Kansas Boedings'

By: Stephen J. Boeding, great great great grandson of Franz X. Boeding(1796 - 1878)

•  Edward Otto Boeding (1861 - 1910) had been farming in Northeastern Iowa for more than twenty years in 1906. After harvest that year, he began searching for a new homestead. His search took him to Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. One family legend has it that there were so many close relatives in the St. Lucas area that Edward did not want any of his children falling in love with someone only to find that they were already part of the family. In 1907, a frustrated real estate agent in Seneca, Kansas, ready to give up on his very picky client, finally showed Edward the two properties that he decided to farm near Seneca, Nemaha County, Kansas. The family, which at the time numbered ten children (all born in the St. Lucas, Iowa area), began in earnest preparing for the move in the fall of 1907. The Iowa farm was sold to Anton Wurzer, Edward's brother-in-law, and a sale was held to dispose of the property that was not going to be shipped to Kansas. The new farm was not available until March 1, 1908 so the family took up residence in Seneca. Once established in their new home, the Boeding family prospered, the eleventh child, Cyril, being born that first year. Edward died unexpectedly in 1910 leaving his wife Elizabeth (1870 - 1944) to manage the estate. Amongst those eleven children, three became Catholic nuns, another a Catholic priest and numerous new families emerges that produced forty-four grandchildren for Edward and Elizabeth. This was the nucleus for the Kansas Boedings'.

Edward and Elizabeths' children:

Conrad	September 12, 1888 December 18, 1963	Married Mary Waller, January 26, 1910, 12 children, Corning, Kansas
August John	September 15, 1889 September 17, 1948	Married Paula Krapp, November 20, 1912, 11 Children, Seneca, Kansas
Francis Xavier	August 30, 1891 September 8, 1937	Married Anna Herbers, October 10, 1916, 7 children, Seneca, Kansas.
Herman Joseph	February 02, 1893 December 04, 1936	Married Anna Haverkamp, November 17, 1915, 9 children.
Mary Clara	January 15, 1895 August, 1985	Became Sister Mary Cyril, OSF, career as a nurse in Iowa.
Anna Mary	December 03, 1896 1984	Became Sister Mary Helen, OSF, career as a teacher in Iowa.
Arnold Aloysius	June 05, 1968 August, 1989	Became a priest, served in Texas, served as chaplain in WWII.
Theresa Marie	March 17, 1901 June 05, 1968	Married Leo Rilinger, November 27, 1941.
Mary Elizabeth	September 26, 1903 April 13, 1999	Became Sister Mary Edward, RSM, was a teacher, worked in hospitals, celebrated 70 years as a nun in 1997 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Edward Martin	August 01, 1906 October 08, 1968	Married Mary Mohan, February 03, 1932, 5 children, Seneca, Kansas.
Cyril Herman	August 21, 1908 February 15, 1996	Married Wilma Yarger, June 20, 1962, no children, Seneca, Kansas.

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Many of Edward Otto's grand children, (and his son Arnold) served in World War II. At least two of these Boedings were killed in the war, their stories are recounted in these pages.

Last Updated: May 29, 1998

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