Schmidts familietræ (www.sm1.dk)

Ingeborg (who went by her middle name, Lydia) fell in love with a young man named Hans Therkel Hansen who was a laborer on her father's farm, but her father disapproved and she was forbidden to continue a relationship with Hans. Secretly they mad e plans to come to America; Hans came first (in 1900) to find a job and place to live, and Lydia was to come as soon as she could manage to get enough money and get away. It took five years, but she finally left Denmark with a girlfriend and trav eled to England and then (in 1905) by boat to Ellis Island in New York. From there, the two girls took a train to Minnesota where her friend went to St. Paul and my grandmother went on to Northeastern Wyoming where Hans had settled in a small coa l-mining town called Cambria. When the coal ran out, all the residents of Cambria left to find lives elsewhere. My grandparents bought land on the prairie and started a small ranch. They had three sons, Clarence, Andrew, and Richard, who gre w up on the ranch and went to school at a small rural schoolhouse. But there was no high school on the prairie, so when they were old enough to go to high school, Lydia and the boys moved into the nearest town so that the boys could continue thei r educations. By the time they had graduated, Lydia had decided that life in town was better than on a small ranch on the prairie, and she didn't go back. Eventually Lydia and Hans divorced. He continued to try to succeed at ranching and she to ok on various jobs close to her sons who ended up living in Newcastle Wyoming where I was born. Hans died of cancer before I was born, and Lydia was the only grandparent I ever knew. (mail fra søns datter Arlene 24/12 2008) After Lydia's sons married, she discontinued the boarding house, and for a short time she ran a small lunchroom at the Echo station that her son, Richard, was operating. About 1938 she opened a small lunchroom and pastry shop in a small cabin acr oss the street from the old high school on South Seneca Street. Many school children of that time will recall the good cookies, pies and candies she sold there. After some time at this she worked at the Newcastle Bakery. Among other jobs, she assi sted elderly widows in their homes. In 1946 she purchased a small trailer house, and while she would never agree to live in any of her sons' homes, she did agree to locate her trailer in the back yard at Andy's home on South Seneca Street. Lydi a never learned to drive a car, although she did try, but she remained active and walked downtown to the post office for her mail every day. In October, 1966, at 86 years of age, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side. She spent th e last seven years of her life in a wheel chair under the tender care of Mary Jo Purcelli in her home at 203 Third Avenue. Lydia died on December 7, 1973, at the age of 94.

The Hans T. and Lydia Hansen Story as written by their three sons

It concerns a Danish immigrant couple and their three sons. The story is written by the sons, Andy, Richard, and Clarence in 1987. We dedicate it to the memory of our mother whom we never loved or appreciated enough.

The story begins about 100 years ago in Denmark. Hans Therkel Hansen, born April 13, 1875, at Verde, had become employed on the Anders Lydersen farm near Ringkjobing where daughter Lydia had been born February 25, 1879. A romance developed betwee n she and young Hans. Our parents were quite reticent relative to their affairs and actions at that time, but apparently the romance very much displeased Lydia's parents and caused disruption in the family. Evidently the two, somehow conspire d to emigrate to America, separately. Hans left first, arriving in 1900 at Omaha, Nebraska where his brother, Henry, was already living.

The railroad from Omaha had reached Newcastle, Wyoming, and the coal mines at Cambria was in need of workers. Our Dad heeded this call becoming then a coal miner. He soon obtained citizenship, and in some manner arranged for his sweetheart to joi n him. This she did, but not until 1905 when she arrived in Cambria and worked as a housemaid while learning English and the American ways.

At this time the United States had opened up this western area to homesteading, allowing each person, man, or woman, to gain ownership of 160 acres of land if they would improve it with homes. From 1900 on homesteading was very active in the are a north of Newcastle and Cambria, and several spacious homes had been built, some by Danish people. Our Dad filed for land and built a cabin on 160 acres in the northeast corner of Weston County, Wyoming. The location is on Soldier Creek and wa s near the homestead of another Danish immigrant, Peter G. Christensen. In 1987, both of the homesteads were owned by the Earl Christensen family.

Our parents were married June 25, 1906, in Newcastle, settling immediately on the homestead. Very seldom did either of these two people go outside the boundaries of Crook or Weston Counties in Wyoming.

One of the first things grown on the homestead was a son, Andy, born on May 19, 1907. Soon the family moved two miles northwest, onto Canyon Springs Prairie where son Richard was born on December 14, 1908. Then another move one and one half mile s south. There Clarence was born on September 10, 1910. This was to be the family home for the next eighteen years. This area during that time was heavily settled, no neighbor living more than a half mile from another. Our nearest was the Monro e Cummings whose place was just 200 yards away. Another just over the hill was Nels Hansen Smith who became governor of Wyoming in 1941. A little way north there even lived another Hans Hansen. The post office was at Horton and with it a countr y store where, on one occasion Andy was sent on horseback to buy jug of vinegar. He absentmindedly got kerosene instead, probably because lamp-lighting fluid was bought more often than vinegar.

We attended school in Horton where 20 to 35 children attended, mostly in summer because of the severe winters and deep snow. The snow was good cover and good spring moisture for the protein premium winter wheat that grew so well and was markete d over the Omaha railroad or was sole to Newcastle Roller Mills where it was processed into Toomey's Famous Flapjack Flour.

The prairie country was prosperous in those year between 1910 and 1920. World War I raged in Europe for several years with the US entering in 1917 creating high prices. For we boys it was a happy time and fun growing up on the prairie. there wer e the many neighboring children to play with, the many Sunday gatherings, the special ones being when the first chickens were big enough for the frying pan, usually on July 4th. There were the hikes over the hills and the hunting forays. Sometime s six or eight boys would go together, hunting for rabbits, squirrels, magpies, grouse or ducks. There was swimming in several ponds, and the big 4th of July community picnics at Boyd Hall, and the old settlers picnics on Soldier Creek at the Kols en Hall. We had ice cream cones, soda and gum to buy, and there were foot races and ball games. It was always exciting when the W. T. Rawleigh medicine man came through in his van buggy, selling medicines, spices, cooking extracts, candy and gum .

At fall threshing time there was the thrill of the big, smoke-puffing steam engine pulling the thresher with all those wheels and belts and the golden grain pouring out. the machine was operated by the Johnson Brothers, Lige, Lester, Clarence an d Merle, and they went from farm to farm.

Our neighbor, Nels Smith, gave is runty pigs to raise for our own. We worked quite a bit for Nels in various menial jobs. There was one time when we assisted in driving 200 hogs by foot on the 18 mile trip to the railroad at Osage, Wyoming . We also had tame rabbits and flocks of pigeons, our farm being unique in this. Until 1920, there was no radio, telephone, or recorded music, except we remember hearing our neighbor, Tony Olesen's windup phonograph with its horn and black cylin drical records.

Our greatest joy, though, was our two saddle horses, especially driving the one-horse, two-wheel buggy pulled by the pony named Babe, who seemed to delight in taking us all over the area.

With World War I over in 1918, the well being of Weston County began to change. Where the population had been growing, by 1923 the prosperity waned. It was a turning point at the Hansen home as well. The main problem was the boys' education. And y was ready for high school in 1920, but Dick and Clarence were still attending the Horton School. A neighbor's son was also ready for high school but they were determined that he attend school in Sundance. They convinced our parents that Andy sho uld go with them, paying room and board to help with expenses. After two months, though, this family left Sundance; so mother and Dick and Clarence moved to Sundance where she took on management of the Sundance Hotel and the boys went to Crook Co unty school. The next year it was arranged that Andy would stay with the M. C. Roberts family and help in their home and in their furniture store. Mr. Roberts had just been appointed director of the regional U.S. Land Office and transferred to Ne wcastle and his home and business in Sundance was left in the care of the eldest daughter, Mary (Polly). She later became the mother in the well known Ostlund family of Gillette, Wyoming. This arrangement allowed Lydia to take Dick and Clarenc e back to the ranch while Andy continued until his graduation from high school in 1924. In 1921, Richard was ready to start high school, but he stayed at home that year while Clarence finished 7th grade at the Horton School. Then Lydia and the tw o boys moved back to Sundance where Richard graduated high school in 1927 and Clarence in 1928. While in school, Clarence played on the Sundance basketball team which won the district tournament. Both Richard and Clarence were awarded the Univers ity of Wyoming scholarship the year they graduated.

This was a crucial time for the Hansen family. While Hans was neutral, Lydia insisted that her sons were not to become farmers, and it became apparent that she herself did not want to continue farming. Hans and Lydia decided they would separate . So a public sale of all of the family's belongings was held in March 1928, and the land was sold to Albert. B. Taylor. Hans and Lydia divided the proceeds equally. In June, 1928, Hans purchased a farm five miles away, and he lived there alon e for eleven years, farming with the use of horses. In all his life, the only mechanical equipment he owned was a used pickup truck.

In 1924, Lydia helped Andy find employment at the Sundance State Bank, and this was the beginning of Andy's 48 year banking career. After graduation, Richard took up mechanics, and in 1928, he took a job with the Dow Motor Company which was locat ed at the head of Main Street in Newcastle. After Clarence graduated, he went to work at the First State Bank of Newcastle.

By 1933 all three boys were living and working in Newcastle, and Lydia was delighted that fate had brought her sons together in one place. She adored her sons and her only desire now was to be close to them. After leaving the farm, she immediatel y moved to Newcastle, locating at 38 South Summit Street, where for eight years she operated a boarding house. She was noted for her cooking and could prepare a banquet on any kind of stove - in this case wood and coal. She would have as man y as twelve boarders at one time while also doing the housekeeping and laundry for her boys. It was hard work, but this period was probably one of the happiest times of her life.

Then a new chapter began - all of the sons got married. Richard was first when he found Pauline Bobbitt who had come with her family from Rockville, Indiana. She graduated from Newcastle High School in 1930 and taught in country school for thre e years, and then she moved to Ohio where three of her sisters had settled. Richard followed her to Ohio, and they were married on June 20, 1935, in Hamilton. They then returned to Newcastle where their first home was at 15 East Winthrop Street . Richard continued to work at the Dow Motor Company, the large garage located at the head of Main Street. In 1938 they entered the service station business and ran the Echo Cabin Camp that was located at the junction of South Summit and Senec a Streets. This was a short-lived venture, and Richard went back to Dow Motor Company. They lived at 123 West Park Street while they were having their home built at 119 East Winthrop Street. Richard's career with Dow Motor ran from mechani c to partner-owner to full owner until December 1, 1954, when he sold out of the business and took a position as shop foreman with the Plains Pipeline Company. After 21 years of service there, Richard retired in July of 1975. In 1986 he and Paul ine sold the Winthrop Street home and purchased a new home at 138 Butte Drive. They had four children, Lynda, Wanda, Donald, and Arlene.

The next to leave Lydia's home was Andy. He fell in love with Frances Wormwood, a native of Glendo, Wyoming, who was the home economics teacher in Newcastle from 1932 to 1935 when they were married on August 25th. They lived in a small cottage tha t winter, and in March 1936, Andy purchased a home at 526 South Summit. In September 1953 they purchased a new home at 229 South Summit. They had three children, Janice, Russell, and Robert.

Clarence continued to leave with Lydia until, at a dance in Custer, South Dakota in 1936, he met and was smitten with Juelle Olson. They were married at the Olson farm near Custer on December 26, 1936, making their home in Newcastle at 28 North So nora Street. In 1941, our former prairie neighbor, Nels Smith, became the Governor of Wyoming, and he offered Clarence a position in the State examiner's office. Thus, Clarence became the first of the Hansen family to leave Weston County. Afte r a year, Clarence qualified for a job with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and ended up in Lincoln, Nebraska. After a thirty year career in bank examining, he and Juelle retired 19n 1972, moving to Sun City, Arizona. They had one daugh ter, Sandra.

Until 1947 there was no hospital in Newcastle, so all of the eight Hansen children except Arlene were born in maternity homes. Arlene was born in the Newcastle Hospital in 1950.

In 1939, our father who was living on the Skull Creek farm, discovered that he had cancer of the mouth caused by poorly fitting false teeth. He had a strong will to live and fought the cancer with two surgeries at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota; bu t he found that he could not manage to continue farming. In 1940, he sold the farm and moved in to Newcastle, purchasing the five cottages on North Seneca Street. However, his health deteriorated rapidly, and he died on July 26, 1942. Our Dad wa s a man of the soil, warm hearted and concerned with the welfare of his family. He never received credit for all that he did to try to make the world better.

Our Dad's brother, Henry, from Omaha, Nebraska, also came to Weston County about 1907. He bought land and did some farming for several years. He remained single until later in life, and in 1920 he married a divorcee, Anna Marie Hansen Simpson, wh o had two grown sons. Anna was the daughter of another Hans Hansen and sister of Carl Hansen, two other Danish immigrants to Weston County. After their wedding, the two moved back to Omaha, living there for many years. In 1947, Henry visited Denm ark and died there of acute pneumonia. Anna lived until 1961.

After Lydia's sons married, she discontinued the boarding house, and for a short time she ran a small lunchroom at the Echo station that her son, Richard, was operating. About 1938 she opened a small lunchroom and pastry shop in a small cabin acr oss the street from the old high school on South Seneca Street. Many school children of that time will recall the good cookies, pies and candies she sold there. After some time at this she worked at the Newcastle Bakery. Among other jobs, she assi sted elderly widows in their homes. In 1946 she purchased a small trailer house, and while she would never agree to live in any of her sons' homes, she did agree to locate her trailer in the back yard at Andy's home on South Seneca Street. Lydi a never learned to drive a car, although she did try, but she remained active and walked downtown to the post office for her mail every day. In October, 1966, at 86 years of age, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side. She spent th e last seven years of her life in a wheel chair under the tender care of Mary Jo Purcelli in her home at 203 Third Avenue. Lydia died on December 7, 1973, at the age of 94.

Our parents are buried near near the north entrance to Greenwood cemetery in Newcastle, not side-by-side; but near each other, and that is where this story ends. At the time we write this, there are 28 direct descendents, all living, but only And y, Dick, and Dick's son Donald and family are in Weston County.

This pioneer couple from Denmark could be proud of the fact that there is not a black sheep in the family.