The Shamberger Family
as written by Eula B. (Snowberger) Cooper (#12212)

1.	Nicholas, born in Hesse Province, Germany in 1764, came to America, Pa. 1784.  Married Barbara Eter at Harrisburg, Pa.  They had seven children.  He died in 1815.

2.	Jacob, son of Nicholas, born 1792.  Married Esther Souder at York, Pa. Dec. 11, 1811.  Recorded Historical Society, York Co.  Moved south into Maryland.  Was a cavalryman in the War of 1812.  Died in Pa. 1879.

3.	John, son of Jacob, born in Md. 1814 was a miller on the Patapsco River above Baltimore.  In 1845 married Elizabeth Markey, daughter of Simon Markey and his wife, Nancy Marshall, who was born in Maryland 1796 and died near Graham, Mo in 1868.  Elizabeth was born in Md. 1823 and died at Graham, Mo. 1883.  Simon Markey had slaves, but set them free before the Civil War and paid them wages.

John and Elizabeth moved with their family to Mo. near Graham in 1866.  She and her mother and sister, Rachel, were buried on the farm in the Shamberger burying ground. John moved to Barber Co., Kansas after 1883 with two sons, Henry and Jesse.  He died there in 1891.  He was a farmer after he came west. The Markey women were gracious ladies, good homemakers and made the most fabulous quilts I have ever seen.

4.	Jacob, son of John, born 1847 in Md.  

After the War he decided to go west.  His father told him to take his brother, Henry, and "find a place and we will all go."  Jacob, 19, and Henry, 17, carried $1,000.00 in gold.  They went to St. Joseph by train, to Savannah by stage coach and walked to Graham.  The Baublitts had gone there earlier.  They were former neighbors of the Shambergers in Maryland. Jacob and Henry decided this was the place they were seeking.  They bought a farm 4 miles southwest of Graham. John and Elizabeth, their younger sons, George and Jesse, a daughter, Nancy, Elizabeth's sister and mother came to the farm.  Thomas, the oldest brother, stayed in Maryland. John bought 960 acres of land northeast of Graham for $25.00 per acre.  That was to be homes for his children. Jacob, Henry, Jesse and Nancy married and lived there.  All went on to Kansas except Jacob.

Jacob courted and married Mary Frances Smith of a pioneer family from Illinois.  She said,  "When we went out together he rode a black horse.  I had my own gray.  I rode side saddle.  I can tell you we made a fine appearance."
They were married in November of l869.  They built their house on Shamberger land 6 miles northeast of Graham.
The land was new, unfenced and unplowed.  They brought it into production.  The soil was black and rich.  Jacob loved the land.  Eventually they raised corn, wheat, oats and pasture.  They had horses, cattle hogs, and chickens.  They set out trees..maples and evergreens like Jacob had known in Maryland.  She grew lilies, snowballs, wisteria vines, roses, peonies, tulips and many annual flowers.  They raised fruit...gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red cherries, grapes, plums, peaches, pears, summer, fall and winter apples.  They had all kinds of vegetables and melons and bought little food except sugar, flour, tea, coffee and oranges, bananas, raisins for special treats.

There were four children, Elizabeth (Lizzie), Charles, Frank and Fanny.  There were 10 grand-children.  All lived near.  It was a good life.  Jacob inherited a share of John's land and bought more of it.  He came to have 480 acres and bought more outside. Jacob had gone to school in Maryland and read Latin and German.  He was a student of the Bible and of history.  Mary had country school in  Illinois.  Seldom read.  She resented not being able to vote.  Finally in 1920 she proudly cast her ballot for Warren G. Harding. They were active in community life, school and church. He was a member of the County Commission that co-operated with Holt County to build the first bridge across the Nodaway River at Maitland.  She was a pioneer woman who was a good nurse.  She went to help when neighbors were ill and when new babies were born. They traveled by train to visit family in Kansas, New Mexico, Idaho and Maryland.   They went sight-seeing in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Colorado, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, Niagra Falls, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. He was delighted with new inventions such as farm machinery, automobiles, telephone and radio.  He bought a sewing machine for each woman in the family. Grandma's hobbies were flowers, needlework, fine linens and dishes.  Her Haviland china was her most prized possession.

They lived together on the farm for 51 years.  She died in 1920.  He continued to live there until his death in 1936, in good health until the last.  They are buried in Maryville.

5.	Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob, was born on the family farm, Graham, Mo. September 24, 1870.  She attended Maryville Seminary one year and Brethern College, McPherson, Kansas one year.  She married Theodore Snowberger in December 1894. They had three children, Lucile, Eula and Jacob Arthur.  She died August 1957 while living with her daughter, Eula, and is buried in Maryville, Missouri.

(Note: This essay was provided by Dean C. Hagen (#122132/1).)