Notes
Note H522
Index
[Robert Ruhl and Mary Farrier 20081222.GED]
Sources:
Title: Conser Family Tree on www.rootsweb.com posted by Jim Bish
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Book
Notes
Note H523
Index
[Robert Ruhl and Mary Farrier 20081222.GED]
Sources:
Title: Conser Family Tree on www.rootsweb.com posted by Jim Bish
Repository:
Call Number:
Media: Book
Notes
Note H524
Index
[Robert Ruhl and Mary Farrier 20081222.GED]
[2485774[1].GED]
Arthur Martin Conser was the thirteenth of fourteen children born to John and Mary Magdalen a (Grenoble) Conser. He was born May 7, 1870 at his parent's farm located between Gilson an d Maquon, in Haw Creek Township, Knox County, Illinois. Two sisters, Emilia and Sarah, and on e brother, Cornelius, were already deceased before the birth of Arthur making him the tenth c hild in the Conser household. The year following Arthur's birth, his twenty-two year old bro ther William and twenty-year old brother Jacob, migrated West to York County, Nebraska to cla im a homestead for themselves. In 1873, Arthur welcomed a sister, Edith Elma Conser, who wa s the final childborn to John and Mary Conser, at their Knox County, Illinois home.
Just two years later, when Arthur was only five, his parents and family followed his bro thers, William and Jacob, to York County, Nebraska. John and Mary sold their farm and home o f thirty years in Knox County, and purchased another farm very close to where William and Jac ob's homesteads were located. Tragedy soon followed the move as baby sister, Edith became il l in the Fall of 1875 and died that year on October 13th. She was buried in a nearby cemeter y next to the farmstead in York County. Not totally being satisfied with the York County are a, John Conser searched farther West in hopes to locate
a free homestead of his own. He found a homestead about 150 miles west in Furnas County, Neb raska.
As a result, in the Spring of 1876 the family was on the move again, this time to a barr en homestead in New Era Precinct (township), Furnas County, Nebraska, about six miles North o f Oxford, Nebraska. Arthur was now six years old and undoubtedly helped the family with th e many chores needed in the development of a homestead and farm. Over the next few years, Art hur saw most of his brothers and sisters leave their home and get married. Arthur attended P leasant Hill School District # 13 while living on his parents
homestead where he attended school through the eighth grade. In 1889, his parents decided t o sell the homestead, as both were getting along in age, John was now 65 and Mary was 63. Th ey moved to the village of Oxford and as a result, Arthur began to attend high school there . Arthur graduated from Oxford High School in the Spring of 1891, making him the only chil d of John and Mary's to do so. Unfortunately, Arthur's father, John Conser passed away at th eir home in Oxford on December 4th of that year and was buried in Oxford's Cemetery.
With his advanced education, Arthur took the county examination to become a school teach er and passed it. Over the next eleven years he taught at schools in Phelps, Harlan, and Fur nas County. Arthur taught in the Edison Schools about 1900 and while there he served as th e head of their school. It was while teaching that he met Katie C. Smith of McCook, Nebraska . Katie also taught in area Furnas County Schools and was teaching just Northwest of Oxfor d at Buffalo School District #17 in 1898-99 when the couple probably met.
By 1901, Arthur was thinking of marriage and must have felt that the salary as a schoolt eacher could not support a wife and family resulting in his changing professions. In 1902, A rthur took up a residence in Edison and worked as a manager of a retail hardware store. Arth ur married Katie on June 7, 1903 at McCook, Nebraska, afterwhich the newlyweds returned to li ve in Edison. Arthur continued in the hardware business at Edison until November, 1911 whe n he accepted a position at Postmaster at Edison. Not having any children of their own, it w as also about this time that Edison and Katie took into their home a Foster child named Walt er W. Marks. Walter grew up primarily under the care of Arthur and Katie and after becomin g an adult, he moved to Keokuk, Iowa.
It was about this time that Arthur and Katie helped to organize the Methodist Church Con gregation in Edison. Arthur, since about 1890, had been a member of the Methodist Episcopa l Church in Oxford. After helping to organize the Edison church, Arthur served in various of ficial positions in the church. He also served the church for many years as a class teache r and as a Superintendent of church Sunday schools. Arthur became very involved in a variet y of organizations including the Rural Mail Carriers Association during his life. He was als o interested in family history and genealogy as he worked on documenting much of the earlie r Conser family at this time in his life. He also
took care of his mother, Mary Magdalena (Grenoble) Conser after the death of his father in 18 91. His mother eventually moved in with Arthur and Katie during her last years and she passe d away at Arthur's home in December, 1910. In 1918, Arthur was transferred to the position o f rural carrier, serving Rural Route 2, and continued working in that position until his prem ature death in 1926.
Arthur died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 23, 1926. He was only 56 years of ag e. His premature and sudden death, not only shocked his loving wife, Katie, and the entir e Conser family, but was a shock to the Edison community as well. Arthur was very well know n and well liked in the whole Edison and Oxford area resulting from his years as a teacher, h ardware merchant, and mail carrier. All that ever knew Arthur really liked him as he was on e of the best neighbors the community could have ever known. As a result of Arthur being s o well known and his caring qualities, an extremely large number of friends showed up at hi s funeral to pay their last respects. On Sunday afternoon September 26th funeral services we re conducted from Edison Methodist Church in which three Pastors, Dr. Bryant Howe, Rev. Henr y Martens, and Rev. Underwood, all close friends of Arthurs, assisted in conducting the serv ices. Rural Furnas County mail carriers served as pall bearers and afterwards Arthur was lai d to rest in Oxford Cemetery. In addition to his wife, he was survived by three brothers; Jac ob, Wesley, and Ulysses Conser and three sisters; Kelista Ellen Watson, Melissa Watson, and M atilda Thomas along with a large number of nieces and nephews. Katie continued to live i n Edison until
her death in 1941. She was buried along side Arthur in Oxford's Cemetery.
1. Much of the early Conser Family information was gathered from a letter from Arthur Marti n Conser of Edison, Nebraska on August 10, 1924 to his nephew Leroy Newton Conser of Blackwel l, Oklahoma in which he outlined his research of the Conser Family. Arthur worked on gatheri ng family information for a number of years.
2. Obituary of Arthur Martin Conser is located in The Edison, Nebraska Echo, Tuesday, Septe mber 30, 1926, located in the Nebraska State Historical Society newspaper archives collection .