John Ast (1855 - 1934)

Born 5 May 1855 in Germany

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 5 Sep 1934 at age 79 in Ost, Reno, Kansas, United States

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Biography

John Ast migrated from Germany to United States of America.

John Ast was born on May 5th, 1855 in Germany. He was the son of Heinrich Ast and Katharina Goetz.

He married Caroline Runnebohm about 1883. They had 10 children.
Henry George, born in 1884 29855209
Friedrich, born in 1887
Amalia Wilhelminia, born in 1888
John Anthony, born in 1889
Michael V., born in 1891
Bernard Frank, born in 1892
Anna, born in 1894
Mary Elizabeth, born in 1896
Andrew George, born in 1898
Carrie, born in 1905

Saint Joseph Church, Ost, Reno County, Kansas

John and his brother Fred were founding members of the St Joseph's Church parish in 1879 in Ost, Kansas. They were also the namesake of the town of Ost. ^[1]

He died on September 5th, 1934, and is buried at the St Joseph Church Cemetery in Ost, KS. ^[2]

Here is the story of how Ost, Kansas was named after John and his brother Friderick, from the website of the St. Joseph Church: ^[3]
"The story of St. Joseph Parish, Ost, Kansas, encompasses the hardship of the first pioneers in this area, in the 1870’s and 1880’s, through grasshopper plagues, droughts, the Depression, the Spanish American War, two World Wars, the Korean Conflict and Vietnam. Through the Diligence of the pioneers, the sod was broken, and the open spaces of the Kansas prairies burst forth to provide their food and existence. Throughout the years and the continued efforts of its citizens, the Kansas prairies have become the “bread basket of the world”. Throughout its history, St. Joe farmers along with God and His church have been and continue to be, an integral part of this.

The first settlers of Ost came originally from Westphalia, Baden and other places in Bavaria. A few families came from Switzerland. A wild country it was, to be tamed by the sweat of man’s brow. But what were hardships and toil compared to the farm to be gained and a family life to be established? So reasoned Friderick Ast, John Ast, George Erker, George Thiemmesch, Karl Schwaiger, Martin Leibel, Peter Bohr, Matt Bohr, Peter Marx, Sebastian Bugner, Nicholas May, John Cyskowsky and James Elsworth, the only Irishman in the group, settled here.

The above men found themselves and their families in the heart of Kansas in the spring of 1879 after a long and tiresome overland journey from the east. These sturdy men constituted a new settlement to be called Ast after the shortest name in the community. Through a blunder by an American post office official the name was changed to “Ost”. So overnight, Ost, Kansas was born in the extreme south-east corner of Reno County, to be as it were the thumb tack to hold down the county map. Strange as it might seem, this parish is scarcely known as Ost, but as “St. Joe” by Catholics and non-Catholics alike."

Sources

1. ↑ The Catholic Advance (Wichita, Kansas), Saturday, June 11, 1938 page 6 (https://www.newspapers.com/image/182141536/)
2. ↑ FindaGrave.com page (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92961651/john-ast)
3. ↑ St Joseph Church website (https://stjosephost.com/about-stjoe/history)