Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 653
MARTIN KIBLER FAMILY

Among the pioneer families of Harrison county the name KIBLER should never be omitted in writing the biographies of men and women who have performed well their part in bringing the county to its present state of prosperity. This name first appeared here in May, 1854, when Martin KIBLER and his family came in from their home in Ohio. Mr. KIBLER, the head of the Harrison county family, was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, November 15, 1821, and in 1828 the family removed to Portage county, Ohio, where Martin in 1845 married and bought fifty acres of heavy timber land on which he improved a farm and resided until his coming to this county. He married Margaret J. CARD, by whom were born: Sylvester B., now a retired capitalist of Woodbine, Iowa; George H., who was a partner of his elder brother, Sylvester, in mercantile pursuits at Woodbine for about a third of a century, and Orrin F., who died in 1887.

Martin KIBLER arrived with his family at Kanesville (Council Bluffs), on a beautiful Sabbath morning, May 18, 1854, the family having traveled by steamboat all the way from their home in the Buckeye state. Most of the houses in Council Bluffs were then mere rude cabins of logs. From there they hired teams to bring them to Six Mile grove to the house of Kirtland CARD, a brother of Mrs. KIBLER, who had preceded them two years. During the first decade the family, in common with others, endured many hardships.

Two years after they came the first sermon was preached in Cass township, at the home of Mr. CARD, by Reverend RICE, a Congregationalist minister from Council Bluffs. Politically, Mr. KIBLER was a Republican and in religious faith a Methodist. He lived an exemplary life, reared a family, brought honor to his name and passed from earth in 1900, his wife surviving him until December 16, 1909.

George H. KIBLER, the second son of Martin, followed a mercantile life until the year 1901 when he retired, having been president of the Woodbine Savings Bank many years. He now resides in California.

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