An American Family History

She married Elmer Leroy Kimsey when she was seventeen on February 4, 1909 in Chariton, Lucas County, Iowa. Elmer was born on September 26, 1885 in Iowa. His parents were William Lafayette Kimsey and Etta Kitselman. 

Bertha's niece, Maryon White , wrote that

Elmer's father was a railroad man, and, shortly after Bertha and Elmer were married, the whole Kimsey clan moved to Rock Springs, Wyoming. There were 5 or 6 Kimsey boys, and I believe Elmer was the oldest (Elmer, Frank, Roy, Guy, Lyle and Earl). . . The boys who were old enough worked in the coal mines in that area for a while, but soon the Mother, Etta and the boys moved to Crook County to homestead. I don't know what happened to Mr. Kimsey, but I assume he died or was killed in a railroad accident. Elmer and Bertha and Etta Kimsey had adjoining homesteads, and the other boys (at least some of them) settled in other parts of the county. One of them, and I think it was Guy Kimsey, claimed a piece of property adjoining the one which Josiah Smith later bought." 

They had three children. Dorothy A. Kimsey Smith was born about 1912, Mina Lee Kimsey Keef was born about 1918, and Donald Kimsey.

At the time of the 1910 census they had moved to Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. They were living with Elmer's parents and siblings. The men were all coal miners.

In the 1920 census they were in Moorcroft, Crook County, Wyoming where they had homesteaded in 1912. The household consisted of Elmer age 34, Bertha age 29, Dorothy age 8, and Mina Lee age 2.

Bertha's nephew, Bill Smith said that their son, Donald, died when he was a small child when he choked on a piece of bark. Maryon said "The girls rode a horse about a mile to a country school where Dorothy later began her teaching career." 

Maryon also said that Bertha was a meticulous housekeeper and a terrific cook. She loved to play cards. She was

pretty good  storyteller and actress and some of her best stories were the ones she told on herself. One of these was about the time she and Elmer were attempting to hang wallpaper.  They would carefully measure, cut, paste and hang one strip of paper and by the time the second or third was up, the first fell down.  I don't know how many times this happened before they discovered they had mixed the paste form a box of pancake mix instead of the powder she was supposed to use.

Bertha's granddaughter, Karen Ellis said

During the depression, Grandma kept the ranch and livestock going while Grandpa went out on construction gangs to save their ranch. She was a dead eye with a gun and not afraid of any snake or critter found on the ranch.

Karen said

Bertha and Elmer were married over 50 years when Bertha died suddenly. Grandpa had taken her to town to buy a new dress for her birthday and left her at the dress shop while he ran errands. Someone came to get him when she collapsed while trying on a dress.  A sudden stroke felled her and she did not regain consciousness.

 Bertha died on September 4, 1962 in Gillette, Wyoming. Elmer died in January 1969. They were buried in Moorcroft Cemetery.

September 13, 1962 Gillette News Record, page 1
Funeral Services Held Friday for Mrs. E. Kimsey, 71

Funeral services for Mrs. Elmer Kimsey, 71, of Moorcroft were held from the First Presbyterian church there on Friday, September 7, at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Robert M. Phenix of Gillette in charge.

Mrs. Kimsey had come to Gillette on the morning of September 4 and was shopping at the Vaugh-Ragsdale store when she was stricken ill. She was taken to the Campbell County Memorial hospital where she passed away that evening.

Berta Edna Smith was born October 21, 1890, in Chariton, Iowa. On February 4, 1909 she was united in marriage to Elmer L. Kimsey at Chariton, Iowa at the home of her parents.

Immediately following their marriage they moved to Rock Springs, Wyoming where they resided for six years. From there they moved to Moorcroft where they filed on a homestead in 1912.

Eight years ago they moved nearer Moorcroft which is their present location. They had been married 54 years last February 4.

Mrs. Kimsey was a member of the First Presbyterian church of Moorcroft.

Those left to mourn her passing are her husband, Elmer Kimsey; two daughters, Mrs. Dorothy Smith of Buffalo and Mrs. Mina Keef of Sheridan; and two grandchildren. Karen Keef of Sheridan and Donald Keef of Sacramento, Calif., one great-grandchild, Ronald Keef also of Sacramento, three sisters, Mrs. Ethel Taylor of Moorcroft; Mrs. Twyla White of Spokane, Wash., and Mrs. Augusta Larson, Sac City, Iowa; and three brothers, Bryan Smith of Moorcroft; Jack Smith of Portland Oregon, and Elmer Smith of Hawthorne, California.

Burial was made at Moorcroft cemetery

Obituary provided by Campbell County Public Library in
Gillette, Wyoming

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