Renbarger Biographies

Edward Renbarger 1816-1889

Edward Renbarger was born in Hardin Co., Kentucky on 29 August 1816 to Henry and Elizabeth (Hatfield) Renbarger. When six months old, his father moved the family to Wayne Co., Indiana, settling four miles northwest of Richmond, Indiana.

Edward lived with his father and helped with the farm until the age of 22 when he married Mary Prickett on 22 January 1838. Three children were born to them, James S., George Wilson, and Lucinda. Mary Prickett Renbarger died on 6 November 1855.

On 14 February 1857 Edward married a second time to  Julie Ann Rennaker. Two children were born to them, William Henry on 7 October 1857, and Clara Ellen on 6 January 1874.  Edward was a very ambitious, hardworking man, and father. Through his hard work and good management he acquired 400 acres of land, many acres of which had to be cleared of timber.

On 8 February 1889, Edward died of pneumonia. His land, which he bought on 17 August 1874 from James and Mahulda Hagee, was divided amongst his wife Julie, James S., George Wilson, William Henry, and Clara Ellen.

William Henry Renbarger 1857-1945

William Henry Renbarger was born on 7 October 1857 to Edward Renbarger and Julie Ann Rennaker Renbarger. On 5 February 1882, Henry, as he was known, married Lucinda Gilpin. They had one daughter named Grace Ellen. Lucinda died 5 years after their marriage when Grace was only four years old.

After Lucinda passed away, Henry took his little daughter and went back to his parents' home so they could help take care of her. Henry and Edward farmed together as his two half brothers were in their own homes.

Henry became quite interested in a young lady by the name of Ida Rosetta Bonner who was a hired girl at the Daniel Rennaker home. Daniel Rennaker was an uncle of Henry's and a brother of Henry's mother, Julie Ann.

On 29 September 1888, William Henry Renbarger and Ida Rosetta Bonner were married and went to live in Henry's house and before long, Grace was back home with her father and new mother. The three of them lived just across the road from Grace's grandfather Edward, grandmother Julie Ann, and Aunt Clara. On 7 December 1889, Otto Henry was born to Henry and Ida. The other children born to Henry and Ida were Guy R., James William, Clara Gertrude, and Alva June.

When Edward died he left his land divided between Henry, his mom, and his brothers and sister. Henry was given 70 acres then he bought 21 acres on 14 December 1889 for $680 making 91 acres that Henry owned. When they divided up Edward's land James S., George W., and Clara each had more land so they had to pay Julie Ann $200 each.

Henry farmed his 91 acres until his health became very bad having hay fever. So he decided to go with some other men and a land developer to Canada then into Montana and found that the western air agreed with him and that he could breath well and liked Montana. He heard of land in western North Dakota to be homesteaded from the government so when he got back to Indiana, he and Ida talked it over and decided to sell their personal property except four horses, a cow, a sow, some chickens, some farm machinery, and some household things which they loaded into a railroad car at Sweetser, Indiana. In August of 1907, they arrived in Ray, North Dakota.

Charles and Gertrude Wright, a sister and brother-in-law of Ida's, rented the farm in Indiana. It was decided and agreed to by the station agent at Sweetser, that Otto and Guy were to ride free on the train box car to take care of the livestock, as they had to be unloaded, fed and watered at least once on the long trip. After everything was loaded in the railroad car, the baggage agent at Sweetser, knowing the way of boys and the family, made a place at the end of the car while helping load baggage where young Jim could crawl into, among the boxes of bedding and household furnishings and be quite comfortable and not be seen by the trainmen as he road along. Jim had wanted to be with his older brothers, his father had given him money to pay his way but Jim chose to ride in the freight car.

All went well until the livestock had to be unloaded at Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, to be exercised, fed and watered, then to be reloaded into the car and the water barrel filled. Then Otto and Guy decided to replenish the food box their mother and sister Clara had so carefully packed for them with all kinds of goodies from home. They went to a little store near the depot and in the meantime the train got ready to pull out minus the two Renbarger boys. Jim had to make an appearance to hold the train for his two brothers and from there to Ray, North Dakota, Jim had to have a train ticket, paid for by the money his father had given him. Henry, Ida, Clara, and Alva were in a passenger car on the same train.

In another incident on their first train trip, Jim was leaning over a water barrel, cup in hand to get himself a drink, being a little short it was hard for Jim to reach the water and at that time the train gave a big lurch and Jim ended up in the barrel and might have drowned if Otto had not been near to pull him out. Then to make things a little more interesting, their sow decided it was time for her piglets to be born. So Otto had to sit up all night to see that all went well with the litter and saved all of them but one, who got frisky and got out of the pen. The cow, Old Pet by name, stepped on it.

Arrangements had been made for the family to come to Otto Shafer's after arriving in Ray. Otto and Grace had lived in North Dakota for a year or two by then.

After about 2 years of living in Williams County, the Renbargers moved across the Big Missouri to McKenzie County where they bought a relinquishment claim, or homestead, from a young man by the name of John Silver. The land was put into Ida's name. There was a small log house on the land with a sod roof which proved to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There was also a bunk house where tools and equipment were kept. The older boys and Mr. Silver spent most of the first winter in it so a heating stove was put in. Mr. Silver stayed with the Renbargers that first winter and left in spring to look for work. He was very good with horses and was believed to have gone to Montana to get work on a ranch. The Renbargers soon built a four room frame house with a small lean-to kitchen, two bedrooms upstairs, and later built a larger sitting room.

Henry filed on a homestead farther south in quite rough country where he could have cattle pasture and also cut prairie hay for feed. He had to build a small frame house on the claim, where he and Ida spent nights from early spring until fall, driving about five miles every evening with their one horse and buggy or a team and farm wagon. When they got to their little house, Henry would round up the milk cows and Ida would put the cream separator together and do whatever housework there was to do, then the milking and separating had to be done.

They had about 20 acres plowed, which was required by law before a claim could be proven and be their own. In the morning, cows had to be milked and milk separated, then the milk and cream were put into cans with tight lids and were taken back down to the farm for use by the family, and the cream churned into butter, as butter and eggs bought the groceries and clothes. The milk that was not used by the family was fed to the calves and pigs. The homestead was fenced with barbwire for pasture and Henry also rented the Bagaason homestead for more pasture. Their youngest daughter, Ethel Merle, was born on 28 November 1920 on this land.

Henry rented his farm in Indiana to his son Otto, then to his brother-in-law George Bonner and family, who lived there for a few years, then he rented it to his daughter Grace Ellen and her husband Otto Shafer.

The Renbargers lived on their farm along the Missouri River until October 1943 when Henry, Ida, and their youngest daughter moved to the daughter's home in Watford City where they spent the winters then would move back to the farm each spring. The first spring after Henry's death, Ida and Ethel move back to the farm, but that fall, when they moved back to Watford City, Ida said, "I think this will be our last move, as it is too hard for the people who are so good to help us." Jim, Jennie, and their family were always ready to help them move and would take care of the milk cows and Ethel's saddle horse, Rodney, during the winter. Then John Steelman helped with his truck and was so good to help unload the household goods. So there was no moving back and forth after the fall of 1946. Two years later on May 11th, Ida passed away and was laid to rest beside Henry and not far from their son Alva in the Shafer Cemetery.

After Henry's death in 1945, his land was sold to his grandson Ira Shafer.

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