FAMILY STORIES

The Freeman Charles Porter Family, 1895, Wahoo; Freeman, Maude, Niota, Minerva, Mary Ann, William, Margaret and Mary (Baby).

   The Homestead Act of 1867 was now in force, allowing Freeman to file on a choice ¼ section of land ten miles north of Wahoo, near Malmo.

   "I immigrated in a covered wagon to eastern Nebraska, and took up Government land as a homestead in July, 1871, where I lived a lonely bachelor until upon my 25th birthday. I married Miss Mary Ann Short.

   To this union were born to us eight children.

   Little Nelie was stricken with diphtheria at nineteen months, and passed from body about this time.

   I became much concerned about the future welfare of our remaining little ones, being a long distance from English school and farther from Church and Sunday School, though a Swedish Church was within one mile of our home.

   After a few years more of trials and disappointments, we moved near Wahoo, our county seat-town, and started a new home with better conditions." (Taken from a letter written Oct. 22, Pasadena, Calif. by Freeman C. Porter.)

   Mary Ann Short and Freeman C. Porter, a farmer, were married in Fremont, Nebraska on the 18th of December, 1873. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1854 and came to Saunders County in 1870 where her parents, Jacob and Margaret Short, homesteaded a farm one mile north of Malmo, where now stands the 6x8 post office built in 1868 of which Jacob Short was postmaster.

   They attended the Baptist Church with their eight children. They were: Maude Melinda, born 1874, married to John Folsley; Neota Bella, 1877, married to John Paul Luers; Minerva Jane, 1879; Freeman Cornelius, 1883; Margaret Amelia, 1886, married to Thomas Snee; William Truman, 1888, married to Fern Johanna Hansen; Henrietta Evelyn, 1891, married to Leo Poler; and Mary Elizabeth, 1885, married to Elmer Charles Wild.

   Freeman C. was born in York Center, Du Poge County, Ill. on Dec. 18, 1848, the seventh of eight children of Betsy Minerva Parker and Chauncy Porter, a farmer and member of the Unitarian Church.

   When he was about five years old he went to Chicago with his father with a load of wheat. His father developed pneumonia and died a few days later. His widowed mother, left with 8 children, ages 1½ to 16 years, never remarried.

   Freeman's three older brothers, Alva, Francis Henry, and William, were soon to enlist in the Illinois Volunteer Army and leave home to fight in the Civil War, leaving Freeman the only son left at home.

   William was killed in the Battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Alva moved to Kansas after the Civil War, and Frank homesteaded in Douglas Co., Nebr.

   Freeman, looking for a milder winter climate and good farm land, followed his brother to the prairies of Nebr.

   Freeman later moved to Pasadena, Calif. and lived to be 93. His wife, Mary Ann, died in Wahoo in 1937. They were preceded in death by three of their children.

   Freeman Cornelius died 1885, Malmo, Mary Elizabeth (Porter) Wild died 11 March 1929, Ashland, Nebr. and Henrietta Evelyn (Porter) Poler died 29 Sept. 1929 in Calabasas, Calif.

   Our pioneer ancestors were hard-working Americans with a great love for their country and their families. Worship and education were an important part of their humble lives, for our heritage we are thankful and proud to be Americans.

   The family Bible, a wedding gift to Freeman and Mary Ann, is still being used by the grandchildren. Submitted by Mary Ann (Porter) Broome

   My mother's maternal grandfather, Captain William Davis, a Civil War veteran, had been a farmer near Francisco, Indiana, before he came to Saunders County in 1873 with his wife, Nancy Whiting Davis. He bought land in Section 9 of Chapman Township. In 1877, he helped to plat the Village of Weston. He promoted the development of Weston by working to get the Omaha and Republican Valley Railroad to choose a site there for a station. In 1878, he arranged for a schoolhouse to be built and he donated land for a public cemetery.

   Mother's paternal grandfather, Alfred Odell, a farmer of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, homesteaded in Saunders County in 1870 in Section 12 of Chapman Township.

   My grandparents, Cora Jane Davis and Wallace Odell, farmed near Weston. My mother, Nellie Dawn Odell, grew up in Weston. In 1909, she married Joseph Porter of Wahoo. He worked as a carpenter and building contractor.

   I grew up in Wahoo. I served three years in the army during World War II. After my discharge I returned to Wahoo and joined my father in his business. In 1948, I married Nancy Duncan in Buffalo, Wyoming. She comes from a pioneer family, also. Her great-grandparents Simon and Nancy Duncan, traveled through Nebraska with an ox team in 1860 and located in Denver, Colorado. Her grandfather, Perry, was born in Denver in 1861. They lived there five years before homesteading in the Cache la Poudre Valley. Her grandparents, Perry and Sarah Duncan, homesteaded near Sheridan, Wyoming in 1890. We have four sons: Bruce, Grant, Randall, and Patrick. Submitted William K. Porter

   Truman, or T.W. as he chose to be called, was born on the Porter Homestead ten miles north of Wahoo in 1888. His parents, Freeman C. and Mary Ann, had a family of eight children, of which Truman was the only son.

William Truman Porter Family; William, Dorothy, Lloyd, Leona and Fern.

   Truman (our father) grew up on the farm, and attended school and the Baptist Church in Wahoo. He was a rural mail carrier from 1910 to 1920; at first via the "horse and buggy" method until he got his first "Tin Lizzie" in 1915. He left the mail route to go into farming, especially the raising of Spotted Poland China hogs. He was very proud of them and won many awards. At about the age of 20, he lost an eye in an accident on the farm, which kept him from serving his country in WWI.

   In 1922, he met Fern Johanna Hansen, the daughter of Hans and Karen Hansen of Arlington, who was born in Fremont in 1895. She had been a rural school teacher for several years, and had moved to Wahoo to live with her sister and work as a clerk in Anderson's dry goods store. They were married in the First Presbyterian Church in Wahoo by its long-time minister, the Rev. E.J. Nickerson.

   Their first child was born in 1923 and was named Lloyd William. Mother being quite ill, the doctor didn't concern himself too much with the baby, who weighed only three pounds at birth, as there was little hope he would survive. The baby was fed with an eye dropper; and a cardboard box behind the kitchen cook stove served as his bed, an assurance he would stay warm. Mother had her sister sew up a tiny white dress in preparation for his burial, which happily they never had to use; and Mother always remarked about the encouragement she received from the nurse, who kept saying "as long as there is life, you must never give up hope."

   Their second and third children were also born on the farm near Wahoo; Dorothy Marie in 1924 and Leona May Fern in 1925.

   In 1926, the family bought a larger farm and moved north of Lincoln where four more children were born to them; Mary Ann, Donald Truman, Fern Agnes and Lucille Eleanore. It was there they struggled through the depression years, including drought, grasshoppers, blizzards, floods, and illnesses. But due to the strength and faith of our parents, they managed to give each of their children a high school education, and all seven are surviving today.

   Although Truman never returned to live there, some of his fondest memories were relived many times over in talking to his children about his life and experiences in Saunders County and he always enjoyed returning to visit his old friends in Wahoo and pointing out the historical landmarks to us. Submitted by Mary Ann Porter Broome and Lucille Porter McCall

   Emil Pospisil and Lydia Jambor were married on February 15, 1927, at Plasi. Emil was the son of Anton Pospisil and Mary Virgl of Weston. He was born on April 30, 1901, and died September 8, 1981 of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was one of twelve children who were Jim, Anton, Mary, Carrie, Frances, Ted, Frank, Jacob, Tom, Emil, Bernard, and Lillian.

Emil and Lydia Pospisil

   Lydia Jambor was the daughter of Joseph Jambor and Emilie Ostry. She was born on January 10, 1905. There were eight children in this family, Ivan, Raymond, Lydia, Agnes, Alice, Albert, Ernie, and Lorene.

   Emil and Lydia were lifelong members of Saints Cyril and Methodius Church at Plasi. When they married, they moved to a farm one mile east of Malmo. They were involved in dairy, livestock, and grain farming until Emil retired at the age of 72.

   Mr. and Mrs. Pospisil had four children. They are Joan Steinbach, Bernice Roberson, Dolores Maly, and Roland Pospisil.

   After Emil's death, Lydia continued living on the farm until she moved to a home in Weston in November of 1982. By Dolores Pospisil Maly

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   Roland Pospisil and Jo Ann Volin were married on June 3, 1961, at SS. Cyril and Methodius Church at Plasi. Roland is the son of Emil Pospisil and Lydia Jambor Pospisil. He attended Malmo Grade School and High School. He was one of four children who are Joan, Bernice, Dolores, and Roland.

   JoAnn is the daughter of Fred Volin and Grayce Schultz Volin. There were two children in this family, JoAnn and Jimmy. JoAnn and Jimmy attended Malmo Public School. JoAnn was a graduate of the 1958 graduating class, which was the last class to graduate from Malmo High School before its closing. Jimmy was killed in a gun accident on October 29, 1960 at the age of 12.

   Roland and JoAnn have four children: Vicki, Larry, Lori, and Kari. Vicki, Larry, and Lori attended St. John's School, Weston and are graduates of Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo. Larry and Lori were active in sports and all 3 were members of the Touhy Livestock 4-H Club.

   Vicki is employed at the State Capitol in Lincoln in Data Processing. Larry is farming and Lori is married to Gregg Reeves, son of Carlene and Wayne Reeves of Wahoo. They are currently living in Lincoln where Gregg attends the University of Nebraska and is a member of the Nebraska Football Team. They have a daughter, Melissa Lynn. Kari is in the 4th grade at St. John's School, Weston. She is a member of the Malmo Hi-Lites 4-H Club.

   Roland and JoAnn live on a farm 3 miles south of Weston where they are engaged in farming. By JoAnn Volin Pospisil

   Joseph F. Prai and Helen Tvrz were married in Wilbur, Nebraska March 28, 1893. They lived in Morse Bluffs for about four years. Then they moved to Prague. Joseph was a bookkeeper for one of the stores. Then he went into the barber business. His last shop was in the Z.C.B.J. Building.

Joseph and Helen Prai

   He was secretary of the Board of Education for twenty-three years. At the time of his death he was the secretary of the town board. He also held an office in the Z.C.B.J. Lodge.

   His wife, Helen, came to this country when she was six years old from Czechoslovakia. They had seven children. Joe and Julius served in World War I. Carl and Harold served in World War II.

   The children all finished high school. Lydia, Harold, and Irene received degrees from the University of Nebraska. Harold retired in April, 1982 and lives with his wife in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

   Mrs. Prai died December 24, 1941. Mr. Prai died January 13, 1943. The only ones living today are Harold and Irene. Harold and his wife live in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Irene Prai lives in Gillett, Wisconsin. Submitted by Irene D. Prai

   Lumir Prochaska, son of Joseph and Anna Krepcik Prochaska, was born on August 12, 1898, near Prague. He married Henrietta Houska, born August 17, 1909, daughter of Felix and Jindriska Tetrev Houska, on May 12, 1928.

   Their three daughters, DeeLores May, Bessie Jane, and Janice Marie, were born and raised in the Bruno, North Bend, and Rescue areas, where their father farmed all his life until he retired to Fremont.

   DeeLores, an elementary teacher in Dodge County, married Edgar W. Hancock of Fremont. Their children are Judith Anette (Fred) Heuerman, Susan Kay, a teacher at Bergan, and Kathryn Louise (Ed) Rother. Grandchildren are Shilee Therkelsen and three Rother children: Jeremy Ryan, Shannon Rochelle, and Nichole Lynn.

   Bessie Jane Strong's second husband, Carl Richard, was killed in the Pathfinder Hotel explosion in 1976. Bessie's first husband, Eugene C. Haven, was killed in a car-train accident Jan., 1950. Bessie's children are: Carl Eric Strong (Sharon Suhr), Dawn Denise (Bob) Barnes, Hope Diane (Roger) Songster, and Robin Marie (Brad) Foolken. Grandchildren are Nichole Strong, Jamie Lynn and Christain Barnes, Sarah Songster and Gabriele Celeste Foolken.

   Janice Marie Prochaska married Richards I. Shuman on September 1, 1960. Their children are Perry Shuman (Kelly Coffman), Nancy Kay, John Richards, James (Jay) Austin, Allison Anne, and David Alan. The Shumans live in Lincoln.

   Lumir was severely burned in a farm fire in May, 1981. He spent many months in the St. Elizabeth's Hospital Burn Center, Lincoln, but recovered enough to drive his car again on short trips. He plans to return to farming. Submitted by Janice Prochaska Shuman

   Great-grandfather Mick Prochaska was a Presbyterian minister in Czechoslovakia. He and his wife, Anna (Bodensek) Prochaska, came to Prague, Nebraska in 1871 and settled southwest of Prague. The Presbyterian Church was either on their land or near it.

   Grandfather Joseph Prochaska was two years old when his parents came to America. Mick and Anna's other children were Bedrich (Fred), who died in 1955, Alois (Agnes Kavan), who died in the 1970's and Anna Fujan Tesinsky, who died in the 1960's. All were of Prague.

   Alois' children were Fred and Stanley (deceased). Grandchildren of Alois were George, Charles (deceased), and Mildred Malina (deceased).

   Joseph and Anna Krepcik, daughter of Joseph and Anna Petrlova Krepcik, were married March 23, 1894 at Lincoln. They settled three miles west and one-half mile north of Prague. Their children numbered four. Vlasta (1895-May, 1940) married Vincent Placek. Vincent died in 1950. Vlasta and Vincent's only son, Adolph, died in 1960. Adolph Joe Placek is a grandson.

   Vladislav (March 1896-April 1971) married Elsie Svoboda (deceased) and they had one son, Rudolph, of Prague.

   Lumir, born August 12, 1898, married Henrietta Houska on June 12, 1928. Their daughters are DeeLores Mae (Edgar) Hancock, Bessie Jane (Carl) Strong and Janice Marie (Richard) Shuman. See Lumir Prochaska.

   Vladimir, born May 12, 1900, married Vera Furasek. Their children were: Adolph, 1925-26; Adolph 1927, married to Gertrude Odvody; Edward, 1929, married to Leona Odvody Placek; Adeline, 1931, married to Richard Novotny; Rose 1935, married to Kenneth Woita; Leona, 1938, married to Ronald Dvorak; Vladimir Jr., 1941-1971, died in a fire at a Prague bar; LaVerne, 1945, married to Clarence Hanke; Geraldine, 1947, married to David R. Odvody; and Dennis, 1949, married to Maxine Gates. Submitted by Janice Prochaska Shuman

   All our grandparents emigrated from Czechoslovakia in the 19th century. My husband's parents were the late Joseph J. Ptacek and the late Hattie (Nozicka) Placek. His paternal grandparents were Joseph Ptacek and Anna (Jelinek) Ptacek. His maternal grandparents were Matej Nozicka, and Frantiska (Smejkal) Nozicka. Being farmers, they all lived in the rural vicinity of Bruno, Nebraska.

   My parents were the late John J. Fronk and the late Anna (Vavra) Fronk. My paternal grandparents were Adam Fronk and Alzbeta (Kamen) Fronk who lived in Prague, Nebraska. My maternal grandparents were Vaclav Vavra and Anna (Koranda) Vavra who lived in the western part of Saunders County and also farmed.

   My husband attended grade school in Dist. No. 19 southwest of Prague, is a graduate of David City High School, and a Navy Veteran of World War II.

   I attended grade school in Dist. No. 68 and graduated from Wahoo High School.

   We have lived on the same farm ever since our marriage in 1950. We have 2 children: Calvin who is farming, and Sandra who married Jim Kerwin. They have one daughter, Penny Marie. Submitted by Maxine Ptacek.

   In the spring of 1869, the Anders Gustaf Quick family arrived from Karlskoga, Sweden to New York. They settled in the vicinity of Swedeburg, Nebraska in the spring of 1870, living in a sod house. A.G. Quick and his wife, Louisa Person, had five daughters and two sons; Lena (Freeman), Mathilda (Martinson), Euphamia (Anderson), and Althea (Hultman) were born in Sweden. Emil, Edward and Ellen (Randall) were born near Swedeburg.

The Quick Family -- March, 1979

   The Emil Quick children were Earl, Roy, Eloise (Spech), Cecil, Pauline (Miller), and twins, Kenneth and Keith.

   Cecil was born on a farm in the Ithaca area. He married Winifred Clemens in 1931. They were the parents of one daughter, Darlene.

   Cecil and Winnie, as everyone knew her, moved on a farm near Ceresco in 1939. Cecil farmed and did mechanical work for five years, and later went into electrical work for many years. He retired in 1982.

   Cecil and Winnie experienced many difficulties due to illness of Winnie, when in time both legs had to be amputated. Their strong desire of "keeping on" with patience, a smile, and wheelchair proved to be an example of faith to all who knew them. Their joyous occasion among their many trials was to observe their 50th wedding anniversary at Ceresco Methodist Church with over four hundred friends and relatives attending. Winnie passed away six months later, July 9, 1981.

   Daughter Darlene is married to Gus Almery and resides near Ceresco on a farm. Their four children, our grandchildren, are: Linda (Mrs. Wesley Johnson), living eight miles from Ceresco; Diane (Mrs. Forest Matzner) Lincoln; David; and Gary, living near Ceresco. One great-grandchild, Hilary, completes the family.

   Emil's father, Anders Gustaf, was born in Sweden August 8, 1837. His wife, Louisa Person, was born in Sweden, January, 1837. The Quick family came to the United States in 1870 to Richland Precinct with four daughters. The family lived in New York previously.

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