VISIT WITH A PIONEER - ELIZABETH MILLER KAUFFMAN

MILLER, RABER, KAUFFMAN

Posted By: Ann Miller White (email)
Date: 4/12/2004 at 00:43:00

ARTICLE WHICH APPEARED IN A NEWSPAPER ... DATE AND NAME OF PAPER ARE NOT CLEARLY MARKED BUT APPEARS TO BE A WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER .. THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY MRS. EZRA WITTMER:

"Wayland--May 14--I felt very much at home in the pretty little cozy cottage in south Wayland where Mrs. Elizabeth Kauffman lives with her daughter, Mrs. Katie Johnson.

Mrs. Kauffman was born September 18, 1848, more than 86 years ago, in Lee County, Iowa, a daughter of John and Anna (Raber) Miller. Great and many have been the changes during her life. I often stop to ponder over the experiences of our pioneer grandmothers as compared to those of us young matrons of today. In this busy bustle and hustle of today will any of us ever reach the ripe old age of 86 an over; and if so, can we set with that look of unruffled brow which seems to be but the mark of time on such good looking grandmothers as Mrs. Kauffman.

Elizabeth Miller was united in marriage to Christian Kauffman in 1869,and to this union were born five boys and four girls, eight of whom are living; Chriss, John, Ed, Homer, and Will of Wayland; (Mattie) Mrs. James Bates, (Emma) Mrs. Will Allen; (Katie) Mrs. Gus Johnson, and (Anna) Mrs.Sam Goldsmith who passed away to years ago. This family was reared on the farm where James Bates now lives and later on the place southwest of town, now owned by P. R. Graber.

Mrs. Kauffman has always been a very active woman, for with a family of that size there were always young people around the house. My own mother often tells how she liked to accompany the Kauffman girls home from school for the night and what wonderfully good times they had. As I sat chatting with her, surrounded by lovely plants and flowers, I could not help thinking no wonder her children and grandchildren alike enjoy visiting with her.

If I had gift tonight to ask of the gods, it would be the grace to grow old, lovely, serenely, and calmly, so that when I reach the time of rockers and flowers, some young matron, fat and forty, would gaze at me and make a similar wish. However, I realized that such a wish was almost an impossibility, so hied myself home where I, a short time before, had closed the door on the many duties I should have done, but which were still there waiting for me and which I enjoyed doing more because of that little notion of mine to go visit another pioneer.