The Jacob Ratzlaff family, upon arrival in the United States in the Summer of 1893, lived in several locations in Marion County, Kansas. Jacob probably never owned his own land in Kansas, but rather rented parcels of land. Based on notes, census information, and family tree information, this is a rough timeline of Jacob's locations in Kansas and Oklahoma from 1893 until his death in 1926.
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| West portion of Marion County, Kansas, 1921 |
June, 1893: Jacob Ratzlaff family arrive in US.
1900: Jacob and family live in Logan Township, Marion County, KS (1900 US federal census).
1905: Jacob and family live in Moore Township, Marion Co (1905 KS census).
1910: Jacob and family live in Moore Township (1910 US federal census; census includes Charles Nachtigal, son of Eva (Ratzlaff) Nachtigal. Eva and family had arrived in US in 1909).
- At some point during this period, the family lived in Liberty Township (NW corner of section 7), Marion, Co (John Wiebe)**
- Jacob and family moved to outskirts of the town of Durham, Durham Park Township, Marion Co (Wiebe). Perhaps son John still lived with them at this point as he did not marry until 1915 (GRANDMA).
1912: Anna dies, buried at Logan Cemetery (AKA Morningstar; SE corner of Section 13, Logan TWP), north of Durham (Green Ratzlaff book).
1912: Andreas Becker (husband of Lena) dies in Meno, Major County, OK (GRANDMA). Lena remarries to Bernard Becker in 1913 (these 2 Becker husbands were not closely related).
1920: Jacob lives with Eva's family in Meno Township, Major Co, OK (1920 US federal census).
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| Major County, Oklahoma, 1928 |
- Beckers move to Scott City, KS, then to Halstead, KS, sometime in the early 1920s (GRANDMA).
December, 1926: Jacob dies in Halstead, KS (Green Ratzlaff book).
**Notes from John Wiebe, grandson of Lena (Ratzlaff) Becker, indicate that Jacob rented land from a man named Pete Flaming at this point. 1921 PLAT map indicates that a Peter Flaming owned the SE quarter of section 12, Menno TWP. Secton 12, Menno TWP and Section 7, Liberty TWP are next to one another. Perhaps Flaming also owned land in Section 7 for a short period of time, or Wiebe was off just a bit with where he remembered Jacob lived. Notes from Wiebe also indicate that Jacob associated with the Gnadenau Church/Village south of Hillsboro during this period in Liberty TWP. This extinct village existed in the center of Section 17, Liberty TWP. The family lived in the Pioneer Adobe House (Pioneer Adobe Museum, Hillsboro). This house was moved onto the museum grounds in Hillsboro from the village of Gnadenau.
