FAMILY STORIES

council. Aunt Min, deeply suspicious of the laxity of the liberal Congregationalists and of Yale Divinity School, gave me her own private examination in her home the previous afternoon. She grilled me on doctrines, content of the Bible, and whether I knew the Ten Commandments by heart in the original long version. I passed the rugged examination by the assembled clergy with flying colors. I did not pass Aunt Min's rigid Calvinist question!

   When Rev. Walter Rundin conducted her funeral in 1954, a touching moment for me was the sight of a slightly retarded boy whom she had been privately tutoring, sitting on the grass across the street, watching his teacher's funeral cortege leave the church for the cemetery.

   She was the first president of the Wahoo Public Library Board. I like to feel that her innate dignity, moral rectitude, detailed knowledge of the Bible, and what she called "steadfastness," (The Mannerses aren't stubborn; we are just steadfast," she would say) and her devotion to three generations of the community's children are part of what makes Wahoo a worthwhile community to this day. By Rev. Roger E. Manners

   I, Roger E. Manners, am the youngest son of John and Edna Bell Manners, being born Oct. 13, 1919 in what is now the kitchen of the family home at 563 W. 8th St. in Wahoo. I was reared in Wahoo, graduating from Wahoo High in 1937, and Luther College, in 1939. After a year's teaching in Beaver City, Nebraska Junior High, and elementary music and boy's physical education in 1939-40, I completed my undergraduate education at Doane College in 1942.

   During this period I became active in the youth program of the Congregational Christian Churches. In addition to serving as a student pastor to the Congregational Churches in Danbury, Verdon, Thedford, Seneca, and Rokeby (near Lincoln), Nebraska, I visited some 50 youth camps and conferences in all parts of the United States as an officer of the Pilgrim Fellowship. I felt called to become a Minister, and received the M. Div. degree from Yale University Divinity School in 1945, and the S.T.M. in 1974. I was ordained in the First Congregational Church in Wahoo on Sept. 4, 1945, by the Lincoln Association of Congregational Churches. I became the pastor of two small yoked churches at Curtis and Stockville, Nebraska from 1945 through 1948. In 1949 I moved to Omaha where I was the founding Minister of the Countryside Community Church.

   On February 12, 1949, I married Elizabeth Anne Roby, daughter of Sheldon S. and Annette Savage Roby, in Meriden, Connecticut. "Betsey" is a real Yankee "blue-blood," descended from both Elder Brewster and Governor Bradford of the Plymouth Colony, having an ancestor who participated in the Boston Tea Party. She came to love Nebraska in the eleven years that we worked together in Omaha.

   Here our four children were born: Mary Elizabeth, April 1, 1951; John Sheldon, April 5, 1955; Roger Scot, March 19, 1956; and Julia Roby, August 24, 1959. Mary Elizabeth is married to Kevin Mullen, and lives in McLean, Virginia, where she is employed by I.B.M. She is a graduate of Brown University and of the Harvard University Business School. Before graduating from Hiram College in Ohio, John was a mission volunteer in Japan, serving at the Asian Rural Institute in Nishinasuno. He is currently a computer programmer in Branford, Connecticut.

   Roger Scot is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, and is currently the assistant principal trumpet of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He married Hideko Adachi, a concert pianist who was educated in Japan and the United States, at triple wedding ceremonies held in Tokyo and in Branford on July 19 and August 1, 1981. They make their home in Cheung Chau, New Territories, Hong Kong. Julia is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, and now lives in Branford, where she is a sign language interpreter for the Connecticut Commission for the Hearing Impaired.

   At the end of 1959, I accepted a call to become the Minister of one of America's most historic congregations, the First Congregational Church of Branford, gathered in 1644. The organizational meeting for Yale University was held in the parsonage of this church in 1701.

   While I have now become rather thoroughly "naturalized" as an adopted son of the Puritans who settled New England in the seventeenth century, I am always aware of my roots, deep in the prairie soil of Nebraska. I love to visit Wahoo whenever I can. I am especially glad that my sister-in-law, Violet Manners, and her daughter, Marcia, still live in, and beautifully maintain, my birthplace and childhood home on West 8th St., a house in which my father also lived as a small boy. Submitted by Rev. Roger E. Manners

   Delbert was born May 21, 1925 to Carl and Rieka Manske at Wessington Springs, South Dakota. He has one sister, Hilda Werner, who lives in West Bend, Wisconsin. His parents homesteaded at Wessington Springs where he was educated and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith.

   After graduation from high school, he farmed with his father and also worked in the Livestock Auction Market at Wessington Springs. In 1947, they moved to Wisconsin where they operated a dairy farm for a couple of years before moving to Ashland, Nebraska in 1950.

   Delbert worked for Greenslit Lumber Company in Ashland, and in the accounting department of Cudahy Packing Company in Omaha, Nebraska. On Dec. 6, 1950, he married Norma Logemann in Bethany Lutheran Church in Omaha.

   Norma Logemann was born September 5, 1927 to Fred and Meta Logemann on a farm near Elkhorn, Nebraska. She has a sister, Irene Wrich of Gretna, Nebraska, and another sister, Anita, who died in infancy. She attended District #62 and Elkhorn High School and was confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church in Bennington, Nebraska. Because of her father's failing health, he was forced to quit farming in 1945 and the family moved to Omaha, where Norma was employed in the accounting department of Carpenter Paper Company.

   Delbert and Norma were both employed and resided in Omaha until March, 1960, when they purchased the Dooley Auction Market in Wahoo from Bill James who had previously purchased the business from Carl Dooley. Their first sale was Saturday, March 12 and consisted of 208 hogs, 146 cattle, 4 sheep, 2926 bales of hay and some miscellaneous items. The Saturday sale was quite a gathering place for old and young to visit with the neighbors and friends and buy and sell livestock, hay, miscellaneous and produce. The business slowly prospered, and in November, 1966, the Thursday cattle was introduced with the hog, hay and miscellaneous sale remaining on Saturday. The business was incorporated in August of 1971 and shortly thereafter, Virgil Gustafson became a partner. In January, 1980, the hog sale was moved to Tuesday. The largest sales during these years were: Cattle -- 1680 head, Hogs -- 1602 head and Hay -- 7015 bales. The Wahoo Livestock Auction Company was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brigham of Seward in January, 1982.

   The "Wahoo Misc. Auction" was 'born' in February, 1974 in a metal building across the street from the Wahoo Livestock Auction Market, Inc. Saturday miscellaneous and poultry auctions drew quite large crowds (weather permitting) and once a month, a 'Possible Antique and Collectors Items' Auction was held on Sunday. All the fine pieces of furniture, china and glassware made this building look very attractive. The Wahoo Misc. Auction was sold to Mr. and Mrs. John Armbrust of Ashland, Nebraska in April, 1978.

   Then, in the early 1960's, Delbert joined Glenn Karloff in holding farm and furniture sales and they still continue these sales.

   When we married in September of 1949, we lived on a farm in Lancaster County for three years. Then we moved to our present farm home 1½ miles northwest of Ashland, following the pattern of our ancestors with our roots deep in the soil of Saunders County.

Kenneth Marcy

   Frank Eugene Marcy was born in Cherry Hill, PA, in 1856. He walked to Ashland in 1874 with his anvil carried in a sling over his shoulder which carried the indentation of the strap until he died in 1930. His first years' wages as a blacksmith were $50. He paid $23 for a pair of handmade shoes, but had saved $500 for the oak furniture for their home when he married Jennie Putney in January of 1891. Jennie was born on a farm near Ithaca, Neb. December 31, 1867, the year Nebraska became a state.

   Their son, Kenneth Ira, was born May 29, 1895; his older sister, Mignon, in 1892. Kenneth married Florence Harford, born in Ashland in 1886, her family coming from Minneapolis to establish a furniture store in this "progressive community." Four daughters, Clara Louise, Mignon Helene, Janice Ann, and Marilyn Dorothea, and one son, Harry Kenneth, were born in the family home at 208 North 20, Ashland.

   In 1928, Kenneth completed his studies, becoming a licensed mortician as well as funeral director. He had graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Agriculture in 1917, farming prior to his assuming the management of his father-in-law's business upon his death. When Kenneth died in Ashland in August of 1962, his daughter, Clara Louise, and her husband, B.L. (Joe) Perryman, were owner-operators of the furniture store and mortuary. Upon their deaths, Patricia Sue Hodges, their second daughter, became the managing owner, operating under the Marcy & Company name, a fine tribute to the man everyone loved and respected, who loved his community and truly believed that Saunders County was the garden spot of the country and the home of the finest people anywhere. He was very honored when chosen to be King of the Ashland Stir-Up. He had served as president of the Ashland School Board, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Nebraska Funeral Directors and National Association, as well as being an active Mason and Scottish Rite and Shrine member.

   Our four children, Jean Elizabeth, Janis Ann, Judith Kay, and Kenneth Earl, are sixth generation Saunders "Countians." My father, Earl Ballou, was the older son of Emor S. Ballou, the oldest of six children born to Martin and Jessie Bissel Ballou. This Martin was 14 years old when his father, Emor

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S., bought a farm in 1868 near Ashland, moving his family from Ashtabula County, Ohio.

   My only brother, Emor S. Ballou, now lives in Fairfield, Iowa, as does my mother, the former Rose Heldt, daughter of George Heldt who was six months old when his parents, Detlef and Eliza Speck, and grandparents, George Heldt's, homesteaded south of Yutan in Marble Precinct. The Heldts came from Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark, to Illinois in 1865, and to Nebraska in 1869, sharing rations with the Indians still camping in the area. Detlef earned cash money by walking across the frozen Platte River to Omaha to help build the Union Pacific Railroad.

   Now, our oldest daughter, Jean Sells, lives with her family in Framingham, Massachusetts; our second daughter, Janis Skiles with her family, in Rochelle, Illinois; our daughter, Judy Squire and her husband Jeff, in Elkhorn, Nebr., and son, Kenneth, and family in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

   Though none of their generation is residing in Saunders County at present, they all gather for the traditional family reunion at Christmas time, and return to the farm often. The five grandchildren will share the feeling of pride and the security of knowing their family background, taking pride in the fine name their grandfather passed on to them. By Catherine Ballou Marcy

   Undoubtedly, the happiest day of my life was the day that Bill Mariner and I were married, but many people have asked us how does a girl from Nebraska and a boy from New York wind up together. And then they ask how does this couple manage to settle down on the road to Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska. Well, it's not such a strange story really.

   Bill grew up in Allegheny, New York, and following in his father's footsteps to become an engineer, went to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering. Bill's folks had both grown up in Youngstown, Ohio, in the county where the earliest Mariners to come to this country settled in the 1700's, and started the first sawmill there.

   Several generations of my ancestors were farmers in the northwest part of Iowa, north of Missouri Valley, but my parents moved to Hooper, Nebraska, in 1948. It was there that I was raised. It was a very natural thing for me to progress from college at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, to a teaching position in the English department at Fremont Senior High School. And it was in Fremont that we met.

   Bill was doing the start-up of the new unit at the Lon D. Wright Power Station for his company, Babcock & Wilcox, in 1976. My mother began introductions which eventually led to my being introduced to Bill. We were married 11 months later at the Presbyterian Church in Fremont. Two weeks later, he left for Oklahoma. When the school term was over, I joined him in Tulsa. Then it was Mount Pleasant, Texas for six months, Bellevue, Nebraska, for 18 months, and Akron, Ohio, for 12 months. We bought the house we now live in before we left for Akron in September of 1979. We moved into the house, unpacked, did some work on the place, repacked and left for Ohio all in 10 days. It was murder to tear ourselves away from our very first home of our own. But we knew it was temporary because Bill had been promoted and this year in Akron was his training time.

   It was a joyous day to return to Nebraska, my home state, and a place that my New Yorker has learned to love. Our primary hobby is gardening and growing all sorts of things. In our first year at home, we planted nearly 200 seedling trees of many different kinds. Bill converted the horse corral into a fertile vegetable garden. Besides gardening, we like auctions and Nebraska football and flower shows and electronics and animals and canning foods and good friends. By Vaudine Mariner

   Marvin F. Martens and wife, Elaine Anderson, moved on a farm at Colon, Nebraska in December, 1946. Marvin's parents, H.V. and Meta Martens, purchased the land while he was in the military service.

   Elaine is active in American Legion Auxiliary work, church work, and was a leader of 4-H clubs for sixteen years. She was a charter member of the Dandy Dozen Extension Club. She is the daughter of the late Oscar and Ethel Anderson of Mead. Her grandparents were the late Frank and Minnie Miller and Holcomb and Christina Anderson who came from Sweden.

   The Martens have four children and four grandchildren. Kirk and his wife, Sue, live in Fremont. They have two sons, Benji and Troy. Kirk works for Rawhide Chemoils and does actioning, also. Karlene, who lives in Quantico, Virginia right now, is married to Lt. Eric J. Benson (service career in the Navy), and they have a daughter, Katie Lynn, and son, Klint Henry.

   Karyl lives in Omaha and does commercial art work out of her own home. Kristi is a senior at Kearney State College, majoring in music merchandising with a minor in theatre. By Elaine Martens

   Fred Martinson was born November 6, 1876, in a sod house on the homestead. He married Anna Nelson on April 3, 1907 at the John Nelson home near Swedeburg. Fred passed away November 22, 1949 and Anna, his wife, August 29, 1963. They had 3 children, Mamie (Mrs. Roy Anderson), Frances (Mrs. Waldemar Udd) and Fred, who married Marjorie Pearson. There were 11 grandchildren. Fred and Anna lived on the homestead and farmed as long as he was able. The farm now belongs to Dwight Martinson, a nephew of Fred, so has remained in the family since their father, Lars Martinson, came from Sweden. Both Fred and Anna were active members of the Covenant Church, serving in many ways. They were interested in their school and served there also. They lived on the farm until Fred passed away. Submitted by Mrs. Roy Anderson

   Lars Martinson was born December 19, 1844 in Skoglösa Onestad Parish Kristianstäd Län Akäne Sweden, and with his brother John, left Sweden on April 28, 1869 to fulfill dreams of owning land to farm. They arrived on May 23, at Quebec. Then traveling by train and steamboat, sought land in Minnesota, and then on to Nebraska, coming to Saunders County. They rode with Nils Berggren from Fremont.

Lars Martinson

   They set out on foot to find suitable land to homestead for their future homes. Passing a store called "Lees" where Wahoo is now, they proceeded on south to an area south of Swedeburg and near Ceresco, where they decided to locate.

   As soon as they filed their papers for homestead claims, they helped each other build sod houses with 1 door and 1 window, the legal requirements.

   Ingar Johnson, Lars' fiancee, came to Omaha in 1870 and worked there a year before coming to Nebraska. Lars and Ingar were married July 1871 in the Lutheran church. They successively lived in two sod houses before building a frame house in 1878. Three of their children were born in the sod houses.

   Their children, all now deceased were: Mary (Mrs. Nels Bendz), Nels, Fred, Hilda, Ellen (Mr. Olaf Hagstrom), Emil and Selma.

   The early '70's were difficult with drouth and grasshoppers, so they were very poor. Lars worked as straw boss on the B & M Railroad between Plattsmouth and Lincoln. Saturday found him walking from Ashland to his home, often carrying a sack of flour. Often he used a sapling as a cane and one time, as he neared home and could see the lights, he stuck it in the ground. It took root and grew to be a very large cottonwood tree, (a landmark).

   Lars served as County Commissioner and Assessor in the 1890's and ran an elevator and lumberyard in Swedeburg in his late years. In 1907, he moved to Ceresco. He served the Covenant Churches in Swedeburg and Ceresco in many ways. His daughter, Hilda, lived with him and cared for him until he passed away July 14, 1920.

   Fred, his son, bought the farm and lived there until 1949. Later, the farm was sold to Dwight Martinson so has remained in the Martinson family through the years. Descendants now number 98.

   N. Oscar Martinson was born on June 6, 1887 on a farm north of Ceresco. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Swan Martinson who immigrated from Malmo, Sweden, in the spring of 1883 along with five children. Oscar and one daughter were born in Saunders County. At the age of four he moved with his parents to the farm they had purchased close to Swedeburg. It was on that farm that Oscar spent most of his entire life until his death in 1972.

   In 1913, he was married to Lydia Carlson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Carlson. They were active lifetime members of the Swedeburg Covenant Church where Lydia was organist until her marriage. Three children were born in to the family: Maurice, Richard, and Victoria. Of them, only Richard remained in Saunders County until his death.

   The family was active in community affairs, and Oscar served on the local schoolboard, was secretary and chairman of his church, and served in other ways. He also operated the steam engine for the neighborhood threshing gang. What excitement when the old steam engine puffed up the hill and the kids got to ride that distance with him!

   Another exciting time (exciting for the poor old hens) was the day the magazine salesman came. He always had a chicken cage attached to the back end of his car and a long wire hook in the car. After the proper amount of dickering he caught the number of hens agreed upon the Martinsons had subscriptions paid for, for the magazines wanted. Both parents were avid readers and this interest in reading was encouraged in their children.

   For several years, fine quality sorghum was produced from cane raised on the farm. The press and cooking pan were a fascinating operation to watch. Many gallons of that sorghum were produced, and it was always in demand.

   Oscar, along with many men of his generation, plodded many a weary mile behind a walking plow, and lived to see a man walk on the moon. The accepted challenge of keeping up with the explosion of knowledge, inventions, and progress during his lifetime is a treasured memory and typical of the

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versatility, adaptability, and intelligence of the pioneers of Saunders County. Submitted by Miss Victoria Martinson

   Nils J. Martinson was born in 1866 in Sweden, the son of Jons and Nilla Martinson, and came to Swedeburg, Nebraska in 1868 with his parents to their homestead one mile south of Swedeburg. He was raised with one brother and five sisters on the farm, and after grade school, he farmed, first with his father, and later on his own farm two miles south and one mile west of Swedeburg.

Family of Nils Martinson, Mead NE.

   He was married to Anna Amelia Gustafson in 1895. She was the daughter of Per Christoffer and Hilda Gustafson who homesteaded one mile south of Mead in 1869. She was raised on the farm with her five brothers and two sisters, and worked for a time in the hat shop in Mead.

   In 1900, Nils and Anna Martinson moved from their farm southwest of Swedeburg to Mead where they continued to raise their family of eight daughters and one son. During his many years in Mead, Nils J. Martinson was engaged in various businesses including the livery stable, two hardware stores, a partnership in the Wahoo brickyard, and a grocery store. He also was a "hip pocket" lender, and sold fire insurance for a mutual company. He died in Mead in 1943, and his wife died in Omaha in 1954 while living with a daughter.

   The living members of the Martinson family are as follows: Mrs. Frank (Clarinda) Kretschner and Mrs. Harry (Luella) Johnson of Omaha; Mrs. Howard (Rosalin) Olson of Colorado Springs; Mrs. Carl A. (Helen) Johnson of Wahoo; Mrs. Richard (Evadine) Olson of Kissimmee, Florida; Mr. Wendell D. Martinson, Mrs. Glen (June) Ecklund, and Mrs. Orville (Grace) Stites, all of Omaha. There also are 18 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. One of their children, a daughter Miriam, was killed in an automobile accident south of Wahoo in 1920 at the age of 16.

   Nils J. Martinson was always very interested in automobiles, and owned one of the first cars in Mead in partnership with David Edger. It was a 1904 red-colored one-seater Brush. In 1909, he bought the first of several Buicks of which he was very proud. For many occasions in those days, the family would decorate their car with colored crepe paper and several American flags.

   When the Martinson family grew up in Mead, most activity centered around church and school. They were very active in the Swedish Mission (Covenant) Church and participated in Sunday School, Choir, Bible and youth camps, and church conferences. The annual Sunday School picnics and the homemade ice cream socials were the highlight of the summer activities. All of the Martinson children graduated from Mead High School where they participated in all the usual school activities such as sports, musicals, plays, cantatas, etc.

   There were two events each summer well worth remembering. First, the Old Settlers Picnic in Mead, with its baseball games, ice cold watermelon tank, tent shows, and hundreds of people. Second, the County Fair in Wahoo, with the livestock and produce exhibits, horse races, and carnival. There was nothing more tiring than a full day at the picnic or fair.

   Only one member of the Martinson family, Mrs. Carl A. Johnson of Wahoo, still resides in Saunders County, but they all have pleasant memories of growing up in Mead and are proud of their Saunders County heritage and of being "Swedes from Mead." W.D. Martinson

   Jiri (George), 1827-1914, and Katerina Pokorny Masek, 1831-1915, left Sedlec, Snojmo, Moravia and came to the United States in 1876 with their six children: Anton, Frank, Charles, Katerina, Anna and John. Jiri was a wheelwright in Moravia. Upon arriving in New York, Jiri was told he would make great use of his anvil in Nebraska.

   Jiri homesteaded in Elk Precinct. His farm was near the Oxbow Trail. He used the anvil while repairing the wagons of settlers who passed by on the trail. This anvil is now in the possession of a great-grandson. The settlers passing did a lot of Jiri's farming in exchange for his blacksmith work. Jiri added to his homestead and became a wealthy farmer.

   The oldest son, Anton, married Antonia Novacek. Their first child, Sophia, was born on the ocean voyage to America. The other children were Frank, Mary Ann Novacek, Joseph F., Anna Dudek, Anton J., and George A. Many of his descendants live in the Valparaiso area.

   Frank, the second son, died at age 39, unmarried. He was a talented musician.

   Charles, the third child, married Rose Dufek and had 12 children. They were Thomas, Agnes Krchnavy, Anton, Emilie, Charles, Mary Chmelka, James, Bessie Birkel, Paul, Emil Frank, Della Navratil, and Helen Sloup. Charles lived in Butler County, and spelled his name "Mashek."

   Katerina, the fourth child, married John J. Scholz. She died a month after her only son's birth. The son, John, was raised by his grandparents and John and Emma Masek.

   Anna, the fifth child, married John Vachal. They lived in Saunders County. Their children were Mary Phillips, John Jr., Agnes Racek, Charles, 2 infants, names unknown, and Adolph.

   John, the sixth son, married Emma Kubik. (See John Masek.)

   A grandson remembers that Katerina was a small but spunky woman. She never learned to read or write, Czech or English. But she made the best rye bread he has ever eaten.

   George and Katerina, in their extreme old age, moved to Weston to live with their retired son, Anton. George died of old age, complicated by a broken hip, at the age of 87. Katerina died in 1915 at the age of 84. Submitted by Gladys Masek Cajka

   John Masek, the youngest child of Jiri and Katerina Pokorny Masek, was born in Sedlec, Smojmo County, Moravia on May 16, 1875. He came to the United Stales in 1876 with his parents, brothers, and sisters. The family homesteaded in Elk Precinct, west of Plasi, Nebraska.

John and Emma Masek, 1900

   Emma Kubik, daughter of Wencel (James) and Josephine Kafeur Kubik, was born on May 18, 1882 near Prague. The Kubiks had immigrated from Czechoslovakia to Draidwood, Wisconsin, and, later, to Saunders County.

   John and Emma were married on February 19, 1900. They were given the farm that had been homesteaded by Jiri upon his arrival in this county. A new house was built for the newlyweds. John's retired parents lived in the original house on another part of the farm. Later, that older home was added to the newer house.

   John and Emma had twelve children. (1) William (11-28-1900) married Mary Houska. (See William Masek.) (2) Lillian (1-30-02 to 2-19-80) married James Steinbach. They lived north of Prague and had 5 children: Leontyne Mikesh, Rudolph, James, Charles, and Marvin.

   (3) Fred (12-22-03) married Hattie Johnson on Febr. 5, 1942. They had one child, Frieda Dietrich. Hattie's children by a former marriage were Rosalene, Roman, Edward, and Darlene Roubal. Fred now owns the homestead and was awarded the Ak-Sar-Ben Pioneer Family Award for the Maseks' 100 years of continuous ownership.

   (4) Emma (10-22-05 to 1-18-57) married Charles Fisher. They had one daughter, Laverne Havelka. On Aug. 22, 1952, Emma married Frank Steinbach. (5) Ella (3-3-07 to 8-24-81) married Edward Sauser of David City. Their children are Edith Trawicke, Mark, and Eulalia, deceased.

   (6) Ervin (11-6-08) married Pauline Blei on Febr. 4, 1941 at David City. Ervin served in the U.S. Navy during WW II. They have a daughter, Patricia Milanovich. (7) Max (10-5-10) married Elsie Johnson. Their children are Maxine Corbin and Melvin Masek. (8) Roy (1-13-12 to 12-?-43) died in Texas. (9) His twin, a boy born after midnight, died the same day.

   (10) Tillie (6-14-14) married Gilbert Chmelka. They had a son, Carlyle, who died a few days after birth, and a daughter, Twila. (12) Elsie (9-14-19) married George Dvorak. They had one daughter, Angela.

   (11) George was born April 1, 1917 and died April 3, 1949. He had polio as a child and learned to play the accordion. He died in the Lincoln Regional Center where he had been a patient most of his life.

   John bought his first car in 1919, a Ford for $600. He paid cash. His family was musical and many of sons played in local bands.

   I can remember that my grandparents' house was pink. There was a fenced-in yard with flowers; a yard into which no one ever went. The house had two "upstairs," the one above the new house, and the one above the old part. Each had its own stairway. The one had old clothes, shoes, and hats stored in it. We grandchildren loved to play there. One summer, my grandmother let me go into the parlor to play the organ. I remember her china closet and fancy dishes. I remember that my grandmother was very lonely after Grandpa died and the children all left home. We did get together at Christmastime as we were growing up in the 1940's.

   John died on Dec. 13, 1937 in the Prague Hospital from complications that developed after he was kicked by a horse and suffered a broken leg. Emma suffered many years from diabetes and died on Dec. 13, 1950 in David City. By Gladys Masek Cajka, granddaughter

   Leonard, whose parents are William and Mary Masek, grew up near Weston, attending rural school and graduating from Weston High School. After high school, Leonard farmed with his father and worked at the Weston lumber yard and at the Omaha Stockyards during the winter.

   My parents, Raymond and Rose Jambor, farmed near Prague. I attended rural school about one and one-half miles from home. Roads were neither elevated nor gravelled. I remember following in my

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