Mr. Jacob Michael Molz was a part of the early history of the town of
     Hardtner. He was born in a sod house near Hudson, in Stafford County,
     May 30, 1888 and moved with his parents (Mr. and Mrs. Charles Molz) to
     a farm four miles east of Hardtner four years later. This farm bordered
     the Oklahoma line, and one of his earliest memories was the lines of 
     wagons and horsemen awaiting the starting gun for the race for land in 
     the Cherokee Strip. He attended country school in Woods County, Oklahoma
     nearby; later attending business school in Guthrie, Oklahoma and at Wichita
     Business College before returning to the Hardtner Community to farm.
       In 1910 he started as bookkeeper and assistant cashier for the Hardtner
     State Bank (later knwon as The Farmers State Bank) and was made cashier
     in July, 1911 - a position he held for the remainder of his career until
     his retirement in 1965. He became known as 'Jake' to the towns folk and
     farmers on both sides of the state line as he applied the neighborly
     philosophy of the prairie farmer to the hardheaded complex areas of business.
       He was the town's first city clerk when it was incorporated in 1911, was
     a member of the school board for twenty-four years and was president of the
     Chamber of Commerce (which he helped to organize in 1947) for eight terms.
     He was active in the development of the railroad from Kiowa to Hardtner,
     and served as secretary and vice-president for many years. The Molz family
     was a leader in the fund drive and bjilding of the Hardtner Methodist Church,
     and he served as Sunday School Superintendent for over thirty-five years.
     He also led the Barber County Fair Association and remained one of its
     officers and promoters for over forty years. He was a trustee of Achenbach
     Memorial Hospital Association and was instrumental in both its original  
     building and later additions. He was a member of the Odd-Fellows Lodge for
     over fifty years and maintained an active interest in scouting for more
     than thirty-five years, being a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award.
       On November 29, 1913 at Alva, Oklahoma he was united in marriage to Miss
     Mary Maud Mercer, a daughter of Stephen W. and Nancy Mercer, prominent
     farmers of Woods County, Oklahoma. She was also a native of Kansas, born
     in McPherson County March 11, 1889. Her education was in the public schools
     of Oklahoma and she earned a Teachers Certificate at Northwestern Normal
     School at Alva, Oklahoma. She taught in the country schools of Woods County
     for eight years prior to her marriage.
       Mr. and Mrs. Molz established their home in Hardtner and devoted their
     lives to church and community service. They reared three daughters; Mrs.
     Dora Elizabeth (Orville) Adams, Paola, Kansas, Mrs. Marguerite (Paul) Stitt,
     Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Mrs. Catherine (Louis) Bindrum, Woodword, Oklahoma.
     There are ten grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, and one great-
     great-grandson.
       Mr. Molz died April 14, 1966 and Mrs. Molz on February 24, 1954.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas, pg. 334