Amelia Kurth was born in Germany March 22, 1883. When she was a year old the family emigrated to America. They homesteaded near Ardmore, South Dakota. At the turn of the century John was working on a ranch near Edgemont, South Dakota. In those days a country dance was
the favorite entertainment for young and old alike. It was at one of those dances that John and Amelia met. They were married on January 1, 1901 at Hot Springs, South Dakota and rented an apartment in Edgemont for the winter. As soon as spring arrived they started out in a sheep wagon with a small band of sheep for Weston County. They were joined by Sirene Holst and Joe Klodt and formed a sheep company on Main Beaver called the "H-7-D". Three children were born to them there. Bertha in 1902, George in 1903 and Selah in 1904. Selah died of pneumonia in January 1905. After the death of their baby, they felt that
they needed a change. The partnership with Mr. Holst and Mr. Klodt was dissolved and they moved to Newcastle. They went back to Nebraska for a visit to see if it would be better to move there. After studying the situation,
they decided Weston County was the best place to live after all. They homesteaded on Stockade Beaver about 1906. In 1909 the Dunham's moved to Newcastle so that the children could attend school. Mr. Dunham did most of the grading for the Court House and Library which was being
built at the time. He did carpentry work around town and built a house for the family on the corner of Summit and Winthrop. Summers were spent at the ranch until they
sold it to Herbert Musgrave. In 1915 John again homesteaded on Main Beaver and went into the sheep business. They built a home and lived there the rest of
their lives. John passed away on May 13, 1957. Amelia
continued to live on the ranch until poor health forced her to mwve to her daughter's. She died July 27, 1976 at the age of 93.

"Weston County History, First Hundred Years"