Narrative by George Hoegemeyer

Since I am the youngest descendent of the Casper Hoegemeyer family, it is interesting to me to recall some of the events that happened.

I go back to the time when we all sat around the table at mealtime. Father, mother, and the seven of us children. Father asking the blessing in German and then how we all dug in to satisfy our ravenous appetite. Sure, there wasn't the variety of eats on the table like there is now days, but somehow or another it all tasted so very good-like those old fashioned German stews, home made bread and rolls graced with honey, sorghum or homemade butter.

Wonderful as it was for all of us to be together, it did not continue to last that way. As the family grew older, one after another as time went by left the family circle to start a home and a life of their own.

The first one to leave the family circle was William. In the spring of 1905, he packed his belongings and drove with his horses and wagon to a farm place three and a half miles west of Scribner. On this farm he batched for a number of months but soon he found out that it isn't good for man to be alone. On September 6, of the same year, he married Frieda Niebuhr, a girl from Washington County.

Their early years on the farm were still in the horse and buggy days. I remember how a bunch of us at home would crowd into a top buggy and drive over to their place to pay them a visit. These drives were a treat to me because it gave me a chance to see the country beyond that of our farm home.

The second member to vacate our family circle was Emma. An attractive young man named Henry Heitshusen from near Uehling, Nebraska came and received her hand in marriage. They were married September 27, 1906 in our home on the farm. This was a large wedding. Many neighbors and friends came with team and buggy to attend. Beer was served quite freely and many a German Folk Song choraled over the place. This couple lived on a farm near Uehling, Nebraska for a number of years after, which they moved to their own farm 7 miles east of Lyons, Nebraska.

In the spring of 1908, August decided to start out farming for himself too. He chose to go to a farm about 7 miles east of Lyons, Nebraska. Father had bought a new wagon for him. This he loaded with his clothes, sacks of seed grain and some machinery. He hitched one team of horses in front of the wagon and trailed another team behind. I was asked to ride along with him. They thought that I might be of some help to him on the way, which today I very much doubt. Anyway it was a cold chilly ride all the way. We changed horses a number of times. We stopped at a restaurant in Oakland for a meal and oh how good that steak dinner tasted. It was late in the evening when we arrived at the farm home. The horses were watered, tied in the stall and fed. We then walked to Ed Grener's place a neighbor close by. We were both very hungry and Mrs. Grener was very kind to fix a late supper for us. The next day August brought me to Lyons. There I boarded a train and came back home again.

August lived alone on this place during that year but the following year, in February, he traveled to Blunt, South Dakota to see his girl friend, Fredericka Weitzenkamp. They were married on February 17, 1909. This union only lasted 14 1/2 years. On August 22, 1923, Ricka died. This was a great loss to that family. It was remarkable, however, how well August and his children kept their home going.

Brother Christ who thus far had been home the longest decided in 1913 that he would now start out farming for himself too. On February 20, 1913, he was united in marriage to Emma, Nee Heitshusen, Heyne at Bethaldo, Illinois. They located on the Elkhorn River farm. Father had planned that they should go on the farm west of West Point and Casper should have the river farm. Casper, however, contended that it would be too much of a burden on mother and the rest of us to continue farming both farms here and that it would be better to have Christ stay on one of them. To this they mutually agreed. As I look back over these years, I often come to the conclusion that providence stepped in to guide Casper to make that decision.

On April 15, Louise became the wife of Emil P. Miller. He was an active farmer doing general farming and specializing in livestock feeding. Their farm was located 2 miles west of Uehling, Nebraska. Here on this farm they lived together for 16 years when the reaper of death, on July 3, 1930, claimed the life of Emil. He had contracted a very serious case of blood poison. All efforts to save his life proved to no avail. Louise and her children were then to face the future alone.

She also did a splendid job rearing her family. On February 3, 1932, the family moved to a small farm east of Oakland, Nebraska.

Shortly after Louise was married and settled in her new home sadness hovered over us. Mother became seriously ill and had to submit to an operation. When she came home, my sister Emma came and lovingly took care of her until a housekeeper came to take over. At first it seemed mother rallied from the operation, but her ailment developed into cancer of the bowels. A second operation was performed and she lived until September 6, when she died and we bade farewell to our beloved mother. I would like to insert the information here that the day mother took seriously ill, none of the men folks were at home. I was at school in Lincoln and father and Casper were somewhere else. Mother, in her desperation, asked Elmer Heitshusen, sister Emma's boy who was staying with us at the time, to walk to Christ Hoegemeyer's place and tell Mrs. Christ Hoegemeyer that she was seriously ill and needed help. Emma, as we best knew her, got herself ready and walked the distance of about 2 miles to our place pushing a baby carriage in front of her.

With mother's death, our family circle at home had dwindled down to three of us, father, Casper and myself. We got along as best as we could, batching most of the time hoping for a brighter day to come. It did, on June 7, 1916, Casper and Bertha Kerstein were married. It was the dawn of a new day to have a lady grace our home again.

Casper and Bertha stayed with us until the spring of 1919 when they decided it was time for them to move to their own farm west of West Point, Nebraska. On March 11, Casper left with his horses and packed wagon for his farm. His sensitive nature got the best of him and tears came into his eyes as he left the old home. The following week Bertha took the train from Scribner to join her husband at West Point. Now the task of running the farm was left to father and me. We were fortunate in getting reliable hired help to get the farm work done and at times had housekeepers to do the cooking and housework during the busy season. This went on until the year 1921 when to my joy and delight on February 20, Marie Fischer, a girl from Missouri became my wife. We were married in a little Lutheran Church in Stover, Missouri. On February 23, we came to our home on the farm to share our lives together and to face the future that lay before us.

These are my recollections of our family circle. How and when they left to start a home of their own. Father stayed on the farm and continued to live with us. His health as a rule had been quite good. However, in the spring of 1928 his health started to fail. He was up and around every day but his strength was rapidly leaving. He lived until November 22, when his heart stopped and the years of his life were all over at the age of 79 years and 7 months.

Many and varied have been the days of our lives. Both in good and evil days. We were all human beings and as human beings we had to confess that we were and are but strangers and pilgrims on this earth.