Passed away in the 1970's.
From the Book:
Images of Yesterday...Visions of Tomorrow
125 Years
Madison, Nebraska
1867-1992
PAULINE DITTBERNER MAURER
Pauline Maurer's story as told to Mrs. Don (Jean) Sunderman in 1969 when Mrs. Maurer was 88 years old.
My father's name was Friedrich Wilhelm Dittberner; he was born November 19, 1838 and died December 28, 1915.
My mother's name was Henrietta Louise Marie Dittbenner (spelled differently) and she was born on Dec. 23, 1844 and died August 21, 1909. They were married February 16, 1866 and lived with my father's parents in Germany and had two children there (both died). War broke out in Germany and two of my uncles were in America and they wrote that everything was nice there. My folks came by ship to New York. They came to Wisconsin where Amanda was born.
My father told his family before they left Germany that he would have his picture taken in America and his hand in his coat with the ring and middle finger on top. This would tell his family that he had not been made a slave and was doing well.
In Wisconsin my father helped set hop posts to make the hop for beer and mother picked cranberries in the swamp for a dollar a bushel. They planned to come to Nebraska by train but the man my father worked for told them that there would be no horses for sale in Nebraska and that he would sell them a team and wagon cheap. It seems like my mother said they paid $200 for the horses and wagon. They made a cover for the wagon on Sunday and there was farewell party for them. My mother's brothers were in Nebraska.
My folks started from Wisconsin in early winter. They came from Columbus and met Phillip Demmel and Henry Maurer and they told my folks to stop at the first house they got to because a big snowstorm was coming. So my father stopped at a house called Sternes "Halfway House" because it was halfway between Columbus and Madison. There was no Humphrey yet. He put the horses in a straw house and the horses kept stepping on the snow during the storm until their backs were to the roof of the barn. They had chickens in the wagon and they were all alive the next morning.
The next morning they started out for Uncle Charlie's and they nearly got lost in a snowdrift near Peck (about 5 miles south of Madison). It was east of the railroad tracks on the Platte county side, south of the county line, close to the Maurers', The horses got stuck and my father was swearing and praying and the dog at Henry Maurer's heard them. Henry Maurer was doing evening chores (on farm on county line near old Highway 81) and he took them to the Buettner's place (north a mile and quarter mile west) and one of their boys showed them where Charlie Dittberner lived (across the road from Jack Dittberner place). They didn't get lost again. Charlie had a sod house and Fred was born that winter, that they stayed with him.
In 1868 they took a homestead in Green Garden Precinct. They built a sod house. My father went to Dakota and worked all summer. It was rainy so he just made $10 and he wanted to take it home to his family so he walked all the way and he swam across the Missouri river though he could have paid for a ride. He took off his pants and put them on his shoulders so they wouldn't get wet and then he ran so he'd get warm. It was winter and cold. He was very sick when he got home.
They had eight children, Amanda, Fredrich, Theodore Gustave, William, Louise Matilda, Pauline Louise Marie, Malvina Augusta and Franz William Edward.
In 1888 my father and his oldest son, Fred went close to Madison to buy a horse. It was a lovely morning, at noon it clouded over and then a big blizzard started. My uncle Charlie (mother's brother) came over and my sister, Amanda, went with him to school to get the children (Mueller School, District 42.) They brought the children home. Uncle Charlie and his children went on home and almost got lost. Their place was down in a hollow southeast of us. They had four children. No one was lost.
My folks sod house had glass in the door. I went to parochial school at Green Garden two winters and one summer. We had six weeks of school in the summer. We walked five miles to school. We didn't have any clothes for church so we didn't go until we went to parochial school. We went a couple of times before school so we would know the way.
Parochial school was in German. We had reading, writing and religion. Rev. Donninger, the minister, taught school but we had no school on Friday so he could study his sermon. We only had English school three months a year or as long as we could raise the money to pay the teacher.
I was confirmed on April 7, 1895, when I was Fourteen years old. I rode in a spring wagon pulled by a team of mule called Jean and Jenny on my Confirmation Day but we usually walked. We answered questions and knew all the answers in the small Catechism. There were seven in our class; John Maurer (my future husband), Pauline Dittberner, Minnie Maurer, Katie Switzer, Frieda Emrich, August Cohrs, Henry Long. I wore black high top button shoes that cost $1. This was Palm Sunday. On Easter we took our first Communion wearing a Black dress. I went to English school for seven months after confirmation. We had church longer now and in German. We left at 9:00 and got home as 12:00. Sometimes the sermon lasted an hour. The men sat on the right and the women on the left. The children sat in front.
My brother, Bill and Theodore, with Sam and Leopold Kurpgewelt herded cattle on a section of land for neighbors every day all summer. Each had their pony and dog. They drove the cattle into neighbors' corn fields they would really be in trouble. There weren't any fences.
When Malvena was two years old she screamed when the older ones told her not to do something so no one paid too much attention to her screaming. My father was making fence and he saw sow carrying her and the other sows following. He didn't want to throw the spade for fear of hitting her so he chased the sow and when the sow put her down to get a better hold, my father grabbed her and she wasn't hurt.
For Christmas when we were little we put plates down before we went to bed, then in the morning we'd find candy, nuts and apples on our plate. We didn't exchange gifts. Of course, when I had children we exchanged presents with my husband's family.
We raised sheep and Mother spun the wool into yarn and my father knitted his own stocking and mittens. His feet never got cold. He never wore overshoes. He made himself bedroom slippers, they were so handy for us girls to put on for very necessary trips outside (to the outhouse).
The upstairs bedrooms weren't finished and the house needed shingling so when it snowed it came through onto our beds. We could see daylight and stars through the roof.
My mother was an invalid after Frank was born. I think it was arthritis. When young she wore her hair braided and wound in a figure eight on the back of her head. All the girls were married at the house so their mother was present.
I was married to Johnannes Fredrick Maurer December 7, 1904 and moved to the Maurer homeplace (one mile north of the Platte county line). Frank and Bill, my husband's brothers, lived with us. Bill got married in September. Frank was married a year later. My father stayed with Frank. They moved to town and Frank had a livery barn. They lived in the little house across from the light plant.
We lived in the granary while they built on the old foundation of the house adding the dining and living room. We moved into the house in 1909 when Lore was a baby. The house is still there. We always had more than one hired man and when there was building or painting the men stayed with us. We had six children: Ella Elizabeth Marie, September 16, 1905; John William, February 18, 1907, died January 1966; Lore Elizabeth, August 9, 1908; Leona Marie, August 17, 1910; Irene Pauline, January 8, 1914; Daisy Alverna, November 3, 1915, died 1991.
Ella married Emil Sunderman, son of Henry Sunderman, February 18, 1925: children, Emogene Pauline, July 19, 1926, Eugene Emil, February 16, 1928, Donald Dean, June 2, 1930, Richard John, August 7, 1932. See Heinrich Maurer History.
Sister of Amanda (Knapp), Fritz, Theodore Gustave, William, Louisa (Kurpgeweit), Malvina (Maurer) and Frank.
From the Book:
Images of Yesterday...Visions of Tomorrow
125 Years
Madison, Nebraska
1867-1992
PAULINE DITTBERNER MAURER
Pauline Maurer's story as told to Mrs. Don (Jean) Sunderman in 1969 when Mrs. Maurer was 88 years old.
My father's name was Friedrich Wilhelm Dittberner; he was born November 19, 1838 and died December 28, 1915.
My mother's name was Henrietta Louise Marie Dittbenner (spelled differently) and she was born on Dec. 23, 1844 and died August 21, 1909. They were married February 16, 1866 and lived with my father's parents in Germany and had two children there (both died). War broke out in Germany and two of my uncles were in America and they wrote that everything was nice there. My folks came by ship to New York. They came to Wisconsin where Amanda was born.
My father told his family before they left Germany that he would have his picture taken in America and his hand in his coat with the ring and middle finger on top. This would tell his family that he had not been made a slave and was doing well.
In Wisconsin my father helped set hop posts to make the hop for beer and mother picked cranberries in the swamp for a dollar a bushel. They planned to come to Nebraska by train but the man my father worked for told them that there would be no horses for sale in Nebraska and that he would sell them a team and wagon cheap. It seems like my mother said they paid $200 for the horses and wagon. They made a cover for the wagon on Sunday and there was farewell party for them. My mother's brothers were in Nebraska.
My folks started from Wisconsin in early winter. They came from Columbus and met Phillip Demmel and Henry Maurer and they told my folks to stop at the first house they got to because a big snowstorm was coming. So my father stopped at a house called Sternes "Halfway House" because it was halfway between Columbus and Madison. There was no Humphrey yet. He put the horses in a straw house and the horses kept stepping on the snow during the storm until their backs were to the roof of the barn. They had chickens in the wagon and they were all alive the next morning.
The next morning they started out for Uncle Charlie's and they nearly got lost in a snowdrift near Peck (about 5 miles south of Madison). It was east of the railroad tracks on the Platte county side, south of the county line, close to the Maurers', The horses got stuck and my father was swearing and praying and the dog at Henry Maurer's heard them. Henry Maurer was doing evening chores (on farm on county line near old Highway 81) and he took them to the Buettner's place (north a mile and quarter mile west) and one of their boys showed them where Charlie Dittberner lived (across the road from Jack Dittberner place). They didn't get lost again. Charlie had a sod house and Fred was born that winter, that they stayed with him.
In 1868 they took a homestead in Green Garden Precinct. They built a sod house. My father went to Dakota and worked all summer. It was rainy so he just made $10 and he wanted to take it home to his family so he walked all the way and he swam across the Missouri river though he could have paid for a ride. He took off his pants and put them on his shoulders so they wouldn't get wet and then he ran so he'd get warm. It was winter and cold. He was very sick when he got home.
They had eight children, Amanda, Fredrich, Theodore Gustave, William, Louise Matilda, Pauline Louise Marie, Malvina Augusta and Franz William Edward.
In 1888 my father and his oldest son, Fred went close to Madison to buy a horse. It was a lovely morning, at noon it clouded over and then a big blizzard started. My uncle Charlie (mother's brother) came over and my sister, Amanda, went with him to school to get the children (Mueller School, District 42.) They brought the children home. Uncle Charlie and his children went on home and almost got lost. Their place was down in a hollow southeast of us. They had four children. No one was lost.
My folks sod house had glass in the door. I went to parochial school at Green Garden two winters and one summer. We had six weeks of school in the summer. We walked five miles to school. We didn't have any clothes for church so we didn't go until we went to parochial school. We went a couple of times before school so we would know the way.
Parochial school was in German. We had reading, writing and religion. Rev. Donninger, the minister, taught school but we had no school on Friday so he could study his sermon. We only had English school three months a year or as long as we could raise the money to pay the teacher.
I was confirmed on April 7, 1895, when I was Fourteen years old. I rode in a spring wagon pulled by a team of mule called Jean and Jenny on my Confirmation Day but we usually walked. We answered questions and knew all the answers in the small Catechism. There were seven in our class; John Maurer (my future husband), Pauline Dittberner, Minnie Maurer, Katie Switzer, Frieda Emrich, August Cohrs, Henry Long. I wore black high top button shoes that cost $1. This was Palm Sunday. On Easter we took our first Communion wearing a Black dress. I went to English school for seven months after confirmation. We had church longer now and in German. We left at 9:00 and got home as 12:00. Sometimes the sermon lasted an hour. The men sat on the right and the women on the left. The children sat in front.
My brother, Bill and Theodore, with Sam and Leopold Kurpgewelt herded cattle on a section of land for neighbors every day all summer. Each had their pony and dog. They drove the cattle into neighbors' corn fields they would really be in trouble. There weren't any fences.
When Malvena was two years old she screamed when the older ones told her not to do something so no one paid too much attention to her screaming. My father was making fence and he saw sow carrying her and the other sows following. He didn't want to throw the spade for fear of hitting her so he chased the sow and when the sow put her down to get a better hold, my father grabbed her and she wasn't hurt.
For Christmas when we were little we put plates down before we went to bed, then in the morning we'd find candy, nuts and apples on our plate. We didn't exchange gifts. Of course, when I had children we exchanged presents with my husband's family.
We raised sheep and Mother spun the wool into yarn and my father knitted his own stocking and mittens. His feet never got cold. He never wore overshoes. He made himself bedroom slippers, they were so handy for us girls to put on for very necessary trips outside (to the outhouse).
The upstairs bedrooms weren't finished and the house needed shingling so when it snowed it came through onto our beds. We could see daylight and stars through the roof.
My mother was an invalid after Frank was born. I think it was arthritis. When young she wore her hair braided and wound in a figure eight on the back of her head. All the girls were married at the house so their mother was present.
I was married to Johnannes Fredrick Maurer December 7, 1904 and moved to the Maurer homeplace (one mile north of the Platte county line). Frank and Bill, my husband's brothers, lived with us. Bill got married in September. Frank was married a year later. My father stayed with Frank. They moved to town and Frank had a livery barn. They lived in the little house across from the light plant.
We lived in the granary while they built on the old foundation of the house adding the dining and living room. We moved into the house in 1909 when Lore was a baby. The house is still there. We always had more than one hired man and when there was building or painting the men stayed with us. We had six children: Ella Elizabeth Marie, September 16, 1905; John William, February 18, 1907, died January 1966; Lore Elizabeth, August 9, 1908; Leona Marie, August 17, 1910; Irene Pauline, January 8, 1914; Daisy Alverna, November 3, 1915, died 1991.
Ella married Emil Sunderman, son of Henry Sunderman, February 18, 1925: children, Emogene Pauline, July 19, 1926, Eugene Emil, February 16, 1928, Donald Dean, June 2, 1930, Richard John, August 7, 1932. See Heinrich Maurer History.
Sister of Amanda (Knapp), Fritz, Theodore Gustave, William, Louisa (Kurpgeweit), Malvina (Maurer) and Frank.
Passed away in the 1970's.
From the Book:
Images of Yesterday...Visions of Tomorrow
125 Years
Madison, Nebraska
1867-1992
PAULINE DITTBERNER MAURER
Pauline Maurer's story as told to Mrs. Don (Jean) Sunderman in 1969 when Mrs. Maurer was 88 years old.
My father's name was Friedrich Wilhelm Dittberner; he was born November 19, 1838 and died December 28, 1915.
My mother's name was Henrietta Louise Marie Dittbenner (spelled differently) and she was born on Dec. 23, 1844 and died August 21, 1909. They were married February 16, 1866 and lived with my father's parents in Germany and had two children there (both died). War broke out in Germany and two of my uncles were in America and they wrote that everything was nice there. My folks came by ship to New York. They came to Wisconsin where Amanda was born.
My father told his family before they left Germany that he would have his picture taken in America and his hand in his coat with the ring and middle finger on top. This would tell his family that he had not been made a slave and was doing well.
In Wisconsin my father helped set hop posts to make the hop for beer and mother picked cranberries in the swamp for a dollar a bushel. They planned to come to Nebraska by train but the man my father worked for told them that there would be no horses for sale in Nebraska and that he would sell them a team and wagon cheap. It seems like my mother said they paid $200 for the horses and wagon. They made a cover for the wagon on Sunday and there was farewell party for them. My mother's brothers were in Nebraska.
My folks started from Wisconsin in early winter. They came from Columbus and met Phillip Demmel and Henry Maurer and they told my folks to stop at the first house they got to because a big snowstorm was coming. So my father stopped at a house called Sternes "Halfway House" because it was halfway between Columbus and Madison. There was no Humphrey yet. He put the horses in a straw house and the horses kept stepping on the snow during the storm until their backs were to the roof of the barn. They had chickens in the wagon and they were all alive the next morning.
The next morning they started out for Uncle Charlie's and they nearly got lost in a snowdrift near Peck (about 5 miles south of Madison). It was east of the railroad tracks on the Platte county side, south of the county line, close to the Maurers', The horses got stuck and my father was swearing and praying and the dog at Henry Maurer's heard them. Henry Maurer was doing evening chores (on farm on county line near old Highway 81) and he took them to the Buettner's place (north a mile and quarter mile west) and one of their boys showed them where Charlie Dittberner lived (across the road from Jack Dittberner place). They didn't get lost again. Charlie had a sod house and Fred was born that winter, that they stayed with him.
In 1868 they took a homestead in Green Garden Precinct. They built a sod house. My father went to Dakota and worked all summer. It was rainy so he just made $10 and he wanted to take it home to his family so he walked all the way and he swam across the Missouri river though he could have paid for a ride. He took off his pants and put them on his shoulders so they wouldn't get wet and then he ran so he'd get warm. It was winter and cold. He was very sick when he got home.
They had eight children, Amanda, Fredrich, Theodore Gustave, William, Louise Matilda, Pauline Louise Marie, Malvina Augusta and Franz William Edward.
In 1888 my father and his oldest son, Fred went close to Madison to buy a horse. It was a lovely morning, at noon it clouded over and then a big blizzard started. My uncle Charlie (mother's brother) came over and my sister, Amanda, went with him to school to get the children (Mueller School, District 42.) They brought the children home. Uncle Charlie and his children went on home and almost got lost. Their place was down in a hollow southeast of us. They had four children. No one was lost.
My folks sod house had glass in the door. I went to parochial school at Green Garden two winters and one summer. We had six weeks of school in the summer. We walked five miles to school. We didn't have any clothes for church so we didn't go until we went to parochial school. We went a couple of times before school so we would know the way.
Parochial school was in German. We had reading, writing and religion. Rev. Donninger, the minister, taught school but we had no school on Friday so he could study his sermon. We only had English school three months a year or as long as we could raise the money to pay the teacher.
I was confirmed on April 7, 1895, when I was Fourteen years old. I rode in a spring wagon pulled by a team of mule called Jean and Jenny on my Confirmation Day but we usually walked. We answered questions and knew all the answers in the small Catechism. There were seven in our class; John Maurer (my future husband), Pauline Dittberner, Minnie Maurer, Katie Switzer, Frieda Emrich, August Cohrs, Henry Long. I wore black high top button shoes that cost $1. This was Palm Sunday. On Easter we took our first Communion wearing a Black dress. I went to English school for seven months after confirmation. We had church longer now and in German. We left at 9:00 and got home as 12:00. Sometimes the sermon lasted an hour. The men sat on the right and the women on the left. The children sat in front.
My brother, Bill and Theodore, with Sam and Leopold Kurpgewelt herded cattle on a section of land for neighbors every day all summer. Each had their pony and dog. They drove the cattle into neighbors' corn fields they would really be in trouble. There weren't any fences.
When Malvena was two years old she screamed when the older ones told her not to do something so no one paid too much attention to her screaming. My father was making fence and he saw sow carrying her and the other sows following. He didn't want to throw the spade for fear of hitting her so he chased the sow and when the sow put her down to get a better hold, my father grabbed her and she wasn't hurt.
For Christmas when we were little we put plates down before we went to bed, then in the morning we'd find candy, nuts and apples on our plate. We didn't exchange gifts. Of course, when I had children we exchanged presents with my husband's family.
We raised sheep and Mother spun the wool into yarn and my father knitted his own stocking and mittens. His feet never got cold. He never wore overshoes. He made himself bedroom slippers, they were so handy for us girls to put on for very necessary trips outside (to the outhouse).
The upstairs bedrooms weren't finished and the house needed shingling so when it snowed it came through onto our beds. We could see daylight and stars through the roof.
My mother was an invalid after Frank was born. I think it was arthritis. When young she wore her hair braided and wound in a figure eight on the back of her head. All the girls were married at the house so their mother was present.
I was married to Johnannes Fredrick Maurer December 7, 1904 and moved to the Maurer homeplace (one mile north of the Platte county line). Frank and Bill, my husband's brothers, lived with us. Bill got married in September. Frank was married a year later. My father stayed with Frank. They moved to town and Frank had a livery barn. They lived in the little house across from the light plant.
We lived in the granary while they built on the old foundation of the house adding the dining and living room. We moved into the house in 1909 when Lore was a baby. The house is still there. We always had more than one hired man and when there was building or painting the men stayed with us. We had six children: Ella Elizabeth Marie, September 16, 1905; John William, February 18, 1907, died January 1966; Lore Elizabeth, August 9, 1908; Leona Marie, August 17, 1910; Irene Pauline, January 8, 1914; Daisy Alverna, November 3, 1915, died 1991.
Ella married Emil Sunderman, son of Henry Sunderman, February 18, 1925: children, Emogene Pauline, July 19, 1926, Eugene Emil, February 16, 1928, Donald Dean, June 2, 1930, Richard John, August 7, 1932. See Heinrich Maurer History.
Sister of Amanda (Knapp), Fritz, Theodore Gustave, William, Louisa (Kurpgeweit), Malvina (Maurer) and Frank.
From the Book:
Images of Yesterday...Visions of Tomorrow
125 Years
Madison, Nebraska
1867-1992
PAULINE DITTBERNER MAURER
Pauline Maurer's story as told to Mrs. Don (Jean) Sunderman in 1969 when Mrs. Maurer was 88 years old.
My father's name was Friedrich Wilhelm Dittberner; he was born November 19, 1838 and died December 28, 1915.
My mother's name was Henrietta Louise Marie Dittbenner (spelled differently) and she was born on Dec. 23, 1844 and died August 21, 1909. They were married February 16, 1866 and lived with my father's parents in Germany and had two children there (both died). War broke out in Germany and two of my uncles were in America and they wrote that everything was nice there. My folks came by ship to New York. They came to Wisconsin where Amanda was born.
My father told his family before they left Germany that he would have his picture taken in America and his hand in his coat with the ring and middle finger on top. This would tell his family that he had not been made a slave and was doing well.
In Wisconsin my father helped set hop posts to make the hop for beer and mother picked cranberries in the swamp for a dollar a bushel. They planned to come to Nebraska by train but the man my father worked for told them that there would be no horses for sale in Nebraska and that he would sell them a team and wagon cheap. It seems like my mother said they paid $200 for the horses and wagon. They made a cover for the wagon on Sunday and there was farewell party for them. My mother's brothers were in Nebraska.
My folks started from Wisconsin in early winter. They came from Columbus and met Phillip Demmel and Henry Maurer and they told my folks to stop at the first house they got to because a big snowstorm was coming. So my father stopped at a house called Sternes "Halfway House" because it was halfway between Columbus and Madison. There was no Humphrey yet. He put the horses in a straw house and the horses kept stepping on the snow during the storm until their backs were to the roof of the barn. They had chickens in the wagon and they were all alive the next morning.
The next morning they started out for Uncle Charlie's and they nearly got lost in a snowdrift near Peck (about 5 miles south of Madison). It was east of the railroad tracks on the Platte county side, south of the county line, close to the Maurers', The horses got stuck and my father was swearing and praying and the dog at Henry Maurer's heard them. Henry Maurer was doing evening chores (on farm on county line near old Highway 81) and he took them to the Buettner's place (north a mile and quarter mile west) and one of their boys showed them where Charlie Dittberner lived (across the road from Jack Dittberner place). They didn't get lost again. Charlie had a sod house and Fred was born that winter, that they stayed with him.
In 1868 they took a homestead in Green Garden Precinct. They built a sod house. My father went to Dakota and worked all summer. It was rainy so he just made $10 and he wanted to take it home to his family so he walked all the way and he swam across the Missouri river though he could have paid for a ride. He took off his pants and put them on his shoulders so they wouldn't get wet and then he ran so he'd get warm. It was winter and cold. He was very sick when he got home.
They had eight children, Amanda, Fredrich, Theodore Gustave, William, Louise Matilda, Pauline Louise Marie, Malvina Augusta and Franz William Edward.
In 1888 my father and his oldest son, Fred went close to Madison to buy a horse. It was a lovely morning, at noon it clouded over and then a big blizzard started. My uncle Charlie (mother's brother) came over and my sister, Amanda, went with him to school to get the children (Mueller School, District 42.) They brought the children home. Uncle Charlie and his children went on home and almost got lost. Their place was down in a hollow southeast of us. They had four children. No one was lost.
My folks sod house had glass in the door. I went to parochial school at Green Garden two winters and one summer. We had six weeks of school in the summer. We walked five miles to school. We didn't have any clothes for church so we didn't go until we went to parochial school. We went a couple of times before school so we would know the way.
Parochial school was in German. We had reading, writing and religion. Rev. Donninger, the minister, taught school but we had no school on Friday so he could study his sermon. We only had English school three months a year or as long as we could raise the money to pay the teacher.
I was confirmed on April 7, 1895, when I was Fourteen years old. I rode in a spring wagon pulled by a team of mule called Jean and Jenny on my Confirmation Day but we usually walked. We answered questions and knew all the answers in the small Catechism. There were seven in our class; John Maurer (my future husband), Pauline Dittberner, Minnie Maurer, Katie Switzer, Frieda Emrich, August Cohrs, Henry Long. I wore black high top button shoes that cost $1. This was Palm Sunday. On Easter we took our first Communion wearing a Black dress. I went to English school for seven months after confirmation. We had church longer now and in German. We left at 9:00 and got home as 12:00. Sometimes the sermon lasted an hour. The men sat on the right and the women on the left. The children sat in front.
My brother, Bill and Theodore, with Sam and Leopold Kurpgewelt herded cattle on a section of land for neighbors every day all summer. Each had their pony and dog. They drove the cattle into neighbors' corn fields they would really be in trouble. There weren't any fences.
When Malvena was two years old she screamed when the older ones told her not to do something so no one paid too much attention to her screaming. My father was making fence and he saw sow carrying her and the other sows following. He didn't want to throw the spade for fear of hitting her so he chased the sow and when the sow put her down to get a better hold, my father grabbed her and she wasn't hurt.
For Christmas when we were little we put plates down before we went to bed, then in the morning we'd find candy, nuts and apples on our plate. We didn't exchange gifts. Of course, when I had children we exchanged presents with my husband's family.
We raised sheep and Mother spun the wool into yarn and my father knitted his own stocking and mittens. His feet never got cold. He never wore overshoes. He made himself bedroom slippers, they were so handy for us girls to put on for very necessary trips outside (to the outhouse).
The upstairs bedrooms weren't finished and the house needed shingling so when it snowed it came through onto our beds. We could see daylight and stars through the roof.
My mother was an invalid after Frank was born. I think it was arthritis. When young she wore her hair braided and wound in a figure eight on the back of her head. All the girls were married at the house so their mother was present.
I was married to Johnannes Fredrick Maurer December 7, 1904 and moved to the Maurer homeplace (one mile north of the Platte county line). Frank and Bill, my husband's brothers, lived with us. Bill got married in September. Frank was married a year later. My father stayed with Frank. They moved to town and Frank had a livery barn. They lived in the little house across from the light plant.
We lived in the granary while they built on the old foundation of the house adding the dining and living room. We moved into the house in 1909 when Lore was a baby. The house is still there. We always had more than one hired man and when there was building or painting the men stayed with us. We had six children: Ella Elizabeth Marie, September 16, 1905; John William, February 18, 1907, died January 1966; Lore Elizabeth, August 9, 1908; Leona Marie, August 17, 1910; Irene Pauline, January 8, 1914; Daisy Alverna, November 3, 1915, died 1991.
Ella married Emil Sunderman, son of Henry Sunderman, February 18, 1925: children, Emogene Pauline, July 19, 1926, Eugene Emil, February 16, 1928, Donald Dean, June 2, 1930, Richard John, August 7, 1932. See Heinrich Maurer History.
Sister of Amanda (Knapp), Fritz, Theodore Gustave, William, Louisa (Kurpgeweit), Malvina (Maurer) and Frank.
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- Find a Grave Maurer or Dittberner
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