Marshall County KS Archives Biographies.....Kapitan, Rudolph A. 1875 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 31, 2007, 12:19 pm Author: Emma E. Forter (1917) RUDOLPH A. KAPITAN. Rudolph A. Kapitan, former township trustee, a well-known farmer of Bigelow township and proprietor, in partnership with his younger brother, Wesley Kapitan, of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres in section 19 of that township, is a native son of Marshall county and has lived here the greater part of his life. He was born in the village of Irving, in a house which occupied the site now occupied there by the Knights of Pythias hall, April 17, 1875, a son of Wesley and Mary (Brozik) Kapitan, both natives of the far-away kingdom of Bohemia and both of whom are now deceased. Wesley Kapitan was born in 1848 in the city of Prague, the capital of Bohemia, and there received a college education. When he was twenty years of age he came to the United States and located in the city of Baltimore, where he was married and where his eldest child was born; remaining there until 1874, when he and his little family came to Kansas and located at Irving, in this county, where he became for awhile engaged as a laborer and where he remained until 1876, when he went down into the adjoining county of Riley, homesteaded there a tract of eighty acres, established his home there and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1894. Wesley Kapitan was twice married. His first wife, Mary Brozik, who was born in Bohemia in 1848, died in 1883. She was the mother of six children, one of whom died in infancy, the others being as follow: Olivia, who married F. Chalupnik and is now living near Irving, in this county; Rudolph, the immediate subject of this biographical sketch; Wesley, mentioned above as a partner in the farming operations of his brother, Rudolph; Matthew, twin brother of Wesley, now living at Tenney, Minnesota, and Antonia, now deceased. After the death of the mother of these children, the elder Wesley Kapitan married Mrs. Verona Konigsmark, a widow with four children, who is now living on her farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Riley county. Rudolph A. Kapitan early began to be self-supporting, beginning work on neighboring farms when eight or nine years of age, and picked up such schooling as he could get in the district schools. When twenty-one years of age, in 1896, he began working as a butcher at Hanover, this state, and the next year went to Nardin, Oklahoma, where he opened a butcher shop of his own and was thus engaged there for four years or until his butcher shop was destroyed by fire, when he returned to his native county and opened a butcher shop at Blue Rapids, where he was engaged in business until 1908, when he and his brother, Wesley, bought their present farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres in section 19 of Bigelow township, which they ever since have been operating. Wesley Kapitan, who was born in Riley county on August 14, 1877, is unmarried and makes his home with his brother, who, after his marriage in 1911, established his home on the farm. Since taking possession of that farm the Kapitan brothers have made many improvements on the same, including the extensive remodeling of the house along modern lines, the building of a fine new barn and. a double garage and other improvements in keeping with the character of the fine farm plant they have established. The Kapitan brothers also are quite extensively engaged in the raising of high-class live stock and are doing very well. The brothers are Democrats and giwe close attention to local political affairs. Rudolph A. Kapitan was appointed trustee of Bigelow township to fill out an unexpired term and in 1912 was elected to that office and was re-elected in 1914, serving until his resignation, he having found that the proper discharge of the duties of that office interfered too much with the constantly expanding interests of his agricultural business. On September 12, 1911, Rudolph A. Kapitan was united in marriage to Margaret Jones, who was born in the principality of Wales on April 7, 1884, and who was but two years of age when her parents, Harry O. and Rose (Owens) Jones, also natives of Wales, came to this country in 1886 and settled in Kansas, both still living in Bigelow township, this county. Mrs. Kapitan is the fourth in order of birth of the eight children born to her parents. To Mr. and Mrs. Kapitan two children have been born, Kelma, born on December 2j, 1912, and Elwyn, January 5, 1914. The Kapitans are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take a proper part in church work, as well as in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful' in promoting all movements having to do with the advancement of the common welfare thereabout. Rudolph A. Kapitan is a skilled musician, has played in several large bands and has taught bands. He still takes much interest in musical affairs and has been a great help along that line in the Bigelow and Irving communities. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History of Marshall County, Kansas: its people, industries, and institutions by Emma E. Forter Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co. (1917) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/marshall/bios/kapitan520gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ksfiles/ File size: 5.6 Kb