The Hahn Family

Carl Hahn, born 4/24/1855 in Loraine County, Ohio, Married Elizabeth Blickenstaff 5/22/1892, Rushville, Sheriden County, NE, died 1/9/1942 in Alliance, NE, buried in Alliance Cemetery.  Father was Peter Hahn and mother Elizabeth Latterman.

Elizabeth Blickenstaff was Carl’s second wife.  The firs, Minnie Bridenstine died  before 1886 in Fairbanks, Iowa and none of her children survived her.

Elizabeth Blickenstaff was born 8/17/1865 in Edna Mills, Tipicanoe County, Indiana, died 6/2/1934 in Alliance, NE, buried Alliance Cemetery.  Father was Jacob Blickenstaff, mother Susan Wagner.

Their children:

· Christiana Hahn, b. 3/16/1893, Sheriden Co., NE, d. 6/1/1971, Alliance, NE, m. 9/17/1915 Rushville, NE to Elzie Pont, son of William Pont

· Levi Adam Hahn, b. 9/3/1895, Sheriden Co., NE, d. 2/2/1966 Chadron, NE, m. 11/21/1940 Wilma Ehlers and 7/18/1943 Kelly

·  Viola Clara Hahn, b. 11/7/1897, Sheriden Co., NE, m. 7.1.1958 Ferg Timblin in Alliance, NE, d. 1993, Hay Springs, NE

· Carl Edward Hahn, b. 4/25/1899, Sheriden Co., NE, d. 10/30/1977, Sheriden Co., NE

· Anne Eveline Hahn, b. 7/26/1903 Sheriden Co., NE, d. 1/8/1957 Cheyenne, WY, m. 12/16/1926 Ferg Timblin, son of George and Etta Timblin

· Baby Girl b./11/9/1905, d. 11/11/1905

· William Walter Hahn, n. 5/1/1908, m. 12/6/1931 Regina Blackledge, d. 1980

Remembrances by Christina Rusk

Grandpa Hahn built a soddie on his homestead and batched it for a number of years.  Actually, homesteading was a family affair.  Grandpa’s father, brothers, sisters and everybody who came to Nebraska took out a homestead.  It is this group of homesteads that later became the Hahn Brothers Ranch.  Grandpa Peter Hahn lived in a house on this land built by Uncle Ed.  This house was a 2 story frame house.  Uncle Ed sold his land and house to Grandpa Carl and moved to Washington in later years.  The house burned down in the late 40s or early 50s.  The Ed Bloxem family was living in it at the time.  The ranch house of the Hahn Ranch was 2 stories, stucco and large.  Other buildings on the place were 2 barns, a granary, work shop, garage, bunk house and milk house.  Grandpa Carl’s soddie was destroyed by time and weather.  One wall was still standing as late as 1945. 

Grandma Hahn was heavy in her old age and she was short.  Her hair was gray.  She was about 5’2” or 3”.  She was a fun-loving lady, but very proper.  She called a bull a “gentleman cow”.  She was very protective of her daughters.

From: Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/OLLibrary/cofhar/

CARL HAHN.

     Carl Hahn, one of the early settlers in western Nebraska, who foresaw the prosperity and opportunities of that region in its early days, and remained to enjoy the results of many years of labor here, is one of the most highly esteemed residents of Sheridan county. He is the owner of a valuable estate in township 28, range 45, and farms on an extensive scale.

     Mr. Hahn is a native of Loraine county, Ohio, born in 1855. When he was six months old his parents moved to Iowa, locating on a farm there, where our subject, together with eleven brothers and sisters, were raised and educated. His father, Peter Hahn, was born in Germany and came to America at the age of eight years, his parents locating in Ohio, and in 1856 he moved to Iowa with his family, his wife's death occurring there in 1880. Our subject commenced to make his own way in the world at the age of twenty-two years, obtaining employment on farms, working by the month or day for nine years. In 1886 he moved to this locality with his parents, and took up a homestead for himself in section 20, township 28, range 45, which he still occupies. Here he built a comfortable dwelling place, consisting of a dugout and sod house in which he lived for two years, then erected a better sod house. He "batched it" for five years, and began building up his farm. When he landed here he brought a team and an old wagon with him, and the following spring broke land and put in some sod corn, the patch containing about ten acres.

      During the first years he got fair crops, and had just got nicely started when the dry years hit him, and as he was depending wholly on his crops for a living he had a hard time to get along. He had two cows, and some years his crops failed so that he was unable to get enough from them to pay for having it threshed, and not enough to feed his stock. He never bought any seed, but only sowed what he had, and got along as best he could. He did everything he could to keep going, and one whole winter made baskets and sold them to support his family. He often felt very discouraged and determined to leave, but stuck to it, as he did not want to leave the place after being on it for so long, so stayed on and when the better years came along and his crops were good, he was glad he had persevered in his undertaking. He knows he could not have done as well anywhere else, as he started out with practically no capital at all, and was even obliged to borrow money when he filed on his land. He now owns a tract of eight hundred acres of good land, and farms about one hundred acres of this, using most of the produce on his place to feed his stock, of which he has about forty-five or fifty head. His ranch is all fenced and well improved with good buildings, etc., and he is proud of the fact that he owes no man a dollar.

     Mr. Hahn was married in 1882 to Miss Minnie Bridenstein, born and raised in Iowa. They had one child which died in infancy, and in 1885 Mr. Hahn suffered a sad loss in the death of his wife. He was married again in 1892, to Miss Elizabeth Blickenstaff, daughter of Jacob Blickenstaff, of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, born and raised in Indiana, who came to Nebraska in 1888 and settled on a farm there, being among the early settlers in this section. Mr. and Mrs. Hahn have a family of six children, named as follows: Christian N., Levi A., Clara V., Carl E., Anna E., and a baby as yet not named.

     Mr. Hahn's postoffice address is Schill, and his nearest school is within two miles of his farm. He is always interested in local affairs that tend to the betterment of conditions in his locality, and has held local office at different times. Politically he is not a party man, but votes for the best man running.

     An interesting picture of Mr. Hahn's family as well as the ranch residence will be found on another page of this work.

EDWARD G. HAHN

     Edward G. Hahn is one of those who for the past score of years has resided in Sheridan county and has seen the development and growth of this section from its early states, and aided materially in the upbuilding of the community where he has made his home.

     Mr. Hahn was born in Clayton county, Iowa, in 1867, and raised and educated on his father's farm. He is a son of Peter Hahn, a native of Germany, who came to the United States at the age of eight years with his parents, who settled in Iowa in 1858, where they took a homestead and farmed for several years, and are now living in Kearney, Nebraska. Our subject's mother, who prior to her marriage was Miss Elizabeth Latheman, was born and raised in Germany, and died in this country in 1880, leaving a family of twelve children, of whom he is the seventh member in order of birth. He started out for himself at the age of twenty-one years, and came to this county with his parents in 1886, working out in the neighborhood of their home, then took up a homestead two years later situated in section 29, township 28, range 45, and began to build up his farm. Here he "batched it" for one year, then was married in 1890 to Miss Katie Zurcher, born in Iowa in 1870, daughter of William Zurcher, a native of Germany, farmer by occupation, who came to this country in 1887 and settled in Sheridan county the same year. Mr. Zurcher's wife died in 1872 when Mrs. Hahn was a small child ten months old. Five children were born as a result of this union, who are named as follows: Nora, Ethel, Edna, George and Clara, all born and raised in this locality.

     Mr. Hahn remained on his own homestead up to 1906, when he bought his father's place, putting up a new house on it, and operates this farm in addition to his own. When he first came here he engaged in farming, but during the dry years he lost his crops and this put him back considerable. He often felt like giving up his place, but saw nothing better to do, so stayed on and tried to make a living. For four years he was unable to get ahead any, although he never had a total failure of his crops, and managed to make a bare living. He kept buying a few head of stock and gradually got quite a herd together, and now engages in mixed farming and stock raising and is doing well. He owns twelve hundred and eighty acres, farming about one hundred of this, using a large part for grazing and hay land, and also rents out some of his farm. He keeps sixty-five head of cattle and about ten horses all the time. He is well satisfied with this region and states that he will remain here permanently, but the only drawback is the great distance to the town, Schill being his nearest postoffice. There is a good school near his ranch, which his children attend, and this is of great advantage. He has improved his farm with good buildings, and has it all fenced, having built over ten miles of fencing.

     Mr. Hahn never takes much interest in politics, as he says he has no time to devote to those affairs and lets the other fellow attend to that part of the business, preferring to put in his time in building up his home. He is a Prohibitionist, and has been for a number of years.

     An interesting picture of Mr. Hahn's residence and the family will be found on another page.