Marshall-Riley County KS Archives Biographies.....Moden, J. M. 1857 - 1915
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 10, 2007, 8:12 pm

Author: Emma E. Forter (1917)

J. M. MODEN.

    Of the native-born Swedes who came to America and engaged in general farming
and stock-raising with much success, in Cottage Hill township, Marshall county,
was J. M. Moden, now deceased, who was born on October 4, 1857, and died on
December 29, 1915. Mr. Moden spent his early life in the land of his birth and
when twelve years of age came with his parents, John and Anna Moden, to this
country. On their arrival in the United States the family located at Laporte,
Indiana, where they remained for three years, after which they came to Kansas
and here established their home on a farm southeast of Waterville. Here J. M.
Moden grew to manhood on the home farm, and there his parents died some years ago.

    On February 28, 1883, J. M. Moden was united in marriage to Amanda Nelson,
who was born in Sweden on October 15, 1861, being the daughter of Daniel and
Gustave Nelson. Her parents were also natives of that country and there they
resided until 1868, at which time the father came to America and located in
Riley county, Kansas, while the mother and the children did not join him in the
new land until 1880. The parents then lived on the home farm until the time of
their deaths, the father dying in 1895 and the mother in 1900. Mr. and Mrs.
Moden were the parents of the following children: Frank, Clarence, Lillie and
Melinda, all of whom are at home, and Laura Anderson, now a resident of Riley
county.

    At the time J. M. and Amanda Moden were married they moved to their present
farm, which at that time consisted of one hundred and sixty acres of wild
prairie, with not a tree or a shrub growing on it. This original farm was later
developed and at the time of the death of the husband and father, they were the
owners of four hundred and forty acres of prime land, which had been placed
under the highest state of cultivation and improved with the best buildings. The
house, a beautiful structure, is a model and modern home; the barns and other
outbuildings are among the substantial structures of the township. It was only
by hard work and economy that Mr. and Mrs. Moden made their work a success, for
when they began their married life they were without funds and had no one to
assist them. Not alone did they work for themselves, but for the growth and
betterment of the community in which they lived and where they were ever held in
the highest regard. Mrs. Moden now has the old home, just across the line in
Riley county, and one hundred and sixty acres of the estate. She and Mr. Moden
were reared in the faith of the Swedish Lutheran church; they were active in all
church work and were prominent members of the community. Mr. Moden was not an
office seeker, but took the greatest interest in the affairs of the township and
the county.


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)


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