Carney Homestead

This clipping contains a partial name for the newspaper: "Kansas City Daily Drovers Teleg".  Research indicates that the final word in the title would have been "Telegram".  The article would have been printed about 1934 or 1935.

OLD CARNEY HOMESTEAD CHANGES HANDS FOR

FIRST TIME SINCE IT WAS CLAIMED IN 1872

Among the real estate transfers in the office of the register of deeds in Belleville, Republic county, Kansas, is found the following: "James Carney and wife to J. D. Carney and wife the NW ¼ of Sec. 13 Township 4, Range 5 Beaver TWP, 160 Acres."  It looks like an ordinary sale of property but it is more than that. This particular farm is a homestead. The abstract records: "A government land grant to James Carney in 1872.”  Now, 62 years later, the homestead passes into other hands-to .James D. Carney, the son of the pioneer

There are few farms in Republic county, perhaps in Kansas, which can boast of so few changes.

James Carney, sr., the pioneer, is still living and has reached the ripe age of 88 years.  He was born in Ireland and came to America with his parents when but 2 years of age.  They settled in Jacksonville Ill. Mr. Carney’s father died when he was but 9 years of age. Three years later, his mother remarried and his stepfather suggested that "Young Jim" was old enough to care for himself. He took his stepfather's advice and has been caring for himself ever since.

He left Illinois and went to Nebraska in 1870 and in '72 came to Kansas and took up the above mentioned homestead.  For four years he spent the time required by law on his homestead and worked in Nebraska the rest of the time, coming to the homestead every six months to protect his right

Weds English Girl

Four years later, he married Miss Mary Agnes McCarthy, daughter of D. W. McCarthy a native of London, England who had come to homestead in Kansas, also.  When Mr. McCarthy’s wife died in London, he decided to bring his young family to the states.  Coming first to Philadelphia, where he remained but a short time.  He moved to Wisconsin and settled near Fondulac where he farmed for several years.  He left his young daughter, Mary Agnes, in Philadelphia, where she attended school at the Convent of Notre Dame for three years.  Accompanied by an older cousin, she joined her family in Wisconsin and a few years later, all came to Kansas.

Mr. McCarthy was a bookkeeper by profession and had kept books for the Phoenix Gas and Water Co., of London, England for 19 years before coming to the states.  Mr. McCarthy took a homestead near Courtland, Kans.  This homestead is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Halsey Barber

A reporter for the Daily Drovers Telegram called upon Mr. and Mrs. Carney in their Concordia home.  He found Mr. Carney greatly interested in everything pioneer.  He is hale and hearty.  He is as young both mentally and physically as many men ten years his junior.  He is a great reader and enjoys his magazines and daily papers very much-his great regret is that he cannot read as long as he once could.

Mrs. Carney is a small dark-eyed woman.  Her face framed with a halo of soft white hair.  She is 11 years her husband’s junior and does not look her 77 years.  She is very fond of people and enjoys her friends immensely.  She too enjoys reading, good picture shows and drives.  A car is a source of real pleasure to her.
“Tell us some of your hardships, Mrs. Carney,” we suggested.

Relatives Helped Out

Mrs. Carney laughed.  “Really, we had no real hardships.  Of course, we had many relatives in London, England, and in the East.  They furnished us reading matter and many courtesies which add greatly to our…(text cut-off)

...homestead still stands and is in excellent condition. It had but two rooms and is now the kitchen and dining room of a six-room farm house, The circle of oaks just east of the little pioneer home were planted by Mrs. Carney when a bride, They are tall, beautiful trees now, The little house was built by George Kackley, a pioneer stone mason and brother of Joseph Kackley the founder of the town which bears his name. The Kacklev brothers were ex-Confederate soldiers-member of the famous Black Horse Cavalry of Kentucky, Carlos Kackley a son of George Kackley, still resides in Beaver township.

Fire Threatens Home

The reported urged Mr. Carney to tell of old experiences, He looked amused for a minute, then said: "Mother, I'm going to tell him about the prairie fire.  One spring morning, I saw a fire raging over east of us.  It was on the homestead of my friend Erastus Stanton, whose young son, George, was plowing and had burned some weeds in the draw.  The fire got away from him as we expressed it then.  I hurriedly hitched Selum and Kate to the wagon and drove to the rescue.  The wind changed and had it not been for Grandfather Williams and his wife, who kept the fire guard cleared of burning embers, my bride, home and little rail corn crib and stable would have burned.  George Stanton is now pioneering in Wyoming.  John F. Stanton of Belleville is a son of Erastus Stanton also."

"We had wonderful gardens, both flower and vegetable," added Mrs. Carney.  "Of course, canning was an unknown art, but we were resourceful and dried everything-corn, string beans and even tomatoes.  They provided variety.  Dried corn, properly prepared, is decidedly delicious.  We had no market for anything.  I remember Mrs. Stanton sent a load of find, Bronze turkeys to ScandiaScandia, therefore, no outlet.  Two years after our marriage, we set out three acres of peach trees.  We had raised the seedlings from seed Mr. Carney brought from Nebraska.  Many peach orchards in Republic county were started from our orchard.  The entire farm was enclosed by a sturdy hedge.  The hedge apples which furnished the seed came from Nebraska also.  The hedge is still alive and useful."

Fruit Plentiful.

Mr. and Mrs. Carney remembered that there was never a scarcity of wild fruit as the creeks were will filled with plums, grapes, and gooseberries.  "Of course, it did take enterprise to convert them into desirable food, but enterprise was something most pioneers possessed or they would not have remained long enough to qualify for the title."

Mr. and Mrs. Carney are the parents of six children.  Four have passed on.  J. D. Carney the new owner of the homestead, and Miss Grace Carney, for many years an instructor in the Concordia Business College, now at home caring for her aged parents, are the only children left to comfort their declining years.
 

Mr. and Mrs. Carney left the homestead as soon as their children were old enough to attend school and moved to Concordia where they have since resided.  The homestead was cared for by tenant farmers.  They kept in touch with old friends and neighbors.  Concordia is hone to them, but they have real affection for the friends of their early married life.  Many have passed away.  The death of each and every one is a source of grief and loss to Mr. and Mrs. Carney.   Among those who are gone are: Mr. and Mrs. T. A. NeIson, Mr. and Mrs. Stanton, the Kackley brothers, Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Haggman, Magnus Nelson, Mrs. Frank Dlckerhoof, Dan Kershner and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. P. O. Larson, Newt. Erickson, Nelse Monson, Geo. Dawes and many, many others.

Bought As Investment

J. D. Carney, who has just purchased the homestead, resides in Kackley and is a member of the Johnson-Carney Oil company.  He purchased the homestead as an Investment and will rent It.  He Is married and has four children, Mrs. J. D. Carney, Jr.,  is a daughter of another pioneer  family.  She was formerly Miss May Dlckerhoof, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dickerhoof of Norway township.
 

Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Carney have four children, Avis, Eva, James F. and Jean.  Avis is married; Eva is teaching just south of Kackley; "Jim" graduated in June from the Kackley High and the baby, Jean, is in the sixth grade.
 

There are now four generations of the Carney family.  Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Carney’s eldest daughter Avis is the wife of Harold Shaver, the grandson of another pioneer.  They have two babies Eldon Harold and Patricia Lou.