"An Illustrated History of the Big Bend Country; Embracing Lincoln, Douglas, 
Adams  and Franklin Counties; State of Washington". Spokane, Western Historical
Publishing  Company, Publishers, 1904. pp. 851-852.

JOHAN N. G. VEHRS, whose postoffice address is Ritzville, and who lives on a
farm three miles west from that city, is a native of Germany, born March 6,
1868. He is the son of Peter and Antge C. Vehrs, who came from their native
country, Germany, to America, in 1869 and located in Illinois and engaged in
farming. They came to Adams county and took a homestead where our subject now
lives. The father later purchased three quarter sections of land from the
railroad company, making him the possessor in all of a complete section of
choice agricultural land. The father is now living at the age of seventy-two
years, but the mother passed away in 1899.
     The subject of our sketch received a grammar school education, and at the
age of twenty-seven he assumed the management of his fatherís farm, which he
still retains. From time to time he has purchased land for himself until they
now own fourteen hundred and forty acres and cultivates it all, raising as high
as twenty-six thousand bushels of wheat in a single season. He keeps on his farm
thirty-two head of draft horses.
     In the year 1895 Mr. Vehrs was married to Miss Margaret Clodius, a brief
sketch of whose life is incorporated with the sketch of her father, C. F.
Clodius, which appears elsewhere in this volume. To this union have been born
four children, all now living. Gretchen, Anna, Peter and Joseph.
     Mr. Vehrs is a member of a family which originally contained six children,
only one of whom, besides himself, is now living, Margaret Maud, now Mrs. J.
Denakas, of Adams county. 
     In political matters, Mr. Vehrs is affiliated with the Republican party, in
the workings of which he takes a deep and aggressive interest. He holds
membership in the German Congregationalist church.


Submitted by: Georgia Harter Williams, georgiahw@earthlink.net