Dear Listers, I have another challenge for you today which I have tried to solve for years. Maybe now with help of newspaper articles? Nels N. KINS born Aug. 17, 1880 in Buffalo Co., WI died Jan. 26, 1970 at Miami, Ottawa Co., OK Nels and his younger brother Albert (1882-1965) left the home farm in Buffalo Co., WI shortly after 1900 to work as cowboys for a wealthy rancher in Idaho named Samuel Dyer. Albert later moved on tom California, but Nels fell in love with Samuel Dyer's foster daughter or niece: Alma V. DYER born Oct. 17, 1866 in Idaho Co., ID died May 5, 1949 at Hood River, OR They were (of course) NOT given the permission to marry, so they "ran off", presumably to Oregon where they must have married (secretly) about 1908. The 1910 census shows Nels Kins as a married farmer residing along in a hotel in Portland, OR. The 1917 city directory for The Dalles, Wasco Co., OR shows Nels as a rancher The 1918 WW1 draft record shows Nels Kins as a model laundry engineer(!) residing at The Dalles, Wasco Co., OR The 1920 city directory for The Dalles, Wasco Co., OR shows Nels as a machinist I don't find them in the 1920 census. The 1925 city directory for The Dalles, Wasco Co., OR shows Nels as a plumber The 1930 census shows Nels and Alma as "truck farmers" residing at Columbia River Highway, Hood River Co., OR The 1936 city directory for The Dalles, Wasco Co., OR shows Nels as a laborer The 1940 census shows N. N.Kens and Alma as farmers at Odell, Hood River Co., OR The 1942 WW2 draft record shows Nels Kins as a high way worker in Good River Co., OR The 1951 death certificate for Alma Kins says they had resided since 1941 at Viento, Hood River Co., OR Then Nels Kins seems to completely "disappear", and nobody in the family knows what he did, until I discovered in the SSDI having died at Miami, Ottawa Co., OK in 1970, almost 90 years of age. A number of years ago I talked to the Funeral Director at Miami, OK who had taken care of Nels' funeral. His first question to me was whether I was a relative and would pay for the funeral! Then he told me that Nels had resided at the Heritage House nursing home at Miami, OK for a number of years, and when he died, he was buried in the Indian cemetery outside of town! An interesting side note: The Funeral Director remembered Nels arriving at Miami from "nowhere". He had only one foot and was blind on one eye and never told anyone about his background! My main source of information about Nels and his early days came from a niece in California whi had it from her father Albert, so I guess it should be fairly accurate. And my biography of Nels Kins isn't bad at all, but I am always looking for that little "extra" about this fascinating character of the West! And in particular I would like to add: ** Date and place of Nels' marriage to Alma Dyer? ** Alma's middle name? ** What did Nels Kins actually do for a living after he and Alma ran away from Idaho? What's a "truck farmer"? ** Can they be found in the 1920 census? Maybe there are newspaper articles available about this guy? Thanks a million in advance for any assistance you can give me in this matter! Very sincerely yours, Lars E. Oyane

Not much Lars but here is a death notice Joplin Globe 27 January 1970, page 5 Nels N. Kins Miami, Okla - Nels N. Kins, 89, died at 3 am Monday in Miami Baptist Hospital where he had been a patient since last Wednesday. Mr Kins was born August 17 1880 in Wisconsin and had been a resident of Miami the last 25 years. He had been a patient in a Miami nursing home 17 years. He was a member of the Lutheran Church. There are no immidiate survivors. Services will be announced by Cooper Funeral Home of Miami. Nels N. KINS born Aug. 17, 1880 in Buffalo Co., WI died Jan. 26, 1970 at Miami, Ottawa Co., OK