THE 1880’S IMMIGRATION AND OUTLAWS

“In 1876 I remember one day in early summer Father and Paul (who was now 21) were coming up the path from the field, each with a hoe. They were arguing about something and Father struck Paul across the shoulders with the hoe handle. It broke. I imagine it was rotten. That sounds like a cruel blow, but Father was so impulsive and quick tempered. Paul hastened into the house and gathered up the few clothes he had, tied them in a bundle, said goodbye to Mother and went away. Of course Mother was broken hearted and I remember Father petting and comforting her.” 

“We didn’t hear from Paul for a year or more, but learned from friends at Steamboat Rock that he had gone to Denver, Colorado with some men who were going to the mining country to make their fortunes. Later, we heard from him. He was a miner now and wrote about the tuffs he was associating with.” 

“February 20, 1879 a little daughter was born. Father named her Hortensia Leona after his mother.” 

“In December 1879 Father drove to Eldora to buy some lumber for a blackboard for the East Bend School. He took cold on the drive and in a few days was taken down with pneumonia, which developed into typhoid. On January 4, 1880 he died.” 

“Our Dear little Mother, her baby a but year old, Charlie who was the oldest boy at home, 19, and a thousand dollars debt on the farm. What a dark outlook. Anna, then twenty-one was married, May 21st to Fred Granzow. Clara was married March 19th, 1882 to Will Briggs, and how we loved him. He was so good to Mother, and helped her about the farming and planting.” 

“Charlie, Martha and I were left to do the farming. Emma, Amanda, Henry, and Hortensia were too small to do much.” 

“When Anna was getting ready to get married, Charlie drove her to Eldora on day with old Kate and her fiery colt, Flora. Flora hitched to the light wagon. At a railroad crossing they stopped to let a long freight train go by and Flora went wild. Charlie tried his best to hold her but they got away from him and dashed into the last car of the train. Anna and Charlie had jumped out and were not hurt. Kate was killed and Flora had her head split open. I never healed and she never was much good except for a brood mare.” 

“The men of Eldora made up a subscription for $100.00 so we could buy a horse, and tho’ the Railroad Company were in no way to blame I believe they gave Mother $50.00.” 

“So with the help of the neighbors Mother bought a new team, but one of the horses proved to have blind staggers. Just anywhere and at any time she would fall in a faint. The other was an old nag. But some way with the assistance of friends we managed to farm it.” 

“Martha at 15 had finished country school so she went to work as house maid for a banker’s family, Mr. Skerry, at Steamboat. When school commenced they persuaded her to attend school and live with them as maid.” 

“I still continued in school at the East Bend country school. Martha was trying to get me to go to town, but Mother needed me at home and I stayed with her. About this time Anna wanted me to come to Hubbard and help her as she now had two babies and it was now corn husking time so I was put on the train at about 8 p.m. It was my first train ride; about 15 miles distance and we had to change trains at Gifford crossing. As we neared the crossing the train stopped and I thought I should get off, but the train started again and I hopped out of my seat, out the door and jumped. I fell and rolled down the embankment. By the time I gathered myself up some man was at my side, asked me if I was hurt and led me to the depot where the train had stopped after crossing the Northwestern tracks.” 

“I wasn’t hurt but was badly shaken. Of course the train men came to me and asked if I was hurt and told me never to jump a train when it was moving. I never did again. But when the train stopped I thought sure they were going to carry me to Marshalltown. Then a kind gentleman helped me buy a ticket to Hubbard and we were on our way again.” 

“Brother Fred Granzow met me and took me out to the farm. I didn’t mention the mishap, but he told Anna that a man told him about it and she asked me, and how ashamed I was.” 

“Well it was a cold winter and I went out with Fred and husked corn. Some days Anna went out and I stayed with the babies. I think I never spent a harder and unhappier time. Christmas came and I went into town with Fred to the church Christmas Tree. I sat all evening expecting my name to be called for a present but not a thing did I get. After Christmas Charlie and Martha came. Martha was called to teach a school near Hubbard. The teacher had resigned and Martha tho’ only 16, was the only available person in the county for the job. I went back with Charlie and oh how happy I was to get home–twenty miles in a bob sled drawn by a team of not too good horses. It took nearly all day to market the trip and it was very cold. But we stopped at some friends’ homes along the way and made it.” 

“In January, Paul came home on a visit. How happy we were to see him. But he went back to Colorado in the spring.” 

“Martha came home when her school closed in the spring, I was 15 and she 17. I wrote to Paul and told him I was now 15 years old and had never had a worsted dress. He wrote me a nice letter and sent me $5.00 to buy one. The material was a wine-colored alpaca and we had Mrs. Voiles make it. It was a beautiful dress and I had my picture taken with it on. Martha borrowed it to wear when she attended her first Normal Institute at Union.” 

“Addie Tracy taught our school the summer of 1882. She was such a dear girl. I worked on the farm mornings but went to school afternoons. One day I took Henry to school. He was 5 then Addie after trying to teach him his ABC’s said: “Louisa, you should teach him his ABC’s before you start him in school”. That was 60 years ago. How different now!” 

“The next spring, 1883, I started to school in Steamboat Rock, and boarded at Prof. W.A. Dorans. His family was Mrs. Doran, a little daughter, and Willie, Mrs. Doran’s son by a former husband.” 

So the writings of Louisa Gellhorn ended with her entering high school in Steamboat Rock. It would have been truly interesting to have known more of her life. It is known that she completed school in Steamboat and she later taught in two or more country schools in the area. She later taught in Steamboat Rock also. 

Louisa Married a gentleman by the name of Chris Boylan, and moved with him to Shawnee, Oklahoma, and later to Joplin, Missouri. 

When Mrs. Henry Gellhorn was left a widow in the winter of 1880, her youngest daughter Hortensia was not quite a year old.

 The farm was deeply in debt but Ulrika heroically went to work and with the help of her children gradually paid the debt and brought her children up keeping them together until all were married and had homes of their own. 

The last 9 years of her life, she lived with her daughter, Mrs. Clara Briggs, where she was tenderly cared for in her declining years. Her hands were always busy and her grandchildren had many gifts that she made for them. She had bore twelve children of which four died before she did; Frank and Ernest in Germany and Amanda and Hortensia from diphtheria at a young age. She had 21 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. 

The neighbors were of great help to one another in this time in out history. They were of special to the Gellhorn family after Mr. Gellhorn had died. From passages written in the diary of Benjamin F. Bear in 1886, we see how much he did to help with the Gellhorn’s farm work. More importantly we see how both Ben and Sarah Bear helped with the sick young children around them that died during this time.