From the "History of Nemaha County, Kansas" by Ralph Tennal

Hubert Clemens. — Independence of thought and action have
been the creed of Hubert Clemens during the thirty years
of his residence in Nemaha county, whither he came when a
young man to find a home in the growing "West". His industry and thrift have enabled him to become
the possessor of a fine farm and he has achieved some
reputation as a breeder of fine live stock. Mr. Clemens
was born at Bittburg, Trier, Germany, November 24, 1866, and is a son of John and Catharine (Hennis) Clemens, to
whom two children were born, namely: Mathew, a traveling
salesman of Dyersville, Iowa, and Hubert, subject of this review.
John Clemens, his father, was born in Germany in 1822 and
followed the trade of butcher for a livelihood. He
emigrated from his native land to America and made a settlement at Aurora, Illinois, as early as 1867.
He first worked as a laborer and then operated a butcher
business until his death in 1879. His wife, and mother of
Hubert, was born in 1841 in Germany, and departed this life in 1873.
Hubert Clemens began working as a farm hand in order to
gain a livelihood for himself when he was still a youth aged eleven years.
He worked out by the month on the farms in the vicinity
of Aurora, Illinois, until 1886. During this time, however, and while he was attaining young manhood,
he was obsessed with the idea of going farther westward where land was cheap and obtainable on easy terms,
and which could be obtained much easier and at a far less price per acre than in the vicinity of his old
home. Land had been steadily advancing in
value in Illinois and he decided to leave there and locate
in Nemaha County, Kansas, in 1886. For the first two years
he worked out and then rented the farm which he now owns,
for a year. The second year he rented the F. A. Hulbert farm and then made his home with Mr. Bedsheim, with whom
he farmed in partnership for four years.
Mr Clemens carefully saved his earnings with a view to ultimately owning a farm of his own. The first tract which
he farmed in the county eventually was placed on sale and he bought the tract of 120 acres in 1900. Even at that day
the farm was poorly improved with an old log cabin,
evidently built by the first homesteader, and Mr. Clemens
replaced it with a more modern home and a barn 28x30 feet
in size, which was later supplemented with another barn 28x36 feet in dimensions.
Mr. Clemens has out sixty-five acres in corn in 1916 and
maintains on his fertile acres a herd of high-grade Shortliorn cattle and Pulaiid China swine.
He was married to Mary Herbstreith, October 18, 1893.
This marriage has been blessed with six children, as
follows: Geneva, born September 11, 1894, at Kelly, Kans.; Bryan, was born August 3, 1896;
Mathias, was born February 4, 1900; Hazel, was born July 25
1903; Grace, was born February 28, 1905 ; Alvin, was born February 27, 1912.
Mrs. Clemens was born October 18, 1873, and is a daughter
of John Herbstreith, who was born in Guttenberg, Germany,
and left there when a young man and settled in Cook county, Illinois. He followed his
trade of carpenter there and during his Civil war service
was thrown from a horse and seriously injured. His
injuries eventually resulted in his death, after years of suffering, on June 8, 1879, at the age of forty-
four years. He enlisted August 1, 1861, at St. Louis, in
Company E, First, Missouri cavalry regiment, of the Union
volunteers and received his honorable discharge from the service at St. Louis on September 19,
1864. His wife, Caroline (Holtz) Herbstreith, was born in
Germany, January 1, 1829. Her first marriage with Mr. Holtz took place in Germany, and after her immigration to this country she was widowed and married Mr. Herbstreith
in Illinois. There were three children in the Herbstreith family, as follows:
Mrs. Christina (Schumaker)Queen, living at Wathena; August, Oneida, Kans., and Mrs. Hubert Clemens.
Mrs. Herbstreith makes her home with Mr. and Mrs. Clemens.
Mr. Clemens is an independent voter who is not allied with
any political party and votes as his intelligence and
comprehension dictates and allows no man to tell him how
he should vote or which candidate he should support. He is, therefore, a member of that vast and growing number
of American citizens who are not held by
the party yoke and do not listen to the dictates of the
political bosses and through this country is destined to have a better and more
representative government in the years to come. Even
during the present political campaign the great independent vote is a factor with
which the leaders are reckoning and which will turn the tide in favor of the fortunate candidate.
He is affiliated with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America.