My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography from the book,  The History of Crawford County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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John B. Kibler, farmer, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1817, and is a son of Sebastian and Elizabeth (Miller) Kibler. The father was a baker, and died when our subject was but six years old. The mother afterward married, and coming to the United States, settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. John who was the youngest of three children, attended school until fourteen years of age, and then spent three years’ apprenticeship with a lock and gunsmith. He worked at that trade until 1839, when he came to the United States, landing at Baltimore. He then went to Philadelphia, where he soon after enlisted as a recruit, and served five years in the Sixth Infantry, in Florida, in the Seminole War. He was discharged as a member of Company E, in 1844, at Fort Gibson, Ind. T., and enlisted again for five years, at the close of which time, being discharged, he came to Van Buren, Ark. In 1845 he married Melinda Burk, who was born in Germany, and who was brought to the United States when two years old by her parents. She died in 1870, leaving a family of four children, three of whom are living. In 1872 Mr. Kibler married Mrs. Diana Bingham, nee Shaber, who died in 1880. His third marriage occurred in 1882 when he wedded Nellie Atkins, a native of Illinois, whose parents now reside in Joplin, Mo. In 1847 Mr. Kibler settled upon his present farm, which was then in the wilderness, with but two houses between it and Van Buren, a distance of seven miles. Mr. Kibler is the owner of a nice farm, which at one time contained 160 acres. During the latter part of the Rebellion he served nearly two years in Company I, First Arkansas Infantry, United States Army, operating in Arkansas. He and twenty-seven others were once attacked by about 2,000 Confederates and after fighting bravely three hours they were captured, two men having been killed and two wounded. The enemy paroled them before daybreak for fear of being attacked by Unionists, but three men were missing and never heard from. The remainder rejoined their command at Ft. Smith, and the rebels fled to Missouri. Mr. Kibler cast his first presidential vote for Polk. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and one of the respected citizens of the township.

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This family biography is one of 222 biographies included in The History of Crawford County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Crawford County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Crawford County, Arkansas family biographies here: Crawford County, Arkansas

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