USA > Kansas > Leavenworth County > History of Leavenworth County Kansas > Part 48
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Gerardus Rozendal received his education in Holland and in the Leav- enworth schools. He began work in the glucose factory at the early age of eleven years, and, while there, learned the machinist trade, which knowl- edge was very advantageous to him when building the present plant.
In 1898, Mr. Rozendal began operating hot beds just outside the city limits on Ohio Avenue, but not liking the hot bed, he constructed a green house on a small scale, with a glass house 40 by 15 feet, later increasing this one to 16 by 100 feet and also building another the same size. In 1919, he moved to his present location on Washington and Ohio Avenue, where he now has 10,000 feet under glass, devoted to the raising of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and tomato plants for early field grown tomatoes. Mr. Rozendal does intensive farming under the glass and furnishes the city of Leavenworth with lettuce, early cucumbers, and his products are mostly consumed here. His hot house tomatoes find an excellent market at home and many of his field grown tomatoes are shipped to western Kansas. His first shipment of field; grown tomatoes in 1921 brought $6.00 per bushel in Kansas City, Missouri. All of the equipment, the glass, hot water heating system, etc., were constructed by Mr. Rozendal and the Skinner irrigating or sprinkling system were installed by him. Mr. Rozendal has a wide acquaintance and many friends.
In 1896, Mr. Rozendal was married to Miss Ida Burre, a daughter of John and Kate Burre, a sketch of whom appears in connection with Fred Burre of this volume.
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Mr. and Mrs. Rozendal have five children: Elizabeth, the wife of Lieutenant Walter Farris, of Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas; Gerardus, who is with his father in business; Henry, who lives at home; Emma, a student in the high school, and Armand.
Mr. Rozendal is a member of the Fraternal Aid Union.
Rufus Courtney, a successful stockman and farmer and sterling citi- zen of Alexandria Township, was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, June 3, 1853, the son of Robert E. and Narcissa (Agee) Courtney. His father was a native of Kentucky and came with his mother to Buchanan County, Missouri, about the year 1845, and, in 1856, they came to Alex- andria Township where they purchased a farm near Springdale, which Albert Courtney now owns. Robert Courtney owned 560 acres of land in this township when he died in 1912. He is buried at Springdale, and his wife now lives at Leavenworth, and although eighty-nine years of age is still active. She was a native of Indiana. Robert Courtney was an exten- sive farmer, and raised a great many cattle and hogs. Mr. and Mrs: Court- ney were the parents of the following children: Jennie Spray, who is deceased; James, of Oklahoma City; Rufus, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Frances Moody, of Hiawatha, Kansas; William, of Leavenworth, whose biography appears in this volume; Mrs. Annie McGee, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Thomas, a farmer of Alexandria Township; Jessie, of Lansing, Kansas; Albert, on the home place; Edward, who died at the age of three years, and was a twin brother of Albert; and Charles, who is deceased.
Rufus Courtney was educated at the Kerr school. He grew to man- hood on his father's farm, and remained at home until twenty-three years of age. He bought his first land, consisting of ninety acres, near Spring- dale, which he soon sold, and bought 300 acres from Linley Spray, in 1896, which is his home place at the present time. Since, he had added twenty- five acres.
Mr. Courtney's residence is two and three-fourths miles northwest of Springdale. This building was the only improvement on the place at the time of Mr. Courtney's purchase, and he has remodeled and added to the dwelling. He has cleared more than 100 acres of the land, which was in heavy timber; built one large barn 40 by 40 feet; tool house; granary, 40 by 40 feet; two feed sheds for stock and many other buildings and im-
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provements. The water is pumped by a wind mill into the house and barn, and he also has a fine cistern and his own light plant. The farm is well fenced and all the buildings in good repair. Walnut Creek forms the north boundary line of the farm, and the place is appropriately named "Walnut Creek Stock Farm."
Mr. Courtney is a splendid man and successful farmer. He raises Duroc Jersey hogs and also the Aberdeen Angus cattle, having a regis- tered male. He has 100 sheep on the place.
April 19, 1891, Mr. Courtney was married to Elizabeth Pennock, a daughter of Charles and Anna (Wolfe) Pennock, both now deceased. Charles Pennock was a native of Pennsylvania and came to Kansas in 1856, and improved a farm in High Prairie Township. He was born Feb- ruary 14, 1833, and died November 11, 1907. His wife was born May 24, 1834, and died December 28, 1910, and both are buried at Bethel Cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Courtney have four children: Charles Edwin, who was born February 10, 1892, and who lives at home; Daniel R., who was born July 31, 1897, and who sells Marmon cars in Detroit, Michigan; Agnes Elizabeth, who was born July 26, 1899, and is the wife of Leslie Boyd, and who live in Jefferson County, Kansas; and Ethel Louis, who was born August 17, 1905, and attends St. Mary's Academy in Leavenworth, Kansas.
By a former marriage of Rufus Courtney he has two children: Grace, the wife of Mortimer Duncanson of Tonganoxie; and Jessie, the wife of Elmer Edmonds, of Jefferson County, Kansas. They have the following grandchildren: James, Ralph, Grace, Robert, John, Courtney, Theodora, and Martha Duncanson; Ruby, Ernest, Olive, Leonard, Rufus and Horace Edmonds; Vollie Naomi Boyd and Daniel Robert Courtney.
Mr. Courtney is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and Mrs. Courtney is a member of the Royal Neighbors.
Mr. Courtney has found time to fill the office of clerk of his township and for several years was on the school board.
Ernest Eberth, the capable and efficient county commissioner for the third district of Leavenworth County, and a retired farmer, was born in Germany, December 28, 1858, the son of August and Johanna Eberth, both of whom are deceased. His parents came to America in 1882 and settled in Wyandotte County, Kansas, where his father died, and his mother died in Leavenworth, the remains of both being buried at Mt. Muncie Cemetery.
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Ernest Eberth came to Leavenworth County, Kansas, in 1880 and worked for four years for Henry Voigt, of Fairmount Township, earning at the beginning $8.00 per month. He was very thrifty, saving his money, and for a number of years rented a farm, and then bought eighty acres, and continuing to buy land until he had accumulated 360 acres. He sold eighty acres to his son, leaving 280 acres, which comprised his home place. Mr. Eberth engaged in general farming and stock raising for many years, and met with merited success. In 1916, he bought five and one-half acres in Basehor and moved to this place, where he now lives.
Mr. Eberth has served Fairmount Township for ten years as trustee, and was elected county commissioner, the first time in 1916 by a majority of more than forty, and re-elected in 1920 for the second term with a majority of more than seven hundred. He has been a conscientious pub- lic officer and has a host of warm friends throughout the township.
In 1886, Mr. Eberth was married to Augusta Kruggel, of St. Joseph, Missouri. Mrs. Eberth died in 1916 at the age of fifty-five years and her remains are buried at Glenwood Cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Eberth were the parents of the following children: Otto, of Argentine, Kansas; Edward, a farmer of Fairmont Township; Rudolph, who lives on the home place; Freda, who lives at home, and keeps house for her father; Alma, who lives with Edward on the farm; Helen, the wife of William Klamm, a farmer of Fairmont Township; Erna, a graduate of a business college in Kansas City, Missouri, and who is a stenographer and bookkeeper.
Mr. Eberth has eight living children: Edward, Charlotte, Mary Ei- leen, Evelyn, Henrietta and Ernest Eberth ; and Pauline and Doris Klamm.
C. C. Dunbar, proprietor of "Glenwood Farm," is one of the leading and enterprising farmers of Fairmount Township. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, August 31, 1869, the son of O. L. and Mary Jane (Edminster) Dunbar. The parents were married in Missouri, but went to Nebraska shortly after, eventually settling in Leavenworth County in 1869, where Mr. Dunbar bought forty acres in Fairmont Township, later buying an additional one hundred sixty acres, which he sold in 1879 to W. N. Carr and bought the present farm of C. C. Dunbar, which is in Range 10, sec- tion 11, township 22. C. L. Dunbar gave three acres of land for the Glen- wood Church in 1881, when the church was first built, which was moved two miles south of its first location, about twenty years after its erection.
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C. C. Dunbar has one of the finest farms in Fairmount Township, and there are two sets of improvements on the place; a good residence, dairy barn with modern equipments; well with wind mill attached to pump water to the feed lots and other improvements. Mr. Dunbar has been engaged in the dairy business for a year, and has twenty-six milk cows, besides forty other head of cattle on the farm. Mr. Dunbar has a Pine tree milking machine, double unit, and is meeting with success with his dairy. He also does general farming, fifteen acres being in alfalfa and seventy-five acres in blue grass pasture. The farm lies on the Fort road and is rolling enough for good drainage.
Mr. Dunbar was married November 7, 1894, to Maude Wilson, of Fairmont Township, a daughter of W. C. Wilson and wife. Mrs. Dunbar was born and reared in this township.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar have two children: Orma, who was born in Guide Rock, Nebraska, and now a student in the high school at Basehor, Kansas; and Clair, who was born July 24, 1896, at Nortonville, Kansas, and who was married May 1, 1917, to Pauline Kemler, of Basehor, Kansas. They have two children: Paul and Helen Lucille. Clair Dunbar owns eighty acres of land adjoining his father's farm on the south. He has a good cottage, barn, poultry house, and does general farming.
Dan A. Alford, a well-known and highly respected citizen of Leaven- worth, is a native of this state. He was born in Jefferson County, Kan- sas, in 1889, the son of John H. and Emma (Parsons) Alford.
John H. Alford was born in Leavenworth County, Kansas, December 11, 1860. He moved to Jefferson County in 1880 and purchased 210 acres of land. He followed farming and stock raising all of his life, being a very successful farmer. He died in 1904, at McLouth, Kansas. His wife, Emma (Parsons) Alford was born 1866 in Leavenworth County, Kansas, and died in 1901. They were both buried at the McLouth Cemetery in Jef- ferson County. John H. and Emma Alford were the parents of two chil- dren, as follows: Dan A., the subject of this sketch; and Helen, born March 8, 1900, in Jefferson County, Kansas, now Mrs. Robert A. Austin, of Topeka, Kansas.
Dan A. Alford was reared and received his education in Jefferson County. He graduated from the high school of McLouth, Kansas, and attended the Central Business College of Kansas City, Missouri. After
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finishing his business course in 1906, Dan A. Alford came to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was employed by a local grocer for two years. In 1908, Mr. Alford took his position with the wholesale house of Rohlfing and Company, where he is still employed.
The marriage of Dan A. Alford and Gertrude Wyrick was solemnized in 1912 at St. Joseph's Church in Leavenworth. They are the parents of three children, as follows: John W., William and Walter, the latter of whom died March 3, 1916.
Dan A. Alford is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles of Leav- enworth and also the St. Joseph Catholic Church. He is an industrious and enterprising citizen who has won an enviable position among his friends. Mr. Alford lives at 535 South Tenth Street.
Carist Shrey, a retired brick mason and contractor, is a pioneer of Leavenworth, Kansas, and Civil War veteran. He was born in Lipp, Det- mold, Germany, December 1, 1837, the son of Fred W. and Sophie Mollie Shrey, natives of Lipp, Detmold, Germany.
Fred W. Shrey was born in 1784 and his wife in 1814. They left their native land in 1855 and settled in Burlington, Iowa. They were amongst the very earliest settlers of that locality. Sophie Mollie Shrey died in 1860 at Burlington, Iowa. They were the parents of four children, as follows: Henry, Henrietta, Carist, of this sketch; and Adolph.
Carist Shrey attended the schools of his native land and upon his arrival in the United States was employed as a brick maker. In 1861, he enlisted in the First Regiment Iowa Infantry and served in the war for three years and eight months. August 10, 1861, he was in the battle at Wilson Creek and many other experiences before his discharge at the end of the war.
In 1865, Carist Shrey came to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he took up the work of a brick mason. He followed this work until he opened up his own business of brick making and contracting in 1883. Mr. Shrey was very successful in his work and continued in this until his retirement in 1889 from active labor. The home in which Mr. Shrey now lives at 213 Maple Street, was purchased in 1868 and has been his home all of these years.
Mr. Shrey was married September 1, 1865, to Mary Shroder, and to Mr. and Mrs. Carist Shrey have been born the following children: Laura,
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who died June 18, 1867; Oscar H., born July 15, 1869, living at Leaven- worth, Kansas; Mary A., born November 1, 1872, married 1894 to Victor Hag, living at Leavenworth, Kansas; Carist, Jr., born in 1874, died in 1915; Adolph, born December 31, 1882, died February 5, 1901; and Agatha, married to Prencies Howard, May 3, 1892, resides at Kansas City, Kansas.
Mr. Shrey, in spite of his many years, is interested in the affairs of his city and nation. He is a republican and a member of Leavenworth Lodge No. 5, Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Bernard E. Baer, civil engineer and contractor of Leavenworth, Kan- sas, was born January 1, 1893, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Simon and Cecelia Baer. Simon Baer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1853. He owned a cotton mill, the Eden Park Mill, which was destroyed by fire. This necessitated a change, so he, with his family, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he organized and held the controlling stock of the Inde- pendent Telephone Company. He also was engaged in the stock broker- age business for some time before his death in 1909. He was buried in Georgia. Mrs. Cecelia Baer was born in 1870 in Cincinnati and was mar- ried to Simon Baer in that city. Three children were born to them as follows: Sigmond, advertising manager of the Monitor Stove Company, Cincinnati, Ohio; Freda, died at the age of nine, and Bernard, the subject of this review. Cecelia Baer makes her home in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Bernard Baer was educated in the public and the high school of At- lanta, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati, receiv- ing his degree of Civil Engineer. He also attended the Ohio Mechanical Institute at the same place. He was employed for one year by the Ferro Concrete Engineering Company, of Cincinnati, then he was appointed inspector of sewer and bridges in the engineer department for the city of Cincinnati. He was then employed by the United States Engineering Department on dam construction on the Ohio River. In 1917, Mr. Baer took the examination for the United States Army and was appointed sec- ond lieutenant in the Engineer Corps. He served six and one-half months overseas and was commissioned a captain. Upon his return to the United States he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth as assistant to the construct- ing quartermaster. In March, 1920, Bernard Baer resigned from the army and opened up the Baer Engineering and Construction Company in the First National Bank building. Since that time he has been busy with many
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important jobs, among which are, the bath house at Shrine Park, Leaven- worth, the Mine Rescue station at the Pittsburgh Normal School, Pitts- burg, Kansas, two contracts at Fort Leavenworth, a high school building at McLouth, Kansas, and a school at Reno, Kansas.
July 1, 1920, Bernard Baer and Louise M. Chatelle were united in marriage at Kansas City, Missouri. She is a native of Joplin, Missouri. Mr. Baer is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, American Society of Civil En- gineers and the American Association of Engineers.
Davidson Brothers, successful farmers and dairymen of Tonganoxie Township, have for more than a half century been closely identified with the farming interests of Leavenworth County. They are the sons of John C. and Sophia (Talbot) Davidson, pioneers of Missouri and Kansas.
John C. Davidson was born March 24, 1809, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was the son of John Davidson, Sr., a native of Virginia, who came with his son, John C. Davidson, to Missouri, in 1844. They made the journey from Virginia to Missouri by horseback and endured all the dangers and privations of the early pioneers. They homesteaded land in Missouri, where John Davidson, Sr., passed away.
In 1854, John C. Davidson, with his wife and family, moved to Doug- las County, Kansas, where they were the first white settlers in the county. He homesteaded 160 acres of land and lived there until 1863, when he pur- chased 193 acres of land in Stranger Township, east of the village of Ton- ganoxie. Here he passed the remainder of his days. His wife, Sophia (Talbot) Davidson was born February 18, 1819, in Warren County, Mis- souri, where also she was married to John Davidson.
John C. Davidson and wife were the parents of seven children, as fol- lows: James, Camel A., and Haley, all deceased; David, Los Angeles, Cali- fornia ; Martha J., deceased; John C., Jr., the subject of this sketch, with his brother Thomas.
The Davidson Brothers, John and Thomas Davidson, have always labored together in their farming operations and own their land jointly. John C., Jr., is unmarried and makes his home with Thomas. John C., was born October 7, 1855, in Douglas County, Kansas, and came to Leav- enworth County with his parents in 1863 and has since then made his home in the county. His early education was received in the subscription schools of Douglas and Leavenworth counties.
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Thomas Davidson was born in Douglas County, Kansas, February 16, 1858, and received his education in the early subscription schools. Sep- tember 25, 1884, he was married to Mary Ann Stafford at Leavenworth, Kansas. She is the daughter of Eli and Hannah (Ridgeway) Stafford, natives of Iowa. Six children have been born to Thomas and Mary Ann (Stafford) Davidson, as follows: Leta L., deceased; Clyde, born Septem- ber 18, 1888, a farmer in Tonganoxie Township; John, born December 18, 1891, died July 31, 1913; Bertha May, born September 7, 1894; Mrs. Wal- ter Howard, in Cass County, Missouri; Thomas A., born May 15, 1898, with father; and Paul Glen, born July 16, 1901, with father on farm.
The Davidson brothers have for many years farmed in Leavenworth County and have been very successful. They rented land for many years, until 1907, when they purchased their present farm of 160 acres. They have added improvements to the house and other buildings. The David- son brothers are members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and are democrats.
Hoge Catholic Church, located in Stranger Township, is of Gothic style, one of the finest in the Leavenworth diocese. It has a seating ca- pacity of 600 people, its own electric light plant and heating plant as well. A baby room, well ventilated and heated is one of the distinctive features of its construction. This room is for the mothers and babies, where they can be cared for during the services and not disturb the other worshipers.
Hoge Catholic Church was first built in 1860, a stone structure and the priests who have labored in this parish are as follows: Laig Neil, from 1860 to 1864; Joseph Perrier, 1864-1871; John Murphy, 1872-1873; M. J. Dorgherty, 1873-1874; P. H. Twite, 1874-1874; Ambrose Butler, 1874-1875; J. F. Leary, 1875-1879; Michael Brown, 1879-1885; Bernard J. Hayden, 1885-1886; M. F. Harrigan, 1886-1889; P. Bishop, 1889-1891, deceased and buried in Hoge Cemetery in 1894; P. J. Shields, 1894-1895, substituted by P. J. Kennedy a short time; M. D. Cavanaugh, 1895-1897; P. J. Kennedy, 1897-1898, who built the present parish house; Sylvester Meehan, 1898-1902; 3. Dekat, 1902-1905; Thomas McCaull, 1905, until his death June 16, 1911, and he is buried in the Hoge Cemetery; Jerome Twomey, 1911, the subject of this sketch.
Jerome Twomey was born in County Cork, Ireland, July 27, 1887, the
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son of James and Jane (McEnery) Twomey, both natives of Ireland, where they still reside. Jerome Twomey was born in 1840 and has followed farming and at the same time conducted a general merchandise store.
Jerome Twomey is one of fourteen children born to his parents, as follows: Meta; Jane; Josephine; Teresa ; Thomas; Jerome, the subject of this sketch; Kathleen, a sister in a convent; Rose, a graduate nurse in the United States; James ; Daniel; Hannah ; Frances; two infants, deceased.
Father Jerome was reared and educated in his native land. He at- tended St. Coleman's college, Fermoy, County Cork, where he completed his classical course in four years. He then attended All-Hallows College of Dublin for three years, completing his philosophical course. In 1909, Father Jerome came to the United States and landed at New York. He attended the St. Bonapenture's seminary for his theological course.
In 1911, after finishing his theological course and ordained in the priesthood, Father Jerome was sent by Right Reverend John Ward to take charge of this parish. Father Jerome was more or less the architect as well as the builder of the beautiful church, which was known as Holy Angels Church, but which he has named St. Patrick's Church.
St. Patricks Church had eight boys go from the parish to fight in the World War, two of them were left upon the battlefields of France. The church is located close by the Hoge Cemetery which contains four acres of land.
Father Jerome has labored for ten years in the parish and well merits the esteem and honor in which he is held not only by his parishioners but by every one in the neighborhood.
Speaking to the writer of this article, Father Twomey remarked: "A man is a man, and I don't care a snap what his religion and politics are; that is his own business."
E. C. McNerney, a successful lumberman of Tonganoxie, Kansas, is a native of Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was born November 10, 1873, a son of Matthew and Johanna (McNerney) McNerney.
Matthew McNerney was born in County Clare, Ireland, November 1, 1836, and in 1852 came to the United States. He worked as a laborer in the states of New York and Connecticut, before coming to Leavenworth, Kansas. He was employed at Fort Leavenworth by the government for twenty-two years as a blacksmith. In 1878, he purchased 160 acres of
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land in Stranger Township, which he farmed until 1881, when he bought the present 160 acres owned by James McNerney. He made extensive and substantial improvements on the place and carried on general farming and stock raising. November 1, 1863, Matthew McNerney and Johanna McNerney were united in marriage at Leavenworth, Kansas. She was born in County Clare, Ireland, and came to the United States with a brother and sister. They located at Leavenworth. She is now at her son's home. Matthew McNerney died March 21, 1904.
Matthew and Johanna (McNerney) McNerney were the parents of ten children, five of whom are living, as follows: Catherine, Mrs. Richard Kelly, Reno Township; E. C., the subject of this sketch; James and Han- nah, Mrs. James Sheehan, of Stranger Township; and Margaret, with subject of this sketch.
E. C. McNerney was reared and educated in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he attended the grade schools. In 1897 he opened up his lumber business at Basehor and conducted it at this place until 1902, when he came to Tonganoxie, where he is successfully and substantially established.
E. C. McNerney and Sarah McMillin, were united in marriage, in May, 1901, at Basehor, Kansas. They have one child, Geneveve, at home with parents.
Mr. and Mrs. McNerney are members of the Catholic Church and Mr. McNerney is one of the substantial business men of Tonganoxie.
Pete Bleistein, a successful farmer and dairyman of Tonganoxie Town- ship, is a native of Bavaria, Germany. He was born July 30, 1869, the son of Erhart and Magdalena Bleistein, natives of Bavaria, Germany. They followed farming in their native land and spent their lives there. Erhart Bleistein died in 1883, at the age of sixty years and Magdalena Bleistein died in 1901.
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