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Note: BIO:THE EARLY LIFE OF PETER HAHN
(Copy of an interview with Chris Hahn to a Madison, NE newspaper)
A fragile sailing vessel tossed about on the turbulant Atlantic for 1
weeks, brought to the shores of America in 1868, the family of Peter
Hahn, a native of Hanover, Germany. In the family were Peter, his wif
Elizabeth, and their three children, Sophia, Chris, and William.
Three times the frail vessel had been beaten back to German waters by
violent storms, a fourth attempt finally reached its destination with
its band of German immigrants.
Peter Hahn and his family first went to Wisconsin, where they spent
three years with relatives. ***[There seems to be no record of Peter
Hahn's parents or brothers or sisters. According to the obituary of
William Hahn, the Peter Hahn family spent 3 years with relatives in
Wisconsin before settling in Nebraska. Clarence Hahn, one of the
younger sons of William Hahn remembers his parents speaking of
Madison, Wisc. as the place where they first lived in the USA; also h
remembers a LUELLA KOCK visiting with them from Madison, Wisc. These
may be relatives and the birth place of Louis Hahn.]*** In 1871,
they came further west and located in Nebraska. **[Prior experience a
farmer?]** Since then the name of HAHN has been interwoven with the
Agricultural, Commercial, religious, and social life of the state.
Pushing up into Colfax County, the family landed at the county seat, Schuyler, Nebraska, with only $5.00 in money, but with unlimite
faith in all that the future was to unfold, they set themselves too
playing their parts with the zeal and determination which knows not
failure.
When Peter Hahn died in 1903, he not only wrested from the virgin soil a lifelyhood and comfortable recompense, but held titlw to eight
80 acre tracts of very good land in Colfax County.
The Hahn family reached Schuyler April 1871 and made their way to the home of Frita Brunherder freinds in Germany
who, with his wife and 4 children, lived in a sod house about 7 miles
from town.***[7 miles North and 2 1\2 miles West]*** The Brunhuffer
family of 6 and the Hahn's of seven, lived together in a one room sod
house for several months.
Peter Hahn took steps to secure a homestead. Thoughout the summer months he left his family with the Bruhnhuffers while he worked with
other settles, and in his spare time put up a sod house on his home-
stead. By the time Autumn had come, he had earned enough to buy a cow
and also made arrangements where by he gained possession of an ox.
With these meager holdings, the Hahn family settled in their prairie
home in the fall of 1871.
Furniture for the little shanty was fashioned fro trees, which grew along Shell creek, while fuel was secured either by gathering
buffalo chips or twisting slough grass into firm bundles. THese simpl
tasks which were given over to the children, of every pioreer family
had a part in developing the thrift and industry which marked that
particular generation and which is frequently lacking in youth of
latter. day.
Mr. Hahn succeeded in breaking up five acres of sod in his first year on the Homestead, and these of course were sown in wheat, for on
of the gretest needs of the homesteaders was flour for bread.
Neighbors helped to cradle the wheat and when Mr. Hahn went away from
home to work for 50 cents per day, the other settlers, having come
into the region some 8-10 years before had accumulated some live-
stock.
Mrs. Hahn and the children were left to bind the wheat by hand and take care of shocking the wheat. With the help of a neighbor woma
she and her daughter were busy with the wheat shocks one day, when a band of Indians came trailing along, moving
from camp grounds on the Missouri to the Platte river area. They
stopped to watch the women and soon discovered the baby (Gustave)
sleeping on a bundle of wheat shocks; where his mother had laid him.
They picked him up and examine him, passing him from one to the other
while the young mother looked on in terror. While part if the Indians
amused themselves with the "white papoose", others found satisfaction
in tossing the shocks of grain about. But because the Indians finally
returned the babe to its make shift bed unmolested and went on their
way without further disturbance this pioneer mother and her helper
set about gathering the shocks of grain the second time that day with
deep rejoicing in their hearts.
Peter Hahn's first team was the cow and ox hitched together and the faily's first vihicle in the country was a strange device, which
was called a sled. This so-called was a strong forked tree, cut along
the banks of Shell Creek, with a log nailed to the fork for a seat.
The trunk of the tree served as the tongue of the "vehicle" and was i
some crude manner hitched to the cow and ox. On the sled, the Hahn
family rode many times and many miles to church and to the neighbors
to visit and to town for groceries.
Michall Herton another pioneer had brought some of his carpenter tools from Germany and it was he who fashioned from logs, the first
wagon the Hahn family owned. Cross sections of logs, amde the wheels,
and when they were fastened together so they would turn a flat bottom
was made, and the wagon was the envy of all the pioneer settlers for
miles around.
A fear from which the Hahn family was never free, was that of prairie fires. Disasterous fires frequently swept the plains and on
many occassions Mr. Hahn and his family fought the on coming flames
with wet cloths over their mouths and nostrils to keep from
smothering.
As he was able to get more implements with which to work his land Mr.Hahn broke up a few more acres each year, and by the time the gras
hopper plague descended, he had a fair showing of grain and corn, all
of which with the garden vegetables and some wooded implements were a
total loss in the late 1870's.
Mr. and Mrs. Hahn replaced their sod house with a one room frame structure which served them for a couple of years until they were
able to build a 7 room fram home where they spent the remaining years
of their lives.
Mrs. Hahns health finally broke under the long strain and the las 14 years of her life were spent in an invalid chair.
Children, grand children and gret grandchildren have carried on work begun by his pioneer family back in the 1870's, and their exper-
iences not more colorful neither more dramatic than hundreds of other
make a worth while contribution to the history of Nebraska.
***[This informationwas received from Mrs. Hazel Lowe (Hahn), daughte
of Louis Hahn, of Leigh Nebraska (my grandfather) OCT. 1977.
Clinton Hahn 615 St. Paul Dr. Arlington, Texas 76013 rewrote this
(Further information could be obtained from Mr. Harry Hahn Jr, Son,
who last fall Aug.1976 went as a student of Law to Germany and hoped
to get further information on the Peter Hahn family...Oct.1977...
FROM LILLIAN HAHN to Clinton Hahn (wife of Clarence Hahn)
Peter Hahn and his wife Elizabeth are buried in a cemetary about 10 miles north of Schuyler, NE in what was once the churchyard of a
German Lutheran Church.
Although the history record indicates Peter Hahn and his family stayed with relatives in Wisconsin, before coming to Nebraska, so far
we have no authentic records of who they were. CLarence remmembers his
father's cousin, Luella Koch, from Madison, Wisc, visited with them
one summer.
There doesn't seem to be any record on Peter Hahn's wife, Elizabeth Backhaus.
END!!����������������������������������������������������������������� �
Midland township
Other cemetaries: Grant precinct (St.Johanna or Bethleham?) Sect 17 TWP 18 R 3
Possible burial place of Johnnie Kovar
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