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First Wedding in Pierce County
The reverse side of a sheet of foolscap paper, on which a history lesson had been written, was used for the first marriage license issued in Pierce County.
Ferdinand Koehler and Miss
Mina Manske were the contracting parties.
The date was November 8, 1871.
The license was written out in full detail by hand and in addition to the usual questions and answers there was a penalty of $500 if the return was not made by the party who officiated, within three months. It was signedby
R. S. Lucas, County
Judge.
In the return, which was added below the license in a beautiful German style script hand writing by the Rev.
F. C. Rupprecht, Evangelical Lutheran pastor, it was stated that the ceremony was performed November 10, 1871, at the residence of William Otto, who, with Charles Frederick Wichman of Madison County, acted as witnesses.
Mr. Koehler was twenty-one year's old and his wife eighteen years of age.
This first license, yellowed with age, was found after a long search among unused records and files, stored in one of the vaults at the Pierce Court House.
Mr. and Mrs. Koehler began housekeeping northeast of Pierce on what is known as the Koehler homestead, on a part of which is located the Koehler Cemetery, the first in Pierce County.
Ferdinand Koehler came with a brother to this country from Germany, and a few years later the mother came. The father died in Germany.
Mrs. Koehler was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Manske, who homesteaded in Pierce County in 1869, the father dying in the covered wagon before their log cabin home was completed.
This oldest record of a marriage license in Pierce County is an interesting document. Evidently there were no blanks of any kind in those days for officials to use. Judge Lucas had written all the required information on the other side of a sheet of paper on which a history lesson had been prepared.
At the time this wedding was solemnized, church was held at the William Otto home, which probably accounts for the reason the ceremony took place there.
Early Birth Dates
As birth records were not kept in early days it is rather difficult to give an accurate account of the first births in the county, so it has been necessary to rely on birthdays of the children of the earliest pioneers.
Birthdays of the first children are Mrs. Anna Marie Wecker-Zuercher of Osmond, born November 23, 1869, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nick Wecker who came to Pierce County in 1869.
Mrs. Bernadine Conrad-Rohde, wife of Herman Rohde, was born July 4, 1870, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Conrad of Hadar. She weighed only one and a half pounds at birth.
Mrs. Amanda Griebenow-Saeger, wife of W. A. Saeger, was born on October 6, 1870, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Griebenow.
First Schools Organized
From the early records in the office of the county superintendent it was found that school districts numbers one and two were organized on the same day, February 20, 1871.
District number one is located in the southeast corner of the county, about two miles east of Hadar, and included all the present southern tier of precincts: South Branch, Qeveland, Blaine and Mills.
Source: Along Pioneer Trails in
Pierce County, Nebraska
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