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Jacob Hasart, my great-great-grandfather, was born in 1865 in Germany. He immigrated to Russia with his parents during the rule of Catherine the Great. They remained true Germans and could not accept the Russian way of life. He came to America in the late 1800's. While living in Russia, he married Magdalena "Lena" Weisshaar. She was born in 1867 and was only 15 when she married Jacob. Jacob and Lena, with their son Tobias, went to Independence, Missouri, after crossing the ocean. From there they went to Cope, Colorado, then to Idalia. From Idalia they went to Lawrence, Kansas. They came back to Colorado to homestead on land north of Stratton. This area was called the Russian German Settlement. This was where Germans that had immigrated to Russia settled. Jacob and Lena had three more children: Lena, John, my great-grandfather, and Jacob, Jr. "Jake". Tobias died when he was a teenager. Magdalena died in 1943. Jacob died in 1948. My great-grandfather [John] was born in 1896. He was married to Anna Dora Adolf in 1919. Anna was born in 1900. She was the daughter of August and Kathrina Adolf. August and Kathrina were Germans who had immigrated to South Russia. In 1888, they came, along with their two Russian-born children Danny and Katie, to America. After living in Scotland, South Dakota, where August was a shoemaker, they homesteaded on the Russian German Settlement in 1890. They were the second family to homestead on the settlement. August was a shoe cobbler here. Anna had four brothers and two sisters: Danny; Katie; August, Jr. "A.W.", who was the first white baby born on the settlement; Luella; Chris; and Gus. Anna was the youngest. Danny died in 1901 when diptheria struck the settlement. John and Anna had 2 daughters: Leota, my grandmother, and Della. Anna died in 1930 of a brain tumor. My grandmother then had to take care of the house and cook. Della was raised by A.W. and Mary Adolf. My great-grandfather was remarried to Edith Powers in 1938. They did not have any children. They are both still living in Stratton. My grandmother was born in 1920. She married Verl "Buck" Mitchem in March, 1938 against the wishes of her father. Grandpa was born in 1914 and came from Kansas when he was four years old. In his early twenties he worked for Jake Hasart for awhile, then for John. This was how he met my grandmother. They lived on a farm north of Stratton. Their first daughter Drusilla was born in September, 1938. Their second daughter Cathy, my mother, was born in August, 1940. That same year they moved to Florence, Colorado. Grandpa worked for the steel mill. Later, they moved to Canyon City where he worked in the prison. They then moved to Simla where he worked in a filling station, then to Agate where he worked on a ranch. In 1947, they came back to live on a farm north of Stratton where Grandpa helped great-Grandpa. In 1952, they had another daughter named Bunnie. Grandma died in 1967 of a massive heart attack. Grandpa was remarried to Hazel Fisher. They both live in Burlington. My mother married Wayne Hartzmann in April, 1962. He is the son of Lester and Ruby Hartzmann and was born in February, 1940. They moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where Mom worked in an insurance claims office, and Dad worked for John Deere. They moved back to Colorado in the beginning of 1968 and settled on a farm north of Stratton. They have two children: my brother Andy, age 15, and me, age 17. Note - John passed away Aug. 25, 1986. |