The Hrenchers can trace their family history back to Germany. They
     were of the religious fath of the German Catholic Church. As the family
     came to America in 1861 and settled in Donavan County, different spellings
     found of the name Hrencher, some ending in 'ir' and 'er' but they are
     all the same family.
        Frank Hrencher, born at Suiadnow, Moravia, February 19, 1856, and
     Caroline Reiling, born Westphala, Germany, December 16, 1859, were united
     in marriage May 11, 1886, at Olpe, Kansas. To this union five sons were
     born: Francis (Frank), Joseph, Paul, George, and Nickolas; four daughters:
     Katie (Sister Salvators), Mary, Elizabeth, and Clara.
        Frank and Caroline Hrencher bought a farm in Barber County, Kansas, in
     1907, three miles west of Sharon. In 1909 they moved there with their
     eight children. A son, Paul, died at the age of two and was buried at Olpe,
     Kansas. The Hrenchers lived on this farm until 1921, when they built a new 
     house in Sharon and moved there. Their son, George, and wife, Cecelia, 
     presently own and reside in this house.
        Joseph married Josephine Eck February 25, 1919, and lived on the home
     place caring for the farm, after his folks moved to Sharon. They reared
     seven children: two sons, Francis and Clarence, and five daughters, Ruthelma,
     Irene, Ida, Claudine, and Josephine. One son, Paul, died in infancy. Irene
     (Sister Philomena) a member of the Dominican Order, has been Administrator
     of Central Kansas Medical Center for the past twelve years. Joe had a good
     diversified farm and worked on various committees at the ASCS office in
     Medicine Lodge for a number of years. In 1951 Joe and Josephine received
     the Kansas Soil and Water Conservation Award. Joe was very active in the
     church and community affairs. He participated and showed interest in many
     sports and programs for the youth, umpiring many baseball games and serving
     as a leader of the Sunflower 4-H Club. At the time of his death, April 1,
     1964, he was still active on the farm.
        One of the first rubber tired tractors (an Allis Chalmers) in Barber
     County, was purchased by Joe. He and his brother, Frank, brought it down
     from Wichita, and it was used many years for farm work. During a severe
     snow storm in the winter of 1939 and again in 1952, stranded travelers 
     spent several nights at the Hrencher home, located on Highway 160, where
     they were treated with kind hospitality.
        Lighning destroyed the Hrencher house May 27, 1978, and Josephine moved
     to a new home in Sharon, September 19, 1978.
        Clarence and wife, Carolyn and family lived on the family farm nearby,
     where he is engaged in farming and sheep raising.
        Other children residing in various places are Francis, wife Virginia and
     family - Sharon; Ruthelma (Hallan), husband Don and family - Bellflower,
     California; Ida (Thieme), husband Joe and family - Zenda, Kansas; Sister
     Philomena (Irene), Great Bend, Kansas; Claudine (Meng), husband Jim and
     family - Garden Plain, Kansas; Josephine (Inslee), husband Charles and
     family - Medicine Lodge, Kansas; Mrs. Joseph (Josephine) Hrencher is blest
     with 37 living grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 243
     Submitted by: Mrs. Josephine Hrencher