Mahulda Gunkle

Married to Johannes Gunkle (Margaret Gunkle Overton's brother)

"John Gunkle (some spell it Gunkel) came to Lyon County in 1856 and settled on farm land southeast of Emporia. His wife Vianna Reeves Gunkle died in 1862, leaving him with seven children. In 1863 he returned to Morgan County, Indiana and there he married Huldah (Mahulda) Overton and returned to his Lyon County Farm home, where his young bride took on the responsibility of caring for the young children who had been left motherless. With other pioneers in the Free State of Kansas, Mr. Gunkle helped to defend the land from slave staters who came into the state on raids. The deed to the farm of 160 acres (SW-1/4 Sec. 28 T.18 R.12) was first assigned to John Gunkle, August 10, 1960 (sic - 1860) by an Indian named Mar-sa-li-no Ta-che-co, who had received his land from the government as a reward for service (as an officer) in an Indian uprising."

Data, records or authorities:

Family Bible

History of Emporia & Lyon County - Laura M. French

Clippings from Emporia newspapers

History of Lyon County, Kansas - compiled by George Herbert from

History of Lyon County by Laura French

Annals of Lyon County and Emporia, by Stotler

Wilders Annals of Kansas

Clippings from Newspapers found in Emporia

Daughters of the American Revolution's scrap book

Early residents of Lyon County

This record goes on to list birth, death, marriage information for children, grand children and great grandchildren.

Notes for Mahurlda Overton:

Newspaper clippings from Doylene Rathke - name of newspaper not given:

Saturday, March 12, 1932

"Mrs. Huldah Gunkel Dies.

" Mrs. Hildah Gunkel, 89, resident of Lyon county for almost 70 years, died at 8:10 o'clock Friday evening at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Eva Ames, 1006 Union. She had been sick two days. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 o'clock Monday afternoon at the Roberts-Blue funeral chapel. Rev. Claude G. Large, pastor of the First Christian church, of which Mrs. Gunkel was a member, will conduct the services and interment will be in Fowler cemetery.

"Mrs. Gunkel's maiden name was Miss Huldah Overton. She was born October 14, 1842, in Morgan county, Indiana. She was married to John G. Gunkel October 14, 1863, in Indiana, and the couple came immediately to Kansas, settling on the old Gunkel farm 6 3-4 miles southeast of Emporia in what has since become known as the Gunkel neighborhood. Mr. Gunkel died April 10, 1884.

"Mrs. Gunkel is survived by six children, Jesse Gunkel, Mrs. Ames, Ben Gunkel and George Gunkel, of Emporia; Ed Gunkel, of Neosho Rapids, and Charles Gunkel, of Kansas City; three step-children, Henry Gunkel of Emporia; Mrs. Maggie Phillips, of Sabetha, and Dan Gunkel, who lives in Oklahoma; a brother Willis Overton, of Monrovia, Indiana; 19 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren."

Note: Marriage date according to the marriage record on file in Morgan County, Indiana is 11 October 1863, recorded on 14 October 1863.

March 15, 1932

"Funeral of Mrs. Gunkel."

"Funeral services for Mrs. Huldah Gunkel, pioneer Lyon county woman who died Friday, were held at 2:30 o'clock Monday afternoon at the Roberts-Blue funeral chapel. Rev. Claude G. Large, pastor of the First Christian church, of which Mrs. Gunkel was a member, conducted the services. Mrs. Max Harris and Mrs. Jesse Shepherd sang, accompanied by Miss Beulah Wayler. Interment was in Fowler cemetery. The pallbearers, eight grandsons, were John Gunkel, Ralph Gunkel, William Gunkel, Glenn Gunkle, Clyde Gunkel, Miles Ames, Arthur Ames and John Ames.

"Out-of-town persons who attended the funeral included Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gunkel and Mr. and Mrs. Julius C. Thompson, of Kansas City, Kan.; Mr. and Mrs. George Graham, of Osawatomie; Mrs. Edna French, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde French, Mr. and Mrs. Guy French, Mrs. Laura Martin, Miss Alice Martin, Mrs. Martha Stafford, Orville Stafford, Mrs. Alice Ames, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Ames, Steve Ames, Mrs. Gertrude Rightman and Mrs. Maggie Kling, of Madison, and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Gunkel and family and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gunkel and family, of Neosho Rapids."