|
a.
|
Note: Born in Woodford Co IL, John was raised as a farmer's son. The family relocated to Nebraska, after the death of his wife in 1884. This is proven by the 1885 NE Census on which Ella and John appear.
John remarked once that his parents spoke German in their home, and the children (two sons) were expected to learn English from their playmates.
John farmed in NE during the time he was there, then moved out west with his father and sister. His ultimate destination was Walla Walla WA, then still part of the Oregon Territory. Here he farmed a pretty good parcel of land for the landowner and did well with horses. He worked for a grocery for a short while, then moved to the Mill Creek area.
In 1911 he married Freda Bryant in Walla Walla. They issued four offspring, two boys/two girls, and Freda became a great cook, feeding the family and all the farmhands. At a later point in John's life he sold out and moved to town. He resided in a smaller home that was built around the 1920's, but it was groomed well both inside and out. It was at this time that he went to work for the Walla Walla State Prison System as a guard. He was at that position until retirement.
When John was asked about any siblings, he claimed to have had a brother, deceased, but that was a long time ago. The question was posed in the 1960s.... This writer found out his half-brother was a son from his mother's first marriage (she was a former widow). John and Nick were pretty close, exchanged many letters and shared visits until Nick's death.
The day before his death, John was up and active for an elder. He'd cleaned the furnace already, but checked it again (always cautious about the oil heat). A normal day for him when he had already cleaned off the sidewalk and porch too. A hard worker, he was. No question about it. That night he went to bed as normal, and the next morning his wife found him lifeless. We know that his spirit yet lives, and his family is surely around him, now, and forever more.
|
