An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., 
The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, page 465

	ALBERT KAYSER, an enterprising citizen of Block House, Klickitat county,
Washington, was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1845, a son of
Bernhard and Matilda (Seitsinger) Kayser. His father was a native of the canton
of Berne, Switzerland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of thirty
years. He located at Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and there engaged in the
manufacture of soaps. His wife was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, and
belonged to a Quaker family. In 1852 they removed to Caldwell county; Missouri,
and there the father died in 1867, the mother surviving two years. There our
subject passed an uneventful youth until the breaking out of the Civil war.
Although a mere lad, he enlisted in the United States service at Cameron,
Missouri, March 6, 1862; was assigned to Company E, Sixth Missouri Cavalry, and
August 16, 1862, he was wounded in the battle at Lone Jack, where 370 men out of
700 were slain in six hours. Young Kayser was confined to the hospital at
Lexington nine months, hut as soon as he had sufficiently recovered from his
wounds he re-enlisted at Greenfield, Missouri, and was assigned to Company D,
Thirteenth Missouri Veteran Cavalry. This was one of the crack regiments of the
service, being made up from picked men of thirteen different regiments, between
the ages of twenty and twenty-nine years. When the war was over Mr. Kayser was
assigned to duty at Fort Leavenworth, and was afterward sent to an outpost on
the Arkansas river; later he was stationed in Arizona and afterward in New
Mexico. He was in a number of engagements with the Indians, and was finally
mustered out at Leavenworth in January, 1866. He had not yet attained his
majority.
	It was in 1880 that he came to Washington and located at Block House, where
he embarked in mercantile trade, and carried a general stock of goods, including
harness and saddles. An especial feature of this stock is the immense assortment
of glass beads, the stock varying in value during the year from $500 to $1,500.
The Indians who are the chief customers in this line come from points as remote
as Umatilla to make their purchases of the coveted gewgaws. Mr. Kayser speaks
Low Dutch, and is also familiar with the local Indian dialects, and he and his
wife make all the sales. He has in the Happy Home district a farm of 600 acres,
which he has secured by different purchases. The land is devoted to grazing, and
a portion is under cultivation, the whole being superintended by Mr. Kayser's
son, Millard S.
	Our worthy subject was united in marriage at Black Oak, Missouri, August 15,
1868, to Miss Harriet Shrum, a native of that place, and a daughter of John L.
and Elizabeth (Davis) Shrum, natives of North Carolina and Illinois
respectively. Mrs. Kayser is a woman of exceptional intelligence and rare
attainments, and has been untiring in her efforts to advance the interests of
her family. She is the efficient Postmistress of Block Home, succeeding Michael
Green, who kept the office for nearly twenty years. Mr. and Mrs. Kayser have two
children: Millard S. and Charles F., the latter being a student in the
University at Portland. While Mr. Kayser is an ardent Republican and takes a
deep interest in the councils of his party, he has not been an aspirant for
public office, though he acted as Deputy Sheriff of the county. He is a man of
more than ordinary business ability, and has been of great service in forwarding
the interests of Block House.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in October 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.