Anjaline Elizabeth Bohl

GEDCOM Note

<p> </p><p><p>Mrs. Anna Bohl, Kansas Pioneer Celebrates 91st Birthday Anniversary Atthe Home of Her Daughter in Hugoton.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>On August 18, Mrs. Anna E. Bohl of Hugoton observed her 91st birthdayanniversary. Born in 1859, Mrs. Bohl saw much of the settling of theWest and has had a very interesting life. The following is the storyof her life written by her daughter, Mrs. C. F. Bell, as her motherhas told it to her:</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Anjaline Elizabeth O'Neall, third daughter of John E. and ElizabethO'Neall, was born August 18, 1859, near Oden (Green county), Indiana.At the age of two years she moved with her family to Prairie City(Warren County), Illinois, and lived there until she was four yearsold. There her mother passed away, leaving four small daughters andone son. The family interred the mother's body and brought it in aseparate wagon tied behind their Conestoga wagon to Rosedale(Roseville?), Illinois, to bury her near her people.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Later, the father and his children migrated to Kansas in a Conestogawagon, making the trek with an immigrant colony of several Illinoisfamilies.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>They located on a claimnear the town of Xenia, Kansas, on the southfork of the Osage river, in Allen county. Bronson, Moran andUniontown were not in existence at that time. Twelve years elapsedbefore the founding of these towns.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>The family's first home in Kansas was constructed from logs, cut andfashioned as pioneer homes were in those days. Mrs. Bohl recalls manyinteresting and hair-raising stories of the various days on the rivernear their home while the braves hunted for deer and antelope, thebuffalo having decreased in number.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>The Indians were peaceable after a fashion. After resting and huntingfor several weeks, they would move on to the north, Olathe beinganother Indian settlement. For several years their nearest neighborswere a Blackhawk Indian family.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>It was the Blackhawk Indian mother who first taught the motherlessgirls in the art of homemaking, such as cooking meals on an openfireplace, how to knit, weave and fashion theirclothing.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>She also taught them how to wash the sheep in the river beforeshearing the wool, how to prepare the wool to card, how to spin it ona broach shuck, spindle, and winding blades.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>It was then washed again, dried and dyed. The prevalent colors wereindigo, set with alum; fusheen, a brick red and Mader red. Many ofthe dyes were obtained by digging and preparing certain roots leavesand bark from the timberland.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Their dresses and men's clothes, called linsey were homespun from acombination of cotton and wool. They also wove their own featherticking, knitting yarns and blankets.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Mrs. Bohl vividly recalls the grasshopper years. The first year thehoppers destroyed quite a lot of their corn and other grains. Thefollowing year, 1874, the country was eaten completely bare. Theswarms in the air were at times so dense they resembled a dark cloud,and obstructed the sun. Conditions were desperateuntil a man fromSt. Louis, Mo., organized a Grange and installed Mrs. Bohl's father asMaster of the Grange. Provisions of both food and clothing for thesettlers and feed for the livestock, along with garden and grain seedfor the next year's crop were shipped or hauled to the nearestdistribution center.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Mr. O'Neall had a good team of horses, brought from Illinois, but themajority of settlers still had their teams of oxen.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Mrs. Bohl was acquainted with prairie blizzards and the hazards ofprairie grass fires. Her father and brother would plow a fire-guardin the early fall around dwellings, feed stacks and corrals to protecttheir possessions or perhaps those of a neighbor in need.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>At the age of 20 years she was married to Lewis Bohl, a native ofOhio, who had come to seek a livelihood. They were married in March,1874, at the first Osage Valley church, near Iola, Kansas. In 1883they moved to Montgomery county, locatingfive miles north and east ofElk City. They pre-empted the land from the government at $1.15 anacre. After living there several years, they sold out and madeseveral moves through the years. Finally, in December, 1934, theymoved to Hugoton to be near their children and families.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Mrs. Bohl's husband passsed on to his eternal home in July, 1937.Since then she has made her home with her children. The independentspirit and the resourcefulness that was required of the pioneers hasremained with her through the years.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>She has rejoiced with her friends and loved ones in their joys, sharedwith them in their sorrows. She knew the fear and lonliness of daysand nights on the sparsely settled plains, alone with her little ones,while her husband would begone for days, hauling provisions, not onlyfor themselves, but for less fortunate neighbors.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>She recalls slaughtering her meat supply single-handed when provisionswere running low and her husband was away.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In her younger years no night was too dark or stormy that she couldnot go on horse-back with a lantern in her hand to guide her way, tothe homeof a neighbor to usher in a new life, or perhaps to sit bythe bedside of a sick friend, during any and all kinds of illness.She never feared the danger of contracting the disease herself, orconveyingit to her own children. Her skill, sympathy and nature as anurse has been a blessing in disguise to her through the long tediousyears, has enables her to be a friend to all in need.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Published in the Hugoton, Hermes, Hugoton, Kansas, Friday, August 25,1950.</p></p><p><p>Written by Grace Bohl Pomeroy Bell</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Added by Doris Pomeroy Lynde Morris</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>She then lived in the home of daughter Grace, and husband Cliff untilher passing, at age 94, 1953.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In the early years of her life doctors were scarce, in fact the onlyone for many miles away would ride on horse back trough the sparselysettled country, administering to the ill, carrying his medicalsupplies, such as they were, in his saddle bags. Often they wouldremain with a patient several days at a time during an epidemic beforejourneying on to another home. Annie's doctoring skill partly selftaught and partly acquired from the Indian woman and perhaps herfather in law who was a licensed doctor, was sought by many neighbors.The early day doctor, young in his profession, often consulted withher when his medical science seemed to fail, and often used hersuggested remedies with good results.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>She was an earnest Christian woman, who believed actions speak louderthan words. In her declining years she was an avid reader of herBible until her eyesight failed. Her greatest handicap was deafness.However she enjoyed visiting and conversing with friends and family atany time.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Although she never was given much of the material blessings of thisworld, her own life was given to others in service done in love. Herpay was in the satisfaction that she was permitted to help someone inneed. She assisted as midwife in the delivery of many babies. Herfamily now has a tall blue and white milk glass vase which was givento her for her assistance at a birth. The family had no money, butgave her this giftin appreciation.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Her descendants remember her with a smile. She was always spunky,apparently fearless, and certainly determined that nothing wasimpossible!</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Once while living with her daughter Cora on the southwest angle streetin Hugoton, she saw a snake starting to crawl under the housefoundation. Quickly she grabbed its tail and just as quickly snappedits head!</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>This article was written by daughter and grand daughter, Grace andDoris, that their descendants may feel just pride in the heritage thatwas left them by Annie and Lewis Bohl, two true pioneers.</p><p><p></p></p><p>Annie and Lewis are buried in the Hugoton Cemetery.</p> https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LHVG-BNH https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43691502/anjaline-elizabeth-bohl