Samuel L. Kauffman was born in 1879 in Pennsylvania, eventually moving to Ionia County, Mich. as a farmer. The earliest entry (1902) places him in Odessa Township, where he paid taxes. His wife, Lottie M. Kauffman was born in 1883. They had three children, Hulda C. (b.1904), Gertrude E. (b.1906), and Beatrice (b.1913). From 1917-1922, he owned 63 acres, three horses and 14 cattle. He lived on Road 11 in Sebewa Township, RFD 4, Lake Odessa, Mich. By 1925, the last diary entry, only Beatrice lived at home, and the number of acres of land had increased to eighty.
From the description of Samuel L. Kauffman collection. (State Archive of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 41551158