Biography of George J. Kahl

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 387-388

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


GEORGE J. KAHL, the proprietor of one of the finest farms in Oxford 
township, Hamlin county, lives on the northwest quarter of section 29, 
of that township, and is making a specialty of raising cattle and sheep. 
He was born in Baden, Germany, March 12, 1858.

	Mr. Kahl is a son of George J. Kahl, a native of Germany, 
born in the year 1824, and a farmer by occupation. He married Anna 
Maria Ackermann, whose parents both died when she was but eight or nine 
years of age. To this union were born five children, one son and four 
daughters, all of whom are now living and of whom our subject is the 
third: Mary. Ann, Katherine, George, Barbara and Caroline. In 1863 the 
family moved to America and located in Benton county, Iowa, bought a 
farm, and the father died there in August, 1877, but the mother is still 
living. In 1890 she was married to Mr. Henze, a veteran of the Civil 
war, but he also died in 1895.

	Our subject rented a farm in Benton county, Iowa, and 
operated same one year, but it did not prove a success and he 
accordingly sold out and began as a farm laborer at $20 per month and 
paid his debts. In 1881 he went to Hamlin county, South Dakota, and 
filed a homestead claim to the farm he now occupies. He then went on to 
Pierre and spent the summer as night watch on the banks of the Missouri 
river. In the fall he returned to Hamlin county for six weeks, and then 
to his home in Iowa. In the spring of 1882 he loaded a car with 
household goods, machinery and three horses and moved to his new home in 
Hamlin county, South Dakota. He was on the Jim river for about a week or 
ten days. During the blizzard of March, 1882, he was living on his farm 
in his house which was not yet completed. The walls were built but there 
was no floor and only a few boards laid across the top for a roof, and 
Mr. Kahl w as confined in these quarters for three days. During the last 
night of the storm he was obliged to keep walking for fear of freezing. 
He later added to his homestead the northeast quarter of section 29, and 
at another time the southeast of 20. About 150 acres is under 
cultivation, and in 1897 the little homestead shanty gave place to a 
fine residence, 24 x 24 feet, two stories high, with porches and a bay 
window, all neatly finished and furnished, and the barns and 
outbuildings are numerous, commodious and are convenient in their 
arrangement.

	Mr. Kahl was married in 1883 to Miss Elizabeth MacNamara, of 
Hamlin county, South Dakota. Mrs. Kahl is a daughter of Matthew 
MacNamara, a native of Canada, born in 1832. Her mother bore the madden 
name of Elizabeth Andrus, and was born in Canada, the daughter of 
Merritt and Marie (Carpenter) Andrus, and the second in the order of 
birth in a family of nine children. Mr. and Mrs. MacNamara were the 
parents of seven children, three sons and four daughters, of whom we 
have the following record: Anna, Barbara, Elizabeth, Edgar, Maria, 
William and Henry. Politically Mr. Kahl is a Republican, and has held 
offices in the school district and the township for fifteen years. He 
also helped in the organization of the township, and has twice attended 
the Republican state convention. Religiously he was reared in the 
Lutheran church, but at present is not a member of any denomination. In 
December, 1890, Mr. Kahl had the misfortune to receive quite a severe 
injury while, with two of his neighbors, he was pursuing some thieves. 
He received a charge of No. 3 shot from a Winchester shot gun in his 
head, right arm, body and left leg, and still carries many of the shot. 
In spite of his wounds he stood by his companions and secured the arrest 
of the footpads.