History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 109

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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Mr. Schimmer took a homestead in what is now Alda township, and in true pioneer style began the task of subduing the soil and pre- paring to establish a home. He resided on this place until 1875, when he removed to Wash- ington township, his first purchase here being one acre, the only improvement being a shanty. The pursuit of agriculture and other interests have been carried on successfully, and today Mr. Schimmer is the owner of three thousand acres in this county, a section of land in Buffalo County and a quarter section near North Platte. The public spirit and enterprise of Mr. Schimmer has been manifested in many ways which have had to do with the develop- ment of the country. The people of Grand Island and vicinity are especially indebted to Mr. Schimmer for Schimmer's Lake and the beautiful resort known as "Sand Krog." The lake covers an area of twenty-five acres and was made by Mr. Schimmer who after exca- vating the sand built a dam to retain the water. The shore of the lake is dotted with cottages which are owned by Grand Island people who find great pleasure in coming here to enjoy the cool breezes of the lake and get away from the heat and dust of the city. Mr. Schimmer is the principal stock holder in the Grand Island Manufacturing Company.

In 1870 Mr. Schimmer was united in mar- riage with Miss Louisa Wolf, a daughter of Henry Wolf, who came to Hall County in an early day. Of this marriage there were four children : Emma, the wife of Phillip Sanders, a resident of Merrick County ; John, married Anna Thavenet, and resides at Sand Krog;

Dora, the wife of Robert Shipton, of Washing- ton township; and Lena, the widow of Hans Scheel, living at Sand Krog. The mother of these children passed away in 1884, and Feb- ruary 15, 1885, Mr. Schimmer married Miss Emma Wiese, who has become the mother of one child, Bertha, the wife of John Schaup- dach, of Washington township.

The family are members of the Lutheran church, and in politics Mr. Schimmer exercises the right of franchise in support of men and measures of the Republican party, in national affairs, while in local elections he casts an in- dependent ballot.

Mr. Schimmer is one of the few remaining real pioneers of Hall County, and has wit- nessed some vast changes. He used oxen when he first came here, and that first winter made ties for the Union Pacific Railroad which was being constructed and later hauled cord wood which was used for fuel in the engines in those days. He bore his share of the hardships, in- cluding the grasshopper scourge, drouths and crop failures and has lived to see Hall County become one of the leading communities of this great state. Indians were numerous though peaceable, buffalo and antelope roamed over the prairies and the beautiful city of Grand Island was only a hamlet. And in the work of progress Mr. Schimmer has contributed his full share and enjoys the honor that comes to those who helped make Hall County a better place in which to live.

CARL ROSENKÖTTER, a prominent farmer in Washington township, and one of Hall County's well known residents, came here many years ago when conditions were very different, and has done his part in bringing about the many improvements. He was born at Minden, Germany, January 20, 1849. His parents were Carl and Katie (Bode) Rosen- kötter, both of whom were born in Germany in 1814, and died there, the father in 1861, and the mother in 1880. The father was a farmer all his life. Both parents were kind, good, worthy people and were members of the Lutheran church. Of their family of six children two came to the United States, these being Carl and Mary, the latter of whom is Mrs. Casper Meyer, who lives in Grand Island.

Carl Rosenkötter had excellent educational advantages in his native country, where he was mainly engaged in farming until 1883, when he came to the United States. Shortly after reaching Hall County he bought eighty acres of land and still lives on that property

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Martin Schimmer

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although he has a residence and two improved lots in Grand Island, and until recently owned in addition two hundred and forty acres of valuable land which he has disposed of. Mr. Rosenkötter has been very successful in his business undertakings and has been a liberal supporter of the German parochial school and served on the school board for six years. An honest, upright man in business and a good neighbor, he has always enjoyed the respect of all who have known him.

On December 13, 1883, Carl Rosenkötter married Miss Johanna Bulk, a daughter of Frederick and Wilhelmina (Sass) Bulk, and they have had the following children: Wil- liam, Minnie, Henry, Martha, Anna, Mary, Carl, Emma, Fritz and Ella.

HANS SCHEEL, who has spent the greater part of a busy, useful life in the United States, came to this country and to Hall County, with his parents, in the spring of 1867. Here he has lived ever since, with the exception of a few years prior to 1881. He has long been considered one of the best farmers of Washington township. He was born in Holstein, Germany, March 19, 1854, the son of Detlef and Lucy D. (Lilen- thal) Scheel, natives of Germany, who were in humble circumstances there when the father realized that across the Atlantic ocean he could secure land of his own and would no longer be compelled to labor for others, hence, with great effort and much self denial he brought his family to America. At that time many of his countrymen were securing farms in Nebraska, and here the Scheels decided to locate. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of railroad land in Hall County and hopefully looked forward to independence in old age. His hopes for himself were not realized, however, for his death occurred in August, 1871, before he could move his family on the land he had purchased for a home. The mother did not survive him many years, her death occurring in April, 1877. Of their four children, Hans is the only one living.

Hans Scheel was thirteen years old when the family came to the United States and had already attended school. He grew up on the farm and remained in Hall County as a farmer until about 1878, when the discovery of gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming attracted thousands to that section, . and among those who went from Hall County were Hans Scheel and Claus Frauen. Mr. Frauen covered the whole distance with a team of eight oxen, and although this was a

slow mode of travel, it had advantages over those who went by foot, though thousands did so. While Mr. Frauen was in the gold region he hauled supplies to the miners and before he returned to Nebraska, had disposed of his oxen for beef. In 1881 Mr. Scheel re- turned to Hall County, homesteaded and bought railroad land, living in section 22, Doniphan township for ten years. He then moved to his father's old property, in section 27, Washington township, where he has since resided. He now owns two farms, aggregat- ing four hundred and sixty acres, both of which are highly improved. His farming operations have always been carried on intel- ligently and systematically, for he has taken deep interest in his vocation, and, while never sparing himself when necessary, he has made use of the best obtainable farm machinery.

On April 3, 1883, Mr. Scheel married Miss Emma Dorothy Reher, a daughter of John and Sophia (Vogt) Reher, who came from Germany to Hall County in April, 1883. They bought the farm in section 36, Washington township, on which their son Ernest Reher now lives. Mr. and Mrs. Scheel have had children as follows: Anna, the wife of Henry Schimmer, of Phillips, Nebraska; Otto, who lives at Doniphan, married Freda Schimmer; Lena, the wife of Otto Martens, lives in Alda township; Dora, deceased, was the wife of Henry Neubert and she left four little children motherless ; Emil, unmarried, lives at home; Herman, who lives in Doniphan township, married Minnie Schimmer; Minnie, the wife of Albert Rohweder, lives in Washington township; and Bernard, Harry, Max and Viola, all of whom live at home. Mr. Scheel is one of the county's dependable men and for fifteen years he served as a member of the township school board. In politics he is a member of the Non-Partisan League, and for many years he has belonged to Platts- deutchen, the old German organization of a social nature in Grand Island.

PAUL FRAUEN, claimed by both Hall and Merrick counties, resides in Merrick County but is financially interested and a director of the First National Bank of Grand Island. Mr. Frauen has been widely known in both counties for many years, owning large bodies of land in both sections, and at the present time has two sons living on his land in Merrick and one in Hall County. His recol- lections of early days in Nebraska are exceed- ingly interesting.

Paul Frauen was born in Holstein, Germany, Digitized by

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September 22, 1846. He was one of a family of six children born to his parents, Paul and Cecelia (Janss) Frauen, both of whom died in Germany, on their dairy farm, in 1898. Four of their children are living but only Paul and his brother came to the United States. Mr. Frauen had school training in his native land. In May, 1864, he came to America, and after three years in Scott County, Iowa, located in Hall County and in 1867 worked on a farm which is now the site of the Grand Island stockyards. In that year came the grasshopper invasion and the country was so stripped by the insects that crop harvesting was a farce. In the fall of 1867 he went to Merrick County and homesteaded eighty acres. The law restricted homesteaders to eighty acres within twenty miles of the railroad, while outside that limit, one hundred and sixty acres were allowed. This eighty acres is the homestead on which Mr. Frauen now lives. He recalls that when he went to Lone Tree, south of Central City, to secure his first homestead papers before Judge Brewer, he made the journey with oxen, in fourteen hours. Within the last year he covered the same ground in less than one hour, in his automobile.

After securing his claim, Mr. Frauen put up a log house and the next winter built what was then the largest barn in Merrick County, at no cost to him except time and labor. The round trip with oxen from Dannebrog, where logs were obtained, consumed twenty-four hours, and he and his brother worked on barn building all winter. It served its purpose for twenty-five years, and in later years when the magnificent improvements of the present were made on the homestead, the old log house was used for a granary. In 1876 the brothers were in partnership and raised their first corn crop. They fattened eight steers, butchered them and when they offered the meat for sale, could get no price over three cents per pound. That seemed too low even then, So the following April Mr. Frauen's brother started with a load of meat to the Black Hills and there was able to sell it for six cents a pound live weight. The brothers had planned to invest their meat money in mines, but before doing so Mr. Frauen investigated and found that the com- pany in which he had thought to invest had made no money that far and the whole propo- sition failed to interest him. Therefore when the brother returned to Merrick County, he yet had their joint capital in his pocket.

With this money the brothers bought cattle, fed, fattened and sold in the following spring and still had fifty head left. They invested their money in land that the government had

put on the market near Fullerton, Nebraska, at one dollar an acre down and the balance at six per cent interest, and in that and the fol- lowing year bought two sections of land in Nance County. With these responsibilities they became land poor, and early in the eighties sold the land with the improvements they had put on it, to John Riemers. Later Mr. Frauen bought more land in Merrick County, and still later in Hall County, at one time owning about 2,000 acres in Merrick County. He has sold all this land to his chil- dren, retaining for his lifetime the old home- stead. His Hall County land had absolutely nothing on it when he bought and all the im- provements he made himself.

In the fall of 1877 Mr. Frauen married Miss Catherine Paustian, who died in 1898. They had children as follows: Otto, who lives in Merrick County; Cecelia, deceased, was the wife of Max Cornelius; Henry, a farmer in Lake township, Hall County ; Annie. the wife of Christian Sass, of Merrick County : and John J., who operates the home farm of 520 acres, raising Hereford cattle and Duroc- Jersey hogs. Mr. Frauen formerly favored Shorthorn cattle, thoroughbred, but sold his herd in 1904. Another contrast is presented when memory goes back to the wearying work on the farm that had to be done with ox strength, when Mr. Frauen was a young farmer, while now the most modern of farm tractors solves every problem.

Since he became an American citizen, Mr. Frauen has valued his political privileges and has conscientiously supported the candidates and upheld the principles of the Republican party. He has been active in the affairs of Merrick County and frequently has served in public office. Early in the eighties he was a member of the county board, for many years was assessor, and for fully twenty years was a school director. He has lent his influence in support of more than one worthy enterprise in the county, has always worked for sobriety, law and religion.

JAMES GARFIELD ERION, whose agri- cultural activities include the operation of a large farm in Lake township, Hall County, a dairy in connection, and the raising of Hol- stein cows for the same, came to this county in 1883, when three years old. With the ex- ception of seven years this has since been his home.

James Garfield Erion was born in Linn County, Iowa, October 13, 1880, the son of Joseph and Clara L. (Stewart) Erion, the 20 le Digitized by

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former of whom was born in Ohio, April 6, 1851, and died in 1890. The mother of Mr. Erion was born in Linn County, Iowa, Octo- ber 12, 1860, and resides in Hall County. Of their six children, James Garfield was the second in order of birth, the others being: Leota, the wife of Robert Plummer, of Elk- ton, Maryland; Edward E., who lives north of Grand Island, married Elva Rice; Nellie, the wife of R. R. Hanna, of Grand Island; Har- riet, who lives in Hastings, Nebraska; and Addie L., the wife of George Stevenson, of Simla, Colorado. The father of this family, came to Iowa from Ohio when fourteen years old, and to Hall County, in 1883, purchasing eighty acres situated two miles north of Grand Island. He was a man of sterling character, a member of the Presbyterian church and a Republican in politics.

James G. Erion obtained his education in the schools of Lake township, and grew up on the homestead on which he now lives. He en- gaged in farming here and continued until 1909, when he learned the carpenter trade and afterward worked at the same in Grand Island for seven years. Mr. Erion then re- turned to the farm. This was in September, 1916, and he proposes to continue in agricul- tural life. He is interested in Holstein cattle and has built up a fine dairy business in addi- tion to conducting farm operations on his one hundred and forty acres, and is regarded as one of the very busy men of his neighborhood.

On November 28, 1911, Mr. Erion married Miss Cora Ophelia Rice, a daughter of John D. and Carrie (Martin) Rice, pioneers in Merrick County but now residents of Grand Island. Mr. and Mrs. Erion have two children Robert R., born May 10, 1916 and Jane E., born March 29, 1918. In politics Mr. Erion is a Republican, but like his late father, has no desire for political office.

JOHN QUANDT. - One of the solid, sub- stantial citizens of Lake township, where he carries on general farming, is John Quandt, who belongs to a pioneer family of this section that is well and favorably known all over Hall County. He was born in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, May 19, 1876, the son of August and Henrietta (Klemp) Quandt, natives of Germany.

August Quandt was nineteen years old when he came to the United States in 1855. After his marriage he bought land in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, on which he and his family resided for twenty-five years, then sold and came to Nebraska, reaching Hall

County on March 24, 1880. Here he bought the farm in Lake township on which his son John now lives, and here both he and wife spent the rest of their lives. His death occurred in 1900. They had children as follows : Louise, the wife of Charles Niemoth; Augusta, the wife of August Witzke, of Hall County ; Frederick, who lives in Lake township; Gus- tave, who died at the age of twenty-one years, was a graduate of the Nebraska City Blind school, having become blind when two years old; William, who lives in Oklahoma; Ida, the wife of Emil Dankert, a farmer near Palmer, Nebraska; Albert, who lives in Hall County ; and John, who lives on the old home place. In politics the father of the above family was a Republican. He was regarded with confidence and esteem by all who knew him and for years held school and church offices. He belonged to the Missouri synod of the Lutheran church. Crop conditions were so discouraging the first year after the Quandt family came to Hall County, that they serious- ly considered the advisability of returning to Wisconsin. In the second year, however, the father cleared $1,300 on his farm and the family has prospered ever since.

John Quandt obtained his education in the Hall County schools. He has been a farmer all his life and now operates 160 acres of land with first class farm machinery, in great con- trast to the way his father worked in early days, with one team of horses and a yoke of oxen. The Quandt homestead is one of the most vanuable farms. in Lake township.

On October 31, 1902, Mr. Quandt was united in marriage to Miss Clara Ruff, a daughter of John A. and Wilhelmina (Beyer) Ruff, and a granddaughter of John H. and Anna (Miche) Ruff. The Ruffs have been prominent people in this section for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Quandt have six chil- . dren, namely : Agnes, Radbalt, John, Milton, Carl and Edwin. Mr. Quandt has always been active in township affairs and served three years on the school board. He is a mem- ber of the Farmers' Union, and the entire family belongs to the Lutheran church.

JOHN C. C. HANN enjoys the distinction of being one of the first two white children brought to Hall County ; his sister Mary, now. deceased, being the other. Today Mr. Hann is one of the best known residents of this section of Nebraska. There are few men so well informed as to the county's early life and history, and it may be added, there are not many who can recallpast events in So

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MR. AND MRS. JOHN C. C. HANN

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interesting a way. Mr. Hann's home has been in Hall County for sixty-one years, and since 1899 he has been owner and conductor of the popular amusement park in Grand Island, known as Lion's Grove.

John C. C. Hann was born in 1856, in Mecklenburg Schwerin, Germany, the son of John and Katherina (Boehl) Hann, the former of whom was born in Germany April 5, 1823, and died in Hall County, Nebraska, December 22, 1888. The mother was born in Germany November 15, 1825, and died in Hall County October 12, 1908. They had five children, three of whom are living: John C. C., whose interests are important in Hall County ; Henry, resides in Grand Island, mar- ried Hedwig Keuster; and Lena, the wife of Benjamin Brandow, of Leavenworth, Kansas. John Hann and his family came to the United States in 1857 and made their way to Daven- port, Iowa, where many of their countrymen had settled, and five months later, as members of the second German colonizing party in Nebraska, came to Hall County, reaching here July 6, 1858. Mr. Hann homesteaded six miles southwest of Grand Island where the family lived nine years, spending the entire first year in the wagon in which they had been transported by oxen, from Chicago to Daven- port. Then a log cabin was built which still may be seen on the farm of William Stolley. While they endured many pioneer hardships the first winter was the most trying period. There were no mills to grind the corn and when it was necessary to prepare this staple, a hand operated coffee mill had to be utilized, the resulting mush serving as food only be- cause there was nothing else. When actual necessity arose the father of Mr. Hann hitched up his oxen and started for Omaha, some- times being able, if the condition of the roads was favorable, to make the jounrey back and forth in three weeks. Meat was a luxury and Mr. Hann remembers his mother trapping snow birds to add to the lean bill of fare. At times it was possible to secure buffalo meat from the Indians, who paid in this way, and in blankets, for his mother's services as a midwife. She was a capable, big-hearted woman who, when called upon, hastened to the relief of suffering for many miles around, and Mr. Hann is certain that through her min- istrations at least eight hundred children were added to the population of Hall County, ten of these being born to Indian and four to colored parents. There were some things, however, that this resourceful, untiring mother cound not do, an instance being inability to restore her son's hearing after a boyhood

attack of scarlet fever. To its partial restora- tion Mr. Hann gives credit to an old Indian doctor, who was faithful in his efforts, although, of course, he lacked all scientific knowledge of the real cause of the deafness. In the course of years the parents of Mr. Hann became prosperous. In the later sixties the father bought twenty acres of land near Grand Island, which he improved by setting out trees and it was long managed by him as Hann's Park in connection with a licensed saloon. He remained in the business until his death. He was a Republican in politics and in many ways was an influential man. Both parents were members of the Lutheran church.

John C. C. Hann was too young to be able to recall at the present day the long voyage across the Atlantic ocean, consuming thirteen weeks and three days, in an old sailing vessel, by which he reached America, nor the further journey by railroad across the country to the end of the line, Chicago, nor later the ox-team journey to the wild prairie land in Hall County, but he remembers his first subscrip- tion school teacher was named Mr. Nogle, and that for three months instruction, his father had to pay the sum of $40. There were but three other pupils in the school, which Mr. Nogle conducted in his own log cabin. The young man helped his father on the farm until 1868 when he accompanied his parents to Grand Island, in which city his first work was selling milk and vegetables. Later he assisted his father in the saloon at Hann's Park, continuing there until 1899, when he bought the five acres near Grand Island which is widely known as Lion's Grove. This he has converted into a first class amusement park. Mr. Hann has been in business here ever since and is interested also in the Grand Island Brewing Company. He still owns the old muzzle-loading rifle with which he has killed many elk, deer and buffalo. As an in- cident of the unusually severe winter of 1870 he tells of the freezing of all the fish in the river when the ice measured a depth of four feet and the freezing of the water in the pipes of the city water works, when relief was obtained through the use of an old threshing machine engine, using oxen for motive power. The contrast between city fa- cilities at that time and the present is marked indeed. Mr. Hann was ever active in civil affairs, having been instrumental in calling the meeting which organized the old volunteer fire company, the first one in Grand Island.

In October, 1882, Mr. Hann married Miss Lena Boehl, who died at Spokane, Washing-

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ton, leaving one son, Otto, who lives in that city. Mr. Hann's second marriage took place October 30, 1891, to Mrs. Minnie Augusta (Pankratz) Stepel, who was the widow of Herman Stepel and a daughter of Frederick W. and Edith (Hapke) Pankratz. They have one daughter, Pauline Augusta, the wife of John F. Koehler. Mr. and Mrs. Hann are members of the Lutheran church. He belongs to the fraternal order of Eagles and the sons of Herman, and Mrs. Hann is a member of the Royal Highlanders. .

JACOB J. LORENTZEN, who came to Hall County, Nebraska, with his parents, when seven years old, has lived here since with the exception of three years in Denver and Grand Island. Few men are better known and none more favorably, in Lake township, where he carries on extensive agricultural operations. He was born in the city of New York, May 13, 1868.

The parents of Mr. Lorentzen were Jacob and Elizabeth (Mindt) Lorentzen, both of whem were born in Germany. After coming to the United States, the father worked as a carpenter and shipbuilder in New York city, finding much opportunity there for his trade skill, but he desired a farm on which to rear his children, and with this ambition he came to Nebraska and on May 2, 1875, secured school land situated in section sixteen, Lake township, Hall County, on which he lived until his death in 1896. He was a Democrat in politics, but never was willing to accept a public office, and both he and his wife were faithful members of the Lutheran church. She survives and resides with Jacob J., on the homestead. They had the following children : Jacob J., the first born; Henry, who lives in Grand Island; Charles, died at the age of nineteen years; Christina, the widow of August Ritterbusch, resides on the homestead ; and Amanda, who lives in California.

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History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 109

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