Johnson County KS Archives Biographies.....Rebsamen, Alfred J. 1837 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 March 6, 2009, 3:47 am

Author: Ed Blair (1915)

  Alfred J. Rebsamen, a Civil war veteran residing at Olathe, has been
identified with Johnson county for over forty-five years. He is a native of
Lucerne, Switzerland, born May 8, 1837, and is a son of John and Mary (Koch)
Rebsamen, both natives of Switzerland. In 1850 the parents immigrated to America
with their eight children and located at Herman, Gasconade county, Missouri,
where the father located on unimproved land. The family was in poor
circumstances and the father was a hard-working, industrious man. Times were
hard and opportunities for making a living in that section were limited. He
often worked for a small pittance of twenty-five cents per day to keep the wolf
from the door. The father died in February, 1856, and was survived by his wife a
number of years. She departed this life in 1879, aged sixty-six years. Of their
eight children only two are now living. Alfred J. Rebsamen remained on the
Missouri farm until the death of his father, when he returned to his native
land. In 1862 he came back to Herman, Mo., and a short time afterwards enlisted
in Company A, First regiment, Missouri cavalry. His regiment was stationed for a
time at Pilot Knob and Little Rock, Ark., and later at St. Louis when that city
was threatened by General Price's forces. He was discharged at St. Louis,
October 15, 1864, and reenlisted at Alton, Ill,, in Company A, Fifty-ninth
regiment, Illinois infantry, and immediately proceeded to Huntsville, Ala. He
participated in the battle of Nashville, his regiment being in the thick of the
fight in that engagement and lost 117 men. After Lee's surrender his regiment
was transferred to Green Lake, Texas, and after spending the summer there they
returned to Springfield, Ill., where they were discharged, December 8, 1865. Mr.
Rebsamen had received military training in his native country and was a brave
soldier and made a good military record. He had many narrow escapes and a number
of thrillling experiences but was never wounded. At one time his horse was shot
from under him and another time his rifle stock was shot into splinters in his
hands. At the close of the war he returned to Herman, Mo., and engaged in wine
culture, this having been his boyhood occupation in Switzerland. In 1870 he came
to Johnson, county, Kan., and was engaged as a farm laborer until 1874, when he
bought a farm of eighty acres in Olathe township, at fifty dollars per acre. He
sold this in 1909 at $125 per acre. He still owns 160 acres, besides his fine
home in Olathe, where he removed in 1909. Mr. Rebsamen was married Februrary 15,
1868, to Miss Louisa Hegsse, of Herman, Mo. To this union were born six children
as follows: August, Olathe; Louisa K. resides at home; Mary died in Los Angeles,
Calif., in 1911; James F., Paola, Kan.; Edwin, Pittsburgh, Kan., and William,
Olathe. The wife and mother died June 5, 1912, aged sixty-eight years. She came
to America with her parents, who located at Herman, Mo., when she was a child.
Mr. Rebsamen is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a charter
member of the Olathe Grange, which was organized in 1873. Politically he is a
Republican and takes an active interest in the well-being or his party. He has
never missed attending a primary since coming to Kansas.

Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF Johnson County Kansas
BY
ED BLAIR

AUTHOR OF
Kansas Zephyrs, Sunflower Sittings and Other Poems and Sketches

IN ONE VOLUME

ILLUSTRATED
STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
1915


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