A City Farmer

"But grandfather saw that raising a couple of lively boys in town had its difficulties, so he became a farmer again. He bought a half section of land south and a little west of Jewell which is still in the family." by Gladys Matter Kuhn

[D. J. obtained from Benj Musser the SW quarter of section 26 of township 5 on May 19th, 1886. This land was later deeded to his children on June 3, 1910. Edgar W. Matter receive a deed for the east half on May 16, 1921 and Hannah L. Haines the west half at the same time. D. J. bought on June 14th, 1887 the SE quarter of section 26, township 5, from J. H. Mertzler for $2500.]

Here the men "bached" in the little rock house. Monday mornings grandmother and Lorena would send quantities of food with them to the farm. Wednesday afternoons grandfather would drive home to attend the evening prayer services. Thursday morning he would take more food back to the farm. They all returned home on Saturday nights, attended church on Sundays, and then enjoyed one of Ma's good Sunday dinners. During the busy time in summer Lorena would go to the farm to cook for the men.

"As the work horses and the cattle had to be cared for during the winter months till fell to my father, Ed, to stay on the farm. To help pass the time he attended Western Home School located on an acre of ground taken from their farm. Lorena was in the first high school graduating class. She attended college at the Evangelical school in Naperville, Illinois. There she met a student, John Haines, by the end of the term they were engaged to marry. She returned to Jewell and taught school while waiting for him to start a business and provide a home for her. She taught one term of school at Western Home, staying with my father on the farm and he was one of her pupils.

"My father [Ed Matter] worked for grandfather until he was near 25 years of age, receiving no compensation for those years of labor. He rented the farm across the road south of his father's farm and married my mother, Alice Sill. This was a marriage that lasted for 61 years, 58 of them being spent on this farm. He bought the farm, put on new improvements, and added more land. He retired to Jewell the last three years of his life, leaving Marion and Letha the family home.

"Soon grandfather quit farming and when the rural mail delivery came to pass he became one of the first carriers out of Jewell. He drove his route in an enclosed mail wagon. Once I had been invited to spend part of the Thanksgiving vacation with a great aunt in Jewell I rode with him after he reached our home on his route. Midway we stopped at noon, unhitch the horses, fed them in a farmer's barn. Then we went to the warm kitchen and ate our cold lunch at the kitchen table. Later he became an agent for the Stard Bros. Nursery. He and his Dolly horse drove many miles around Jewell and the surrounding territory taking orders for trees and shrubbery. He was always busy as long as health permitted.

[He also owned a delivery barn in Jewell. It was located on Lot 1 and 2 in Block 60, or on the southeast corner of Delaware and Sheridan. He first obtained Lots 1 and 2 from D. Robertson on August 11, 1883. He sold Lot 1 to Jerome B. Reed on Jan. 4, 1887 (**check month**). He bought the neighboring Lot 2 on August 11 He got it back on July 22, 1890 and kept both lots until they were sold on December 3rd, 1906 to Andrew John Hicks.]

[His Lot 8, Block 8, was sold to Mary Brud on April 13, 1920.]

"A number of years ago when visiting in Stephenson County, accompanied by an elderly cousin now deceased, we took a drive. We passed the farm that Isaac Matter lived and died on in Buckeye Township, after coming from Pennsylvania. The farm was well improved and the soil is rich and fertile. It was still owned and resided on by one of the descendants of Isaac Matter. We saw the site of the country school house where David Matter and his brothers and sisters had attended school. We passed the farm that David had owned before coming to Kansas to take up a homestead. We visited the Zion Cemetery where Isaac Matter and his wife, Hannah, are buried along with some of the family. Here the Zion Church had stood which he had helped to build and taken such an active part in the services. It was an memorable ride." by Gladys Kuhn, wrote late 1970's.

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from Jewell City Kansas Internet Site, 2001 by Leland M. Haines, Northville, MI.

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