FAMILY STORIES

were gone. The Captain saw their plight and gave each of the five children 50¢ to buy food. After 5 days in New York, the immigrants were loaded on to a freight train and taken to Chicago. This is only one of many stories and it makes you wonder how they survived.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Fujan

   When I finished High School, I went back to Omaha to work. It was there I first met Charles. After he left Omaha he worked for aircraft plants in California and then went into the Army. I worked for an Insurance Co. in Omaha and, following the death of my Mother in 1942, my sister and I moved to Los Angeles. Soon the Army transferred Charles to March Air Force Base. We were married 2 years later in Precious Blood Catholic Church in Los Angeles.

   Charles died on Jan. 24, 1982. Our four sons are married and there are eight grandchildren. Larry works for Keltgen Seed Co. in Olivia, Mn., Dennis is farming and lives on the Sabata farm. Don lives in Prague and works for Flynn & Larsen in Fremont, and Bill works for Lincoln Electric. I look forward to watching the lives of my children and grandchildren unfold. Though I miss Charles very much, I do not intend to sit on the sidelines. I have many interests to keep me active for the rest of my life. Submitted by Agnes R. Fujan

   My grandparents, Vaclav and Josefa Fujan, immigrated to the United States with a family of seven children. They left the village of Koryt, now a part of Czechoslovakia, but then under the rule of Austria-Hungary. They acquired a homestead in Elk Precinct, Saunders County, Nebraska, about two and one-half miles southwest of where the town of Prague is situated. They arrived in Nebraska at the time of the Great Chicago Fire which was still smouldering when they passed through. They came to the home of Martin and Marie Vanek, and lived with them until they made a dugout and built a sodhouse where the family lived for a few years before constructing a frame house. To this day the depression of the dugout remains in the pasture on the side of a hill.

   One of these seven children coming to America was my father, Joseph J. Fujan, who inherited the homestead which has been in the Fujan family ever since. My father married Josefa Vanek and they lived on the home place all their lives. Eleven children were born to them. However, one of the saddest events of their lives was the death, within one week's time, of their three oldest children during an epidemic of diphtheria.

   Being the youngest son of the family, I remained living on the home place when they retired.

   In 1930, my parents celebrated their golden anniversary and Dad passed away in 1933 at the age of 73 years. Mother continued to live with my wife and me until she passed away in 1954 at the age of 92 years.

   With great faith in God and the true spirit of pioneers they worked hard and, with patience, reared their family.

   My wife, Mary Louise Franta, and I were married in 1928 and lived on the home place until we retired and moved to Prague in 1970.

   There are only two of us left from the Fujan family: my brother, Joseph, and I. We are still living in the Prague community. Submitted by Frank J. Fujan

   Ray is the oldest son of Joseph and Clara (Stara) Fujan, born at Prague on April 10, 1924. His brothers are Joe, of Lincoln, James of Prague, and sister Eileen Shanahan of Prague. Two sisters, Clara Fujan and Maxine Kudlacek, are deceased. His mother passed away Oct. 15, 1971. His father, Joseph, is retired and living in Prague.

Back Row, L-R: Marlin, Harlow, Byron; Front Row: Clara, Ray, Norris Fujan.

   Clara (Fronk) Fujan is the second child of John and Anna (Vavra) Fronk, born at Weston on Feb. 1, 1926.

   We were married June 12, 1947 at St. John's Catholic Church in Weston, of which we are members. We are the parents of four sons, Norris of Lincoln, born May 16, 1948; Byron of Weston, born Nov. 28, 1949; Marlin of Columbia, Missouri, born Sept. 25, 1956; and Harlow of Weston, born May 15, 1958.

   Norris married Bonnie Franta Oct. 2, 1971. They have one daughter, Jessica Lynn born Jan. 11, 1979. Marlin married Anne Schmidt Oct. 22, 1977. Their family consists of daughter, Olivia Jon, born July 24, 1980 and son, Phelan James, born July 1, 1982.

   Ray graduated from Cedar Bluffs High School and has worked at the Weston Co-op Credit Association for 21 years. He has held the position of secretary-treasurer for the entire time. He also served ten years with the Weston Volunteer Fire Dept., was secretary of school board District #103 for four years, and village clerk for six years. I work part time at the Credit Association, raise a garden, and do the canning. I love raising poultry, especially the exotic breeds.

   We have lived in Saunders County our entire lives and in Weston since we were married. We farm the homestead my grandfather and his wife settled on when they first came from Czechoslovakia. By Clara Fujan

   Joseph was born on a farm southwest of Prague on Dec. 6, 1898 to Joseph and Josephine (Vanek) Fujan. There were eight children born to this union. The three oldest children, Emma 8, Fred 6, and Barbara 4, died within one week in 1890 during the diphtheria epidemic. There were no doctors in the community at that time. The children were buried at Plasi.

   Joe grew to manhood on the farm where he was born. The homestead is now owned by his son, James.

   His sisters and brothers were Mary Snitily, Charles, Fred, Barbara Egr, Emma Kadavy, William and Frank. All are deceased except Frank.

   Joe Fujan and Clara Stara were married on May 29, 1923 at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Bruno. She taught school in Butler County before the marriage. They farmed near Prague, Linwood, and Cedar Bluffs.

   Their six children are Ray of Weston, Joe of Lincoln, Eileen Shanahan of Prague, Clara Fujan, Maxine Kudlacek and James Fujan of Prague. Tragedy struck on Aug. 7, 1952 when Clara, age 21, was injured in a car accident after a wedding dance in David City. She died Aug. 15, 1952. Maxine (Mrs. Bohumil Kudlacek) died Sept. 12, 1971 at the age of 39.

   Clara (Stara) Fujan passed away Oct. 15, 1971 at North Bend. Joseph Fujan Sr. is retired and living in Prague.

   Wilbur Fisk Fulmer was born in 1839 near Deemston, Pennsylvania, in what was then Westmorland County. The records of the Nebraska Historical list it this way. However, this county was divided soon after, and became Washington County.

Wilbur and Rebecca Fulmer 1890

   Rebecca Michiner was born on a farm in the same area in 1842. Wilbur and Rebecca were in the Deemston school together where a romance developed. They were married in December, 1860, and were on a honeymoon trip to Pittsburgh when they heard the first report of a possible Civil War. Wilbur was drafted in 1864, but excused, for by that time, they had three acres of land he was farming and two sons.

   In 1873 they, had four children, Harry, DeAlton, Margaret, and Jennie. Due to his health, they decided to move to the Patrick Ranch near Omaha, Nebraska, as the Patrick brothers had grown up in the Deemston area and moved west. There, Fannie and Nellie were born.

   In 1878, the Patrick brothers decided to move on west and secured ranches in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. The Wilbur Fulmer family moved to Saunders County and rented land about four miles from the community of Mead. Here the last child, Raymond, was born in 1880.

   Rebecca and Wilbur always said that farming those days was hard but interesting, and that every neighbor was a friend.

   By 1884, Harry had cast his future with the Patricks in Wyoming. DeAlton had passed examinations to be a druggist and located in Greenwood. Margaret had married John Allen Moss, a neighbor who had come from Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

   They realized that they were too far away from high schools in either Wahoo or Ashland to send the other children to high school. They decided on Ashland, which was on the main line of the Burling-

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ton and increasing in population. Here, the children were active in school, Wilbur worked for one of the big elevator companies located on the railroad.

   Jennie Fulmer married George Siminton whose father was one of the first merchants in Ashland, as well as owning land. Fannie went to Dayton, Wyoming to visit her brother, Harry, who by 1888 was the manager of the PK ranch. Here she met and married a rancher, Edward Dinwiddie, who later served in the Wyoming legislature and was a merchant in Sheridan. Nellie married Ira Siders, who had come from Iowa City, Iowa. This was in 1898. They returned to Iowa where they continued to live. Raymond spent all his adult life with the Burlington Railroad, first as a telegrapher, then an agent. Margaret and her family moved to Ashland on a farm. Their history is another story told in this book.

   In Ashland, Wilbur and Rebecca were loyal workers in the Methodist church. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1910. Wilbur passed away in 1913 and Rebecca in 1917. Both rest in the Ashland cemetery.

   The history of the Arthur G. Gerdts family began in Wahoo as the result of Carl Gerdts asking Arthur H. Gerdts and Oscar (brothers) to consider moving from Waverly, Nebr. to take over the Blacksmith business he had purchased from Nels Youngstrom. A.H. Gerdts had been in the blacksmith business 21 years at that time in Waverly, but felt the move would be an improvement. Arthur G. Gerdts, son of A.H. Gerdts, was 14 at this time. Arthur graduated from Wahoo High School and attended Luther College where he met Keryl Pearson, daughter of Victor Pearsons of rural Ceresco. Their courtship lasted three years during which time Keryl worked in Lincoln and Arthur ran a shop at Tamora, Nebr. Arthur joined the Air National Guard and was called to active duty. While attending Air Force Welding School at Chanute Field, Illinois, Art and Keryl were married Dec. 28, 1951. After his tour of duty in Bangor, Maine, and Alexandria, LA, they returned to Wahoo where Art joined his father in the Partnership of A.H. Gerdts & Son.

Arthur and Keryl Gerdts 30th Wed. Anniv. Dec. 28, 1981

   Art and Keryl became the parents of 5 children, Steve, Maria, Terri, Tammi, and Randy.

   Steve married Cindy Sholz of Prague in 1978 and has one son, Ryan. Steve graduated from the Southeast Community College, being the first welding student on the Dean's Honor List. He joined Arthur in the business now known as Wahoo Metal Products & Supply, Inc., thus becoming the 3rd generation member. In this 3 generation period, there were 8 Gerdts family members that served in the blacksmith, welding, and machine shop trade.

   Marla married John Loring of Boston while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany. They returned to make the Boston area their home. Maria graduates as an R.N. in May, 1983.

   Terri and Tammi are attending Metro Tech at Elkhorn and will graduate with an Associate Degree in Computer Programming in May, 1983.

   Randy will enter Wahoo High School in the fall of 1983.

   Keryl Gerdts passed away April 1, 1980.

   Saunders County has been and continues to be one of the finest places in the world to raise a family.

   My father was Clem Gidley, son of Jesse Gidley and Sarah Dawson. My parents, Clem Gidley and Grace Lewis, were married in September, 1897 in the home of my father's parents which was the custom in those days. They had a short honeymoon; then settled on a farm a quarter mile from the Jesse Gidley's farm. To this union six children were born. One daughter died in infancy and the remaining were four boys and one girl, namely, Earl, Adlai, Lewis, Arthur, and Leta.

   We, as children, all went to a small country school a mile and half from home, walking most every day, except the winter months when we were always driven by horses and wagon. With big blankets over our heads to keep us warm. We attended Spring Creek School -- District 92. We all graduated from 8th grade there and then drove from the farm to Cedar Bluffs High School 10 miles away. Three of us graduated from there while two were called to service to serve their country. We also had a small Methodist Church which was close, and we all attended services on Sunday, which was a must.

   We all grew up to man or womanhood on that farm as a happy family until the year of 1925 when mother passed away. As years went on, we all married and led our own lives.

   My husband and I lived on farms most of our married lives. To our union, five girls and one boy were born, making a happy life for all. Nothing was done easy, but we were all happy most of the time. I lost my husband in 1966 and my son in 1975. My daughters all married, live in Fremont, Omaha, and one daughter and family in Denver, Colorado. My son's 3 daughters live close by me here in Fremont where I have lived for the last 30 years.

   I have seen the country progress at a fast rate and am so glad to see it go ahead and have things much better than we did. I enjoyed my young life in Saunders County. It is all fond memories for me to remember now. I still remember so well that two or three times a week we would pack our little ones in what you called a car, and we were off to one neighborhood gathering to entertain yourself at card playing or games of some kind. We all had a good evening together. These were what you called the Good Old Days of Saunders County. by Leta Henrichson

   William Gidley came to Saunders County in 1871 after spending over 20 years in Canada. He loved adventure and farming.

   William was born at Plymouth, England in 1814. On September 2, 1833, he married Ann Bridgman of County Devon, England. Four children were born to this union; Jesse, Mary Ann, William, and Richard. William Gidley Sr. homesteaded while in Canada. After a trip to the States, he decided to settle in Nebraska. He lived in the Sand Creek Area of Douglas Precinct in Saunders County. William died in the year of 1897 and his wife passed away in 1893.

   William Jr. was in the farming and lumber business in Canada and spent all his life there. Jesse was a carpenter while in Canada but took up farming in Saunders County in 1874. Richard farmed in Canada and later came to Saunders County to help farm, but after his father's death he left for Michigan to become a druggist. Mary Ann married John Loukes and remained in Canada to raise a large family. The Gidleys were of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

   When Jesse Gidley and his wife, Sarah Ann Dawson, and family came to Saunders County they also settled in Douglas Precinct and raised eight children: Emma, William, Charles, Clement, Jessie, Nathan, Karl, and Nellie.

   Jesse was a member of the Order of Eastern Star and a Grand Worthy Patron in 1904-05, was president of the Bank of Morse Bluff in 1891, ran the Sand Creek Post Office for a while, and served as Justice of the Peace. He was truly an active man all his life. A true pioneer of his precinct. Jesse passed away February, 1920.

   Sarah Dawson Gidley stayed on the farm after his death. Sarah wrote several articles for the newspaper in 1930. Her topics were on the blizzards and hardships of her pioneer life. She told of cornstalks having to be used for fuel to heat their home; how the pioneers depended upon crops for their food, and how sometimes their best meal was only eggs, bread and butter. In 1930, she canned 400 quarts of food for her family.

   She loved to travel to Washington and Oregon to visit her family and that was an adventure in itself. Sarah stayed on the old Gidley homestead for 56 years before passing away in 1931. She lived thru the "hard times" to see some modern conveniences, such as automobiles, machinery, and better fuel for heating the home.

   Josiah Ward and Catherine (Pettie) Gilbert came to Nebraska Territory to settle in Cass County in 1859 in Glendale Precinct. They bought 40 acres in South Bend Precinct in S-17 T-12 R-10 in November, 1861. J.W. died in April, 1865, and Catherine homesteaded in Saunders County in May, 1865 on S-34 T-14 R-9, north of Ashland near the homestead of her daughter and her husband, Sarah E. (Gilbert) and John Thomas Cadwell. (See also.)

Sarah Elizabeth Gilbert, 1841-1881 M. John Cadwell, 1861

   Josiah Ward Gilbert was born 8 November 1814 in Barkhamsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut, and was married 4 February 1841 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania to Catherine Pettit, born 22 September 1820, Castile, Genesee County, New York to Noah and Betsey (Tibbets) Pettit. The first of their ten children was Sarah Elizabeth Gilbert who was born 12 December 1841 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania and who married in 1861 in Cass County, to John Thomas Cadwell. Their other children were: George Ed., born in Ohio, 1843; Henry H., 1845-46; Orlando, 1847; Almira, 1850 (died 1866); Emma, 1852; William W., 1854; and Cyn-

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thia, 1858. All were born in Illinois, and James F, 1861, and Theda, 1858 were born in Nebraska.

   All the children were married in Nebraska. In Saunders County George married Evalene Landreth, 1872; Orlando married Ellen Cox, 1871; Emma married George Jenks, 1868; Theda married Edward David in 1880's; William W. married Minnie Pounds in Webster County, 1885; Cynthia and William M. Sisco tied the knot in Gage County, 1883; and James Frank and Jennie H. were married in 1886 in Gage County.

   Catherine managed and prospered on her 80 acres with the help of her sons who were farmers and teamsters. Orlando later became a carpenter. Later, William and Frank were barbers, and later still, William became a breeder and racer of trotters. Catherine was married the second time to Joseph R. Freeman in 1870 whom she outlived.

   Catherine mortgaged her farm in Saunders in April, 1881, and moved to Red Cloud, Webster County, where she bought two town lots. She had reached the age of 66y 11m 18d when she died on 4 September 1887 and was buried in the Red Cloud cemetery. She was survived by sons, George, Orlando, William, Frank and daughters, Emma Jenks, Cynthia Sisco, and Theda Davis, and 26 grandchildren whose numerous progeny today, grace the confines of Saunders County and many other parts of Nebraska. Submitted by Mary Anders

   George Hugh Gilchrist was born in McHenry County, Illinois, on July 21, 1866 and came to Saunders County in 1869 with his parents, James and Janet (Crinklaw) Gilchrist, when they homesteaded in Marietta precinct, northwest of present-day Mead. As a young man he worked as a farm hand, a ranch hand in Wyoming, in the coal mines in Illinois, and then returned to farming in Marietta Precinct. He also had a blacksmith shop on his farm.

   Ida May (Templeton) Gilchrist was born October 5, 1869 at Milton, Nebraska (south of present-day Ithaca). Her parents, John and Francenah Templeton, had come from Vermont and homesteaded at Milton in 1869. May and Hugh were married April 22, 1891, in Omaha. May was interested in the community and its organizations, and wrote for the Mead Advocate newspaper for several years.

   In the latter part of 1899, Hugh and his family moved into Mead, where he purchased and ran a blacksmith shop for several years. The shop had an upstairs floor where Hugh did woodworking and repaired wagon wheels. He was expert at shoeing horses, knowing just how to weight a horse shoe to correct a faulty gait. He was innovative in mechanizing some of his machinery, such as an emery wheel that was run by horse power. He had a mare that walked round and round to turn the horsepower; and, though blind, she nearly always stepped over the tumbling rod without touching it. He was considered a good blacksmith, and his services were much in demand.

   In 1911, he built a new building just south of the depot in Mead where he conducted a garage business for a few years. He was also in the real estate business and was postmaster in Mead for a few years before moving to Haswell, Colorado about 1922. There he had a creamery and feed business and a filling station.

   Hugh possessed a natural dramatic ability, and since he could mock anybody or anything, he often did dialect. Because he was especially adept at the Irish and Swedish brogues, and he especially liked to give humorous readings, he often entertained at various community events. Many times he and May gave skits together.

   Hugh and May had 3 daughters -- Jeanette Eloise, Francena Marie, and Leila Faye. Eloise married Henry E. Johnson. They farmed near Mead and later moved to Haswell, Colorado, where they raised their family of 4 children -- Janet (Grauberger), Eldon, Keith, and Rosalie (Glenn). Marie married Earl Elmer, a railroad employee and lived in Omaha. They had 3 children -- Leila (Paul), Leigh, and Laurel (Connors). After Earl's death, Marie married Charles Rogers in California. Leila married Joe L. Johnson, a farmer at Mead, and they had 4 children -- Genevieve (Hilfiker), Elwyn, Joan (Blankenship), and Joyce (Carden).

   May died April 27, 1933 at Haswell, Colorado, and Hugh died at Haswell, January 20, 1945.

   James Gilchrist was born October 4, 1824, in Aberdeen, Scotland. As a boy he fished and swam in Loch Lomond. He was a calico printer, and worked in Glasgow in a color shop. In 1849, he came to Chicago to work in his brother John's grocery store. He was also an expert paint mixer.

   Janet Crinklaw was born October 15, 1829 at Galashiels, Scotland. The parental home was just across the River Tweed from Abbottsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott. In 1833, she came with her parents and 10 brothers and sisters to London, Ontario, Canada. In 1849, she went to Riley, Illinois to live with her sister. Here she met James Gilchrist, and they were married at Belvidere, Illinois, June 16, 1851. In 1856, they moved from Chicago to Riley to farm.

   In 1868, James came to Saunders County and filed for a homestead about 3½ miles northwest of Mead, in Section 20 of Marietta precinct. He returned to Illinois. In September 1869, he and his 10-year old son, Jim, came to Nebraska by wagon with as much of their goods as they could load. In November, Janet sold their remaining property in Illinois, and she and the children took a train to Fremont, Nebraska. They left Illinois in the midst of early winter with snow, and arrived in Nebraska to find relatively warm and dry weather. They were met at Fremont with 2 wagons, and after a couple of miles by road, had to load one wagon at a time on the ferry crossing the Platte River. They then came by road to their new home in Saunders County.

   Because of the terrain, their farm was one mile long and a quarter mile wide. Their house was of frame construction and had 2 rooms -- one, 18' x 24' and a kitchen, 18' x 16'. There was a pantry under the kitchen reached by a trap door. It was 8' x 10' and about 6' deep, and had no finished walls or floor. There was a sod building used for a stable and barn. The first fences were also of sod, but later these were planted with Osage orange trees.

   James and Janet had 10 children: Ellen, Christina, Jane, John, James, Elizabeth, Robert, G. Hugh, Jessie, and Alice. Ellen married Edward Perry and had 2 children: Janet (Tegelberg), and Clara. Christina married John A. Perry and had 4 children: Eugene, Mabel (Mickel), Maude (Barnard), John Albert Jr. James married Addie Tuberville, and had 4 children: Walter, twins Angus and Agnes (Germann), and Maude. Elizabeth married Jay Willey and had 3 children: Maud, Merle (Fuchser), and Harold. Robert married Dora Hood Churchill who had a daughter, Barbara. Hugh married May Templeton and they had 3 daughters: Eloise Johnson, Marie Elmer, and Leila Johnson. Jessie married James McGreal.

   James died July 18, 1904, and Janet died April 9, 1913, in Omaha.

   The first Gilkeson that came to Saunders County in 1870 was Harmon, an attorney, who later became Saunders County Judge. He married Alice Flor, the first white child born in Dodge County (1855). He was soon followed by his brother, James Russell Gilkeson, also an attorney, who married Ida May Andrews of near Ceresco. They had 3 children: Roy, Lillie, and Lou. These two Saunders County practicing attorneys were followed some 12 years later by brothers, Joe, Charley, and Den. Charley married Amanda May. Den married Nona Warren, daughter of Allen S. Warren, whose parents had homesteaded northwest of Memphis in 1869. Joe remained single.

   Den became a farmer southeast of Memphis. Here he raised his sons. Nona died in 1905 and he later married Edna Ramsey of the Wann community. They moved to western Nebraska. They had 3 children, Darrel, Mabel, and Cora.

   The Gilkeson brothers had all been born on Goose Run on Peters Creek in Washington County, Pa. Their aged parents came to Nebraska in 1884. They died in 1899 (father) and 1905 (mother), and were buried at Ashland Cemetery. (James Russell Sr. and Mary Ann McGee Gilkeson)

   Den's two older sons grew to manhood in the Memphis area. Loy married Mary Owen, daughter of Frank Owen. They had one son, Glenn. Loy was a college professor and school administrator. He died in 1929 and was buried in Ashland Cemetery.

   Allen, Den's second son, married Sarah Fay Weston, the oldest daughter of Herman Weston. They moved to western Nebraska for a number of years but returned to Saunders County and lived the last 25 years of their lives near Dist #3 schoolhouse. They were survived by 5 children, Alice, Raymond, Jane, Harmon, and Mary Ann. Allen was a farmer all of his life. Allen and Fay are buried at Ashland.

   Alice married Donald Graham, son of John and Mary Graham. They live at Ashland. They have two sons, Lee Allen and Sterling Eugene. Lee is a University of Nebraska Administrator and lives in Lincoln. Alice is a history buff of southeast Saunders County.

   Fay and Allen's other four children live in California, Colorado, Washington, and in Chester, Nebraska. When Allen died in 1972, that ended 100 years of the Gilkeson name in Saunders County. Judge Harmon Gilkeson and Attorney J.R. Gilkeson were prominent men of the town of Wahoo for years. Harmon died in 1910 and was buried at Sunrise Cemetery, east of Wahoo. Submitted by Alice Gilkeson Graham

   John Gocken was born June 6, 1851, Horumersiel, Germany, and died May 1, 1929, Leshara, Nebraska. He is buried at Pleasant View Cemetery, Leshara, Nebraska.

Top Row: Johanna, Bruno, Henry, Theodore; Front Row: John, Anna, Trienke Gocken.

   John spent his early life as a sailor. He married Trienke Octavia Harms November 20, 1878, in Germany. Trienke was born in East Friesland, Germany, Nov., 1857. She died Aug. 1950 and is buried beside her husband, John, in Pleasant View Cemetery, Leshara, Nebraska. They had two children while living in Germany. Marie died at the age of 3 and is buried in Germany.

   In 1885, John and Trienke with their son, Henry, emigrated from Germany to America by boat. They were on the water three weeks before landing on American soil. They settled near Memphis, Nebraska. While living near Memphis they had four children: Bruno, Johanna, Theodore, and Anna.

   Other relatives of John and Trienke who came from Germany and settled in Saunders County were John's brother, Fred Gocken, and Trienke's sister, Mrs. Horn. Fred was a sailor also, and he and his family lived at Cedar Bluffs. Trienke's sister, Mrs. Horn, and her husband farmed near District 35 north of Yutan, Nebraska, on what is now known as the Grover Widman farm.

   John and Trienke tell of many stories about the Indians. Many times Trienke would spend her day hiding in the corn field with her children while John was out working because the Indians would want their food and her ring.

   In 1897, John and Trienke and their 5 children moved to a farm south of Leshara and resided there until 1914, when they moved to a home in Leshara, Nebraska. They lived here until their deaths. The

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