FAMILY STORIES

   Arnold, son of J.F. and Anna (Hensen) Sukstorf, and Dorothy, daughter of Max and Anna (Huscher) Lemke, were married June 5, 1941 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. We grew up within three miles of each other; both were in 4-H clubs at the same time. Arnold went to Dist. 61 school. I went to the Parochial School at St. Matthew, Cedar Bluffs High School, and spent two years at the University of Nebraska and one year at Wayne State, Wayne, Nebr. Then I taught school in Dist. 43 before I married.

Arnold and Dorothy Sukstorf

   Arnold helped his father farm. Later, he took a job running the Farmers Union Service Station and truck at Cedar Bluffs across from the elevator. After we were married, I helped in the service station while Arnold was out with the tank truck.

   The next spring we moved to a farm owned by my Grandmother Huscher which was across the road from where I was born and grew up, southwest of Cedar Bluffs, Nebr.

   Farming was different back then. We still used horses for some of the work. The house we moved into had three rooms, no closets, and no running water. Through the years we added a room, dug our own well, and also dug out a part for a basement. In 1957, we built our present home. We raised hogs and increased our milk herd and sold Grade A milk. Our grain farming was increased in 1958 when we sold our milking herd.

   Arnold was elected to the Nebr.-Iowa Milk Ass'n. board in 1952. In 1956, Arnold was elected as a County Supervisor, a job he held for twelve years. He also was a member of the Farmers Union Elevator at Cedar Bluffs, Saunders Co. Livestock Feeders Ass'n., Farmers Union Ass'n. of Saunders Co., sold Insurance for many years for the Farmers Mutual Ins. Co. of Saunders Co., and Farmers Mutual of Iowa, selling crop insurance, and was a member of 107 School board.

   Our children follow: Delbert was born in 1942, graduated from U.N. and worked at Western Electric until 1979. He married Sandra Gierhan of Gresham. They have three boys Perry, Bill and Andy. Delbert now sells Aid Ass'n. for Lutherans Insurance and lives at Fremont, Nebr.

   Ronald, born in 1943, farms. He married Sandra Troudt of Nelson, Nebr. They have four children, Chad, Wendy, Bridget and Lacey.

   Genelle, born 1957, is a Medical Assistant. She married Mark Hackel of Ord, Nebr. They have two children, Tanner and Leslie. They farm and Genelle worked for a Doctor and teaches Lamaze.

   We have been active members of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, holding many offices. I taught Sunday School for twenty years, led a 4-H club for twenty years, and have belonged to an Extension Club since 1944, and have been a past School Board member.

   Arnold was injured in a tractor accident June 5, 1981 and died June 18, 1981. At present I enjoy bowling, playing bridge, traveling, and taking care of nine grandchildren. Submitted by Dorothy Sukstorf

   Jim is a grandson of former Judge A.L. Sutton and son of A.L. Sutton, attorney of Omaha, Nebr. His maternal grandfather was James M. Sturdevant, attorney of Omaha.

Sutton Family. Left to Right: Jimmy, Jim, Peggy, Janie

   Peggy is the daughter of L. Willard and Margaret Cooke, long-time Omaha residents. Peggy and Jim met and graduated at the University of Omaha.

    Since we've moved to Saunders County in 1977 from Omaha, we are relative newcomers.

   After purchasing a small acreage from Mr. and Mrs. Francis Karl of Yutan, Jim began to accumulate equipment necessary for our new lifestyle. He purchased an ancient tractor, a tiller, a horse with bridle, saddle and horse-trailer. Being six miles from town and most of this by gravel road, it soon became obvious that an air compressor was necessary for frequent flat tires. A battery charger also was needed.

   The next spring a large garden was planted, from which a bountiful harvest was gathered in the fall. The old root cellar was filled with vegetables and preserves. Jim enhanced the barn with a new roof and split-rail fenced area. Later, the old house was re-roofed.

   Over a period of four years, a pair of Buff-Pomeranian geese developed into a small flock and a large family of cats now keep the barn free of rats. Our other animals include two dogs and a horse.

   Living midway between Ashland and Yutan has provided opportunity for acquaintance with both towns, especially Yutan's High School and Lutheran Church and our Episcopal Church in Ashland.

   Jim, who owns an Omaha business, truly likes country living. It gives him great pleasure to enjoy the outdoors.

   Peggy, a musician by profession, has found fulfillment in giving organ recitals and teaching piano. She also substitute teaches.

   Janie and Jimmy both have entered into Ashland 4-H activities and been active in Yutan High music events. Jimmy now attends the University of Nebraska at Omaha as a Music Major.

   Since moving here, we have learned of forebearers who settled this region in 1870. Jim's great-great-grandfather, James Benedict Sturdevant (see James Sturdevant history) farmed near Mead and was Wahoo's first photographer. Also his great-grandfather, Frank M. Sturdevant, was one of Ashland's first Baptist ministers. This fact has perhaps given us more of a feeling of really belonging to Saunders County.

   In five and one-half years we have come to appreciate country life in many ways -- the people, the land, the peace and serenity. Also we hope that in some small way, we have contributed to life in Saunders County. By James Sutton

   Bob and I have been married almost 36 years. We have had five children. Our first daughter, Sandra, died in 1959 at the age of eleven. Mary is living in Colorado. She and her husband, Gregg Hargis, have three children, Ben, Ted and Kim. Dick is a carpenter in Omaha. He was married in April to Terri, a nurse. John will marry Colleen Christian in November, 1982. John has inherited a love of farming that has been our heritage for generations. Mark, 16, is still in school.

   I'm going to quote excerpts from a family report Mark wrote for school credit. By Rachel Sutton

   My Dad and Mom were both born and raised in Wahoo. Three of my grandparents were born here. My only living grandparent, Mrs. Al Hanson, moved here from an Iowa farm. Her father had died and his wife was left with thirteen children. They moved here so they could attend High School and Luther College.

   Dad's grandfather's name was Christian Scow. He left Norway in 1870. At the age of 22, he homesteaded 120 acres northwest of Wahoo.

   In 1869, James and John Lee came to this area from Ireland. They had a cousin, Thomas, who married my great, great-grandfather's sister. On September 29, 1873, they had a son, George. He was one of the first children born in Wahoo. He lived to be over 99 years old. We visited him in South Dakota a year before he died. He told many stories of his early years in Wahoo.

   Great-grandmother Annie Lees Scow came in a covered wagon from West Branch, Iowa. She kept a daily diary. She was 95 when she died. We have my family's share of the diaries. We also have her marriage certificate. She and Christian Scow were married in Wahoo on June 27, 1877.

   Great-grandfather Sutton farmed northwest of Wahoo. He would ship in sheep and cattle from western states. At times they would unload as many as 3000 head, and drive them from the Union Pacific Railroad east of town to the farm.

   Two great, great-uncles, Alex and Jim Sutton, bought cattle in Oregon and Idaho and grazed them on the open range, and then drove them here. They would later load them on a train and sell them in Chicago.

   Years ago, there were signs by the highways as you entered Wahoo. They listed Wahoo's four favorite sons. One of the men was Howard Hanson, a famous musician. He was my Grandfather Hanson's first cousin.

   In 1970, Wahoo celebrated its Centennial. My Grandfather Hanson celebrated his 76th birthday that same week. He was honored for having been in business here for over 50 years.

   It will be interesting to be a part of Wahoo's future. By Mark Sutton

   James P. Svobodia, with his wife, Emma (Fendrich), and four small children, Milo, Wilma, Amolie (Ohnoutka), and Mary Jane (O'Connor), migrated from Seward County to Saunders County in 1920 and settled in Weston. He had traded a farm and mortgage to purchase a hardware and implement store from John J. Staska. Money was scarce and many times horses were traded as part payment for the "Iron Horse," as the first tractors were referred to. The barn and corral, directly west of the hardware store, overflowed with stock until horse traders came through the town and exchanged money for the horses.

   Later, undertaking was added to the business. As years passed, the family grew with the addition of three more children: Leona Greif and twin sons, James Jr. and Frank. Frank died shortly after birth.

   At the age of 20, Wilma died from complications following an appendectomy.

   James P. Svoboda was very active in the village Weston, having served as mayor, as president of the school board, and in many other offices.

   The Svoboda Hardware and Implement Store continued until 1940 when it sold out in Weston and moved to Wahoo, where it continued to operate as a hardware store until October, 1982.

   Emma O. Svoboda died June 5, 1967. James P. Svoboda died on May 28, 1971.

   Milo E. Svoboda was a graduate of the Weston Public School and received his degree in Embalming and Funeral Directing from the Williams Institute of Embalming in Kansas City, Kansas. He then joined his father in the business in Weston.

   Milo and Mary Lucille Woita, daughter of Joseph M. and Mary E. (Machacek) Woita of

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Weston, were married September 6, 1938 in St. John's Church, Weston. They are the parents of four children, Thomas J., James J., Jean, and Carol.

   Thomas, a graduate of Wahoo High School and Wayne State College, Wayne Nebraska, is serving as the first director of the Saunders County Health Department. Thomas and Marilyn Schmitt of Silver Creek, Nebraska were married Aug. 14, 1965. They have a son, Darin.

   James is a graduate of Wahoo High School and Dallas College of Mortuary Science, Dallas, Texas, and UNO. He is manager and co-owner of the Svoboda Funeral Home. James and Carlene Lierman, Waco, Nebraska were married Oct. 19, 1973, and have four children, Jill, Trisha, Mandy, and Timothy.

   Jean is a graduate of Neumann High School and Wayne State College. On May 6, 1972, she was married to Walter Paisley of Dubuque, Iowa. They have 4 children, Alisa, Michael, Matthew, and Elizabeth.

   Carol is a graduate of Neumann High School and UNL, and is an English and drama teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools. She has directed several stage productions at the Pinewood Bowl in Lincoln, Nebraska.

   Milo served as an elected Wahoo City Councilman from 1950-1962, as well as being active in many other local organizations. Being the only one of the Svoboda family to remain in Saunders County, he continued to operate the family businesses until his untimely death January 24, 1982.

   The Svoboda family has left its imprint on the history of Saunders County through three generations.

   August Swanson was born in 1867 in Skane, Sweden to Sven Tuvesson and Sissela Mansdotter. He was 19 when he emigrated to the United States, joining his brother, Martin, in Ceresco, Nebraska. He did not know, at that time, that he would become the patriarch of a large clan of Swansons that would, in less than 100 years, be scattered to the far reaches of his adopted country.

   In 1894, he married Mathilda Lindquist, daughter of Ola S. Lindquist and Elna Eliason. Mathilda was born in 1871 in Skane, Sweden. In 1875, her parents emigrated to the U.S. with her and her brother, Christian. They eventually settled on a farm near Swedeburg where a daughter, Anna, was born.

   August and Mathilda farmed for a year near Ceresco, and then in the Swedeburg vicinity, before settling on their farm three miles west of Swedeburg, fondly remembered by their family as the "home place". August's love of the land and of farming, prompted him to acquire more land in later years. He specialized in raising swine and was proud of his fine teams of horses. Mathilda's family and church were her primary concerns, followed closely by her garden. The harvest of her vegetable garden nourished the family while the flower garden provided beauty to those who shared it with her.

   To August and Mathilda were born 11 children: Signe, Amond, Olga, Harold, Ruth, Leonard, Vincent, and four little girls who died in early childhood -- Edith, Viola, Edith Viola and Lillie. They worshipped as a family at Swedeburg Lutheran Church. Their social life was centered around their church and neighborhood activities. Several years after celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, they sold their farm and retired to Wahoo where Mathilda died in 1952. August died in 1954.

   Signe married Melvin Pearson of Ceresco in 1923. Melvin operated grain elevators before moving to Omaha where he was associated with the Grain and Brokerage Exchange. They are now retired and living in Riverside, California. They have three children Arline, Gloria and Charles. Arline married Dwight Lundberg and lives in San Clemente, California. Their children, Garry and Cheryl, are married. Gloria married Donald Youngerman, lives in Riverside and has four children, Donna, Diane, Deborah and Steven, all living in California. Charles first married Beverly Buchta and had three children Richard, Charles and Marcia. His second wife is Ruth Thompson, their children are Per, Thor and Mara, all residing in Hutchison, Minnesota.

The August Swanson Family, 1944. Left to Right: Leonard, Ruth, Amond, August, Signe, Mathilda, Harold, Olga and Vincent.

   Amond married Manghild Swanberg of Wahoo in 1931. They farmed near Swedeburg where their children, Marilyn and Daryl, were born, moving later to a farm near Wahoo. Since Manghild died in 1968, Amond has made his home with Marilyn and her family in Des Moines, Iowa. Marilyn married Victor Sedlacek and their children are Robert, Rhonda and Roger. Daryl married Judy Schultz. They are living on a farm near Wahoo with their children Bryon, Michelle and Jason.

   Olga lived at home during periods of ill health and helped care for her parents during their final illnesses. She then went to Arizona to assist her brother, Leonard, with his missionary activities. She died there in 1962.

   Harold married Helen Brostrom of Ceresco in 1937. They farmed near Red Oak, Iowa and were the parents of Juanita and Harold (Hal). Juanita is married to Raymond Youngberg; they live in Red Oak and have three children Alan, Lori and Craig. Hal lives in California. Helen died in 1969. Harold now lives in Wahoo where he married Velva Rupp in 1982.

   Ruth has made her home in California for many years. Before her retirement, she was employed as a church secretary. She is now living in Riverside.

   Leonard farmed with his father for many years before moving to Nogales, Arizona. In 1965, he married May Rendahl. They are both actively engaged in a Christian mission to Mexican Americans.

   Vincent's vocation was aviation until 1958 when he entered the retail monument industry. In 1943, he married Mary Lee Rice of Columbus, Ohio. They are the parents of four sons. John is living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his son, Matthew. Christopher, his wife, who was Jan Patterson, and their daughter, Kathleen, live in Longmont, Colorado. Mark married Donna Thomson and they live in Wichita, Kansas. James, a student, lives at home. Vincent and Mary are now retired and are living in Fremont, Nebraska. Submitted by Vincent Swanson

   Dale Swanson, born April 3, 1931, is the son of Arthur and Bernice (Chilquist) Swanson. My grandparents were Swan and Mary (Nilsson) Swanson and Nils and Bengta (Peirson) Chilquist. Both sets of grandparents emigrated to America from Sweden. Swansons came to Saunders county in 1885 and Chilquists in 1881. I am a third generation resident of Saunders County.

   I have one brother, Kennard. We grew up on a farm west of Malmo. My parents owned and lived on this farm for 55 years. This farm was the second homestead in the Malmo area. I attended the Malmo school and am a member of the Edensburg Lutheran Church. I served 4 years with the U.S. Air Force.

The Dale Swanson Family. Front Row: Dee and Dale; Back Row: Mike, Lori, Shari, Christie and Jon.

   In January of 1953, I married Delores (Dee) Parker. We are the parents of Christie (Quick), Mike, Shari, Lori (TePoel), and Jon. We have three grandchildren, Lindy and Jeff Quick, and Andy Swanson.

   We bought the Mantel farm in 1962, which is located west of Malmo. This farm was the first homestead in this area, lacking only a few years being in the Mantel family 100 years at the time of purchase. Submitted by Dale Swanson

   Family ties and ancestral roots in Saunders County are most important to Don and me, both having been born and raised in the Wahoo area. We still reside on the farm on which Don was born.

Donald and Jeanne Swanson -- 1949

   Don is the son of Emfred and Ruth Anderson Swanson, and has a sister, Lillian Mae Jurgens, of Fremont, Nebraska. Both Emfred's and Ruth's backgrounds were centered in this county, and both

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