Historical and Biographical Sketches (Kansas) - Chapter 5



CHAPTER 5
NEUCHATEL TOWNSHIP, NEMAHA COUNTY

The following is concerning Neuchatel township, in Nemaha county: 

The very first settlers on Coal creek, in Nemaha county, we are informed, 
were Thomas, Peter, Luke, and Michael McLaughlin, four brothers. They had 
come here from Iowa in 1860. Thomas had located the farm which he sold to 
Pat McNally about 1875. He had a wife and a son, Peter, who was born in 
Iowa. Others of his children are: Thomas, jr., John and Maggie (Mrs. John 
Ross, now dead). Mr. McLaughlin and two sons, Thomas and John, are in 
Ellis county, and Peter is in Montana. His wife died about 1870 and he has 
since remarried. Peter McLaughlin, sr., went back to Iowa shortly after 
coming here. He had located on the farm which Ed Flaherty, sr., bought of 
him. Michael was married when he came and his wife died before 1865. Luke 
was also married, Mrs. James Ross being one of his children. Mrs. Ross 
died three years ago. Luke and his wife are living near Seneca. 

Edward Flaherty, sr., came to Coal creek from Wheeling, VA., during the 
war. He was a widower and was following the avocation of peddler. He wrote 
to his sons, Ed and George, to join him here. He bought out Peter 
McLaughlin. His son, Ed, married Mary Farrel, of Leavenworth, before 1865. 
Ed's children are: William, Allie (Mrs. Rogers, of Wild Cat, near Seneca), 
Ed, also of Wild Cat, Jack, Ellen, and George. The senior Ed Flaherty died 
about 1890, while younger Ed died about 10 years ago. Ed, jr.'s, wife died 
about 1893. George married Ann McTige, of Virginia. His children are: 
Frank, who died a couple of years ago, Joseph, George, jr., and two 
daughters. His wife died two years ago. 

John O'Hara and his wife, Ann, are natives of Ireland. They came here from 
Weston, Mo., in 1865. Mr. O'Hara had two daughters when he came here-Mary 
Ann (Mrs. McLaughlin, of Beloit, Kan.), and Bridget (Mrs. Frank Gum, of 
Atchison.) He pre-empted the farm where he is now living. Other children, 
born here, are: John, Thomas, James, and Peter. In 1873 Mr. O'Hara built 
his present frame residence. 

Patrick Kline and his wife, Bridget, who are natives of Ireland, came here 
from Illinois in the fall of 1865. He had three children when he came 
here, William, Annie (Mrs. Al. Schwarz, of Soldier creek), and Kate, now 
of California. Mr. Kline bought out John Caldwell, a bachelor, and lived 
five years in a log house 12x12 feet square. In 1871 he built a frame 
house. When he came here he drove through with nine head of horses and 
fifteen head of cattle. His other children, who were born here are: Jane 
(Mrs. William McNeill, of Corning), Rosa (Mrs. William McNally, of 
Colorado Springs), John, and Josephine (Mrs. Bryan McDonald). 

Albert Becker, who is a native of Pennsylvania, came to Kansas from 
Indiana in 1870, and settled on 80 acres of land which was part of a 
section of railroad land that had been bought by his father. In 1872 he 
went to Michigan, where he married Laura Coyle. Of thirteen children that 
he has, all of whom are living, Emma and George are the oldest. 

Pius Becker, a brother to the above, came out with Albert and lived with 
him part of the first summer, when he went back to Indiana, where he got 
married, returning to this locality with Mary, his wife, in 1874. He also 
settled on 80 acres of his father's farm. His oldest child is Carrie (Mrs. 
George Huchard). 

Jerome, another brother to the above, came here in 1875 or 1876. He got 80 
acres of land of his father, which he sold to Albert, while living here. 

Ignatius Jacobs came here in 1874 with his wife, Anna, a sister to the 
Becker brothers. He lived on 80 acres of the old gentleman Becker's farm. 
He had three boys born to him here, of whom one was named Eddie. Albert 
and Pius Becker and Mr. Jacobs each built frame houses on their farms. 

Simon Myers and his wife, Maggie, who were natives of Ohio, came here from 
Indiana in 1872. He settled on the farm where he is now living, having 
bought the farm of Mr. Pratt. He is the father of seventeen children, 
fifteen of whom are living. The oldest are: Joseph, of Cowley county; 
George, of Wyoming; John, Sarah (Mrs. William Fitzgerald, of Kansas City), 
and Frank. These are his children by a first wife, and came here with him 
from Indiana. Of those born here, Rene and Emma (Mrs. Saurageot, of 
Centralia), are the oldest. 

Ephraim Pratt and his wife, Betsy, came here from Lagrange, Ind., in 1869. 
He homesteaded the farm now owned by Simon Myers, to whom he sold out in 
1872, when he moved to near Centralia. While living here, about 1873, he 
had his cattle, hogs, and all his feed burned by a prairie fire that 
swooped down from Nebraska. It was this same fire that burned out Mr. 
Fitzpatrick, of Grant township, in Pottawatomie county. Mr. Pratt then 
went to preaching and moved to the place now owned by Dave Labbe. From 
there he moved to near Blaine, about 1875, and is now supposed to be 
living McPherson county. When he came here he drove through with horses, 
and brought two children along, Ephraim and Ida. Ephraim married a 
daughter of Samuel Major soon after he came here. He followed his father's 
fortune while living about here. Artemus, another son of the old gentleman 
Pratt, came here with the rest of the family. He was married, his wife's 
name being Virtue, and had five or six children, among which were Fred and 
Mary. Fourth of July was celebrated at the old gentleman Pratt's home in 
1871. 

Mr. Dunning and wife came here from the same place and at the same time as 
Mr. Pratt. He homesteaded the place now owned by Henry Cattin. Both 
Dunning and his wife are dead. Mr. Dunning drove through with horses when 
he came here from Indiana. 

William Carter, a son-in-law of Mr. Dunning, came here from Indiana, with 
his wife and several children, in 1871. 

Peter Major came here with his sister Rachel, in 1868, from Indiana. He 
located the farm on which the Catholic church stands. He put up a 
blacksmith shop, at which trade he worked as well as farming. He is now in 
Andrew county, Missouri. John and Samuel Major, brothers to the above, 
came here about 1870. John lived on the Henry Miller farm. 

Mr. Miller was a brother-in-law to Bruce Tryon, and owned and lived on the 
place now Moses McCray's, where Mr. Kauts is living. John Major sold out 
to Mr. Carter. 

Samuel Major had no house for his home while living here. He is at Sulphur 
Springs, Ark. 

James and William Colyer each owned a half of the Peter Burke farm in the 
late 60's. 

Jacob Abramson, a widower, came here from Lagrange, Ind., with his two 
sons, John and Calvin, in the spring of 1870. He homesteaded the farm now 
owned by James Clay. He and his sons went to the southwestern part of the 
state, near Great Bend, where he died. 

Mrs. Philura Tyron came here from Indiana in the fall of 1868, with her 
children, Bruce, Isaac, Frank, and Phebe (Mrs. Joe Gibson). She settled on 
the farm now owned by David Labbe. She went back to Indiana in the early 
70's, where she died in 1892. Isaac homesteaded the Barret farm, which he 
sold to Joel Job. 

James Summerville is a native of Ireland. His wife, Hannah, was from New 
York. They came to Kansas from Indiana, in 1866, and Mr. Summerville 
homesteaded the place that he is living on. His two sons, Isaac and 
William, came with their parents from Indiana. Mr. Summerville drove 
through with a team of horses when he came here. The fall he came he 
worked on the Central Branch railroad, which was being extended to 
Centralia. With him were Gustave Bonjour, F. Theys, and Casimir Stiennon. 
When winter came there came a heavy fall of snow, making it necessary to 
quit work on the railroad; so he and his three companions started home on 
foot through the deep snow. When still several miles from Mr. 
Summerville's home, Mr. Stiennon gave out and had to be partly dragged, 
partly carried, until they reached Mr. Summerville's house. As Mr. 
Summerville and Mr. Theys were newcomers, they were not well acquainted 
with the country, and the snow effaced all signs of roads, so Gustave 
Bonjour went ahead to show the way, while the other two helped Mr. 
Stiennon along. The same year (1866) Mr. Summerville attended his first 
fourth of July celebration in Kansas, at old Centralia, which was a mile 
north of the present site of the city. The fall of 1867 and 1868 Mr. 
Summerville worked at Zimmerman's sawmill at Neuchatel. He at first lived 
across the creek from where he is now living. The same fall he came here 
there was a swarm of grasshoppers that came from the west, but they only 
stayed a few days. Another swarm came in 1868. He built his present house 
and barn about 1874. Mrs. Summerville died in 1897. 

Henry Cary came here with his wife and five or six children, from Iowa, in 
the spring of 1866. They were originally from New York. He homesteaded the 
place now owned by John Parker, to whom he sold it. One of his children's 
name was Charity. It is supposed he went to Arkansas from here in about 
1870. Mr. Cary had a stepson by the name of McNary, who, it is thought, 
went with his stepfather when the latter left here. McNary worked for Mr. 
Grover and for Mr. Colwell while living here. 

Nathan Dressey, with his wife and one child, moved from near Centralia to 
the place just west of Mr. Summerville's in April, 1866. He had only one 
arm. About 1868 he traded his farm to George Thomas, who was also from 
near Centralia, and moved to Kansas City. He now lives in the southern 
part of the state. 

George Thomas had a wife and several children when they moved to this 
locality. One daughter, Keziah, became the wife of a man by the name of 
Chapin, a nephew of the Chapin who was in the broom business at Neuchatel. 
His other children were: John, James, and two other boys. Mr. Thomas moved 
to Pleasant Hill, Mo., in the early 70's. 

A man by the name of Bishop was living on the place now owned by Mrs. 
Pauline Bonjour. He must have come as early as 1856 or 1857. He had a wife 
and a daughter. He moved to Atchisonin the early 60's. 

Elias Hawk came from Iowa with his wife and settled on a part of what is 
the George Grover ranch. His children are: Mary (Mrs. Jennings), Emma 
(Mrs. Douglas Skinner, of Washington county), Sam, also of Washington 
county, Grace (Mrs. James Parker, of St. Louis). Mrs. Hawk died here and 
is buried in the King cemetery. Mr. Hawk is living in Washington county. 

A man by the name of Utzy came here from the southern part of the state, 
with his wife, in the early 60's. He located the John E. King place, and 
made his home with Louis Simon. His wife was a school teacher, and also an 
arduous worker in the church. Mr. Utzy lost his mind, and he and his wife 
went back to the southern part of the state. 

Jere Miller came here, from Michigan with his wife, Fannie, and daughter, 
Jessie (Mrs. Sam Meek), in 1868. He lived on a farm north of Fred 
Vautraver (the Ami Bonjour farm) until about 1890, when he died. His widow 
is now living in Centralia. 

John Small came from Michigan, in 1868, with his wife and several 
children. He lived on the Gurtler farm. 

Charles Keppert came to Mulberry in the spring of 1866, with his wife and 
one child. He lived in the Thomas house two years, and stayed here about 
five years altogether, when he went away. 

Albert Tooker came here from Indiana in the early 70's, with his wife and 
children, Jay, Minnie (Mrs. Robert Lowery), Harry, and another boy. Mr. 
Tooker is now in Wabaunsee county. 

George Skinner came here from Indiana about the same time as Mr. Tooker, 
and homesteaded a place north of Gurtler's. He had two children, Emma and 
George, and is now in Wabaunsee county. 

John Somers lived just east of the Mulberry Schoolhouse in the early 70's. 
He had a wife and children, Ellsworth, Willie, and two daughters. His wife 
died in the soldiers' home at Leavenworth in 1897. 

John E. King came here, with his wife and mother, in 1866. His children 
are: Ella (Mrs. Robert Hill, of Morris county), Lizzie (Mrs. Charles 
Tripp, of America City), and Jennie (Mrs. Sheridan Fanning, of near 
Centralia). His mother died two years ago. 

Mr. Carmichael was living near Mr. King's in the early '70's. He and his 
wife moved to the southern part of the state, and a son, Jacob, followed 
him some time after. 

Benjamin L. Benton, a brother of Mrs. August Simon, was a native of Ohio. 
He came here from Indiana, with his wife, Sarah, who was also from Ohio, 
in 1868. He settled just across the road from the Mulberry school house on 
a homestead. His children who came, with him are: Norman, Mary, Emma, 
Harry, and Charles. Norman is at Swan Lake, in northwestern Iowa. Mary 
died at Ottawa, Ill. Henry died here the year of the spring they came 
here, at the age of eight or nine years. Emma and Charles are living at 
Ottawa, Ill. Mr. Benton left here on the 15th of September, 1874, with his 
family, intending to go to Michigan, but stopped at Ottawa, Ill., where he 
afterwards made his home. He died about 1888, at Marseilles, Ill., and his 
wife died about two years ago, at Ottawa. 

Ed L. Horth and his wife, Delia, came to Neuchatel from New York, about 
1870, and lived on the Fred Bonjour place, now owned by Mr. Theys. He 
lived there about three years, when he homesteaded the place belonging 
afterwards to Mr. Rossier, and now Mrs. Chatelam's. His children, born in 
this locality, are: Tressie, Frank, Effie, Elmer, and Lincoln. Mr. Horth 
is living at Centralia. 

John Eggins, his wife, and a daughter, Cora came here from Illinois, about 
1869 or 1870, and lived on the Fred Bonjour place with Mr. Horth, one 
family in one end and the other in the other end. Mr. Eggins had a boy , 
Pearl, born here. He removed to Centralia a year or two after coming here. 

A man by the name of Chapin, who lived at Centralia, had bought 80 acres 
of land of Fred Bonjour, the west half of Mr. They's farm, and leased a 
half a section of land across the road, which he broke out and planted to 
broom corn. This was about 1869 or 1870. His brother, Charles, was 
associated with him, and they built a shed about 100 feet long, to store 
the crop in. Ed Horth and John Eggins worked for them, raising and caring 
for broom corn. After they had been in the business a couple of years the 
shed and its contents were burned, and they then quit business and went 
away. 

A man by the name of Joyce came here from Centralia, and located the 
Hitchner farm. 

Fidele G. Hitchner name here from New Jersey, his native state, the 13th 
day of April, 1877. He bought 80 acres of the land of John Parker, on 
which he built a frame shanty and lived on the place five years, when he 
moved to his present farm, which he bought of Mr. Joyce. 

Peter Gurtler and family, the only German speaking family that we know of 
that settled in Neuchatel township, came from Wisconsin, in 1873, and 
settled on the farm he lately lived on. He was a brother of John Gurtler, 
of Mill creek, the father of Wesley and Peter Gurtler, of Onaga. 

He had come to Wisconsin from the old country in 1855. His wife, Mary, and 
children, Mat, Anna, Veit, Peter, Mary (Mrs. John Sampey, of Concordia), 
John, and Joseph came with him from Wisconsin. Anna married Charles Dreyer 
in 1874 or 1875, and is living in Topeka. Veit married Alice Londale, and 
is now in Wabaunsee county. Peter, jr., is in Marshall county. Mr. Gurtler 
comes from a family who were remarkable for their longevity. His mother's 
father lived to be 110 years old, and his mother was 99 when she died. Mr. 
Gurtler's wife passed away last fall, and he died July 7 of this year. 

Jules Leroux, who was a member of the chamber of deputies in France, was 
exiled to England when Napoleon III became emperor and came from the 
island of Jersey, whither he had gone, came to Kansas in 1866. He lived a 
while in the Louis C. Simon house, which stood on what is now Paul Junod's 
farm, then moved to the Fred Bonjour farm, now Mrs. Theys'. He homesteaded 
the farm now belonging to James Meek, and built a frame house, into which 
he soon after moved. His wife was a German lady, and she and the following 
children came with him to this locality: Peter, Gabrielle (Mrs. Ami 
Zurcher), Lizette (Mrs. Etienne Pepies) [sic], Paul, Jules, jr., and Mary 
(Mrs. Armand Dehay), After Mr. Leroux came here he established a French 
political paper called "L' Etoile de Kansas" (The Star of Kansas), which 
he printed in his home on the farm. It was a Republican paper, in which 
Mr. Leroux worked for the political emancipation of the French people. He 
had a lot of feed burned by a prairie fire two or three years after he 
moved onto his farm. Mr. Leroux's son, Peter, homesteaded the north half 
of the present Tom McLaughlin farm and lived in a log house east of where 
Ike Summerville lives. Paul homesteaded the south half of the Baptist 
Dulac farm and had a house on the northwest corner of it. He married Mrs. 
Mary Souleret about the year 1874. 

Mr. Leroux's son-in-law, Alexander Petit, came from London to Topeka, and 
came here with his wife, Frantz, and a boy, Jules, several years after Mr. 
Leroux came here. He was a barber by trade. He bought a farm, which 
afterwards became Mr. Rossier's. He could not get a good title to it, so 
he next bought the farm belonging to Mrs. C. Surdez, and lived on it a 
couple of years, after which he went back to Topeka. Finally he went to 
Arizona, where he died a few years ago, but his wife is still living 
there. As Europe has the hedgehog, which is typical to the soil of Europe, 
so have we one that is typically American. Not long after Mr. Petit came 
back here he ran across a pretty , little, black and white animal, and the 
thought struck him that it would be quite desirable as a pet for the 
children. So he thought he would see if he could capture it and take it 
home. As the rose has its thorns, so did the animal have its faults, and 
when a grab was made for it, it resented the gentleman's familiarity in a 
forceful way, and Mr. Petit swore that then, there, and forever, he would 
quit trying to make pets of any and all wild creatures that he might 
afterwards meet in the wilds of America. 

Etienne Pepin is a stone cutter by trade, and a Canadian by birth. He came 
here in the late 60's and married Lizette Leroux in 1867, at Topeka. He 
homesteaded the place where John Meyers lives. His children, born there, 
are: George and Helen. He is now living in Topeka. 

Armand Dehay, a Frenchman, came here at an early day and for a while was 
interested in the French store. He followed the barber's profession, and 
in 1872 he married Mary Leroux. He lived for a while with Mr. Leroux, then 
went to Wamego, where he worked at his trade. After a few years he 
returned to this locality. Of eight children, born to him, the oldest are: 
Paul, Emile, Van Philip and Armand jr. 

Mr. Leroux and his sons and sons-in-law went to Iowa, 1878, where they 
were all interested in the society of Icaria, a socialistic affair. Mr. 
Petit had previously visited Mr. Bossiere, of Franklin county, and was, to 
a certain extent, interested in Mr. Bossiere's scheme, but not being 
satisfied with it, he returned here. The family did not find the society 
of Icaria altogether to their taste, and soon left there, to go to 
California, where they still followed their socialistic ideas. This did 
not last long, however, as some found, what many others had, and are still 
doing, that nothing uplifts a man so much as to be thrown on his own 
resources and to live as his own boss. 

Mr. Leroux and most of his children and grandchildren are living now at 
Cloverdale, Sonoma county, California. 

Alfred Frezieres came to Canada with his wife, Ernestine, from the Isle of 
Jersey, England. He lived in Canada but eight months, when he went to 
Ohio, where he stayed two years, and then came here the 6th of August, 
1866. He had first come to Topeka to look the country over. Making Mr. 
Vautraver's acquaintance, he was induced to make this his future home, so 
he went back for his family and made his home with the Vautravers that 
winter. Of his children , Cecilia (Mrs. Wallace Felt, of Santa Rosa, 
Cal.), Ernest, Aglae (Ada), who died in 1881, and Kate (Mrs. George 
Kleffert, of Chihuahua, Mexico), were born in England. Stella (Mrs. Frank 
Wise, of Leavenworth,) was born here. Mr. Frezieres homesteaded 80 acres 
across the road from where his son, Ernest, is living. The first house he 
built was made of poles set in the ground, to which small rails were 
nailed, and the space between was filled up with red clay, mixed with hay. 

The roof was thatched with coarse grass. He had a yoke of oxen, and, being 
short of feed, he turned them loose to rustle for themselves and to get 
exercise. They soon discovered the hay on the roof of the house, and 
started to pull out mouthfuls of it, for which it was said of them that 
they were drawing straws. To the above house, or rather shack, a lean-to 
was built of sod covered with brush. It was while playing about this lean-
to that one of his girls was snake bitten. She soon recovered under the 
treatment of Dr. Dockler. After living two years in this house, it was 
burned down, and Mr. Frezieres moved into the house on Fred Bonjour's 
place (Mrs. Theys'). While living there he had his crop, consisting of hay 
and grain, burned by a prairie fire. There was about twenty tons of the 
hay and a hundred bushels of wheat, which was stored in a granary made of 
hazel brush and hay. It was supposed the fire had been intentionally 
started by a neighbor who had a grudge against him, and all for no fault 
of his. Mr. Frezieres had a few head of cattle, cows, etc., which in the 
late fall he had allowed to run loose in the timber, so they might choose 
their own shelter. Among them was a cow that had a calf which came home in 
the evening to feed its milk. In the morning Mr. Frezieres turned her 
loose and followed her, expecting her to lead him to where the rest of the 
cattle where, as he wished to see how they were faring. He had not gone 
far from home when he was met by his neighbor and a relative of the 
neighbor who had come for a visit, who, it seems, had a cow that resembled 
the Frezieres cow and which he, also, was seeking. Seeing Mr. Frezieres 
driving the cow along, he thought he was trying to drive her to his home, 
and he and his friend fell in to help drive her. Frezieres, not knowing a 
word of English, couldn't learn their object for helping drive his cow, 
but accepted their help as neighborly goodwill and said nothing. Arriving 
at the neighbor's house, there stood the counterpart of his cow. The 
neighbor's friend, seeing the mistake, broke out into a hearty laugh, and 
then, for the first time, Mr. Frezieres began to realize the situation and 
joined in the laughing. Not so with his neighbor, who thought fun had been 
intended to be made of him, and took the matter as an insult, and only 
scowled at his supposed enemy. 

In the spring of 1869 Frezieres built a log house on his pace, to which he 
moved. this house is still standing. He was a member of the state militia, 
and edited a paper in Centralia at one time. He died on his farm in 1897. 

Mrs. Frezieres was daughter of Pierre (Peter) Leroux, a brother of Jules 
Leroux, who had come here. Pierre Leroux, like his brother, was a member 
of the chamber of deputies, in France, and an Author of note. When 
Napoleon III made his famous coup d'etat on the 2nd of December, 1852, he 
exiled his political opponents. Through the influence of powerful friends, 
Mr. Leroux and brother were allowed to seek an asylum in England, 
otherwise they would have been banished to Africa. Mrs. Frezieres was a 
young girl then, and was followed in exile by her future husband, to whom 
she was soon afterwards married. Her father was an intimate friend of 
Victor Hugo, who was also exiled. The authoress, George Sand, was also a 
friend of the family, and Mrs. Frezieres remembers going, when a little 
girl, to picnic with George Sand and other lights, to a place where there 
were monuments erected for worship by Druids. Mr. Leroux was also 
acquainted with Ernest Renan, and an admirer of his writings. It was 
through the latter's books that Mr. Leroux became a liberal in his 
religious views. Mr. Leroux had for his contributors to the "Globe," the 
following men: Broglie, Guizot, and Cousin. In conjunction with George 
Sand and Viardot, he established the "Revue Independante." Of a number of 
books he wrote, his best known and most popular one is "De l' Humanite." 

Julian Gaume came to Louisville, Ohio, from France, in 1841. His wife, 
Nictorine, came to the same locality, where they were married, the year 
after. In April, 1867, they came to this locality, where they were 
married, with their children, Joseph, Mary, Frank, Louis, and Peter. A 
daughter, Jennie, entered a convent in Pennsylvania, so did not come with 
the rest of the family. They rode by rail to the end of the extension of 
the Central Branch railroad, which was then between Goffs and Corning. 
Julian settled on the Bishop farm, now owned by Mrs. Pauline Bonjour. He 
was a carpenter by trade, and built a frame house on his farm, the second 
one n the township. He died in 1880, at the age of 70 years. 

His wife died about fifteen years ago. Of Mr. Gaume's children, Joseph 
married Mary Malone in the spring of 1868, and settled on a homestead, 
southwest of Fostoria. After staying there a while he moved to Seneca, and 
remained there a few years. He is now at Myers Valley, Pottawatomie 
county. Mary married Charlie Aziers in September, 1867, and has since made 
her home at St. Benedict, near Seneca. Louis was married to Margaret 
Steele, of Seneca, in 1873. After he was married he went to Dunlap, Iowa, 
and in two years he came back to Seneca. He is now in Peoria, Ill. When he 
was last here he had two children, Albert and Percy, who were born in 
Iowa. Frank married Mary Steele in Seneca, in 1871, and lived there until 
1877, when he went out west. The last he was heard of was about 1880 or 
1881, when he was in a hospital at San Francisco, where, it is supposed, 
he died. 

Louis Sauvageot and his wife, Arminie, a daughter of Julian Gaume, came 
from Louisville, O., when Mr. Gaume did. He had two daughters, Josephene 
(Mrs. Henry Reboul), and Louisa, who died at three years of age, and one 
boy, John, when he came here. He homesteaded the John Gurtler farm. Other 
children born here, are: Jane (Mrs. Gray, of Seneca), a boy, who died in 
infancy, Emma (Mrs. Frank Cline), Charles, and Edward. 

Baptist Dulac came here from Peoria, Ill. He had come from France before 
the war, and did considerable freighting across the plains for the 
government during that time. His wife, Anna, was from Kentucky. He 
homesteaded the farm north of his brother , Xavier's. He was a cooper by 
trade. Mrs. Dulac died in 1896, and her husband died two years later. 

Henry Labbe came here with his wife, Madelaine, and children, Cecilia 
(Mrs. John Labbe), and Samuel, from France to Wisconsin in 1856. He came 
here in company with August Seigneur, who is also a Frenchman, in the year 
of 1866. and they both took claims; Mr. Labbe taking 80 acres, which are 
the south half of the quarter section where Ike Summerville lives, and Mr. 
Seigneur took the eighty joining Ike Summerville on the north. They then 
went back to Wisconsin and returned the next fall to build houses on their 
claims. Mr. Labbe's family joined him the next spring. Besides his 
children, Cecilia and Samuel, who were twins, he had another son, Daniel, 
born in Wisconsin. Mr. Seigneur made his home with Mr. Labbe, Mrs. Labbe 
being an aunt of his. 

Mr. Labbe built the frame house at Neuchatel, where his last years of life 
were spent, in 1870. He and his wife died within two days of each other 
about three years ago. 

Mr. Labbe and Mr. Seigneur established one of the first sawmills run in 
this locality. They erected a platform on which the logs were raised. With 
a hand saw the men ripped out boards, one man standing above on the 
platform and the other stood below. 

Peter Labbe, a brother of the above, came from France, with his wife, 
Marianne, to Wisconsin, in 1852, with his sons, Joseph and John, then came 
here with his children, David, and Mary (Mrs. Daniel Labbe), in the fall 
of 1872, and bought out August Seigneur, the farm lying across the road 
north of Ike Summerville's. Mr. Labbe died about fifteen years ago, at the 
age of 66 years, and his wife died in Oregon, where she had gone, in 1894. 

Joseph Labbe, a son of the above, came here from Wisconsin, with his wife, 
Mary, and children, Lydia and Louise, the time that his father did. He 
made his home with his father, and was living on the Ike Summerville place 
when he went to Oregon, fifteen years ago. He had two children born here 
Julia and Peter. 

John Labbe, another son of Peter Labbe, came to this locality in 1871, 
stayed a couple of weeks, and went back to Wisconsin, only to return the 
following spring. He made his home with his father, and married Cecilia 
Labbe on the 16th of June, 1873. His oldest children are: Lydia, who 
married Leon Besancon, and died in 1895; Julia (Mrs. Henry Mentha), and 
Edward. 

Peter Lacour, also a native of France, and his wife came from Louisville, 
Ohio, in the spring of 1868. He had the following children when he came: 
Clemence (Mrs. Bruce Tyron, of Irving), August and Joseph. He homesteaded 
80 acres of land in the northwest corner of the township. his wife, now 
dead, had a cancer which destroyed her sense of smell. His son, August, is 
in Oklahoma, and Joseph is in Idaho. The old gentleman died a number of 
years ago. 

Peter Dockler, the French Doctor, who is a native of France, went first to 
Africa, then came here from New Orleans in the year 1840. 

He then went to Cleveland, Ohio; next to Pittsburgh, Pa., from where he 
came to Neuchatel in 1862. the old gentleman has had a very checkered 
career, and was the most popular physician who came to this locality for 
many years. 

Edward Mars and his wife, Emelie, were natives of France. They came here 
from Wisconsin, with their children, Cleophas, and Louise (Mrs. Samuel 
Labbe, of Ontario, Kan.), in the year 1868. Mr. Mars settled on a farm 
south of Neuchatel, in Mill Creek township. The 13th of August, 1873, he 
was digging sand with Gustave Bonjour, in a bank on Mrs. Julia Bonjour's 
farm, for the mill that was being built there, when the bank caved in and 
partly buried him. Mr. Bonjour ran and shouted for help, and while he was 
doing so another lot of sand fell, killing him instantly. He had the 
following children born to him after coming here: Edward, jr., George, and 
Clara (Mrs. Edward Paulin, who died in 1889). 

Aime Chavanne came to the United States, from France, in 1851, when he was 
nineteen years of age. He came to Kansas in the late 50's and owned a farm 
near Seneca. Here he married Mary Ann Dennis. He then moved to Jackson 
county, and came to Neuchatel about 1863, where he bought 40 acres of land 
of Desire Wery, which is now owned by his son, John. His children whom he 
brought here are: Sarah, who died in 1880, and Laura (Mrs. Roberts), 
Matilda (Mrs. Henry Perrussel), and John, were born here. Mrs. Chavanne 
died the 18th of June, 1898. 

Rev. Henry Marel, a native of France, and his wife, Adelaide, a native of 
Canada, came to Neuchatel in 1870, and lived in the Henry Labbe house for 
several years. He bought the farm where Andy Ladner lived last year, of 
Mrs. Charles Simon. He then bought the house where he died a couple of 
years ago, of Aime Bonjour, who had bought it of Charles Bonjour. He had a 
daughter, Tamar, by another wife, when he came here. She died about 1877. 
Mrs. Marel went back to Wisconsin after her husband's death. 

Francois Clerget and his wife, Emelie, came from France to Illinois in 
1864. From there they came here in the spring of 1871, with their 
children, Clarissa, Josephene, Adele, and Jules. They lived a year on the 
farm north of Ike Summerville's then went to Clear Fork. From there they 
moved to Edwards county in 1879, where Mr. Clerget died. His daughter, 
Adele, died in Seneca in 1875. 

Joseph Paulin and his wife, Marianne, natives of France, and children, 
James, Edward, and Edmond, came here from Peoria, Ill., in the fall of 
1870. Mr. Paulin homesteaded 40 acres of land east of Mr. Maelzer's, where 
he died about twenty years ago. His son, Edward, died in Mr. Pecheur's 
house , in Rocky Scrabble, about 1874, and James was found dead, hanging 
in a shed, by his parents, when they returned from a visit one Sunday. It 
was supposed to have been a case of suicide. This occurred in the late 
70's. 

John Lavigue, a Frenchman, came here in 1871 from Nebraska, went to 
Pennsylvania with John and Henry Reboul in 1872, and returned the same 
year; then went back to Nebraska in 1873. 

Louis Kirsch, the French miller, his wife and son, Louis, came here from 
Seneca in 1872. He lived at the mill two or three years, and went away. He 
had a partner in the mill, by the name of Pinjou. We will refer you to Mr. 
Kirsch again when we give the history of the French Mill. 

J. Higgins, a Canadian, came west, from Rochester, N.Y., and worked for a 
while at Atchison, then went to Circleville, in Jackson county, and from 
there he came here with his wife and a daughter, Belle, in 1870. He was a 
cabinet maker and put up a shop at Neuchatel where he worked at his trade 
for a number of years. Belle married in the 70's, and Mr. Higgins and his 
wife later moved to somewhere east. 

Francis Gilson, a Belgian, came here from Wisconsin, in 1866, with his 
wife Therese, and children, Rosalie (Mrs. Armand Chatelrin), Desiree (Mrs. 
Tell Perrelet), and Alexander. He settled on the farm northwest of 
Neuchatel, now belonging to his son. His wife died in 1869, and passed 
away in the year 1893. 

Baptist, a brother of the above, came here from the same place and at the 
same time as Francois. He married Mrs. Mary Simon, Charlie Simon's widow, 
in 1875. He died in Seneca in 1889. 

Isidore, another brother of the above , also came when the others did. He 
is now in Butler county. 

A brother-in-law of Gilson's, by the name of Bougeonville, came here when 
he did, with his wife and two or three children. 

He made his home with the Gilsons. He lived here a couple of years, then 
went back to Wisconsin. 

Desiree Wery, another Belgian, came here from Wisconsin in 1866, with his 
wife and several children. With him came his wife's father, Desire 
Pinchard, who died here. There also came with him his wife's brother-in-
law, a Canadian. 

Mr. Wery bought the Chavanne place of Mr. Mouton. He lived here but a 
couple of years, when he returned to Wisconsin. Mrs. Wery's brother-in-
law, while living here, worked a year for Alfred Bonjour. 

Florent Theys, who was a native of Belgium, came here from Wisconsin in 
1866. He took a homestead in the north part of the township, and which was 
sold to Ed Smith a few years later. He worked a year for Alfred Bonjour; 
the next year for Fred Bonjour, and another year for Louis C. Simon. He 
married Louisa Vautravers in December, 1869. His oldest children are: 
Julia (Mrs. J. A. Bonjour), Pauline (Charles Bonjour's widow), and Mary 
(Mrs. Tom Kelly). Mr. Theys got killed in a runaway accident, 1n 1896. 
While driving a colt to a hay rake he fell off the rake and got his head 
caught between the spokes of the wheel and broke his neck. 

A man by the name of Peter Hamilton was the first to own the Theys place. 
He was succeeded by a man by the name of Stickle, who also owned Aimes 
[sic] Bonjour's, farm, on which he lived, where Roland Bonjour is living. 
When he sold out to Aime Bonjour in 1857, he moved to the Theys farm, 
which he afterwards sold to Fred Bonjour, sr. 

There was also a man who had located the B. Perrussel farm at an early 
day. He afterwards located on Coal creek, on the Pat Kline farm. Then Ezra 
and Steve Lot located the land opposite Ephraim Bonjour's. Mr. Vail made 
his home on the B. Perrussel farm; and a man by the name of Risson, a 
single man, took the farm which is now Zelin [sic] Bonjour's. These had 
all come early in 1856. The Lot boys and presumably Mr. Vail, who was a 
relative of the Lots, came from New York. 

Mr. Risson stayed here but a short while, when he went to Ohio, where he 
died. 

The Lot boys made a number of improvements on their farms. They set out a 
row of cottonwood trees along the road, some of which are living. L. A. 
Zurcher helped to set them. The trees consisted of cuttings, which were 
set in a furrow, plowed by the boys, by Mr. Zurcher, and another furrow 
was plowed, throwing the dirt to the base of the cuttings. We have no 
doubt that this was the first attempt at domestic forestry for miles 
around. The first year the boys were here they broke out a furrow from 
their place to the settlement at America City, so that they and others 
might find their way there. Steve went back to New York in 1859, where he 
died not long after. Erza went back in 1860. 

Mr. Vail had a wife and several children. He built a house on his farm, 
north of where Mr. Perrussel is living. He carried the mail from Atchison 
to Irving for some time. 

James Cooper and his wife came from Indiana in the early 60's. He was a 
cripple. He lived where William Westlake resides. John, a brother to the 
above, came here with his wife and a daughter, Jane. He lived on the John 
Labbe place. 

There came with Coopers [sic] a man by the name of Knous. A man by the 
name of Conant lived on the Dan Labbe place when the Coopers were here. 
Coopers went to Nebraska from here. 

S. T. Sampson came here with his wife and mother from Michigan, about 
1871, and bought the John Labbe farm of Louis Zurcher. He had a stone 
house built in the fall of 1872. George and Bill Young, of Rocky Scrabble 
done the mason work. He had two boys born to him here. His wife died in 
1876 or 1877, after which he sold out and moved away. 

Joseph Milliard, his wife Susan, and two sons, Marion and Loren, and 
daughter, Mrs. Melissa Taylor, came to Neuchatel from Michigan, in 875. 
Mr. Milliard lived on the farm now owned by Julius Mouton. He went to 
Arkansas several years ago, where Mrs. Milliard died in 1899. His children 
are with him in Arkansas. 

A man by the name of Hartzfelt occupied the French Mill a year or two 
after it ceased to run. 

Ami (Bach) Bonjour came to the United States to Indiana, from Switzerland 
in 1852. In 1855 he came with others to near Leavenworth, where he stayed 
two years. In the spring of 1857, he with his brother, Charles, came here, 
arriving on the 18th day of May. The government surveyors were just 
through surveying this territory and were at work in Pleasant Valley when 
the boys arrived here. He and his brother had first intended to settle at 
the mouth of Coal Creek, in Grant Township, and erected markers to denote 
their claims. They thought they would look a little further to see if they 
could find anything that could suit them better, and finally decided to 
locate on French Creek. Ami located the farm now belonging to Mrs. Jere 
Miller, and his brother selected land now belonging to James Summerville, 
but he made his home with his brother. In August, 1860, he drove through 
to Colorado, where there he seemed to have success in the mines. After 
having lived there for three years word was received from there from a 
friend of Mr. Bonjour's, stating that he had died, and it was the last 
ever heard of him or his friend. 

The two brothers, Ami and Charles Bonjour, were the first French speaking 
persons to come to Neuchatel, and it was through their influence that 
others were induced to come to the community. 

The next to come were: Frederic H. Bonjour, a brother to the two mentioned 
above; Gustave Bonjour and L. August Zurcher, who came in July, 1857. 

Fred Bonjour had come from Switzerland in the early 50's, to Buffalo, 
N.Y., where he married Julia Simon, a sister to Louis C. Simon. He then 
went to New Orleans, from there Indiana, and then came to near 
Leavenworth, where he took a claim in common with his brothers and others. 
He sold this and moved to what was then Grasshopper Falls, the present 
Valley Falls, where he also got a claim, which he sold and then came here. 
He had three children then, Adele, Julia, and Fred H. He bought the Mrs. 
Theys place of Mr. Stickle, and made that his home until 1868, when he 
moved to where William Westlake is now living. Mr. Bonjour had a farm in 
Indiana, which he traded for a farm in Iowa, and this was in turn traded 
for a farm on Coal Creek, which he sold to Pat Kline. In 1858 he had a cow 
among his other belongings, and had $500 due him in Indiana. He knew that 
he had no show of collecting this, unless he called for it in person. So 
he sold his cow, that his family should have something to live on while he 
should be gone, and went back to Indiana, walking all the way. In 1860, 
the year of the drouth [sic], he had in about 12 acres of corn on the 
bottom land, and the whole crop was gathered and held in a 30 gallon camp 
kettle. About this time, or soon after, he had a bunch of hogs, which he 
butchered and dressed and loaded them in a wagon, which made a load for 
two yoke of oxen, and hauled them to Leavenworth, where two cents per 
pound was realized. The first house he built, a log one, of course, had 
not a bit of iron about it. The shingles or clapboards were fastened down 
with wooden pegs, and the hinges were made of wood. It had only one 
window. The wagon he used when he done his trading, all of which was done 
for several years at Leavenworth and Atchison, was a linch-pin one; and 
they did not have thimble skeins then and it was remarkable for the noise 
it made. As he lived on the west side of the creek, this had to be crossed 
on his trips to the market, and, when on his way home, the children heard 
the wagon squawking when still a mile away, they would hurry to meet him. 
When he went to Leavenworth he would collect what boot tops he could find, 
as he was a shoemaker, and would make shoes with wooden soles, the uppers 
being from old boot tops; and his children fared better than their 
neighbors in the matter of footgear. 

In those early days, we are told, the prairies were covered with a scant, 
sparse growth of grass, and it grew in remote clumps, from between which 
the wind blew away the soil, leaving the grass clumps much higher than the 
rest of soil; and it was a past time for children, when getting home the 
cows, to walk only on these clumps of grass, when these were not far apart 
so their short legs could reach them, just like walking on bogs in a 
swamp. 

Mr. Bonjour had the following children born to him after he came to 
Neuchatel: Charles A., the first white child born in Neuchatel township, 
born Sept. 20, 1857; Ulysses, Paul, Anna (Mrs. William Burdette), Heloise, 
(Mrs. Lem Burdette), Edgar, Lucy, and Zalina (Mrs. Charles Westlake). Of 
these and the three who were brought here, Adele married August Sandoz, 
and is now in Caliornia [sic]; Julia is at Los Angeles, Cal., Charles A. 
died in Wabaunsee county a couple of years ago. (It is remarkable that the 
three young men who were the first children born in their respective 
neighborhoods, viz., Henry Randall, of America City, Leason Cory, of 
Pleasant Valley, and Charles A. Bonjour, of Neuchatel, should all be dead, 
and all died within a short time of each other). 

Ulysses died in 1875. Paul is in Montana. Edgar died when two or three 
months old; and Lucy married Will Robson, of Westmoreland, and died in 
California, several years ago. It was said of Mr. Bonjour that he had 
eighty acres of land for each of his children, making eleven eighties in 
all. Mr. Bonjour died about 1880. 

Gustave Bonjour and his wife, Eugenie, who was a sister to Fred and Ami 
Bonjour, came here with his brother-in-law, Fred Bonjour, in 1857. He 
located the place now Mat Gurtler's, where he lived several years. In the 
winter of 1868 or 1869, Mrs. Bonjour moved from her home, with her 
children, to a cave that stood on her brother's farm, west of the 
Vautraver school house. It appears the roof was covered with grass, and a 
high wind was blowing one day and the roof caught fire, causing her to 
vacate, so she moved to Neuchatel. It seems that Mr. Bonjour was off 
somewhere at work while this was occurring. He then settled and made his 
home on the farm where his son A. G., is living. Mr. Bonjour passed away 
several years ago. 

Aime Bonjour had come to Missouri, about the fall of 1856, where he 
married Miss Sophie Bonjour, another sister of Ami and Fred Bonjour. The 
fall of 1857, he came to this locality, and bought his farm, now his son, 
Richard's, of Mr. Stickel. He had three sons born to him, Charles, who 
went away in 1875, to San Francisco, and is now in Washington, J. Aime, 
and Roland J. In the fall of 1866. Mr. Bonjour built the first frame house 
in the township. Lumber was hauled from Leavenworth and Atchison, the 
flooring, which was purchased at the latter city, costing $90 per 
thousand. Mr. Bonjour died quite a number of years ago, and his wife died 
in 1895. 

A Mr. Savoyard came out here with Aime Bonjour. He was a carpenter, and 
located on the farm and went to Topeka, where he met Mr. Frezieres, 
telling him of the French settlement at this place. 

In the spring of 1858, our pioneers, Ami, Fred, and Gustave Bonjour, 
hitched up and went to Leavenworth after more recruits for the colony. 
These were Alfred and Charles Bonjour, Louis and Ami Zurcher, Louis and 
Charles Simon, and August Mouton, who had come from Indiana to Leavenworth 
by boat. 

Alfred Bonjour, a brother to Gustave, came here with his wife, Melanie , 
who was a sister to Mrs. Fred Bonjour. He settled on the farm now occupied 
by his son, Emile, living down near the creek, west of Emile's. In the 
60's he moved to where his son, Ephraim, is making his home. He was 
commissioned a notary public at an early date, which commission he is 
still holding. He was elected to the office of trustee for quite a number 
of years. He was also elected to justice of the peace in the early 60's. 
About 1869, he bought out Mr. Schneider and moved to the house vacated by 
him. In 1872 he built the stone house where Ephraim, his son, is living. 
He had thirteen children born to him, including one set of triplets. With 
the exception of his sons, Alfred A., Emile, Alcide, and Ephriam [sic], 
his children all died in infancy. His wife died on December 4, 1890. 

Charles Bonjour, a brother to Gustave and Alfred, came here in the spring 
of 1858, as has already been noted. He took the quarter of land on which 
Neuchatel is built. The first year he was here, while living with his 
brother, Alfred, he was induced to start a grocery store, and invested 100 
dollars in the business, which was kept where he was living, west of Emile 
Bonjour's. The groceries were purchased in Leavenworth. Not finding the 
business as lucrative as he wished at the end of a year or two, he moved 
to Leavenworth, where he engaged as a cook in a restaurant, which 
occupation he followed for a couple of years. He then returned to this 
locality and married Louise Zurcher, in 1864. He lived in the place that 
Rev. Morel did when he died, near B. Perrussel's. and then, selling that 
to Aime Bonjour, he moved to the small house lately occupied by August 
Scheve. About 1877, he bought an organ, the second one in the territory 
covered by this paper, and the first brought to Neuchatel. He paid $150 
for it. His house then became the meeting place, of Sunday evenings, for 
the young people in the locality, who would spend many happy hours in 
singing hymns to the accompaniment of the organ. 

Mr. Bonjour's children are: Matilda (Mrs. Leon Besancon, of Corning), 
Eugene, who lived but a year, Charles, who was accidentally shot, on 
Christmas, two years ago, Pauline (Mrs. Julius Perrussel), and Silas, who 
died at the age of two months, in 1873. 

Luis Constant Simon, popularly known, by his English speaking neighbors, 
as "One-eyed Simon", came to the United States, from Switzerland, the same 
time that Fred Bonjour did. He was married, in Indiana, and came here, 
with his wife, Louise, and mother, Mrs. Melanie Simon, in the spring of 
1858. He settled on the place now owned by Paul Junod. His house was built 
in a location that was the exception to the general rule, it being built 
on the west side of the creek coming past Zelim Bonjour's house. His 
mother died here, in 1865, and he then moved to the L. Cosandier place, 
building the stone house in which Mr. Cosandier is living, about 1867. His 
children are: Lydia (Mrs. Marion Millard), Rachael, Mary, Elizabeth, and 
Sarah, all of Colorado. His wife died in Colorado, several years ago. 

Charles Simon, a cousin to the above, came here in 1858, as has been 
mentioned, coming direct from Switzerland. His wife, Louise, and son, 
Louis, joined him the next year. He settled the farm now owned by B. 
Perrussel, and built the log house that is still standing in the field 
west of here Mr. Perrussel is now living. His wife died here, about 1863, 
and he then married Mrs. Mary Martin, of Turkey Creek, near Seneca, about 
a year thereafter. His wife came here with two children, J. C. Martin , 
and a girl, Minerva (Mrs. Swisher), who is living in the southern part of 
the state with her mother. Mr. Simon had three children by his first wife, 
after he came here, Emma, Annie, and Millie. Emma and Annie died when 10 
or 12 years of age, his son, Louis, died about 1877, and Millie married 
John Morris. He had two boys by his second wife, Alcide and Frank, of near 
Seneca. Mr. Simon died about 1870, and his widow married Baptist Gilson, 
in 1875. She sold the farm to Ernest Descombes and Henry Morel, in 1870. 
Mr. Simon was the first Swiss to get a team of horses, he trading for 
them. 

Henry Mouton and his wife, Catharine, and his son, August, and his son's 
wife, Sophie, a sister to Gustave, Alfred, and Charles Bonjour, came the 
spring of 1858. They settled on the farm belonging to John Chavanne, where 
they lived until 1869, when August bought Steve Lot's farm, the one where 
C. B. Bonjour is living. Here Grandma Catharine Mouton died June 24, 1876, 
and Grandpa Henry Mouton passed away in February, 1880. August Mouton had 
the following all born here: Eliza, who married Zelim Bonjour, in 1876, 
Ellen, Zelim Bonjour's present wife, Josephine (Mrs. C. B. Bonjour), 
Julius, Anna (Mrs. Julius Davin), and Lena (Mrs. Andrew Ladner). August 
Mouton died March 14, his daughter, Eliza, the 22nd, her infant the next 
day, and Sophia, August's wife, the 26th of the month, 1877, all with 
typhoid fever. 

L. August Zurcher came here, as has already been noted, in July, 1857. He 
located the James Summerville place, and soon after, in company with Ami, 
Charles, and Gustave Bonjour, went to Leavenworth, where they cut hay on 
Stranger Creek, for the government. They did not possess mowing machines, 
so they used what is often termed the "Armstrong" machine - they each used 
a common scythe. As the grass was tall on the creek bottom, they made 
quite a success of their work. 

After having lived here for three years, Mr. Zurcher went back to 
Leavenworth to live, then went to St. Louis, and then went to Illinois. 
When war broke out he enlisted in Co. G, 4th Missouri Cavalry, for three 
months. When he had served his time out he re- enlisted in Co. E. 12th Mo. 
Vol. Infantry, and served until the end of the war, when he found himself 
in Indiana. Here he married Mrs. Mary Dodds and came back to Neuchatel 
with his wife and her two sons, Milton and Newton, in the spring of 1867. 
The farm he located, before he went away, had been sold to others, as, on 
account of being in the army, he was not present when the government 
offered the land for sale. He then homesteaded the place south of Dave 
Labbe's, where he lived two years in a dug-out, when his means permitted 
him to build a log cabin on his place. Reuben Kelly once had occasion to 
pass Mr. Zurcher's place while the latter was living in the dug-out, and 
was surprised to see Mr. Zurcher apparently come out of the earth, as he 
issued from the abode. Mr. Zurcher tells us that when he went to 
Leavenworth, to cut hay, he saw the first mowing machine he had seen in 
the state. Of course the advent of mowers took the work away from those 
who used scythes. 

He also says the first houses built on French Creek had no glass in their 
windows, but were fitted with trap doors to shut out the cold and opened 
when the weather was fair to admit the light. For lamps they used a dish 
into which they put grease and used a rag for a wick. They also relied on 
fires in their backlog fireplaces to furnish light in the evening. As they 
seldom had matches they were careful not to let their fires go out, but 
when this did happen they would go to some neighbor's for fire to relight 
[sic] their own. When this failed they would load their guns with a heavy 
charge of powder, and, putting an armful of hay in the fireplace, they 
would fire into it, igniting the hay. 

Louis and Ami Zurcher came here with their mother and sister, Louise (Mrs. 
Charles Bonjour), in 1858, and lived on their brother's place, on which 
the latter had put up a cabin. They had come direct from Switzerland. 
Louis married Mrs. Maria Smith, who had come from Wisconsin, November 26, 
1865, Squire Alfred Bonjour performing the ceremony. He bought out John 
Cooper -the John Labbe place- and made that his home until 1871, when he 
sold out to S. T. Sampson, he intending to go to Wisconsin. He first moved 
to the Alfred Bonjour farm, west of Emile's, where he stayed a year, and 
then bought a farm on Coal Creek, where he lived a number of years. His 
children, the four oldest of whom were born at Neuchatel, are: Helen(Mrs. 
Cosandier), Edward, William, Laura, Nathalie, and Lena, all of Evansville, 
Ill., where Mr. Zurcher and his wife are also living. While he was living 
on the John Labbe farm, in 1867, there arose a heavy rainstorm, already 
mentioned in these notes on Rocky Scrabble. Desire Wery was living on the 
John Chavanne place at the time. Mr. Zurcher and his wife were on their 
knees commending their souls and those of their children to God, as they 
hardly expected to see another morning. While thus engaged they heard a 
fearful, pleading cry, "Louis! Louis!" and wondering what poor soul could 
be out in so frightful a time, the door was hastily opened, and there 
stood the Wery family, who were seeking refuge in Mr. Zurcher's house, 
thinking their own would be blown away and they would be killed. 

Ami Zurcher settled on the Alcide Hammerly place. He married Gabrielle 
Leroux, in 1868. 

He had the following children: Henry, Ulysses, Lucie, and Emma. When Mr. 
Leroux went to California, Mr. Zurcher went there also, and is now at 
Cloverdale, Sonoma county, California. Louis and Ami Zurcher's mother died 
in 1870. 

Frederick Vautravers came here from the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, with 
his wife, Sophia, and children, Louisa (Mrs. Theys), Louis of Centralia. 
and Emma, who was married to Simon Armstrong, of Centralia, in 1876. They 
arrived at Delaware City, Leavenworth county, November 6, 1856, having 
been just two months on the way. The 6th of July, 1857, he came to 
Neuchatel, and pre-empted [sic] 160 acres of land where he is living. He 
built a house northeast of his present home, down near the timber, where 
he lived a number of years. Here his other children were born. They are: 
Charles, who died when nine months old, Fred, Bertha (Mrs. Dave Labbe), 
and Sarah (Mrs. Alva Gray). When Aime Bonjour moved out here, he brought 
Mr. Vautravers' family along, while Mr. Vautravers stayed behind, coming 
later, making his way by walking and catching an occasional ride. Ami, 
Charles, and Gustave Bonjour built a house for him, but, by mistake, they 
built it on Ami Bonjour's land, joining him on the north. The next year he 
built the house mentioned before. Fred Bonjour located his farm first, but 
as he got to buy out Mr. Stickel (the Roland Bonjour farm), he let Mr. 
Vautravers take the one he had first selected. The day for the sale of Mr. 
Vautravers' farm had been set by the government for the 6th day of August, 
and as he did not have the necessary funds to pay for it, Mr. Vautravers 
was at a loss as to how to acquire it. Fred Bonjour offered to advance the 
money for him if he would agree to sell him the 120 acres of it, and would 
still have 40 acres left for his trouble. Mr. Vautravers did not wish to 
do this, as he wanted the whole quarter for himself. So he consulted a man 
at Seneca, who offered to loan him the money, charging him only 60 percent 
interest for the use of it. He got the loan for one year, but at the 
expiration of the year he had no more with which to pay than he had the 
year before to buy it with. The matter dragged along for seven years, so 
he didn't know who owned the land, himself or the man who advanced him the 
money. In the meantime he homesteaded 80 acres of land and bought 40 acres 
more--that became the Gilson farm. On the homestead he commenced the 
erection of a house, on the east side of the creek, intending to move onto 
the place so he could hold it. When the walls of the house were up, he 
thought it would be a good idea to burn the grass around it, for the fear 
of prairie fires. There were plenty of dry chips around the house and 
those that took fire, and while he was on the other side, the chips on the 
other side blazed up again, communicating the flames to the walls, and the 
structure was soon burned down. The Gilson brothers coming soon after 
this , he sold his homestead claim to them for three hundred dollars, sold 
a yoke of oxen for ninety-five dollars, and with the proceeds of these 
sales he succeeded in paying the taxes on his land and the loan with which 
he bought it. In 1871, Mr. Vautravers built a frame house on the location 
of his present one, the old one being built up into the new structure in 
which he is now living. He had native lumber sawed with which to build his 
frame house, but not being able to use it immediately, he piled it up, and 
by the time he got ready to use it had rotted so much as to render it 
useless, and he had to buy considerable imported lumber to finish with, 
paying fifty dollars per thousand for it. Mr. Vautravers is a tailor by 
trade and the winter of 1856 and 1857, while living in Leavenworth, he 
followed his profession, paying $3.75 per week for board, yet he cleared a 
dollar a day, making pants and vests, receiving fifty cents each for 
making a pair of pants or a vest. From February until July, 1857, he 
stayed near Holton, where he had got a piece of Indian land. He built a 
small house on it, and sold his right for $220. He was present while much 
of the Indian land was being sold, and paid for, and he never, before or 
since, saw so much money as he did then. The table in the room where the 
sale was going on was covered a foot deep with twenty dollar gold pieces 
and bills. On New Years day, 1857, while living at Leavenworth, Mr. 
Vautravers had occasion to visit his brother-in-law, Aime Bonjour, who 
lived nine miles away. There had been a light fall of snow, and the 
weather was quite cold. He started before breakfast. He wore a pair of 
light boots and upon arriving at his brother-in-law's he found he had one 
of his toes frozen and it had swollen as big as an egg, and his boot had 
to be cut open in order to be removed. The flesh all dropped off and his 
leg swelled to the knee. Local doctors said he should go to St. Louis to 
have the limb amputated, but he went to Dr. J. P. Koontz, who treated his 
frozen member and saved his leg. In February following, while staying at 
his brother-in-law's, the latter, who had considerable dealings and 
experience with the Indians, left Mr. Vautravers at home while he went to 
look after a piece of land to pre-empt [sic]. Mr. Vautravers sat on the 
edge of the bed nursing his sore foot, when two Delaware Indians came in. 
They addressed him, but he didn't know a word of English and failed to 
understand them. They had been in the habit of getting eatables from Mr. 
Bonjour, for which they always liberally repaid him, and it was supposed 
that they are now on a mission of this kind. The Indians sat down by the 
fire- place, and getting tired, ,perhaps, waiting for what they wanted and 
seeing no show of getting it, they commenced punching him with sticks 
taken from the fire-place. As long as they did not hurt him too much he 
did not say anything, but they got bolder and bolder and harder, and 
finally one of them stuck a fire-brand against his forehead. Not being 
able to stand it any longer, Mr. Vautravers jumped off the bed and 
grabbing the Indian that applied the fire to his forehead, he threw him 
into the fire-place, while the other he hurled onto a pile of wood that 
stood out doors beside the door. The Indian that had been thrown into the 
fire rushed at him with an open pocket knife, intending to stab him with 
it, but the one outdoors had got a stick of fire wood and struck Mr. 
Vautravers blow across the forehead, cutting a gash two inches long and an 
inch wide and an inch deep. In the scuffle one of the Indians stepped on 
his sore toe, rendering him helpless with the pain, so he crawled up to 
the bed and leaned with his head against it. While reclining in that 
position, they struck him another blow on the back of his head. Thinking 
him dead, they left him and went away. His wife was so badly scared at the 
sight of the Indians she could offer him no help. For a week, Mr. 
Vautravers was left without any care, except what his family could give to 
him, but at the end of that time Dr. Koontz was called and the wound sewed 
up. A big scar still remains to remind the owner of this experience. 
Finally, when Aime Bonjour started to come out here, the sore had started 
to bleeding again, so Mr. Vautravers had to stay to have it dressed, and 
where skilled hands could treat it, so no evil results would follow, as 
there would have been little chance for this on the way, or after he came 
here. Mrs. Vautravers died December 18, 1890. Mr. Vautravers bears the 
distinction, of those before 1860, of those still living, who came to the 
territory covered by this paper before 1860, of being the only one who has 
always made his home on the place on which he first settled. 

Rev. Eugene Laporte, a French missionary, was sent from Wisconsin, to 
Labor in the Lord's vineyard at Neuchatel, in 1862. He went back late in 
1865 or early in 1866. It was through him that Henry Labbe, August 
Seigneur, the Gilson brothers, Casmir Steinnon, and Desire Wery were 
induced to come here. Mr. Laporte came back again a year or two later, and 
returned to Green Bay, Wisconsin, about 1869. 

August Sandoz came here from Switzerland about 1868, coming here from 
Illinois, where he had stopped a couple of years. He married Adele, a 
daughter of Fred Bonjour about 1881 He owned the place where Charles Keuhl 
is living, in Mill Creek township, but lived on the Fred Bonjour farm, now 
Mrs. Theys. He went to California in 1875, where he is now living. 

Henry Sandoz, a brother of the above, was a pedagogue in Switzerland, and 
came to Illinois, leaving his family there. He then came to this locality, 
about 1870 or the year following, and was joined by his family after he 
came to Neuchatel. This consisted of his wife and children, Aline, Henry, 
John, Jeanne, and perhaps Paul, though the last may have been born here. 
He bought the Charles Kuehl farm of his brother, where he lived until 
1875, when he went to California, where his family joined him the 
following spring. He had one of the best libraries in this part of the 
country and it was a pleasure to the writer to look through his varied 
assortment of books and borrow the most instructive ones. 

Mr. Jeanjaquet, who was a watch maker, came here from Switzerland, in 
1869, with his wife, who was a German lady, and five children, two boys 
and three girls among whom were Lena and Theodore. He bought Louis 
Savageot's claim, the Mat Gurtler place, where he lived perhaps a year, 
and then went to Illinois. 

August Simon, a brother to Charles, and a cousin to Louis C., came here 
from Illinois, with his wife, Sarah, a sister to Benjamin Benton, and 
children, Margaret, who married Norris Herrick, in 1872, Edward, Frank, 
Rebecca (Mrs. Tom Peattie), Fred, and Louis, in February, 1869. He lived 
on the Alfred Bonjour farm a few years, where Emile lives, then he 
homesteaded the north half of the Otto E. Teske farm, in Mill Creek 
township. He built a house on the west side of the slough on his claim, 
where he lived a couple of years. His son, Louis, died there. He then 
moved over to the east side of the slough, building almost opposite Henry 
Cross'. Frank went to Illinois with his uncle, Mr. Benton, in 1874. Mr. 
Simon sold out to L. J. Glover in 1875, and moved back to Illinois. His 
sons Ed and Frank, came back to this locality, in 1877, stayed a year, and 
then went back to Illinois and stayed that winter, and the next spring 
they came back to Kansas, with their parents and their brother, Fred. 
Margaret and her husband lived on the Teske place, where her two children, 
Frank and Sarah, were born. Margaret died at Neuchatel, in 1881, and her 
daughter died there the same year. Mr. Simon died in 1881, while living on 
the A. Linderman farm, near August Kolterman's. Edward died in the 
southwest part of the state, five or six years ago. Mrs. Simon died, 
southwest of Onaga, last spring. Mr. Simon was a broom maker, and made the 
article at odd moments while he was living on the Teske place. 

Adolph Henry and his sister, Albertine, came here from Switzerland, about 
1869. He was a brother to Mrs. Louis C. Simon, and a tinner by trade. He 
put up a shop at Neuchatel, where he followed his trade. In 1872, he 
married Mrs. Louise Miguery, a native of France, who had just come here 
from Nebraska, with her two youngest sons, Emile and Willie. After he was 
married he went to Nebraska, after his wife's two oldest children, Henry 
and Louise (Mrs. Xavier Dulac). To him were born here three children, Ida 
(Mrs. Edward Paulin, of Missouri), Adolph, and Marcellus. He went, with 
his family, to Nebraska in the spring of 1876, where he died in 1884. His 
widow is now Mrs. Alfred Bonjour. 

Henry Ballou, his wife, two sons, and a daughter came from Switzerland to 
Pennsylvania, and the came to Neuchatel about the year 1868. He bought a 
piece of school land, west of where Fritz Barbier is living. His father 
came with him and died at the end of a year or so. He lived here but a few 
years, and went back to Pennsylvania. He sold his farm to a brother of 
George Syler. 

Charles Gauchet came here, from Switzerland, in 1869. He stayed here until 
about 1877, when he went to Nebraska, where he died. 

Ernest Descombres came to the United States, from Switzerland, in 1867, 
and came to Neuchatel in 1870. He lived on the Charles Simon place, which 
he bought of Mr. Simon's widow. He married Miss Henry, a niece of Adolph 
Henry, the tinner. He went to Colorado in 1874 or 1875. 

Henry Mentha and wife, Francoise, came here, from Switzerland, with their 
oldest children, Jane (Mrs. Rush Burdett) and Rose (Mrs. Jade Keeney), 
about 1870. Mr. Mentha bought the claim (the Mat Gurtler farm) of Mr. 
Jeanjaquet. He lived on the place, where his two next oldest children, 
Henry and Emile, were born, several years, when he went to Coal creek. 

Caesar Surdez came here, from Illinois, in the fall of 1871, and bought 
some railroad land, where his widow is now living. He married Clarissa 
Clerget, in 1874. His oldest child, Joseph, was born in 1876. He built a 
frame house on his farm. 

Zelim Bonjour came to Neuchatel, in 1873. He married Eliza Mouton, in 
1876. He in company with Alfred and Aime Bonjour, and Charles Gouchat went 
on a visit to their old home in Switzerland in the fall of the same year. 
The party returned the next spring, getting back about the first of April, 
or a couple of weeks after Zelim's wife and child had died. 

Paul Junod and his wife, Bertha, came direct from Switzerland, in 1877. He 
had three children when he came, Henry, Maurice, and Paul. He lived a year 
where C. B. Bonjour lives, then bought the place where Zelim Bonjour is 
making his home. 

Alexander Junod, who is a relative of the above only by marriage, came to 
Neuchatel, from Switzerland, with his wife, Julie, and children, Lina 
(Mrs. A. A. Bonjour) Bertha (Mrs. Edward Henry, of Denver, Colo.), and 
Eugenie, who died in 1888. In April, 1877, he and his family formed a 
party on the same ship with Alfred, Aime, and Zelim Bonjour, and Paul 
Junod, who were returning from their visit to their native land. Fritz 
Barbier also came over at the same time. Mr. Junod lived with Aime Bonjour 
two years after coming here. 

The Swiss people are noted for their religious fervor, and the colony had 
not been here long until a stir was made to organize a church in their new 
home. Their first religious services were held in 1862, in Alfred 
Bonjour's house, the missionary, Rev. Laporte, conducting the services. 
After the old school house was built, near Tom Kelly's the services were 
held in it. When Rev. Henry Morel came here, in 1870, he started a 
movement to have a church building erected, which was accordingly done the 
first year after his arrival. Rev. Morel became pastor of the church 
(Presbyterian), a position he held until 1888. They had a Christmas tree 
in the church, in 1874, the first that had been gotten up for the benefit 
of many children, who had never gazed on such a scene before, for many 
miles around. 

In the matter of education, the Swiss nation is not behind any of Europe, 
and the settlers were not here long, until they began to agitate the 
question of a school for their children, who were beginning to grow up. A 
meeting to see about the erection of a school house, was called for the 
21st of March, 1863. The matter of funds troubled the pioneers more, 
perhaps, than anything else. There had not been money enough raised by 
taxes to build a schoolhouse and to have a school taught, so a 
subscription list was passed around, to which $41 was subscribed, and as 
their being able to carry on a school, they held another meeting on the 
14th of May following, when district number 14 was organized, with Fred 
Bonjour, director, Alfred Bonjour, clerk, and Aime Bonjour, treasurer. 
James Cooper was hired to teach a three months' term of school, commencing 
the end of June, the same year. He received the munificent sum of $9 per 
month, or $27 for the term, for his services. The school was held in Louis 
C. Simon's house, southwest of where Zelim Bonjour lives, there being a 
spring near, which furnished water for the use of the school. Mr. Simon's 
mother, who was the head of the family, received a dollar as rent for her 
room. The same fall the old log school house, which stood on the hill a 
little north and across the road from where Tom Kelly lives, was built. 
Most of the work was done by donation, some hauling the logs, others 
helping in the erection of the building. Among the teachers who taught in 
this school house were: Mrs. Hal, now Mrs. Brat, of near Centralia; Mrs. 
John Irwin, Peter Leroux, Clara Utzy, Miss Ensign, and Flora Preston, 
afterwards Mrs. Rev. Hogbrin, of the Sabetha Congregational church. In 
1871 the district was changed by cutting off district No. 46, and the 
school site of the Neuchatel district was changed to its present one, and 
the present stone structure was built. The district then became joint 
district No. 5, of Nemaha and Pottawatomie counties. 

When district No. 46, the Vautravers district, was formed, they held a 
term of school in Ami Bonjour's house. The seats consisted of boards laid 
around the room on blocks of wood, while the desks were boards laid on 
pins driven in the wall. Mary Todd taught this term. The first school 
house was the present frame one, and Miss Ellsworth taught the first term 
in it about 1872. The next teacher was Miss Francis Harth. James 
Summerfield was the first director; George Thomas, clerk; and Fred 
Vautravers, treasurer. 

Early in 1864 Alfred Bonjour sent the government a petition to have a 
postoffice [sic] established, which was done the same year. As all the 
early Swiss colonists had come from the canton of Neuchatel, the request 
was made that the new postoffice [sic] should bear the name of their old 
home. Alfred Bonjour was appointed the postmaster, he keeping the office 
in his house. He was then living where Scheve lived and in 1869, when he 
bought out John Schneider, he moved into the house vacated by Mr. 
Schneider, but still kept the postoffice [sic] at his old place. A 
postoffice [sic] inspector came around soon after this and ordered the 
removal of the office to his new residence, where he could give it better 
attention and protection. When he moved to his stone house in 1872, where 
Ephraim lives, the office was again transferred to his new residence, 
where he held it quite a number of years, having held the office 15 years 
altogether. 

P. Zimmerman moved his sawmill to Neuchatel in 1863, and had it set up 
where Alfred A. Bonjour lives. Then James Colyer took his mill there, 
setting it in the timber southwest of where B. Perrussel lives. 

The history of the Neuchatel store--the French store--as near as we can 
unravel it, is as follows: Alfred and Charles Bonjour, Henry Labbe, and 
August Seigneur formed a partnership to carry on a general merchandise 
business, some say in 1867, while other authorities say 1868, but the 
former date seems to be the correct one. Store was kept in an old log 
house which stood on the site of the one where August Scheve lived. The 
partnership did not continue long, Charles Bonjour selling his interest to 
August Mouton, and August Seigneur to Armand Dehay. Later Fred Bonjour 
bought out Mouton and Dehay, and not long after (about 1870) also got 
control of Alfred Bonjour's interest, leaving the store in possession of 
Mr. Labbe, one of the original owners, and Fred Bonjour. They then built a 
frame building on the site of the present store building, and it burned 
down in 1875. Mr. Labbe then sold his interest to his partner, who became 
sole owner, and with his children, kept it running for several years 
after. When it burned, in 1875, Mr. Bonjour built the frame building, 
recently occupied by Mr. Scheve, in which he kept store until he put up 
the present building, which was not long after the accident. He then sold 
the small building to Charles Bonjour for $200, and the latter moved into 
it and made it his home for several years. We are told that calico was 40c 
a yard, thread 10c a spool, nails 10c a pound, and 4 inch and 5 inch bolts 
10c each, when the store was first started. Kentucky jeans was sold at a 
profit of 25c a yard, but the loss through selling indiscriminately on 
credit ate up about all the profit. In 1867 flour sold for $9 per hundred, 
and potatoes at $2 a bushel. About everything used by the pioneers, such 
as wagons, plows, and hardware, as well as groceries, dry goods, and 
medicine, was kept, and the store drew trade from a large territory. The 
first goods were hauled from here from Seneca, then from the end of the 
Central Branch railroad between Corning and Centralia, and lastly from the 
latter point. In the 70's Messrs. Labbe and Bonjour employed Noel 
Lefebvre, who made weekly trips to Leavenworth, taking out butter and eggs 
and bringing back goods for the store, received in exchange for the 
produce. 

In 1873 some one had occasion to go to Seneca, where he fell in with Louis 
Kirsch, who was running a grist mill at that place. Mr. Kirsch, who 
thought he saw an opening at Neuchatel for a big-paying business in the 
grist mill line, came back with our Neuchatel friend and induced a number 
of the best-to-do farmers of this locality to go into a scheme for the 
building of a large water mill at this place. Those who backed the project 
were: Fred, Aime, Ami, and Alfred Bonjour, Louis C. Simon, and Henry 
Labbe, who mortgaged their farms to secure the funds to go on with the 
enterprise. Accordingly work was started that fall on the mill, which was 
built on Mrs. Julia A. Bonjour's farm, the structure being a massive stone 
building, which was made to contain three sets of burrs, though it was 
large enough to hold more. Men from all directions were employed, some to 
dig the mill race, others to quarry rock and some to haul them, others to 
get sand, while several masons found lucrative work there. Many of the men 
boarded with Louis Simon, who thus got back some of the money he invested, 
while Fred Bonjour and Henry Labbe paid many of them off with goods from 
their store. The building was finished the following summer, but the mill 
was not furnished for running for about a year more. When it finally did 
start to running there was but little wheat raised in the neighborhood to 
keep it going, and at other times the water supply fell short. It had cost 
about $15,000, and the money that had been borrowed brought 15 per cent 
interest, and the returns from the mill being practically nothing, it 
ruined several of those who had invested in it, and the others were badly 
crippled financially. All but Fred Bonjour lost a farm or more through the 
investment, but some afterwards redeemed the land they had lost. Ami and 
Aime Bonjour and Louis Simon each lost a quarter of land which they were 
unable to redeem. Mr. Kirsch, who was given a half interest in the mill 
for supervising the erection and running it, lived in the mill in a suite 
of rooms one side for the purpose. When it was seen that the mill would 
not remunerate its promoters, those who were in partnership sold their 
interest in it to Mr. Kirsch and Fred Bonjour, who then sold the machinery 
to Mr. Barrett of Barrett, Marshall county. About this time Mr. Kirsch 
tried to get away with a load of machinery, when John Labbe, who was 
constable then, was in pursuit of him. Mr. Kirsch, with his family, had 
started east with the booty, and Mr. Labbe caught up with the wagon near 
Mrs. Mary Kelly's, but Mr. Kirsch was no where to be seen. Looking around, 
he saw a man dive into the timber half a mile or so up the creek, and, 
thinking this might be the man, otherwise he could see no reason for his 
getting out of sight, so he hastily rode up to where he had seen the man 
disappear, and found Mr. Kirsch, as he expected to do, who was brought 
back and made to give an account of his action. The mill was finally 
altogether dismantled, nothing hardly remaining to show where it stood. 

When Mrs. Melaine Simon died, in 1865, a cemetery was laid out where Emile 
Bonjour lives, and she and others who died before 1861 were buried there. 
When the church was built in the above year, the cemetery adjoining it was 
set apart, and the old one was forgotten and neglected. It grew up to 
grass and the site of the graves was practically lost, so that when Emile 
moved to the place, traces of it were gone. An apple orchard now marks the 
spot, so that living monuments, instead of marble, mark the last resting 
place of some of those who found a home in a wild and untried country, but 
their rest is as sweet and sleep as deep as of those whose graves are 
marked by the tallest shaft or dust embalmed in the costliest mausoleum, 
and their hope to arise, when Gabriel sounds his trumpet at the last day, 
is as strong as any, though their mortal bodies are resting in the 
humblest and most primitive surroundings. 

In the fall of 1874, a branch of the Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry, was 
organized at Neuchatel, which it was promised it would assist its members, 
many of whom were in straitened circumstances at that time, but so far as 
learned there were only Henry Hastings and Casimir Stiennon who received 
any benefit from the order, and this, little enough, though each member 
paid in a sum sufficient to help more. So it is a question what finally 
became of all the money that the order received from many who could ill 
afford to lose what they paid in as initiation fee. The branch at this 
place only lasted about a year. 

The first Fourth of July celebration held at Neuchatel, that we can learn 
of, was in front of the Neuchatel school house, in 1871. Thomas Points 
made the address. The next was in 1874, and was held in the new mill, 
which was just finished. A grand supper was served, and dancing was 
carried on in the afternoon and evening in the basement of the building. 
The Dodds boys had a stand in the mill, where refreshments and condiments 
as lemonade, candies, raisins, and cigars were sold. There was a notice 
stuck up, forbidding smoking a cigar inside the building, but towards 
evening a young man was seen smoking a cigar inside, when Mr. Kirsch 
promptly knocked it from his mouth. The young man then struck him a severe 
blow in the face, from which the blood flowed freely. The young man 
stepped out of doors, where he was later hunted up by Mr. Kirsch, who was 
discovered to have a bowie or butcher knife about his person, which was 
taken away from him by Sam Taylor, who was constable of Mill Creek 
township then. After considerable blustering by Mr. Kirsch, the young man 
was induced to leave, thus settling the affair. 

In 1875, the Forth of July was celebrated under the auspices of the local 
Grange, and the festivities were again conducted in front of the school 
house and church. 

The earthquake of 1868, was noticed by several parties at Neuchatel. J. A. 
Bonjour, who was a boy then, had been fishing and was on his way home. He 
was going along one of the old-fashioned Virginia rail worm fences, when 
he saw the fence begin to squirm as if it were alive. Most anyone can 
imagine the effect it had on him. James Summerville was hauling a load of 
corn and was riding upon it, when he noticed a motion that seemed 
unnatural to him and knew that it was not due to the natural motion of the 
wagon. 

The people of Neuchatel had their share of experiences with home- made 
coffees and native tea as substitutes for these beverages. For coffee, 
roasted barley, wheat, corn, and crusts of bread were used; for tea, some 
used the leaves of what was called cat's-foot (Antennaria 
plantaginifolio), while others took the blossoms of the common mullein. 
The leaves of the tall clover (Lespedeza capitata) were also used. 

The following reminiscences were told us by some of the earliest settlers 
of this community: 

In 1857, Ami Bonjour bought at Leavenworth, an 18-inch breaking plow, 
paying $25 for it. It had levers for regulating the depth, and wheels to 
keep it from upsetting, as it was made to run by itself, the driver 
having to give all his attention to the three yoke of oxen required to 
pull it. There were also 24-inch plows, which took four yoke of oxen to 
pull them. The first reaper brought to this place was a Cayuga, or Ohio 
Chief. This was bought by Fred and Aime Bonjour and two others, in 
partnership, in about 1865. It required a man to ride on it to rake the 
grain to one side. It cost over $200. Ami Bonjour got it after all the 
rest were through with it. Aime Bonjour bought a Buckeye, handraker, [sic] 
also in 1868, paying $200 for it in Leavenworth. Wagons, during the war, 
sold for $150, and Aime Bonjour bought one, that had been made over, at P. 
Zimmerman's sale, for $105. Aime Bonjour bought a corn planter about 1870, 
which cost him $70. It was purchased of Mr. Manchester, the first to keep 
a hardware store in Centralia. 

The early settlers had a habit of calling each other by their first or 
given name, or by the name of the profession to which the man belonged. 
Fred Bonjour was known by the name of "The Shoemaker," while Mr. 
Vautravers went, and still does, by the name of "The Tailor. " Noel 
Lefebvre (Le fafe) had his name translated into English to "Christmas 
Beaps," by which name he was known by some of the English- speaking 
people. Mr. Perrod's name was changed to "Pearod," which was easily 
changed to "Peasick," by which cognomen he and the boys were for a long 
time known. 

The writer had the curiosity to inquire of two of the very first settlers 
what had induced them to leave civilization to cast their fortunes in a 
wild country. The answer in both cases was practically the same. The 
spirit that inspired Horace Greeley to write, "Go west, young man, and 
grow up with the country," was the prime factor which caused our early 
pioneers to come here. Aime Bonjour tells us that he found Indiana a 
comparatively old-settled country when he came here from Switzerland, and 
friends told him they had found a raw, uninhabited country when country 
when they came there, and now they were well off and in easy circumstances 
(the land was then worth $30 per acre), and that if he would go west, 
where land was cheap, he might do as well. Henry Hoover had also come from 
the same state with his parents, and on the same purpose, but at Osawkie, 
his first settling place, he, being a Freesoiler [sic], had found the pro- 
slavery element too strong for him he came here.