USA > Kansas > Nemaha County > History of Nemaha County, Kansas > Part 64
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eight children were born, all of whom are living at the present time. Elwood Wilson, his father, was born in Grasson county, Virginia, and served the Confederacy in a Virginia regiment during the Civil war. He was wounded in battle by a Northern sharpshooter, but recovered from the wound. After the war, he came North to Nebraska, and settled at Glenn Rock, where he is now living a retired life. His wife, Sarah Ann, was born in Richmond county, Virginia, in 1851. Both are members of the Dunkard sect.
Robert E. Wilson was reared on his father's farm and attended school in Missouri and Nebraska. He followed farming in Nebraska until 1896, and then came to Nemaha county, Kansas. He rented land in this county and in Marshall county until 1902, and then purchased his present home farm of 160 acres in section 35, Home township. He has increased his land holdings to 480 acres in Nemaha county, and owns 640 acres in Thomas county, Kansas.
He erected a neat cottage home on his place in 1902 and built a large barn, 38x42 feet in size, in 1910. There are five acres of natural timber upon his land, located in Neuchatel township.
Mr. Wilson was married in 1896 to Miss Elva Welliver, and this marriage has been blessed with three children, as follows: Clarence, born in 1900; Faye, born in 1904; Hazel, born in 1914. Mrs. Elva Wil- son was born in Illinois, May 28, 1877, and is a daughter of Perry and Amy (Dunn) Welliver, who were the parents of five children, three of whom are living. Mrs. Wilson's mother is residing at Centralia. The Welliver family came to Nemaha county in 1883.
The Republican party has generally had the allegiance and support · of Mr. Wilson, and he is a member of the school board of district No. 73. He and Mrs. Wilson generally comport themselves as become honest, hard working and responsible citizens, who are well esteemed in their neighborhood. Mr. Wilson's specialty, and one which he has found highly remunerative, is the feeding of large numbers of cattle yearly, and it is a fact that he feeds and ships from two to three car loads of cattle each year.
Edmond E. Williams, successful farmer and stockman of Berwick township, was born in Oneida county, New York, November 8, 1860, and is a son of Robert E. and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Williams, who reared a family of four children, all of whom are living. Robert E. Williams, his father, was born on the Isle of Anglesea, North Wales, January 26, 1837, and was a son of Robert and Winfred (Edmonds) Williams. When Mr. Williams' father was eighteen years old, he immigrated to America and settled at Rome, Oneida county, New York. His only cap- ital was twenty-five cents in money. During his first few years in Rome, he worked out as a farm hand, and was there married in 1859. Nine years later in 1868, he migrated to the great West, and made set- tlement at old Albany, Berwick township, Nemaha county, Kansas. He invested his savings in 160 acres of raw land, which cost him $200.
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The first home which Robert E. Williams built in Kansas was a crude affair, little more than a shanty 14x18 feet. He built a barn of poles, roofed with slough grass which served as a shelter for his live stock until he was able to erect a more substantial affair. Those were pioneer times in Nemaha county, and Edmond Williams remembers well the good and hard times, which were the lot of the early settlers. The Wil- liams family fared reasonably well, however, and the elder Williams made good improvements on his place, set out trees to provide beauty and shade and furnish, in time, fuel for the fireside. No more indus- trious homesteader lived in Nemaha county than Robert E. Williams, and he worked early and late to provide for his family. His inherited Welsh thrift enabled him to get ahead, and he accumulated a large tract of 400 acres. He was an extensive sheep and dairyman during his active days, and retired from active farming pursuits in 1896. He moved to a home in Sabetha, and died there in 1902. The elder Williams was a stanch Methodist, who helped to organize and build the Methodist Church at old Albany. He was a strong Prohibitionist, and worked ac- tively in behalf of the temperance and prohibition movement in Kansas. His faithful wife was born in Oneida county, New York, in the same house where the subject of this review was born. Her birth occurred July 31, 1838, and she is a daughter of Evan and Jane (Williams) Jen- kins, who were born and reared in Wales. Mrs. Williams is now living in Sabetha.
Edmond E. Williams was eight years old when the Williams family came to Kansas, and he was reared to manhood on the farm where he now resides. He attended the district school at Albany, and also attend- ed the Seneca High School, after which he pursued a commercial course at Gem City College in Illinois. He returned home from college in 1881, and began farming on an eighty acre tract in section 22, Berwick town- ship, which his father gave him. He has prospered, and owns a total of 310 acres of land of which ten acres are covered with natural timber, and 100 acres of which lie over the county line in Brown county, Kansas. Mr. Williams has a large orchard of four acres, and has beautified his farm with shrubbery and trees. He has one of the best farm residences in Nemah county, erected at a cost of $4,000, and which is thoroughly modern. He has a large barn 38x52 feet and other excellent improve- ments. Mr. Williams' specialty is Red Polled cattle, of which he is a breeder.
Edmond E. Williams was married in 1892 to Johanna Fox, and Mr. and Mrs. Williams have four children as follows: Joseph E., Owen C., Edna, and Robert, all of whom are at home with their parents. The mother of the foregoing children was born at Lacyville, Pa., February 14, 1867, and is a daughter of Joseph and Susanna (Baker) Fox, natives of the Keystone State. The Fox family settled in Brown county, near Albany, in Morrill township, as early as 1870,, and there reared their family of eight children, of whom Mrs. Williams is the youngest. Mr.
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and Mrs. Williams have given all of their children the advantages of a good school and college education, and are proud of their fine family.
While Mr. Williams generally supports the nominees of the 'Demo- cratic party, he is inclined to be independent in his support of the vari- ous candidates at election time, and believes in voting for the individual who seems best fitted to fill the duties of the office sought. At present, he is treasurer of school district No. I. He and Mrs. Williams are members of the Methodist church, of which organization he is a stew- ard. Mr. Williams is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America.
Clinton A. Lynn, of Home township, is one of the most successful of the younger farmers of Nemaha county. He is alert to all new knowl- edge, which is valuable to farmers, and is to be found in the front rank of every progressive movement. He has made a financial success of farming and stock raising, and in time, will be among the wealthiest farmers of the township.
Mr. Lynn was born July 5, 1883, in Mitchell township. Nemaha county, and is the son of William A. and Margaret (Wrought) Lynn, to whom were born these children: Mrs. Cora Baker, widow of G. C. Baker, Woodville, Ohio; Mrs. Jennie McNeil, wife of C. S. McNeil, of Home township, whose biography appears elsewhere in this volume; Lena, wife of J. M. Bennett, living with her mother at Independence, Kans .; Clinton, of whom this article is written. The father, William A. Lynn, was born in Orange county, New York, March 27, 1836. When a young man, the Civil war began, and he was among the first to offer his life to his country and joined the New York Eighth cavalry. Company K, at Rochester. He fought valiantly, and in the battle of Gettysburg, was shot in the head. By good service, he had been promoted to cor- poral, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. He came West and worked at various places until 1872, when he settled in Ne- maha county. He was engaged in farming during the famous grass- hopper days but he, by careful management and hard work, came through with less loss than many farmers around him did. At the time of his death, 1900, he owned eighty acres of fine farming land in Mit- chell township. He was a Republican and, for many years, acted as township trustee and road overseer. His father, Leander W. Lynn, was a well known physician and surgeon, a graduate of the University of New York. Dr. Lynn studied at Fairfield, N. Y., and gave many lectures on surgery, which was then just developing into the modern science, especially the practice and use of anaesthesia. The mother of William Lynn was born June 28, 1850, and is living with her daughter at Independence, Kans.
Clinton Lynn was reared on his father's Mitchell. township farm. He attended district school and Centralia High School, after which he farmed with his father. At the age of twenty-two years, he bought the farm of 160 acres, which he now owns in section 14, Home township.
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The place was only partly improved, Mr. Lynn completing the house after taking possession and also building part of the barn. He set out numerous trees and built fences around his land. He keeps a fine stock of cattle and hogs, and raises fancy barred Plymouth Rock chickens.
Mr. Lynn is a shareholder of the Farmers Union at Centralia, and in politics is a Progressive. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge, and the Sons of Veterans. His father also was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was given an emblem when he had been a member twenty-five years. Clinton Lynn now has the emblem, of which he is justly proud.
He was married to Florence Jessee, February 25, 1905. They have two children living: William J., and Etha M .; Fern W., the first child, is dead. Mrs. Lynn was born August 20, 1878, in Home township, Ne- maha county. She is a daughter of David L. and Sobrinia (Buckels) Jessee. She attended both the district schools and the high school at Centralia, Kans. She taught music for some time, and is an accom- plished musician.
Mr. Lynn is still a young man and has a great future before him. Home township is glad to count him as one of her most prosperous cit- izens.
Jacob O. Kimmel, farmer and stockman of Berwick township, was born in Stark county, Ohio, March 4, 1855. He is a son of Jacob and Eliza (Brumbaugh) Kimmel, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respec- tively. Jacob Kimmel, senior, was born in Somerset county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1820, and when seven years old, removed with his parents to Stark county, Ohio. He was reared to young manhood in Stark county, and there married Eliza Brumbaugh, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1828. He followed farming pursuits all of his life, and died on his farm in Ohio in 1906. The mother of the subject died in 1911.
Jacob Kimmel, with whom this review is directly concerned, grew up on his father's farm in Stark county, Ohio, married there, and farmed in his home county until March of 1884. He then came to Kansas, hav- ing made a decision that this State afforded him better opportunities for › amassing a competence than was afforded in the older State, in which he was born and reared. Mr. Kimmel settled in Berwick, county, Ne- maha county, where he bought eighty acres of unimproved land in sec- tion 24. His confidence in the ultimate success of his venture in Kansas has never been misplaced, and the passing years have witnessed his continued prosperity. Mr. Kimmel has added to his acreage in addition to placing valuable improvements on his land until he now owns 240 acres in Nemaha county, and also owns 160 acres in Woods county, Oklahoma.
Mr. Kimmel was married, in 1877, to Sarah Bishop, who has borne him five children, as follows: Fred, an insurance man whose field of endeavor is in Iowa; Mrs. Verna Bowser, a resident of Abilene, Kans .; Mrs. Emma L. Miller, Brown county, Kansas ; Mrs. Florence Brougher,
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living on a farm in Rock Creek township; James, at home with his parents. Mrs. Jacob Kimmel was born in Stark county, Ohio, on a neighboring farm to the old Kimmel place, the date of her birth being January 31, 1860.
Mr. Kimmel specializes in fine live stock, and is a breeder of Short- horn cattle. He is one of the progressive and enterprising farmers of his neighborhood and takes an active and influential part in township and county affairs, as befitting an enterprising citizen. He is a Repub- lican, and has always voted the ticket of that party. Mr. Kimmel is now' serving as treasurer of Berwick township. He and the members of his family are affiliated with the Dunkard religious sect. Mr. Kimmel is a loyal Kansan, and is proud of the fact that he is a citizen of a great State and county, which, for the past thirty-two years, he has assisted in up-building; when he came to Nemaha county, he had very little of this world's goods, and was a comparatively poor man ; time and energy combined with good management have made him one of the well-to-do farmers of the county.
George M. Ralston, owner of a splendid eighty acre tract of land in Berwick township and fancier of Shorthorn cattle, is a native of the Keystone State, and has lived in Nemaha county for the past thirty-five years. He was born February 15, 1858, in Center county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of James H. and Hettie (Moist) Ralston, both of whom were born and reared in Pennsylvania, and came of old stock in that State.
James H. Ralston, his father, was born in 1831, and married Hettie Moist, who bore him nine children, of whom seven are living. George M. was the third born in the family. James Ralston migrated to Ne- maha county, Kansas, in 1885, and rented land in Granada township until his death in 1893. His wife, Hettie, was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and departed this life in Miami county, Ohio, in 1873. Previous to coming to Kansas, the elder Ralston lived for some years in Miami county, Ohio, where George M. received his schooling. He be- came a farmer and, in 1881, came west to Nemaha county, Kansas. For some years, Mr. Ralston rented land in Granada township, carefully saved his surplus earnings, and was eventually able to invest in a fine tract of eighty acres in Berwick township, located in section 24. He made this purchase in 1908, and has erected a good barn since taking possession of the place. Many improvements have been made, which have added considerably to the attractiveness and value of the farm, and Mr. Ralston has some very fine horses and a valuable herd of Short- horn cattle.
Mr. Ralston was married in 1880 to Miss Laura J. Boak, and this marriage has been blessed with three children, as follows: Charles; John, deceased, and Maud. Mrs. Laura Ralston was born in Miami county, Ohio, May 16, 1859, and was educated in the public schools of Casstown in her native State. Charles S. Ralston, the eldest son of the (38)
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family, was born in Miami county, Ohio, March 10, 1881, and was mar- ried in 1903 to Ella E. Mishler, who was born May 16, 1886, in Nemaha county, Kansas, and is a daughter of Cyrus and Hattie (Myers) Mish- ler, natives of Pennsylvania, and early settlers in this county, who are now residents of Berwick township. Charles S. Ralston is the father of three children, namely: Virgil, Forrest, and Harold.
Ephraim G. Mills, owner of a well improved farm of 120 acres in section 24, Berwick township, is a native of the Buckeye State, and a son of parents born in Pennsylvania. He is an exemplification of the pioneer movement of the old American stock in Pennsylvania on its western march in the pathway of continuous development of the Amer- ican continent, and his thirty-six years of residence in Kansas have been productive of good to himself, his family and the community, in which he resides, and where he is recognized as an industrious and upright citizen.
Mr. Mills was born on a farm in Portage county, Ohio, February 8, 1853, and is a son of William and Susan (Mishler) Mills, who were the parents of eight children, of whom the subject of this review is the sec- ond in order of birth. William Mills, the father, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in March, 1826, and migrated to Ohio, where he developed a farm, reared his family, and departed this life in 1902. Susan (Mishler) Mills, mother of Ephraim G., was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and died in July, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Mills were members of the Dunkard sect, and were upright and God fearing people, who reared their children to become good and useful men and women.
Ephraim G. Mills received a good education in Ohio, and attended the Smithville Academy in Wayne county, Ohio, where he pursued a teacher's course, and became proficient in his studies to such an extent that he was qualified to teach, but preferred farming to scholastic at- tainments. He farmed and worked at the trade of carpenter in his native State until his migration to Kansas in 1880. Mr. Mills located in Nemaha county, and invested his capital in land near Centralia, Kans., but, not liking his location, he traded his first land for 120 acres in Berwick township. The improvements were of a negligible quantity, when he first located on this farm, and consisted of a shed and barn, which have since been replaced by an attractive residence and good out- buildings. Mr. Mills is a fancier of good horses, and breeds and raises Shorthorn cattle for the markets, preferring the best beef producing variety to common stock-a preference which is always the hall mark of a good farmer.
Mr. Mills was married in 1887 to Miss Luella Vermillion, who has borne him two children, as follows: Gertrude, and Lee. Mrs. Mills was born March 13, 1862, in Lawrence county, Ohio, and has been a good and faithful helpmeet to her husband, while he was building a home for the future in Kansas.
The Republican party has always claimed the allegience of Mr.
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Mills, but he has contented himself with casting his vote at the polls on election day, while leaving the office secking to his neighbors and friends. He is fraternally connected with the Knights of Pythias.
Edward E. White, one of the best known farmers of eastern Ne- maha county, and a son of a pioneer live stock breeder of Kansas, was born on a farm in Menard county, Illinois, October 14, 1867. His par- ents were William S. and Matilda (Brady) White, who were the par- ents of five children, all of whom are living.
William S. White was born in Kentucky, in 1832, and removed with his parents to Illinois, when a boy. His parents were both de- scended from the old American stock, members of which have been pio- neers for many years. They made a settlement in Menard county, Illi- nois, when the country was but sparsely settled. Here William S. White was reared and also became a Kansas pioneer, coming to Nemaha county as early as 1872. He settled in Rock Creek township, developed a fine farm and became a pioneer breeder of Shorthorn cattle. His suc- cess with Shorthorn cattle became widely known, and his fame spread to many parts of the United States. He made exhibits at many State fairs, and won many prizes at all of the fairs and live stock shows. At the New Orleans live stock show and fair in 1886 he won six-tenths of all prizes and honors awarded fine thoroughbred cattle. He became an extensive land owner in Nemaha county, and was a highly esteemed citizen, although his activities were not entirely confined to farming pursuits. He was a shareholder in the Bank of Sabetha, and was also a part owner of the merchandise firm of Walker & White. During life, he was a member of the Congregational church. His demise occurred in 1905. The mother of Edward E. White was born at Virginia, Ill., in 1837, and departed this life, October 9, 1915.
Edward E. White was six years of age when his parents settled on the prairie lands of Nemaha county .. During his boyhood days, he herded cattle on the free ranges and, at the age of twenty years, he be- gan working out by the month at a wage of $17 per month, which called for fourteen working hours in the day. Three years later, he married and then bought eighty acres in Gilman township, which he improved and farmed for four years. In 1895, he sold out, and bought 154 acres in Berwick township in section 25. He added eighty acres to this tract, and now has a well improved and highly productive farm of 235 acres, located just south of Old Albany.
Mr. White was married, in 1892, to Lillie Swalp. Four children have been born of this marriage, namely: May, Helen, Owal, and Dora. Mrs. Lillie White was born in Maryland, September 22, 1870, and came to Kansas at the age of seventeen years. Her father was a merchant, land owner, and coal mine owner in Maryland.
Mr. White is inclined to independence in his political views, and is not allied with any political party. He is a member and deacon of the Congregational church, and is fraternally connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights and Ladies of Security.
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Bernard Huls .- Among the younger men of Nemaha county who have made good on the farm is Bernard Huls. He comes with the second generation, those who followed the pioneers, yet the fact that his father lived in Kansas before him does not mean that Bernard has had an easy time of it. He made a success of farming by industry and the exercise of good judgment, and is one of the most substantial citizens of the county.
Bernard Huls was born April 20, 1878, in Allamakee county, Iowa. children : Mary, wife of John Koelzer, now living in Texas; Anna, wife of George Koelzer, of Kelly, Kans .; Lizzie, now Mrs. Philip Ketter, of Kelly ; Bernard, the subject of this sketch ; Maggie, who is Mrs. William Dick, of Seneca, Kans.
The father, Henry Huls, was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1846, and was brought to this country by his parents when only three years old. His parents settled in Illinois, where they lived for a time, but later moved to Iowa. Henry Huls came to Kansas in 1882 to set up his family on a Kansas farm of his own. He bought 160 acres of prairie land, which Bernard Huls now owns. He paid $800 for this land, which required considerable working before it was a good farm. Henry Huls was a man who loved to work. He steadily improved his farm and increased its yield. By the time he died in 1910, his place was a model farm and his neighbors looked to it for ideas with which to improve their own farms. Mr. Huls was possessed of the German thrift and that, in a large measure, accounts for his success. Mrs. Huls died January 8, 1916, at the home of her son, Bernard, aged 68 years.
Bernard Huls, the subject of this sketch, spent his boyhood on his father's Nemaha county farm, plowing, doing chores and going to school. He attended the parochial schools at St. Benedict, and at the age of twenty-one he rented land from his father and set out to farm for himself. Mr. Huls put graded stock on his farm and takes pride in his fine animals. He has modern improvements on his place and is always on the lookout for new time-saving devices, such as gang tractor plows, operated by motor, and other modern farm machinery. Since the death of his father, Mr. Huls has owned the old home place, consisting of 200 acres, which he bought from his father's estate. Fifty acres of this he keeps in corn. Since his boyhood days he has operated a threshing outfit, beginning with an old horsepower machine, and now using a modern thresher. He was married to Ida Ketter in 1899. To this union were born seven children : William, Theresa, Anna, Leo, John, Agelbertha and Henry, all living with their parents. Mrs. Huls was born October 29, 1877, in Wisconsin, and came to Kansas when two years old with her parents, Philip and Elizabeth Ketter, who located in Nemaha county as pioneers.
Mr. Huls is a member of the Catholic church, having been brought up in that faith. He votes the Democratic ticket ordinarily, although he is always ready to cast his vote for the best man, regardless of party affilia- tions. Mr. Huls belongs to the Knights of Columbus and to the Farmers' Union. He is interested in public affairs and takes pride in doing his share toward the preservation of good government.
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George E. Keck, farmer, Berwick township, is one of Nemaha county's German born citizens who has made good in his adopted land. When Mr. Keck came to this county in 1884, he was over $100 in debt ; at the present time, he owns a fine farm in Berwick township, and has become a prosperous and contented citizen: whose greater love is be- stowed upon the new land, which has afforded him opportunities which have never been presented to a poor man in Germany. He is all the more thankful that he is a citizen of America, because of the fact that many of his relatives in the Fatherland are fighting for the Kaiser in the European war. Here, in America, is peace and prosperity, and a haven of refuge for the oppressed and downtrodden of all nations.
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