George E. Ortmann, was born in Friedback Meiningen, Germany in1855, then went to Bavaria in 1873 to study farming. He arrived in Saint Louis in 1877, then moved to Omaha a year later. He moved to the Pender, Nebraska area in 1894 where he acquired several farms. He married Anna Bloom, who died in 1963 at the age of 102. They had 2 children, Robert and George. George married, but had no children. More on George & Ann

Robert married Clara Siebrant on October 11, 1910, and moved to a farm at the southwest corner of Bancroft, Nebraska. They had three children, Ruth (July 26, 1911), Alvin (1914), and Arthur May 17, 1917). Robert died from complications of influenza on April 10, 1922. Clara remarried a widower, Frank Mehling, in 1923 and together they raised his 3 children, her 3 children and their one child, Lewis, while living on the same farm. More on Clara

The farm was badly damaged in a windstorm on May 2, 1928 and completely destroyed on May 1, 1930 by a tornado. Neighbors brought back clothes, kitchen utensils, and other belongings that had gotten caught in the trees a scattered about. Volunteers helped them clean up and rebuild better than before. Frank died of a heart attack in July of 1952. Clara lived on the farm a few more years and then retired to a house in Bancroft. She died December 13, 1979. She is buried in the Bancroft Cemetery beside her first husband.

Ruth married John Maas and had two children, Rodney and Donna.

Alvin married Florence Elsasser and had one child, Merle.

Arthur married Harriet Copple on Christmas day in 1941 while home on leave from the Army. Arthur served throughout World War II and saw heavy combat in the Pacific. He was wounded, awarded the Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge and received a field commission to Second Lieutenant. After the war they farmed near Bancroft and together had 5 children, Robert, Marcia, John, Mary Ann, and Lori. More or Arthur and Harriet

Robert (that’s me) earned engineering degrees from the University of Nebraska and MIT. I broke from a long line of farmers by spending 22 years in the Navy as a ship design and repair specialist. I work for Iowa Western Community College in the Continuing Education Department doing mostly computer related things. I married Janet Hoegemeyer from Lyons, Nebraska, and we have two children, Barbara and Laura.

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