Kit Carson County, Colorado
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Kit Carson County Pioneers:

James M. and Stella Conners, 7 South 50 West



In 1880 Ogle County, Illinois, there's a James Conners 1, with Michael Conners 26, a section hand born in Ireland, and Mary 19 born in Iowa. Thomas is one month old.

Mary is in Mills County, Iowa in 1900, widowed, born January 1860 in Iowa. Thomas May 1880, Margaret August 1882, Jerry Dec 1894, Mary March 1886 born in Illinois, and Nellie March 1889 in Iowa.
When Jerry married in 1918, he said his parents were Michael Conners and Mary Tobin.
Nellie Louise Conners, 21, born in Washington, Iowa, married William H. Kenword of Jasper Arkansas on November 17, 1909 in Imogene, Iowa.

Fremont County, Iowa "Maggie SCHEIBELER, daughter of Michael Conners, died Apr. 25, 1922 aged 38 years, at Imogene; born in Illinois; buried Imogene."

James might be the one in Bancroft, Nebraska in 1900, born July 1876 in Illinois, a hostler in a livery hall, living in a lodging house.

In 1910 Kit Carson County, James is 30, born in Illinois, married six years to Stella 25 born in Minnesota.

James, 41 and Stella 34 are in Denver in 1920 - he's a farmer.
James proved up the east half of section 35, 7S 50W in 1913.


One tree said James died December 29, 1924 in Sioux City, Iowa, buried in Omaha.
The stone in Omaha, Nebraska has James M. Conners - July 2, 1879- December 29, 1924 # 19998877, with Ida E. Conners - May 9, 1885- September 3, 1921.
The Omaha newspaper of September 24, 1921 has a death listing including "Mrs. Ida Elizabeth Conners, 36, hospital."

1944 Malvern, Iowa "Mrs. Mary Conners, mother of Tommie Conners, met with a painful accident Sunday morning when returning from early mass. She was going to her home and went through the alley as it was ..."

October 1948 Malvern "Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Conners and little daughter of Council Bluffs drove down Sunday and took his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tommie Conners, to Des Moines to see Mrs. Mary Conners, mother of Tommie Conners. They found her real well and she enjoyed their visit. "

November 10, 1949 Malvern :
"Funeral services were held in St. Patricks church Saturday at 9 a. m. with a requiem high mass celebrated by Rev. P. W. Doyle for Mrs. Mary Conners. Burial was in Mt. Calvary cemetery. Mrs. Conners was born in Worthington, Dubuque county, April 1, 1859. She came to Imogene after the death of her husband in 1889 and has lived here since with the exception of a few years spent in the Bishop Drumm home for aged in Des Moines. She became ill there about three weeks ago and was brought to the home of her son Tommie by ambulance Oct. 28 and died Nov. 3.
She is survived by two sons, Tommy of here, Jerry of Muscatine and one daughter Mary (Mrs. William Martin) of Los Angeles, Calif. Two daughters, Mrs. Margaret Shieblier and Mrs. Nellie Kenward, and one son James preceded her in death. She is also survived by one sister, Sister Mary Barbara, a Franciscan nun of Dubuque, 26 grandchildren, 31 great grand children and one great great grandchild. After the death of her daughter Margaret (Mrs. George Shieblier), who left a young family, Mrs. Conners took the place of their mother in raising them. She was a good kind mother and did many kind acts to relieve the sufferings of others in her days of activity.
Among those coming from a distance to attend the funeral were Mrs. William Martin, Los Angeles; Sister Mary Theopolis, Rockwell; Sister Madeline, Des Molnes, two granddaughters, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Nelson, Kansas City, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. B. A. Conners and daughter, Moberly, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. V. P. Conners and Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Morse, Council Bluffs; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schieblier and family, Red Oak; Mr. and Mrs. F. R. McDonald, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Conners, Miss Marie Conners, Mr. and Mrs. Art Leahy Jr., Donald Schieblker and family, Mrs. Lizzie McGar- gill, Henry Cain and Miss Delia Cain, Omaha; Geo. Schieblier sr., Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Schieblier jr. and family, Joe Shieblier, Mr. and Mrs.
Mary (Tobin) Conners 1859-1949 is buried in St. Patrick cemetery, Imognee, Fremont County, Iowa.

Moberly, Missouri, October 23, 1972 " Edward Conners, 6?, 314 South Clark street, died at 1:30 a.m. Sunday in Woodland Hospital. He had been in 111 health since January. Born in Imogene, Iowa, the son of Thomas and Ann Cane Conners, he had lived in Moberly nearly 50 years. He retired in January after 47 years as an engineer for the former Wabash and Norfolk and Western Railroads. Conners was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Margaret Conners, Moberly; one daughter, Mrs. Cheryl Ann Farrell, Ashervllle, N. C.; two grandchildren; three sisters, Mrs. F. R. McDonald and Mrs. Louise Lehey, both of Omaha, Neb., and Miss Marie Conners, Phoenix, Ariz.; three brothers, Tom Conners of Imogene, Iowa, John Conners of Omaha, and Vince Conners, state of California; and several nieces and nephews. The body is at the Million-Greer and Comstock Funeral Home where a scriptural prayer service will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The body will be taken to the Buntz-Tawzer Funeral Home, Shenandoah, Iowa, Tuesday morning for rosary Tuesday night. "

Imogene, Iowa "In January of 1973, Tom Conners, Jr., longtime Imogene postmaster, was in an Omaha hospital recovering from a leg amputation...due to a previous accident. In June 1972, he fractured both legs when he fell through the postoffice floor to the basement 10' below. Luckily a passerby heard his cry for help. "




Ernie Pyle, the WWII writer, said of Tom's son Vincent:

Vincent "Pete" dePaul Conners, was born to Tom and Ann Conners on Dec 23, 1920 in Imogene, Iowa and the youngest of their seven children. He passed away in Dallas, Texas on January 16, 2015 surrounded by his daughter and her family. He was 94 years old.
He graduated from St. Patrick's high school where he played baseball and tried out for a St Louis Brown's farm team in Kansas City before the breakout of the war when he was sworn in to the 34th Infantry Division at Shenandoah and began his infantry military career.
During WWII he would fight in Africa, Sicily and Italy rising rapidly in rank from private to First Sergeant and then receiving his battle field commission of Second Lieutenant and promotion to First Lieutenant during fighting near Brenner Pass in northern Italy. "Pete" and a few of his men were the only men of his company that were not killed or captured when Rommel's forces overran the American positions in North Africa. In addition to his many campaign ribbons where he and his unit spearheaded the invasions in Africa, Sicily and Italy, "Pete" was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor while being wounded severely three times and received three of his eventual four Purple Heart awards and his first Combat Infantry Badge before the war ended in 1945.
Upon returning home, he married Norma Jean Darst in Omaha where his three children were born prior to the outbreak of the Korean war when "Pete" again returned to active duty and after assignments to Ft Carson, Colorado and Ft Benning, Georgia was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division were he received his second Combat Infantry Badge and fourth Purple Heart and another Bronze Star before being medivaced to Japan.
After his release from the hospital in 1952 he joined his family and was assigned to the Infantry center at Ft Riley, Kansas where he began his lifelong passion of golfing with his wife and friends. Pete was given the command of the Heavy Weapons Company in the 87th Infantry when the 10th Infantry Division was shipped to Germany in 1955 where the unit and his family were stationed at Aschaffenberg and then command of the Headquarters Company of the NCO Academy in Munich when he was promoted to Major before returning to the United States in 1958 where he completed the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and served briefly at the Reserve Center in St Louis. Pete was selected as a senior military advisor in the Joint US Military Advisor Group (Thailand) and he and his family arrived in Bangkok in 1961 where Pete would achieve VIP status as the advisor to the Thai's First Infantry Division. Pete ended his 23 years of active duty returning with his family aboard an American Presidential Lines ship which sailed to San Francisco via Hong Kong and the major Pacific tropical islands.
He was immediately hired by the University of Nevada where he established the Emergency Operations Centers for Nevada before being hired by the federal government to assist in creating the emergency centers for California and subsequently the training for those involved in emergency response. In 1978, Pete again retired and returned to Iowa with his wife Jean to assist her aging parents Rex and Tiny Darst in Sidney where Pete became active in Veteran of Foreign War activities and was appointed as the Judge Magistrate for Fremont County in 1979 where he continued to serve until his retirement in 1990. Pete and Jean lived in Reno, Nevada with his oldest son and his family for ten years before joining his daughter Marie in Dallas, Texas where he and Jean remained until her death in 2005.
He is preceded in death by his wife, father, mother and six brothers and sisters.
He is survived by his children Jerry, Marie and Tom, seven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren where he will remain the lasting inspiration to live life well and long.
Memorials may be directed to St. Patrick's Catholic Church or Shenandoah American Legion Post 88.
Burial with military rites will be held at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Imogene, IA.


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