This branch of the Austrian Hesch family is descended from Johann Hesch and his wife Marya (Schlinz) Hesch, who came to America from Oberschlagles, Bohemia with three sons: Paul, Mathias, and Anton. +++Johann & Marya settled in Buffalo County, Wisconsin but moved to Pierz, Mn in about 1885. .+++Mathias settled in Waumandee, Wisconsin and moved to Pierz in 1911. +++Anton never married but farmed with his dad in Agram Township, where he died in 1911.+++And Paul, my great grandfather, settled five miles away, in Buckman, Minnesota. He died there in 1900.

: : : : : : : : : : : :

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Too Little, Too Late and WAY Too Far Away

Ahh, once you get the history bug, you'll find stuff to research EVERYWHERE ☺.  
The other night, Larry and I were chatting about my great-greats and the land they claimed in the wilderness of Minnesota.  How they needed to clear land and build a house and barn for themselves plus building a school and church and deal with the occasional Indian..  As always, when we have this conversation, he very considerately mentions my claiming that my house is on land that was awarded by Abe Lincoln to a local Indian for his service in the war.  Ha!  It was finally time to go get the deed.  I've kept it in a zip-lock bag in my freezer for more than 25 years.  A little warmth was over due...lol


But look--beginning with the 120 acres that my lot is part of...in June 1861 Abraham Lincoln signed the order that opened western territories for settlers.
If you recall your Civil War era history, Lincoln was desperately trying to populate the middle of the country with NON-slave holders, so legislation was  enacted in 1861 to help attract European farmers.  BTW, Minnesota had only become a state 3 years earlier, in 1858.
But, that first entry didn't mean Martin Fiedler cleared or settled this land, it simply explains how he got it, right?
"Whereas, in pursuance of the Act of Congress, approved March 3, 1885, entitled "An Act in addition to certain Acts granting Bounty Land to certain Officers and Soldiers who have been engaged in the Military Service of the United States", there has been deposited in the General Land office, Warrant No. 95855 for 120 acres in favor of Istar-Lojar, widow of Sater-kar-kee-, Warrior, Captain Kayley's Company, Creek Volunteers Seminole War, said Warrant having been assigned to Martin Fiedler, Senior".


Wait, aren't the Seminole Indians from the south somewhere--like Florida?  WHEN was this "Seminole War", and where was it fought?
Geesh, there was a series of Seminole Wars, all efforts to remove natives from land in Florida that we wanted, of course.
  
But DAMN, to "grant" land as a reward to the widow of a Creek man...land that was about 2,000 miles north in a place she'd certainly never go, forty three years later, in 1885...do you even wonder what "assigning it to" meant?

No comments:

Post a Comment