Happy 168th Birthday Florence Delight Campbell Huffman

 

Florence Delight Campbell is my 2nd Great Grandmother on my father's father's side.  She was born October 23, 1855 in Dane County, Wisconsin into a decidedly Scottish family originally from Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.  

Her family had immigrated to the New York colony but continued West as Scots were a mind to do.

By 1863 she was living in New Lancaster, Miami, Kansas.  Kansas had just been opened to homesteading in accordance with the Kansas and Nebraska Act.  Kansas played a prominent role in the Civil War.  It was expected that Kansas territory would vote to become a slave state and Nebraska would vote to become a free state maintaining the fragile balance.  However, fate had a different idea.  Many people with strong convictions flooded into Kansas.  Some abolitionists, some free staters, some pro-slavery, some opportunists.  It was a volatile time and Florence had a front row seat.

At 19, she married Jonas Davis Huffman.  He was the son of an United Brethren preacher who moved his 16 children and pregnant wife to Kansas in 1857 to oppose slavery.  J.D.'s mother died in the birth of her 17th child leaving the younger siblings to be raised mostly by the older sisters who all lived nearby. J.D. was the tender age of 8.  At 22, he married Florence.

J.D. and Florence had five sons.  In 1900, the family was living in Liberty Co, Missouri where J.D. was a wagon driver.  Florence was in poor health and it was recommended they move to a drier climate.  So they started the trip and got as far as Jefferson county, Oklahoma.  Oklahoma had recently been opened to white settlement.  Florence's health improved so they decided to stay there. Waurika was not quite a town yet and J.D. was in the right place at the right time.  He became a real estate agent, bridge contractor, and, of course, a farmer.  J.D. and Florence enjoyed a comfortable life in Waurika.  She died in 1932 at age 76.

Happy Birthday, Great Grandmother!