FAMILY STORIES

Reverend Thomas Hooker founded the Connecticut Colony at Hartford in 1636.

   Mrs. Seidel attended Adams Public School and graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was affiliated with Willard sorority. After teaching English and Latin at Adams High School for several years, she attended the University of Nebraska where she was a member of Alpha Phi sorority.

   After six years as superintendent at Mead, the Seidel family, including their daughter, Patricia June, moved to Wahoo where Mr. Seidel assumed the Superintendency of the Wahoo Public Schools. Soon after their arrival, their second daughter, Harriet Hooker, was born. Mr. Seidel served in Wahoo until 1953 when he accepted the position of Finance Director of the Nebraska Department of Education. He held that post until his retirement in 1967.

   Mr. and Mrs. Seidel were active in the Wahoo community. They were members of the Presbyterian Church where Mrs. Seidel worked in the women's association. She was also a member of P.E.O., Eastern Star and American Legion Auxiliary. Mr. Seidel was a member of Lodge 59, A.F. and A.M., American Legion Post #82 of Wahoo, as well as the Lincoln Hiram Club. He became a member of the Nebraska Schoolmasters Club in 1925, and belonged to a number of professional societies.

   The family now includes two sons-in-law and four grandchildren. Patricia Seidel married Gordon Frederick Johnson, son of Wilmer and Florence Slama Johnson of Wahoo on November 24, 1950. Their children are Amy and Kent. Harriet Seidel married Jess Conrad Nielsen, son of Anders and Ellinor Jensen Nielsen of Dannebrog, Nebraska, on October 16, 1954. Their children are Paul and Bradley. Dr. Johnson practices medicine in Omaha and Mr. Nielsen is a North Platte attorney.

   Mrs. Seidel died in 1973 and Mr. Seidel in 1981. Both are buried at Highland Cemetery, Adams, Gage County, Nebraska.

   My paternal grandparents were Edmont and Carolina (Lena) (Olson) Nelson. My maternal grandparents were Arthur and Mary (Chmelka) Siemsen. The Nelsons had 2 sons, Ervin and Gordon, my father. The Siemsens had 4 children, Lillian (Jurgensen), Arthur, Clarence, and Sylvia (Nelson), my mother.

Seated: Linda and Bill Semrad; Standing: Rhonda, Billy and Bradley.

   Bill's maternal grandparents were Fred and Mary (Jelinek) Novak. They had 6 children; Raymond, Bessie (Shultz), Marie (Ruzek), Ed, Fred, and Erma (Semrad), Bill's mother. His paternal grandparents were Anton and Mary (Janecek) Semrad. They had 6 sons: Anton, Joe, Frank, Louis, Jim, and William E., Bill's father. They also had 3 daughters, Mary, Anna (Jelinek) and Lydia.

   Bill has two brothers, Elmer and Gary, and one sister, Shirley Vanderpool. I have two sisters. Fern (Donald Jansa) and Joyce (Donald Kucera). Our mothers, brothers and sisters all live in Weston, except my sister, Joyce, who lives in Lincoln, but will, hopefully, retire in Weston.

   Bill and I both graduated from Weston Public High School. Our children attend Weston Public Grade School and Wahoo Public High School. We were married in Malmo, Nebraska at the Edensburg Lutheran Church on June 13, 1964. We have lived in Weston ever since, except for 3 months in Wahoo. In 1970, we purchased a Body and Paint Shop in Weston and continue to operate it. We have three children, William Gordon, 15, Rhonda Jean, 13, and Bradley Jason, 11. The children are active members in Luther League, Confirmation classes, 4-H, and sports activities of all kinds.

   In summer, we enjoy camping and fishing at nearby lakes. We go with our families and friends. Sometimes we feel like pioneers camping, as sometimes there are 8 to 10 campers. We form a circle with the fire ring in the center, and we all congregate there.

   We enjoy the friendliness and caring of our small town community, and having our relatives close. We have lived in Saunders County all of our lives and will continue to live here. We hope our children settle down here, also. Submitted by Linda Lu Semrad

   William Settles (1866-1954) was born in Moline, Illinois on September 14, 1866, to John and Anna (Peterman) Settles. John was killed in a coal mine accident in Pennsylvania when William was 9 years old. Anna then came to Saunders County, Nebraska, and married William Moody in 1877. William Settles had one brother, Harry Settles, and one sister, Laura B. Settles (Boyer). He also had half-brothers and half-sisters.

William and Ella Settles -- 50th Anniversary

   William Settles married Ella Wolfe March 15, 1892. Ella was the daughter of Henry McAdam and Charlotte (Auten) Wolfe, also of Saunders County.

   William and Ella Settles lived on a farm near Sand Creek in Saunders County all of their married life, except for a few years when he farmed in Boone County, Nebraska, moving in to Cedar Bluffs in 1917. While in Cedar Bluffs, William was a member of the Methodist Church, a Mason, and mayor of Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska for a time. They celebrated their 60th Anniversary in 1952.

   William and Ella Settles' children are Anna Mae; Thomas M., who married Malinda Nick; Lula D., who married Earl Ruff; Fay E., who married Bertie Beebe; Sylvia F., who married Harvey L. Johnson; Henry W., who married Marjorie Hayhurst; and Clara B., who married Marvin Gocken. Submitted by Mrs. Charles (Colleen) Wild, granddaughter

   Donald Shanahan, the only child of William and Libbie (Suchy) Shanahan, was born October 26, 1918, on the Morse Bluff farm where he currently resides. His grandfather, Michael Shanahan, purchased the land in 1883. Donald is a farmer, as his father and grandfather were. His hobbies include fishing and reading.

Donald and Lillian Shanahan

   On October 7, 1941, Donald married Lillian Brecka at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Abie, Nebraska. Lillian, the youngest of the three children of Louis J. and Christie B. (Polacek) Brecka, was born October 11, 1919, in Abie, Nebraska. For five years, Lillian taught in rural schools of Saunders and Butler Counties, having studied normal training at David City High School, and later, Midland College in Fremont.

   Donald and Lillian have been members of St. John's Catholic Church, Prague, since their marriage. They have two children, Warren and Lynda. Both children graduated from St. John's Catholic Grade School and Prague High School.

   Warren was born August 24, 1942, in Fremont, Nebraska. He was on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1961 through 1964. In 1969, he graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, with a Bachelor of Science degree. He married Marcella Kubik, the daughter of Raymond and Rose (Styskal) Kubik, July 1, 1967, at SS. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, Plasi. They have two sons. Michael Shane was born June 10, 1970, and Scott Christopher was born April 17, 1973. Warren has been employed by State Farm Insurance since 1969 and resides in Bloomington, Illinois.

   Lynda was born August 30, 1948, in Fremont, Nebraska. She graduated from Peru State College, Peru, Nebraska, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in May, 1970. On August 1, 1970, she married James E. Moser, son of Edward and Hilda (Studt) Moser, at St. John's Catholic Church, Prague. Jim is employed as a funeral director at Moser Memorial Chapel and Lynda is employed by a CPA firm. They

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reside in Fremont, Nebraska. Submitted by Donald Shanahan

   John J. Shanahan was born to Daniel and Margaret Shanahan on June 24, 1861 at Meeme, Wisconsin in Manitowac County.

John and Julia Shanahan, Sept. 29, 1884

   Julia A. Sullivan was born to James and Mary (Casey) Sullivan on February 12, 1863 at Meeme, Wisconsin in Manitowac County.

   John and Julie were married at St. Isidore's Catholic Church on September 29, 1884 in the Diocese of Milwaukee. On their wedding trip they came to Saunders County to visit his brother, Malick, who lived near Cedar Bluffs. They decided to settle near Cedar Bluffs. Later, they moved to a farm north of Malmo, Nebraska, where they farmed and owned 320 acres.

   John had four sisters: Bridget who married Sam Howard; Mary who married Richard Nagle; Katherine; and Josephine. Mary, Katherine, and Josephine had a millinery shop in Wahoo. John had three brothers, Martin, Malick, and Dan.

   John and Julia had five sons and two daughters. Lillian married Owen McGinn, September 1, 1909; John married Mary Rochford, January 1913; Dan married Minnie TePoel, Jan. --; Julia married Dave Rochford, September 6, 1911; Emmett married Marcella Kelly, April 29, 1918; Ambrose married Catherine Slattery, February 12, 1927; Harry married Katherine Gorey, February 12, 1927. They had twenty-seven grandchildren from these marriages. Four children lived to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

   In October, 1925, they retired and moved to Cedar Bluffs.

   Julia passed away April 8, 1929 at the age of 66 in Cedar Bluffs. John lived alone for a short time; then made his home with his daughter, Julia Rochford, who took care of him until his death on February 15, 1937 at the age of 76.

   John and Julia were one of the earliest parishioners of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and later, of St. Mary's of Cedar Bluffs, from where they were buried and interred in the Holy Rosary Cemetery, a mile from where they lived most of their lives.

   When the Shimerka family came to this country they settled in Butler Co. and farmed.

   Originally, the family name was spelled Simerka but was changed by Vincent H. Sr. to Shimerka because of the pronunciation in Czech. Some of the family members kept the original name.

   Vincent R., son of Vincent H. Sr., moved to Saunders County in the thirties. He first operated a cafe and hotel. In 1935, he started the John Deere Implement business and remained in this business, until he retired in 1973.

Richard and Georgia Shimerka -- Son-Rick, Daughter- Carolyn

   Vincent R., known as V.R. to everyone, was involved with many activities. He had been a musician for 70 years, was an auctioneer, served on the hospital board for 17 years, was director of the Bank of Prague, served 40 years in the Fire Department, and was a member of the K.C. and K.D. He passed away in March of 1982.

   Richard, son of V.R., went into business with his father after he returned from the service in 1946. At present, he is still with the implement business.

   During this period he was married to Georgia Musilek. To this union two children were born; Richard Allen, now of Denver, and Carolyn (married to Larry Stanislav), living in Prague with their two children, Jeremy and Danielle.

   We belong to the St. John's Catholic Church and are looking forward to the new church that is being constructed.

   Richard is a member of the American Legion, Forty and Eight, the Knights of Columbus, K.D., is secretary of the Northeast Telephone board, director of the Bank of Prague, a member of the Fire Dept, and served on the First Aid Squad.

   Both of us have spent most of our lives in Prague, except while Richard was in the service, and while I was attending college and teaching. We both enjoy traveling. Richard's hobbies are fishing (if he finds time) and bowling. My hobbies are oil painting and reading. Submitted by Georgia Shimerka

   John Anton Shimonek came to Saunders County from Colfax County in Nebraska where he had been Superintendent of Schools and Band Director from 1940 to 1953 at Howells. He came to Ashland, Nebraska in the summer of 1953 and served as Superintendent of the Saunders County Public Schools District One ... the first district of consolidated schools.

   John Shimonek was born at Wilber, Neb. on May 20, 1908 of Czech ancestry. His ancestors were pioneers in Saline and Fillmore Counties in Nebraska. He attended Midland College in Fremont, Nebraska where he received his Bachelor of Science degree and began his career as band director and high school principal at Ewing, Nebraska.

   On June 4, 1933, he was married to Dorothea A.G. Smith, the daughter of Henry P. and Louise B. (Smith) Smith of McCool Jct. in York County, Nebraska. Dorothea's ancestors were early settlers of York County, coming there from Germany.

   John received his next two degrees, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska, while he was at Howells, Neb. where he was superintendent of Schools from 1940 to 1953. He later received his Doctorate in School Administration at the University of Wyoming where he was a professor after he retired as Assistant Superintendent at Loveland, Colorado in 1974.

   John and Dorothea had two children: a daughter, Dottie JoAnn, born in 1934 and a son, Gary John, born in 1944. JoAnn graduated from high school at Howells, Neb. before the family moved to Ashland in 1953. Gary graduated from Ashland High School in May, 1963.

   After getting her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Nebraska in June, 1956, JoAnn was on the faculty of the Omaha Westside Community Schools. She was married to Roy Elbert Schiefelbein in the Congregational Church in Ashland on April 18, 1957. Roy is a great-grandson of Frederick and Pauline (Mallwitz) Schiefelbein, Oscar and Emily (Curtis) Nash, and John D. and Olive (Patterson) Lasure ... all early settlers around Ithaca and Ceresco in Saunders County. Roy and JoAnn live in Wichita, Kansas.

   Gary received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley after he served a stint in the Air Force. He and his family live in Littleton, Colorado.

   John and Dorothea (Smith) Shimonek were active members of the church and the community. John was active in Masons, Shrine, many civic, educational and fraternal organizations, both local and statewide.

   Dorothea Shimonek passed away April 15, 1975 at Ft. Collins, Colorado. She is buried in Loveland, Colorado where John A. Shimonek presently (1983) makes his home. Mrs. Roy E. Schiefelbein

   Biographies of the seven children of Joseph and Mary (Fanfurlik) Shonka. All attended Nimburg, Nebraska grade school near Abie and Prague area.

Seated, L. to R.: Sisters Marie and Amelia, Oblates, Adolph Shonka; Standing: Irma Drahota, Erma (Shonka) Bartek, Fr. Richard Shonka, OSB.

   Emil was born in 1895, attended Creighton High School in Omaha and St. Procopius, Lisle, Ill. He was ordained Rev. Emilian Shonka, OSB in 1924. He did studies in Marine Biology and Psychology in Woodstock, Mass. and Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He taught at Procopius College and died in 1969.

   Rose, born 1898, attended high school in Wahoo, St. Francis Academy in Columbus, Nebraska, Catherine College, St. Paul, Minnesota and University of Chicago.

   Taking the name of Sister Amelia, she made her vows in 1931 at Sacred Heart Convent in Lisle, Illinois. She became principal from 1935 to 1946; Mother Superior until 1961. She celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 1978.

   Adolph, born 1899, attended high school in St. Procopius Academy, and Armour Institute, Chicago. As an architect, some of his favorite projects were the crypt in Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, Chicago and the design of the American Bridge in Gary, Indiana.

   He married Anna Strizek in 1939. They have three children: Joseph, Theresa Palmer, and Bernadette. They now live on a farm in Knox, Indiana.

   Joseph, born 1902, attended Procopius College, University of Chicago, and was ordained Rev. William Shonka, OSB, in 1929.

   He received the Distinguished Educator Award. In his research, he used X-ray methods with special

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