FAMILY STORIES

Nov. 8, 1905. They had 2 sons and 3 daughters; Frank, Anna, Katherine, Barbara, and Mike.

   Great-grandpa John Placek bought 40 acres and a public school at a sale. He moved the school to the 40 acres and it was used by the Presbyterian Church.

   Frank Placek married Frances Jambor. Anna married John Chleboun. Katherine married Anton Cuhel, Barbara married Charles Kaspar, and Mike married Barbara Wesely. Frank was the oldest, followed by Anna, Barbara, Katherine, and Mike. Mike was 8 years old when they came to Prague.

   John and Barbara Placek lived one mile north and one and one-half miles west of Prague. Great-grandpa was a mason. They arrived on a steamship in the District of New York, Port of New York.

   My grandparents, Mike Placek, born Jan. 28, 1859 in Czechoslovakia, and Barbara Wesely Placek, born in 1869 in Czechoslovakia, were married in 1879. Mike died Apr. 29, 1929 and Barbara died Jan. 12, 1944. Both are buried at National Cemetery at Prague, Nebraska. They had 6 children: Mike, John, Vincent, Emma, Mary, and Anna. Mike and John farmed the place that their parents and grandparents had farmed.

   Vincent married Vlasta Prochaska and they had one son, Adolf who married Leona Odvody. They also had one son, Joe.

   Emma married Louis Stranik. Their children were Louis, Raymond, Leona, and Mabel.

   Mary married Joe Valse and they had one daughter.

   Anna Placek married Frank Kavan. They were my parents. Their children were Sylvia (Ignac Odvody), Frank (Clara Haba), Agnes (Art Sickmier), Emma (George Simanek), and Anna (William Simanek). I, Evelyn, the sixth child, married R.W. Figge of Effingham, Kansas. We were married in Dec., 1949 and have lived here ever since. We have 2 daughters and one son.

   My grandparents are John Kavan, born Nov. 25, 1849 in Czechoslovakia, and Anna Vopalensky, born July 26, 1854, also in Czechoslovakia. They were married in 1873. John died July 7, 1926, and Anna on Feb. 15, 1937. Both are buried at the Killian Cemetery, Morse Bluff.

   In May, 1869, John Kavan, my grandpa, accompanied his parents to America, settling in Iowa. He was a laborer in Omaha for 2 years. In 1873, he settled in Saunders County near Morse Bluff. They had 9 children: Frank (my dad), Edward, John, Joe, Albin, Mary (Mrs. John Hoffman), Agnes (Mrs. Alois Prochaska), Anna (Mrs. Charles Kubik), and Millie (Mrs. Rudolf Kouma). Submitted by Evelyn Kavan Figge

   My family and I reside in Lincoln, Nebraska, where I am a geologist with the USDA, Soil Conservation Service. I married Irene Elizabeth Lorenz of Crete, Nebraska on October 7, 1967. We have four children: Michelle Marie, 13, Patricia Lynn, 11, Michael James, 7, and Ryan Joseph, 3. Irene's parents, Joseph and Idella Lorenz, and her brothers farm west of Crete. Our children have many opportunities to enjoy the country life.

   My roots are deep in Saunders County. James Michael Kearney and Marie Esther Schmidt, my parents, were born and raised in Wahoo. They were married in 1930. In the early years, my father was a mortician for Daily and Hult. I remember him as the Standard Oil Agent, delivering fuel to Saunders County farmers. Many happy hours were spent riding with him on the tank truck. He was a volunteer fireman and active member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church.

   As a young woman before she was married, my mother worked in the First National Bank and then again after the death of my father in 1954. Mother still resides in Wahoo and enjoys the many activities retirement brings.

   James Kearney I and Honora Kearney, my great-grandparents, came to Nebraska via Ireland and Galesburg, Illinois. They settled with their family on a farm near Harvard, Nebraska in the mid-1870's. At 16, James Kearney II, my grandfather, and his younger brother, Lawrence, nearly lost their lives in the blizzard of 1888. Around 1905, grandfather came to Wahoo and lived in the hotel where he occasionally baby-sat for the owners whose name was Zanuck. Their baby, Daryl, later became the famous movie producer. James Kearney II married Josephine Ryan in 1906; they had four children, Jim, my dad, Larry, Kathleen, and Maribeth Kearney Mauck. Aunt Maribeth's recollections helped me greatly in writing this story.

Left to Right: James Kearney II and Frederich Adolph Schmidt, grandfathers.

   Grandfather managed the Farmers Coop Elevator for thirty years and owned the McCormick-Deering Farm Implement Agency (International Harvester) before his retirement. He was mayor of Wahoo between 1913 and 1914. During this time, downtown got its first electric street lights.

   Marcus Schmidt, my great-grandfather on Mother's side, came from Germany. He homesteaded in the early 1870's northeast of Ceresco, Nebraska, where he and his bride, Carolina Wilhelmina Lusch, lived in a dugout. About 1876, he moved to Wahoo and began a brickyard across the road north of Sunrise Cemetery. There are buildings in Wahoo built with Schmidt brick. One of his sons, Frederich Adolph Schmidt, my grandfather, married Ada Mae Bennet in 1902. Their children are Marie Kearney, my mother, and Donald F. Schmidt. Grandfather was bookkeeper for the brickyard, and farmed. He also was a business partner in the Austin-Schmidt Machine Shop. In later years, he worked in the Erickson Furniture Store.

   Both the Kearney and Schmidt families had a rich influence on the community. I have fond memories of school days and growing up in Wahoo, and I'm glad my children can grow up close to their heritage. Submitted by James L. Kearney

   The legal description of the Keller farm is NW¼, SE¼, and S½, SE¼, Section 28, Township 17, N. Range 6E., Saunders County, Nebraska. The farm is located three and one-half miles southeast of Morse Bluff.

   Frederick Keller bought the farm from Peter Bosen on Feb. 20, 1880. Bosen had homesteaded the property in 1875. Frederick sold the farm to his son, Paul Keller, on September 5, 1885.

   Paul Keller and his wife, Veronica, built the house and moved to this farm in 1889. They had four sons and two daughters: Rosa, Otto, J. Paul, Herman, Amiel, and Luella. They lived on the farm until 1913 when they moved to Cedar Bluffs.

   Otto and his wife, Anna Brockman, lived on the farm from 1913-1918. Herman and Amiel farmed the land together from 1918 to 1924. Herman and his wife, Burnley, lived on the farm until 1924 when they moved to Washington, D.C.

   Amiel and his wife, Eva LeGrand, were married in February in 1924 and moved to the farm later that year. Amiel and Eva had two sons, Dale E. and Lloyd E. They lived on the farm until 1967 when they moved to Fremont.

   Dale and Lloyd were active in Saunders County 4-H clubs for eight years. Eva has been a member of Saunders County Extension clubs since 1931. She has been active in the "Just Neighbors Club" for 42 years.

   Amiel and Eva were active in St. George's Church, Morse Bluff. Amiel was Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 3736. Amiel died in 1972.

   Dale Keller married J. Irene Kelly in 1949. They had one daughter and four sons: Barbara, James, Mark, Dennis, and Steven. They lived near Wahoo for several years. Dale worked at the Saunders County Treasurer's Office and also at the Saunders County Hospital.

   Lloyd Keller married Janet C. Haun in 1953. They had one daughter and two sons: Nancy, Daniel, and Gregory. Lloyd graduated from the University of Nebraska and is a registered professional engineer. Submitted by Mrs. Amiel Keller

   Veronica Cersovsky was born in Austria on December 10, 1869. She was one of fifteen children. She came to this country at the age of twelve. She worked for the Magher family where she met Paul, who was born in Germany on Jan. 3, 1859. They were married on Mar. 8, 1886 at the Court House. To this union ten children were born; four passed away in infancy.

   Mr. and Mrs. Keller lived on the farm seven miles west of Cedar Bluffs until about 1913, when they moved into Cedar Bluffs and built a new home. At the time it was built, it was one of the finest in town. Their son was one of the first to graduate from the new high school in 1915. They were faithful members of the Presbyterian Church.

   In 1935, they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary with an open house. Ten years later, they had a sixtieth anniversary that was attended by their children and their families: Otto and Anna (Brockman) Keller of Wisner, Rosa and Ed Beck, Paul and Mary (Hull) Keller, all of Cedar Bluffs, Amiel and Eva (LeGrande) Keller of Morse Bluff who lived on the Paul Keller home place, Herman and Bernley Keller, and Luella and William Brahm.

   Herman Keller served in the Navy during World War I. Mrs. Keller was active in the Red Cross work. During World War II, three grandsons were in the service: Raymond Keller of Wisner; Wayne Keller who spent 20 years in the Navy; and Kenneth Keller who spent 7½ years in the Navy. They were the sons of Paul and Mary Keller.

   During the Korean conflict, David Keller, son of Herman Keller, and Lynn Keller, son of Paul and Mary Keller, served for 4 years.

   At the present time in Saunders County, there are only two families of Kellers left. The first is Kenneth and Harriette (Smith) Keller and their children, Russell and Mary (Divis) Keller, Sheryl (Keller) and Mark Jonas, and Gene Keller. The second family is Lynn and Sharon (Dvorak) Keller. Their children are Carmen (Keller) and Gerry Walkenhorst, Kate and Megan Lynne; Tracy and Pam (Doden) Keller and Jenne; June Keller Westerman

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and Josh; Jaccie (Keller) and Keven Kerwin; and Jill Keller.

   The Tracy Keller family now lives on the Great-grandparents' Keller farm west of Cedar Bluffs. Mr. and Mrs. Keller had sixteen grandchildren. There are forty-one great-grandchildren; ten who will carry on the Keller name.

   Mr. and Mrs. Keller passed away in 1950 just one month apart. By Kenneth E. Keller

   Three young people immigrated from Sweden in the early 1900's and settled in Saunders County. Gust Kellgren and his sister, Johanna, settled in Colon where he worked as a blacksmith. Hannah Anderson came to Wahoo and worked for Rev. Johnson of the Lutheran Parish. Johanna married John P. Olander. They had four children; Mamie (Mrs. Dan Dwyer), Effie (Mrs. Ray Erickson), Enez (Mrs. Verny Erickson), and Percy.

Lila I. Kellgren, M.Sgt., WAC, 1962 Hannah Kellgren, 1912

   Gust and Hannah Anderson were married in 1912 and made their home in Colon. Five children were born of this union: Irma, Irven (Snowy), Lila, Roger, and Greta. The family moved to Wahoo where Gust worked for the Central Bridge Construction Company until his death in 1931. The children were all graduates of the Wahoo High School. Irma and Lila graduated from Luther College.

   The Second World War saw four of them in action. Irven (Snowy) served with the Timberwolf Infantry Division in Europe. He was killed in action there and is buried in the Cambridge Military Cemetery in England. Roger spent his time in the Air Force. He married Joann Lamb granddaughter of Dr. Elder who was well-known in Wahoo) and they had four children. John and his wife, Nikki, live in St. Louis; James and Toni live in Milwaukee; Jerry and Carole and daughter, Jennie, in Bensenville, Illinois; and daughter Jan Renee, lives with her mother in Florida.

   Roger retired from the Air Force as a major and now works for the government in Chicago. Greta served in the Navy for a short and was married to Vernon Kraemer. They were stationed in Newfoundland at the time of her death. Lila served in the Women's Army Corps for 22 years and retired to the family home in Wahoo. Her tour of duty covered the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and most of the countries in the Far East. After all those years of travel and adventure, she is content to live in Wahoo and enjoy her retirement.

   Irma had her share of military life while married to Elmo L. Morris and traveled the United States bases with him. Their son, Dr. Robert E. Morris, lives in Colorado. Submitted by Lila Kellgren

   Albert Kemerling's parents were Myrtle and Amanda (Cedergren) Kemerling. Maternal grandparents, William and Anna Cedergren, who came to Saunders County from Sweden, homesteaded in Mariposa Precinct. Grandfather Cedergren walked from Omaha and swam across the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers to reach Saunders County to file for his homestead. Later they moved to a farm near Weston. Paternal grandparents were Edgar and Anna Kemerling, who came to Saunders County from Illinois, and lived on a farm near Weston.

Albert Kemerling Family

   Dorothy (Taylor) Kemerling's parents were Guy and Katherine (Martin) Taylor. Maternal grandparents were Thomas and Mary Martin, who came to Saunders County from Maryland. Paternal grandparents were William and Ellen (Moran) Taylor. Grandfather Taylor homesteaded near Valparaiso. In 1875, he was a pony express carrier. His route was from Ceresco to the present town of Central City, a distance of one hundred miles.

   Albert was born near Malmo and has lived in the vicinity of Malmo and Weston except for seventeen years when he lived near Oshkosh, Nebraska. When he returned to this county, he started farming his Grandfather Cedergren's farm. Crop losses from drouth and hail, livestock diseases and losses discouraged his farming operation. In 1968, he purchased a garage in Malmo and did mechanical work until his retirement in 1978.

   Dorothy was born and lived near Valparaiso, and graduated from Valparaiso High School and the University of Nebraska. Getting a high school education in the twenties was quite a contrast from the present time. Dorothy worked for her board and room while attending high school, part of the time walking two miles to school. College education was acquired by attending summer school and night school sessions; but with persistence, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the age of fifty-nine. A teaching career began in the early thirties in a rural school in Saunders County. During those first years of teaching, there were many chores besides the regular classroom teaching. Fuel and water were carried in, ashes taken out, paths were scooped to the outdoor restrooms when it snowed. Pleasant experiences and memories outweigh all those past inconveniences. Years of teaching added up to forty.

   Albert and Dorothy were married in June, 1941. Their two sons, Donald and James, graduated from Weston High School. Donald served in the United States Navy. He married Marge Odvody. They have two sons, Roger and Richard. They live in Grand Island and have a Lawn and Garden Service business. James married Loretta Muff. They have three children Kim, Keith and Travis. James is a Production Control Supervisor at the Outboard Marine Corporation in Lincoln.

   We moved to Malmo from the farm in 1969 and are members of St. John's Catholic Church, Weston. Church and teacher and home extension organizations keep Dorothy's life active and interesting. Albert's hobbies are fishing and gardening. Submitted by Dorothy Kemerling

   My paternal grandparents, Edgar H. Kemerling and Anna (Hadsell) Kemerling, came to Saunders County around 1877, from Kewanee, Illinois. They settled on a farm northwest of Weston, where they farmed, raised their family, and spent their remaining years.

   I remember my grandmother telling of their experiences. Grandfather came here first to build a house for them. How frightened she was, coming here on the train with two children, one a baby! The house was not finished and she had to tie the baby to the bed to keep him from falling into the basement.

   When she got off the train in Weston, she was surprised to see the depot agent's wife baking bread and using ear corn for fuel. (She was not used to seeing grain burned for fuel and thought it wasteful.) There were not many trees around then. The lady would tell her husband to put some corn in the stove. If the oven were getting too hot, she would ask him to remove some of the coals from the fire. Grandma thought she had come to a country where the men did the work. But she soon learned differently, worked hard and lived to 92.

Mr and Mrs. Edgar Kemerling: 50th Wedding Anniversary, 1925 -- Cake baked by Mable Kemerling

   She told how they used home remedies for illness or injuries, including stitching of severe cuts on humans or animals, as doctors and veterinaries were not quickly available.

   Their children were Orphus, 1869; Myrtle (Mert), 1877; James (Pete), 1878; Henrietta, 1882; Clarence (Tom), 1884; and Ray E., 1889, my father.

   My grandparents lived to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and a number of years later. Submitted by Crystal (Kemerling) Hauschild

   Ray E. Kemerling and Mable L. Wilson were married Jan. 4, 1909. They lived in Malmo (where she was assistant postmaster) and on a nearby farm, before moving to a new home on the Edgar Kemerling farm, where they farmed for a number of years. He was a member of the Home Guards of Malmo during World War One. He also served several terms on the Dist. #24 school board, and was a member of the K.P. Lodge.

Ray and Mable Kemerling, Darrell and Crystal

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   Mother was a member of the Weston Baptist Church, Royal Neighbors, and Malmo Homemakers Club. I remember some of the crafts they made in club. I still have a picture she painted. I remember the neighborhood parties and sleigh rides in winter. Sometimes, that was the only means of transportation.

   Their children are Darrell N. of Wahoo and I, Crystal Hauschild. We both attended School Dist. #24, the same school our father and his brothers and sister attended. We both went to Weston High School where Darrell was a graduate.

   In the 1950's, Dad and Mother gave up farming and moved to Malmo. He worked at the Mead Ordnance Plant and Road Dept. before his retirement. They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1959. Mother passed away in 1963 and Dad in 1973.

   In 1965, Ray Kemerling and Minnie Beaumont were married. They also lived in Malmo a few years, and spent their remaining years at Birchwood Manor in North Bend, Nebraska. Minnie (widow of John Beaumont) had four children: Glenn of Snyder, Nebraska; Bernadine (Beaumont) Clark of Paul, Idaho; and Roy and Richard who both died in the 1918 flu epidemic. Submitted by Crystal L. Hauschild.

   Camp Sloane is a boys and girls summer camp located among the beautiful birches and rolling hills of Connecticut. It was there in the summer of 1962 that Jared and I first met. We were swimming instructors and counselors. That fall, Jared started teaching math and science at Edgar High School, Clay County, Nebraska, and I returned to Drew University, New Jersey, to finish my senior year in college. Many letters traveled between New York and Nebraska during those months and the following year. In August, 1964, we were married in New York. We both taught in Edgar High School until 1967 when our son, Jared Brian, was born. Jared taught 1 year at Sandy Creek High School. Then we moved to Saunders County in 1968 and have enjoyed living in Wahoo since that time. Our daughter, Suzanne Elizabeth, was born in 1970.

   Our parents and ancestors for several generations have lived in the Hudson Valley, New York, and central Pennsylvania. Our grandparents worked as farmers, educators and ministers. Jared's grandfather, at the age of 16, went to New York and joined the New York engineers and fought in the Civil War; he was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. My grandmother's uncles fought on opposite sides of the Civil War. My great-grandmother, Lucy Lee, was a relative of Robert E. Lee. Jared's great-grandfather, Thomas Warren, owned a foundry at Gettysburg, and during the Civil War an unexploded cannonball landed in his office. He defused the cannonball, and when Gettysburg became a national shrine, his foundry cast all the memorial cannonballs using the defused cannonball as a model. We now have that original casting ball. We enjoy our travels to the East Coast every year to visit friends and relatives. Jared's mother, who presently resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, belongs to the Daughters of the American Colonists.

   Our family's interests are many and varied. We are all members of the First Presbyterian Church where Jared and I are Mariners and Jared presently serves as an elder trustee. Brian and Suzanne attended Sunday School and belong to the youth fellowships. Brian has received his Arrow of Light award and is now active in Boy Scouts. Suzanne is a member of the Stitch and Stir 4-H Club. I am assistant leader of the Club. I am an active member of P.E.O., Chapter I. Jared and Brian are both licensed amateur radio operators. Jared is presently teaching chemistry, physics, general science and computer science at Wahoo High School. Submitted by Grace E. Ketner

   Adam John and Edith Luiza Kimble both were born at Spring Bay, Illinois. He was one of five children born to Jacob and Eva Volk Koempel on January 29, 1863. Their last name was almost completely changed from Koempel to Kimble. Adams parents were Bavarian immigrants and his father worked as a shoemaker. "Eda" came from a very large family whose parents were the prominent Richard Williams and Eliza Ann Davis. She was born March 4, 1869.

Adam and Edith Kimble

   In October, 1882, the Williams family and also Adam Kimble moved to Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska where they farmed. Adam and Eda married January 1, 1888 at the bride's home near Cedar Bluffs.

   They first lived on a Williams farm west of town where two daughters were born: Edith Pearl, September 6, 1890-September 29, 1962, who married Rudolph Krause; and Ruby Frances, October 28 1892-February 29, 1968, who married John Lohman.

   The family then moved to another farm in 1895, 3½ miles northeast of Cedar Bluffs where another daughter, Eva Eliza was born. Named for her two grandmothers, she lived from September 3, 1902-April 9, 1936 and married Christian Krause.

   During this time he bought and sold land. Adam raised hogs, cattle, and, of course, had horses. The children attended School District 25.

   In 1912, the Kimbles retired and moved into Cedar Bluffs. Their daughter, Pearl, and family then occupied the farm for many years.

   They traveled extensively throughout the US after retirement, much of the time in their Model "T". Several winters were spent in the South including their 50th wedding anniversary in Arkansas. Adam was remembered for traveling with a "ring of bologna and a loaf of bread."

   Adam always kept his farm very neat and clean. People said he didn't know a stranger and really liked to visit. He was a staunch Democrat and belonged to the Catholic Church. He always raised a garden, even into his later years.

   Eda was a stately woman and a very loving and caring wife and mother. She belonged to the United Presbyterian Church. Her interests were plants, crocheting, quilting, and baking. She did a lot of canning, and in her 70's, still canned 300 quarts of fruits and vegetables. Eda is remembered for playing the accordion.

   Death came to Eda January 4, 1952, just four days after their 64th anniversary. Adam followed August 2, 1955. Both are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery at Cedar Bluffs. Submitted by Darlene Frieman

   My grandparents, Heinrich Kirchmann of Eutin, Oldenberg, Germany, and Johanna Klienk of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, were married in 1876. Heinrich was born June 22, 1853 and Johanna had been born June 10, 1857. My father, August Marcus Frederick Kirchmann, was born in Schleswig-Holstein on August 31, 1882.

Mr. and Mrs. August Kirchmann, March 22, 1900

   In 1883, Heinrich, Johanna and their four children: Carl, Mary, Christian and August, sailed for America on the Harmonia. They arrived in New York in July, 1883 and lived there for a year. In 1884, they traveled to Nebraska, where they lived at Cedar Bluffs for five years. They moved to Yutan and farmed there until 1907, when they retired and moved to town. During the years spent in Saunders County, they had seven more children: Henry, John, Fred, Caroline, William, Sophie and Johanna.

   My father, August, was married to Wilhelmina Witte at Wahoo on March 22, 1900. Her parents were Frederick Witte, born May 19, 1841 in Hanover, Germany and Wilhelmine Topper, born February 28, 1853, also in Hanover. After serving as officer in the Prussian War against France, he emigrated to America in 1871. In Cedar County, Iowa, he met and married Wilhelmine Topper on April 26, 1872. After moving to Tipton, Kansas, where they lived in a sod house, my mother, Wilhelmina, was born on November 26, 1881. In 1890, the family moved to Yutan; Grandma Witte and daughters traveling by train, while Grandpa and sons made the trip in a covered wagon.

   My parents farmed in Yutan until 1918; than moved to a farm near Cedar Bluffs. In the mid-twenties, we moved to the North Bend area in Dodge County and continued farming.

   With so many brothers and sisters, we found many ways of entertaining ourselves. Every July we would all go to the dance hall for a picnic and in the winter we'd go skating. We played veterinarian, house or bakery; and when Mom called us for meal, we'de ride our stick horses to the house.

   One treat I remember was steamed pudding with raisin sauce. Mom would always make Futchens on Christmas morning, which we looked forward to each year.

   My father passed away February 13, 1939 after a long illness. In 1949, Mom and a grandson she was raising, Gary Kirchmann, moved to Fremont. A year later they moved back to the farm where she died March 25, 1952.

   August and Wilhelmina had 10 children.
      Ferdinand married Teresa Henry: Vivian and Ray.
      Frank married Martha Callahan: Kenneth, Marvin, Jim, Martha, Mary, Frankie Sue and Linda.
      Harry married Marjorie Nelson: Dennis, Frederick and Jennifer.
      Edward married Marie Bolton: Edwin, Raymond, Betty, Patsy, Larry and Nancy.
      Luella married John Knoell: Everett and Duane.

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