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Mrs. Otillie Kyncl

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Church Funeral For Mrs. Knycl Sunday

Rev. B. A. Phillippi of Clarkson helped to conduct the funeral service for Mrs. Otillie Kyncl at the First Presbyterian church on Sunday afternoon.  The pastor, Rev. Hal E. Schenck, led the service and gave the sermon with the Rev. Phillippi adding the obituary and brief eulogy in the Bohemian language.

Mrs. Anton Kyncl passed away at Norfolk last Wednesday and would have been 42 years of age on May 21.  She was born at Colome, South Dakota, to the Kucera family and grew up in that vicinity.  She married Anton Kyncl on February 4, 1930 at Winner, South Dakota.  Source:  excerpts from Madison Star-Mail Thursday, May 4, 1950 on page 1.

Nickolas Peter Christiansen

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Christiansen Rites At Funeral Home

The funeral for Nickolas Peter Christiansen was held at the Resseguie Funeral home on Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock.  Burial was at Crown Hill Cemetery.  He was 82 years, 2 months and 22 days old.  He had lived in Madison as a retired farmer for many years.

Nickolas P. Christiansen was born in Schleswig-Holstein February 8, 1868, and came to America when 14 years of age, living almost continuously in Madison county ever since.  He married Carolina Scheer on January 30, 1894.  To this union six children were born, all of whom survive their father’s death.    Source:  excerpts from Madison Star-Mail Thursday, May 4, 1950 on page 1.

Anthony Robinson

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Anthony Robinson, 87, Dies

Anthony K. Robinson, 87, one of Madison county’s oldest citizens, died Sunday afternoon at the home of a daughter in Newman Grove. He had been in failing health for some time.

Mr. Robinson came to Madison county when a young man.  He was the husband of Mary Bickley Robinson, who died in 1941.  Burial was in Crown Hill cemetery at Madison.   Source:  Battle Creek Enterprise, Thursday, May 11, 1950 on page 1.

 

Thomas E. Farrell and Mrs. R. F. Wilson

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Farrell Obituary

Thomas E. Farrell, whose funeral was held at the First Presbyterian church on Thursday, April 6, was a true son of Erin, born at Scotstown, County Monaghan, Ireland, the 17th of September, 1887.  His father William also had been born in Scotstown and his mother, Jane Gilbert Farrell, in the same county at Castleblainey.  Coming to this country at 21 years of age, he was united in marriage with Miss Elsie M. Farnsworth and set up his home.  The Farrells had three sons and a daughter.  Mr. Farrell found employment with the Union Pacific railroad and had been stationed at Stromsburg and at Platte Center in addition to his sixteen years here in Madison.  Many railroading friends, including the assistant division superintendent from Omaha, were present at his funeral.             Source:  excerpts from Madison Star-Mail Thursday, April 13, 1950 on page 1.

Sister of Tom Farrell Dies in Lincoln Hotel

Mrs. T. E. Farrell accompanied her husband’s brother-in-law, R. F. Wilson, to Minneapolis Saturday for the funeral of Mrs. Wilson sometime this week.

The death of Mrs. R. F. Wilson of Minneapolis occurred just nine days after she had attended the funeral of her brother, Tom Farrell, here at Madison.  With her husband she had gone on to Lincoln and was taken by a heart attack while staying at the Hotel Cornhusker.    Source:  Madison Star-Mail, Thursday, April 20, 1950 on page 1.

Mrs. John Richardson

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Battle Creek, Neb., Sept. 3 — Special to The News:  Funeral services for Mrs. John Richardson, who died Saturday afternoon in a Norfolk hospital, were held Tuesday forenoon in the Catholic Church here.  The Rev. Thomas Walsh officiated, and burial was made in the Catholic cemetery by the side of her husband, who died years ago.  Mrs. Richardson was 76 years old, and an old settler in North Deer Creek precinct.  She is survived by a number of grown children.  Source: The Norfolk Daily News, Wed., Sept. 3, 1930, page 2.

Battle Creek items

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Battle Creek, Neb. — Special to the News:  Fred Hofman, Norfolk, accompanied by his son, Herbert of Battle Creek Heights, visited his sister, Mrs. Mary Wagner, in Louisville, Neb. last week.

Mrs. Carl Tietjen and Mrs. Albert Praeuner spent Friday at the home of their sister, Mrs. Otto Schilling, in Enola.

Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Miller spent last week with their daughter Mrs. William Craig, and family in Orchard.                                                                                                                      Source: The Norfolk Daily News, Wed., Sept. 3, 1930, page 3.

Mrs. Dora F. Craig

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Inman, Neb. Sept. 13—Special to The News:  Funeral services were held here Thursday morning for Mrs. Dora F. Craig, who passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John Gallagher, east of Inman, on Sept. 9, at the age of 73 years.  The services were conducted at 10 a.m. by the Rev. R. Poe and the body taken to Battle Creek for further services and burial.  Source:  The Norfolk Daily News, Sat. Sept. 13, 1930, page 5.

George O. Simmons, cane carver

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Carves Cane With Wild West Theme

George Simmons, Battle Creek, Spent 3 Months Finishing Work

Battle Creek, Neb., May 15—Special to The News:  George O. Simmons, Battle Creek whose hobby is carving canes, has completed one on which are some of the notorious and noted frontier day characters.

The cane was carved from a young diamond willow tree found on the Sam Kent farm near the Elkhorn river east of town.  The head of the cane is that of Wild Bill Hickok and immediately below is the the inscription, Wild Bill Hickok, Born in Tro_ Grove, Ill., 1837.  Murdered in Deadwood Gulch, S. D., Aug. 2, 1876, during the Gold Rush.  The winner of 32 Pistol Duels.  Below that are five cards known as “Dead Man’s Hand” and represents the hand held by Hickok at the time of his murder.  Next is the head of Calamity Jane Canary Burke, frontier character and a personal friend of Hickok.

Following in order are Sitting Bull’s head, a buffalo head and the Golden Spike with the inscription, “U. P. R. R. completed May 10, 1869.”  There are also carvings of two rifles and a pistol of the type used in those days and a tomahawk and Indian club.

Mr. Simmons worked for three months, carving the cane which is finished in natural wood color.  The characters and other designs are hand colored, the work being done by Miss Emma Taylor of Battle Creek.

Mr. Simmons is the son of the late Ralph E. and Mary Simmons, pioneer settlers in Madison county.  He was born and reared at Battle Creek where he has spent practically all his life except for a few years spent on the Simmons ranch in Holt county, and in 1917 he took up a homestead in Cherry county where he lived for a time.

He has always had a yen for wild west shows and trooped with Gollmar Brothers Circus and Rodeos as a trick roper.  He is returning to the show business, having organized the Simmons clown troupe whose musical comedy act he will book for celebrations and fairs.  Source:  The Norfolk Daily News, Wednesday May 15, 1940, page 8.

 

Montague reunited

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Norfolkan to be Reunited with Son he thought Dead

Ten years ago on May 19, 1930, James Montague, now 72, Norfolk, who hadn’t heard from his son, Jim, for some time, read in a Sioux City newspaper that the bodies of three unidentified murdered youths, about 19, had been found in a vacant lot in Brooklyn, N. Y.

As his son was about 20 years old and was living in New York city at that time, the father thought young Jim might have been among the slain trio.  As time passed, and he didn’t hear from his son, the Norfolkan became more and more convinced in his mind that the boy had been killed.

He wrote a number of letters to Brooklyn and New York city authorities and to the bureau of missing persons, but was unable to find any trace of his son,  Finally, after many months had elapsed, Montague gave up his son as dead.

Mourned for 10 Years

For almost ten years he mourned the loss of the boy.

His sadness now has turned to joy and anticipation because he has received from his “dead” son a letter saying he was coming to Norfolk to visit in July.

The forthcoming reunion between father and son resulted from the latter’s having to go to a New York city hospital for emergency treatment several days ago.

At the hospital, the young man was asked to sign a card giving the name of a relative.  He wrote down the name of his sister, Anna Montague, and gave her address as 414 North Tenth street, Norfolk, Neb.  He didn’t know his sister was married and her name is Mrs. Larry Meenan, and that she is now residing in Los Angles.

“Couldn’t Believe It”

When the card reached Norfolk, postal employee, knowing Anna Montague no longer lived in this city, but is the daughter of James Montague, delivered it to the father.  That was James Montague’s first information his missing son was alive.  “I could hardly believe it because I had given him up as dead,” he stated.

Overjoyed, Mr. Montague’s first thought was to write to a niece, Miss Grace King, in New York city asking her to go to the hospital to see young Jim,  He sent her an air mail letter and at the same time sent a telegram to the bureau of missing persons, asking it to get in touch with the young man.

In a few days, the father received a letter from his son who stated that about ten years ago he lost his job and “started to drifting around.”  He also wrote that he put off writing to his father and as the months went by it became harder and harder to break down and write home, and as a result he just neglected to let his parent know his whereabouts.

Young Jim also promised his father he would be home in July for what probably will be the happiest day in James Montague’s life.

Source:  The Norfolk Daily News, Friday May 31, 1940, page 2.