Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The
Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties,
State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing
Co., 1904.
JOHN MOHR is a farmer and stockman
dwelling about two miles southwest from Farmer, where he owns a good large
estate. On this place of one section he raises mostly the cereals,
although he handles diversified crops somewhat. In addition to this
work, Mr. Mohr has some excellent horses, among which may be mentioned
three stallions, all thoroughbred. One is a Percheron, weighing two
thousand pounds; another is a Cleveland Bay, the only one on the prairie;
and the other is a fine Clyde animal. He also owns about one hundred
and fifty brood mares on the range and a band of Durham cattle. Mr.
Mohr has shown good ability in handling the large enterprises at the head
of which he stands and he is occounted one of the most successful stockmen
in the county.
John Mohr was born in Kiel, Germany, on January
31, 1855, the son of John and Annie (Gail) Mohr, natives of Germany and
now living in this country. The father served for thirty-five years
in the regular army and participated in the war of 1848 and also the Franco-Prussian
conflict. He was a major in the royal cavalry. Our subject
was educated in the schools of his native place and later learned the drug
business in Kiel. At the age of seventeen he joined the German army
and served through the Franco-Prussian war. In 1871, he came to the
United States and handled a delivery wagon for John D. Rockefeller in Cleveland,
Ohio, for two years. Then a year was spent in the lumber business
after which he went to Kansas in 1874 and raised stock in Washington county.
In 1881, Mr. Mohr journeyed to California and sixteen months later returned
to Kansas, whence he soon came to Washington, selecting Douglas county
as his permanent abode. He took a homestead, a pre-emption and a
timber culture claim and also bought a quarter section. This is now
his estate and it is well improved and valuable. Mr. Mohr has one
brother, Henry.
In Washington county, Kansas, in 1883, Mr.
Mohr married Miss Emma, daughter of Andrew and Caroline Olandt, natives
of Germany and immigrants to Kansas. Mrs. Mohr was born in Lapeer
county, Michigan, in 1863 and had one brother and one sister, Charles,
and Mrs. Elma Thompson. To Mr. and Mrs. Mohr two children were born:
John, in Kansas, on March 15, 1884; and Jessie, in Ellensburg, on July
16, 1885.
In 1878-9, Mr. Mohr was county commissioner
of Washington county, Kansas, and he has always taken a great interest
in political matters. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran
church and are industrious and capable people.
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