Hesch History

Born in Oberschlagles, Bohemia, brother to Paul Hesch, my great grandfather.
Middle son of Johann and Marya (Schlinz) Hesch

Born in Oberschlagles, Bohemia, youngest son of Johann and Marya (Schlinz) Hesch and brother to Paul, my great grandfather

Born in Luxemburgh, Mike Sand was my grandma Elizabeth's dad. He was known in Buckman for his big black beard, and I think, for his imposing girth...lol

Mother of my grandma Elizabeth (Sand) Hesch

Daughter of Anton Otremba & Catherine Schalwig, she married Paul Hesch in 1874

Minnesota was pretty well covered by RR service in the following 20 years or so. There were reduced fares for immigrants going to the most unsettled areas.

The Homestead Act is one of two United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to up to 160 acres (65 hectares or one-fourth section) of undeveloped federal land outside the original Thirteen Colonies. The law required three steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title.
Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, including freed slaves, could file an application and evidence of improvements to a federal land office. The occupant also had to be 21 or older and had to live on the land for five years. The original Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862
--Wikipedia

In the fall of 1868 the Anton Otremba family came to America. They had seen an article in the German papers in which Fr. Pierz, the missionary priest, announced that a German Catholic colony was settling in the Rich Prairrie area. He described the country and told of the good qualities of the soil and the climate. This induced the Otremba family to come to the US. They got as far as St. Cloud, Minnesota by railroad. There they bought a team of oxen and a wagon and seven head of cattle and started for Rich Prairie township. They located on a 160 acre homestead in section 32 of what is now Pierz township. As it was late in the fall when they arrived and there were no buildings nor any lumber to be had, they built a dugout in the ground and covered it with poles and long slough grass. They lived in this over the winter. For the cattle they had to make hay of dried grass which did not have much nourishment. There was no protection for the cattle during the winter. The cattle died in the spring. The following year they built a log house and log barn and began clearing and grubbing the land.
Anton donated the first church bell to St. Michaels Catolic church at Buckman and it rang it's first death toll for him on February 5, 1883. Catherine Otremba donated the large bell to the church when the new church was being built and it rang it's first death toll for her on January 13, 1902.

in March, 1870, the S.S. Union docked in NYC. Johann, Marya and son Anton arrived and made their way to Waumandee, Buffalo County, Wisconsin, where middle son Mathias was living.

Eldest child of Josef & Franziska Janson. Enlisted at Ft Snelling for the Spanish-American War but never saw action. Honorably discharged in May 1898 and re-enlisted later that year, then deserted.
He worked for the RR and lived most of his life in Los Angeles, Ca.

Minnesota farmers were growing wheat almost exclusively because of the great price they were getting--it took five years to figure out that crop diversification was a much better way to go.

Eldest child of Paul & Mary Hesch, she was born in Pierz, Mn.

Born in Horrenburg, Germany, Sophie grew up to become Sr Lazara, OSF

My grandfather Anton's favorite brother, Eugen never married.

John married Ketrina Mueller in 1902, and they had 5 kids. This is the John who was my grandfather's brother, or Paul & Mary's second oldest kid.

My mother's father, Anton was the one who stayed on the home farm. Of his 7 sibs, 2 brothers never married and 2 sisters became nuns. The other brother to marry, Sebastian, moved away, while the other two sisters married Joe and John Brandl and lived in Buckman.

Frank was Paul & Mary's third child. He married Elizabeth Kelly in 1920, but he died in 1922. He worked for the RR.

For what it's worth, Mark Seeley from the U of M said that winter had blizzard after blizzard. Who knows? A fact like this might explain something important, later.

Anton Janson married Margaret Naber in 1913. They had 3 children: Orlinda, Loretta and Reinhard.

Orlinda was my mother.

Fourth oldest child of Paul & Mary Hesch, Theresa became Sr Laura, OSB. At age 59, she set up a mission to the Ojibwe near Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. She is buried there, on the reservation.

Josef's family and the family of his cousin John came here on the same ship, arriving in Philadelphia and traveling by train to Little Falls that spring. There was a one room cabin on the land they'd purchased, but it proved too small for 14 people, especially when both wives gave birth in the first month they were here. Whew!

Anna was the first Janson to be born in America. She became Sr Kunigunda, OSF and spent her life teaching. She's buried in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, at the convent motherhouse.

Paul & Mary's fifth child, AA was my grandfather. He married Elizabeth Sand in 1910. He was a tall quiet man who farmed all his life, first in Buckman, and then Royalton, Mn. He was known for his huge hands; the joke was that it looked like he was waving a bunch of bananas when he said goodbye!

Mom's "Aunt Francie" married John Brandl in 1903. They had 6 kids.

Joseph married Anna Heurung in 1912. They had 8 children before he died of an accidental gunshot wound in 1926.

Cyclone!

Charlie was a year older than my grandma Elizabeth. He left home early, married Elizabeth Colwell from Itasca county in northern MN, and ended up in Washington state owning an orchard. YAY, Charlie!

Paul & Mary's seventh child, young Paul died in a train accident in Washington state. He was a brakeman, the guys who run along the top of a boxcar and jump down to set the brakes. He was caught between two cars--a pretty terrible way to die.

Elizabeth Sand married Anton A Hesch in 1910, in Buckman. They had 10 kids--eight of their own and two from the orphan trains, plus two who died in infancy. Their oldest son was my dad, Michael.

Paul & Mary's 8th kid, Theo never wanted to be on the farm, I think. He and brother Math went to Europe in 1914 on the Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic. They returned home 2 months before WWI began. Theo married Rosalia Dehler in 1920 and they moved to Minneapolis, where Ted was an executive for the RR, I believe.

Mom's Aunt Rose married Joe Brandl. They had 6 kids, one of whom, Leo, became a priest. After Joe died in 1950, Rose kept house for Fr Leo, until he died in 1983.

Math was a newspaper reporter for the Pierz Journal, Little Falls Transcript and Royalton Banner for many years. He did the Buckman News, and it was usually entertaining. People only threatened to sue for libel.

Math and brother Theo did a "grand tour" of northern Europe in 1914, and Math kept a diary along the way.
The diary is here, but scroll down and start at the beginning

He married Mary Tetiva, and they had 7 daughters. They lived on the Paul Hesch place, "a mile west of Buckman".

Grandma Lizzie's closest and youngest sister, Lena was the maid of honor when Elizabeth married AA Hesch. Lena later married Henry Block., and lived in Pierz on the street behind the church.

Mary was the youngest natural child of Paul & Mary Hesch. She married Joe Peterson and lived in Bruno, Mn.

Lucy was born in NYC and adopted as a babyby Paul & Mary Hesch.
She married Max Klein. They lived south of Royalton in Langola township.

Evidently, the Jansons wanted to try a climate more like southern Germany (they'd suffered the MN climate for 18 years by then). They were told there was a Catholic church in the town there, and many other German settlers. Neither was true, and the economy was still reeling from the Civil War. They returned to Minnesota in 1901, I believe.

Born in NYC, Paul was adopted after Mary's husband Paul died.

My dad, born in Buckman, Mn. He married Orlinda F Janson in 1946. They had five kids and luckily, one of them was ME. ☺

Son of AA and Elizabeth Hesch. He married Eileen Muyers, and had two daughters.
Their wedding dance was at the Coliseum in St Cloud, and the band leader was a young Woopie John Wilfahrt.

My mom, who married Mike Hesch in September 1946. Mom's mother had died a year earlier, and her sister in 1938, so mom felt alone planning her wedding. Still, she sewed her own wedding dress, and planned a lovely reception at the Janson farm. They honeymooned on the northshore's Gunflint Trail.

Twin son of AA and Elizabeth Hesch, he married Mildred Rau, and they had 3 kids.

Mom's only sister...they were very close. Loretta died of Rheumatic fever made worse by a congenital heart defect. The following year, mom said, sulfa drugs were discovered, and they would probably have saved Loretta's life. Mom mourned that fact all her life.

The 1918 flu pandemic (the Spanish Flu) was an influenza pandemic that spread across the world. Most victims were healthy young adults, in contrast to most influenza outbreaks which predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or weakened patients.
The pandemic lasted from March 1918 to June 1920, spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. Between 50 and 100 million died, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.

1918 Flu Pandemic

Fronie Hesch married Leo Karasch in September 1947. They lived "by the river" south of Royalton, Mn all their lives, and were second parents to quite a few nephews and nieces.

Everybody had stills around Buckman and Pierz, but they all thought NO ONE knew...lol

Adeline is the oldest of Math and Holka's daughters. She married Bob Dion and had 3 daughters. Bob died in 1951, of cancer...Adeline lives in Pierz.

Aunt Katie married Blaise Sufka in 1939. They lived north of Royalton, and had 9 kids.

Those kids spent the most time with Grandma and Grandpa Hesch, something I'll always envy...☺

My mom's only brother, he inherited the Janson family farm. It was a favorite place for all of us, always. He married Jeanette Marshik in 1948 and they had five sons.

Helen was the second of Math & Holka's daughters. She never married, but worked in California all her life and retired in Sauk Centre, Mn. with her long time roommate, Vi Kulzer. Helen was our image of cosmopolitan elegance when we were kids. It was always a treat when she came home to visit.

Henry Paul Hesch grew up with very poor vision, but no one realized that was the problem until he was about 13, when he finally got glasses. Uncle Henry married Idella Janish in 1950,and they had two kids.

Irene was born in Buckman to Math & Holka Hesch. She married Eugene Kulig, who was related to Leo Karasch, so lucky Irene was doubly related!

Aunt Rosie married Eddie Janish in 1948, and they had five kids. They lived in the cities until they retired, and then built a house on the river between Royalton and Little Falls. They were my godparents ☺

Louise was the 4th daughter of Math & Holka Hesch, and my dad's favorite of the sisters, I think. She married Jim Desautel c 1955, and Jim died in 1978. They had 6 kids.

Fifth daughter of Math & Holka Hesch, Mary married Ralph Linville in 1963. They had two daughters.

Each of Math's daughters had an unusual nickname. I think Mary's was Blackie, but I'll check my list and add the correct name to each bio...lol

Uncle Tony was the youngest kid in AA & Elizabeth Hesch's family. He married Irene Janish and they had 3 kids. Aunt Irene died suddenly in 1979, and Uncle Tony eventually married Marlene (Eickholt) Wersal.

A terrible time in US history

Dolores was the 6th of the seven daughters. She married Arthur Eben, and I know they had kids, but...
I'll add them when I find out, ok?

Laura was the seventh daughter of Math & Holka Hesch. Born in Buckman during the Depression, she married Ray Alkofer. They have 2 sons.

America tried to stay out of the conflict, but declared war in 1941 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Our parents all remembered where they were on that day