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Mylo Bartu (Click the picture for a larger view.)
Front Row right to left: Antonie Kouba Bartu, Otilka Vella Bartu, Frank Bartu Sr. Back row left to right: Frank Bartu Jr., Joseph Frank Bartu, Mylo Bartu Picture Taken About 1908 Property of Cathy Morgan Mylo Bartu, son of Frank Bartu, Sr. and his wife Antonie Kouba was born February 4, 1890 near Rushville, Sheridan Co, NE. Antonie parents were Pavel and Marie (Vitu) Kouba. Mylo's brothers, Frank Bartu, Jr, Joseph, and sister Otilka are also referred to in these writings. The following is a portion of his memoirs from his childhood in Nebraska: My parents came to U.S. in 1880, my mother came with her family and Dad was alone. He left Bohemia, now Czechoslovakia because he did not want to serve a four year hitch in the army. He was 21 years old. They landed in Kansas as they had some relations then later they moved to Nebraska. There my mother's parents bought a 160 acre farm. When dad and mother got married they leased 160 acres then known as school land. This was adjacent to the farm that mother's parents bought. The grass was all wild grass know as buffalo grass. There were no buildings, no fences, and no water. Dad and mother had to build all the fences, barns, and house. Also dug a well which was 100 feet deep. The water was hauled up by a big drum and pulled up by horses. Mother and dad dug the well by themselves. Mother would run the winch letting down and pulling up the bucket full of dirt. Also she would let dad down and pull him up out of the well. Later in the years, they put up a wind mill and pumped the water. Dad went into the woods about 10 miles, cut down the trees and hauled the timbers to build the derrick. The house was made of sod made by plowing the grass land into strips 12 inches wide and cut into short pieces small enough so they could be handled. The strips were hauled in and stacked one on top of the other just like you would lay bricks. That was how the walls were built. The roof was made by laying timer across the walls, these were then covered with rough boards, and sod was then laid on top in such a way so as to make the roof water tight. The walls inside were a plaster made of clay to cover up the cracks between the sod. The floor was just plain dirt. I was born in this house. My parents also built a horse barn and a cow shed. The cow shed was built out of poles and when they trashed the grain, the straw was conveyed on top of the poles to make the cow shed. The straw was also used as food for the cattle. In later years, dad built a new house made of logs. He went into the timber, cut down the trees, and hauled home the logs. He hued the logs on two sides and made them into a house. He also built a grain shed and a corn crib. We also had a root cellar where we kept our potatoes and fruit to keep it from freezing. The cellar was 7 feet deep down in the ground. There were only few fences so when we got older, my brother and I had to herd the cows. We would take them out in the morning and bring them back again at noon. We had a pony to ride. We lived in Nebraska for 11 years. The parents decided to move to Oregon. The family consisted of 3 boys and a baby sister. We Moved to Oregon in 1898. There were four families (Chladeks, Stepaneks, Stasneys and Bartus.) We all came on the same train......." Mylo attended school through the 8th grade and then enrolled in Oregon Agriculture College in Corvallis, OR. He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree. He died in Corvallis, Benton Co, OR on August 30, 1991 at age 101. He was survived by two sons, Allen and Gene who also graduated from Oregon State College in engineering. Mylo Bartu, was my great uncle.
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