USA > Kansas > Marshall County > History of Marshall County, Kansas : its people, industries, and institutions > Part 56
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Mr. Champagne has long been identified with the Republican party and for many years has served his township as a member of the school board
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and was for two years trustee of the township. lle conducted the affairs of these offices with the same care which he gave to his own interests. He was for a number of years a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post at Oketo. When that disbanded he became a member of the post at Marysville. Mr. Champagne is a man of the highest integrity and because of his upright life he has made for himself many friends throughout the county.
FRED OBERMEYER.
Fred Obermeyer, one of the well-known and successful farmers and stockmen of Baklerson township. Marshall county, was born in Bureau county, Illinois, on February 17. 1867, the son of Henry and Abbie ( Gates) Obermeyer.
Henry and Abbie ( Gates) Obermeyer were natives of Germany. The former was born in the year 1818 and the latter in 1823. They received their primary education in the schools of their native land and later settled in the United States. At the age of eighteen years, Henry Obermeyer de- cided to leave the land of his nativity and seek a home in America. On his arrival in this county he located for a time in the state of New York. where he worked in order to get the money with which he could go West. lle later moved to Illinois, where he engaged in general farming and stock- raising until the time of his death. He and Mrs. Obermeyer, who died in 1893, were married in the state of Illinois, where they made their home for many years and where they were among the prominent and highly respected people of the community in which they lived. They were members of the Lutheran church and were prominent in all the social and religious activ- ities of the district. Ile died in 1889.
Fred Obermeyer received his education in the schools of Illinois and there he grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad and young man he assisted his father with the work on the farm. When but fourteen years of age he assisted the farmers in the neighborhood as a farm hand at eighteen dollars per month. He remained in Illinois until 1898, when he came to Kansas, and settled in Ballerson township, Marshall county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his present farm of two hun- dred and forty-five acres, all of which is well improved and under a high state of cultivation. The tract at the time of the original purchase was
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MR. AND MRS. FRED OBERMEYER.
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undeveloped and unimproved, and Mr. Obermeyer had but thirty dollars. with which to make his first payment.
On December 24, 1890, Fred Obermeyer was united in marriage to Anna Wetzler, who was born in Green county, Wisconsin, on November 11, 1866, the daughter of Charles and Margrett (Heindel) Wetzler. Mr. and Mrs. Wetzler were natives of Pennsylvania, where they received their education in the public schools and there grew up and were married. They later located in Wisconsin, where they lived until 1878, when they came to Brown county, Kansas, where they resided until 1881, when they located in Marshall county. Here they established their home on a farm and be- came prominent in the social and the civic life of the district. They resided on their home farm in the county until the time of their deaths, some years ago. They were the parents of nine children, who became representative citizens of the community in which they located.
To Fred and Anna (Wetzler) Obermeyer have been born the follow- ing children: Wilda and Charles Russell. Wilda is now the wife of F. Weber, one of the well-known residents of Franklin township, Marshall county, and Charles Russell is now at home. Mr. and Mrs. Obermeyer have long been active in the social and the moral life of the community. They have ever taken the keenest interest in the educational and the physical development of the township and county, in which they have lived for so many years. Their lives have been active ones and they have accomplished much that is worthy of note. They are progressive and hospitable people, and one of their greatest pleasures is in the entertainment of their neigh- bors and friends.
Mr. Obermeyer is identified with the Democratic party, and while he has never been an office seeker, he has taken the greatest interest in the affairs of the township and county, and because of his high ideals and excellent judgment, his advice is often sought in matters that pertain to the welfare of the community. As a successful farmer and breeder of high-grade stock. Mr. Obermeyer is recognized as among the most successful in the county. He keeps the best of stock and among his herd of Shorthorn cattle and his fine Duroc-Jersey hogs are to be seen some of the finest specimens of these animals, their sires being selected with the greatest care. Mr. Obermeyer and Mr. Smith have one of the finest thoroughbred Percheron horses, which won the gold medal in France and was shipped to this country in 1914. He is now five years of age and is a splendid specimen of his class. He was obtained from Frank Iams, of St. Paul, who imported him to this country.
In addition to his large interests on the farm, Mr. Obermeyer is in-
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terested in the State Bank at Marietta and is vice-president of the institu- tion. He is also a stockholder and a director of the Farmers' Elevator Com- pany of Marietta. He is a man of much ability and is possessed of rare judgment and much business acumen, and is today recognized as one of the substantial and successful men of the county.
HENRY MAITLAND.
One of the best known residents of Summerfield, Marshall county, is Henry Maitland, who was born in Middlesex, England, on January 13. 1841, and is the son of James H. and Mary M. ( Dupleir ) Maitland. The father was born in 1810. The parents were also natives of that country; there they received their education in the public schools, grew to maturity and there they died. The father was a great traveler. He had independent means and visited many countries, among them this country. It was in 1826 that the father, James Maitland, came to the United States, and remained here for some time. He returned to England and married in 1839. He intended to return to America, but he died in England in 1867. James and Mary Maitland were of good families, who were hekl in the highest regard in the community in which they lived. They were ever active in the social and the religious life of the district, and were honest and thrifty people, who took the keenest interest in the moral and educa- tional welfare of their children.
Henry Maitland received his education in the schools of England and there spent his early life. In 1854 he came to America and located at Haverhill. Massachusetts, where he was employed as a laborer. He later came to Illinois and in 1863 he enlisted in the First Missouri Light Artil- lery and did good service with the Union forces until the close of the Civil War. He was at the battle of Black River near Vicksburg, and was in the Atlanta campaign with General Sherman, and fought with the forces of General Thomas at Franklin and Nashville, two of the hardest-fought and most destructive battles of the war. After the war. Mr. Maitland located at Lebanon, Illinois, where he was married on December 29, 18)5. to Mary Douglas Clark, who was a native of County Down, Ireland, where she was born on September 14. 1840. After their marriage they contin- ued to live at Lebanon and at Trenton, Illinois, until 1869, when they came to Kansas, and established their home on a farm near Irving. Blue Rapids,
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Marshall county, and there Mr. Maitland engaged in general farming and stock raising, with much success until 1898, when he came to Summerfield, and was at that time the second man to settle on what is now the site of the city of Summerfield. The old Pawnee court house had been moved here, and is now the residence of J. W. Woodward and family. On their arrival. Mrs. Maitland was startled by the local conditions and it was a wonder to her what they were going to do. Mr. Maitland had prepared a small house, fourteen by sixteen feet, in which he, his wife and five children were to live. Not alone was the house to serve as a residence, but as an office for the father, who had been elected a justice of the peace. The tiny shack was a decided contrast for Mrs. Maitland, who had just left a comfortable home on the farm, near Irving. There was a rush to Sum- merfield at that time, owing to the possibility of the town becoming a railroad division point and property was selling rapidly. Mr. Maitland says that he purchased five hundred dollars' worth of lots at the time and did not know where his property was, owing to imperfect descriptions. The town built up rapidly. most of the building being done on Front, or Railroad street and Main street was at that time a big ditch, and as such remained until after the big fire some years ago. After the fire the dirt and trash were thrown in the ditch and thus made Main street one of the best roads in the country. It was then that the business houses began to be located on this street.
During his residence in Illinois, after the war, Mr. Maitland devoted three years of his life to teaching, then after locating in Blue Rapids town- ship he engaged in farming. also teaching. In the early seventies he taught at the Lamb school house near Irving. Since taking up his residence in Summerfield he has held the position of justice of the peace. He was re-elected in 1916, and had no opposition, as both Democrats and Republi- cans voted for him, he being a popular man and competent for the position that he has held for so many years. He and his wife are active members of the United Presbyterian church and have long been prominent in the social and religious life of the district. Mr. Maitland is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and holds his membership in the post at Irving. He is also a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Eastern Star. For thirty years he has served as secretary of the Masonic lodge. he having been secretary of the lodge at Irving before serving in that capacity at Summerfield. He served for four years as trustee of Blue Rapids township, and since coming to Summerfield has served as a member of the school board for many years.
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He taught school for a time in Blue Rapids township, and is the oklest living school teacher in Marshall county, he having taught in the county as early as 1870.
Henry and Mary Maitland are the parents of the following children : Clark, a barber of Kirksville. Missouri: Margaret Walters, whose husband is a real-estate dealer of Abeline. Kansas: Martha Ryan, of Park, Gove county, Kansas, where Mr. Ryan is engaged in the hardware business : Edward, of Bogart. Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. Maitland celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on December 29. 1915. at which time they received the congratulations of the resident population of their home city. Many substantial presents were given them in token of the high regard in which they are held by the home folks. Mr. Maitland is known as the father of Summerfield. as he has been identified with the best interests of the place since it was a wild tract of land. He has always given his best efforts to its growth and development, and today takes the greatest pride in its growth and development.
FRED R. JOSEPH.
Among the prosperous and successful farmers and stockmen of Mar- shall county is Fred R. Joseph, who is the owner of ninety-six acres of the best of land, much of which with the house and barn, is in the city limits of Summerfieldl.
Mr. Joseph was born in Benton county, Iowa, on August 21. 1867, the son of Mathias and Elizabeth ( Swer ) Joseph. Mathias and Elizabeth Joseph were natives of Frankfort, Germany, the former having been born in 1832 and the latter in 1830. When one year of age. Mrs. Joseph came with her parents to the United States and located at Philadelphia, where the family lived for many years. In 1850 Mathias Joseph, who received his education in Germany, came to this country when he was eighteen years of age. Ile also settled in Philadelphia and there he and Elizabeth Swer were married. They continued to reside in that city until 1854. when they came to lowa, where they established their home on a farm on which they remained until 1836, when they moved to Towa county. Iowa, where they lived for one year. then coming to Marshall county. They purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land. on part of which is now located the city of Summerfield. Mr. Joseph engaged in general farming and stock raising for a number of years and in 1881 sokl one hundred and sixty acres of
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the tract. He and his sons then purchased four hundred and eighty acres at Barnes when the Indian Reservation was sold. On this farm he made his home until the time of his death in 1896; his widow survived him until 1914.
Mathias and Elizabeth Joseph were the parents of the following chil- dren: Mary, Charles C., W. H., John, Fred R., Mrs. L. Wilson, Martha and M. G. Mary Hart is a resident of Benton county, Iowa: Charles C. is a resident of Marshall county, and is a successful farmer north of Oketo; W. H. lives at Lincoln, Illinois; John died in 1888; Mrs. L. Wilson is a resident of Cottage Hill township: Martha Roach died in Marysville in 1904, and M. G. is a farmer in Minnesota, where he is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land.
Fred'R. Joseph received his education in the old Mission Creek school house, and was reared on the home farm. At the age of twenty-two years he was engaged as a traveling expert machinist and remained in that work for four years. He then purchased a part of the old home farm at Sum- merfield, consisting of ninety-six acres. Here he has erected a beautiful eight-room house: a large barn, twenty-eight by thirty-six feet, a cattle barn. sixteen by twenty-four feet, and a hog barn, ten by twenty-four feet. The house is modern in every way, being supplied with water and bath and is one of the substantial places of Summerfield.
In December, 1896, Fred R. Joseph was married to Mary Wooster, of Beattie, Marshall county, the daughter of John Wooster and wife. well-known people of that section of the county. To this union two children have been born. Paul and Marie. Paul was born on January 13, 1899, and is now a junior in the Summerfield high school; Marie was born on October 20, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph are members of the Catholic church and have long been prominent in the social life of the township. Mr. Joseph has always taken a keen interest in local affairs, particularly those of Summerfield, in which his father took so much interest when it was founded. At that time a part of the original farm was platted, when he gave to the town a strip of land so as to leave the streets open.
Mr. Joseph is identified with the Democratic party and is a great admirer of President Wilson. . Although he is not an office seeker, he uses his best efforts in the selection of good men to administer the affairs of the township and the county. He is progressive and is an advocate of substan- tial public improvements. Good roads and good schools are to him two essential factors in the growth and development of any section. He is an active member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
MARSILALL COUNTY, KANSAS.
JOHN HOWES.
Among the successful farmers of Oketo township, who deserve men- tion in the history of Marshall county, is John Howes, trustee of his home township and the owner of a farm of ninety-five acres of land. He was born in the township on July 10. 1870, on the old homestead and is the son of Thomas and Eliza ( Loveridge) Howes.
Thomas and Eliza Ilowes were born in England in 1841 and there grew to maturity. They were later married and in 1866 they decided to seek a home in America. On their arrival in the United States they at once came to Kansas and homesteaded a tract of land in Oketo township. Marshall county. A log cabin was soon erected on the tract and in this the little family lived for some years. At that time there were but two or three houses in Marysville, and the territory was sparsely settled. The first few years of their lives were hard ones and they experienced many of the hardships of the early pioneer on the plains of Kansas. The farm in time was thoroughly developed and improved and today Mr. Howes is recognized as one of the substantial retired farmers and stockmen of his township. During those early days both Mr. and Mrs. Howes took the deepest interest in local affairs and were among the early advocates of the establishment of good schools and the general development of the district. They were the parents of the following children: Charles, Mary, John, Lillie, Lottie, Esther, Louisa and Walter, and one who died in infancy. Charles is now a resident of Pottawatomie county: Mary died in 1899: Lillie is the wife of John A. Triggs and resides in Oketo; Lottie is the wife of S. T. Herring and they are residents of Oketo township; Esther Gillette is a resident of the county; Louisa is the wife of Frank Tatman, and is also a resident here, and Walter resides in Oketo township.
John Howes received his education in the schools of Blue Valley dis- trict and attended during his first days in the old log school house. 11e was reared on the home farm, where he assisted his father with the work until he was twenty-nine years of age, when he engaged in farming for himself. He then moved to his present home farm. On October 4, 1899. Mr. Howes was married to Alice Blackmer, who was born on December 14. 1876, on the old homestead in section 28, Oketo township, and is the daughter of Marvin and Augusta (Graves) Blackmer. Her father was a native of the state of New York, her mother a native of Maine. They were married in Illinois in 1869 and came to Kansas, where they home- steaded land in Oketo township. Marshall county. The father was born
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in 1839 and died in 1893, and the mother was born in 1837 and died in the year 1907. They were among the prominent people of the district in which they lived and had much to do with the development of their home township as well as the county. They were the parents of the following children: Eva McNulty, who died in May, 1910; Ralph, who died at the age of two years; Alice, the wife of John Howes; Marvin, a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mr. Howes has always taken a prominent part in the affairs of the township and is one of the influential men of the district. For the past eight years he has served as trustee of his home township and was chair- man for nine years of the local school board, and during his membership on the board the schools of the district took high rank among the schools of the county. He is a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. and Mrs. Howes are the parents of four children, Fred, Garth and Wayne, and one that died in infancy. They are among the substantial people of the com- munity and are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know them.
HENRY A. BERENS.
Henry A. Berens, a well-established and successful merchant of Sum- merfield, Marshall county, was born in Carroll county, Iowa, on January 28, 1876, the son of Clemimens and Marie 'Berens.
Henry A. Berens received his education in the public schools of his home locality and grew to manhood on the farm, and as a lad assisted with the farm work. After completing his education in the common schools he attended the Dennison Normal school and later completed a course in a business college. He then became bookkeeper and cashier for the large department store of J. P. Miller & Company for five years. He was then married and moved to Elkton, South Dakota, where he purchased a general store and engaged in business for himself until 1906, when he sold the busi- ness and came to Summerfield, Kansas. Here he purchased a stock of goods valued at twelve thousand dollars. This store he developed into one of the finest in this section of the county. He put in an up-to-date stock of goods, and today with his twenty-thousand-dollar stock he is one of the prominent and successful business men of the county. In addition to his extensive mer- cantile business, he is the owner of four hundred acres of the best land in
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Pawnee and Marshall counties. He also has one hundred and twenty-five acres that adjoins the incorporation of Summerfield, where he is feeding one hundred and seventy-five head of cattle. He takes much interest in the rais- ing of Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. He now has over two hun- dred head of hogs, that are recognized as among the very best in the county.
Henry A. Berens has always taken an active interest in the local affairs of the district. and is recognized as an independent Republican. Six years ago he was elected to the city council and is still a member of that body. . As a member of the council his work and influence have been of great value to the development of the city. Ile has given the best service and has devoted his ability to the interests of the city. During his tenure of office. it has been his ambition to do good for the people. In this he has been successful and today he is known as a true representative of the people.
In 1902 Henry A. Berens was united in marriage to Elenora Heiman. the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Heiman. Elenora ( Heiman) Berens was born in 1880. in Nemaha county, Kansas, and there she received her education in the common schools. To Mr. and Mrs. Berens have been born two children, Beatrice, who was born on April 19, 1906, at Elkton, South Dakota. and Norbert, who was born on November 23. 1910, at Summerfield, Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Berens are members of the Catholic church at Sum- merfield, and are prominent in the social life of the district. One of their greatest pleasures is the entertainment of their neighbors and friends.
HIERMAN R. FISHER.
Herman R. Fisher, well-known florist at Marysville and the proprietor of a well-established and flourishing greenhouse in that city, is a native of Germany, but has been a resident of this country since he was three years of age. He was born in West Prussia on May 22. 1867. son of Christian and Louise ( Schultz) Fisher, natives of that same country, who were the parents of seven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the last- born and of whom five are still living.
Christian Fisher was a laborer in his native country and died there in the year 1870, after which, in that same year, his widow and her three youngest children came to this country and located at Milwaukee. Wis- consin. Mrs. Fisher was without money and shortly after her arrival at Milwaukee two of her children were stricken with typhoid fever. For a
HERMAN R. FISHER AND OFFICE.
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time the little family was compelled to live in an old barn and the outlook for brighter days in the new country was far from promising. Some time later Mrs. Fisher married John Gerber, a farmer, who settled in Blue Earth county, Minnesota, but later returned to Milwaukee, where Mrs. Gerber spent her last days, her death occurring in 1897, she then being seventy-four years of age.
Herman R. Fisher was but a child when his mother and his stepfather settled in Minnesota and he there received a limited education in the district school in the neighborhood of his home in Blue Earth county. At the age of ten years he started out working for himself, working on his brother's farm and helping to clear the same of the growth of timber that cumbered the same, at an early age driving an ox-team and hauling logs to the saw- mill. He worked on farms in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois and then returned to Milwaukee, where he took employment in the machine shops of E. P. Allis & Company. He later began working on a fruit and vege- table farm and was thus engaged for two years, there acquiring his liking for the line of endeavor in which he later was destined to become so suc- cessful, floral culture in his case being the outcome of the experience he gained in the culture of fruits and vegetables on that Milwaukee truck farm. Mr. Fisher later worked at various jobs and in 1901 started to work in a Milwaukee greenhouse, presently being promoted to the position of foreman in the same. Later he became a traveling florist and before he eventually settled down had worked as a florist in eighteen states. He was located at Falls City, Nebraska, for six months and in 1910, a few months after his marriage, moved to Marysville, this county, where he engaged in the greenhouse business in partnership with D. VonRiesen. That part- nership continued for nine months, at the end of which time Mr. Fisher bought his partner's interest in the business and has since been conducting the same alone, being now the owner of a very substantial and well-devel- oped property, where his extensive and well-equipped greenhouses stand. and has long been regarded as one of the leading florists in this part of the state, demands for his products being much more than merely local. Mr. Fisher located at Marysville with but little capital, but by the exercise of his rare skill and sound judgment in business has prospered and has built up a fine business in his line. Mr. Fisher is "independent" in his political views, but has ever given his intelligent attention to local civic affairs and has rendered valuable service to the community as a member of the Marys- ville city council.
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