German settlers in Culbertson

The peas, radishes, beets, onions, kohlrabi and garlic are acting like it didn’t snow and get down to the low 20s last week for which I am grateful. The beans, horseradish, potatoes and carrots are not as certain as survivors.

Now to inquiries. I was passed on a letter asking about the Schnell family that had settled near Culbertson prior to moving on to Oregon.

Conrad Schnell had seven children, one of which, Conrad Schnell Junior’s obituary mentioned the family living in Nebraska, first at Harvard and then Culbertson where they, along with two of Junior’s uncles, Peter and John Schnell, homesteaded land.

Conrad Senior is believed to have been in the area sometime within the years of 1875-1890, which would make them incredibly early settlers. The Schnell’s belonged to the German Reformed Church but traveled to America with a large number of Mennonites.

Two daughters remained in Nebraska: Verna, who married Ervin Coyle and Clara, who married a Miller, first name unknown.

I found two obituaries about a Mrs. Nick Schnell, nee Hahnstein, who passed away from pneumonia days before she and her husband were to move to Oregon in 1914, which answered some questions, but not all.

Verna and Ervin are easy to trace, Verna living until 1987 and Ervin until 1973. My inquiry asks about homestead records and the German Reform Church or the Mennonites from the Culbertson area during the late 1800s.

If one of their relatives have anything to offer considering those questions, I would love to pass the information along. Both are buried in Memorial Park here in McCook.

Clara Miller is more of a question mark. I would love to pass additional information concerning her along also, but I keep drawing a blank. She’s not listed as being buried in McCook and no coverage seems to exist in my data banks concerning a marriage of a Clara Schnell to a ? Miller. Any help would be appreciated.

As you all know, I have a special love of cemeteries and a sadness surrounding those who lay unmarked by a stone. It seems that one such person will soon have a beautiful gravestone commemorating his life after more than 110 years.

Since he was also a McCook fireman (as in fighting fires not stoking coal on locomotives) I think that makes it even more special. He died leaving behind a wife and children, who then left the area soon afterwards, so he has lain alone and unmarked. More of this story will follow when saga is finished but I’m happy to have had a small hand in helping the marker become a reality.

If you ever wondered what you could do to help preserve history in McCook, here’s a suggestion. Many grave markers in our three cemeteries are suffering from age and the natural progression of deterioration. It is not the fault of our excellent caretakers but rather because some of these stones were placed directly on the ground or on concrete that has degraded, and they are tipping precariously. It takes $300-400 to have a stone lifted, a concrete base poured and the stone re-set. Call me crazy (many do) but wouldn’t sponsoring one stone by an individual or many stones by a group be a perfect project? Maybe even an Eagle Scout project?

Progress on the Cemetery Tour scheduled for Sunday, June 13 from 2-4 p.m., is moving along. The theme this year, Aprons and Angels, is proving to be a time-consuming hunt for information concerning the women and children included, not because there aren’t enough to choose from but because so little is recorded about their lives. The tour will be in the Memorial Park/Calvary cemeteries.

Saturday, May 1, will be our monthly meeting which is open to the public. We will be starting at 1:30 p.m., and our new library is located at 322 Norris Ave., in the Temple building, second floor. There is an elevator for your use. My contact information is as follows: sdoak@swnebr.net or 308-345-1583 and please leave a message. (And no, I don’t need to extend the warranty on my car!)