A Sad Story

My husband's 3rd great-grandfather was Hans Jacob Westphalen, who immigrated from Germany in 1855.  He settled in Calumet County, Wisconsin.  Within a few years at least two of his sons, Johan and Peter, had married and moved to Dodge County, Nebraska.  They lived near each other in Everett Township which is northwest of Omaha and just south of Scribner.

Link to Larger 1885 Map

Johan and his wife Christina, had 11 children including Dorothea, who married George Dearinger.  Their grandaughter was Clarice Mae Lewis. Peter and his wife Catharina (Catherine) Thedens had at least 7 children:  Henry, Dora, Minnie, Eda, Frederick, Mathilda and Ferdinand.  This post is about their family.

In genealogy, we sometimes start with cemeteries and work backwards, and sometimes the story is told in the newspapers.

Monument for Eda and Mathilda, ages 13 and 8, died 1888

Lincoln County Tribune, Aug 11, 1888

Omaha Daily Bee Aug 2, 1888

Omaha Daily Bee Feb 3, 1888

Omaha Daily Bee Feb 2, 1888

Omaha Daily Bee Jan 25, 1888

Omaha Daily Bee Jan 24, 1888

Part of The Blizzard, The Columbus Journal, Jan 18, 1888

1885 Nebraska Census

In 1885, Catharina was a widow with 4 children at home. Oldest daughter Dora had recently married Charles Seifert,  and Henry was living with them.  One son, Frederick had died in December, 1883.  Her husband, Peter, had died in Jan 1884.

The Widow Westphalen and children - Eda and Mathilda in front (bet 1884 and 1887)

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Found on Ober Family Tree on Ancestry.com

Catherine remarried, probably in 1889, to Claus Henry Harms, who had just immigrated from Germany.  He was probably a widower as he had at least one child when they married.  Together they had a daughter, Bertha.  Catherine died in Dodge County, Nebraska on 11 May 1931.

Note:  All newspaper clippings came from Chronicling America.  The photo can be found on both FindaGrave and Ancestry.