John Obadiah Kimmel worked on his fathers farm until he was 21, and then worked three years in a tannery. In 1883, he went to Waterloo, Iowa and worked as a farm hand for two years. He then went to Rock Rapids, Iowa and farmed for himself.

He married Ellen Schrock on February 1, 1886. A son, Ralph, was born on April 18, 1890. That son died of drowning near Matlock, Iowa in 1907.

In 1896, John Obadiah Kimmel moved to his own farm of 160 acres, located three miles northwest of Sheldon. Later he moved to California and that farm was purchased by a nephew, Russell Glessner, in the early 1900s. That farm was where I (Glenn Wayne Glessner) was born and raised. The farm was known for many years as the "Early Dawn" farm.

NOTE: In October of 2000, I received some information from Larry Kimmel, a distant cousin of mine who lives in Garden Grove, California, concerning the drowning of young Ralph Kimmel (shown in the above picture with his parents). Actually, there were two drownings at the time but I didn't know it until I received this information. The other person who drowned was Sam Kimmel, a cousin of Ralph. This information was taken from the diaries that were kept by Larry Kimmel's great aunt, Etta Kimmel.

Entry for July 4, 1907 from Etta Kimmel's diary... "We took our dinner and went fishing up to the Otter Creek, north of Matlock, Ia. Mary, Lizzie, Fannie, myself, Dan, Ben, & Jesse. Uncle Tobe Kimmel, Theda, Sam, Bessie, Teddie, Russel Glessner & wife (who were working for J. O. Kimmel) and Ralph Kimmel. We had a nice time until after we had our dinner about two o'clock. Russel Glessner & Sam & Ralph went in bathing at the I.C.R.R. bridge (where they were fishing before dinner). Sam and Ralph went down and was (sic.) drowned before we could help them. We could not get them out without a boat. We had to come home without them. Oh, it was so sad. I will never forget it."

Other information from Etta Kimmel's diaries... Ralph drowned in the Otter River near Matlock, IA on July fourth, 1907, at a family gathering and picnic. His cousin, Samuel Kimmel, also drowned at the same time. His funeral was at Sheldon, IA, and then his body was transported to Waterloo, IA for another service and burial there. Samuel was a promising young man. He liked the outdoors and he liked to fish. He was instrumental in organizing a family picnic for the fourth of July, 1907. He stopped over at his cousin Ben Kimmel's home the day before to talk about going fishing in the Otter River. A picnic was prepared by at least four families that day. W. C. Kimmel, Tobias Kimmel, John Obadiah Kimmel, and Russell Glessner families, all relatives and neighbors were there on the bank of the Otter River near Matlock, Iowa, having a picnic and a good time while the young boys fished. After tiring of fishing and indulging in a repast, Russell Glessner, Samuel Kimmel and their cousin, Ralph Kimmel, went swimming in the river. The current was strong and sucked them all under. Russell managed to pull himself free from the water's grip, but the two boys were drowned. Etta Kimmel [eye witness to drownings]

Glenn W. Glessner - Quincy, Illinois

Web Page Created on February 11, 2001