Haigler / Hinkle Genealogy

According to an old map, in 1880 Dundy County had a population of 30. One of these was Jake Haigler. He was foreman and part owner of the ranch that was owned by a company of Missouri men, old neighbors and relatives. The ranch was called the “Three Bar Ranch” – that being their brand. He came in the early 70’s and built his dugout on the “hogback” between the Arickaree and Republican Rivers.

The town of Haigler was platted in April, 1886. The Burlington Railroad was built through this territory in July 1882. The railroad station was called Haigler.

The government established a mail route from Culbertson to Haigler, 65 miles, in 1880. The mail was distributed from the ranch. When the spring roundup came, Jake threw up his job, not because someone wanted to register a letter but because when the men were away on the roundup, there was no one to attend to the office. He wanted to resign but the U. S. Post Office Department said, “you can’t resign”. He wrote to the P. O. Dept. and said “I’ll show you”. Thereupon he bundled up all the equipment and letters and other mail and expressed them to Washington D.C.

According to a newspaper report he was killed by a mule in 1905. The truth probably is that he was murdered by one of his hired men.

Jacob Russell Haigler was born February 7, 1836, i Franklin County, Missouri and died September 29, 1905, at young, Arizona. Never married.

Mr. Haigler was the son of Elizabeth Ann Hinkle Haigler and Ely Haigler, both from Virginia…. His great-grandmother was Mary Cunningham, the first white person born in what is now the State of Ohio. She was born shortly after her father was scalped by Indians and her mother taken captive April 27, 1758. She and her mother were surrendered to the army in 1764. His great-grandmother was John Justus Hinkle, born in Germany and brought to the country by his father Anthony Jacob Hinkle in 1717. Out of Jacob Haigler’s family only one brother, John Wesley, had survivors, of those only, again, one brother had survivors. Two sons, one, Russell Haigler lives in Falls city, Nebraska and the other Frank passed away recently.
--Genealogy of Anthony Jacob Hinkle, as transposed by LeRoy Hinkle, Fortescue, Missouri (1976 Haigler Centennial Book, p. 3)