Loy, John

The following data is extracted from A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans.

John Loy, father of Mrs. Edwin Grant Betz, was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, in 1840. He grew up and married there, took up farming as his vocation, afterwards moved out to Illinois and was a farmer near Freeport four years, then returning to his native state and county, where he remained five years. On his next journey westward he came to the vicinity of Chapman, Kansas, arriving in the spring of 1880 and buying a section of land in Dickinson County. He was more than ordinarily successful as a farmer and business man, and was one of the esteemed residents of Chapman when he died in 1887. Though a democrat, he voted for Lincoln during war time. He was one of the pillars in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in any community where he lived.

John Loy married Matilda Reapsome. She was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, in 1842 and is now living at Chapman, Kansas. Her grandfather Reapsome was a native of Germany, ran away from home at the age of fourteen, and came to America. While in Pennsylvania he attracted the favor and good will of a Mr. Piper of Perry County. Piper had taken up a large tract of Government land, including several thousand acres, and for some reason did not wish this land to revert to any of his relatives. In order to make assurance doubly sure he contracted to sell the several thousand acres to Mr. Reapsome for the nominal consideration of one dollar. Thus this generation of the Reapsome family became substantially provided in the way of landed possessions. Daniel Reapsome, father of Matilda Reapsome, was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, in 1806 and died there in 1886. He spent his life as a farmer and at one time served in the Pennsylvania militia. He married Katherine Bistline, who died in Perry County in 1846. They had only three children: John, who became a Union soldier and died from illness during the war; Katherine, who married John Rice, and both died in Perry County, Mr. Rice having owned considerable property and having been a man of studious tastes and pursuits; and Mrs. Matilda (Reapsome) Loy.

Mr. and Mrs. John Loy had a family of ten children, a brief record being as follows: W. F. Loy, a contractor and builder in Los Angeles, California; Daniel E., twin brother of W. F., a stockman living at Chapman, Kansas; James O., who lives on the old Loy farm at Chapman and is also a successful stock raiser; Mrs. Betz was the fourth in age; Ida, wife of E. W. Kapp, a successful business man and proprietor of a feed and fuel yard in Los Angeles; Maud V., who had never married and had devoted herself rather successfully to business, being now proprietor of a modern general store at Chapman, and owner of a fine home in that town; Bertha, wife of Jacob Engler, a stockman at Chapman; Bessie, wife of Emery Diehl, a farmer at Chapman; David, who is associated with his brother in the contracting business at Los Angeles; and Charles, a farmer and stockman at Chapman.

Source: A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans

  Go Back