JEWELL COUNTY, KANSAS
FAMILY HISTORIES
UNDERWOOD FAMILY
by Warren I. Underwood warrenunderwood@sbcglobal.net
NORMAN UNDERWOOD
# 427 (Son of Vander # 405) was a farmer at Freetown, New York, in early life He afterwards moved to Iowa
where he died March 3, 1879, at Anamosa, Iowa.
The following is the obituary of Norman Underwood
obtained from the library in Anamosa, Iowa. Norman was the Father of Luther and Ervin Underwood.
Died "At his home in Fairview Township, Jones County, Iowa on Monday, the 3rd day of March 1879, Norman Underwood.
Mr. Underwood was born in Freetown, Cortland County,
New York on the 12 day of January 1815 and consequently was 64 years, 1 month, and 19 days old at the day of his
death. He moved to Fairview in 1855, and has been a resident of this township since that time. The
funeral was attended at his house by his neighbors, and a sermon was preached by Rev. James Mitchell, of Fairview,
from the text found in ll Tess., 2nd chapter, 16th and 17th verses. After which a large procession followed
him to his resting place."
Note- Fairview is in Iowa near Anamosa, Iowa.
There is not longer a town of Fairview
EARLY HISTORY OF ERVIN UNDERWOOD # 430 (Son of Norman Underwood # 427) As told by
Delbert and Wayne Underwood (Sons o Ervin Underwood) - Written by Phyllis Underwood Dethloff 1991-92
Ervin was left fatherless at the age of 12 years
and began making his own way in life. He spent his boyhood days in Iowa. He came to Jewell County,
Kansas near Otego, Kansas in 1885. His mother, brother Charles and sister Addie came a short time later.
They can be found in the #99 school district records.
Ervin first lived one mile east of Otego, south
side of the railroad tracks where Willie Ost resided later. The railroad was being built and it came right
through his oat field so he gave up farming and he and George Cole went to work for the railroad as far west as
Smith Center, Kansas, building grades with their teams of horses. In the winter of 1888-89 Ervin and George
went to California and worked at picking lemons. He came back in the spring of 1889 and worked on a ranch
at Stewart, Kansas, south of Lebanon, Kansas for 4 years, 1889-90-91-92. He worked there until he married
Nellie Cole in 1893.
His mother, brother, and sister went back to New
York around 1887 or 1888.
Ervin and Nellie made their first home 6 1/2 miles
west of Mankato, Kansas , on the now Russell Walker farm, living there one year and their first son, Lester was
born. Then they moved one mile south of Otego, Kansas where Wayne Underwood (now Dewey Underwood 2005) now
lives, their second child Gladys was born.
In 1896-97 they moved one=half mile north on the
east side of the road were Mark Underwood now lives. Here the rest of the family was born. They built
a frame house in 1897-98 and lived here until March 12, 1925 when Ervin bought the Moses Bunker farm 1/2 mile north
across the railroad tracks, where they resided until their death.
To this union 8 children were born, Lester who
died at age eleven of pneumonia. Gladys, Philip, Charley, Eber, Ruth, Delbert, and Wayne grew to adulthood
and have lived in the vicinity of Jewell County, Kansas.
They were hardy, hard working people, experiencing
the hardwork and hardships of pioneer life.
Mr. Underwood belonged to the Woodmen of America
and Otego IOOF.
Mrs. Underwood was a member of the Otego Methodist
Church, Rebekah and Royal Neighbors Lodges.
Wayne recalls that his Dad went to Lebanon, Kansas
to buy their clothes from Ed Adams.
One day while in town the Ringling Brothers Circus
was in Town, Ervin was driving a fine team of horses and the circus people wanted to buy one of the horses.
At first Ervin didn't want to sell but decided to put a price of $700.00 on the horse, thinking it was to high
and they wouldn't buy. But they did buy it and Ervin had to go buy another horse to get home.
In 1920 Ervin went to the circus in Concordia,
Kansas. He got his nephew, John Underwood, to go with him and they found his horse once again at the circus.
The children were educated at Otego grade school,
Burr Oak, Esbon and Otego high schools.
The Underwood family has been a close knit family
helping each other in time of need. They have farmed the land around Otego, Kansas for more than one hundred
years. Many changes have taken place since that first soil was turned with a team of horses and walking plow.
At present the land around Otego, and most of the old town site is owned and farmed by the Underwoods.
The Underwoods combined many acres of wheat and
Delbert claiming to have been on a combine for 60 years or more. As you can see farming has been a big part
of the Underwoods lives. It is being carried down to the 3rd and 4th generations. Many of the younger
generation have pursued other careers with college degrees and some have preferred to be common laborers.
We have not scattered far. There are only
a few of us living outside of Kansas.
Our Grandmother, Nellie May Cole came to Kansas
in 1879 with her family and settled with her family on a homestead one mile south and one half mile east of Otego
until they both died.
In a dairy that Ervin left (before he married)
tells of his visiting with the Cole boys. It also states of his working for his brother Luther Underwood.
Our Grandmother did not believe in drinking or
smoking. She told her boys that the one who did not smoke she would give them a gold watch. Wayne was
the only one to get a gold watch. When she went to town she always got Wayne candy as the other boys smoked.
After my parents moved east of Burr Oak, Kansas
our contacts with the family were few. It was at the end of the Great Depression of the 30's and WWII started
and we didn't get far from home. Most of the farming was still done by hard physical labor and people spent
most of their time making a living.
Since our family were all farmers they were not
called into WW II as the farmers were left at home to raise a crop to feed the Armies and population. The
only two in our family in WW II was Wilford and Lawrence Doud. Max Underwood served in the Korean War where
he died in a Japanese hospital from a brain tumor. Dale and Verle Underwood have made the Air Force their
careers. Marvin spent some time in the Air Force and Mahlon McDill spent several years in the Navy.
We always gathered at our Grandparents home for
Decoration Day which was our Grandmothers birthday. (It was also my (Warren L. Underwood) birthday, so Grandmother
and I always got to be first in line for the food.) We would go to the cemetery and decorate the graves in
the morning and then bring a potluck dinner for noon. At Christmas time we would gather to celebrate Christmas
with another potluck meal and exchange gifts. This was discontinued in the early 50's as our family was to
big to accommodate in our homes.
The Grandchildren have numbered 29. Only
a few have passed away.
The Cole family, our Grandmothers family, always
had a picnic in the late summer. The family has scattered far and we have this in Mankato, Kansas now which
consists mostly of the Underwoods. As we retire our gatherings have gotten larger and it is the only time
that we get to see some of our cousins and other relatives.
LUTHER UNDERWOOD *of Burr Oak, Kansas, (son of Norman no. 427), born June
6, 1859; married Mary Catherine Pattee. He died at Burr Oak, Kansas, where his wife and family still reside.
*Taken from "The Underwood Families of America"
by Lucien Marcus Underwood originally published in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1913.
Luther and his wife came to Otego, Kansas in March of 1884 and bought land on the south side of Otego. The
land was bought Nov. 28, 1885 from James Ferrall. On May 22, 1899 his brother, Ervin Underwood bought the
land. Philip Underwood inherited this land from his father and lived and farmed this land until 1979.
It was sold to his brother Delbert Underwood. Today (2005) Mark Underwood Delbert's son owns and lives on
this land.
HUSBAND - Luther Underwood
Son of Norman and Mary Edwards from New York.
Ervin Underwood and Luther Underwood were brothers
married to Cousins- Eliza Jane (Freeland) Pattee and Nellie (Cole) Underwood- their Mothers were sisters.
U.S. Census 1870-11-with Parents in Fairview, Jones
County, Iowa
Iowa State Marriage Index - Register 856-page 207
U.S. Census 1880-Fairview, Jones County, Iowa (Post
Office Anamosa)
| Luther |
21 (1859) |
NY |
Head |
Farmer |
M |
W |
M |
| Mary |
20 (1860) |
IN |
Wife |
|
M |
W |
F |
| Addie |
3 (1877) |
IA |
Dtr |
|
S |
W |
F |
WIFE - Mary Catherine Pattee
Marriage records Iowa - Mary C. Hoffman - Luther
Underwood
U.S. Census 1860- 3-with Parents-Mount
Pleasant, Bates County, Missouri
U.S. Census 1870-13-with Parents-Jackson,
Newton County, Iowa
U.S. Census 1880-20-with Husband-Fairview,
Jones County, Iowa
CHILD 1 - Addie Underwood
U.S., Census 1880-3-with Parents-Fairview,
Jones County, Iowa
LUTHER UNDERWOOD was the first of the Underwoods to come west from Iowa and settled in Jewell County, Kansas,
in March of 1884 and bought land in the south edge of Otego in November 1885 from James Ferrell.
Luther married Mary Catherine Pattee on February
4, 1876, in Fairview, Jones County, Iowa. They were the parents of 5 children; (1.) Addie - born in 1877
in Iowa; died 1886-1887 in Jewell County, Kansas ; (2.) Laura E. - born March 13, 1877; died December 29, 1974;
buried in Montevideo, Minnesota; married Staci Baldwin on August 11, 1897, in Jewell County, (3.) Leona May - born
February 16, 1881, in Greenfield, Iowa; died in California; married Luther Baird; (4.) John Ezra - born May 31,
1882, in Iowa; and (5.) Pearle A.- born February 6, 1884, in Iowa; died in Sacramento, California; married Cleotis
(Ode Baldwin).
Luther was born June 6, 1859, in Jones County,
Iowa; died October 7, 1886, in Otego, buried in the 85 Cemetery, Jewell County, Kansas. Mary Catherine was
born November 29, 1856, in Indiana, died August 8, 1916, in Concordia, Kansas; buried in the Union Valley Cemetery,
Republic County, Kansas.
After Luther's death Mary married Emory Watkins
and had 2 children- Frank and Rachael Ellen. She later married Vanbert Mahan.
In searching the family history an interesting
fact was found that Luther and Ervin Underwood's mothers-in-law were sisters, Eliza Jane Freeland Pattee and Mary
Ellen Freeland Cole. Another sister Rachel Freeland Moyer came to Kansas with the Moyer and Cole Families.
She married John Moyer.
This article was in the BURR OAK Herald October
1886. "Died - in Limestone Township October 7, 1886 at 2;00 P.M., Luther Underwood in his 28th year
of age. The deceased moved to this country 2 years ago last March (1884) and had formed a large acquaintance
and was loved and respected by all who knew him. He was a hard worker and was building up a comfortable home
and looked forward to a bright future when death claimed him for its victim. He leaves a wife and 5 children
besides a number of other relatives and friends to mourn his loss. The bereaved family have the sympathy
of the entire neighborhood in their hour of trial."
Luther had bought land from James Ferrell 5-3-9
Limestone Township, just south of Otego, Kansas. He died from typhoid fever.
***********This information was
taken from page 96 'MEMORIES OF OTEGO" Compiled by Phyllis G. (Underwood) Dethloff and Wilma Marie (Lagergren)
Underwood. This book was published in 1990.
**************Source-1991 by Phyllis G. (Underwood) DETHLOFF*********************************
LUTHER UNDERWOOD
It has taken many hours of searching to find the
history of LUTHER UNDERWOOD and his family since family contacts were few after Luther died except through his
daughter LAURA BALDWIN, I have been in touch with her family in Minnesota and they sent what history they had.
At this date her daughter RUBY is still living.
I also made contact with PEARL'S daughter PAULINE
GARDNER in Des Moines, Iowa. She called to say her father died when she was 6 weeks old and JAY BALDWIN raised
her in Iowa. She knew her Mother had married several times after her Father died and lived and is buried
in California. but other than that she knew nothing of her parents. Her son is a Doctor in Iowa. I
also found a granddaughter of MARY UNDERWOOD WATKINS, MARY CLINE, of Franklin, Nebraska. She had the history
on the PATTEE and WATKINS families which I have if you care to pursue further.
The UNDERWOOD family history from FLORENCE MICHELS
in Anamosa, Iowa shows LUTHER married MARY HOFFMAN. FARYL LANGE remembers AUNT RUTH saying that LAURA was
not LUTHER'S child. Since I have found the date of marriage in 1880 and LAURA'S birth in 1877 and ADDIE'S
birth in 1876/77 I feel this proves that she had been married before. I have checked other sources, census
records, Burr Oak Herald newspaper, probate records, school records of Otego and Dist. #99 show some of the children.
LUTHER'S tombstone states he died in 1887 but the
Burr Oak newspaper has an article telling of his death in 1886. It is also in the newspaper that MR. GARMAN
tells of the death of MRS. UNDERWOOD'S little girl which I believe is ADDIE. She is in the 1880 Jones County,
Iowa census but this is all I have found of her.
My search has not extended beyond this, I sometimes
will pursue the lives of JOHN and MAY.
LUTHER died October 7, 1886 at his home near Otego,
Kansas. He left a wife and 5 children. MARY later married EMORY WATKINS. They lived on a homestead
ranch in Colorado, 12 miles south of Sidney, Nebraska. They came back to Otego, Kansas in 1888. The
family story goes that EMORY had children by his first wife and the children could not get along so EMORY went
back to Indiana and raised his family. He and MARY had 2 children which MARY adopted out to other families.
FRANK kept his name and lived in the Red Cloud, Nebraska area. RACHEL lived in California and Oregon.
MARY later married VANBERT MAHAN and lived in Concordia, Kansas. She is buried in the Union Valley cemetery
about 12 miles Northwest of Belleville, Kansas.
*** In the 1900 federal census Burr Oak township
was the following:
JOHN UNDERWOOD son born May 1882 in Iowa, Father
born in New York, Mother born in Indiana
MARY SMITH born November 1856 head of household
PEARLE A. UNDERWOOD daughter born February 1884 in Iowa, Father in New York, Mother born in Indiana
HELEN A. born in October 1899
SANFORD J. PATTEE brother born in Indiana, Father born in New York, Mother born in Ohio
MARY UNDERWOOD had a farm sale in Limestone township
in 1887, February 26, 5 miles southwest of Burr Oak, Kansas.
**September 27, 1889 STATE OF KANSAS, JEWELL COUNTY,
S.S.
S.S. Mason being duly sworn deposes and says that
he is publisher of THE JACKSONIAN, a weekly newspaper published at Mankato, Kansas, and having a general circulation
in said county of Jewell, and that the notice of which the annexed is a true copy was published in said newspaper
for six consecutive weeks as follows:
In the District Court, Jewell county, State of
Kansas.
*Mary Sams
vs
Mary C. Underwood
May Underwood
John Underwood
Pearl Underwood
and James Ferrell,
Defts.
The said defendants, Mary C, Underwood, May Underwood,
John Underwood, and Pearl Underwood, are hereby notified that they and each of them have been sued by the above
named plaintiff, Mary Sams, who did on the 21st day of January, 1889 file her petition in the District Court of
Jewell county, State of Kansas, demanding judgement against said defendant Mary C. Underwood, for the sum of Nine
Hundred and Ninety Dollars and interest theron at the rate of eight per cent annum from the 9th day of Feb'y 1887,
and for the foreclosure of a mortgage given by said Mary C. Underwood, to secure the payment of said sum upon the
South half of the North-east quarter of section five and the South half of the North west quarter of section four
all in Township three south, range nine west of the sixth principal meridian in Jewell County, State of Kansas,
and for the sale of said land under said mortgage and that you and each of you be forever barred and foreclose
from claiming any right, title interest or equity of redemption in said premises from and after said sale and that
whatever right, title or interest you may have or claim in said premises the same is subsequent, inferior and junior
to the said mortgage lien of said piff and for costs of said suit. And that unless you appear and answer said petition
on or before the 28th day of October 1889, the same will be taken as true and judgment rendered accordingly.
R.S. Hanley
Att'y for Piff.
*A motion to Confirm Sale of Real Estate was issued in District Court of Jewell County, Kansas On November 15 1890
on an Order of Sale issued out of the said Court in an action wherein said *Mary Sams plaintiff and Mary C. Underwood,
May Underwood, John Underwood, Pearl Underwood, James Terrell, Mary C. Watkins formerly Mary C. Underwood &
Emory Watkins. defendants, and the sheriff of Jewell County, Kansas, be ordered to make to *Mary McDonald the purchaser
thereof a good and sufficient deed to the premises so sold.
****** (Norman Underwood's wife married a Sams
and a McDonald after he died it is believed that the Mary Sams and the Mary McDonald referred to above is Mary
Rosalia Edwards (Raleigh # 1 husband), (Underwood # 2 husband,) (Sams # 3 husband) and (McDonald # 4 husband) This
is the conclusion of Warren L. Underwood a great grandson of Norman and Mary (Edwards) Underwood.
*****The following was found in the Burr Oak Herald
newspaper Burr Oak, Kansas court proceedings March 27, 1890:
MARY SAMS (Mary Underwood-Norman Underwood wife)
vs JAMES TERRELL, MARY C., MAY, JOHN and PEARLE UNDERWOOD. Judgement for Piff. Against TERRELL $436.35 against
MARY UNDERWOOD $2733.05, (MARY C. is LUTHER UNDERWOODS wife).
In searching the family history an interesting
fact was found that LUTHER and ERVIN UNDERWOOD mother in-law's were sisters. ELIZA JANE FREELAND and MARY
ELLEN FREELAND COLE. Another sister was RACHAEL FREELAND MOYER, MRS JOHN, who came to Kansas when the COLE
family came.
ELIZA JANE FREELAND PATTEE married ELIZA PATTEE
who was a farmer in Greenfield township, Jones County, Iowa. They were living in Colorado in 1885 when ELIZA
died and is buried there. ELIZA JANE is buried in Beaver, Oklahoma.
In with the old UNDERWOOD pictures were pictures
of some of the PATTEE family and we wondered why and this has made the connection. Several of the PATTEE
children lived around Otego. In the 1885 Kansas census it shows CHARLES PATTEE living with MARGARET SPAULDING.
It is believed that MARGARET SPAULDING was a sister to JOHN MOYER who married RACHEL FREELAND. In later research
I found the marriage cert. of RODNEY SPAULDING and MARGARET MOYER in Marion County, Ohio.
CORRECTION AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Mary Catherine Patte was married to a Mr. Hoffman
before 1876 and prior to her marriage to Luther Underwood. Mary had two children with Mr. Hoffman: 1) Addic born
abt. 1876 and Laure E. born March 13, 1877. It is not known what happened, but it is assumed Mr. Hoffman died sometime
prior to 1880.
Luther married Mary Catherine Patte on February
4, 1880 in Fairview, Jones County, Iowa. Marriage Records show Mary Catherine Hoffman to Luther Underwood.
See Book D, Grooms T-Z, Register 856, page 287 Jones County Marriage Records.
After Luther's death Mary C. (Pattee) Hoffman Underwood
married Mr. Emory Watkins on October 11, 1887 at Sidney Nebraska. See Marriage Records 1887 Cheyenne County, Sidney,
Nebraska. Mary C. and Emory Watkins had two children: Frank Eber, born August 17, 1888 and Rachel Ellen,
born June 9, 1890.
Emory and his first wife Alice J. Bohl had four
children: Lavina, John, Charles and Anna. The family story goes that Emory and Mary lived on a homestead
in Colorado, 12 miles south of Sidney, Nebraska. They returned to Otego, Kansas in 1888. Emory and
his children went back to Indiana sometime between 1880-1894 as the kids could not get along. Mary gave up
their two children for adoption. Frank was allowed to keep his name and lived in Red Cloud, Nebraska most
of his life. He was adopted by Alonso and Lydia Denno and came to Red Cloud when he was 6 years old.
He and his wife Maude F. Henderson had 13 children. People by the name of McClarens adopted Rachel and changed
he name to Nell or Nellie. She lived most of her life in California and Phoenix, Oregon. She had one
daughter Margaret.
After Mr. Watkins died Mary C. Patter married a
Mr. Van Bert Mahan on September 17, 1907. Mary and Van did not have any children.
Mary was married 4 times: 1) Mr. Hoffman, 2) Luther
Underwood, 3) Emory Watkins, 4) Van Bert Mahan. She had 7 children with 6 of them living to maturity.
This must of been a hard life for a pioneer lady like Mary, she lost 2 husbands and one child before she was 31
years old.
Mary Catherine (Patee) Hoffman Underwood Watkins
Mahan died on August 8, 1916 at Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas, age 60. She is buried at the Union Valley
Cemetery in Republic County, Kansas near Belleville, Kansas.
*Note New Infomation: January 12, 2008 Warren
I. Underwood, Researcher
Infomation is found from Jones County, Iowa Marriage
Records that Mary Edwards (Underwood) married Jonas Sams on December 13, 1880. This is about 1 year after
Norman Underwood died. Jonas Sams was born June 28, 1828 in Brown County, Ohio. He died on August 28,
1884 in Webster County, Iowa. This information was found in death records of Webster County, Iowa.
It appears after Mr. Sams died that Mary remained unmarried until after November 15, 1890. She remarried
a 4th time to a Mr. McDonald. I have not been able to confirm a marriage date or what Mr. McDonald's first name
was. Mary Rosalia (Edwards) McDonald died March 3, 1894, age 54, at Clarksville, Allegany County, New York.
Ervin Jay Underwood & Nellie
May Cole
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Ervin Jay Underwood
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Nellie May Cole Underwood
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ERWIN JAY UNDERWOOD # 430 (SON OF NORMAN # 427) Evin Jay Underwood is a farmer, having lived in
Jones County,Iowa, until 1885, and since that time in Otego, Jewell County, Kansas.
*This information was taken from "The Underwood
Families of America" by Lucien Marcus Underwood originally published Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1913.
Son of Norman & Mary Edwards from New York.
U.S. Census 1870-3-with Parents-Fairview,
Jones, Iowa. (sp Irving)
U.S. Census 1880-13-with Mother-Fairview, Jones, Iowa
U.S. Census 1910-43 (1866) IA-Limestone, Jewell, Kansas
U.S. Census 1930-Burr Oak, Jewell, Kansas
| Earvin |
62 (1867) |
IA |
Head |
Farmer |
M |
W |
M |
| Nellie |
57 (1872) |
|
Wife |
|
M |
W |
F |
| Delbert |
19 (1910) |
|
Son |
|
S |
W |
M |
| Wayne |
16 (1913) |
|
Son |
|
S |
W |
M |
Ervin and Luther Underwood were Brothers married to Cousins-Nellie Cole and Mary Catharine Pattee-their Mothers
were sisters.
Ervin Underwood second son of Norman and Mary R.
Edwards Underwood, was born in Jones County, Iowa on April 10, 1867. He died on December 12, 1938, at Otego.
He married Nellie May Cole (born May 30, 1872, in Jasper, County, Iowa, and died March 23, 1942) on January 4,
1893, at Otego, Kansas.
Ervin was left fatherless at the age of 12 years
and began making his own way in life. He spent his boyhood days in Iowa. He came to Jewell County,
Kansas, near Otego in 1885. His mother, brother Charles and sister Addie came a few weeks later.
Ervin first lived 1 mile east of Otego on the south
side of the railroad tracks where Willie Ost resided later. The railroad was being built and it came right
through his oat field so he gave up farming and he and George Cole went to work, for the railroad as far west as
Smith Center, Kansas, building grades with their teams of horses. In the winter of 1888-89 Ervin and George
went to California and worked at picking lemons. He came back in the spring of 1889 and worked on a ranch
at Steward, Kansas, south of Lebanon, Kansas, for 4 years, 1889-1892. He worked there until he married Nellie
Cole in 1893.
His mother, brother, and sister went back to New
York around 1885-1886.
Ervin and Nellie made their first home 6 1/2 miles
west of Mankato, Kansas, on the now Russell Walker farm, living 1 year and their first son Lester was born.
Then they moved 1 mile south of Otego, Kansas, (where Wayne Underwood now lives), their second child Gladys was
born. In 1896 or 1897 they moved 1/2 mile north on the east side of the road (where Mark Underwood now lives).
Here the rest of the family was born. They built a frame house in 1897-1898 and lived there until March 12,
1925, when Ervin bought the Moses Bunker farm 1/2 mile north across the railroad tracks, where they resided until
their deaths.
They were hardy, hard working people, experiencing
the hard work and hardships of pioneer life.
Mr. Underwood belonged to the Woodmen of America
and the Otego I.O.O.F.
Mrs. Underwood was a member of the Otego Methodist
Church, Rebekah and Royal Neighbors Lodges.
Wayne recalls that his dad went to Lebanon, Kansas,
to buy their clothes from Ed Adams. One day while in town the Ringling Brothers Circus was in town, Ervin
was driving a fine team and the circus people wanted to buy one of the horses. At first Ervin didn't want
to sell but decided to put the price of $700.00 on the horse, thinking it was too high and they wouldn't buy.
But they did buy it and Ervin had to go buy another horse to get back home.
ERVIN JAY UNDERWOOD # 430 (son of Norman # 427)
In 1920 Ervin went again to the circus in Concordia,
Kansas. He got his nephew, John Underwood, to go with him and they found his horse once again at the circus.
To this union eight children were born, Lester
died at age of eleven of pneumonia. Gladys, Philip, Charley, Eber, Ruth, Delbert, and Wayne grew to adulthood
and lived in the vicinity of Jewell County, Kansas all their lives.
The children were educated at Otego Grade School,
Burr Oak, Esbon, and Otego High Schools.
*This information was taken from page 97 "MEMORIES
OF OTEGO" compiled by Phyllis G. (Underwood) Dethloff and Wilma Marie (Lagergren) Underwood. This book
was published in 1990.
My grandparents, Ervin and Nellie Underwood made
several trips to Anamosa, IA. to visit Van Underwood (Ervin's brother). Grandpa always said he was left out
when the estate was settled of his father, Norman Underwood. Grandpa was a feisty person and Uncle Wayne
said the folks in Iowa were afraid of him after they took everything and would run into the cornfield when he came
to visit.
It is believed that Ervin never did see his Mother,
brother Charles and sister Addie after they went back to New York around 1887. Uncle Wayne states on one
of the trips to Iowa that Grandpa wanted to go to New York but Grandma wouldn't go.
**written by Phyllis G. (Underwood) Dethloff
OBITUARY
ERVIN J. UNDERWOOD
Ervin Jay Underwood, second son of Norman and Mary
Underwood was born April, 10, 1867 in Jones county, Iowa, and departed this life at his home near Otego, Kansas,
November 12, 1938, at the age of 71 years, 7 months and 2 days.
He was left fatherless at the age of 12 years and
began making his own way. He spent his boyhood days in Iowa, coming to Jewell County near Otego in 1885,
and in this community he has since resided.
On January 4, 1893 he was united in marriage to
Nellie May Cole and to this union were born eight children, six sons and two daughters, one son Lester Freeland,
preceded him in death.
He was a member of the Modern Woodmen of America,
and a charter member of the Otego I.O.O.F. remaining so until its suspension.
Of his immediate family who survive him are his
wife and children, Philip and Charley of Otego, Eber of Mankato, Delbert and Wayne of the home, Gladys Doud of
Otego, and Ruth McDill of Mankato, also nineteen grandchildren. Besides he leaves two brothers, Van Underwood
of Anamosa, Iowa, Charles Underwood of Cuba, New York, one sister, Addie Brown of Cuba, New York, a half-sister,
Rose Spade of Admire, Kansas, a nephew, John Underwood of Wichita, Kansas, and other relatives and friends.
He had been in failing health for the past four
years, never complaining of his affliction, meeting his challenge of death unafraid.
"Twilight and evening
bell
And after that the dark
May there be no sadness of farewell
When I embark"
*****
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