884. He then located in Sumner County Kansas, near Arkansas City and engaged in agricultural enterprises and stock raising until the opening of the territory in 1889.

In April of 1889 Mr. Annis made the run from the north line and located a claim adjacent to what is now Perkins and to the east of the town. This claim was improved to the utmost and fitted with all modern appliances, and given over to general farming and stock-raising. The farm is the special pride of its owner in whose possession it still is, and it is accounted one of the finest and best managed and cultivated claims in the county. While living on his claim, Mr. Annis also engaged, at times, in the merchandise business in Perkins and later in the meat market trade, and for the carrying on of his enterprises, built a frame store.

In 1896 Mr. Annis was nominated on the Populist ticket for sheriff and was elected by one hundred forty four popularity over his opponents. In 1898 he was re-nominated on the fusion ticket and was the only one on the ticketed that was elected. He took the oath of office in January, 1897, and served until January of 1901. After his first election he settled in Stillwater where he built a residence, his farm providing relaxation fro the worries and cares of public political life. In 1900 he was one of the organizers of the Ripley State Bank and is vicepresident and director of the same. He is also Grand Organzier of the Fraternal Order of American Farmers and is a charter member of the same. For six years he served as a trustee and assessor of Perkins Township. Fraternally, he is associated with the Masonic order and is a member of Frontier Lodge No. 6, A.F.&A.M> at Stillwater. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a past officer of Perkins Lodge No. 21 and the Encampment. In Knox County, Illinois, Mr. Annis was united in marriage with Sarah J. Porter, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Otis Porter, a merchant in Knox county. Of this union, there have been six children viz: Frank, Orva, Allie, Roy, Jesse and Nellie.

Children:

1. Frank Marquis Annis, born July 05, 1881

2. Orva Florence Annis, born March 22, 1883

3. Allie Annis, born July 25, 1884

4. Roy Jesus Annis, born October 18, 1887

5. Jessie Hannah Annis, born September 24, 1888

6. Nellie Bell Annis, born July 13, 1891

7. Ray William Annis, born October 27, 1901

Orr William Annis died May 30, 1931 at Stillwater, OK. His Annis lineage is: Andrew Annis 1825-1896, Elleson Annis 1792-1880, Samuel Annis 1769-1849, John Annis 1732-c.1780, Andrew Annis c.1690-?

Orien Sands Annis 1866-1923

Orien Sands Annis was born November 15, 1866 at Potton, Quebec, Canada, the son of Laurens Koster and Ella Melissa (Hull) Annis. He married December 10, 1890, Ida E. Campbell at Milton, Vermont and had three children.