Octogenarian Resident of Broadus Community Passed Away Last Friday After Short Illness
HL and Mary Herron Rayner
H.L. Rayner, beloved resident of the Kingsley community for the past 35 years passed away at the home of is daughter, Mrs. R.E. Amsden, in Broadus last Friday following a short illness. Mr. Rayner was 87 years old at the time of his death and except for an illness ten years ago, had enjoyed good health all of his life.
Henry Lee Rayner was born on August 18, 1856 at South Olive, Ohio, the son of H.N.M. and Mahala Rayner. He was the only child of this couple. The family moved to Wisconsin near Enterprise in 1860 and when Mr. Rayner was a boy of 7 years his father enlisted in the Union Army and fought through the Civil War. Mrs. Rayner and her small son looked after the farm until soldier father returned from the War.
Mr. Rayner received a common school education in Wisconsin and launched on a teaching career which kept him busy for several years. He was married to Mary M. Herron at Viroqua, Wis., on December 25, 1877, where he was engaged in the general store business.
He sold the store some years later and moved to Mobridge, S.D. where he took up a tree claim and later moved back to Wisconsin. He made several moves between that time and 1910 when he came out to Custer county, Montana and took up a homestead in what is now the Kingsley section of Powder River county. Here he successfully engaged in the cattle raising and general farming business for many years and it was here that he maintained his home until his death.
Brand registered to Mary Rayner, before Kingsley was named (for the post office, by the U.S. Postal Service).
HL & Mary Herron Rayner, their children and grandchildren at Hyde's, possible in August 1927 in honor of HL Rayner's 71st birthday.
For a time Mr. Rayner operated a store at Kingsley where Mrs. Rayner was the postmaster. He was a Justice of the Peace for several years in that community and many of the marriages in the early days were performed by Mr. Rayner. Mrs. Rayner passed away on December 19, 1936 after a happy married life of 59 years. She is buried the Valleyview cemetery beside the grave of Mr. Rayner.
My Rayner is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Guy A. Curry of Stigler, Oklahoma, Mrs. Frank Watters and Mrs. R.E. Amsden of Broadus, and by a son, Lee Rayner of Stevensville. He is also survived by 20 grandchildren and by 7 great grandchildren. Seven of his grandsons are serving the armed forces of their country during the present war and Mr. Rayner was proud indeed of these young men.
During his early life Mr. Rayner had affiliated with the Baptist church and was a devout Christian gentleman. He was a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Viroqua, Wis., and had been a member of this fraternity for 52 years. He was also an active member of the Powder River Commercial club at Broadus.
Since the death of his wife, Mr. Rayner had lived most of the time with his two daughters near Broadus although he maintained his home on his original homestead. For the past few years he had kept himself busy with a newspaper and magazine subscription agency and had built up a wide acquaintanceship throughout the county from his efforts in this business.
His passing is a distinct loss to his many friends in Broadus and Powder River county where he was known and loved for his extreme courtesy and kindliness. Out of town relatives in attendance at the funeral were his son from Stevensville and two grandchildren, Mrs. Albert Tracy of Helena and Harrold Amsden of Spokane, Wash.