FAMILY STORIES

children: Lila (Mrs. C.E. Ericson), Mattie, Adolph, Joe, and Alden.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Nelson

   The farm home was a short distance from country school and Joe easily walked there each school day. In 1908, the family moved to a farm 1¼ miles north of Ceresco on what is now Highway 77. When Joe's father discontinued farming because of failing health, the family moved to Ceresco in 1913. Joe was educated at the Ceresco School, which went to grade 11. Joe took the 12th grade at Wahoo High School, riding the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad from Ceresco each day for a 48¢ roundtrip ticket.

   After high school, Joe worked in Omaha at the Union Pacific Railroad in the freight accounting office, and also for a time at Salt Lake City. He married Ruth Mostrom on Dec. 12, 1923.

   Ruth (b. 1900) is the daughter of Fred Mostrom (1874-1935) and Ida Martinson Mostrom (1877-1945). Fred had immigrated from Sweden in 1876. In his younger years, he was a clerk at Joseph and Graff of Wahoo and operated a farm. Later, he became a partner at Carlson and Co. in Ceresco (hardware, implements and undertaking). In 1912, he became cashier at the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Ceresco, a position he held until his death.

   Ruth's mother, Ida, was born near Swedeburg and married Fred in 1899. The couple had four children: Ruth, Carl, Phil, and John.

   As newlyweds, Joe and Ruth Nelson made their home in Ceresco, where they have lived ever since. Their current home is at 712 S. 2nd. In 1921 Joe began working for his brother-in-law, C.E. Ericson, in his hardware store and funeral business in Ceresco. Joe bought out the business in 1938. Ericson had established an undertaking business in Wahoo in 1924. In 1941 Joe bought and renovated a house on So. 2nd Street in Ceresco that is still the location of the Nelson Funeral Home today. Joe retired from the funeral home in 1982 after 60 years in the business. The hardware store which Joe operated for 55 years was sold in 1978.

   Ruth worked occasionally at the Farmers and Merchants Bank in the early years of her marriage and assisted in the family undertaking business. Joe and Ruth Nelson have been members of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Ceresco since their confirmation. They have three children.

   Margaret Skoog, born in 1927, is a nurse. She married Ulf Skoog, from Sweden, in 1957. They have a son, John (b. 1967), and live in Omaha.

   Paul, born in 1930, is an elementary school principal. He married Helen Hultquist of Stromsburg in 1958. They have two daughters, Lori (b. 1961) and Lisa (b. 1964) and live in Ralston.

   Charles, born in 1937, is an architect. He married Gail Russell of Arapahoe in 1979. They have a daughter, Karen (b. 1981).

   Our grandfather, Bengt Nelson, homesteaded our farm north of Mead in 1869. Four years later, he married Anna Johnson who had also immigrated from Sweden in 1872. To this union six children were born. Four children died in the diphtheria epidemic. Two children that survived were my father, Frederick Julius Nelson and George H. Nelson. My father, Frederick Julius Nelson, lived on the farm until his retirement in 1949. In 1912, he married Esther Dorothy Swanson. Seven children were born to this union, including two sets of twins. Only three children survived. They are Norene, Ruth, and myself, LeRoy. In 1924, a fire destroyed the family dwelling and a new house was built. I have lived on the family farm all my life and have farmed the land. I graduated from Mead High School in 1940 and then attended Luther College in Wahoo.

LeRoy and Bertha Nelson

   On March 5, 1948, I married Bertha Marie Mayberry of Council Bluffs, Iowa. She attended Thomas Jefferson High School and graduated in 1942. Later, she worked at Mutual Insurance Company of Omaha. Her parents and grandparents were natives of Iowa. Her father worked for the railroad for many years. We have one son, Robert, who is married to Dione Hanson. They have two sons, Christopher Lee and David Ryan.

   My father was in the dairy business and bred purebred Guernsey cows. I continued the Guernsey cow herd until 1977, when I dispersed the herd. At that time we had a cow herd of 50 cows and a total of 110 animals. At the present time I have a cow-calf herd. I also led a 4-H Club for 25 years, the "Marietta Dairy Hustlers." I was a member of the club from 1936-1940 and was club leader from 1942 until I retired as leader in 1974.

   We attend the Lutheran church and take part in the church's activities. We both enjoy bowling, besides Extension work and Farm Bureau. After retiring from the dairy business, we have spent some time visiting relatives in different parts of the country.

   Our family has had many honors, including 4-H leadership awards, the WOW Farm Family, and since the family has farmed the land for 100 years, we received the Pioneer Farm Family Award. By LeRoy E. Nelson

   Ole Nelson was born in Hosten, Denmark, February 24, 1860. He came to the United States in 1881 and settled near Ashland. He became a naturalized citizen August, 1885.

The Nelson Family, 1917

   He married Florence Penny of Ashland, September 20, 1887. Two daughters were born there, Hazel and Mayme.

   In 1894 they moved to Oklahoma where three more daughters were born: Vida, Corra, and Cecile.

   They returned to Ceresco in 1900. Two sons, Harold and Charles, were born there. They lived a while in Wahoo where Margaret was born.

   In August, 1907, they moved to Leshara, one of the first families to settle in the one-year-old thriving little village.

   At the time, there were only fourteen houses in town, but there was a church, bank, two grain elevators, lumber yard, drug store with a doctor's office upstairs, meat market, saloon, livery barn, depot, post office, blacksmith shop, two dry goods-grocery stores, and hotel.

   My dad ran a hardware implement store, later adding groceries. He was postmaster for several years.

   I, Inez, was the first girl born in Leshara, December 3, 1905 and on May 27, 1915 Marceline was born.

   There was no school in town the first year and the children had to walk a mile west of town to the Estina School. A new school was built the next year.

   Leshara was a quiet little town. An occasional band of gypsies passing through or a runaway team of horses was exciting. The hill on the south side of town provided good coasting in winter.

   In 1918, they moved to a farm north of town where they lived until their retirement in 1930. Mother died February 10, 1940 and Dad July 27, 1940.

   Hazel married Ira Wolfe. They farmed near Cedar Bluffs until he took a job at the Valley State Bank, and later ran the Valley Feed Yard until he retired and moved to California, later moving back to Wahoo.

   Mayme married Mars First. They farmed near Leshara until retirement near Valley.

   Vida married Harold Williams. They lived in Leshara until his death. She then made her home in Ashland.

   Corra married Anson Thomas. They lived near St. Edward and Albion, later moving to a farm near Leshara.

   Cecile married Harry Christensen. They farmed in Saunders and Dodge counties.

   Harold married Erna Karloff and they farmed in Saunders County until they moved to Oregon.

   Charles married Helen Johnson. They lived in California.

   Margaret married Henry Ritthaler and they lived in Fremont.

   I, Inez, married Walter Willmer. We farmed near Valley, Hooper, and Yutan before retiring in Arkansas. We later moved back to Leshara.

   Marceline married Donald Snyder and they live in California.

   Five of the children are still living. Cecile in Fremont, Corra and Inez in Leshara, Harold in Oregon, and Marceline in California. By Inez Willmer

   Roland Gordon Nelson, the son of George and Esther (Jeppson) Nelson, was born Nov. 15, 1913 at the family home located about four miles north of Mead. Roland's grandfather, Bengt Nelson, came from Horby, Malmo, Sweden in 1869 and home-

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steaded land in northeast Marietta Township. Roland's parents were hard workers with a keen sense of humor. Their home was always open to friends and neighbors.

   Roland attended rural school Dist. 114, graduated from Mead High School, Luther College in Wahoo, The University of Nebraska and Penn State College in Pennsylvania. Roland worked for the University in Land Classification and was active in soil conservation work, having had some of the first terraces in Marietta Township.

   On June 23, 1940, Roland married Phyllis TePoel of Mead, the daughter of William and Lena (Fishler) TePoel. Her paternal grandfather, Herman TePoel, born in Gendrigen, Holland, homesteaded in the Malmo area over a century ago. Phyllis graduated from Mead High School, attended Luther College, and taught school in Dist. 114 at Mead and Dist. 4 at Ashland. Their children are Glenn, Roger and Janet.

   Glenn married Margie Britton, the daughter of Ralph and Helen Britton of Crawford, Nebr. Their children are Traci and Eric.

   Roger married Jody McIntosh, the daughter of Deward and Helen McIntosh of Palmer, Nebr. Their children are Allan, who died in infancy, Lori and Aaron. Glenn and Roger are graduates of Mead High School and the University of Nebraska, College of Agriculture.

   Janet married Leroy Ostransky, who is the son of Frank and Mildred Ostransky of Gretna. Their children are Nancy, Todd and Mark. Janet graduated from Mead High School and Immanuel Hospital School of Nursing in Omaha. She is employed at the Memorial Hospital of Dodge County in Fremont. Leroy is self-employed.

   The family has spent much time in community service and church activities, realizing a strong community makes for a better home and future. Roland was actively involved in Farm Bureau for twenty-six years serving as Nebraska Farm Bureau President from 1966-1972.

   On February 1, 1980, Roland died suddenly of a heart attack.

   Glenn and Roger and their families, fourth generation farmers in the Nelson family, continue to farm the land of their ancestors. By Mrs. Roland Nelson

   In 1909, a young man sailed from his native country, Sweden, to America. His name was Swan Nelson. He traveled by train to Hartington, Nebr., where he found employment as a farmhand. A few months later, his sweetheart from Sweden, Anna Ask, arrived. She came to Bristow, Nebr., where she worked as a maid in a banker's home. Both soon realized better employment could be had in Omaha. There Swan became a bricklayer for Ideal Cement Co., and Anna was a cook in some of Omaha's finest homes.

   They were married in 1912. In 1915 they moved with their two children, Signe and Gunnar, to Saunders County to farm. Their beginning was purely "on a shoestring," no legacy or other favors. They located first south of Malmo, and later, two miles west of Wahoo. Persevering hard work was required to provide for their five children. For several years they operated a bottled milk route in Wahoo. The milk was sold in those now-collectible, cream-top bottles with plenty of rich cream from their small herd.

   Swan's brother, Julius, came to America from Sweden in 1916, only to be sent to France to serve in World War I, where he was killed. The ravages of war were repeated when son, Gunnar, suffered injuries while serving in the Navy in World War II, and died in 1963, and again, in 1966 when grandson, Lee D. Anderson, a paratrooper in Vietnam, was killed in action.

   In 1928, an auto trip in a 1927 Buick to New York took the whole family of seven to Uncle John and Aunt Nina's dairy farm in Collins. Most of the roads were graveled but the Buick didn't have a single flat tire. Before retiring to a "cabin" for the night, they always stopped at a farm for fresh milk for the children. The cabins, with their unfinished interiors and slanting roofs, were a far cry from our modern motels. The younger children wondered why they had to sleep in a "chicken house."

Swan and Anna Nelson July 5, 1912

   All five children, Signe, Gunnar, Viola, Edith and Verna, attended Dist #70, and all attended Luther Academy.

   In 1955, Swan and Anna went home to their native land for a visit. Of course, their parents were deceased but sisters, brothers, and cousins were aplenty.

   In 1942, they retired from the farm and moved to Wahoo. Swan spent his remaining work years as custodian at the Wahoo Postoffice.

   They were members of the Lutheran Church. Swan served on the church board, and Anna cooked many pots of coffee for church activities.

   Anna died in 1972 at the age of 85, and Swan died in 1979 at the age of 90. Daughter Signe (Mrs. Thure Anderson) died in 1979 at the age of 66. Son Gunnar died in 1963 at the age of 47. There are three surviving daughters: Viola (Mrs. Henry Hageman) of Springfield, Missouri; Edith (Mrs. R.C. Fenstermacher) of San Diego, California; and Verna (Mrs. Donavon Larson) of Wahoo, Nebraska. By Verna R. Larson

   My great-grandfather, George Carlisle, born in 1826, and wife, Patience, born in 1832, with four children left Indiana in June, 1855 by covered wagon. They traveled twelve to sixteen miles per day, and stayed in taverns overnight; he paid expenses in gold. He bought farmland and timber near Woodburn, Iowa where they built their home. He was also a bookkeeper and went to Washington D.C. twice a year to work on books for a relative. They raised six boys and two girls.

   When a drouth came he sold out and moved to Kansas, then later to Wahoo, and settled in District 70. The family belonged to the Covenanter Church, a Reformed Presbyterian Church. No instrument was allowed in the church and they sang only the Psalms.

   Their oldest son, Stuart, born in 1849, my grandfather, with his wife, Margaret, moved to Wahoo in 1876. He was a blacksmith and cabinet maker. Their children: Mathew, my father; sisters, Elizabeth Zeilinger and Anita Bullock.

   Mathew was born in Walnut City, Iowa. He worked with his father in the blacksmith shop for years; later, for Saunders County. He married Hannah Nelson who was raised ten miles southwest of Wahoo. Their three daughters were Gertrude, who taught school in Wahoo and married Richard Hull and Dorothy, a teacher, who married Edward J. Carlson. They live in Omaha, with a winter home in Arizona. They have one daughter, Judy, who married Larry Keating of Omaha. They have two daughters, Barbara and Kristy.

   Ed acquired the First National Bank, Wahoo, in January, 1968, sold in 1982, and acquired the Bank of Prague in January, 1964. He served in the Navy in World War II.

   Jane became a nurse and served in the Army Nurse Corps in World War II. She married Col. Ralph Gould a native of Mass. during the war. He passed away in 1977; Jane in 1978.

   As Dad grew up, there were Indians around Wahoo, who often stopped at his home to ask for coffee or sugar; his mother always shared with them.

   My mother's family:

   Nels H. Nelson, born in Hernestead, Sweden, 1847, came to America, married Mathilda Swedenborg, born in 1856 in Indiana. They came west by train and settled on a farm ten miles southwest of Wahoo in District 32. They had nine children, six of whom grew to adulthood. The original home, which still stands, was added to several times.

   Their children were: Hattie Madigan, Henry, Hannah Carlisle, Irvin, Edna Tornblom and Oliver (Dutch). Grandfather died in 1912.

   My mother told of having to herd cattle after school, and how terrified she was when she saw Indians riding over the hills. Her father never refused letting a transient stay over night, but they were bedded down on the porch; he was afraid they might smoke and cause a fire. My grandmother kept school teachers for twenty years, and often the mailman if it was stormy. Gertrude Carlisle Hull

   November 19, 1912 is the birthdate of Frank Nemec, grandson of the late Thomas and Margaret (Severin) Nemec, and the firstborn son of the late Joseph and Mary (Dolezal) Nemec. He has one sister, Mrs. Paul (Lillian) Kremlacek, and one brother, Julius, both of whom were born on a farm three miles north, one mile west, and one-half north of Prague.

   Frank attended Dist. 51 and graduated from the eighth grade. This school is still open and is located three miles north and one-half west of Prague.

   On August 22, 1959, Frank married Mary Linhart, oldest daughter of the late Michael and Marie (Stastny) Linhart, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Hennessey, Oklahoma. In March, 1963, Frank bought a farm three miles north and one-half miles east of Prague. It was the Anton Chvatal home place.

   Frank and Mary are dedicated and active parishioners of Sacred Heart Church at Cedar Hill. They are now retired, still living on the farm. Frank was a farmer and raised cattle and hogs. Submitted by Mrs. Frank Nemec

   Julius Adrian Nemec, youngest son of Mary Dolezal and Joseph Nemec, was born September 28, 1926 on a farm northwest of Prague. He has one brother, Frank, and a sister, Mrs. Paul (Lillian) Kremlacek. Julius has lived on the home place all his life. He farms 160 acres, raises grain, cattle, and hogs. On the Nemec farm you will find chickens, ducks, geese, and several pet dogs.

   Julius attended grade school at Dist. 51 in Saunders County and graduated from Prague Public High School. The years 1951 and 1952 were spent in the U.S. Army. Julius belonged to the 24th Infantry Division and was stationed in Korea and Japan for a year.

   In May of 1974 he married Rose (Marilyn) Harms of Hooper, Nebraska. Their marriage took place at St. Charles Church in North Bend, Nebras-

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ka. Rose, a graduate of St. Mary's College in Omaha, spent many years teaching music and primary school in Kansas and Iowa, and in the Nebraska towns of Omaha, Wahoo, Dodge, and Howells.

   In 1976, Elizabeth and Joey, brother and sister, came to live with Julius and Rose as foster children. Elizabeth is 12 and Joey is 10. They attend Prague Public School.

   The Nemec family belongs to the Sacred Heart Church at Cedar Hill. Rose is a part-time organist and Julius is the president of the Catholic Workman Branch No. 55.

   Julius is a member of the North Bend Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8233. He also belongs to the American Legion Post 340 at Morse Bluff. Rose is an American Legion Auxiliary member. Submitted by Rose Nemec

   Edward W. Nemecek and Catherine C. Hobza were united in marriage at St. Wenceslaus Church, Wahoo, Nebraska, on Aug. 20, 1947, at a double wedding ceremony with her sister, Marie C. to Daniel J. Stoupa of Brainard. Edward is the son of Vennie E. Nemecek Sr., and Bessie Mach of Wahoo. Catherine is the daughter of Anton J. Hobza and Alice Hines of Morse Bluffs. Edward has one sister, Twila (Berman) of Wahoo, and two brothers, Tom and Vennie, Jr., of Dalton, Illinois. Catherine has two sisters, Marie (Stoupa) of Loveland, Colorado, and Alice (Roh) of Tekamah; and three brothers, Anthony, Jr., of Yukon, Oklahoma, Steven, deceased and Richard of North Bend.

   Edward attended West Ward and graduated from Wahoo Public School. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and served in the Pacific Area for three years. Upon his honorable discharge, he was employed by Civil Service. Then, he worked for Safeways for seventeen years; and presently is employed as a Maintenance Employee at Breunig's Rendering Plant.

   Catherine attended rural School Dist. 88, and graduated from Wahoo Public School. Receiving a Commercial Diploma from Commercial Extension, Omaha, she was then employed by Nebraska Ordnance Plant and National Gypsum at Mead.

   Edward and Catherine have six children, two of whom are now married. The children all attended St. Wenceslaus School and Bishop Neumann High school at Wahoo.

   Alice was born in 1948. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Kennedy College, Wahoo, and attended further courses at University of Nebraska. She was employed by Tekamah-Herman Public School and is presently teaching there.

   Edward Jr., was born in 1950. He enlisted in the United States Navy upon his graduation. After serving 4 years, he attended and graduated from Milford Technical School. He is now employed by Automatic Equipment Company of Pender, Nebraska. He married Teresa Rihak Menks on Nov. 17, 1979, and they reside at West Point. He has a son, Edward G. (1980), and two stepchildren, Danny (1971) and Melissa (1976).

   Mary was born in 1954. Upon graduation, she was employed by Lincoln Telephone Company, Lincoln. She married Steven Zech at St. Wenceslaus Church, Wahoo, on Aug. 7, 1976. They have two daughters, Jennifer (1980) and Sarah (1982). Steve is a graduate of Waverly High School and Milford Technical School. He is employed by Saunders County Highway Department. Mary works for Equitable Federal of Wahoo.

   Ann was born in 1959. She received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at the University of Nebraska in 1981, and is currently employed by Clarks Public School.

   Jane was born in 1966, and is presently attending Neumann High School.

   Kathy, born in 1968, is also a student at Neumann.

   Edward and Catherine are now residing at the home his father built. The house was built on property that has been owned by the "Nemeceks" since 1880.

   Mary Simanek was born in Czechoslovakia June 5th, 1858. She came to this country at the age of nine with her parents and homesteaded in Saunders County near Prague. She passed away May 15, 1945.

   In 1877, Mary and James Nemecek, who passed away in January of 1935, were married. To them were born eight children: Anna (Blue), Thomas H., Gustie, Mamie (Pedigo), Eleanor (Rose), Vennie, Alice and Edward.

   Vennie was born February 18, 1896, and passed away February 20, 1978. He married Bessie Mach on January 27, 1920. Bessie was the daughter of Tom Mach, who was born in Czechoslovakia on December 24, 1868, and Josephine Pop, born March 19, 1874. Bessie passed away Sept. 29, 1969.

   Vennie was a carpenter by trade. He was self-employed in his earlier years. Later, he worked as a carpenter at Nebraska Ordnance Plant. One of his great accomplishments was the building of his own home. This was built on lots that were owned by the Nemeceks since 1880.

   Vennie and Bessie had four children: Twila (Berman) (1922), Edward William (1924), Tom (1926), and Vennie, Jr., (1930). They have thirteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

   Vennie was a World War I veteran. He was a member of both the American Legion as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

   Mrs. Madsen came to America with proselyting Mormons and traveled to Salt Lake City probably before there was a railway completed. Her main object was to visit this new land and to decide if her son and son-in-law should come.

Mrs. Andrew Nielsen and Family. Back Row: August, Chris, Ed, William and Adolf; Front Row: Delbert, Bergetta and Anna.

   Without waiting for a letter from her, the two young men came over and joined her. They lived in a cave, and later in a basement, and saved their earnings so that they could buy a team of horses and a wagon. They split and hauled rocks from the mountains. The rocks were used in construction of foundations and for street paving in Salt Lake City. The son-in-law, Andrew Nielsen, then had his wife, Bergetta, and young son, Chris, join them. In 1874, their only daughter, Anna, was born. Soon after that, Mrs. Madsen returned to Denmark.

   The wagon and horses were stolen so the young people decided to go back to Omaha where good farm land could be had. Andrew found work near Mead for a Mr. Magley. There, a second son, Adolph, was born. Two years later, the little family moved to an eighty-acre farm with one room and lean-to house. This farm is on the Platte River bottom about two miles south of Woodcliffe and is in Leshara Precinct.

   They had two horses and little else. They suffered all of the hardships of the early pioneer but Andrew was a hard worker and had big plans. He raised cattle and hogs which were sheltered in the ravines in the winter. The children pumped water, herded the cattle and hogs, rode lead horses, hoed gardens and fields and helped care for each other.

   Four more sons, William, Ed, Delbert and August, were born on this farm. More land was bought as it became available, and, finally, a large house, which is still used, was built.

   The Nielsen children lived over two miles from a school which they had little opportunity to attend. Chris, the eldest, started to school when he was nine years old. He went after crops were gathered in the fall and dropped out when spring planting time came. The children spoke Danish at home so were not prepared to read English. For the other children, times did not improve much.

   Andrew was a religious man, teaching the Bible to his family and often to neighbors. His money and sons helped to construct the Pohocco Lutheran church.

   About 1895, Andrew was called to testify at Wahoo concerning the cattle which his neighbors had in a pasture adjoining his pasture. The McDonalds told him they would make him regret it if he told what he knew about the brands and markings of their cattle. Andrew told the court the truth. On his way home, he was waylaid by the McDonalds. The man, his wife, and two grown sons dragged him from his horse, beat him, and threw him into the snow in a ravine. They apparently thought they had killed him but by morning he arrived home, bloodied but alive. He was never well again and spent much of the next sixteen years confined to his room.

   His eldest son moved to a farm near Broken Bow and the other sons went to South Dakota when the Rosebud Indian territory was opened to settlement about 1908. Only the daughter, Anna, remained a lifelong citizen of Saunders County. She married Andrew W. Christensen and lived on a farm across the road from the Pohocco Lutheran church. Andrew Nielsen and Bergetta and Andrew Christensen and Anna are all buried in the adjoining cemetery. Submitted by a granddaughter Leona C. Langhorst

   Shirley Marie Whidden and Charles H. Niemeyer were married in 1968. Shirley was born in North Bend, Nebraska in 1946. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Whidden.

   Chuck was born in 1943 in Deshler, Nebraska. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Niemeyer. A graduate of Peru State College with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology, Chuck has taught at Prague (1965-67), and at Harvard, Nebraska (1967-70). A graduate of UNL with a B.S. in Home Economics Education, Shirley taught at Clay Center, Nebraska (1968-70). In 1970, they moved to Oxford, Mississippi and Chuck received a M.S. in Combined Sciences-Biology and Chemistry. In 1971, Chuck joined the Ashland-Greenwood School System as a Biology teacher. Currently, Chuck is employed by Curtis Matheson Scientific Incorporated.

   Shirley has been employed by the Cooperative Extension Service in Sarpy County since 1972. In 1982, she received a M.S. in Architecture and Housing from Iowa State University while on study leave. Chuck and Shirley reside at 1302 Dawes in Ashland in what is known as the "Mead House."

   Nicholaus Christian Nissen was born in Tonder, Denmark in 1852. He was 19 years old when he came to America, earning his passage fare by working as a sailor on the ship. He arrived in Chicago, after the big fire in 1871, where he found work rebuilding the city.

   Christina Nissen was born in Schullberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in 1860. She came to America when she was 15 years old. She told of how she was almost lost overboard during a storm as she was taking a bowl of soup to her seasick mother. The boat listed, her feet flew "from under her out" and she slid toward the sea. The combination of a quick-thinking sailor and a guard post saved her but the soup landed in the ocean. Her family came to Kankakee, Illinois. A few years later she met a blue-eyed mason who looked up to her as she passed a sewer in Chicago. Chris was doing his mason work and Christina fell in love with those big blue eyes.

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