Nebraska, Dawes County, Maika/Strickland family biographical information Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm USGenWeb Project NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the internet, data may be used by non-commercial researchers, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, nor for publication in any form by any other organization or individual. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express written permission from the author, or the submitter and from the listed USGenWeb Project archivist. *************** Submitted to the NEGenWeb Archives project 31 Jan 2005 by Kira Connally Preface: The letter was written by Otillie Maika. She was the daughter of Ludwig Carl Maika and Fredericka Wilhelmena Strelow Maika of Germany. The Maika family had twelve children in total: Elvina, Mary, Bertha, Otillie, Anna, Emil, Henry, Lida, Margaret, Flora (my ancestor), Reinhold and Edith. The letter tells the story of their coming to American and in Dawes Co., NE. Elvina died in infancy and Mary, Bertha and Anna died around 1870 of diphtheria. The mother, Fredericka, died in 1925 and we believe that is near the time of this letter. The Maika family had homesteaded in NE by 1885. The father, Ludwig, died in 1886. They left Germany at Bremen and the passport is for entry into the US at Chicago, though how that's possible I have no idea. The passport was issued at Coerlin, Germany October 23, 1867. The homestead was near Chadron on the Bordeaux River. Of the children: Emil had a ranch in Sussex, Wyoming and helped introduce irrigation to the Powder River area in Wyoming. Otillie taught school in Marshalltown, Iowa, for the Pine Ridge Agency in Dawes Co., and later taught in the Chadron, Dawes Co. schools. She is listed at one point being a Superintendant of the Chadron School. She later moved to Joplin, MO and became an Osteopath there. She married an A.J. Strickland, had no children, and later divorced. Henry became a druggist (store on Second Street, Chadron) in Chadron and was also Postmaster. He married a Minerva, who is mentioned in the 1940 Who's Who of Nebraska. Lida married John Munkres, a Chadron Grocer. Lida taught in the Chadron schools. The Munkres home address was 326 Bordeaux Street, Chadron. Margaret married John Kurt, a man of Swiss descent, and they lived in Chadron. He had three children prior to their marriage, and they had one together. Reinhold "Pat" married Abbie Gochnauer and farmed near Chadron, Dawes Co. Edith married a man named Carrol and moved to Florida. Flora married J.M. Tollman who had homesteaded in 1899 near Marsland, Dawes Co. They farmed there for the rest of their lives, he becoming a large landowner in the area. Ludwig, Fredericka, Lida and John Munkres, Reinhold, Margaret, Flora and J.M. Tollman, Henry and Minerva are all buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Chadron. The J.M. Tollmans were among the first in the area to send three of their four children to college, one child being a daughter who attended Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, NE. One child of the J.M. Tollmans, Lawrence Tollman, stayed in Chadron and raised his family there. Two of his children, Lawrence and Roselyn lived there for the remainder of their lives. We also have no record of the Munkres, Kurt, or Maika men leaving the area. Biographical Information: Letter written by Otillie Maika after October 1897. Some information the family should possess: The blood from both sides is pioneer blood, our parents with no knowledge of the English language, no knowledge of the conditions in America, no friends in America, no knowledge of the money exchange between countries, put their faith in God, gathered up their family of five children and worldly goods, and proceeded towards America. That, every member of this family should always remember and be proud about, for only courageous blood could or would have broken the known and entered upon the unknown. They, too, were American pioneers. The Maika family lived in Alsace-Lorraine, being French under German rule after the France-German war. Our father escaped military training because he was undersize. The prevailing custom of these times was to have all boys of age and size train for military duty. The Strelow family lived along the Northern Shore along the Baltic Sea, being what was called independent landowners. Grandfather Strelow was sent to the yearly convention of free landowners to help make laws and transact business much as our own State Legislature, hence he was a representative of his community. There were twelve children in the Strelow family. Father Maika, not having military training, devoted his energy to becoming a General Superintendent in the Landed Estates of Nobility. A good job for a single man as a house and living went with the job, but a poor job for a man with an ever-increasing family. The females of the family of the Superintendent family were NOT supposed to go out and work in the fields like the common women who received $5.00 per year as wages, plus some food stuff and a house to live in. The other avenue for a female was to become a house servant, for the same wages, $5.00 a year, but she did not work in the fields, but had what was considered a refined job, house work, lady in waiting, and received the second hand clothing from the Nobility ladies, being early taught the court (??). At this time the family had the following children: 1-Elvina, died in infancy, 2-Mary, 3-Bertha, 4-Otillie, 5-Annie, 6-Emil. The problem arose what to do with a bunch of girls. Pride came in. Girls were only allowed to go to school till fourteen years of age, then joined in Lutheran Church, then found a job at $5.00 per year, field or house. At an early age, 16, 17, 18, they married and started a new family. Hence-as some in that neighborhood had gone to America where there was FREE land, and plenty of room they wrote back to the old home glowing accounts of how much land you could get for a small sum. Their address was ELDORA, HARDIN CO., USA IOWA. Well, the decision was made to(???). With the Iowa address in their possession they left Germany. Being ignorant of the fact that GOLD is the currency all over the world, and at a premium, the first holdup occurred at a port of taking ship, in plain English, the officials knew it was the last time they could have a graf (??) from the German exodus, they taxed them so much per head to leave the country, stating that the sum would be returned to them when they came BACK. At New York, again grafters said it was necessary to change gold into the paper money of the United States, again at a discount, so their extra expenses in money exchanges were considerable. But they paid. As Eldora was not upon a railroad, at that time, they arrived at Marshall, Iowa over the Chicago Northwestern, which was the end of the road at the time. Arriving at Marshalltown they found a small bunch of German people and decided to stay there. As to go to Eldora meant a ride over unknown roads with a bunch of children. The next thing was "how to make a living". True there was much land but there were no nobility, no farms, no nothing but bleak prairie long waiting to be made into homes of pioneers. The three outstanding helpers at that particular time was Kreutzer (furniture man), Binford (grain man), Willigrod (general store). They helped to get the family settled, to encourage father to do anything his hand found to do to get a living. Mary was about eleven years old and soon found work as a baby tender, Bertha and Anna helping at home. School, such as pioneers had established, and those of school age started. Father found work doing butchering, and such (???) labor, at (???) he could get. Father had to learn English, as he had to mix with the outside, mother was slower as she was in the home. The older girls helped with the English in the home. Everyone did everything that could be done to earn. As Bertha grew older she became a hired girl, then Anna, then Otillie, then Emil worked beyond his strength. Finally enough money was accumulated to buy a lot at the outskirts of Marshalltown, same w(h?)ere we have since made home, or 11/2 lots. Then with the aid of a garden, cow, chickens, team, progress was made. Father worked fall, winter with Binford in the grain business making $40.00 per month, but money went further at that time, hats, coat $1.00, a pair of good shoes $1.50 and Mary, asking $3.00, Bertha (???) and Anna $2.00 according to the strength and size for with the full $3.00 the household washing and ironing, scrubbing, baking and baby tending was included, all money was promptly turned over to mother. As time went on babies came to our house every four years or three years and three months. Our neighbor, Mrs. Hostetler was head nurse, and I assisted, making of mother a chronic invalid, in fact, I never saw her well until we moved to Nebraska and she had the change of life and babies quit coming. Oh me, the bottles of St Jacobis oil I rubbed upon her poor back before a fire and the bottles of camphor I rubbed into the top of her head, and the hamburger brust tea I cooked for her, just to keep her going. When I was about nine years old diphtheria came to Marshalltown and Mary died in one week, Bertha and Anna in the same week, and I had it too. That left me then as the oldest, so when you think of the year when you have a birthday, just figure that you took out of my school year about two or three months, besides the times I had to stay out of school on account of other sickness in the family. That gives you an idea of what my schooling amounted to. We never could have made it if it had not been for good neighbor Mrs. Hostetler. Her daughter Mary and I were near the same age and it is to her house I went to get her father to help me with arithmetic problems and English. About this time father was backed by Binford and Willegrod and went into the lime and coal business for himself. A team was bought and Emil had the driving to do, being kept out of school when business was brisk. I was the bookkeeper and letter writer of the business, going down after school, or else father would bring the books home with him if I had to go home right after school. That was an exciting time for Ame (nickname for Emil) and me, sure enough. All little loads Emil had to haul, some of that stuff was heavy to load and unload. Right here, let me say Emil also hauled brick when the job came along. School for him was a place to go when he could not earn money. Father understanding credit let everyone have coal and lime, with or without money and soon we had a lot on our books but not much cash in the drawer, then collecting began, Father, Emil and I were the ones to try to get blood from a (? Sand bath?). During all this time I was putting forth every effort to get through High School, but the January I was 17 years old I passed for a school certificate and would have graduated in the spring, but unfortunately Father got a school for me in the country (April 11) but in spite of all I could do or any that school, lose out on getting my school diploma which hurt me all of my life (I had no credentials), and to the question "From what school did you graduate?" I had to answer, "I came within a month of graduating from the Marshalltown High School", which will explain why I insisted you all get your diplomas. Then when my school was out, I got a job as servant with McErloe's drug store people and Clara McBride was my class mate gave per week doing washing and ironing. Emil and Dad ran the coal business in (???) which was not heavy. All that money went to Father and Mother. I went to Teachers Institute and got a school for nine months, coming home Friday evenings and going back Sunday evenings, doing the sewing for the family. That money went into the family to Father and Mother. So did Emil's earning. Then I got a school just a mile east of town (Bally's) walked home night and morning to save board and give Father and Mother more money. Two months. By this time the coal companies at Boone, Iowa went into a cash basis, cash had to accompany the order for coal and father had plenty money out among good people, but that did not run his business so he went out of business debts unpaid, and Ame went into the wages (Wa??) to work. Then father went into the farming trucking business as you children remember as you had to go and work in the truck patch, killing bugs, planting tomatoes, potatoes, and I was picking tomatoes. Well, father gathered up every cent he could get, planned to go west with others from Marshall County (Montgomery Family), put a mortgage on the house. Took Henry and departed for Nebraska to hunt a new home. This left Ame in the wagon forks, me with the spring term of school to teach, Mother to run the house. Father had something like $1000.00, horses (Bill, Nellie, Frank, Dick), a few farming implements, a bent and courage. They filed on land near Montgomery's (ask Henry for further particulars of that time). (???). Then they wrote for me to come west as soon as I got through with my school teach, and bring every cent or money I could get as they needed it badly. I did, I went, filed upon my pre-emption claim, lived in the tent, slept upon the hay and cactus ground. In two weeks time I got a chance to substitute for Miss Rucker at Pine Ridge Agency at her salary, talked it over with Father, Henry, and wrote Mother, and went to Pine Ridge Agency to teach. Before coming west, I had placed an application for a position in the (?Putlie) school in Marshalltown, and was accepted to report for duty the middle of August. Went to Pine Ridge Agency, worked, and then Mother decided that I had better not come back to Marshalltown as they were coming to Nebraska in the very near future. Before I went to Pine Ridge I helped get up the sod barn and the sod house, and if ever anything got heavy to handle that sod did. Well, you people back home, Ame had work in the wagon factory, you girls had some old bills to try and collect for some had really promised me they would pay at a certain time and that news I had to leave with Mother, so you girls got a taste to collect, and a chance to work in the canning factory rather than in the kitchen as a hired girl. Father thought it better for Mother not to come west until the following spring, to winter in Marshalltown, and wrote to that effect, but Mother had a different idea about things, went to Mary Mosteller, got her to advance money upon the house, got a second mortgage, and without writing a thing to father went west with the whole family, sat in the depot till someone brought the news to Father and they went to town and got you, quite a surprise. Of course, father had only the sod crop, and might few acres of that, but the family were together. That settled my going back to Marshalltown for the time being, as with so many to feed and no income, I had to stay at Pine Ridge and turn each and every check over to Father and Mother to help get started with cattle, farm implements, seed. Each and every one of you had your farm duties, all busy. I stayed some two and a half years at Pine Ridge Agency. (Henry graduated Chadron High School 1890, Registered Licensed Pharmacist, 1892) When I taught at the Bordeau School, rode night and morning to live upon my pre-emption claim, Father got my money to prove up on his claim, so that he could file up on the one to the east. Hence he got my money again. Henry got a chance to work for Dr, S(?ousd?) in Chadron and took it. (1895) I got a chance to get in to the Chadron Public Schools and took it turning again my money over to the family, Mother and Father. It was always something more to buy to get started. Then father died, left Mother with a bunch of school age children on her hands. Ame, Mother and I had a consultation as to what to do. Richards tried to tell us to scatter the family among strangers as we could have made a go of it, others came to take someone working on their place, offering to feed the child so taken, well we looked the situation in the face squarely, knowing that if we let or farmed the various children out for their board they would not get any more schooling, for that was NOT what they wanted the children for. I knew from bitter experience just what a hired girl was up against, Ame knew what a working man was up against, so it was decided to stick together and give each child a fair high school education, and then they could decide what else they wanted to do. That was done. Ame at the ranch with Mother, all the others of us to Chadron to school, out to the ranch on Friday evening, work on the ranch (???) stay in Chadron to wash, scrub, bake, and generally get ready for the next week in school. Sew, mend, in fact do any and everything that had to be done to get along and thus days, months, years went by until all had a chance. Whenever cash was needed, I advanced it from my teaching, keeping nothing back. As we had to rent a house each year, Mr. McFadden talked to me about building, taking shares in the Chadron Building and Loan and taking out from that as I needed for rent, which I did. Henry paid board while staying with us upon the hill. The time came when Ame and Mother had some sort of understanding and settlement, but Mother did not tell me how or why, nor could I ever get him to sell the place or settle with me preferring that my interest should stay with her own until some future time a good chance for an entire sale of all effects should take place, or at her death, stating that she would take good care of all interests, and if she would settle with me in full at that time there would be very little left to go on with, as she fully realized that all my earnings for twenty-five years was in the family, and as it was her wish, it was left until her death. Hence, whoever helped her since October 1897, looked after her business affairs for her or with her should now come forward and give us all an audit of her affairs, as cattle, horses, farm implements-were all left in good working order, and the opportunity was there for a very fine profit for both Mother's affairs and to the ones who managed the ranch property. Now all of you who have loaned money or have claims against that property let us come together and legally settle this matter. I am fully aware of what you have done but you have not been aware what Henry, Ame and I have had to do to keep the home fires burning and keeping Mother's family together. Of course, there are many other points which will come up in the minds, that we can talk over December 14, as I hope to come to Chadron and see you all at that time. Otille Maika Strickland.