USA > Kansas > Nemaha County > History of Nemaha County, Kansas > Part 75
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
680
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
one child, Virginia J .; Dr. David Hurst Fitzgerald, dentist at Seneca ; James W., died in youth. The mother of the foregoing children was born in Kansas, September, 1869, and was a daughter of William and Sarah (Longue) Leibig. William Leibig was born in Germany in 1846; came to America with his father when a young man; enlisted in a Kan- sas regiment and served throughout the Civil war, was wounded in battle; and after his discharge located in Nemaha county and dealt in horses until 1888; sold out and retired to a home in St. Joseph, Mo .; was a member of the Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World, Grand Army of the Republic, and a Republican in politics. Sarah, his wife, was born in Kansas in 1842 and died in 1886. William and Sarah Leibig were the parents of four children, namely: Mrs. Dora Boyce, California ; Charles, a telephone operator at St. Joseph, Mo .; Ella, de- ceased wife of Dr. Fitzgerald; Ida, died in youth.
In 1897 Dr. Fitzgerald espoused in marriage, Miss Alice G. John- son, of Muscogee, Okla., who was born in Illinois in 1866, and is a daughter of William and Julia Johnson, who were the parents of the following children, namely: Mrs. Mamie Hervey, Kansas City, Mo .; mother of two children, namely: Mary and Sydney ; Walter P., superin- tendent Muscogee, Okla., water works, and has one child, Helen; Rich- ard S., master mechanic Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad, Mus- cogee, Okla., and has one child, Esther; Mrs. Ida Smelzer, Kansas City, Kans., whose husband is chief operator Western Union Telegraph Company ; Mrs. Eva Crum, telephone operator, main station, at Kansas City, Mo., and Lula. Mrs. Fitzgerald was educated in Missouri, quali- fied for the teaching profession, but never taught. For the past ten years she has been chief operator and manager for the Kelly exchange of the Bell Telephone Company, and has filled the office of post mistress for the past year.
Dr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald attend the Methodist Episcopal church. Dr. Fitzgerald is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Kelly Lodge No. 570, the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, No. 53, of Wetmore, Kans., and the Knights of Pythias of Seneca.
Michael Eisenbarth, retired, Kelly, Kans., was born at Differton, _ Germany, June 29, 1848, and is a son of John and Anna (Larson) Eisen- barth, natives of Germany. John Eisenbarth, his father, was born in 1813, and was employed in the coal mines of his native land until his death in 1870. His wife, Anna, was born in 1820, and died in 1890. John and Anna Eisenbarth were the parents of eight children, as follows: John, deceased ; Anna M., deceased; Marguerite, was a midwife in Ger- many for forty years and now makes her home at Differton; Michael, subject of this sketch ; John N., lives at Differton, Germany; Nicholas, lives with Michael; Peter, killed in a coal mine in Mexico, September 22, 1882; Mrs. Anna Stemmel, Differton, Germany, and mother of five chil- dren, namely : Peter, Margaret, Anna, Catharine and Joseph ; Mrs. Helen Larson, on a farm near Seneca, and mother of eight children, Anna, Clara, Ida, Bertha, Marie, John and Odelia.
681
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
Michael Eisenbarth began work in the coal mines of his native country when sixteen years of age and followed mining until 1870, at which time he was called to the colors, and participated in the Franco- Prussian war, remaining in the service until 1873. He then mined coal until 1875, and, immigrated to America in that year. He first located at Youngstown, Ohio, later went to Kewanee, Ill., and worked in the coal mines until 1881. He then came to Kansas, and bought forty acres of unimproved land near Corning in Nemaha county, upon which he resided until 1915, when he retired to a comfortable home at Kelly, Kans. Mr. Eisenbarth has prospered during the thirty-five years he has been a resi- dent of Kansas, and is now the owner of 280 acres of good, tillable land.
He was married in Illinois, in 1876, to Ernestine Furst, a daughter of David and Wilhelmina (Wolf) Furst, and to this marriage, nine children have been born, as follows: Mrs. Louisa Wiltz, Corning, Kans .. mother of four children: Carrie, Mary, Anna, and Andrew; Mrs. Helena Johnson, Kelly, Kans., mother of three children, namely: John, Henry, and Hazel; Helena and Louisa are twins; Henry N., a farmer near Corning, and father of four children, Laurence, Marguerite, Sarah and Norvert; Mrs. Carrie Koch, Baileyville, Kans., mother of four children, namely: Vincent and Marcella (twins), George and Furman; Mrs. Clara Ketter, on a farm near Kelly, mother of three children, namely. Francis, Celestine, and Mildred; Emma, a teacher; John, farmer near Kelly, has four children: Vincent, Albert, Edmond, and Raymond; William, cultivating the home place, married, and has one child: Wil- frid; Fred, also on the home place. Ernestine Eisenbarth, mother of this fine family, was born in Germany, September 18, 1853. and immi- grated to America with her parents when six years of age. Her father, David Furst, was born in 1815 and upon his immigration to this country he located on a farm in Illinois, which he cultivated until his untimely death by accident in 1863. His wife, Wilhelmina, was born in Germany in 1817, and died in Corning, Kans., in 1901. Mr. and Mrs. Furst were the parents of eleven children, as follows: Wilhelmina Zang, in Ne- braska; August, farmer, Oklahoma; Carolina Charlotte, in Illinois; Au- gusta, deceased; Ernestine, wife of Michael Eisenbarth; Mrs. Louisa Kempin, Corning, Kans .; Mrs. Emma Coleman, Paxton, Ill .; William, a farmer near Corning, Kans .; Charles, Kewanee, Ill .; Mrs. Odelia Zang, Kewanee, Il1.
Mr. and Mrs. Eisenbarth and the children of this fine family are members of the Catholic church, and contribute of their means to the support of Catholic institutions. He usually votes the Democratic ticket, and is a loyal Kansan in every sense.
John M. Swart .- Thirty years ago John M. Swart, wealthy landed proprietor of Adams township, began his career in Kansas. He and his wife were distressedly poor-so poor that all they owned was a small cookstove and a bedstead, which cost the small sum of $2.50 (still in the family home), one table, and some cheap chairs, all of which were bought
682
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
on time. With this assortment of household furnishings, Mr. and Mrs. Swart began their wedded life. They were young, ambitious and optim- istic, however, and were looking forward to better times and the ac- cumulation of a fortune in the future; but, the first year's crops were a total failure! However, it is said that "a bad beginning oft makes a good ending," and the adage, whether true or not, came true in the case of John M., and Louisa Swart, who are now the owners of 840 acres of well improved Kansas land. Can a man accomplish more than this in thirty years, at any other vocation based on hard work and tireless in- dustry? We think not. Men may scheme, invent, or produce something which the public must have and make a fortune, often at the expense of their fellow creatures, but the farmer must delve in the ground, learn to outwit the vagaries of Mother Nature, and so manage his financial af- fairs that his books show a net profit each year. In the creation of a home on the wild prairie it is necessary for him to deny himself and his the luxuries of the present day civilization and to always look ahead. Perhaps it is the ingrained German thrift inherited through a long line of industrious ancestors which has enabled Mr. Swart to make good; we are inclined to believe this, inasmuch as the people of his nationality are noted the world over for this trait.
John M. Swart was born in Germany, March 6, 1860, and is a son of Martin and Addina (Kronlova) Swart, natives of the Fatherland. Mar- tin Swart was born in 1814, learned the trade of baker in his native vil- lage and immigrated to America in 1872, settling near Manhattan, Kans., where he took up a homestead near the town of Leonardville. He tilled his farm until 1886, then rented the place and retired to a home at Leon- ardville, where he died in 1889. He was a member of the Evangelical church. His wife, Addina, was born in 1831, married in 1851, and died in 1899. To Martin and Addina Swart were born nine children, namely : William, a gardener at Manhattan, Kans .; Henry, Rockey, Okla .; George, living in Oregon ; Mrs. Henrietta Nanninga, Levittsville, Kans .; John M., subject of this review; Dietrich, a minister at Holton, Kans .; Mrs. Mar- guerite Barnett, Leonardville, Kans .; Mrs. Addina Debus, Jewell City, Kans., and Mrs. Minnie Bohnenblust, Leonardville, Kans.
John M. Swart was twelve years of age when the Swart family im- migrated to America. When he was twenty-six years old he rented his father's farm for ten years and had many ups and down during that period. He began with nothing, but managed to save sufficient money to make a substantial payment on 120 acres of land in Adams town- ship, Nemaha county, in 1896. This farm was the nucleus around which his present large estate has been built up, and he is now the owner of 840 acres, on which stands a comfortable, nine-room farm residence, modern- ized and equipped with a lighting system and which makes a strong con- trast to the little old house in which he and his wife began life in Nemaha county. On the Swart farm there are four good houses and five large barns. For some years he maintained a dairy herd of thirty-two cows,
683
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
which materially added to his income and produced as high as $8 worth of cream daily. Mr. Swart is also a large feeder of cattle and deals ex- tensively in poultry. Like many other farmers he is an alfalfa grower and has a field of eighty acres on his place.
The marriage of John M. Swart and Louisa Zeisset occurred on February 8, 1886, and has been blessed with the following children : Mrs. Martha Krummel, on a farm near Rice, Kans .; George, located on the home place, has two children, Wilbert and Alfred; Henry, on his father's farm, has one child, Leonard; Mrs. Lillie Johnson, on a farm near Goff, Kans., mother of three children, Glen, Elmer and Pearl; Bettie, at home ; Emma, deceased ; John, at home; Rosa, died in infancy. Mrs. Louisa Swart was born in Germany, July 20, 1866, and is a daughter of Jacob and Marguerite (Mueller) Zeisset. Jacob Zeisset was born in 1837, mar- ried Marguerite Mueller in 1862 and departed this life in his native land in 1883. Marguerite Zeisset was born in 1842 and died in 1881. Jacob and Marguerite Zeisset were the parents of six children, namely : Louisa, wife of John M. Swart; Mrs. Bertha Nanninga, Leonardville, Kans .; Mrs. Elizabeth Weller, Leonardville, Kans .; Jacob, a farmer at Leon- ardville, Kans .; Mrs. Bettie Harriman, and Henry, Leonardville. Mrs. Swart came to America in 1882 and worked as domestic as wages vary- ing from $1.50 to $2.50 per week. She was thus employed in Pittsburg, Pa., for three years and one year in Clay Center, Kans., previous to her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Swart are members of the Evangelical church and con- tribute of their means to the support of this denomination. Mr. Swart has served the people of his township as a member of the school board and also filled the post of township trustee for six years. He has always been a steadfast Republican. Few men can look backward with more pride in personal achievement than John M. Swart, and few couples can look forward with more complacency in a comfortable and assured fu- ture than they. Like the village blacksmith in Longfellow's immortal poem,
"He looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man."
George W. Sourk is one of the "live wires" and best-known business men in Nemaha county, and his drug store at Goff is one of the most com- plete and up-to-date of any in the county. He enjoys a large and perma- nent patronage because of the excellent service which he renders, and his business grows steadily with the passing of time.
Mr. Sourk was born February 24, 1876, and is the son of William and Amanda (Mitchell) Sourk. The father was a native Scotchman and came to the United States at the age of sixteen and located with his parents at Oshkosh, Wis., where his father had pre-empted forty acres of land. At the age of twenty-one, he started out to farm for himself, and until 1880, he farmed in Whiteside and Stark counties, Illinois. He then came to Kansas and bought 320 acres of unimproved land in Harrison
684
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
township, Nemaha county, and lived on this place until his death, in July, 1910. When the Kansas City Northwestern railroad was built through Kansas, William Sourk had a spur built out to his farm and this line is still known as Sourk's spur. He was a heavy shipper of grain and livestock. At the time of his death he owned 720 acres of well improved land. He was a member of the Christian church and attended to his re- ligious life with great sincerity and faithfulness.
The mother of George W. Sourk was born in Kentucky and received a common school education. She was married to Mr. Sourk in Illinois and died in Kansas in 1909. Eight children were born to them, George W. being the youngest son.
George W. Sourk received a common school education and began life for himself at the age of nineteen, when he took a position as school teacher and taught for nine years. At the end of that time he bought out Dr. L. A. Corwin's drug store and soon afterward became a registered pharmacist. His venture into the drug business became a great success, and eight years later he bought out the store of C. H. Hayes, which he consolidated with his own, making it one of the largest and most com- plete drug stores in Nemaha county. In addition to his business, he owns 320 acres of land in Harrison township, which are well improved, and has a residence in Goff. He also owns the large business block in which his store is located. For many years he has been city clerk of Goff, and is secretary of the Goff Telephone Company. He is a member of the Ma- sonic, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of America, and is a Republican in politics.
In April, 1906, he was married to Maud Ward, and five children have been born to them, as follows: Lois, born April 8, 1907; Lela, born September 26, 1908; Ward, born April 19, 1912; George, born November 16, 1913, and Amanda Elizabeth, born March 5, 1916.
Mrs. Sourk is the daughter of E. R. and Elizabeth (Artman) Ward. Her father was born in Ohio in 1846 and was a soldier in the Civil war. Mr. Ward is prominent in the affairs of Wetmore and is presi- dent of the First National Bank, Wetmore, Kans. Mrs. Sourk was born November 7, 1879, in Larkin, Kans., and after receiving a common school education, she attended the State Normal School and taught for eight years afterward in the graded schools. She professed to the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church and belongs to the Eastern Star lodge.
Charles R. Tolliver, ticket agent at Goff, Kans., has been a railroad man for many years, and has been station agent at a number of Kansas towns. He is one of the most efficient in the service and has been pro- moted a number of times for good service. He is the son of George W. and Mary E. (Limes) Tolliver. His father was born in Clay county, Illinois, in 1831, and was reared on a farm. He lived at home until his marriage in 1849 and then, at the age of eighteen, he began farming on 120 acres in Clay county, which was a gift from his father, a pioneer settler in that district who owned 2,500 acres of. land in one body in
.
685
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
Illinois. He remained on this land until 1902, when he went to Ripley county, Missouri, and bought 320 acres, eighty of which were improved. During the four years he lived on this place he rented his Illinois farm, and about 1906, he returned to Illinois and rented out the Missouri property. He continued to live in Illinois until his death in 1907. He was an extensive dealer in livestock and was an energetic and active farmer, but as he neared the age of fifty, his health began to decline and he practically gave up his work then, doing only what was necessary to protect his property interests. He was a member of the Christian church, having joined that denomination early in life. Everyone looked upon him as a pillar in his church, and he could always be counted on for active service when help was needed in any of the church's affairs. The mother of Charles Tolliver, Mary E., was born in Indiana in 1833, and grew up on the farm. She was married at the age of sixteen to Mr. Tol- liver and, like him, she was an active church worker. Her religious zeal ultimately cost her her life, as she exerted herself so much when caring for attendants at a series of revival meetings that she took pneumonia fever, and because of her weakened system, due to overwork, she died, that sad event taking place in Illinois in 1895. She left the following children : Mrs. Viola Strond, deceased, mother of five children; Law- rence, died in infancy ; Charles R., subject of this review ; Albert, farmer, Clay county, Illinois, father of Charlie, Hattie, Rial and Grace; Henry, deceased; Soloma, deceased, and Elmer, station agent at Hanna, Wyo., where he has been for twelve years in the employ of the Union Pacific, and father of one child.
Charles Tolliver was born in Clay county, Illinois, August 28, 1862, and was a graduate of Louisville High School, in Clay county. Upon completion of his high school work he taught for five years in Arkansas and Illinois, and at the age of twenty-four years he became station agent at Edmond, Kans., where he stayed about four years. He was then sent to Netawaka, next to Glen Elder, then back to Netawaka, from there to Osborne, and finally to Goff in 1905, where he was given charge of the union station, which place he has held until the present time. He owns eighty acres of improved land in Reilly township, which he cultivates.
In 1884 he was married to Henrietta Frey, and the following seven children have been born to them: Edgar, telegraph operator, Neosho, Mo .; Harry, operator, Sabetha, father of Richard L .; Jack, operator, Tulsa, Okla .; Mrs. Mary Steel, farmer, Harrison township; Ruth, high school student, living with her parents, and Robert and George, also liv- ing at home. Mrs. Tolliver is the daughter of Jonathan and Rebecca (Newton) Frey. The father was born in Ohio in 1829, and was reared on the farm and has never left it. He still farms in Clay county, Illinois, where he owns 120 acres of well improved land, but he now lives in re- tirement. He is a Methodist and votes the Democratic ticket. The mother was born in England in 1831 and came to the United States with her parents when she was a small girl and settled on a farm in Ohio, where
686
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
she lived until her marriage to Mr. Frey. She was a member of the Bap- tist church. Nine children were born to them, as follows: Samuel, farmer, Oklahoma; John, farmer, Terre Haute, Ind .; William, farmer, Clay county, Illinois ; Henrietta, wife of Mr. Tolliver; Mrs. Nettie Wil- son, Clay county, Illinois; James, farmer in same locality ; Ollie, died in infancy, and Mrs. Myrtle Fancher, wife of a Clay county farmer.
Mrs. Tolliver grew up on the farm and remained with her parents until her marriage in 1884. She is a member of the Eastern Star and Royal neighbors lodges. Her husband belongs to the Masonic and Modern Woodmen of America orders, which are affiliated with those to which Mrs. Tolliver belongs. Mr. Tolliver votes the Democratic ticket.
William M. Kongs, hardware and implement merchant, Kelly, Kans., was born on a farm near Seneca, June 25, 1882, and is a son of Michael and Mary (Rettele) Kongs, natives of Germany. Michael Kongs, his father, was born in Luxemburg, Germany, in 1857, and when twenty years of age emigrated from his native land to America. He came direct to Sabetha, Kans., and worked at any honest labor he could find, such as railroad work and farming, until his death March 19, 1895, even- tually becoming the owner of a farm near St. Benedict's. He was mar- ried to Mary Rettele in 1878 and was the father of four children, as fol- lows: Mrs. Minnie Rohr, Okarche, Okla., mother of six children, namely : Helen, Edwin, Marie, Matilda, Louis and William ; William M., the subject of this review ; Mrs. Susan Schumacher, Kelly, Kans. (See sketch) ; Louis, on the home place of the family, north of Seneca, and has two children, namely : Vincent and Eulalia. The mother of William M. Kongs was born in Wisconsin in 1856 (see sketch of Joseph Rettele), was reared on the farm and remained at home until her marriage.
William M. Kongs was reared to young manhood on the parental farm and was educated in the district school. When he became of age he rented his mother's farm near Seneca and cultivated it for three years. He then bought 160 acres near Kelly in Adams township, which he improved and managed successfully for four years. He then sold his farm and purchased the hardware and implement business formerly owned by Peter Ketter. When he came into possession of the store the stock of goods carried did not exceed $4,000 in value and Mr. Kongs. by dint of industry and the exercise of decided business ability. has increased the value of the stock carried to over $8,000 during the past three years and also owns his storeroom and residence in Kelly. He is independent in politics and is a member of the Catholic Church of Kelly.
William M. Kongs was married February 9, 1904, to Sophia Novak, a daughter of Joseph and Agnes (Skolout) Novak, Bohemians by birth. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kongs, namely : Albert, ten years old; Philomena, aged eight years; Sylvester, five years old.
Joseph Novak, father of Mrs. Kongs, left his native land of Bohe -- . mia in 1856 and immigrated to America at the age of eighteen years.
1
687
HISTORY OF NEMAHA COUNTY
He made a pioneer settlement on the banks of Wild Cat creek, near Seneca and worked out for ten years on neighboring farms until he was enabled to buy eighty acres of land, which he improved and farmed, gradually increasing his holdings until he had 200 acres. He sold his land in 1905, and bought a section of land near Lost Springs, Kans., upon which he and his family are residing. Agnes, his wife, was born in 1861, and was eighteen years old when she emigrated from Bohemia to America. The marriage of Joseph Novak and Agnes Skolout took place in 1878 at St. Benedict's, and was blessed with nine children, as follows: Mrs. Agnes Koelzer, Auburn, Neb., mother of children as follows: Mathias, Nicholas and Emma ; Sophia, wife of W. M. Kongs; Mrs. Anastasia Massat, llanover, Kans .; Edward, a farmer near Lost Springs, Kans., has one child, namely, Ellen; Albert, at Lost Springs ; Mrs. Anna Pospisl, Rockport, Mont., mother of two children, namely : Leroy and Edward; Chauncey and Ralph, at home with their parents.
Charles S. Goodrich, cashier of the Home State Bank of Goff, Kans., was born in Holton, Kans., February 9, 1881. He is a son of Jud- son S. and Almira Harton Goodrich, both natives of New York State.
Judson S. Goodrich was born May 17, 1842, near Worcester, N. Y. At the age of nine years, he, with his parents, moved to Wisconsin, following farming until 1870, when he moved to Farmington, Kans. In 1878 he moved to Holton. For eleven years he carried mail over a star route between Netawaka and Holton, making the trip daily by hack or horseback. He later engaged in the transfer business at Holton, which he followed until his physical condition made it necessary for him to re- tire from active life. Almira Harton Goodrich, mother of C. S. Good- rich, was born August 12, 1848, residing in New York State until her marriage to Judson S. Goodrich, December 2, 1868.
Charles S. Goodrich was reared in Holton, attending the public school of his native city. His banking career began at the age of eighteen years, when he entered the State Bank of Goff as bookkeeper. In 1900 and 1901 he attended Campbell College, returning to his post in the Goff bank. At the age of twenty-one he was made assistant cashier. and in 1904, when the First National Bank of Goff was organized, tak- ing over the business of the State and the Farmers State Bank, the sub- ject of this sketch was made cashier of the new institution, which po- sition he filled until 1909, when he resigned to become cashier of the Home State Bank of Goff, then organizing.
He was married to Florence Fagan, September 22, 1909. Two chil- dren have been born to this union, namely: Helen and Harvard J. Mrs. Goodrich was born in Sabetha, Kans., December 20, 1884, and is a daughter of Thomas J. and Lois (King) Fagan, the former of whom was a native of Ireland, being educated in that country for a Catholic priest ; but not being entirely satisfied, he left home at the age of eighteen years, coming to America and taking up the study of law. After his marriage, he, with his family, moved to Oklahoma. He was one of the first mayors of Oklahoma City.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.