Brule County
These excerpts come from the BRULE COUNTY HISTORY put together by the Brule County Historical Society in 1977. The passages cover the Smiths, Ryans, Quillans, Turgeons and other families who knew our ancestors. Many of these stories talked about their neighors the Ryans and Smiths, and should be of interest to many of you.
Squawman Tujohns
Lewis Lucas, came to Brule county September 1888. "one weekend I asked for Monday off and planned to go see a girl that lived near Lucas in Gregory county, a niece of Blanche Tujohns. I would leave on Saturday, see her on Sunday, and come home on Monday. It was about 35 miles to her place. Saturday night I stopped at a friends house by the name of McKinsey. I spent the night there. Next morning I asked the way to the Tujohns and he said "That sqawman"! I didn't know that he was a sqawman. I thought about it for awhile and decided I better not go and see her - but oh! How she could dance. I never did forget what that girl looked like - half French and half sqawman. " P 580
Squawman bigotry
While in Dixon I met half breeds and sqawman. Many of them were rustlers. When I was 12 a warrant was out for sully and Harry Hams shot Sully for the $1000 reward. White renegades dressed like Indians did steal and kill, and Indians were sometimes blamed.
Biographical sketches of the five Turgeon brothers
Abraham Turgeon
... beginning with the year of 1869 in South Dakota. "Abaham Turgeon arrived in South Dakota in the year 1869. He was born in 1847 near Quebec Canada, near the St. Lawrence river. He first learned the blacksmith trade in Massachussets. He was engaged in cutting wood and put up hay for the government for several years. Afterwards he freighted from Fort Pierre to the Black Hills. At night the train of oxen was corralled at pickets put out to guard against Indians. He took up three claims on the Missouri River and raised stock and did general farming. He died in September 1890 accidentally taking medicine from the wrong bottle. His family of five children were : Alvina, Joseph, Abraham, Jr., Susie, and Louis.
Abraham came when 23 years old, Onesime 19, Philias 16, Ludgar 18.
The father was was Cesaire Turgeon, was born of French Canadian patronage and mother, jane Trachy, of English patronage.
Onesime Turgeon
Onesime Turgeon was born in 1855 near Quebec near the St. Lawrence River. He came to South Dakota in 1874. He freighted from Fort Pierre to the Black Hills. Later he worked on his own account for two mule teams carrying 12 tons of freight and received seven cents per pound. It took two months to make the trip. Afterwards he came to Charles Mix county and took up two claims on the Missouri River and raised cattle. During the winter of 1880 to 1881, he lost nearly all his livestock from severity of the winter and deep snow. He was one of the biggest cattle dealers east of the Missouri River. His home was near Bijou Hills in 1887. He had 48 acres and owned another 160 acres south of the river. He built an elegant barn which had a basement. In 1895 he had an artesian well, 686 feet deep and 8 inches in diameter, the second largest well in the state. Twelve months later it raised the water to the height of 11 feet, and it's estimated flow is 5,000 gallons per minute. The roar of the water could be heard nine miles away...
Louis Turgeon
Louis Turgeon was born near Quebec on the St. Lawrence River in 1853. He came to South Dakota I 1876. He freighted to the Black Hills together with his brother Abraham. After one year he freighted on his own.. The brothers owned 400 oxen, 40 freight wagons and employed on average 18 bullwhackers. According to the pioneers, three wagons usually made a train with 14 oxen pulling them. In 1878 Louis, together with his brothers, Abraham and Onesime, supplied fort Randall with wood. He took up three claims and bought another and raised livestock. He had a large barn and two artesian wells, each 6 inches in diameter. His first wife, Dellia Labrecque, borne him three children: Joseph, cesaire, and Josephine. In 1887 Louis married in Canada to Marguerite Trahan, who borne him four children: Rosanna, Lucina, Regina, and Louis, Jr.
Philip Turgeon
Philip Turgeon, deceased, another brother who was born near Quebec, Canada, near the St. Lawrence River. He came to South Dakota whe he was 16 years old in 1877. He freighted with his brother, Abraham, to the Black Hills. Then he secured a freighting outfit to the Black Hills on his own account. He took up two claims in Charles Mix county and went in the cattle business. He married Merida Patry of Canada also. Their children born to them are: Mary, Delia, Joseph Laura, Edgar, Francis, and Florida. He drowned in the Missouri River on march 25, 1889, by the overturning of a skiff. His body was not recovered until three months later.
Ludgar Turgeon
Ludgar Turgeon, a younger brother, was born in 1862 near Quebec... In 1880 he went to South Dakota and joined his brothers in Charles Mix county freighting from Pierre to the Black Hills. The pioneer served as commissioner of Gregory County from 1911 to 1916 and as city justice of the peace for the last ten years. Ludgar was married to Fleurida Turgeon and their children were: Marie, Emma, and Joseph.
The above was written by Rosanna Turgeon Lulewicz and is correct as far as I know. P 590.
The Saga of Sully Flats
Philip had married Merida Turgeon and she was a widow when his boat capsized in the Missouri River. Philas and a party of men were in his skiff on the river searching with a grapple hook for a new set of harness that had gone down with a team of horses on thin ice that spring. The grapple hook attached to something in the water, the boat capsized and pulled Phillip under water; the river claimed his body. He had been very deft and fearless at rowing his skiff across the treacherous river. His skiff, manned by oars, was the one and only means of crossing the river at that time. One was fortunate to have a friend who owned and rowed a boat. Phillip had been such a friend to many.
Benjamin, the youngest of the family, accompanied his brothers Ludger and Onesenme who joined their older brothers Abraham Louis and Phillip. Abraham was the manager of the U.S .Government freight lines which ran from the Agency of White Swan, near Yankton, to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Ludger, Phillip and Benjamin freighted from Yankton, Wheeler, to Deadwood for the gold miners in the Black Hills, when this area was Dakota Territory and an Indian Reservation. Their large heavy Conestoga wagon trains were pulled by slow, ponderous but hardy oxen.
Louise (Turgeon) attended school in Kimball, S.D. prior to the opening of the school in Russell Durfee’s log cabin for the children in the valley. In 1904 the new Carroll School, 1 ½ miles west was opened. After 8th grade graduation, Louise attended Business College at Norfolk, Nebraska. Louise and Julia, when small, often stayed with Russell and Dolly Durfee when their parents were gone. So the girls would not understand certain conversations, Dolly and Russell spelled out the words. Julia was the photographer of the local, taking and developing her owns plats, using her 4 x 6 plat camera manufactured by the Conley Mfg. Co. of Rochester, Minnesota.
Abraham, Sr., the eldest son of Casare and Jane, departed the land of his birth alone for Fort Chicago, Illinois. Here he labored as a blacksmith for about a year. He journeyed through the Northwest Territory into Dakota Territory coming to Fort Randall. He located in the Wheeler area across the river from Fort Randall. He had contracted from the U.S. Government a managership of the freight lines from the Agency of White Swan through Deadwood and on to Fort Laramie, Who. He was responsible for nineteen freight wagons pulled by teams of oxen. Abraham sent word to his brothers in Canada to join him. Louis and Phillip arrived first, followed in 1880 by Ludger, Onesenme, Benjamin and their three sisters, Laida, Oralee and Auror. Louis and Phillip became drivers of the Conestoga freight wagons for Abraham, Sr. Ludger, Onesenme and Benjamin freighted to the gold mines in the Black Hills. A trip, if all went well, required about one month of steady driving in a wagon train. It was necessary to be alert for hostilities therefore, one driver was a vigilante during the night, each driver took a turn.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 14, 1877, Abraham Turgeon and Margaret Landeaux were united in marriage in a double marriage ceremony with Margaret’s sister, Adelle, who was married to William Emery. Abraham Sr. died in Wheeler, S.D. in 1890, when his son, Abraham, Jr. was six years old. Margaret Turgeon was left widowed with four young children to raise. During the haying season she was married to George Pete. The family journeyed to Gregory County, Rosebud Reservation settling on Margaret’s half-section in Sections 3 and 10 of Herrick Twp.
Prairie Fires in Brule County
Stella Havlik. "another vivid memory was the prairie fire that started north of Bijou Hills. It traveled until it nearly reached Gann Valley, nearly 30 miles away.
Ben Gomerstall. The worst fire was started by H.C. mcNary on the morning of April 28' 1899' six miles north of Kimball on section 2 in Waldron Township. McNary was burning a stubble field and in a very short time made its way to Buffalo County line.
Stupid Does as Stupid is...
(Story of a Turgeon ranch hand). Looking northeast of the buildings toward Rattlesnake Hill one can see a peak encircled by a rock-like sidewalk. Beneath these rocks rattlesnakes make their den. Roger Nichols, a fourteen year old boy herding cattle nearby, pulled a reptile from under the rock. The snake sank his fangs into Roger’s fingertip. Roger’s first aid was to amputate his fingertip before visiting his doctor. Two days later he returned to the hill, found his fingertip, replaced it and died from the resultant infection.
Kimballs first water supply
The first artesian well was dug in. 1885 for the town residents of kimball. While farmers had no problem of finding water, Kimball did have problems. Kimball is on high land, the highest town between the Alleganys and the Black Hills, 1800 feet to be exact, the lack of water began to concern people. It was even talked that it might be necessary to move the town to a more favorable location...water was being hauled ferom Smith Creek...when they got to the depth of 1068 feet on December 7, 1885' a solid 8 inch stream of water shot 16 feet into the air and Kimball was saved. P 569
Grasshoppers and dust storms
Grasshopper infestation began 1931 and was repeated in 1933. They devoured every blade of grass, destroyed trees, riddled the clothes on clothes lines, and even gnawed at rubber tires on the cars. At night they rooster on the fences and made the wire look like thick ropes. They sounded like hail when they blew against the windows on windy days. In 1933 there wasn't a green thing to be seen for miles around and every time the wind blew the dust would drift. The worst dust storm or " black blizzard" occurred November 12, 1933. On that day the sky darkened oddly until the lights were lit. In the fall of 1934 there was practically no feed, the farmers cut Russian Thistles and even listed out the corn stumps to feed their stock. Those who had large herds had to sell as they couldn't winter their stock and many regretted that they burned their their straw stacks a few years before declaring that they would never do it again. If it weren't for government aid many would have had to leave.
Destructive drought in 1886.
"for a number of years succeeding 1886, drought and hot winds were so destructive to crops in Brule county - that large sections of the county became deserted.
Ryan vs. Ryan vs. Ryan
You Can't Beat the Irish, Pukwana Press Reporter, Marach 13, 1919.
Tom Ryan, the young lothario, and Sheriff Ryan, originally from Allamakee County, may be related to our family.
Had you happened along the old road that led to Castilia, Charles Mix County, one summer dayin a team of broncos headed for Kimball on a dead run pulling a buggy in which sat a young man of twenty one years old, intently bent on keeping the foam flecked ponies on the road. At his side a sweet young thing of fifteen summers was clinging to the young man with one hand and to the side of the seat with the other. Reaching Kimball, the spectacular performance was carried through Main Steet to the homes of S.E. Dorwart, where the panting broncos were pulled up, and the girl assisted from the rig and hustled into the house. The team was then driven to a stable.
While this ws taking place another character arrived on the scene in the person of H.H. Standish who had driven up to the Ochsner hardware store and wanted to see Ed. Ochsner - he was as excited as an old maid with her bustle on fire (they all wore 'em in those days - old maids and young maids). he told Ed that he wanted to arrest one Tom Ryan who had kidnapped a Miss Addie Smith from Castalia and that the couple were in town somewhere. He went ontto tell that whiiile on his way to town that he was overtaken by Sheldon Smith, father of the girl, on horseback. He had followed the fleeing paire all the way, but his horse had given out trying to cath the fleeter ponies. He had told Standish, "For od's sake catch them before they get married and I will give you five dollars. Kill your team if necessariy and I will pay for them. My daughter, oh, my daughter," or words to that effect. he told Ed all about Smith; what a prominent man he was but Ed knew all about that. yes, he did get 'em. And he did - half of them anyway. He collared the young Lothario just as h was coming out of the stable. A few minutes later, wanting to go to his home on an errand, turned over his catch to John Ryan, city marshall.
The Sheriff out of sight, the young fellow impolored the Marshal to take him to a lawyer and the kind hearted officer readily complied. The lawyer was Dennis Ryan - also a justice of the Peace. Three of a kind is a pretty good hand to draw and it provved to be so in case. The three Ryans, after a little pow-wow, proceeded to the Dorwart place to interview the girl. In the twinkle of an eye the youthful couple were mde one by the accomodating justice. A regular Irish trick, what?
The closing chapter started with the arrival of the irate parent. He had secured a fresh mount and in arriving on the scene met Sheriff Ochsner as he was returning from his home, and while his horse stood blowing and panting he hurridly questioned Ed as to the whereabouts of the fleeing couple. He was informed that the chap was under arrest and the girl was safe at dorwart's house, the sheriff, little dreaming that while ws telling this, a justice of thepeace was typing the matrimonial knot good and tight.
After the wedding had taken place, the three of a kind repaired to the nearest dispensary to drink to the health of the bride. Whle they were there each with a foot on the rail and saying "here's how" and taking a glance at the ceiling through the bottom of the glasses, the "old man" sought the Dorwart home and taking the girl by the arm led her into the street. No sooner had the rebellious daughter reached the street and divined her daddy's purpose to take her home than she screamed with all her strength of a paire of healthy lungs. "Tom" Tom" Tom"""
Typhoid in Brule County
Typhoid epidemic hit chamberlain in 1933. Struck 227 in one month's time. 33 persons died. During the first week in January, many cases of typhoid were reported...by the end of January more than 2000 persons from Chamverlain area were inoculated....five lives were taken in the first month...school was closed...church services were cancelled...source was the Chamberlain water supply...200 had the disease.
Owen Smith story
There was a large prairie fire that started near the west side of the township and it destroyed the barn and later a fire destroyed the house. The Smith home was a community asset...as grandpa (Owen) smith was the first actual settler and one of the prominent men in pioneer days, he along with a couple other men did much toward getting things started in Smith township and helped make it one of the finest and most friendly neighborhoods in the county. Owen Smith was also one of the men that saw to the building of the school which was the first in the township. It was called the Doty school. Many social events took place at this school.
Smith township was named after Owen smith who arrived in 1881. He was born in Ireland and was an officer in the English army. Grandpa Smith had been in India...went to NYC...grandma Smith and children followed and the story goes, "some luggage was either thrown overboard to lighten the vessel or else washed overboard. Anyway luggage with grandfather's discharge papers was lost."
There was a large prairie fire that started near the west side of the township and it destroyed the barn and later a fire destroyed the house.
One of his sons, Joseph, was married on February 14, 1915 to Anna McAvinney in St. Margaret's church with father O'Gorman as priest. Elizabeth McAvinney Homeyer and Frank Ryan were the attendants. Joe and Anna resided on the farm homesteaded by his dad. P 448
English James Smith.
In march 1943, Blanche and I were married. That month was quite cold. The morning we were married it was abou 22 below zero. Ross Sobek and Neal Ryan tried to paint the car, but it was no use.
Working out of the post office was to last a number of years and under a number of postmasters, Frank Ryan, Daryl Lunn, and Lyle Foltz...retired in 1962 after serving close to 44 years... P 448
Jim Smith on right
Lunn family.
The Lunn Family consisted of five boys, James, Charlie, Ben, Samuel, and Herman and five girls, Addie who is now C.M. Pitts, Emily, Isabel, and Cora. Their neighbor in highland township, Irish John Smith, would often stop at the Lunn home and congratulate them on the family, for, as he would say, "It is just the same as mine, five of each, and all good ones.". Benjamin Lunn came to Brule county in 185 and took a claim. P 41.
Lunn School - most likely where the Smith children attended school Benjamin and Ernestine Lunn, |
...one of their children was born in Sandusky, Wisconsin. The Irish John Smith family may have known them while living in Bear Creek. |
The "Lunn Siblings" 1952. Cora, Isabell, Emily, Herman, Ann, Addie, Ben, Sam and Jim |
The Luken and Quillin families, Minnie Schuman, teacher. |
Smith township
prominent men in pioneer days. Mr. Smith along with Batt Ryan and Aaron Doty did much toward getting things started in this township.
Mr. Ryan, Mr. Smith and Mr. Doty saw to building a schoolhouse in their neighborhood. It was built near the Doty home and tok the name of Doty schoolhouse. Etta Doty was the first teacher and Ed and John Ryan, Oney, Margaret, Alice and joe Smith, V. wellner and Bert Doty were among it's first pupils.
The neighbors often met at the schoolhouse for sociable times the ladies serving lunches or cake and ice cream and the men visiting and discussing the events of the times. Among those who took part were the Dotys, the McCrearys, the Ryan's, the Smiths, the Boneys, and the Anderson's...Aaron doty andmartin Smith were on the school board with Batt Ryan as clerk for many years and Mr. Ryan was on the school board with Casper Anderson for 20 years
There were many prairie fires but one whe the whole neighborhood turned out to fight it. One started near the west side of the township and after burning a barn for Owen Smith and one for Mr. Bickner it traveled east until a crowd of men from kimball checked it just before it reached the Batt Ryan buildings, it the took a southerly route down into Highland township where it was finally put out. P 48-50
The Doty School
By Emma Bickner. The land was donated by Bert Doty. He often said, " it was his contribution to the future generation when someone kidded him about it. Bert was a bachelor. I find that Bertha Kinsella was teacher, after that Alice Anderson, Kit Kennedy, Frank Ryan, Annabelle Conley, Emma Bickner and Nattie Raisch were some of the teachers that taught there.
Students were the griswolds, Stewarts, Ryans, Quillans, Smiths, Bickners, Pattersons and Petersons. Years later a row of cottonwoods were added which improved its appearance.
Diptheria Outbreak
Pioneer lady, Beebe. P 126-128
The dread diphtheria struck in 1894' taking many children. My parents lost a little girl, Mrs. Baker list a son and Mrs. Collins lost five children in a week.
I (Beebe) went to school in a one room school house which was on the NE corner of our homestead, my first teacher was Ora Freeman of Kimball, who was just a girl herself. She was followed by Emma Kratochwill, Miss Edith Matousek, Josie Vasku, Anna Wojchiechowski and Kittie Smith. The township furnished our books (Swindon readers).
They lived four miles from Bijou Hills Gulch and about twenty miles from the Missouri River. Her father was also a civil war vet.
John and katie Pickner, neighbors of the Batt Ryans, were blessed with 13 children, two of whom died in the diphtheria epidemic around 1898, one day apart. Mr Schruck and Mr. Pickner took the 3 1/2 old boy to the cemetery north of the Healy farm and dug through 3 feet of snow for a grave. When they were gone the 1 1/2 year old girl died in her mother's arms, so they had to go back to the cemetery. One boy lived, and her mother credits it with him eating snow to reduce the swelling and cool the temperatures.
Life on the Prairie, Henry Bickner, Mrs. Bernard Otto, daughter of Henry and Josephine Bickner
Life in the new land was almost unbearable at times, especially for the women, loneliness was ever prevelant.
...diet was monotonous. You'd probably find flour, corn meal, dried beans, dried fruit and syrup and molasses on their kitchen shelves. Meat was scarce, in the winter they butchered pork and rendered lard for summer use and meat could be frozen then...bread was always homemade and mother baked "Kolaces" with fillings made of prunes, or poppy seeds, sometimes cottage cheese with raisins of a thick sauce of some kind of fruit.
Neighbor Boys and Kolaces
The neighbor boys always liked these Kolaces for lunch, there happened to be a little Irish boy by the name of Will Ryan who sided up to his mother and asked rather shyly, do you have any of those sauce buns. Mother thought only little Bohemian children liked Kolaces.
Neighbors were a real blessing in those days and were very close knit.
Fire in Smith Township
By this time the folks began to prosper...one windy March day a neighbor living to the west of us decided to burn a straw pile. People lived in fear of prairie fires and no one could understand why anyone would start a fire on such a day. It was stupidity! The fire was son racing across the prairie and we were right in the middle of it...soon all the buildings were on fire because the wind was so strong.
Josephine Bickner with her garden vegetables 1918 |
Joe Quillan, Will Ryan, and Frank Bickner |
The Families of Smith Township
For entertainment there were Christmas programs in schools, the boys of the community played baseball and even a trip to the town was something to look forward to and enjoy.
In some localities the people tried to keep one nationality but in Smith township we grew up among all nationalities so we saw no difference and thought nothing of what country they came from. We all spoke English and were al farmers, trying to make a living....there were German, Scandinavian, bohemian, Irish, English and one colored family.
World War I
Then the first world war began in Europe and in 1918 our peaceful existence came to an end. At first we thought it was a long way from us but then the U.S. entered the war and our boys were called into service. From our neighborhood - Joe Quillan, Will Ryan, and Frank Bickner. Mothers would meet and talk in hushed tones sharing their hopes, fears and prayers....I believe the happiest day in my life was when Frank came home after the war was over. joe Quillan came too but how sad the whole neighborhood was when we heard that Will Ryan died in France...Frank was one who did not show his feelings but was visible shaken when we told him about Will's death.
Bickner Conclusion
We had wonderful neighbors too. All our close ones were loyal to us through troubles caused by father thinking his sons were shiftless. We owe a lot to them. Living closest were the Batty Ryans, Joe Smiths, Casper Anderson's, John Chmelas and several families of the Korzans. They bolstered our spirits when we needed it most and our lives were richer and fuller because of this friendship.
James J. Boneys family. P 145-146
James jr graduated from Chamberlain high school in 1929. He went to California during the depression. To work for a tractor and equipment company. He died at the age of 49 from a heart attack. He was married and had one daughter, Diane, who was Miss Rodeo Queen of California in 1959'. She is married and now has a daughter, Robin Williams.
Josephine Boneys graduated in 1936 from chamberlain high school. She worked for the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company for 26 years and became chief operator in 1946. During WWII she was a WAVE in the U.S. Navy. May 10, 1954 she married Francis Blackwell of Torrey township, south of Kimball, South Dakota...they have one son, James Wesley who graduated from Chamberlain, South Dakota in 1975. He and his father are members of the 299th Engineers Company S.D. national Guard T Chamberlain. Jim will attend Black Hills State College in Spearfish this fall.
 |
James Boney, James Jr. Josephine and Lulu The Boney came to Brule County in 1886. While James was born in Allamakee County, the family spent some time in Nevadaville, Colorado. James was a sheriff and deputy many years in Brule County until murdered in 1926. |
The Blizzards
Dorman family, by Ben Dorman, p 197
The winter of 1896 and 1897 was ome of the worst in history. It started with a foot of snow and rain on October 17' 1897. All the grazing was ice bound except some of the very roughest ground. There were two 48 hour roaring blizzards. Thanksgiving and January first.
1909 Typhoid fever. Carl Ekstrum family
In 1886, dad immigrated to Sioux Falls which was then a small family. The first year here, he contracted typhoid fever and was very ill....I'm 1906 my parents moved to Brule county, located southeast of Kimball. In 1918 a terrible flu epidemic swept through the country. We were all very sick with but were more fortunate than others as there were many deaths in the United States.
1908 Prairie Fire, Mathias Korzan
In March of 1908 a straw pile on the Hudson farm in Smith township started a prairie fire. It burned the Henry Bickner farm, all but the house, which was in the process of being constructed. It burned all the way to Platte, South Dakota. The fire missed the Korzan farms by forty rods. Prairie fires were a terrible threat in the early days.
House parties were the entertainment of the community, the rugs were rolled back, neighbors danced most of the night. The music was local talent, accordion, banjo or violin. At midnight the lady of the house would serve coffee and passed around a big dish pan of Kolaces that she baked during the day. After lunch they would dance some more. Those were the good old days.
Quillin Family, p 395-397 (photos)
John was married to Margaret Boney who had been born in Tipperary, Ireland on January 6, 1863. He arrived in Kimball on the first train in a snowstorm on his birthday
 |
The Joe Quillin Family |
Joe and Rose Quillin, Phil and wife Teresa |
Top Left: Marks 88th Year - Mrs. Margaret Quillin, Footville, celebrated her 88th birthday Saturday in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Glen Gibson. Mrs. Quillin was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, Jan. 6, 1863, and came to the country at the age of six months. She spent most of her life in South Dakota, coming to Footsville six years go. Her husband died in 1932. She has five chldren, 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Quillin spent her birthday quietyly. She takes care of her own correspondence and enjoys reading. |
Coming to America
P 479,Julius Swanson, by Emile Swanson, they came to America in 1889,
Before a foreigner could avail himself of the homestead privilege he had to become a citizen of the country. So the first thing he did, when he came to this country, was to take out citizenship papers, that is, declare his intentions to become a citizen.
What brought foreigners to America, you may ask. It has been advanced that they came to seek freedom. That is not true. In Sweden they have always had plenty of freedom. In father's time, they were short of eats. The country was short of productive land. That was and still is the trouble in all European countries...land was almost impossible to get unless you could inherit it.
The family of Fred Wilrodt, second son of Abraham and Anna, p 519-521
Before the end of 1892, Henry, son of Fred and Christena, and Anna Pattinger Pickler were married. Henry And Anna had four children: Fred born in 1894, Harold born in 1896, Anna Laurie in 1904 and Winifred in 1905. Anna died in infancy...Fred was wounded in WW I, but came back to the farm to work with his brother making improvements on farm machinery and playing baseball for recreation.
Harold married Elizabeth Smith of kimball, south Dakota. He continued farming near his father in Ola township. Later he had a job with the federal government, lived a few years in Omaha, then came back to Chamberlain to open a garage and auto agency. He still operates the garage in partnership with his son Bill. He represented Brule, Jerauld and Aurora counties as a state senator. Harold and Elizabeth have four children: Betty born in 1924, Mary born in 1925, Bill born in 1927, and Susan born in 1932.
Mary married Robert Hixon in 1949, and they have four children: William born in 1950, Ann born in 1951, Sara born in1953, James born in 1954, Mary Patricia in 1956, and Thomas in 1966. The hixons live in Bismark, ND, where Robert works fo Montana Dakota Utilities. Wiliiam or bill married Mary Priest in 1952 and their family includes: Callie born in 1953, Paul born in 1954, Carole in 1955, Peter in 1958, Patrick in 1962, Michael in 1964 and Mark in 1968. Callie passed away in 1962. Betty married Frank Wees in 1958, and they have four children: James born in 1958, Jerry in 1959' John in 1960 and Mary born in 1961. The Wees family lives in Omaha where Frank works for the Union Pacific Railroad. Susan lives in Omaha where she is a medical technologist.
Announcement of Frank Ryan and Adelaide McGonigle's marriage
A pair… of good old. What? The first one was …on to Frank before he was able to help it—Frank Ryan, member of the firm of Ryan & Verschoor who was selling automobiles like hot winnies go at a Dutch picnic. The name is the parental name of one of Illinois’ fair daughters whose home is at Belvidere, Ill. Adelaide McGonigle was her name up to a certain hour last week Thursday, when she dropped in for Adelaide Ryan—and I’ll bet … a Lizzie against a go-cart that she will never regret it, for Frank Ryan is one of the straightest and whitest boys that ever walked the streets of Kimball—and we have a lot of ‘em.
Frank quietly secured a least of the Quirk house some weeks ago and as quietly slipped away early last week to the scenes of his undoing. Particulars of the interesting went have not been received at this time this goes in type.