FAMILY STORIES

Pospisil May 11, 1880. They lived on a farm near Plasi until 1895, then moving to Weston, buying a share of a General Merchandise Store. John died Nov. 1, 1903.

   Mary Anna Pospisil was born March 18, 1861 to John (1828-1914) and Mary Magdalene (Dolezal) Pospisil (1836-1907) in northern Bohemia. She came to Nebraska in 1872 to Elk Precinct with her parents. Mary Anna died February 9, 1913. Most of the above are buried in St. John's Cemetery, Weston. Submitted by Vennie Meduna

   William Meduna and Agnes Koutny were married Feb. 28, 1916 in St. Wenceslaus Church in Wahoo, Nebraska by Father Hancik. They lived on a farm two miles north of Weston for one year; then lived in the Colon community until 1946, when they retired to Wahoo. In July, 1962, they moved to Colon. They had three children: Vennie, whose story is covered in another article in this book; Marie (Mrs. Fred J. Bouc of Colon); and Blanche (Mrs. Francis Booth of Malmo).

Agnes and William Meduna

   William was born in a sod house on farm 3 miles southeast of Weston, to Frank and Mary (Hakel) Meduna whose biography is in another article. Later, his parents, 5 brothers, and 6 sisters moved to a farm three miles west of Weston. He attended Rural Districts 98 and 28, then Fremont Normal College for two years. William was active in Catholic Sokol (gymnastics). Later, he was president of the Saunders County Livestock Feeders Assn.; also a board member and president of the Production Credit Assn. He died Oct. 30, 1962.

   Agnes was born on a farm two miles south of Colon to Frank and Josephine (Cech) Koutny on September 11, 1892. She attended Rural District 23. Agnes had two sisters, Emma (Mrs. Frank Simodynes) and Mary (Mrs. Vincent Simodynes); and two brothers, Lloyd married to Barbara Brabec, and Frank, married to Marie Kracl.

   Agnes' father, Frank Koutny, was born October 24, 1859 to Frank (1832-1899) and Petrolina (Koutny) (1835-1917) at Trebetice, near Jemnice, Czechoslovakia. Frank's parents, brother John, married to Mary Albert, sister Frances (Mrs. Wenceslaus Virgl), and sister Kathryn (Mrs. Andrew Hrdlicka) settled on a farm two miles northwest of Wahoo. Frank married Josephine Cech at St. Wenceslaus Church in Wahoo, Nov. 4, 1885.

   Josephine Cech was born March 18, 1869 to John Cech (1830-1913) and Kathryn (Nemec) Cech (1844-1926) at Sokoli, Moravia, Czechoslovakia. When they came to Nebraska, they lived on a farm three miles north of Wahoo. That was June 10, 1883. She had two brothers. Frank married Agnes Bartek. Tom married Kate Machovec. After her death, he married Mary Fejt. Her sisters were Catherine (Mrs. John Albert), Frances (Mrs. Jim Dosek), Anna (Mrs. Joe Kalina), Mary (Mrs. Albin Jelinek), and Agnes (Mrs. Joe Kralik).

   Josephine died May 5, 1940. They are both buried in St. Francis Cemetery. Submitted by Vennie Meduna

   Five generations of the Meese family have settled in Saunders County, beginning with my great-great-grandfather, Charles Ogle Meese. Around the time of the Civil War, he came with his family by covered wagon and settled about ten miles northwest of Ashland. He was one of the first settlers in this area and the founder of District 16, which for a number of years was known as the Meese District. He built his home on a hill and brought the sandstone by wagon from Nebraska City, then a river town and ferry crossing. They grazed cattle and gradually broke the land for farming. This was the home surroundings in which my great-grandfather, Peter George Meese, grew up. He eventually married and moved further west. They settled in Idalia, Colorado, built a sod house, and began farming. It was here that my grandfather, David Charles Meese, was born. But years of bad crops soon forced them to return to Saunders County and settle on the present-day Robert Hageman place.

   My grandfather attended District 16, went on to school in Ashland and prepared himself for teaching. It was while teaching at District 102 that he met and married my grandmother, Garnet Lee, a teacher at District 16. They lived in Lincoln for a short while before settling on the present-day Werner Treptow farm near Ithaca. While living there, my father, Lee David Meese, was born. But very soon they moved up the road to the place I grew up knowing as "Grandpa's Farm."

   It was here that my father grew up and attended District 102. He graduated from Wahoo High School and the Nebraska College of Medicine. It was while interning at Methodist Hospital in Omaha that he met and married my mother, Ruth Whitten, a surgical nurse there.

   My father died of polio shortly before I was born. My first home was on "Grandpa's Farm" where my mother, sister Diane, and I lived for a short while. It was here, also, that I spent every summer visiting. Most of those visits were spent playing school on Grandma's porch. I have countless memories of staying with Grandma and Grandpa. And I can remember Grandma always saying, "We hope you girls will always think of this as your home."

   In 1977, this became "my home." My husband, Leon, and I moved here from Chadron to settle on "Grandpa's Farm." It was here that our two children Mark, age 3, and Rebecca, age 1 ½, were born.

   All those summers of playing school on Grandma's porch finally paid off. As my grandparents before me taught in Saunders County, so did I. District 102 by this time had been consolidated with District 50 at Ithaca where I taught for two years before our children were born. I like to think that I've followed the footsteps of my grandparents as a teacher in Saunders County and that our children will grow up here ... a sixth generation of the Meese family ... and always think of it as home. Submitted by: Nancy (Meese) Teetor

   Charles Ogle Meese was born March 27, 1827 in Sommerset County, Pennsylvania and married Leah Millhouse of Berlin, Pennsylvania June 29, 1848. In 1855 the family moved west to Iowa and three years later to Jefferson County, Missouri. At the outbreak of the Civil War, being in Confederate Territory, the family was forced to leave a farm of growing crops, putting in all the family belongings that could be stowed in a horse-drawn wagon, and crossed into Iowa and on to Dixon, Illinois where the family resided until 1867 when seven families comprising about 30 people migrated by covered wagon to Nebraska. The caravan crossed the Missouri via ferry at Plattsmouth, Nebraska and located around Ashland, Nebraska.

C.O. Meese and Wife, 50th Anniversary, 1898

   Mr. Meese homesteaded and purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad about 400 acres, ten miles north and west of Ashland, Nebraska in Green Precinct which at that time was Indian country, the Oto tribe camping and following the Wahoo Creek. Mr. Meese resided on this land until his death May 29, 1909.

   In 1870, Mr. Meese was instrumental in organising a Sunday School, using a small school house half-way between the J.F. Colbert farm and the C.O. Meese farm. It increased in interest and grew in numbers for three years; then was moved to a new school building one-half mile north of the Meese farm and became known as District 16 in Green Precinct. This little church Congregation later was known as the Iliff Church and finally located in Memphis, Nebraska. Four generations of Mr. Meese's family were reared and schooled in this neighborhood.

   On the 19th of April, 1967, the Charles O. Meese farm was awarded the Nebraska Centennial Distinguished Pioneer Family Award in recognition of a pioneer family who settled in the great State of Nebraska and had maintained continuous ownership since 1867. This award was presented by Governor Norbert T. Tiemann to Pearl Meese Stover, a granddaughter of Charles Ogle Meese.

   Lester and I and our two children, Colleen and Terry, came to Wahoo from Dunlap, Iowa in 1941. We bought the cleaning plant from Lee Sawyer. We had it till we retired in 1968. We sold it to Van and Ellen Pacl who still have it.

   We came to Wahoo for two reasons. They had a college which both of our children attended, and the town was larger than where we were living.

   Our daughter is married to Lawrence Lindquist and has a son, Dan. They live on a farm at Swedeburg.

   Our son is married and has three children. They live in Pittsburg, Kansas, where he is director of the Business Administration Department and teaches, too.

   Some of our fondest memories are going on fishing trips to Minnesota and sightseeing. Our children liked to visit their grandparents, ones who lived on a farm in Iowa. They liked the animals. They liked to pick berries and the apples off the trees. They enjoyed playing in the ponds and wading in the water. By Mamie Mendenhall

   Leonard Lee Merry, born 1916 in Boone County Missouri, and Maxine Merry born 1917 at Yuma County Colorado, moved to Ceresco from Columbus in the spring of 1969. Maxine worked for the Farmers and Merchants Bank, retiring in 1982. Leonard is employed at Pure Water, Inc. in Lincoln. They had three children; James Lee, born 1940, and deceased in 1973; Phyllis Ann, born 1942, married to Jon Mostrom in 1963; and Thomas George, born 1945, currently living in Lincoln and married to Sandra Greathouse.

   John's grandparents came from Austria and Luxemburg homesteading around Bellwood and Bruno. John was born in David City in 1918. My grandparents, the Rohs and Shimerkas immigrated from Czechoslovakia and also homesteaded in Butler County. I, Margaret Roh Meysenburg, was born in Abie in 1920. We attended and graduated from the local high schools. John joined the service in May, 1942 and in November, 1942 we married. John went

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John and Margaret Meysenburg, 40th Wedding Anniversary, Nov. 1982. Left to Right: John, Nick, John Sr., Margaret, Mike and Margaret.

on to serve overseas in the China, Burma and India theatre for 30 months during World War II. After his discharge, we "migrated" to Saunders County where John went to work for the OK Meat Market in Wahoo. There was an acute housing shortage and we were fortunate to be able to start housekeeping in a two-room basement apartment. We became members of St. Wenceslaus Church. Soon we were involved in parish affairs, civic organizations and baseball teams.

   Our first son, John, Jr. was born in 1947. We bought our one and only home in 1949. Two more sons, Nick in 1950, Michael, 1951 and a daughter Margaret, 1953 helped make the big house come alive with the joy of raising a family. We enjoyed picnics, fishing and hunting. The whole family liked sports, and as the children grew, they participated in school and city recreational activities. They all attended St. Wenceslaus school and graduated from Neumann High School. Through the years, we were active in Home and School Association, Booster Clubs, 4-H and Scouting.

   John was Commander and County Commander of the American Legion. In 1965, I joined the labor force and went to work at the Saunders County Hospital.

   John Jr. graduated from Creighton University. He now lives in Columbus, Ohio where he operates a plant store and is active in civic affairs.

   Nick graduated from University of Nebraska at Lincoln and obtained a teaching certificate and Master's degree from University of Nebraska at Omaha. He married Marilyn Bartek, June 10, 1972. They have two daughters, Angela and Christina. Nick teaches in the Millard School system. Marilyn is a Dietician at St. Joseph's Hospital. They live in Omaha.

   Michael is employed at Valmont Industries. He married Mary Higgins, November 30, 1974. They live in Wahoo with their two sons, Michael and Joe. Mary is a Medical Records Administrator at the Saunders County Hospital.

   Margaret graduated from St. Joseph's School of Nursing and is presently employed at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln. She married Michael Divine May 14, 1977. They live near Raymond, Nebr. with their daughter, Erin. Michael is a diesel mechanic and is employed in Lincoln.

   We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary, November 7, 1982. Thirty-seven of those years were spent in Saunders County. We now feel like "long-time" residents. Submitted by Margaret Meysenburg

   Clair and Dorothy Miller, better known as Muzzy and Dodo, grew up in Wahoo and graduated from Wahoo High in the same class.

   Muzzy and Dodo were married in April of 1944. Muzzy was the son of Roy and Lulu Miller. Roy was a Wahoo native and worked many years at the Farmers Co-op Lumber Yard. Lulu was a native of Iowa. She loved to cook and canned many quarts of fruits and vegetables.

   Dodo was the daughter of Malcolm and Elenora Anderson. Both were natives of Saunders County, living most of it in Wahoo. They owned and operated cafes in Wahoo -- namely, the Wahoo Cafe, Linden, and Wigwam. Elenora was known for her cooking and even after 80 years of age cooked, in an emergency, for the Haven House.

Clair "Muzzy" Miller Family

   Muzzy was a veteran of World War II. He spent part of it in active duty in Europe. Dodo graduated from Immanuel School of Nursing, and worked many years at the Saunders County Hospital and the Wahoo Clinic.

   Muzzy and Dodo were co-owners of the Wigwam Cafe, then owned Millers Bootery (a shoe store). After the roof fell in at the Bootery, Muzzy began working at the University of Nebraska Field Lab at Mead as a sign painter.

   The Miller children are Bonnie, Mike and Pam. Bonnie and her husband, Larry Grasmick, graduated from Wahoo High. Bonnie then attended school in Chicago and Larry went to Midland College. Larry was a welder for Valmont and Armco. He was killed in a motorcycle-car accident in 1978. Bonnie worked at the Wahoo Hospital and the Wahoo Clinic. Their children are Scott, Rick, and Chad.

   Mike graduated from Wahoo High, the University of Nebr. and received his Master's Degree from Creighton University. He is employed in the accounting department of Union Pacific. His wife, Ellen Kennedy, is a native of Chicago and a graduate of St. Mary's College in Omaha. She is an elementary school teacher in Omaha. Their children are Peter and Bridget.

   Pam and her husband, Bob Liliedahl, are also graduates of Wahoo High and the University of Nebraska. They live on a farm near Ithaca, where Bob is engaged in farming. Pam is a school teacher. Their children are Shawn, Staci, and Rob.

   All of the family members have been members of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo, serving in many capacities. Muzzy has been treasurer for more than twenty-five years. Submitted by Dorothy Miller

   Elmer was born two miles west of Yutan on the old Patsy Hogan farm in 1911.

   I, Pauline (Quick), was born in Green precinct three miles west of Memphis in 1915.

   We were married on April twenty-fourth, 1935. We moved to the Henry Ostenberg farm, one mile north of Wann in 1936. We bought the farm which has one hundred and two acres. We farmed at first with horses, six head, with all horse-drawn machinery. Later on, we bought a small Ford tractor with the machinery to go with it. We milked forty head of milk cows in the late thirties, sold Grade A milk, and also raised hogs at one time. We trained race horses in 1977, 1978, 1979. We rented the farm out.

   We raised three children. Merline married Wayne Husk, an Air Force career man. They retired and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Wayne works for the Scottsdale golf course. Merline works for the Arizona Dairy Assoc. They have two children. Rick is a commercial electrician. He is married, and his wife is a school teacher. Wanda, their daughter, is still in high school.

Elmer and Pauline Miller

   Wayne Miller, who married Myrna Bachman, lives in Normal, Illinois. He is in data processing with State Farm Insurance. They have two daughters who both go to Illinois State.

   Anita Miller Sizelove married Doug Sizelove. They live in Wyoming, Michigan. He is with Pepsi-Cola Pop Company. They have two children, Bradley and Dana, who are both at home.

   Elmer was on the Wann school board for many years. He was on the Clear Creek Drainage board for many years.

   All three children attended the Wann School and all three graduated from Ashland High School. By Mrs. Elmer Miller

   Gordon H. Miller and Susan J. Krause were married in Valley, Nebraska Catholic Church. They lived in Valley for 2 years before moving to their present home near Fremont, Nebraska. Their farm is located on the old "Grandview Farm," on the

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