My Genealogy Hound

Peter Kahl was born in Franklin County, Penn., in 1830, and moved to Ohio in 1849, where he remained four years. He then moved to Iowa, living there for six years, and then moved to Pettis County, Mo., where he remained only a few months before he crossed the plains during the Pike’s Peak excitement in 1859, and afterward continued on to California the same year, after prospecting in Colorado for several weeks. He joined a party of about 100 individuals, went overland, and, although the Indians were very bad, they reached the Pacific coast in safety. He resided in Merced County, and worked on his brother’s ranch until 1863, when he took passage for home, coming by way of the Isthmus, and soon reached Mason County, Ill. He was there married to Mrs. Hammil, daughter of George Spangenberg, a native of Pennsylvania, and after living there for two years he and family moved to Benton County, Mo., and in 1865 they settled on their present property. He is the owner of 610 acres of as good land as is to be found in Benton County, with a fine, large brick building and good outhouses. Mr. and Mrs. Kahl are the parents of four living children, and have two deceased: Katie died September4, 1878, at the age of seventeen years; Madie died in infancy; Amy M., John Wesley, William Edward and Ethel Janette. Mr. Kahl is an Odd Fellow of long standing, and is a Democrat in politics. Mrs. Kahl and two children, Wesley and Amy, are members of the Baptist Church.