FAMILY STORIES

   Seven years ago, in 1975, my husband and I sat in our little cabin in the middle of the Missouri woods with a Nebraska map spread out on the kitchen table. Now that I was pregnant, we wanted to move back to our home state and locate close to the grandparents, yet in a small town good for family raisin'. Wahoo caught our eye.

The Wilsons -- Dec. 1982. Jessica, age 7, Lynn, Mark, Paul, age 1, Phoebe, age 5½

   It so happened that things worked out just right, and, on August 11, 1975, in the blistering 103 degree heat, Mark, three day old Jessica, and I moved into our new yellow home (shadeless and un-air conditioned!) on 1515 Oak.

   We felt at home right away. The small just-begun Calvary Baptist Church we joined was (and is) full of friendly, helpful people. Our neighbors were (and are) nice and neighborly. It was all just like we had hoped it would be.

   So, when the crisp fall weather finally came, it brought with it a new bearded face to the Wahoo middle school at North Ward: Mr. Mark Wilson, social studies and math teacher.

   The next year, the high school and middle school moved to its present location on Locust Street. Mark and his students got to initiate the lovely structure.

   It wasn't long after the new school was built that Phoebe, our second daughter, was born, on February 27, 1977.

   Now we had two lovelies -- each as different as night and day.

   The girls, Mark, and I have been active in our church through the years. Mark has been on the board and has taught Sunday School and Bible studies. I have coordinated GMG (Girl's Meeting God), a Christian girl's club, since 1976. And ever since I found out the choir director would let me, I've been singing in the choir.

   Besides developing spiritually, we've been trying to take care of our long old bodies, too, by running nearly every day. Our family has participated in road runs and Mark has helped to organize local Wahoo fun runs.

   He has also been coaching track and cross country teams since 1978. Mark loses weight and gets a few more gray hairs every season, but his teams have been great, winning conference championships, individual championships -- in fact, this year's cross country team got second at the state meet!

   Coach Wilson will have his very own runner to coach now, because on September 5, 1981, our third child, Paul Daniel, was born. Three weeks late.

   Besides raising kids, Mark has also been raising bees -- ten hives of them.

   I have treasured staying at home with Paul and the girls, but I've been fortunate enough to do some freelance writing. Since September of 1980 when I sent out my first article, I have sold many things to many magazines and I have had fun writing feature stories for the Wahoo Newspaper. I've discovered we've got a lot to be proud of here in Wahoo.

   It is a privilege to be apart of Saunders County -- and its history. Submitted by Lynn Wilson

   My maternal grandparents were Nathaniel B. Wilson and Mary (Bennet) Wilson. They lived in Henry Co., Ill. and around New Market, Iowa. Their children were Eursula (Mrs. Orphus Kemerling) of Malmo, William, Ida, Jesse, Grace, Nora and Mable (Mrs. Ray Kemerling), my mother.

Nathaniel B. Wilson and Mary (Bennet) Wilson

   Mary Wilson died in 1904. About 1906 Nathaniel and Mable came to Malmo where he was postmaster and Mable was his assistant from 1907 to 1909. He was also a carpenter. Submitted by Crystal L. Hauschild

   William Wilson, whose parents were Scotch and Irish, came from Ireland to America and settled in Virginia. A son, Andrew Allen, was born in 1831. In 1854 he married and had 2 sons, William and Joseph. His wife died in 1862. In 1866, he moved to Iowa and married Lucinda Wagner. In 1870, they came to Nebraska, crossing the Missouri River at Plattsmouth. He purchased land near what is now Wann. He hauled logs from an island in the Platte River to build a log house. Later he purchased more land on which Sidney P. Stevens, father of Frank and Cyrenus Stevens, built a house. He gave a part of this land for the location of the town of Wann to be built in 1906. He died in 1908 and his wife in 1929. They are buried in the Carr Cemetery. They had 9 children: Irvin, Rosa, Frank, Walter, Leivis, Maggie, Nellie and Ida.

   His son, Andrew Franklin, purchased the home place and lived there until 1942 when he purchased a home in Wann. Andrew married Eliza C. Calvert in 1899. They had 5 children: Nova, Lucille, Jesse, Eula, and Arthur. The 2 oldest died in early childhood. Most of his life was spent in farming, until World War II when he and his wife were employed at the Mead Plant. Both were active members of the Wann church, he being a charter member when the church was founded in 1889 and serving as Deacon for 45 years. Andrew was born in 1874 and died in 1956. His wife died in 1956 also, four months after him. They are buried in the Ashland Cemetery. By Dessie Wilson

   Henry Edward Winter was born in Fremont, Nebraska, on January 15, 1875. He attended Fremont Normal (later Midland College) and on June 25, 1902, married Ethel Collins of Wahoo. They lived in Yutan, and Ceresco, and came to live in Wahoo in 1908, after establishing general stores in each of the three towns. He also became involved in starting banks in Ceresco, Ashland, Valparaiso, and Wahoo.

   Two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Winter were June (Mrs. George Ayers), a resident of Wahoo until her death in December, 1981, and Janet, wife of Dr. Harry Jakeman, Fremont, Nebraska.

   Twin daughters of George and June Ayers are June -- Mrs. Richard Brunmeier of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Janet -- Mrs. William Lindley of Wahoo.

   The Brunmeier children include Christine, Richard Ayers, and Ronald Paul -- all of Lincoln. The Lindley children include Patricia Ahlers of Dubuque, Iowa, John Robert of Omaha, and Michael Avets, William Clayton, and Ann Elizabeth -- all of Wahoo.

   The children of Dr. and Janet Jakeman include Ann Lallman, (Mrs. Keith) of Fremont, and Clinton Harry of New York City, deceased March 25, 1980.

   The three Lallman children are: Stewart Collins Lallman of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nancy Ann Lallman of Omaha, and Jennifer Janet Lallman of Fremont.

   Mr. Winter had many interests and talents. He was a natural linguist, and this talent helped him a great deal in communicating with the Swedish, Bohemian, and German people of the Wahoo community and surrounding area. He also loved music, and for many years, played the clarinet in the State Fair Band and other groups with the well-known "Charlie Prokop.""

   Henry Winter thoroughly enjoyed his stores, and June and I were happy to play in the Wahoo store on Saturdays. We would send messages back and forth in the little cash cages the clerks sent to the office. One busy Saturday, dear Mrs. Elmer Bruce of Malmo quietly explained that dry beans would be better to put in the cages than sticky raisins or prunes!!!

   Baseball was one of our father's special interests and he was a member of Tom Killian's famous team and played with Sam Crawford and others in the 1890s.

   Henry Winter's untimely death on August 20th, 1919, at the age of 44 years, was a tragic loss to his beloved family and host of friends, and to the entire community.

   Ethel Collins Winter maintained her residence in Wahoo until her death June 4, 1959. Submitted by Janet Winter Jakeman

   The following is a description of Anton Wirka's acquisition of his farm in Saunders County: To Anton Wirka filed 1891, State of Nebraska, the East half of North Quarter (E½,NE¼) and Southwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter (SW¼,NE¼) of Section 16, Township 16, Range Five of the 6th P.M. containing one hundred and twenty acres, more or less according to U.S. Survey. Anton Wirka of the County of Saunders and the State of Nebraska received the above for the aggregate price of $850, fully paid to the proper receiving officers.

   This farm was inherited by Anton's son, James J. Wirka, Prague, Nebraska. Thus his son, James E. Wirka, inherited it, and he is still farming it with sons, Vern, Glen, and David.

   James J. Wirka married Blanch (Bella) Belik on Oct. 1, 1912. They had a son, James E. Wirka, born Mar. 3, 1923. He was seven years old when they moved from Prague to a farm three miles east of Cedar Bluffs. James and Blanch lived there with their son, James E., until they retired and bought a house in Cedar Bluffs in 1952.

   James E. Wirka married Lydia A. Zenk of Lewisville, Minnesota on June 29th, 1952. They were blessed three sons. Vern J. works at KFAB in Omaha, Nebraska. Glen Robert lives in Fremont and farms with his father. David Lloyd is a senior at Cedar Bluffs High School.

   The James E. Wirka family farm is in North Cedar Township, 16-17, North Range 7, East. Submitted by the James E. Wirka Family

   I was born in December, 1904 in Saunders County on a farm six miles northwest of Prague and lived all my life in the county. My parents, Anton and Anna (Smaus) Wirka, were immigrants from the old country, now Czechoslovakia, at ages 18 and 13, looking for a better life. In father's first marriage there were three children, James Jr., Emma Spatz, and Anna Fisher who were my half-brother and half-sisters. Their mother died when she was thirty years old. The farm of 120 acres was school land and cost $750 by deed. Father was always a farmer and did lots of custom work for farmers, threshing, baling and cornshelling; this being 1880 to 1910 and all done by horsepower.

   For the first and second grade, I attended District 80. We moved in 1913 to the village of Rescue where I attended District 73 through 8th grade. Next, I attended four years at Wahoo High School,

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Sam Crawford (arrow), named Sunday to baseball's Hall of Fame, played with his hometown Killians in the 1890's before vaulting to the majors. In back row (from left) are Carl Goecher, Crawford, Amiel Killian, John Winter, Ed Killian, Elmer Johnson, Fred Milenz; front row, Bert Gibbs, Tom Killian, unidentified bat boy and Henry Winter.

graduating in 1923. Following that, I attended Lincoln Auto-Tractor School, graduating in 1924. This began my career in mechanics, machining, and welding. In 1926, I built the Rescue Garage & Machine Shop. Because of my health, in 1945 I started farm conservation work with dozers, scoop, and dragline. I began with a second-hand Caterpillar 30, making my own dozer blade and winch, eventually, buying three new caterpillar tractors and dragline. I began with a second. This business I do to a limited extent to this day.

   During my school years, I was always busy during the summer, working on farms threshing, cultivating, and all other farm work, earning spending money. Wages in 1914-1916 were usually 75¢ a day; then $1 to $1.50 to 1924. Farm labor hired by the month was $20-30, including board. Hours were from early morning to night.

   In December, 1935, I married Gladys Satorie of North Bend and we had five children: Anton J., Karl, LeRoy, Mrs. Gawaine (Donna) Dvorak, and Mrs. Charles (Betty) Prochaska. At this time the great depression was on and we had a tough time to make a living like everybody else. There were many days I didn't make 50¢ profit in business.

   In sports it was baseball and hunting. Baseball started at home with local boys using homemade string-balls and bats with no gloves or catcher's mask. In Wahoo High School I started playing with the team when in 1Oth grade. This was my first time using regular baseball and gloves. During my 12th grade, under Percy Adams coaching, our team beat all local schools, including Omaha Tech and Central.

   After graduation I started playing with town teams for 18 years. Our coach, who was superintendent of schools, was a former State Western League player. In 1933, playing with Schuyler in Council Bluffs tournament, Otto Williams, scout for St. Louis Browns, offered me a tryout with them. Because of my business I could not go, although I sure would have liked to. By Anton Wirka

James E. Wirka Farm

   Friedrick "Fred" Louis Witte was the son of Frederick P. and Wilhelmine Witte. Frederick P. Witte, my great-grandfather, was born in Hanover, Germany. He served as an officer in the Prussian Army against France. In 1871, he immigrated to America, locating in Cedar County, Iowa. Here he met and married Wilhelmine Topper, who was also born in Hanover in 1853. They moved to Tipton, Kansas shortly after they were married, living in a sod house on their homestead. In 1890, the family moved to Yutan. When they retired from the farm, they moved into Yutan, building and living in the house which today is the present home of Roy and Wilma Johnston.

Fred L. and Anna Witte

   Their children were: Sophia Swan, William, Henry, Wilhelmina Kirchmann, Mary Hendrickson, Friedrick, and Lizzie Rohde.

   Friederick Louis Witte, my grandfather, better known as "Fred" Witte was born August 29, 1887 at Tipton, Kansas. In 1890, he came with his father and brothers to Yutan in a covered wagon. His mother and sisters traveled by train.

   On February 16, 1910, he was united in marriage to Anna Lorenz, daughter of Peter and Meta Lorenz. Peter Lorenz was born in 1850 at Koldenbuettal, Scheswig, Germany. He learned the carpenter trade and served in the German Army from 1872 to 1875. He was married to Meta Klauscen-Iven in 1881. Meta was born in Winnert, Scheswig, Germany. Soon after Peter and Meta were married, they decided to immigrate to America. Peter came in 1882, his wife and baby girl, the next year. The baby died shortly after arriving in America. The family lived in Omaha, then Yutan, moving to Mead in 1884. They purchased a farm northwest of Yutan in 1892 and farmed until 1910 when he and his wife moved to Yutan. Their children were: Theodore,

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