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Five men of the CLARYS family stand in a line, posing for a photograph at
their farm in 1946. John Clarys (on the left) with his brothers (Neil, Joseph, and
James) and father (C.P. Clarys). --Digital Horizons
Thomas EVANS, of the Thirty-first legislative district, Dickinson, Stark county, was born at Fox Lake, Dodge county, Wisconsin, on April 11, 1859, and is married. He came to North Dakota from Wisconsin in 1882 and is a stock grower and farmer. Was educated at Fox Lake and Ripon colleges. Held the office of school superintendent in Stark county for four years. He was a member of the last legislature and was re-elected as a republican. --Blue Book of North Dakota page 449
John Nantt Sr. was born Sept. 10,
1857 in Bordino, Bessarebia, So. Russia. John was the son of Konrad and Karolina
Rader Nantt. Konrad his father was born Sept. 16, 1832 in Borodino, Bessarebia,
So. Russia. Karolina, his Mother was born Nov. 20, 1836 in Trautino, Bessarebia,
So. Russia. John's grandparents, Johann and Heinrika Mann Nantt, were both born
in 1802 in Germany, and both died in Russia at an old age after bringing up
their family in Bordino, Bess., So. Russia.
John had seven sisters, all
of whom were born in Trautino, Bess., So. Russia. His sister Justina, was older
than John, and he had six sisters that were younger. They were: Karolina,
Regina, Katherina, Fredarika, Christina and Lousia.
John, being the only
son, helped his parents at home until the age of 24, when he married Carolina
Hirchkorn in 1881. They were living in Rumania at this time. Their oldest son,
Konrad, was born April 7, 1882, but died that same year. The second son, Ludwig,
was born Aug. 21, 1883. Ludwig was a small child when his Mother became ill and
died, leaving John with a young son to raise.
About three years later
John remarried, but we have no name recorded of his second wife. She died during
the diphtheria epidemic. John also was very sick at this time with a high fever,
he craved for something sour to drink, so he drank a couple glasses of sour milk
that was setting in the kitchen. The fever left and he recovered from his
illness. God spared his life so that Ludwig, a small boy at that time, had his
Father to raise and take care of him.
On Sept. 28, 1892 John got married
to my grandmother, Dorthea Krainenbring, in Rumania, So. Russia. Before her
marriage Dorthea worked at a home as a housekeeper for a couple that owned a
large factory in Trautino. They made lace curtains, bedspreads, yarn rugs, etc.,
to use in a home.
Dorthea Krainenbring was born on Sept. 18, 1868 at
Borodino, Bess. So. Russia. She was the daughter of Christian Sr. and Julia
Demke. Her Father Christian was born in 1840 and her Mother Julia was born in
1843, both were born in Borodino, Bess. So. Russia, and both died at an old age
in Russia.
Dorthea was the oldest in the family. She had three younger
sister's: Elizabeth, Rosie, and Minnie, and one brother, Christian Jr.
John's father, Konrad Nantt, passed away in Russia before John & Dorthea came to
America in 1894. John's Mother Carolina came along with John & Dorthea and their
two children, Ludwig 13 and Rosie. Rosie was one year old at the time. She was
born in 1893. Both the children were born in Rumania.
For a short time
John farmed in Pierre, SD, but then the family homesteaded in Stark County, ND.
Their farm was nine miles south of Antelope, and seventeen miles southwest of
Hebron, ND, very near the Heart River.
Just like all the other early
pioneers, John & Dorthea's first living quarters were in a large dug-out. This
was their home for the next 6 years until 1900 when John could afford to build a
sod and stone house. Later they added more buildings to the dug-out for their
livestock, all in one long unit, with wall divisions between to separate the
livestock and the living quarters. After they moved into the sod house the
dug-out was used for a cold storage unit for milk, cream, butter and vegetables
for summer and winter use.
Fred was the first child that was born in ND.
He was born in 1897, and two years later Lydia was born. The weather was very
cold and it was snowing when Dorthea went into labor with Lydia. John went to
the neighbors for help with the birth, but by the time he got home Lydia had
already made her safe arrival into her new world.
One year later, by
1900, when their son Emil was born, John had already finished building the stone
and sod house. At that time some of John's sisters that stayed in Russia became
ill. His Mother Carolina decided to go back to Russia. She stayed there and
lived to be 90 years old.
In 1903 a happy occasion took place in the
Nantt family when Bernard and Reinhold, the identical twin boys were born. As
they grew up they had fun keeping people guessing as to their identities. Their
teachers and neighbors had quite a time telling them apart. Even the family got
confused at times, mainly because both were pranksters and pretended to be the
other one.
Two years later John Jr. was born. John was very good at music
and any instrument he got a hold of he managed to learn to play. He played for a
lot of country dances in the Hebron, ND area. He played the Button Accordion,
Violin, Harmonica and the Jewish Harp and other instruments.
In Dec. of
1908 the youngest son, Carl, was born. After the rest of the brothers and
sisters married and moved away he stayed on the farm with his parents. Uncle
Carl never married. When he left the farm for the last time, in 1969, he moved
into Hebron and bought a small house. He raised wonderful vegetable gardens
which were written up in the Hebron Herald as the best gardens in town.
The grandparents always had a few milk cows, a few pigs and some laying hens
which they had as their main source of income. Uncle Carl also raised rabbits
which was their main source for meat.
Grandmother always had a big
garden, being so close to the river they had the water to water the plants even
during the dry season of the year. Most of the garden was a melon patch and when
we happened to be their when the melons were ripe we had a real melon feast.
Later they would make pickled melons in big fifty gallon vinegar barrels and
sauerkraut in smaller, 25 gallon barrels. Some years these were their main
vegetables for their winter meals as they had no way to can or freeze the
vegetables. They did store some onions and potatoes in the cold storage rooms.
In the early pioneer days the people had to use big iron pot-bellied stoves
and cooking stoves to keep their houses warm in the winter. Of course the cook
stove was used all year round, even in the hot summer months for cooking their
meals. Some people used wood for their stoves and some had coal available, as
was the case with my grandparents. They had a large hill on their land which had
a vein of coal in it. In the fall they would go and get some of this coal and
haul it home with a horse and wagon.
Grandpa Nantt was a handy man in
many ways. We are not sure what his main trade was before he came to America. He
was a stone mason, a carpenter, a blacksmith and a farmer. He knew all these
trades as a pioneer. He made all the furniture for their 3 bedroom home. He
built the beds, clothes cupboards, a storage trunk, small & large tables,
rocking chair, other chairs, wash stand and a small cupboard for kettles. That
was all the furniture they owned.
The only store-bought item that
Grandmother owned was a Montgomery Ward treadle sewing machine that they
purchased in 1900. The girls, Lydia and Aunt Rosie, sewed a lot of clothes with
it while they were still home. They even sewed their wedding dresses, and
dresses for Grandma.
Grandpa Nantt was in fairly good health up into his
eighties and he always managed to do his share of the work on the farm, up to
the time when he had his stroke in 1943. He died a few days later at the age of
86.
His funeral was held in a little country church the family attended,
called the Zoar Congregational Church, 15 miles SW of Hebron. The church is
located north of the Heart River bridge on a hill on the west side of the road.
He is buried at the Zoar Cemetery.
In 1946 Grandma, who had been ill but by
this time was feeling better, decided to go to Calif. with her daughter Rosie
who was living in Chico, Calif. Rosie and her husband had come to ND for a visit
and Grandma went back with them. She passed away in 1951 at the age of 83, and
is buried at the Artois, Calif. cemetery beside her son Reinhold.
Reinhold was the twin brother to Bernard. He had gone to Calif. in the early
1930s to find a job. He found work with the rice farmers, but the wet conditions
with that kind of work didn't agree with him and he developed T.B. He never
recovered and passed away in 1941.
All of the sons and daughters of John
and Dorthea have now passed on. Emil passed away at Bison, ND, in 1928, due to a
truck accident. John Jr. passed away in Hebron, ND, in 1961 at the age of 56.
Ludwig, the oldest son, passed away in Elgin, ND, in 1962, at the age of 79.
Rosie passed away in Chico, CA in 1969, at the age of 76. Bernard passed away in
Missoula, MT in 1970, at the age of 67. Fred passed away in Las Plumas, CA in
1971, at the age of 74. Lydia passed away in Elgin, ND, in 1986, at the age of
87. Uncle Carl was the last to go. He passed away in Dickenson, ND, in 1998, he
was almost 90 years old.
ANDERSON, Gus (born 15 Oct 1858 Oslo, Norway) (died 8 Mar 1922); Spouse Ellen HASKINS
BRATTEN, Knute (born 16 Jan 1884 Began, Norway); Spouse Alma BALLWEBER
CANDEE, N C (born Gladstone, ND); Spouse Mary Cooke CANDEE (born 14 October 1869 Arnuagh, Ireland)
CARR, Benton L (born 28 Dec 1871 Rochester, Indiana); Spouse Minnie CARR
CHRISTENSON, James (born 22 Feb 1873 Chicago, Illinois); Spouse Lillian BROWN
COLGROVE, Charles (born 17 Oct 1863 Sydney, Australia); Spouse Katie Gubser COLEGROVE
CONNALL, Bartholomew (born 3 Sep 1861 Cork County, Ireland); Spouse Elizabeth C CONNALL
COOKE, William Henry (born 4 Jan 1865 Casterbaug, Ireland); Spouse Ala Eugena SAUNDERS
CUSKELLY, Magdalene (born 25 Dec 1891 Sturgan Bay, Wisconsin); Spouse Joseph R CUSKELLY
DAVIS, Ida E Henderson (born Rice County, Dundas, Minnesota); Spouse John Flegel DAVIS
DAVIS, Lysander A (born 30 Apr 1855 Franklin, New York) (died 2 Oct 1918); Spouse Lucy Jeanette DAVIS
DICKINSON, Nancy L (born 23 Jul 1849 Bangar, New York); Spouse Horace Lawrence DICKINSON
DOBSON, John (born 6 May 1865 Platsburg, New York); Spouse Viola MURDOCK
DRURY, Michael (born 29 Aug 1868 Wabasha, Minnesota); Spouse Anna Uravna DRURY
FISHER, Robert (born 26 Aug 1860 Cumberland, England); Spouse Elizabeth CROSTHWAIT
FOLLEFSON, Bell Gullickson (born 20 Jan 1861 Dane, Wisconsin); Spouse Ole TOLLEFSON
FOWLER, Benjamin F (born 1848 Maine) (died 1910); Spouse Esther SMITH
FRIESZ, Peter (born 16 Nov 1883 Russia); Spouse Ida FRIESZ
GRUSCHUS, Harry (born 12 Nov 1874 St. Paul, Minnesota)
GRUSCHUS, John W (born 1850 Germany) (died 1928); Spouse Mary GOLDBERG
HAGBURG, Estelle Cryne (born 24 Dec 1866 Botavia, Wisconsin); Spouse Charles HAGBURG
HARBISON, Carrie B (born 2 Apr 1859 Fulton, N Y); Spouse John W HARBISON
HAYES, Jerry (born 1854 Tyson, Vermont) (died 8 Apr 1936); Spouse Bridget W. TULLEY
HOLZ, Peter (born 3 Mar 1870 St Michael); Spouse Anna HOLZ
HUMES, Rueben (born 23 Dec 1880 Peoria, Illinois)
HUNKE, Robert (born 18 Sep 1867 Berlin, Germany)
JILEK, Joseph (born 6 Jan 1869 Russia); Spouse Anna JILEK
JOHNSON, R H (born 18 Feb 1855 Eastford, Conn); Spouse Mary Poole JOHNSON
KING, Alice Tuttle (born 2 Mar 1862 Long Prarie, Minnesota); Spouse William KING
KONO, Beppie Birdsall (born 29 Sep 1869 Watertown, N J); Spouse Charles KONO
KOSTELECKY, Frederick (born 26 Nov 1852 Svradoch, Bohemia) (died 25 Oct 1909); Spouse Maria KOSTELECKY
LANGDOU, Charles S (born 27 Jan 1853 East Constable, New York); Spouse Alice TURNER
LEONBERGER, John C. (born 5 Apr 1855 Marshall, Michigan) (died 10 Feb 1938); Spouse Bridget LEONBERGER
LINSLEY, Milton H (born 22 Jun 1854 Muskaggoo, Wisconsin); Spouse Annie WOLFE
LITTLE, Anna Cooke (born 2 Feb 1867 Armagh, Ireland); Spouse John LITTLE
MANNING, Daniel (born 2 Jul 1845 King, Elgin, Illinois) (died 20 Aug 1914); Spouse Cathie MANNING
McGINLEY, Patrick (born 27 Dec 1860 Ireland); Spouse Catherine McGEE
MERRY, Charles F (born 12 Sep 1858 Cantoro, Illinois) (died 1940); Spouse Effie Adline McDONALD
MESSERSMITH, Bertha (born 20 Aug 1862 St. Louis, Missouri); Spouse Emil MESSERSMITH (died Jan 1921)
METCALF, George (born 23 Mar 1856 House, Yorkshire, England)
MINEAH, W J (born 10 Apr 1871 Freeville, New York); Spouse Josephine DEMING
MITCHELL, Ivan (born 9 Apr 1907 Ralgh, South Dakota)
MONAGHAU, John (born Ireland) (died 5 Jun 1906); Spouse Mary JUDGE
NELSON, I A (born 27 Jul 1867 Skudesness, Norway); Spouse I Andrew NELSON
RAU, Benjamin (born 29 Jan 1869 Monroe County, Iowa); Spouse Martha Hanberg DICKINSON
RAY, William (born 9 Sep 1852 Huron County, Ontario) (died 13 May 1900); Spouse Catherine FLYNN
RENNER, John (born 12 Oct 1872 Odessa, Russia); Spouse Rosa RENNER
RICHARDS, Wilson L (born 1862 Alabama)
RISTUBEN, M G (born 5 Apr 1883 Black River Falls Wisconsin); Spouse Retta SCHERMERHORN (born 4 Oct 1884 Cashton Wisconsin)
ROBERGE, Ellen Beadoin (born 29 Jun 1870 Quebec Canada); Spouse Adelmare BEADOIN
ROSE, Albert E. (born 16 Oct 1865 Richmond, Michigan); Spouse Anna M MIESNER
RUDISELLE, L H (born 30 Oct 1858 Mahonington, Penn); Spouse Mary J FRAW
RYAN, Kate Regan (born 18 Nov 1861 Sligo, Ireland); Spouse Thomas H RYAN
SADOWSKY, Anton (born 2 Jun 1873 Burche, Russia)
SASSE, Emma (born Antelope, ND); Spouse Bernard SASSE
SCHUHRKE, Adolph (born 6 Oct 1853 Otlenhagen, Brandenberg, Germany); Spouse Minnie SOLOMON
SENOUR, George A (born 5 Nov 1857 Baurbon, Indiana)
STEWART, Anna (born 15 Oct 1861 Nova Scotia); Spouse J R STEWART
STICKNEY, Victor Hugo (born 13 Apr 1855 Plymouth, Vermont) (died 26 Jul 1927); Spouse Margaret HAYES
SUTHERLAND, S S (born 27 Nov 1867 Palatine, Illinois); Spouse Margaret CARVER and Ruth JAMES
WALTON, William Henry (born 12 Aug 1857 Uvalde, Texas) (died 10 Jan 1910); Spouse Mary Ellen McVEIGH
WHITE, Alfred (born 21 Feb 1857 Favirshaw, Kent, England); Spouse Annie J WOODS
WILEY, Charles (born 12 May 1855 Washington, Vermont) (died 15 Feb 1940); Spouse Katherine DEANE
WILLIAMS, Jack (born 29 Mar 1861 Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
Contributed 2025 Jun 12, compiled from FamilySearch North Dakota, Red River Valley Genealogical Society, Pioneer Files, 1880-1953 Collection index where more information, more records, and record images are available
L. A. SIMPSON, of the Thirty-first legislative district, Dickinson, Stark County, was born at Deer Isle, Hancock county, Maine, on December 7, 1868; is married. He came to North Dakota from Minneapolis in 1889 and is a lawyer. He was educated in Portland, Maine, high school and law department of the University of Minnesota. Has held the office of member of the house of representatives from 1892 to 1896, states attorney of Stark County from 1896 to 1900, senator Thirty-first district in 1900 and re-elected in 1904 and again in 1908 as a republican. --Blue Book of North Dakota page 444
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This page was last updated
06/12/2025