History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 105

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011

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In Denmark, on May 28, 1865, Mr. Ericksen married Miss Anna M. Carstensen. They have the following children: Jens, who lives in Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Maggie Ras- mussen, deceased; Walter, a business man of Grand Island; Mrs. Gertrude Alexander, who resides in Omaha; Mrs. Emma Dalgus, of Grand Island; Charles, in business at Grand Island ; Martin, deceased; Ernest, who lives in Grand Island; Albert, in business in Seattle, Washington; Anna, the wife of C. Petersen, and Christ, who makes his home in Grand Island. All the children were born in Den- mark except the youngest, a native son of Grand Island. , The family belongs to the English Lutheran church. In his political opinions Mr. Ericksen is a Democrat.

. REV. GUSTAV H. MICHELMANN .- Perhaps the Lutheran clergy in Nebraska has no more scholarly representative than Rev. Gustav Herman Michelmann, pastor of the German-English St. Paul's Evangelical Luth- eran congregation, on Seventh and Locust streets, Grand Island, who for the past five years has been president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Nebraska.

Rev. Michelmann was born at Prosigk, dukedom Anhalt, Germany, July 17th, 1871. His parents were born in Anhalt, the father at Muehno and his mother at Coethen.

From 1878 to 1881 Rev. Michelmann at- tended the grammar school at Coethen-Anhalt. Digitized by then - Anhalte

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In the latter year he became a pupil of the gymnasium of the same city. At that insti- tution he paid especial attention to the lan- guages, Latin, Greek, French and English. On March 10, 1891, he passed the examina- tion, the so-called abiturium which qualifies for admission to the university. In April, 1891, he became a student of the university of Tuebingen (Wurtemberg) and registered as a student of philosophy and evangelical theology. At the close of the first semester he passed the examination in the Hebrew language. In April, 1892, he went to the university of Halle (Saxony) to continue and to complete his studies in the same branches. In the fall of 1894 he was graduated and ac- cepted a call as private instructor from a Lutheran minister in a village of Mecklenburg. He remained there one year engaged in pre- paring five boys for the higher classes of a gymnasium.

Due to the fact that there were so many can- didates for the ministry at that time in Ger- many, Rev. Michelmann resolved to emigrate to the United States of America, landing at New York City December 20, 1895, and went from there to Chicago, where he accepted a call as assistant professor in a Lutheran Theo- logical seminary. In June, 1896, he received a call from a Lutheran congregation of Chi- cago, and was ordained a minister of the Gospel in September, 1897. Since that time he has served churches in the following places : Chicago, Brookville, Indiana, Oak Park, Illinois, and Grand Island, Nebraska, coming to the last named city in August 1906. In August, 1915, Rev. Michelmann accepted a call from the Grand Island College to teach German and French, at that institution, from which he received the degree of Ph.B., in 1916. In November, 1905, Rev. Michelmann became a citizen of the United States.

In Brookville, Indiana, in 1899, Rev. Mr. Michelmann married Miss Elizabeth Klemme. Five children have been born to them: Oswald C., Hans F., Margaret, Clara W. and Ilse Pearl. The oldest son is a student of phi- lology in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

REV. HERMAN SCHUMANN. - There are few old-time German residents of a num- ber of counties in Nebraska who have not heard or come under the ministrations of Rev. Herman Schumann, who now, having retired from active ministerial work, resides in Grand Island, his pleasant home being situated at No. 304 West Sixth street. As one of the pioneer preachers of the Lutheran faith,

Rev. Schumann for years traveled back and forth visiting scattered settlements and lonely farmhouses, sharing the hardships of his parishioners while helping them both ma- terially and spiritually. In passing from one field of labor to another, he never failed to leave behind tangible evidence of his interest, and the religious bodies he then organized, in many cases were plants that have developed into the large congregations of the present.

Herman Schumann was born in Germany, February 13, 1857, one of a family of eleven children born to Julius and Anna (Dunskus) Schumann, who passed their entire lives in Germany, the father dying in 1869 and the mother in 1914. Two of their six surviving children live in Grand Island, Rev. Schumann and Mrs. Anna Freeland. From the high school in his native land, Herman Schumann entered the university at Basel, Switzerland, and was ordained to the Lutheran ministry before coming to the United States in 1885. He located first in Platte County, Nebraska, his first charge being near Columbus. In those early days he visited the three churches to which he was usually asssigned, at regular intervals, driving alone over miles of prairie from one to the other, often carrying with him the consolations of religion to the sick and afflicted while at other times his advent was awaited anxiously for the celebration of a wedding or a baptism. From Platte County he removed to Fillmore county and five years later from there to Dodge County, where he resided until in 1898, when he accepted a call to Grand Island. Here he continued active in church work until his retirement in the fall of 1918. He was a faithful laborer and was instrumental in building four churches beside organizing five congregations.

At Shell Creek, in Platte County, Nebraska. Rev. Schumann married, November 18, 1886. Miss Amelia Radtke. They have the follow- ing children: Lydia, the wife of Rev. Fred Motckus, of Hastings, Nebraska ; Albert, a resident of Cameron township, Hall County, married Freda Buckow; Reinhold, a farmer in Cameron township, married Opal Stewart: Emma, the wife of Leves Seddell, of Omaha : Martha, a talented musician, resides at home ; Freda, a teacher in the public schools, resides at home; Ferdinand, a student in the high school in Grand Island; Hulda, also a high school student, and Rosalie, who resides with her parents.

When Mr. Schumann retired from the min- istry as a profession it was from no lack of Christian zeal nor with the expectation of living entirely at ease. He has some im-

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portant interests to claim his time, included in these being the management of his three farms, and looking after the affairs of the Grand Island Manufacturing Company, of which' he is president. Many years ago he became a citizen of the United States. He is a Republican in his political identification.

GEORGE W. BROADWELL, who does an extensive business in Grand Island as a general contractor, is prominent in public as well as business affairs. Although not a native of Nebraska almost all of his life has been spent here and he takes much pride in the present status of this state in comparison to her sister states.

Mr. Broadwell was born in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, June 13th, 1868, a son of Cyrus F. and Ella A. (Goff) Broad- well. Cyrus F. Broadwell was born in Spring- field and in boyhood attended school with the sons of Abraham Lincoln. He was a general farmer and raiser of stock. He removed from Illinois to Colorado, where he lived for three years and then came to Nebraska, May 8, 1871, homesteading near Lincoln. He lived in Web- ster County until the spring of 1887, moving then to Hall County, where his death occurred in 1894, at the age of forty-eight years. He was a member of the American Order United Workmen, and in politics was a Republican. His wife was born in St. Louis, Missouri. They had six children, George W. being the only one of the four survivors to live in Hall County. His mother makes her home with him. She remembers many interesting events of early times in Hall County. On one oc- casion, when she was yet a young woman, she drove a yoke of oxen all the way from Omaha to Denver, and when the family removed to Nebraska, young George W. was entrusted with the duty of driving the ox-team, which was not always an undertaking devoid of danger.

After his.school days were over, George W. Broadwell worked as a farmer until he was twenty years old, when he came to Grand Island and learned the brickmason trade, which he pursued until 1897, when he became a general contractor, in which he has been very successful.

On December 25, 1889, Mr. Broadwell married Miss Minnie Balcom, a daughter of James and Elzina (Bowen) Balcom, who came to Grand Island thirty years ago and still reside here. Mr. and Mrs. Broadwell have no . children. Mr. Broadwell has taken an active part in public matters and is a prominent

factor in Republican political circles. He has been chairman of his ward organization at different times and · for thirteen years prior to 1917, was a member of the city board of aldermen. His efforts at all times are directed to advance the general welfare. In early days he assisted in the organization of Alexander Fire Company No. 4, and many old settlers will recall the station at Elm and Seventh streets. He belongs to the fraternal orders of the Elks, and the Eagles.

JOHN PETER WINDOLPH, for many years well known in the newspaper business in Nebraska, yet connected with the printing business, was born in Uder Kreis Heiligen- stadt, Germany, January 24, 1865. His parents were John and Katherina (Kellner) Windolph, both natives of Germany.

In 1872 the father of Mr. Windolph came to the United States, the mother and children following in April, 1873. They settled in Hall County, the father buying a farm of . eighty acres south of Grand Island, on which they lived ten years, then sold and bought 160 acres east of Grand Island. The father died in the same year, on September 23, 1882. The mother continued on the farm for a num- ber of years and then removed to Grand Island, where she still resides. She is a mem- ber of the Catholic church. She remembers when the cyclone blew the first Catholic church away and afterward for some time there was no church building in this section of that denomination. She also remembers the hard- ships of the farmer's life in those early days including the losses of crops from hail, drought and grasshoppers. Nine children were born to John and Catherine Windolph, as follows : John P., who resides one mile east of Grand Island; Mary, who is the wife of Chris Mangelsen, of near Palmer, Nebraska; Kath- erine, who is the widow of Henry Eberhard, resides with her mother in Grand Island; Dora, who is deceased, was the wife of John Goettsche of Grand Island; Hedwig, who lives with her brother William in Creighton, Ne- braska; William, a Catholic priest, resides at Creighton; John, who is a clerk in the post office in Grand Island, married Freda Cords ; Charles, who lives on the old farm of his mother and operates it, is a twin brother of John, usually called Peter, who married Antonia Cords, and Oscar, a druggist at Humphrey, Nebraska, married Miss Burk- hardt.

Fortified with a common school education, secured at Grand Island, John P. Windolph gitized by

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began, April 1, 1881, his apprenticeship to the printing trade, in the office of the Herald, in Grand Island, where he remained several years. For some time afterward he operated a store, then was in the railway mail service, from which latter he resigned in 1888, shortly afterward starting a job printing office, which was the nucleus of a newspaper, which he founded and named the Grand Island Anzeiger, of which he was editor. The ven- ture succeeded and within two years Mr. Windolph had enlarged to an eight page six column sheet, continuing to operate as such until April, 1894, when he purchased the Herald plant and good will, consolidating the two papers. In 1900 he bought the Staats Anzeiger, of Lincoln, Nebraska, which he con- solidated with his other journals and continued publication until 1906, before he disposed of all his newspaper interests.

In 1907 Mr. Windolph treated himself to a vacation, spending several months in his native land. This pleasant experience he re- peated in 1913 when he went to Germany ac- companied by his wife. On September 9, 1887, he married Miss Amanda Rieck, a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Reimers) Rieck. The father of Mrs. Windolph died in Germany and the mother afterward married Christian Bade, both of whom are deceased. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Windolph : William, who lives in Grand Island, married Elizabeth Koch; Hugo, a res- ident of Grand Island, married Anna Wetzel; Peter, whose home is at Cortland, New York, was a soldier in the United States army, having just returned home from France; Clara, the wife of Albert Schultz, a meat merchant in Grand Island; Walter, who is a soldier in the United States army of occupation in Germany ; Otto, at home was recently released from miltitary training at Camp Dodge; Albert, who lives at Grand Island, and Elsie, a photographist, lives at home.

In 1896 Mr. Windolph and family moved out of the city of Grand Island to their country place of ten acres, one mile east, this being part of the old homestead. In 1908 he started a job printing office here and has operated it ever since. In politics he is a Democrat. He has never had any ambition to hold office and the only public position he ever accepted was that of moderator of schools for four terms. He belongs fraternally to the Eagles, the Sons of Herman, the Liederkranz and the Plattsdeutschen society.

JOHN F. WALSH. - A man of many honorable achievements both in public and

business life for many years well known in Nebraska, is John F. Walsh, the retiring com- mandant of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, at Burkett, Nebraska. Mr. Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland, March 31, 1846. His parents were Patrick K. and Susan (Woods) Walsh, natives of Ireland who came to the United States in 1848.

Patrick K. Walsh was a shoemaker by trade but a leader of men by nature. He was a man of education and brilliant mind, a writer of books and a welcome contributor to such well known literary journals as the Celtic Index and the Irish National Magazine. He was one of a very active group of agitators in the rebellion of 1884 in Ireland and it became ex- pedient that he leave his country, hence his emigration to the United States when that uprising in Erin was unsuccessful. He never ceased his active interest in Irish affairs and was recognized in Ohio as a devoted worker for Ireland's freedom. His death occurred July 28, 1886, and in St. Joseph cemetery. Cleveland, Ohio, stands a monument erected to his memory by his followers. In 1862 he showed his willingness to fight for what he believed to be right, by enlisting as a private for service in the Civil War, being placed in command of a telegraph construction division and later was promoted to the rank of captain. Although he was not the type of man to shun danger and his work took him into many haz- ardous situations, he was never either wounded or taken prisoner. His wife died in 1891. Of their six children three are liv- ing, John F. being the only one in Hall County.

John F. Walsh was instructed in his early years by his father but later attended the public schools in Cincinnati. In 1862, when his father entered the Union army, he also endeavored to be accepted as a soldier, and twice afterward made further ineffectual efforts, but succeeded in 1864 and served until the war closed, during this time having been a prisoner of war on one occasion for two hours. He returned then to his father's house in Cleveland and completed his appreticeship to the shoemaking trade while, for two years, he attended night schools to further his edu- cation.

Mr. Walsh then went as far west as St. Louis, Missouri, where he joined a company of fur traders whose life of adventure led them to the source of the Missouri river. In those wild regions they were attacked by a band of Indians who killed two of their party and stole their pelts. Being unable under the circumstances to resent this injustice, the fur men went down the river in skiffs as far as Sioux City and from there to Brownsville,

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HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA

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MR. AND MRS. J. P. WINDOLPH

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Nebraska. His first marriage took place at Brownsville, and from there he went to what was then the hamlet of Humboldt, in Richard- son County, Nebraska. The village at that time had but fifty inhabitants and Mr. Walsh was the first shoe merchant in the town, own- ing and operating his store until 1888, when he embarked in general merchandising. He was a resident of Humboldt for forty-four years and was one of the leading factors in its de- velopment. He was a member of the first city council, was on the school board for eighteen years, was post master during the four years of President Cleveland's first administration, was mayor of Humboldt, and during the early 'nineties was treasurer of Richardson County. Mr. Walsh then engaged in the banking bus- inss, in which he continued up to the time he gave way to the solicitation of Governor Moorhead to accept the position at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Burkett, hav- ing been cashier of the bank for twenty-three consecutive years.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Home of Hall County was organized October 20, 1887. It is situated on 640 acres of land and until 1913 the home was under the control of a board of Public Land and Buildings. Since then it has been under the management of a constitutional body known as the Board of Commissioners of State Institutions, ap- pointments under this board being considered based on efficiency only. At the present time there are two hundred and forty women and three hundred and sixty men residing at the institution. The United States government allows $100 per year for each inmate, the state providing the balance of expense. The average age of the inmates is over seventy years, and there is always a waiting list. In March, 1915, Mr. Walsh upon appointment took charge of the home as commandant, a po- sition he has resigned as indicated by the following letter made public addressed to the board of control. After courteous prelimi- naries Mr. Walsh said as follows in this com- munication : "To the State Board of Control :

"I herewith tender you my resignation as commandant of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Burkett, to take effect March 15, 1919, or not later than April 1, following, for the following reasons: When I was solicited to take the position four years ago, I was given to understand that it was a non-partisan civil service proposition, and not a political foot- ball, but from reading the newspapers I learn of the petty and pernicious political activity of some members of the legislature, and the public and emphatic pronouncement of Gov-

ernor McKelvie that this administration was to be one of the ultra partisan type, I do not care to undergo the nagging and annoyance of such conditions. I must say for you, gentlemen, that I have never discovered any partisan discrimination on your part. The good of the institution seemed to be your sole object, and I consider the board of control one of the best executive departments in our state government. I will say nothing of my personal record as you have that in black and white. I heartily thank you one and all for your uniform kindness and support during my service under your jurisdiction. Respect- fully submitted. J. F. Walsh."

Mr. Walsh married Miss Cora V. Layton, a daughter of Judge Layton, of Pottawattomie County, Iowa. Her death occurred July 25th, 1886; their children are all deceased. His second marriage took place November 29, 1888, to Miss Kate B. Murphy, who is a daughter of Barney and Margaret (Mc- Sweeney) Murphy. To this union the follow- ing children were born: Patrick R., who lives in Omaha; Morgan A., of Los Angeles ; Paul E., whose home is Omaha; Ernest, who has been farm boss at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, and Vinetta M., who is a skilled stenographer in the Union Pacific offices at Grand Island.

During his lifetime Mr. Walsh has been associated with men of large affairs and has been on terms of intimacy and friendship with such national characters as J. Sterling Morton, Governor Butler, Governor Moor- head, Governor Furness and Governor Poynter.

GEORGE ALBERT ENGLE, depot agent for the American Express Company in Grand Island, has been identified with this important business organization for a number of years. and was advanced to his present position because of merit. Mr. Engle has spent his life in Grand Island, and while his business associations have made him widely known, his personal demeanor has made him equally respected.

Mr. Engle was born in Grand Island, Ne- braska, February 14, 1889, son of Charles and Lillie (Ruby) Engle, natives of Iowa. The father of Mr. Engle is interested in farm- ing in South Dakota, but the mother is re- siding in Grand Island. Mr. Engle had one sister who is deceased. He has the follow- ing half brothers and sisters: Dora, the wife of Frank Deeds, of Mendon, Nebraska ; Roy Kent, a resident of Grand Island, and Ethel,

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Ruby and Oscar, all of whom reside at home.

George Albert Engle attended the public schools in his native city, immediately after- ward looking about for a useful line of indus- try and subsequently learning the trade of plasterer and mason, in which he was more or less continuously engaged for twelve years. He then entered the employ of the American Ex- press Company, serving first as platform man, then as teamster, next as agent, in June, 1913, becoming station agent. Mr. Engle is known to be careful, reliable and courteous and he has many friends among the home people as well as the general traveling public.

Mr. Engle married, July 4, 1910, Miss Augusta Ottomiller, a daughter of the late John Ottomiller, who died on his farm near Grand Island, in January, 1914. The mother of Mrs. Engle still lives on the farm. Mrs. Engle has three brothers and two sisters : John, a farmer in Hall County; Anna, the wife of Rudolph Reher, of Grand Island; Fred, a farmer; Henry, a soldier in the United States army; and Katie, who lives with her mother. Mr. and Mrs. Engle have had the following children : George, Ruby, Harold, Robert and Eugene, all of whom survive except Harold. Mr. Engle is a good citizen but is not active in politics.

REV. CONRAD WOELZ, who was con- nected with the active ministry of the Evan- gelical church both in Germany and in the United States for many years, is a resident of Grand Island who is held in the highest esteem. Although the weight of more than four score years rests upon him, he still re- sponds to ministerial calls in local churches and still takes a deep interest in everything of moral import that is brought to his attention.

Rev. Woelz was born at Lautern, Wurttem- berg, Germany, February 17, 1838. His par- ents were Jacob and Margaretha (Grimm) Woelz, who never left Germany, where the father lived to the age of eighty-three years and the mother, seventy-six years. They had six children, three of whom live, Conrad being the only one to come to the United States. The father was a weaver in a cotton factory.

After attending the local schools, Conrad Woelz was accepted as a theological student in the seminary at Reutlingen, Germany, where he completed his studies and became a minister of the Evangelical association. In 1876 he began his active labors in the Evan- gelical ministry, attended conferences in Switzerland and organized several churches in southern Germany. In 1883 he came to the

United States with his family, locating in Milford, Seward County, as a minister, from which place he came as a minister to Grand Island, in 1884, where he continued active in church affairs until 1890.

In Germany, May 21, 1866, Rev. Woelz married Anna M. Zeuner, who was born at Herbrechtingen, Germany, and eight children were born to them: Charles, who resides in Grand Island, married Elvina Janss; Chris- tian, who now lives at Fort Collins, Colorado; Gottleib, at present a resident of Longmont, · Colorado; John who is at home; Lydia, also at home; Herman, who lives at Longmont, Colo- rado; Theodore, who died February 7, 1919; and an infant that died unnamed. There is only one grandchild in the family. The sons of Rev. Woelz developed into young men of un- usual stability and business capacity, all of them being connected for years with the well known mercantile house of Wolbach & Sons. The late Theodore Woelz was engaged with this important firm for twenty years of his life, while Charles has been there sixteen years, John, twenty-two years, and Christian, Gott- leib and Herman, six, fourteen and ten years respectively. It may not be out of place to comment, in this connection, on the very evi- dent value of Christian home training and Rev. and Mrs. Woelz may well be proud of a family so creditable in every way. The family home is at No. 1323 West First street, Grand Island.

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History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 105

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co. Number of Pages: 1011

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011