HAVENS FAMILY

James William Havens was born near Pleasant Hill in Cass County, Missouri on November 20, 1866 while his mother was staying with her sister, Sarah (Corder) Spratt and family. He and his mother Eliza (Corder) Havens left Pleasant Hill when he was still an infant or small child and moved near Overbrook, Kansas where he lived until about 1889 when he and a friend, Tom Sellers, drifted down to Arkansas. They got a job cutting wood for George W. Bowman who owned a farm and also had a Lime Kiln (burnt rock into lime). James Havens had an accident and almost cut his foot off with an axe. He stayed with the Bowman's until his foot was well.

On Jan. 4, 1892, he married Frances Emma Bowman [daughter of George W. & Penninah (Spitler) Bowman] at the courthouse in Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas. Her parents gave them a half interest in the farm (working on a 50-50 basis). While living with her parents, in a log house on a farm by the White River near Goshen in Washington County, Arkansas (southeast of Spring dale), their first son Charlie Newton Havens was born on January 5, 1895.

In 1896 they traded that farm, sight unseen, for a 120-acre farm 9 miles east and 1 mile south of Winfield, KS. They moved to that farm in March of 1896. Their second son, Daniel Bert Havens, was born there on November 17, 1902.

In 1910 they sold that farm and bought property in Springdale, Arkansas moving there in February 1911. George Bowman, Frances Emma and Bert went by Frisco Train. James Havens, Ed Bowman and Charlie went through in a covered wagon and a buggy. They left the farm in the morning of February 6th and arrived in Springdale the night of February 16th.

In 1912 James William Havens bought a half interest in a gristmill with his brother-in-law, James C. Bowman. In December 1913 they sold all of it and moved back to Winfield, KS. They rented a place in Winfield until March of 1914 when they bought a small place and moved to Eaton (12 miles east and 1 mile south of Winfield, KS) where Charlie was the Agent for the Missouri Pacific railroad. In December 1916 they sold that property and the family moved to Conway Springs in Sumner County, Kansas staying there only two months. In February 1917 they bought a 9-acre place at Floral, Kansas (9 miles north of Winfield). The family moved to Wilmot, KS in February 1925.