Welcome to the Rice Family
The following set of photographs and captions was intended to focus primarily on Jesse and Olivia Rice. During that process, we decided to add some historical information about their parents, where they came from, where they lived and what they did. Hopefully, this will provide a better understanding of who they were so we can understand ourselves a bit better as well.
Rather than limit this project to only Jesse and Olivia, we also decided to add some photos and bits of history related to the families of their two children, Lois and Ronald, and to mention their grandchildren as well.
Caution: The information and photos came from a variety of sources and old albums. It's likely that some dates and places could be slightly off in their accuracy. If you have more accurate or additional information, please let us know so we can make corrections. Thank you. Enjoy
Ron W. Hough
ronwhough@gmail.com
Olivia Emma Kindschy
In 1847, Christian Kindschy, Sr. (1815-1883) brought his family to America from Switzerland. The family settled among other Swiss families in Wisconsin. Christian and his two wives raised four sons and a daughter. One of those sons was John Casper Kindschy, Olivia's father.
John C. Kindschy was born on April 14, 1852 in Wisconsin. He was educated at Galesville University in Wisconsin and taught school for four years before entering the mercantile business in Alma, Wisconsin in 1874. While in Alma, he met Paulina Kraft, who was raised in Iowa. They married in 1876.
Six years later, the Kindschy family moved west into the Dakota Territory, which was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. They settled in the town of Groton where John established a general store. Olivia Emma Kindschy was born in Groton on Feb. 25, 1884. Five years later the states of North and South Dakota were formed and Groton was officially in South Dakota.
In 1888, when Olivia was 4 years old, her mother Paulina passed away, leaving John with their five children. Two years later, John married Paulina's sister Bertha and they added seven more children to the family, bringing the total to six boys and six girls.
According to notes found in an old photo album, this was the first Kindschy home in Groton, South Dakota:
The Kindschy Merc. Co. general store was established in Groton in 1891. Business was good as many Europeans flooded into the area or stopped on their way to seek their fortunes during the Black Hills gold rush.
As the business prospered and the family grew, the family moved to a larger home a few miles outside Groton:
Olivia rode her burro, Billy, six miles to school in Groton:
Olivia at 20 years old in 1904:
In 1910, the Kindschy family left South Dakota behind and moved west again. This time they settled on a 320 acre homestead near Hingham, Montana. Hingham was a very small town at that time . . . and still is today:
The farm became a successful operation and a new home was soon built to accommodate the growing family. The farm earned local awards and became known as the "Silver Cup Farm".
The following photo shows the farmhouse in the late 1940s. That's Mel Kindschy sitting on the stoop chatting with Harry Hough.
A visit in 2012 found the farm vacant and in disrepair. The only remaining structure was the old house, boarded up, abandoned and forlorn . . . but still standing strong.
In July, 1925, the Kindschy family had a reunion on the farm:
John Casper Kindschy posed with his six sons at the 1925 reunion:
Ruth Kindschy (Aunt Ruth to most of us) was a very hard worker and everybody's favorite. She and her brother Wilmer never married but stayed with the farm until they turned off the lights, closed the doors and moved to retirement homes for well-deserved rests.
