William Elsey Connelley

William Elsey Connelley (March 15, 1855 - July 15, 1930) was an American writer, historian and school teacher. He is best known for a series of books that document the history of Kansas, the Civil War, and the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography William E. Connelley was born in Johnson County, Kentucky. He was self-educated but he taught school in Johnson County between 1872 and 1880. He moved to Wyandotte County, Kansas, and lived in Bonner Springs, teaching until 1882. Connelley then moved on to other pursuits. He attended the Wyandotte County Normal Institute and received a teaching certificate. He worked for a time as a farmhand.

Connelley served a term as deputy county clerk and in 1883 was elected county clerk and served two terms, leaving office in 1887. He held a variety of jobs after that. In 1899 he was given the power of attorney to act in behalf of the Wyandotte Indian Tribe, then in Indian Territory, modern-day Oklahoma. He was to represent the tribe in the sale of Huron Cemetery. The land was to become a public building and the graves were to be moved. Objections were raised and the deal fell through. as well as the president of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association (1921–1922).

Legacy Connelley left much material on various historical subjects. Most of his books and some of his research notes are located in the archives of the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas. Many of Connelley's papers are also held by the Kansas City Kansas Public Library's Special Collections, the Denver Public Library, Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, the University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library in Lawrence, Kansas, and the University of Oklahoma library system in Norman, Oklahoma.

Selected works Authored 1899. James Henry Lane, the "Grim Chieftain" of Kansas. Topeka, KS: Crane & Company. 1899. Wyandot Folk-lore. Topeka, KS: Crane & Company. 1900. John Brown. Topeka, KS: Crane & Company. 1900. Kansas Territorial Governors. Topeka, KS: Crane & Company. 1901. The Overland State to California (with Frank A. Root). Topeka, KS: Crane & Company. 1907. Doniphan's Expedition and the Conquest of New Mexico and California. Topeka, KS: s.p. 1909. Ingalls of Kansas: A Character Study. Topeka, KS: s.p. 1910. Eastern Kentucky Papers. New York City: The Torch Press. 1910. Quantrill and the Border Wars. Cedar Rapids: The Torch Press. 1913. The Life of Preston B. Plumb, 1837-1891. Chicago: Browne & Howell Company. 1916. History of Kansas Newspapers. Topeka, KS: Kansas State Historical Society and Archives. 1918. Standard History of Kansas and Kansans. Vols. I, II, III, IV, & V. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1922. History of Kentucky (with E. M. Coulter). Vols. I, II, III, IV, & V. Chicago: The American Historical Society. 1928. Indian Myths. New York City: Rand McNally. 1933. Wild Bill and His Era: The Life & Adventures of James Butler Hickok. New York City: Press of the Pioneers.

Edited 1899. The Provisional Government of Nebraska Territory. Lincoln, NE: Nebraska State Historical Society.