Ray County, Missouri - Miscellaneous - Century Mark Passed Monday by Catherine Keim Richmond Missourian 1932 100th Birthday Draws Hundreds Century Mark Passed Monday by Mrs. Catherine Keim and A Big Crowd Helps Her Celebrate. So few people live to celebrate their 100th birthday that whenever it occurs people gather from far and wide to do honor to the new centenarian. Monday over 300 people assembled at the home of Mrs. Catherine Jane Keim, nine miles northeast of Hardin, to help her celebrate her 100th birthday. A big basket dinner was served on the lawn. In the afternoon an appripriate program was given. One of the visitors was Mrs. Keim’s sister, Mrs. Gray, aged 84, from Afton, Ia. Also present were her children, Charles Keim, Leon, Ia., Frank Keim, Utica, N.Y., Mrs. Wood, Lucerne, Mo., Ellis Keim, Ottawa, Kans. Two-thirds of those present were from out of the state. Noticeable was the presence of people in their eighties and nineties. The following article, “A Tribute to Grandmother Keim,” was written by one conversant with the fact of her remarkable history. October 3, 1832, a baby girl was born in Howard County, Mo, whose span of life has been drawn out mush longer than that of the average person. Andrew Jackson was President of the United States, and amid the tumultuous scenes of those days she was ushered into the world. Her parents were Michael and Fannie Jacks Peebler, and the baby girl was named Catherine Jane. Their home was at Carthage, Ill. But they were farmer folk and the crops were very short in Illinois that year, so they came to Howard county, Mo., where her mother’s parents lived and here the baby girl was born. They had expected to remain several months, but they received word that the fall rains had brought good pasture, so they decided to go back. When the baby girl was a few weeks old this pioneer father hitched the oxen to the wagon, loaded his wife and two children in it, for there was another daughter two years old, and away they went, over the prairies, across streams and through dense timber, bound for home. When the subject of this sketch was 6 years old the family moved across the Mississippi River into Jefferson County, Iowa. The father bought a tract of land from some homesick homesteader who had built a log house on it, and into this the Peebler family moved. There was only one other family for miles, for very few white people had come into this part of Iowa as yet. Indians roamed over the country and the Indian Agency was only twelve miles west of them. Hundred of them lived in tents and there were always soldiers stationed among them to keep order and to pay them the money from the government. These soldiers were called "Dragoons" and they wore blue clothes trimmed with yellow stripes. In the summer time almost any hour of the day, the Indians passed the door of this cabin home going North to hunt and fish. It was a common thing for them to come to the door and bed for chicken, back and even the family dog. This little girl looked into the face of Chief Black Hawk as he rode by, looking neither to the right or to the left, with a red feather in his hat. She also remembers seeing Chief Keokuk. Although it was a common sight to see these Indians pass, the settlers were always fearful of an outbreak and the children lived under the shadow of this fear. One day a man came running to the schoolhouse door and hollowed that the Indians were coming into the white settlement that night to plunder and kill. The frightened children ran all the way home and told their parents. That night the settlers, few in number but brave, prepared to defend themselves and their families. They met and decided to hitch a good team of horses to a wagon and take their families East toward the Mississippi River where the country was more thickly settles and where they could be better protected. However they waited awhile but saw no sign of anything unusual so they determined to find out for themselves. Several men started horseback toward the Indian Reservation. They rode on and on until they came to the amp. All was quiet within the Wigwams and the little ponies were tethered around, grazing. They aroused the Dragoons and found that it was a false alarm, so they went back to their anxious families relieved beyond measure. For a few years there were no schools, but the country was fast filling up with people from the eastern states and there was a demand for schools. It was in session about three months of the years and that in the winter time. With her lunch of cornbread and milk, this little girl with her sisters trudged three miles through the woods to school and it was nothing unusual to see a wildcat, or lynx tracks in the road. Often the long walk made them so hungry that they would eat part of their lunch before they reached the school house. Children had to get up at 4 o’clock so they could help do the chores in order to get to school by the time is opened at 8 o’clock. Many of the scholars were 21 years old or more and some of them could read or spell about like a 6 or 7 year old child in these modern times. The teacher, nearly always a man, had to get there early so he could make pens of goose quills, or mend their pens with his knife. Children always carried quills to school. Ink was made of walnut bark and water, boiled down and a little copperas added. Sometimes indigo was used to make blue ink. They spelled out of the dictionary and many spelling schools were held. At first they used almost anything that was printed for readers, but as she grew older regular school books came into use. The people who came from the eastern states to get homes would preempt a piece of land and build a log cabin on it. They were allowed to live on it for six months without paying the government anything. When that time expired and the money was not paid, some one could "jump" his cabin, which was often done. She remembers for father’s taking a piece of land that way, and when pay time drew near he lacked $5.00 of having the amount. Her mother was weaving a piece of cloth for a neighbor and received for pay $5.00 which she promptly handed over to her husband, and the land was theirs. Thus her childhood was passed and she grew into young womanhood. By the time there were eight girls and one boy in her father’s family and she was kept busy spinning, knitting and weaving cloth for their clothing. She was married in her early twenties to Louis P. Keim and four children were born to them while living in this county. Government land had all been taken up in this part of Iowa, so in 1863 they moved one-hundred-fifth miles west into Union county, Iowa where cheaper home could be gotten. The Civil War was going on, and there were many hardships in their new home. The country was thinly settles and there was hardly a home but what the husband and father had gone to the war. There were no railroads any nearer than Ottumwa, Ia., 100 miles east and their nearest trading place was Afton, 20 miles away. They took their wheat 30 miles to mill and once they were out of flour several days and ate potatoes in place of bread. Coffee was 75 cents a pound and every thing else accordingly high. Many substitutes were used for coffee, such as parched wheat and sorghum scorched a little and corn meal stirred in it, then water poured over it and boiled. This was a prairie country with nothing to break the winter winds. They lived in a log house with clapboard roof and one morning when they arose the snow had entirely drifted over the door. In the spring her husband would break a few acres of prairie sod and plant what crops he could care for, then the remainder of the summer he worked at the carpenter trade. She and her oldest son, yet a small boy, would gather the corn. When the war was over living conditions became better. Both she and her husband became members of the Church of the Brethren early in life, and a Christian home was established. Four more children were born to them, seven of when were raised to manhood and womanhood, one having died in infancy. In 1894 she with her family moved to Ray county, Mo., and settles in the Rockingham community, on what was known as the Dan Stratton farm. Her husband away in 1915, after enjoying each other’s companionship for 61 years. Two daughters, Mrs. Fannie Newland, Drakeville, Ia., and Mrs. Emma Folger, Osceola, Ia., have passed away in recent years. The remaining children are Charles H., of Leon, Ia., Frank M., of Ludlowville, New York, Mrs. Kittie Bowman, Norborne, Mo., Mrs. Gemmie Wood, Lucerne, Mo., and Ellis W., of Ottawa, Kans. She has twenty grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Of her father’s family one sister remains, Mrs. Caroline Gray, Afton, Ia., the next to the youngest of the family. She has been living with her daughter, Mrs. J.S. Bowman, since 1904, surrounded by kind friends and Christian associations. Though her body is feeble, her step slow and faltering, her eyes almost blind, yet her mind is practically undimmed and she converses freely and intelligently with all. If she lives till October 3, 1932, she will have rounded out her century. Her relatives and friends are planning to celebrate the event at the J.S. Bowman home. --Contributed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Jenna Zunker USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or their legal representative, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------