FAMILY STORIES

born Feb. 21, 1908, married Margaret Messing of Sidney, Neb. They had three children. Francis died May 6, 1973. Matthew, born April 28, 1910, died April 2, 1930. He was the fourth child of Herve and Magdalena McElfresh.

   The fifth child, Magdalena, born Feb. 3, 1917, married Edward Sievers of Yutan on May 26, 1937. Their first child, Edward, married Doris Davis, Rockford, Illinois. Their children are Daniel, Michael, Chris, and Debra. Edward is employed at Associated Trucklines, is a photographer, and coaches little league ball teams.

   Jolene, the other child, married Larry D. Buck. Their children are Paula, Laurie, Julie, Jerrold, and James. Larry works at Western Electric and Jolene works for an attorney.

   Edward farmed in the Yutan area and his wife retired from Western Electric in 1979. They have one married granddaughter. Laurie married Allison Miller. They are ranchers in the Brewster area.

   Edward and I still stay living on the farm and enjoy retirement but seem busier than ever. But we'll stay here as long as we are able to get around. Submitted by Mrs. Edward Sievers

   My husband's father, Edmund P. McEvoy, was born in Ontario, Canada in 1868, and his mother, Alice Gilmore, in Missouri Valley, Ia., in 1865. They were married in Mo. Valley in 1895.

Charles and Mary McEvoy. 1st Row: Bob and Bill; 2nd Row: Jack, Mary McEvoy, Don, and Gayle. Taken in 1946.

   Michael Thell, my father, was born in Austria, in 1876. My mother, Elizabeth Neuberger, was born in Hungary, in 1877. They migrated to the United States in the late 1880s, and were married in Omaha in 1898.

   My husband, Charles Edmund McEvoy and I, Mary Anne Thell were married on June 17, 1930, in Holy Ghost Catholic church, Omaha.

   In October of 1930, we bought an 80-acre farm near Yutan, from Claudius and Maggie J. Eggers which we moved to in January of 1931. The house on our farm was very old and in need of repairs.

   The first neighbors we met were Bill and Viola Cords. Viola taught me how to hang wallpaper, so the rooms were papered often which made the house more liveable. There was no water in the house which meant carrying it from the well which was some distance from the house. We had no electricity until 13 years later.

   The thirties were very hard years for us -- falling grain and livestock prices, plus several years of drought when it was almost impossible to raise anything.

   Somehow we managed to keep up our mortgage payments. Five sons were born to us. Again, some how we managed.

   In going through old records, I see that the World-Herald subscription for daily and Sunday was $6.00 per year in 1933. Needless to say, we could not afford it! In 1935, following the birth of a son, my bill at St. Joseph's hospital for a 10-day stay was $40.00. I remember paying for magazine subscriptions with old hens. Hog prices ranged in price from $7.90 per hwt. in 1935 to $13.35 in 1942. We received $6.50 per hwt. for calves in 1935 and 14 cents a pound for cows in 1942.

   After my husband's death in 1945, I decided to stay on the farm with my 5 sons. Jack, the oldest, graduated from Yutan high school in 1948, and he took over the farming. With the help of his brothers, he restored some of the old buildings and built some new ones.

   Three of my sons served in the armed forces -- Don and Gayle in Europe, and Bob in Korea.

   In 1959, Harvey Mumm of Yutan built the house which is my home at the present time. All of my sons are married. Two live in Omaha, and two in Ralston. Jack lives on a farm two miles north of here. He, his family and I are members of St. James Catholic church in Mead.

   I am "Grandma Mac" to twenty grandchildren including Marcia, who was recently married to my grandson, Pat. We enjoy family "get togethers," and several are held each year.

   A good community, fine neighbors and friends all add up to a good life in Saunders County. Submitted by Mary McEvoy

   Jack (John M.) McEvoy was born May 6, 1931 in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents were Charles Edmund McEvoy and Mary Anne (Thell) McEvoy. They lived just northwest of Yutan.

Front Row, L. to R.: Mrs. McEvoy, Martin, Mr. McEvoy; Back Row. L. to R.: Charles, Tom, John.

   Jack attended School District 10 and graduated from Yutan High School in 1948. He farmed in the area since graduation.

   On July 15, 1967, he married Mary Ann Cihal, I was born and raised in Saunders County near Wahoo. My parents were Ladislav J. (Lad) Cihal and Marie A. (Musil) Cihal. My school years were spent at St. Wenceslaus School in Wahoo, and I graduated from Wahoo High School in 1958.

   Jack and I lived in Wahoo a few months after we were married and then rented a farm northeast of Yutan. We lived there about two years and then moved to a farm three miles south of Leshara. We still reside on that farm.

   We have four sons, Thomas J., Charles M., John W., and Martin L. Our boys attend the Yutan Public Schools. They are also members of the Yutan Climbers 4-H Club.

   Jack served on the Yutan School Board, Union Township Board and is presently on the Yutan Rural Fire Board. Jack is also a member of the Saunders County Livestock Feeders Association.

   We belong to the St. James Catholic Church at Mead, Nebraska. Jack has been a lifetime parishioner of that parish and at present is serving as trustee. The boys attend CCD classes there and I have helped with the CCD program for several years. I'm also a member of the St. Isidore Circle of our church. Submitted by Mrs. Jack McEvoy

   Minnie Bumgardner (Feb. 10, 1878-Oct. 17, 1946) and George Thomas McGuire (July 18, 1872-Jan. 27, 1927) were married at Ashland, Nebr. Jan. 8, 1896. They lived in Saunders County near Memphis. Della Marie was born July 16, 1897.

   They left Saunders County with other family members and lived in Nance County for a short while later moving to Wheeler County where they homesteaded, 1½ NE of Ericson, Nebr. They built a sod house on their section, planted trees for another quarter of land and later built a frame house. The main road from Ericson to Bartlett went through their yard.

George and Minnie McGuire

   They built the town hall, Charley Payne and Onie Sherson, carpenters. Later, they built 2 houses east of the hall which they rented out. They bought one of the first Model T's and Tom had an autolivery.

   George and Minnie had 3 children. Della Marie married Wallace Cutler, a farmer north of Ericson and had 1 son, Merle. Alvah James married Mabel Payne and had 4 sons, Tom, Don, Jim, and Alvah, Jr. Laura Mae married Roy E. Webb of Burwell. Her family is listed in Who's Who of Nebr. Submitted by Laura Mae Webb

   James Burt McGuire of Louisville, Ky. and Mary Ellen Fairley of Prestonburg, Ky. were married in Prestonburg, Ky. Both were born in the early 1800's. They later went to Minnesota to visit relatives by covered wagon and then to Ashland, Nebr. Their youngest son, George Thomas, was born in Missouri. The others were born in Prestonburg.

   Their children were: Mary Pollard who had one son, George, and a granddaughter, Anna (Emil) Sperling; and Wesley (Lily Ward) whose children were Harvey McGuire (Emily Highshoe), Arthur married to Orley Highshoe, Maude (Jim) Kennedy, and Clyde, married to Ida Cain.

   The third child was Margaret McGuire Freeman of Norfolk. Her children were Maude Lichty and Earl Freeman, Brunswick, Nebr; Bertha Manske, Pierce, Nebr; Laura O'Brian, Norfolk, Nebr; Lenore Rasmussen, Columbus, Nebr; and Normie Freeman, Long Pine, Nebr.

   The fourth child was Aminta. She was raised by the Fosdick family of Ashland. She married Marshall Freeman. They raised their family in Ashland. Her children are Frank, Leavenworth, Kansas; Claude (Marjorie Smith), Louisville, Nebr.; Perry (Esther Whitehead), Ashland; Blanche (Mr. Stewart of Lincoln), California; Beulah (Elmer) Hall; and Benona (Nellie Smith), Ashland. Grandchildren are: Claude Freeman Jr., married to Doris Salsburg; Coleen Schneider, Valley, Nebr; Ruby Strode, Ashland, Nebr; Dick Hall, Lincoln; Ben Hall, deceased; Melvin Smith, Lincoln; and Don Smith of Calif.

   The fifth child was James Burt McGuire Jr. His wife's name was Rosella E. He died 11-12-1900. Son Harry D. born May 7, 1885, drowned in the Platte River July 7, 1905. Another son was named Hermie. He had an infant daughter on 3-20-1884. After marrying and divorcing Lillie Smith he married Mary Godfrey. They had one daughter Cecil (1897-1909). All are buried on same lot at Carr Cemetery. Jim homesteaded south of bridge just east of Ashland Gun Club on way to Memphis from Ashland.

   The last child, George Thomas McGuire, married Minnie Bumgardner. Their daughter, Della Marie, married Wallace Cutler. One of her sons died in infancy, and Merle Elmer lives in Nampa, Idaho. George's son, Alvah James, married Mabel Payne, daughter of Sam J. Payne and Prudy Prickett. His sons were Thomas Owen, deceased in Keno, Oregon; Donald Wayne, deceased in Calif., James Wallace, deceased in Calif., all from heart attacks; and Alvah James Jr., Klamath Falls, Oregon.

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   George's last child was Laura Mae McGuire Webb. (See Roy and Laura Webb.) Submitted by Laura Webb

   The following was taken from the Ashland Gazette, printed July 23, 1897: Born to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McGuire near Memphis, Fri, July 16, a daughter. The many friends of the family will be pleased to know that Mrs. McGuire is doing very well as is the infant and speedy recovery is the expectation of their physician.

Mr. and Mr. Tom McGuire and Della Marie

   John McInerney, born in 1847 in Cork County Ireland, came to American with two sisters and a brother, since their county was in a poverty-stricken area where young people couldn't afford to marry. They settled in Fulton County, Missouri. The girls married and John boarded with one, and worked on both farms. He kept a journal of sorts, listing wages earned, prices paid for items, and "formulas" for headaches, caked breasts, liniment, hair dye, and jelly soap.

   John married Ellon Holden. Two sons were born to them. After Ellon died, the sons, Matthew and John, were raised by a Cody family near Wahoo.

   Helene Boesel, born Dec. 13, 1862, in Hanover, Germany, with her family, came to America. Her parents celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, Oct. 6, 1905, at Ithaca.

   Helena, "Lena," and John were married at Wahoo by Rev. William Choka in 1886. Nine children were born to them at Ithaca: Thomas, Mar. 1887-1912; Ellora (Nell), Apr. 26, 1888-1960; Patrick, Aug. 8, 1889, died in infancy; William, Mar. 7, 1890-July, 1965; James, Dec. 13, 1892-April, 1965; Mary, Sept. 23, 1894-Jan., 1975; Elleanor (Lena), Febr. 6, 1896-; Catherine, Oct. 5,1898-; Edward (Ted), Aug. 27, 1900-Dec. 1972.

   Grandpa John worked as a drayman, hauling wheat, flour, logs, and sod. He died April, 1900. The children went to work at an early age. Dad (Happy) quit school after 3rd grade, worked on farms. He and his half-brother, Matt, worked on a farm in Cherry County. Happy enlisted in the army during WWI and was in the Balloon Corps. After the war he worked at Memphis Ice House. In 1921, he started working for Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad at Ithaca.

   He and Myrtle Edwards of Michigan were married July 16, 1921. Her family thought it was terrible for her to come west to a barren country. Their daughter, Winona, was born May 22, 1922.

   Happy took a sapling growing west of the Ithaca Depot and formed it into a circle. It grew that way for many years.

   In 1923, Grandma Lena, Bill, Ted, Kate, and her husband homesteaded in Montana. This was a primitive life, raising sheep, living in a sod house, and traveling on horseback, or in a covered wagon. The weather was brutal.

   Winona remembers the tornado that passed through Ithaca. The only damage was to the front of Endres' garage. It was blown out.

   Another memory: Barney Oldfield came to a farm pasture and, for $5, gave people rides in his airplane. We went with the Barney Luhnow family.

   Happy was a section foreman at Ithaca till 1931. Then frequent moves were made. In 1937, the family transferred to Omaha. Winona still lives there with her husband, Vernon Kuehn, whom she married Nov. 22, 1941. A son, Duane, his wife, Barbara, and two grandchildren, Corcoran and Dawn, complete the family. Submitted by Mrs. Winona Kuehn

   June 15th, 1979 was the first Sunday that I spoke at the First Baptist Church of Weston. My wife and daughter went to services in Omaha, but I had been asked to take the place of the pastor who had left for schooling in Denver. Somehow I did not see the Weston sign on Highway 92 and drove all the way to Ray's Service Station and Restaurant before turning back ten miles. I arrived just on time inspite of the extra mileage. The people of the church were warm and friendly and asked me to return the following Sunday, which I did with my family. Thus began our relationship with the people of Saunders County and the growing love we have for each one we get to know.

Rev. John E. McKesson, Mrs. McKesson, and Becky

   I was raised the second son, middle of three children, to Leo and Gertrude McKesson, in the northern Indiana area of Hammond (where I was born in Nov. 1940) and Lowell (where I was reared from Sept. 1950). We were only fifty miles from Chicago and I have often said that Chicago was my backyard. In 1956, I realized that Jesus Christ had died for my sins and I prayed and received Him as my personal Savior; a relationship we call being born-again or saved. This was to set the tone of my life.

   After high school graduation, I attended Moody Bible Institute for three years. However, as our country was at war in Vietnam at this time, I quit school and joined the Navy for four years active service.

   While in training in San Diego, California, I met Vivian Signe Muriel Ironfield. She had been born in Sweden of Americanized-Swedish father and an English mother. Harold and Elsie Jernefeld (later translated to Ironfield) had returned to Sweden for a visit. On the day they were to go back to the states, Hitler had declared war. So Vivian's first years were spent in Sweden until the first dependent's boat after World War II returned with them. After a short stay in DeKalb, Illinois, they moved with their three children to San Diego and built an apartment house which they rented out and in which they lived. At age eleven, Vivian had also been saved so we were of life faith.

   We were married July 4, 1964 during the time I was attached to the USS Wright (CC-2) ported in Norfolk, Virginia. Upon being honorably discharged from the Navy, we attended Tennessee Temple University of Chattanooga, Tennessee. I received my Graduate of Theology and Bachelor of the Bible diploma and Vivian graduated from the Elementary Education department with a B.S. degree. During this time I was assisting pastor in a small church and was ordained to the ministry.

   Returning to Virginia, I served as associate pastor and worked with a Christian Radio station. July 20, 1974 Rebecca Jo-anna Ruth was born -- our first and only daughter. The company with which I worked transferred me to Omaha and we became members of the Center Baptist Church there which is where we learned of Weston.

   In April, 1980, the families of the Leonard Chmelka's of Malmo, Gale DuBois and Florence Swanson of Weston moved us to the parsonage beside the church where we now live with a garden behind the church, chickens in the summer, rabbits occasionally, with Becky in the public school and 4-H.

   Omaha is only fifty miles away; like my backyard. I am serving my Savior as pastor of First Baptist Church of Weston, working in different places and positions to provide needed finances, but Weston and the folks are just like home.

   In fact, Weston, Nebraska is our home.

   I moved to Wahoo from Ponca, Nebraska, by way of Chicago. I grew up on a farm near Ponca. Both of my parents grew up on farms in Nebraska also. After graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1971, I left for Chicago to find fame and fortune -- or at least a job. I lived there for nine years working in social work agencies. I also earned my Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois while I lived there.

   After several years, I found my self missing the peacefulness of rural living and I wanted to be nearer to my family. I found employment with Pioneer Mental Health Center and moved to Wahoo. When telling my friends where I was moving, I left plenty of time for their questions of "Where?" and "How do you spell that?" I had driven through Wahoo many times so the town was very familiar to me.

   A few months after moving to Wahoo, I bought my first house. I have had a lot of fun fixing it up and finding out from my neighbors how it has been changed since it was built. I discovered new rafters when I was crawling around in the attic, and a former window when wallpapering. I have also enjoyed gardening and I get excellent advice from my neighbors.

   I have lived in Wahoo for almost three years now and I am very happy with my decision to live here. I enjoy living in a small town and I can visit my family very easily. By Kathryn J. McKinley

   Tom and Helen McMahon became Saunders County residents in 1942 when they accepted a job opportunity from Tom's brother-in-law, Charles, at the Rerunning Rendering Works. They moved from Arlington, Nebraska, where they had lived since their marriage.

   Tom, only son of Thomas and Mary (Moakler) McMahon, was born July 3, 1904, and raised on his parents farm in eastern Dodge County. His father, the elder Thomas, was born in London, England, of Irish parents and never questioned his Irish nationality until he received a draft notice from the British government. He wasted no time applying for American citizenship!

   Helen, the only daughter of five children of Fred and Lena Echtenkamp, was born March 17, 1903,

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"Children of Thomas and Helen McMahon -- Mary Lea Murphy, Betty A. Rezek, Patricia "Pat" Dau, Thomas R. McMahon III.

in Arlington, and earned her teaching certificate at Wayne State College, teaching in a Washington County rural school until her marriage to Tom on May 18, 1929.

   Their four children and dates of birth are: Betty Ann (Mrs. Raymond Rezek) 6-14-1931; Mary Lea (Mrs. William Murphy) 7-9-1932; Patricia Louise "Pat" (Mrs. John Dau) 7-17-1933; and Thomas Robert McMahon III, 9-9-1934. As of January, 1983, there are 13 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

   The depression had to have a great effect on the early years of our parent's marriage but, as we look back, it's hard to believe it could have been a negative effect. Perhaps it was their sense of humor, the stubborn German heritage of one and the luck of the Irish of the other, that got them through the lean years. Oh, we wore homemade clothes (including underwear from flour sacks) and hand-me-downs; and ate kitchen-canned fruits and vegetables; but I treasured my Johnnie (a homemade Christmas rag doll) and those years of budget stretching made our mother a superb cook. In later years, she was a restaurant cook and also cooked in her own cafe in the mid 1950's.

   Daddy worked at many jobs to get through the depression of the thirties -- driving trucks, farming (at age 8, I worried at his working all night long during harvest), erecting and repairing windmills and odd jobs. We thought our father could fix or build anything (my brother had skis for his motor scooter!) and, with only a grade school education, could match Mom's calculator mind at computing building materials. He began work at the Ordnance Plant about 1946, with Post Engineers, and later built and sold seven houses in Wahoo.

   Our parents died in 1963, one week apart on, July 3rd and 10th, at ages 59 and 60, and are buried at Wahoo's Sunrise Cemetery. Though our family is scattered across the country, the family bond is kept strong with memories of our early years together, and of those who gave us life: Tom and Helen McMahon. Submitted by Betty McMahon Rezek

   My grandfather, Wm. McMaster, immigrated from near Ulster, Ireland to the United States about the time of the potato famine in Ireland. He worked as a mule team driver on the Erie Canal for awhile. He met and married Emily Wheeler of Pennsylvania. Following their marriage, they moved west to a farm between Bedford and Mt. Ayr, Iowa. My father, Lee Frazer McMaster, was born at this location.

   The Wm. McMaster family, including my dad, moved from the farm in Iowa to Western, Saline County, Nebraska. My dad often told how he was given the job of herding a swarm of bees from Iowa to the farm in Nebraska.

   My maternal grandfather, Josiah Virgil Housel, lived in Iowa. He volunteered with an Iowa Unit and fought in the Civil War. He told me he believed in a strong federal union. He was wounded in the face and almost left for dead on the battlefield at Shiloh, Tennessee. However, he received treatment, regained his health, and later marched with Sherman through Georgia to the sea.

   Following the Civil War Granddad Housel married Harriet Romine. A few years later the Josiah Housels moved to a farm near David City, Butler County, Nebraska on a homestead. Granddad Housel told me about fording the Missouri River, as directed by a man from a hilltop on the west bank of the river, and Granddad was really pleased they made it without losing their belongings. My mother, Lillie Bell Housel, was born on this farm near David City. Mother, when just out of school, traveled to Western, Nebraska to assist her brother and sister-in-law in the care of their children. The brother, my uncle, was a school teacher in Western at the time. Dad successfully courted mother and they were married. Dad worked for a while on the railroad in Wymore, Nebraska. He then traveled to Valparaiso, Nebraska to find work on the Union Pacific Railroad. In traveling from Lincoln to West Lincoln he had to be taken in a rowboat since both Salt and Oak Creeks were in flood stage. The folks moved to Valparaiso where I was born October 23, 1907. My brother, Harlan Gayle, was about four and one-half years older and my sister, Genevieve Ione, was about two years younger than I. Our family lived in Valparaiso until about 1923 when my parents moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.

   I met and married Aural Jacquetta Rusho in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1935. "Jacquie" was born and reared in Loup County, Nebraska.

   I served as a Company Commander, Philippine Scouts, Philippine Division in World War II. Following the fall of Bataan I was interned by the Japanese as a prisoner of war for two years and ten months. Though not in the best of health when liberated, I was soon able to complete my education at the University of Nebraska.

   "Jacquie" and I returned to Saunders County in 1951 as I was assigned here as a Soil Conservationist with the Soil Conservation Service. "Jacquie" and I have three children (living), and now married. They are Patricia Rae, Robert Rusho, and Richard Lee. We also now have eight wonderful grandchildren.

   "Jacquie" and I are still going strong and enjoying the good life of Saunders County. Submitted by Archie L. McMaster

   Joseph McNeely, the earliest known ancestor, lived in Greenville, South Carolina. Joseph married Mildren "Milly" ?, having six children. Joseph died 1820 in South Carolina. Milly and some of the children moved to Lafayette, Mississippi in 1837. David, her son, who was born in 1804 in South Carolina, married Amelia Howard, born in 1811. (She was the daughter of Samuel Howard and Mary "Polly" Jones.)

   David and Amelia had 8 children. David and his son, Joseph A., at the least, were in the Civil War. Joseph A. was born in 1830 in South Carolina. He married Nancy Jane Carter. She was born in 1837 and was the daughter of Elias J. and Elizabeth (Christain) Carter.

   Joseph and Nancy had 5 children. Jefferson Davis McNeely, their son, was born in Mississippi in 1860. He married Mary Lena Warren. Mary was born in 1870 in South Carolina or Tennessee. She was the daughter of Arthur and Charollotte (Lewis) Warren.

   Jefferson Davis and Mary had 5 children. Joseph died in the year 1887. Mary was married again to H.G. Hayes, having three more children. Mary Lena died in 1937 in Phoenix, Arizona. Jefferson and Mary's son, William Jefferson, was born in Mississippi in 1889. My paternal grandfather married Eva Bitha Gray, who was born in 1891 in Stephans, Texas. She was the daughter of Samuel Alexander McKoy "Zane" Gray and Emily "Theresa" Lou Veda Bolling.

   "Will" and Eva had four sons, one being stillborn. The youngest is my father, James, who was born in 1933 in Arizona. The family moved about 1939 to California where Will was a manager of a plantation. Will died in 1977 and Eva still lives. My dad helped on the plantation, working from early in the morning until it was time to go to school, and working after school.

   My dad was an instructor in the Air Force during the Korean War. He met my mother, Shirley Whisenand, while working in the Omaha area on the missile sites as an engineer. My folks traveled a lot while he worked for them. The longest they were in one place was three months. My brother was born in 1963 in California. I (Deirdre) was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1967. My sister, Dannette, was born in Omaha in 1971, and Dawn was also born there in 1974.

   We have lived in many places in Nebraska, but Saunders County is one of the most beautiful and has some of the nicest people. By Deirdre McNeely

   Nancy Saunders, born in 1806 in Kentucky, was an older sister to Alvin Saunders (whom this county was named for). Nancy's brothers went on to found Mt. Peasant, Ia. She married Amos Lock(e), born in 1800ac in Kentucky. They moved to Indiana, then Iowa. Amos and Nancy had seven children. Two sons died in the Civil War. Louisa Lock(e), born in 1830 in Indiana, married Granville Whisenand, who was born in 1830 in Indiana. Granville's father's family originally came from Germany, migrating to Pennsylvania.

   Granville moved to Mt. Pleasant, Ia., where 7 children were born. Their 3rd son, William Alvin Whisenand, born in 1867, was my paternal grandfather. He fought in the Spanish-American War and was an accountant until his health caused an early retirement. In 1905, he married Rosa Belle Callaway. William Callaway, born 1852 in England, migrated to Nebr. at the age of 18. He was Village Marshall of Bellevue for 3 years. William married Eliza Jane Field, daughter of Thomas Field and Armilda Stewart (Stuart) who were early pioneers of Sarpy County. William and Rosa had 5 sons, losing one as an infant. My father, Clarence Ervin Whisenand (born, 1910 at St. Joseph, Missouri), grew up with his brothers in Omaha, attending South High School. Clarence's second marriage was to Hilda Kruse, twin daughter of John Kruse.

   John Kruse, born 1871 Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, came to United States with a brother and sister to escape being forced into the war. John came first to Nebraska. Then he and six friends went to homestead in Minnesota. John came back to marry Elizabeth Soll. Elizabeth was born 1875 in Keil, Germany, coming to America about the same time as John. They returned to Minnesota where seven children were born. My Aunt Lena claims to have been born in a barn. The twins, Hilda and Hulda, were small enough to wrap in cotton and put in shoe boxes. Soon John found his health could not stand up to the Minnesota weather. He moved his family back to Nebraska on a lumber wagon. They settled near Kennard, Washington County. In 1905 John died, and soon after, the youngest son died. Grandma Elizabeth reared six children, farmed and fed an occasional hired hand all on her own. All three boys went on to be farmers, two in Douglas, and one in Sarpy Counties. The twins were both beauticians. They ran the Twin Sisters Salon.

   My mother had one child -- me, Shirley Whisenand. I was born 1942. I grew up in Omaha, spending my summers on my uncles' farms. In 1960 I graduated from Tech High. That June I met James McNeely. He was born 1933 in Arizona. James was working as an engineer on the missile sites around Omaha. We were married September, 1960.

   We have four children. Our oldest, David, born in 1963, now lives in North Dakota, and recently married Lorraine DeNault, who has a daughter, Sherry. We have three daughters: Deirdre, Dannette, and Dawn. Submitted by Shirley McNeely

   I was born on a farm near Peru, Nebraska in Nemaha County where we lived until I was ten years old. We then moved to Peru, as my mother always

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