Oliver Benedict is now Ottawa County Engineer, Minneapolis, Kansas. Charles now deceased, was Division Head of Standard Oil Co., Sacramento California. Florence Fox Stone is secretary at Smoot Grain Co., Salina, Kansas The four grandchildren are: Larry L. Benedict, Fort Worth, Texas Cloyd Fox, Westminster, Colorado Leona Benedict, Palo Alto, California Sandra Benedict Walston, Bennington, Kansas There are twelve great-grandchildren. BLAHA FAMILY By Marie Blaha Wolfgang Blaha was one of the earliest settlers in Ottawa County. He was born October 30, 1860, in Bohemia, Czechoslvakia. In the year 1878, he and a close friend decided to leave for America, as they did not wish to be inducted into the German Army at that time, and so slipped away at night for their new country. For a while, he lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later went out to see his married sister near Delphos, Kansas. He was employed by several local farmers and stayed with his sister and family. Mary Vuhtrdl was born January 1, 1866, in Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. She and Wolfgang were engaged before he left for America. She arrived in the United States in the year she became his bride. They rented a farm and all of their children were born near Delphos, Kansas. They were: Joseph Blaha born in the year 1885; Clara Blaha born in 1887, and passed away in the year 1918; James Blaha born in the year 1889; Mary Blaha born in 1891; Emil Blaha born in 1894; and Henry Blaha born in 1898. In 1900, they moved from Delphos to become the owners of a farm northeast of Bennington; here they spent the remainder of their life. Livestock was their chief enterprise. The hogs to be sold were shipped out of Verdi. For many years cattle were moved by horseback from this farm to the stockyards at Vine Creek to be shipped out. Many of the descendants still remain in this locality. THE BOSS FAMILY Mrs. Solomon Boss, a widow, arrived in Ottawa County in the 1860's, bringing with her six sons and three daughters. They came from Indiana and settled on the Solomon River Valley west of what is now Bennington, Kansas. At times many Indians were camping up and down the river, however, they were unmolested by them. Abe, the older son, went on farther west to hunt buffalo and fight Indians. Another son, Sam, married and was the father of two children, Jane (Mrs. Freeman) and a son, deceased, Noah Boss, another son, was married and a father of four sons, Clem, John, Luther, Lee and a daughter, May. George, another son, married, father of one son,.Grant, and four daughters, Nell (Mrs. Henry Page, Ada (Mrs. Will Garvin), Olive (Mrs. Luther NoIf), and Laura (Mrs. Oscar Ostrander). King, another son, married, father of three daughters, Eva (Mrs. Edson Tart), Grace (Mrs. Henry Sink), Lola (Mrs. Ben Kephart), and two sons, Sherd and Charley. Katie, a daughter, married Willie Gardner and they adopted a. son, Ben. The rest of the children, Phillip, Barbara, Phobe and Sol never married, but lived in a log cabin on the homestead until 1898 when a frame house was built. They lived there the rest of their lives.  S Z. Boss was the first Postmaster in Bennington in 1864. Grace Sink, a daughter of King Boss lived her entire life on a farm along the Solomon River. 12     Her nine living children are Harry, Rose (Hammond), Gilbert, Charlie, Flora (Bacon), George, Clarence, Robert and Nellie RETURN NEXT