August & Josephine Sire – Evergreen Cemetery, Ford, Kansas

August Peter Sire was born in Blomente, Department of Duebs, France on December 5, 1849. He was the youngest of eleven children. Coming to America in 1873, August settled in Nemaha County, Kansas.

It was there he married Josephine Clerget (b. 1856) on March 4, 1879. Josephine was also born in France and had emigrated to America with her family in 1862. The couple spent a few years in Nebraska where their four children were born. The 1885 Kansas Census has the family living in Trenton, Edwards County.

As an early settler in Edwards County, August and Josephine faced the same challenges as other pioneers. In their final years, the couple lived in Wichita, Kansas. August suffered several strokes and died on September 26, 1917. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Ford, Kansas.

Josephine moved in with her daughter in Kansas City, Missouri. She passed away on March 10, 1938. She is buried alongside her husband. Their son, George, his wife, Anna, and their children are also buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Note: Before coming to America, August fought in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). The conflict was the result of France attempting to regain its dominance in Europe. The effort failed as France had to surrender their important coal reserves to Germany.

Note: Josephine was the third of four children of Francois X. Clerget. He was the subject of an earlier column. He is buried in St. Nicholas Cemetery, Edwards, Kansas.