Some of the first babies to be born in Independence were Sylvanus Brandon on August 17, 1856, son of the former Nancy McGary and Ebenezer Brandon whose marriage in 1855 was the first in Independence. The first girl to be born was Lizzie, daughter of Margaret and Daniel Styner, in 1856. Harvey Williams, son of John and Eliza Jane Williams, was born September 18, 1855, the first white child born between Lake Minnetonka and the Crow River. When the typhoid fever raged in 1872 and 1873, Mrs. Williams nursed the sick until she fell victim to the dread disease. Four of the Crigler family died, leaving only the father and one son. Three of the Gustavus Johnson family died.
