Why we heard of Glendive, Montana

Sit back, put'cher feet up--we have a saga to tell you about....

Now.  In 1823, Johannes Georg OTREMBA married Suzanna Preussner in Groditz, Tillowitz, Schleisen, Prussia.  Together they had 9 children, one of whom was Johann from the post below, and another was Anton Otremba, our great-great grandfather (Yeah, that's how we connect ☺).

For some reason, Larry and I keep running into info about Johann's descendants here in the US, and accidental cross references, too.  (Course, if you LOOK for obituaries, you're bound to find connections).

As we said in yesterdays post, Johann and Anna Rosina had 8 children who lived to adulthood.  One was Martha, who married Jacob Niesius.  Her obit is below:

THE PIERZ JOURNAL - January 30, 1930

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Stroke is Fatal to Mrs. Jacob Neisius

Died almost Suddenly at Her Home In the Village;

Bural Here On Friday Morning

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What came as a shock to villagers and country people here about Tuesday morning, was the news of the death of Mrs. Jacob Neisius of this place. The death of Mrs. Neisius occurred at her home at 12:05 a.m. Tuesday following a stroke which she suffered at 7:30 Monday evening while working about her home. She had not been ailing previous to Monday evening although she suffered a similar stroke many years ago and another about two years ago.

Mrs. Neisius whose maiden name was Martha Otremba, was born in Grotizin, Prussia, September 11, 1870, and came to the United States with her parents at an early age. The family settled two miles west of Pierz. Her marriage to Jacob Neisius took place in Pierz February 5, 1888, and the Neisius family has resided in this village since then.

Surviving are the husband and eight children: Mrs. Peter Kelzenberg, Genola, Mrs. Al Solinger of Clearwater, Mrs. Arthur McNabb, August A., Frank, Alex, Celestine and Florence of this village.

Mrs. John Dombovy of St. Paul and Mrs. Theo. Stumpf of Genola are sister of the deceased and Charles Otremba of Golden Valley, N.D., is a half-brother of the deceased.

On Friday morning at ten o'clock in St. Joseph's church in this village will be held the burial services for the deceased Mrs. Neisius. Interment will follow in the Pierz cemetery.

They (Johann & Anna Rosina) also had a son named Charles (Karl), who married Mary Jendro from Little Falls.  They lived in LF for a few years, and then moved to the other end of North Dakota, very near the Montana line, and built their life there. (See? The reference in Martha's obit is to Golden Valley, North Dakota). Below you'll find two pages from an "Old Settlers" book published about that area:

(The second page has only a little about them, but I just couldn't get rid of the rest of it--look how COOL the Oygaard brothers were!)

Anyway, from other obits Larry's found, we know they goofed some of the facts there, OR, since the bio was given after Charley and Mary died, maybe the next generation just didn't know the real facts.  In any event, it's cool to find some of "us" so far away, huh?

 But wait--there's more!

Ok, yes, we've written about this branch before, on January first 2010.  But now, with the obit Larry found this week (below, Edward Scherman), the wedding photo clicks, too.



But back to WHY Glendive, Montana was a town we heard about as kids:  click the map below--I'm not positive, but I suspect dad and Uncle Tader knew the Otremba relatives in Golva and Beach and Sentinel Butte.  Glendive is the closest larger town.  Ok, it might just be a town we aimed at as we drove across endless North Dakota.

Still, I prefer thinking it had a family connection.