FAMILY STORIES

   John and Barbara had nine children: Otto, born 1886, died 1952; Carrie, born 1888, died 1935; Nellie, who died when about two years old; Ernestina, born 1893, died 1964; Emil, born 1895, died 1965; Emma, born 1897, died 1953; Otilla, born 1900, living in Omaha; Ernest, born 1902; and Theodore, born 1904, living in Omaha.

   Ernest and Emil began an International Harvester farm equipment dealership in Malmo, Nebraska in 1927. Ernest bought Emil out and moved the dealership to Wahoo. He married Elsie Pavel from Wilbur, Nebraska, and they had three sons; Donald, born in 1928, Dennis, who died as a two-month old infant, and Keith, born in 1939.

   Donald has three children: Douglas, Debra, and Diane. Keith married Barbara Beers from Syracuse, Nebraska and they have three children: Timothy, born in 1964, Kimberly, born 1966, and Mark Ernest, born in 1979.

   Ernest's sons joined him in the farm equipment business. The older son, Don, left the business and Saunders County, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1973. In 1977, Texels Inc. celebrated fifty years as an International Harvester dealership. Keith continues in the farm equipment business, which is in its fifty-fifth year of continuous operation.

   There is an interesting background to the family name of Texel. One of the far removed ancestors was exiled from his native homeland to a small island off the Netherlands called Texel Island. The island was either named after him, or he took the name of Texel from the island.

   The only hope for perpetuation of the Texel name in Saunders County seems to be through the two sons of Keith; Tim and Mark Ernest. Keith W. Texel

   Glenn Putney Tharp was born March 14, 1898 and died Feb. 20, 1971. His father was Orvis M. Tharp and his mother was Myrtle M. Putney. His grandparents were N.D. Tharp and Arena Dabney, and George J. Putney and Elvira M. Griffey. Both grandfathers were Civil War Veterans. They came to Nebraska from Ohio and Iowa as pioneers in 1867-69.

Glenn and Evae Tharp, 40th Anniversary-March 1970; 9 Grandchildren

   Tharps came by wagon and it took them 21 days to make the trip of 250 miles. They settled near a creek south of Weston. Near Valparaiso they lived in a dugout until they could build a house. N.D. Tharp was a farmer all his life and moved to Wahoo on an acreage. He lived to be 96 years old.

   Glenn's father, Orvis Tharp, was a country school teacher, telephone worker, and also ran an implement store. He died in 1913 from injuries of a motorcycle accident. Glenn had two older brothers, Floyd and George. Both lived in Seattle, Washington.

   Glenn's grandfather, George Putney, built the farmhouse southeast of Ithaca, Nebraska which has been designated as a historical place.

   Glenn volunteered for service in 1918 in World War I and spent 2 years in Russia. Glenn was a construction worker and painter. He was very proud of two well-known places of construction he helped on. They were the Paramount Theatre, Omaha, Nebr. and the State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebr.

   March 25, 1930, Glenn married Evae Dabney from Bloomfield, Iowa. We just arrived and settled in Wahoo when the two banks closed and that was the start of the depressions. Glenn had no work for two years.

   To this union three children were born: Elaine Darlene, Gerald Duane, and Kenneth Roland. Elaine married Earl J. Dean of Lincoln. They moved to Oxford, Nebraska, and Hastings, Nebraska after his hitch in the army. Their children are Cheryl, Phyliss, and Steve. They also have four grandchildren. They are moving to Bella Vista, Arkansas.

   Gerald Tharp married Delorice Klatt after his hitch in Korea and World War II. They have four children: Dan, Kathleen, Timothy, and Jeanine. Gerald teaches Physiology at the University in Lincoln, Nebr.

   Kenneth married Linda Mueck of Lincoln. They have two girls, Ann Marie and Amy Jo. After 18 years of marriage they were divorced. Ken was a pharmacist 16 years in Fremont Dodge County Hospital. He is now at Bryan Memorial Hospital, Lincoln. On July 17, 1982, Ken was married to Bonnie Recknor of Lincoln. Her girls are Kristin and Jennifer.

   I, Evae, still live at the house built by Glenn's parents in 1903 at 615 Locust, Wahoo. We purchased it from Glenn's two brothers in 1932. It was in the Tharp estate after their mother's death. I have lived in Wahoo 52 years. It is a very friendly place to live. I love to travel but am always happy to get home to Nebraska. Submitted by Mrs. Glenn (Evae) Tharp

   Jurgen (George) and wife, Annie Theede, were early settlers in Mariposa Township. He died intestate on Nov. 15, 1887, owning the N½SE¼ of Section 20, the NW¼SW¼ of Section 21, the W½SE¼ and SE¼SW¼, both of Section 9, Township 15, Range 6. Jurgen and Annie Theede were parents of Claus Theede of Fremont, John Theede Sr., Gustave Theede of Saunders County, Emma Theede Ehmke of Fremont, and Anna Theede Silk of Illinois.

Mr. and Mrs. John Theede Sr.

   John Theede Sr. married Mary Tesar, daughter of Jakob and Marie Tesar on Aug. 23, 1884. Witnesses were Josef Tesar and Emma Theede. As a girl, Mary served a Swedish family and learned their language. When she married John, she learned German. So, with Czech and English, she was conversant with four languages. The last people for whom she kept house were Mrs. Sarah Joslyn and her husband in Omaha. The Joslyns gave her a wedding gift of an ornate bowl. It is still a family heirloom.

   Mr. and Mrs. John Theede Sr. lived one mile west and one mile north and 3/4 mile west of Malmo on part of Section 9, Township 15 Range 6. John died Jan. 10, 1928 and Mary died July 20, 1925. They are buried in St. John's Cemetery, three miles east of Prague.

   They were parents of: Louis Henry Theede, June 26, 1885-Aug. 6, 1955; John Theede Jr., April 14, 1887-April 8, 1871; Mamie Theede Kavan, Jan. 31, 1891-Oct. 6, 1969; George Theede, Jan. 20, 1898-Sept. 20, 1941; and Anna Theede, Aug. 11, 1894-Jan. 24, 1933.

   Louis Henry Theede married Emma Nesladek who died when Michael, their only child, was very young. Michael Theede was born May 14, 1930. Michael's son is Michael D. Theede Jr., born in 1964, the only male fourth-generation descendant of John and Mary Theede, who bears their surname. His daughter, Denice Kay, was born in 1962. Louis Theede's second wife was Josephine Mares of Exeter. They farmed the E½NW¼ and E½SW¼ of Section 14, Mariposa Township, east of Malmo.

   John Theede Jr. farmed near Malmo until his 1947 retirement to Geneva. He married Bessie Spinar Luksik of Fillmore County in 1933. She died in 1950. His second wife was Josephine Mares Theede, Louis's widow.

   Mamie Theede married Ed Kavan in 1911. They farmed near Wahoo until retirement. Their son, Louis, married Mollie Pacal who died in 1946. They had two daughters. Daughter, Betty Kavan, married Emil Wesely, whose children are Michael, born in 1960, and Susan, born in 1967. Louis and Mollie's daughter, Mary Ann Kavan, married James Coffee, whose children are Kimberly, Kelly, and David.

   Louis Kavan Sr. and second wife, Blanche Dvorak, were parents of Louis Kavan Jr., who married Darlene Cadek. They have Troy, born in 1969, Tracy, born in 1971, and Tara, born in 1980.

   Linda Kavan, who married William Jurgens, had sons named Tanner and J.J. Jurgens. Helen Kavan married Wilfred Wirka of Prague. Helen died Nov. 24, 1976.

   Helen and Wilfred Wirka's son, Gary, married Lexie Coufal. Their children were Jeffrey, born 1975, and Tammy, born in 1971. Gary and Lexie Wirka divorced. Later, Gary Wirka married Caroline Branom. They farm northwest of Prague. Submitted by Frank T. Tesar

   My grandfather, Hans Henry Thege, was born in Germany in the year 1849. At the age of 16, after listening, in awe, to stories about America, he with his sister, Margaret, ventured to the United States. He eventually settled in North Bend, Nebr. where he established a Livery Stable Business.

Barbara Kotes Thege, Grandson Edward Thege, Jr. Edward died in combat during WW II.

   My grandmother, Barbara Kotes Thege, arrived from Bohemia in this country in 1865. She was accompanied by her mother, a brother and sister. The family joined Joseph Kotes, Barbara's father, who had traveled ahead of the family and awaited them in Cleveland, Ohio. Later, he homesteaded 80 acres of land from the U.S. Gov't which was located 4½ miles southeast of Linwood, Nebr. It was this land that later became the Thege Farm.

   Grandmother Barbara grew to be a strong young woman who obtained a position in the home of Dr.

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and Mrs. Elwood, Omaha, Nebr. It was during these years she met Henry Thege.

   It has been told that whenever she wished to visit the homestead, a message was sent announcing her arrival. She traveled by train to North Bend, Nebr. where the flaming red-haired Thege would meet her with his carriage.

   Once the mail did not make connections and Barbara was forced to walk. In spite of the fact that there were no roads, she struggled on until darkness fell. She then became lost but ventured further until she saw a light in the distance. There a friendly farm family offered shelter and water to quench her great thirst. She had walked a long, lonely eight miles.

   In the months that followed, she became very ill and developed a severe cough. Her doctor diagnosed the illness as typhoid pneumonia. The ordered remedy was Venison Meat. Strange as it may seem, this seemingly helped to restore her good health.

   Barbara and Henry were married in Fremont, in 1883. They promptly settled in North Bend where the Livery Business continued for the next four years.

   In 1887, misfortune struck my grandparents. The Livery Barn caught fire. The high winds carried flames to their home as well as to all the homes in the block. It was total devastation. The Theges lost everything with the exception of the horses who managed to flee from the barn.

   The couple with their two small children then moved to the Kodes Homestead in Linwood. Here they stayed and farmed the land.

   Throughout the next few years, five more children were born. The offspring totaled seven: four girls, Nettie (Mrs. B.O. Perkins), Albena (Mrs. Paul Cook), Amelia (Mrs. Joe Vrana), and Martha Thege. There were three sons, Edward, George, and Adolph (my father).

   My Aunt Mollie Vrana reminisces about some of those years. "One of the best things father gave us was a pump organ. All of us loved it and we played it a great deal. We learned to play it by following instructions in a book that came with it. How we have treasured and enjoyed it all these years.

   My grandfather died in 1900 at the age of 51 years. Grandmother Thege lived twenty-seven years following this. She was 73 years old when she passed away.

   Two of Henry and Barbara's children survive, Amelia Vrana and Martha Thege, both of Lincoln, Nebr.

   The Theges worked hard and instilled pride and industry in their family. In turn, my grandparents' children had families of their own who have had an important part in the history and development of Saunders County.

   The Linwood Farm, which expanded to 160 acres many years ago, is farmed to this day by Richard Thege, one of the 21 third-generation descendants of Henry and Barbara Thege. Submitted by Loane "Chuck" Thege

   Alfred Nicholas Thompson, son of Niklas Tufveson and Hanna Jonsdotter, was born in Sweden on September 2, 1867, and came to the United States when he was 21 years of age. He worked on a farm between Wahoo and Mead with his brother Tom, who had arrived in this country five years earlier. A third brother, Jons, had come to the United States a number of years earlier, stayed in the East for several years, but then returned to Sweden. In recent years, Jons' granddaughter and later a great-grandson from Sweden visited descendants of Alfred and Tom living in Saunders County.

   Alfred rented, and later purchased for $40 an acre, the farmland on which he had worked. On May 1, 1894 he married Olive Peterson, who was born in Mead on March 13, 1874. To this union three children were born: Florence Lenore on October 5, 1896, Violette, October 6, 1899, and a son Roswell, August 28, 1903, (died in 1918 at age 14.) A new home was built on the farmstead which the family called Pleasant Hill Farm. The cost of the house was $2700. (The Allan Nygren family presently owns this farm.)

   Olive died January 19, 1912 when her children were 15, 12, and 8 years of age. Two years later Alfred married Olive's sister, Helen Peterson. They continued to farm until 1932 when they moved to Mead. Through the years the family was very active in the First Baptist Church of Mead.

   The first daughter, Florence, married Ed Berg of Denver, Colorado, on February 8, 1924. They farmed just east of Mead for many years. Their daughter, Marilyn, was born October 9, 1926, and graduated from Mead High School and from the University of Nebraska. She has taught in the Omaha Public School System for 30 years. The Bergs were active members of the Baptist Churches in Mead and Fremont. Ed passed away in 1971. Florence and Marilyn still spend some time each year in their family farm home.

   The younger daughter, Violette, married Floyd Palmer of Sparta, Illinois, and they had four sons named DeRoy, Robert, Jack, and Frank, (who died at age 16.) They lived in Mead until 1935 when they moved to Liberal, Missouri. Floyd died in 1971; Violette still resides in Missouri and has seven grandchildren.

   Alfred and Helen spent their remaining years living in Mead, where he died on February 3, 1948 at the age of 80. Helen was 72 when she passed away on October 14, 1954.

   Jasper N. Thompson married Elizabeth Margaret Houghton who had been born in Virginia, April 12, 1821, on February 1, 1849. They were the parents of 10 children. David Houghton Thompson was one of the children, being born at Valparaiso, Indiana on November 22, 1853. He lived there until 26 years of age when he moved to Malvern, Iowa and married Mary Frances Fickel.

   Mary Frances was the daughter of Eli and Martha J. Madden Fickel. Her father was born November 13, 1830 at Perry County, Ohio. In 1864, they moved to the small town of White Cloud, Iowa, and later bought a farm near Malvern, Iowa which was retained by the family till the 1940's. Eli was a devoted member of the Methodist Church in Malvern. They were the parents of 11 children. Martha passed away March 19, 1879 and Eli on July 9, 1919, being buried at Malvern Cemetery. Mary Frances was born in Putnam County Ohio on July 9, 1861 and moved with her parents to Mills County, Iowa where she lived until she married David H. Thompson on February 11, 1883. They moved to Saunders County.

   They spent the winter on the A.M. Smith farm and in the spring took possession of the farm they had purchased on May 6, 1882 from William C. Brown. They were the parents of 5 children. Mary Frances passed away at their home near Mead, Oct. 18, 1893 of Typhoid Fever. Her body now rests at Sunrise Cemetery, Wahoo.

   After her death, Elizabeth M. Houghton Thompson came to live with her son and family for nearly 16 years. When she left, she went to make her home with a daughter, Phoebe Roberts, Oakland, Iowa. After being there only 2 months, she passed away at the age of 88 in 1909. Her body lies near other relatives at the Oakland Cemetery.

   In May, 1903, David H. married Esther Wells, born at Burtonville, N.Y., Sept. 30, 1859, the daughter of Levi and Harriet Conover Wells. They came to Nebraska in 1872 where she received her education and taught. They resided on his farm north of Mead their remaining years. David H. Thompson passed away August 23, 1929.

   During the last years of Esther's life, Geneva M. Thompson Williams and her husband, Benjamin F., moved to the farm to care for her. Esther passed away June 13, 1948. Both she and her husband are buried at Sunrise Cemetery.

   The children of David H and Mary Frances Fickel Thompson were; Daniel W. who was a doctor in Council Bluffs, Iowa and is buried at Cedar Lawn Cemetery. He married Ella Spetman. No survivors. Jesse R., who was a dentist in Wahoo for a number of years, later, was with the Division of Dental Health at Lincoln. His wife was Isabel McPherson. One son, David H. Thompson, resides at San Diego, California. Geneva M. Thompson, born April 22, 1886, was married to Benjamin F. Williams on February 8, 1904. (See Benjamin and Wilhelmina Williams) Infant Twins are buried at Marietta Presbyterian Cemetery. Submitted by Mrs. Carl E. Landgren

   Tom Nicholas Thompson was born Tuve Niklasson in southern Sweden on January 25, 1865, son of Niklas Tufveson and Hanna Jonsdotter. He came to the United States in about 1883, settling near Wahoo and doing farm work. His younger brother Alfred came to this country a few years later, and worked on the same farm. Their name was spelled Thomson for a number of years. After renting land east of Wahoo for several years, Tom purchased the present Thompson farm two and a half miles north west of Wahoo in 1895.

Tom N. and Hilda Thompson

   On October 4, 1890 Tom married Hilda Louise Henrickson, also of Swedish descent. She was born July 9, 1863 in Bockara Berga, (northern) Sweden, had migrated to the United States at age 16, and worked in Omaha for several years. The marriage was blessed with three children: Alice Mae, born August 11, 1891; Florence Lucille, born November 25, 1896; and Vernon Herbert on February 6, 1905.

   In about 1899, the couple returned with their two small daughters to visit relatives in Sweden. In 1903, a new $1200 two-story home was built on the farm. It was in this house that their son, Vernon, was born.

   Tragedy came to the family when Tom suffered a fatal heart attack on May 17, 1914 (on the day of Florence's Baccalaureate at Luther College.) A year or two later, Hilda moved with the children to a new home in Wahoo. The wedding of daughter Alice to Clarence M. Seely took place in this house. She moved with her husband to a farm near Mead. The family suffered another great loss when Alice died March 25, 1919.

   Florence taught in Saunders County schools for several years. On June 28, 1922 she married Everett F. Barry at the Swedish Lutheran Church, (now Bethlehem Lutheran,) with her young brother, Vernon, giving the bride away. Everett and Florence farmed the family farm until the late thirties, when they moved to Wahoo. Their daughter, Patricia, attended District 70 School, Wahoo High School, and Luther College. She married Thomas Ludi of Wahoo, and their children Janice, Nicholas, Timothy and Michelle, all graduated from Wahoo High School. Pat and Tom presently reside in Omaha.

   Hilda died October 10, 1946 in Wahoo at 83 years of age. Florence was able to make a second trip to Sweden to visit relatives in her later years. She passed away on October 29, 1970, and Vernon died in 1972. Several of the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren of Tom and Hilda still live in the county where their grandparents settled nearly a hundred years ago.

   Vernon Herbert Thompson, Sr. (Tom) was born February 6, 1905 on a farm northwest of Wahoo, the son of Tom and Hilda Thompson. He attended

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