Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - John B. Kibler

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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John B. Kibler, farmer, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1817, and 
is a son of Sebastian and Elizabeth (Miller) Kibler. The father was a 
baker, and died when our subject was but six years old. The mother 
afterward married, and coming to the United States, settled in 
Cincinnati, Ohio. John, who was the youngest of three children, 
attended school until fourteen years of age, and then spent three 
years' apprenticeship with a lock and gunsmith. He worked at that 
trade until 1839, when he came to the United States, landing at 
Baltimore. He then went to Philadelphia, where he soon after enlisted 
as a recruit, and served five years in the Sixth Infantry, in Florida, 
in the Seminole War. He was discharged as a member of Company E, in 
1844, at Fort Gibson, Ind. T., and enlisted again for five years, at 
the close of which time, being discharged, he came to Van Buren, Ark. 
In 1845 he married Melinda Burk, who was born in Germany, and who was 
brought to the United States when two years old by her parents. She 
died in 1870, leaving a family of four children, three of whom are 
living. In 1872 Mr. Kibler married Mrs. Diana Bingham, nee Shaber, who 
died in 1880. His third marriage occurred in 1882, when he wedded 
Nellie Atkins, a native of Illinois, whose parents now reside in 
Joplin, Mo. In 1847 Mr. Kibler settled upon his present farm, which 
was then in the wilderness, with but two houses between it and Van 
Buren, a distance of seven miles. Mr. Kibler is the owner of a nice 
farm, which at one time contained 160 acres. During the latter part of 
the Rebellion he served nearly two years in Company I, First Arkansas 
Infantry, United States Army, operating in Arkansas. He and twenty-
seven others were once attacked by about 2,000 Confederates, and after 
fighting bravely three hours they were captured, two men having been 
killed [p.1161] and two wounded. The enemy paroled them before 
daybreak for fear of being attacked by Unionists, but three men were 
missing and never heard from. The remainder rejoined their command at 
Fort Smith, and the rebels fled to Missouri. Mr. Kibler cast his first 
presidential vote for Polk. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and 
one of the respected citizens of the township. 

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