there. Now, where do you suppose they came from? The gypsies would go into town to beg for clothing. On one occasion the Tomhagens recognized a coat which must not have been to their liking left hanging over the fence after the gypsies had moved on. The Tomhagens returned it to the owner.
MEMORIES . . .
I remember when dad used to tell—
—about the time the rumor spread that the Indians were on the warpath. There were only a few settlers scattered about, and we all moved our livestock and possessions to the John Tiedgen ranch and waited for the attack. How relieved we were when we found it was Mr. Rynn, father of Francis Rynn, coming over the hills with a large cattle drive.
—about the time the Edens family drove their team of oxen past our homestead on a hot Sunday. They lived east of us on the George Stirk farm and were traveling to the John Tiedgen homestead for a visit. There were no lines or reins to guide the oxen, you simply sat back on your wagon seat and depended on a healthy "Gee" or "Haw." Nor was there any fence along the road. In spite of all the "geeing" and "hawing" of Mr. Edens, the determined oxen headed for the shade of a cattle shed on the Tomhagen farm, taking the Edens family right into the shed with them. It took a lot of coaxing to get the oxen out of the shade and back on the road to the Tiedgens.
—about the time the grasshoppers ate everything — even the onions right out of the ground.
—about the time one of the neighbor men came home from town after having had a little nip or two, and tied his horse to the axe resting beside the house.
—of the familiar sight of seeing Doc Tanner riding by on his little Indian pony to visit his patients.
—that the Indians were friendly most of the time, simply asking for food and clothing.
—about the time mama talked to the Indians to get them to go back west on the same road they had come because she knew that little four year old Andy had just taken off down the east road, he was running away — towards the field where his father was at work. Mama found later that he had grabbed a piece of a dress pattern off the table where she was cutting out a dress and had delivered it to Mrs. Borchers, who lived the next place east. Oh, and the Indians went back west.
The children of Henry and Magdaline Tomhagen were Andrew, twin daughters, Ida and Ada (Mrs. Louis Heller), Elizabeth (Mrs. Adolph Bredehoft), and Emma (Mrs. Wm. Hohenstein).
Henry Tomhagen died in 1913, Magdaline in 1932. The Tomhagen farm remained in the Tomhagen family for 72 years until 1941, at which time it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Scheve, who are living there at the present time.
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