Charles Coppins, a Butler county pioneer, now deceased, was born near Canterbury, England, September 7, 1829. He was a son of Thomas and Sarah Coppins, also natives of England, where they were farmers. The Coppins family immigrated to America in the fifties and settled near the town of Conesus, Genesee county, New York. The mother died in New York and the family migrated to Michigan a short time after her death and located near Hudson where the father spent the remainder of his life.

Charles Coppins was united in marriage at Mt. Morris, N. Y., June 4, 1859, to Miss Elizabeth Ather. She was born June 29, 1830, at Windy Nook, a small village in the northern part of England. She is a daughter of William and Jane (Somersides) Ather, both natives of England, and they were born near Durham, where the father was a quarryman in early life. Elizabeth Ather came to America in 1854, locating near Connors Lake, New York, where she met her future husband, Mr. Coppins. In 1866, they removed to Michigan, where they were engagd[sic] in farming until 1871, whn[sic] they came to Butler county, Kansas, and homesteaded a claim in Plum Grove township, where Mrs. Coppins still resides. Charles Coppins, after having passed through the hard experiences of the early years in Butler county, became a successful and prosperous farmer. He was industrious and a valued citizen, honesty being the dominant trait of his character. He died in March, 1913. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was a life long Republican. He held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. To Mr. and Mrs. Cop-

pins were born the following children: H. A., resides at Arnold, Kans.; Isadora, married J. M. Worley, Wichita, Kans.

Mrs. Coppins is a representative of the noble pioneer women of Kansas. In the early days it fell to her lot to be of more than ordinary service to the early settlers of Butler county. When a young woman she lived with the family of a physician in New York State for a number of years, and during that time had an opportunity to familiarize herself with the elements of medicine; and under the instructions of the doctor she became a very competent trained nurse, and acted in that capacity in connection with his professional work. When she came to Kansas, physicians were few, often from twenty to fifty miles away, and Mrs. Coppins was frequently called upon to attend the sick, and her presence was a Godsend in many instances. She has responded to calls at all times of day and night, and in all kinds of weather. She says settlers would frequently come for her with lumber wagons, and that riding over the trails was rough, but that was the order of the day. She built up a wide reputation in her work as a nurse and has frequently been called to El Dorado and even to Kansas City.

Mrs. Coppins deserves great credit for the part that she took in the early days in Butler county. She relates many incidents of the pioneer days, and the hardships that confronted the early settlers on the plains. On one occasion while returning from a visit to a sick neighbor, she was overcome by the cold, but fortunately had almost reached home before she became exhausted and her husband discovered her just in time to save her life, as she had already reached the state of stupor which immediately precedes death by freezing. She is one of the interesting old ladies of Kansas who has performed her part nobly and well in the development of Butler county.

Previous | Main Page | Biography Index | Next

Pages 748-749,