Oswald Karl Meckel was born in Altenburg, Germany, August 15, 1885. After
    serving in the German army , in 1908, he came to farm in Barber County. The
    first two years he worked for Frank Rinke. Oswald rented a farm west of
    Kiowa in 1910 and operated it till 1917.
      While in the German army he met Ella Miller of London, England who was
    studying in Germany. After Oswald came to the U.S. they continued to
    correspond and in 1913, Ella came over and they were married in Alva, Oklahoma
    in May 1913. From this marriage came three sons: Vivian (b. 1916), Vernon
    (b.1920( and Osella (b.1926).
      In 1922, the Meckel family moved to Medicine Lodge, Kansas where Oswald
    was associated in the dry cleaning and tailoring business with his father-
    in-law, Ouis Maxmillian Miller.
      The deep economic depression of the "dirty 30's" wiped out their business.
    Oswald Meckel then went into the insulation business and as millions of
    other Americans at that time, struggled to keep their families together.
      All three sons went through the Medicine Lodge school system and all 
    three graduated from Fort Hays Kansas State College at Fort Hays, Kansas. 
    They were very successful in their fields.
      Vernon (Babe) Meckel was elected youngest mayor of Hays. Vivian Meckel,
    a music merchant is very active in Republican politics and was elected to
    the Kansas Legislature. Osella (Ozie) Meckel was bery involved in major
    community projects.
      Oswald Meckel died i 1956 and his wife, Ella, died in 1966. Both are
    buried in the Medicine Lodge Cemetery.
                 
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 324 
     Submitted by: Vivian Meckel