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Charles A. Rambo
1901 BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
[1870] PAGE 203.
PHOTO: MR. AND MRS. CHARLES A. RAMBO.
CHARLES A. RAMBO preempted his present farm in the fall of 1870. It then comprised the northwest quarter of section 26, township 33, range 3 east; of this quarter he later owned but 80 acres. He also owned 40 acres in the southwest quarter of section 23, and made fruit growing his chief pursuit for many years.
Charles A. Rambo was born January 18, 1845, in the village of Bonaparte, Van Buren County, Iowa, on the Des Moines River, and was a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Tingler) Rambo.
The father of Charles A. Rambo was Jacob Rambo, born in 1816, probably in Muskingum County, Ohio, and was of German descent. He moved to Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1840; and in 1852, removed to Lee County, where he carried on farming until his death, in 1888. He married Elizabeth Tingler, who was born near Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1814, and who was killed by the cars in 1898 in Idaho. They had 10 children: George, who died in Idaho, in 1898; Isaac, who was a miner and rancher in Idaho; Henry C., who lived in Barton County, Missouri; Hassell, who died in Corinth, Mississippi, when he was a soldier in Company I, 15th Reg., Ia. Vol. If.; Mary E. (Marsh), who died in Washington; Curtis, who lived at Republic, Kansas; Charles A., who lived in Beaver Township, Cowley County; James, a miner in Idaho; Martha E. (Rynearson), who resided in Boise City, Idaho, where her husband was a miner and blacksmith; and Clara E. (Cassel), who lived in Keokuk, Iowa.
Charles A. Rambo remained at home until he attained the age of eighteen years, when he drove five yoke of oxen through to Portland, Oregon, together with a caravan of about 40 wagons, the trip consuming six months. He remained there three years on this trip, and in Washington taught school one term. On his return home, he drove a mule team through part of Montana, and to Salt Lake City, and he did not find a railroad until he reached Fort Kearney, Nebraska, which was then the terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad. Reaching home, he taught school and assisted in operating the farm.
After his marriage, in 1869, Charles A. Rambo started for Kansas, and on the last day of September, 1870, arrived in Cowley County. He drove through in company with his wife, bringing with them what furniture they had, and he at once preempted his present farm. He lived in his covered wagon until his house was built, and after he had laid four logs for a foundation for his cabin, as the law required, he had but 75 cents in his pockets. He then hauled the remainder of his logs from the Arkansas River, and soon had his 12 by 14 foot cabin completed. They lived in that until their present six-room house was built in 1884. The claim house was built a few rods north of their present residence, near a large spring, which always supplied the farm with plenty of pure water. A regular Kansas stable served as a barn for some years, and was finally replaced by a frame one, which was destroyed by fire during threshing time in 1888. All the buildings on the place were substantial.
Some natural timber stood on this farm, and in 1872 Mr. Rambo set out many cottonwood trees and some fruit trees. To the latter he kept adding from time to time, until his orchard covered 20 acres. He also had a small vineyard. In his later years Mr. Rambo devoted his attention more to gardening and the growing of small fruit, which he marketed at Arkansas City. He also raised some hogs, favoring the Poland-China breed.
He sold the west half of his claim, and subsequently bought 440 acres on the north, making his farm consist of 120 acres.
Mr. Charles A. Rambo married January 31, 1869, Emma E. Robb, at Charleston, Lee County, Iowa. She was born August 30, 1850, in Iowa, a daughter of H. D. and Emma (Rose) Robb. Her mother died in 1852, and her father placed his five children in good, respectable homes, and went to California as a gold miner. The children were as follows: Lewis C.; Mary E.; John A.; Nora E.; and Emma E.
Lewis C. Robb was a retired farmer, living at Vincennes, Iowa, in 1901, and he was, at one time, a telegraph operator on the Des Moines Valley Railroad; he married and had six children.
Mary E. (Peek) resided in Arkansas City; she located in the state, in 1878, and became the mother of nine children.
John A. Robb had a family and lived in California.
Nora E. (Gilmer), whose husband, R. A. Gilmer, located in Kansas in 1869, was a resident of Arkansas City in 1901.
Emma E., Mr. Rambo’s wife, lived at the home of P. M. Lowden until after her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Rambo had six children: James M.; Ira O.; Laura Belle; Lewis Hassell; Emma G., and Florence V.
1. James M. Rambo, born February 25, 1871, married Minnie Steward, by whom he had one child, Helen Gertrude; he lived in Arkansas City.
2. Ira O. Rambo, born December 12, 1874, was a clerk of Beaver Township, and captain of the lodge of the M. W. of A. at Hackney.
3. Laura Belle Rambo, born October 19, 1884, was attending school in 1901, and preparing herself to be a teacher.
4. Lewis Hassell Rambo, twin brother of Laura Belle, died when three years of age.
5. Emma G. Rambo was born January 6, 1890.
6. Florence V. Rambo was born June 29, 1894.
Politically, Mr. Rambo was a Populist, and served three terms as township trustee, and two terms as clerk. Religiously, he was a member of the United Brethren denomination, and attended the church near Hackney, Kansas.
During the early years of Mr. Rambo’s residence in Cowley County, he went on many hunting trips and the custom then was to go in pairs or small parties, partly for mutual protection from the Indians, in the case of hostile feeling arising. Buffaloes were then quite plentiful, and the meat was used almost exclusively, as livestock was so scarce that little was killed. Wichita was the only market place for wheat and hogs, until 1878. After that year, the marketing was done at Winfield, which was nearer, and the railroad into that city made it quite convenient for the surrounding farmers. Indians were wont to camp near Mr. Rambo’s house, and when he was away Mrs. Rambo spent many a restless night. The red men, however, never molested the place, and to Mr. Rambo’s knowledge, nothing was ever stolen from his premises by them, although they used to beg for food quite frequently.
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Kansas 1875 Census Beaver Township, Cowley County, March 1, 1875.
Name age sex color Place/birth Where from
Chas. A. Rambo 29 m w Iowa Iowa
Emma Rambo 24 f w Iowa Iowa
Jas. M. Rambo 4 m w Kansas
Ora O. Rambo 6m m w Kansas
Beaver Township 1873: C. A. Rambo, 25; spouse, Emma, 21.
Beaver Township 1874: Charles Rambo, 29; spouse, Emma E., 23.
Beaver Township 1875: Charles Rambo, 29; spouse, Emma, 24.
Beaver Township 1878: C. A. Rambo, 32; spouse, Emma E., 26. P. O. Address: A. C.
Beaver Township 1879: C. A. Rambo, 33; spouse, Emma E., 27.
P. O. Address: Winfield.
Beaver Township 1881: C. A. Rambo, 36; spouse, Emma E., 30.
Beaver Township 1882: C. A. Rambo, 37; spouse, Emma, 31.
FROM THE NEWSPAPERS.
Winfield Courier, September 2, 1875.
Last Monday we visited, officially, the south part of the county, and surveyed a county road from a point near the “head waters of navigation of the raging Arkansas,” west to the intersection of another county road. Mr. Bowers, the principal petitioner, is a gentleman of the old school. His doors are ever open to the hungry surveyor outfits. It won’t do to tell how much those road viewers, Roseberry and Rambo, eat, while their feet rested under his well-filled table. Cause why? They might retaliate. After dinner, Miss Ella, a ten year old daughter, sang several familiar songs, with Melodeon accompaniment, bringing vividly to memory our Sunday school days of “long, long ago.”
[BEAVER TOWNSHIP CORRESPONDENT: “DIXON’S GRAPHITE.”]
Winfield Courier, February 6, 1879.
Today (January 31, 1879) Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Rambo celebrated their tenth anniversary of connubial felicity.
Arkansas City Traveler, May 18, 1881.
A monster leaf of pie plant was laid upon our table last week by Mr. S. J. Mantor, nearly covering up the same, its dimensions being 3 feet and 1 inch across the widest part of the leaf, and 3 feet and 6 inches from the stem to the upper tip of the leaf. We believe it was raised by Mr. C. Rambo, on his farm north of town.
Winfield Courier, February 23, 1882.
The following is a report of the school in district 93 for the month ending Feb. 3, 1882.
C. CLASS. Monroe Rambo, Arithmetic 75, Language 85, Reading 80.
Winfield Courier, March 16, 1882.
School Report, Dist. 93, for the Month Ending March 3rd, 1882.
B Grade: Monroe Rambo, Arithmetic 80, Language 80, Neatness 98.
B Grade: Orrie Rambo, Arithmetic 80, Reading 96, Neatness 100.
[PLEASANT VALLEY CORRESPONDENT: “HORATIUS.”]
Winfield Courier, May 11, 1882.
A large acreage of corn has been planted in this locality this spring by the “listen” process. Messrs. Beech, Rambo, Holland, Dillo, Markcum, and Roseberry have each “listed” fifty acres.
[CORRESPONDENCE FROM “GRANGER” - TANNEHILL.]
Cowley County Courant, July 6, 1882.
Our friend, Charley Rambo, was confined to his room last week with sciatic Rheumatism, but under the treatment of Dr. Marsh, we learn is much better now.
[CORRESPONDENT: “ELIZA” - CONSTANT.]
Arkansas City Traveler, Wednesday, October 31, 1883.
BIRTHS. Born last Friday, to Mr. and Mrs. Will Beech a ten pound boy. Will says he will be satisfied when his son enters the senate chamber. Also Mr. and Mrs. Rambo were blessed with twins, boy and girl, sometime last week.
[CONSTANT CORRESPONDENT: “MARK.”]
Winfield Courier, December 27, 1883.
Chas. Rambo’s twins, representing both genders, are flourishing nicely. The boy, as usual deports himself the best and squawls the least.
[BEAVER CORRESPONDENT: “Y. W. C.”]
Winfield Courier, March 13, 1884.
Mr. Charley Rambo is hauling stone and making general preparations for the erection of a new house. Charley is going to keep up with the procession.
[HACKNEY CORRESPONDENT: “MARK.”]
Winfield Courier, December 25, 1884.
Extensive preparations have been made for a Christmas tree performance at our Methodist Church tonight. Santa Claus will be entertained with addresses, declamations, dialogues, and charades, interspersed with choice selections of vocal and instrumental music, with the Beaches, Roseberrys, Lows, Hunts, Rambos, Mumaws, Watts, etc. Old Santa cannot help receiving a royal reception. “Mark” will have to interview Santa Claus and inform him of “Young Nasby’s” weakness so that he may be presented with something to brush up his orthography.
