FAMILY STORIES

they have been active in civic and community affairs.

   Raymond has served on the Church, School, City (Mead) and Luther College boards. In 1970, he was elected to the Saunders County Board of Supervisors, serving two 4-year terms. Dolores, too, was active in community organizations; Silver Creek Extension Club, Sunbonnet Sues 4-H Club and Garden and Reading clubs in Mead. Her love for music prompted her to teach piano for several years.

   In 1960, they moved to Mead when Raymond began building a number of residences. Richard and his wife moved on the farm. He and his children are 4th and 5th generations residing there.

   Their marriage has been blessed with 4 children and 11 grandchildren; Lois, (Mrs. Glenn Williams) and children -- Jodi, Scott and an infant, (deceased); Richard, married to Audrey Benson, and children -- Bradley, Debra, James and Lisa; Karen, (Mrs. Orville Johnson) and children, Elizabeth, Mark (deceased) and Amy; and Inez (Mrs. Kennedy) and Todd. Submitted by Mrs. Raymond Nygren

   Richard Raymond Nygren and Audrey Mae Benson were married on June 19, 1960 at Fridhem Lutheran Church in Hordville, Nebraska, Hamilton County.

Left: Richard and Audrey Nygren; Right: Jamey, Debbie, Brad, Lisa.

   Richard was born August 11, 1940, at Wahoo, Nebraska, the second of four children born to Raymond and Dolores (Johnson) Nygren. His sisters are Lois Williams, Karen Johnson, and Inez Kennedy (see Raymond and Dolores Nygren).

   Audrey was born May 17, 1940 at Central City, Nebraska, the eleventh of eleven children born to Birger and Ethel (Timmons) Benson of Hordville, Nebraska. Her brothers and sisters are Carl (1915), Albin (1917-1981), Verner (1919), Clarence (1921), Harold (1922-1980), Agnes Andreasen (1925), Esther Kuhn (1928), Edwin (1930), Floyd (1933), and Elmer (1935-1937).

   Birger and Ethel were married in 1914. Audrey's father, Birger, was born in Eldsberga, Sweden in 1875 and he and his mother, Johanna Magnuson (1849-1927), and brother John Benson (1885-1961), came to this country in 1889 and settled near what is now Hordville, Nebraska. Birger and John changed their name from Bengtson to Benson. Birger became a United States Citizen on September 15, 1906. He died in 1962 at the age of 87.

   Audrey's mother, (Millie) Ethel, born in 1893, is one of seven children born to Thomas Timmons (1842-1933), who came to Hordville from Berlin, Maryland in 1873, and Rhoda Ann Benson (1859-1929), who was originally from Ottumwa, Iowa. Thomas and Rhoda Timmons were married in 1884. Their children were Mary Bowers (1886), Alice (1888), Benjamin (1889), Amos (1891), Ethel (1893), Sallie Jensen (1895), and Ernest (1902). All are deceased except Sallie and Ernest. Ethel died in 1982 at the age of 88.

   Richard and Audrey have four children: Bradley Ray -- born April 20, 1960 at Wahoo; Debra Louise -- born January 24, 1964 at Fremont; James Richard -- born September 6, 1965 at Fremont; and Lisa Kay -- born November 13, 1968 at Fremont.

   Richard grew up on the farm where he lives near Mead, Nebraska and graduated from Mead High school in 1958. Audrey grew up on a farm near Hordville and graduated from Hordville High School in 1957. They both graduated from Luther Junior College in Wahoo, Nebraska.

   Before their marriage, Audrey taught school 1 year in Fremont, Nebraska, and, after their marriage, she taught 1 semester at Mead Public School, and then they began to raise their family. From 1976 to 1981, she worked 1 year as a teacher's aide and 4 years as library aide at Mead Elementary School. She enjoys taking snapshots of family and has many photo albums and scrap books that are interesting for family to see. She is presently trying to put together a family history.

   Richard has been farming all these years except for a short time when he worked for General Dynamics and they lived in Escondido, California for 10 months. He is presently serving his third 4-year term on the Mead School Board where he has served as chairman for 6 years.

   The family are all members of Alma Lutheran Church in Mead where they have served in various capacities.

   Brad graduated from Mead High School in 1979. He was active in FFA, Music, Basketball, Thespians and National Honor Society. He was organist for Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo during his last 3 years of high school. In the fall of 1982, he began his Senior year at UNL -- majoring in Ag. Economics and Education. He is a member of the UNL Marching Band and is affiliated with Alpha Tau Alpha, Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Eta Sigma honoraries and Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He works part-time at a bank in Lincoln.

   Debbie graduated from Mead High School in 1982. She was active in FHA, music, FBLA, Pep Club, Cheerleader, Thespians, National Honor Society and sports. Her greatest love is basketball. She is a Freshman at Wayne State College where her major is in the field of Physical Education.

   Jamey is a senior at Mead High School and is involved in sports, music, Thespians, National Honor Society and is FFA president this year. He and a friend attended FFA Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. in June, 1982. Jamey enjoys farming with his dad.

   Lisa is in the 8th grade at Mead Jr.-Sr. High where she likes to participate in sports and music. The summertime finds her busy with 4-H, softball. She also likes to help her dad with the farm work. She enjoys cake decorating and has decorated many cakes for family and friends. Submitted by Audrey Nygren

   I was born in Denver, Colorado, 1946, the son of Carl and Christine Nygren. I grew up in Saunders County with my brothers, John and George. Moves resulted in attending grade school at Mead, Dist. 52, and Dist. 41. I graduated from Mead High School in 1964 and obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nebraska.

   After college I moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where I met my wife, Brenda Shepler. Brenda is a native of West Pittston, Pennsylvania.

   In 1979, we moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where I am employed as the Manager of Product Design Engineering at the Westinghouse Steam Turbine Plant.

   We are living in an eighteenth-century loghouse and, with the help of our son Laird (13), we maintain a few of the memories of Saunders County farm life. Submitted by William Carl Nygren

William, Brenda, and Laird Nygren

   At the turn of the century, Axel Nyquist and his brother, Adrian, came to the United States from their home in Smäland, Sweden. Their family name was originally Carlson but because of the many people with that name it was changed to Nyquist which means a new branch of another name, "Ny" being new, and "quist", branch in the Swedish language. The two brothers settled in Knox County, Nebraska, working as farm hands until they had saved enough to acquire some land. Adrian, the older of the two, moved to Boyd Co., Nebr. where he raised cattle and became an outstanding citizen of that county, serving as a senator in his later days.

Mr. and Mrs. Axel Nyquist

   Axel moved to Saunders County, working in the Mead area, where he met and married Hilma Hecklander, daughter of Otto Hecklander and his wife, Aserina Berggren, early pioneers of that area. They purchased a farm four miles south of Wahoo. They became members of the Swedish Mission Church in Swedeburg, now known as the Swedeburg Covenant Church. Axel and Hilma had four children, Elmer, Esther, Ruth, and Rueben.

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   Elmer was married to Helena Henricksen of Wahoo in 1933. They still live on the old home place. Their daughter, Jean, Mrs. Victor Frana, lives in Grinnell, Iowa, after having been graduated from Immanuel Hospital in Omaha. They have two sons, Philip and Andrew.

   A daughter, Esther, taught school for several years in Dist. 59 near Ceresco, Dist. 29 near Swedeburg, and Dist. 70 northwest of Wahoo. In 1929, Esther was married to Dr. Charles H. DeWitt Jr. who practiced medicine in Malmo and Wahoo for a number of years prior to moving to Macedonia, Iowa where he lived until his death in 1953. They had three children: Beverly Brunner, now living in Omaha; Julia Killion in Grand Island; and Charles in Lilburn, Georgia. Both Beverly and Julia are nurses, having been graduated from Methodist Hospital in Omaha. Beverly has two children, Jana and David, and Julia, two boys, Kevin and Keith. Charles is a salesman for Midland Glass Co. with offices in Atlanta, Georgia. He has three children, Sandra, Crystal, and Catherine.

   Ruth, another daughter, graduated from the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Omaha and married Herman W. DeWitt, son of Dr. DeWitt by an earlier marriage of Julia Johnson of Oakland, Nebr. who passed away in Malmo in 1928. Ruth worked as Dr. DeWitt's office nurse until his death and Herman served as a rural mail carrier in the Macedonia area for thirty-four years.

   Rueben, the youngest son, married Agnes Herbert of Macedonia, Iowa, retiring from his work in Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service several years ago due to ill health. They have three children: Michael of Santa Ana, Calif., a carpenter who has one son, Jared; Mary, now Mrs. John Wax, a nurse in Memorial Hospital in Red Oak, Iowa, has a son, Bryan; and Steve, Rueben's other son, is a student of Radiology Technology in Jennie Edmondson Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

   Axel Nyquist passed away in 1942 and Hilma in 1970. In his last years, Axel spent most of his time painting pictures of his native Sweden. Submitted by Esther Nyquist DeWitt

   The name was Aberg in Sweden but was changed to Oberg in the United States because the "A" sounded like "O" in English.

Mr. and Mrs. John Oberg

   Jens O. Aberg was born in Ausos Parish, Skone, Sweden on February 14, 1850. His father's name was Olaf Aberg. Johanna Johans was born in Malmo, Sweden on May 21, 1852. Her father's name was Tarhult Johans (the name Johans became Johnson in America).

   Jens and Johanna were married in Malmo, Sweden on May 20, 1877 and resided in Malmo. Jens' occupations in Sweden were cabinet making and blacksmithing; he learned both trades through apprenticeship. Johanna worked as a dairy maid, walking up to seven miles a day to deliver her produce. Their education was only in elementary school although they learned much through reading and observation. Both learned to read and write English after coming to America.

   Two children were born in Sweden: Otto in 1877 and Benard in 1878. At the age of one and a half, Otto had scarlet fever which left his right hand and foot badly crippled. He never married.

   Because of the bad economic conditions in Sweden in the late 1800's, three of Jens' brothers, Nels, John and Andrew, moved to America and settled in Chicago. Nels and John were blacksmiths and Andrew was a cabinetmaker who worked for Sears-Roebuck Co. making organs. As was customary at that time, Andrew, being the oldest son of Olaf Aberg, changed his name to Olson. Work was plentiful in Chicago for the brothers so they sent for Jens and his family to join them.

   The Jens Aberg family left Sweden in 1880. The ocean crossing took about thirty days and, due to severe storms, was a very uncomfortable trip. Many passengers were seasick and, with the crowded conditions, sanitary facilities were very poor. The ship docked in New York and the family moved on to Chicago where they lived for five years. During that time two daughters, Emma and Hulda, were born. Both Jens and Johanna were charter members of the Bethany Lutheran Church organized in South Chicago in 1880, and, later, became charter members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church organized in Ceresco, Nebraska in 1919.

   Nels and John moved to Nebraska where blacksmithing work was plentiful because of railroad construction. They again sent for Jens who arrived in Ceresco in 1885 with his family. Jens and Johanna lived there the rest of their lives. Nels moved on to the Black Hills in South Dakota and John continued blacksmithing in Swedeburg and Wahoo, Nebraska. At that time all road work was done with horses and they constantly needed to be shod. That kept the blacksmiths so busy it was said that they made the horseshoes at night and nailed them on during the day. Blacksmiths also made most of their own horseshoe nails.

   In 1885, the town of Ceresco was located about a mile west of its present location. The sum of $3,000 was paid for 160 acres of land for a new town site. In 1886, the town was moved east to be closer to the railroad. By that time Jens Aberg's name had become Americanized and was John Oberg. He built a blacksmith shop and the first house in the new town which is still being lived in today. A daughter, Mamie, was born in the old town in 1886, and on December 14, 1888, Ernest William Oberg was born -- the first baby born in the new town. When Ceresco celebrated Nebraska's Centennial in 1968, Ernest was honored as the new town's first baby and rode in their parade.

   John Oberg had learned his trades well. He made buggies and spring wagons, could repair most kinds of machinery, and made many of his own tools; he bought old organs and wooden bedsteads and made folding chairs from them; he could make small things, too -- fingernail clippers, butcher knives, and even tumbler locks for the cabinets in his shop.

   John had always wanted to own his own land so when the chance came, he bought an eighty-acre farm about three miles southeast of Ceresco and moved his family onto it in 1890.

   He built another blacksmith shop and worked his trade from there while the boys did much of the farming and milking cows. Johanna churned the butter and took it to town to trade for groceries and clothes.

   Another son, George, was born in 1891. The children attended the one-room country school about a quarter of a mile from home where they had grades one through eight. The teacher would let the small children out early at noon and Ernest would race home, have a bit of lunch and be back ready to play before the older pupils were dismissed. The Oberg children all did well in school and Ernest was an attentive listener to the talk among the men who came to the shop.

   In 1914, the farm was sold and the family bought another house in Ceresco. John built another shop and continued to work there until shortly before his death in 1930. Johanna continued to live in the house with Otto until her death eleven years later. John Oberg died at Ceresco on April 1, 1930. Johanna died at Ceresco on February 2, 1941. Both are buried in the Sunrise Cemetery at Wahoo.

   Grandchildren of John Oberg still reside in Saunders County. The children of Mamie (Mrs. John Johnson), Willard and Dorothy Johnson are living in Ceresco. Don Cameron resides in Ceresco, LaVerne Burnett lives in Wahoo, and Ila Cook lives in Ashland, Nebraska. Written by Mrs. Ernest Oberg, Fremont; Submitted by Dorothy Johnson, Ceresco

   Fred's grandparents came to this country from Czechoslovakia and settled on a farm near Prague. His father, Edward Odvody, married Emma Hlavac from Bruno and they lived on a farm five miles north and east of Prague. There were six boys and three girls in this family. His parents are deceased.

Back Row, L. to R.: Marjorie, Joan, Nadine; Front Row: Gary, Helen and Fred Odvody.

   My grandparents and father came from Moravia, Czechoslovakia. My father, John Vaca, married Frances Rys from Strakonic, Czechoslovakia. They resided on a farm near Prague. I had two brothers and one sister. My parents, one brother and sister are deceased.

   Fred and I were married at St. John's Catholic Church in Prague on November 17, 1936. We settled on a farm south of Malmo and have three daughters and one son. We were in the dairy business, and on rainy days we had to haul milk with horses and wagon to a graveled road to meet the milkman. This was to the Elmer Bruce farm where the milkman would pick up their supply and ours also. While waiting there, Fred was always invited in the house to share coffee with the Bruces. He was very grateful for this, because it was a cold trip in the winter months. While making this trip, he would take our daughters to school.

   Since our home was old and small, we purchased a house from Ervin Nelson, about two miles from our farm and had it moved to the present location in 1951. We appreciated this pleasant change in living.

   In 1954, lightning struck our barn and it burned to the ground, destroying all the dairy equipment and hay. We built a new barn and stayed in the dairy business for thirty-five years. Due to drought and hail, Fred had to work in Omaha to meet the expenses, while the rest of us tended the chores.

   In 1958 we installed milking machines and a bulk tank, which made our work easier.

   Joan married Robert Styskal. They had Steve, Richard, Rosemarie, Jeffrey and Barbara. Robert, passed away in 1978. Joan married Robert Machacek, now residing in Weston. Marjorie, married Don Kemerling. They have Roger and Richard and live in Grand Island. Nadine married Dave Masek. They have Kurt and Kim. She divorced Dave and married Ken Bly, and is presently living in Wood River, Nebraska. Gary married Rose Yoder from Texas. They have one son and two stepsons by Rose's previous marriage. They now live on the Ignac Odvody farm, practically across the road from our place.

   We have twelve grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. We are presently retired and remain on our farm. We hope the future will be a better way of life than we had to endure. Submitted by Fred and Helen Odvody

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