Kern Family Sketches
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Michael F. Kern
Michael F. Kern, of Humboldt township, Allen county, was born in the province of Württemberg, Germany, July 2, 1833. He was a son of John Adam Kern, who emigrated to the United States in 1859 and settled in the state of Michigan. In Washtenaw county his parents died, the mother in 1869 and the father ten years later. Eight children were born to this worthy couple, four of whom survive, viz: Lena, who married Carl Haddock and resides in Lawrence, Kansas; Catherine, wife of Andrew Reule, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; John M. and Michael F. Kern.
THe subject of this sketch resided five years in Michigan and then set out for the frontier. He came down into Allen county during the war and preempted the land upon which he has since resided. He was acquainted with the methods of successful farming and began at once to devote himself thereto. The improvement of his premises also received his attention and in his thirty-five years of citizenship he has expanded and developed materially to the extent of a substantially improved, high-cultivated and exceedingly productive two hundred and forty acre farm.
As a feeder and grover of cattle and other marketable stock Mr. Kern is well known in Southern Allen county. For many years his farm has furnished a market for much surplus grain of the community and his extensive interests demand the employment of labor throughout the year. His home presents the appearance of neatness and cleanliness. Everything has its proper place and, when not in use, is found in its place. He planned his improvements for convenience and the arrangement of his barns, sheds and fences indicate the perfection he attained.
Michael F. Kern was married in October 1865 to Sarah W. Schmidt, whose father, Henry Schmidt, was born in Hanover, Germany. Mrs. Kern was born in Lafayette county, Missouri.
During the war Mr. Kern belonged to the state militia, doing guard duty along the border, and upon several occasions was called into the field to drive out the invading rebels and bushwhackers. In politics he has been without aspirations. While he has been interested in all political controversies it has been the interest of a citizen and not of a candidate. He affiliates with the Republicans and is regarded in some measure as a controlling influence in local elections.
This information came from History of Allen and Woodson counties, Kansas by Duncan, L. Wallace (Lew Wallace), b. 1861. cn; Scott, Charles F., b. 1860, pages 195 and 196.
John M. Kern
John M. Kern, brother of Michael F. Kern, enlisted as a private on December 24, 1861. He was assigned to Company G, 9th Regiment of the Kansas Cavalry, Union side, on January 16, 1862. He mustered out of the same company on January 16, 1865 at DeVall's Bluff, Arkansas.
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