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In the Spring of 1876, I. N. Taylor was connected with the Columbus Republican as its editorial writer. Some weeks later, on the occasion of the centennial celebration, July 4, 1876, he was invited by the executive committee of the Platte County Centennial jubilee, of which he was a member, to prepare and read a paper of an historical nature for the program to be held in the newly erected pavilion in the Gottschalk grove northeast of Columbus. For this event, Mr. Taylor got together and read a very long paper on local history.

Following the Centennial Jubilee, the Columbus Journal commented on the lack of interest shown Mr. Taylor's paper. Because of its great length, however, they did not print it. Two months later, the Columbus Republican published the Taylor speech, both in the paper and in pamphlet form. A pamphlet was sent to each founder of Columbus.

After receiving their copies, the founders met to call attention to the errors in the historical data as written by I. N. Taylor.

Meanwhile, a copy of the pamphlet was forwarded to the governor of Nebraska to show him that Platte County had observed July 4, 1876, with a celebration and a program, in accordance with a joint resolution of Congress and the proclamation of the President of the United States. This copy was filed for reference in the State Library. Later, the early histories of Nebraska compiled by publishing houses copied verbatim the I. N. Taylor paper instead of sending representatives to confer with the living founders of Columbus. Hence, we have the source of two of the major errors recorded at that time.

To refute these errors for posterity, the original founders had a document made bearing their inscription and photographs, an enlarged copy of which now hangs in the Platte County Court House.

An article by Jacob Louis, Sr., one of the thirteen founders, and the reputed historian of the group, appeared June 1, 1906, in the Columbus Weekly Telegram. This article stated that a group of thirteen men arrived in Columbus on the evening of May 29, 1856, from Omaha by ox team. The group included Jacob Louis, Frederick Gottschalk, Carl Reinke, Michael Smith, Jacob Guter, John Wolfel, Vincent Kummer, Henry Lusche, Charles Bremer, John Browner, J. P. Becker, Anthony Voll, and John Held. Later, the living descendants of these founders, including children and grandchildren, signed a petition stating who the members of the original group were, and showing the date of their arrival, as above. In 1941, this petition and other papers were filed in the office of the Platte County clerk.

Little is known of I. N. Taylor's life after he moved from Columbus; but the Columbus Journal of January 31, 1877, wrote: "I. N. Taylor was in the city Monday. Mr. Taylor and family are now located at Oakdale, Antelope County, where they have a very nice farm close to Oakdale." Mr. Taylor then was sixty years of age.

In May, 1946, Martha Turner, daughter of M. K. Turner, editor of the Columbus Journal from 1870 until his death, May 22, 1902, said that her father had correspondence from his son to the effect that I. N. Taylor moved in his later years to Texas, where he died. No mention was ever made of his wife or his son in the Columbus Journal.

MORTON MILLS TAYLOR

Morton Mills Taylor was born November 21, 1887, near Goose Lake in Holt County, Nebraska. He died in Columbus, January 28, 1943. His parents were Doctor and Mrs. Edwin L. Taylor. Doctor Taylor, a pioneer country doctor, who practiced at Goose Lake in Holt County, and later at Plainview, Nebraska, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and died at Vivian, South Dakota. Nellie Mills Taylor was born in West Point, Illinois, and died at Plainview, Nebraska, in 1944. Morton Mills Taylor had one brother and two sisters: Lou Taylor, of Gordon, Nebraska; Mrs. James Haywood, of Vivian, South Dakota; and Mrs. Albert T. Howard, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, who died about 1940.

Mort Taylor attended the Plainview schools, and after his graduation from high school, enrolled at the College of Business in Sioux City, Iowa. Upon the completion of his course there, he embarked on a business career, making banking his life work.

On August 26, 1914, he was married to Dora M. Lewis, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Lewis of Wayne, Nebraska. Mr. Lewis was born in White Plains, Missouri, February 21, 1862, and died in 1929 at Wayne. Mrs. Lewis was born at Red Oak, Iowa, February 26, 1862, and lives at Wayne. Dora Lewis Taylor had six sisters, and a brother, Peter, who lives at Battle Creek, Nebraska.

Morton Mills and Dora Lewis Taylor had two children, Robert and Kate.

Robert, born July 17, 1916, at Sioux City, Iowa, attended Kramer High School and was graduated from the Clay Center High School. At Clay Center he was also employed at the radio broadcasting station. In World War II, he enlisted in the Infantry-Rangers, and was killed in action September 27, 1944, on Pelehu Island, one of the Palu Islands in the Pacific.

Kate, Mrs. Thomas Brinton, Jr., of Denver, Colorado, was born in Plainview. She entered the Columbus grade schools in 1929 and in 1939 was graduated from Kramer High School. After one year at Lindenwood

College for Girls, St. Charles, Missouri, she enrolled at the University of Colorado, graduating there in June, 1943, and with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. She is a member of the Boulder Chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Thomas Brinton, Jr., and Kate Taylor were married in Denver in the Spring of 1946. They had one daughter, Julia.

In 1929, after a banking position in Plainview, Nebraska, M. M. Taylor came to Columbus as cashier of the First National Bank. Soon after his arrival, he identified himself with many of the activities of the community. On April 21, 1930, he became associated with the Central National Bank, and was elected executive vice-president August 9, 1930. In 1939, he was made president, in which capacity he served until 1943, Under his direction, the Central National Bank expanded considerably and was recognized among bankers as a model bank.

Mort Taylor was a member of the Nebraska Bankers Association, and a former chairman of the executive council. He was the Nebraska vice-president of the American Bankers Association in 1943, and a past president of Group 2 of the Nebraska Bankers.

He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a treasurer of the Platte County Agricultural Association, past president of the Wayside Country Club, and past president of the Lions Club.

Agriculture was his chief interest. His objective in this was to develop better understanding between the men on the farms and those in the towns. From 1936 to 1943, he was a member of the project committee of the Chamber of Commerce. His work on the Agricultural Committee laid the foundation for the organization of the Platte County Agricultural Society. He was connected also with the pasture-forage-livestock and farmers' short course clinic held in Columbus November 16, 1942, was active in good roads organizations, helped with broad outlines and details of 4-H clubs and fairs, and was a member of the Forward Columbus Fund board of directors.

During World War II, he was chairman of the City Victory Fund Drive Committee. Fraternally, he belonged to the B.P.O.E., and was on the board of trustees of the Sons of Herman. He held membership in the Masons, and was treasurer of Lebanon Lodge 323, A.F.&A.M. He was also a member of Scottish Rite bodies of Masonry and Tehama Temple of the Shrine, at Omaha.

Mort Taylor liked horses and the hobby he most enjoyed was riding his horse, Rex.

The Taylors were affiliated with the Methodist Church.

FREDERICK E. TELLER

Frederick E. Teller, the son of Abraham and Bessie Sher Teller, was born in New York City, on February 22, 1883. He has a brother, Ben Teller, of Columbus, and two sisters.

He received his early education in New Jersey, and from 1903-1915, he worked as a salesman. His first work was for the Consolidated Cigar Company, in New York City, and he later worked for the Troy Brothers, in Omaha.

He came to Columbus in 1915, and opened a cigar and book store in the Niewohner Building, at the southeast corner of Thirteenth Street and Twenty-seventh Avenue. He continued in business there until 1946, when he sold his stock to E. T. Miessler.

Mr. Teller was twice married. His first wife died around 1920. On November 23, 1923, he was married to Mrs. Lee Blank Heller. Besides her children from a previous marriage, Irving and Regina Heller, they have a son, Frederick Teller, Jr. The children all attended the Columbus schools and were graduated from Kramer High School and the University of Nebraska. They are all married. Irving served during World War II and was a German prisoner of war. He now works for the A. H. Blank Company, at Des Moines. Frederick, Jr. resides in Omaha.

During the time the Associated Charities functioned in Columbus, Mr. Teller served as president and secretary of that organization. He is a member of the Rotary International and a past president of the local chapter. He served on the Mid-Nebraska Fair Association committees, and holds memberships in the A.F. and A.M., the B.P.O.E. (Elks), the Izaak Walton League, and the Wayside Country Club.

Politically, he is prominent in the Democratic Party and has served as chairman of the Democratic Central Committee of Columbus.

Frederick E. Teller is a member of the Jewish Faith.

JOHN TERNUS

John Ternus was born March 12, 1852, in Germany. His parents were John and Anna Wagner Ternus, natives of Germany. His father, a farmer, died in 1885 and his mother died in 1900.

John Ternus was educated in Germany. In 1872, he immigrated to the United States, settling in Marshall County, Illinois. He worked there on farms, and six years later, with his savings, purchased his own farm there, on which he worked nine years.

In 1887, he sold the farm and came to Platte County, buying two hundred forty acres of land in Granville Township. A careful farmer and stock raiser, he added gradually to his acreage until he owned more than four hundred acres in that township, besides farms in St. Bernard and Humphrey Townships. In 1905, he retired and moved into Humphrey. Later he returned to the farm and built a residence on Section 20, near Cornlea, Nebraska.

In February, 1878, he was married to Miss Rosa Meyer. They had eight children, two of whom are deceased. The others were: Frank, a farmer in Humphrey Township, married to Christina A. German; John H., a farmer of Granville Township; Mary, Mrs. Conrad Frey, of Humphrey Township; Elizabeth, Mrs. John.

Van Dyke, of Humphrey Township; Peter J., a banker; and Conrad, a farmer in Granville Township.

Rosa Meyer Ternus died April 29, 1892, and John Ternus was married to Mrs. Monica Schrafle Nick. They had two sons, Edward P. and Herman L. Ternus.

John Ternus, long active in business, was a stockholder and founder of the Farmers State Bank at Humphrey, and a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator.

He was a member of St. Francis Church in Humphrey. On September 1, 1929, he died at Humphrey, Nebraska.

FRANK TERNUS

Frank Ternus, well-known Humphrey Township farmer, was born October 18, 1879, in Marshall County, Illinois. His parents were John and Rosa Meyer Ternus, natives of Germany. Frank Ternus came with his parents to Platte County when he was eight years old. They settled in Granville Township. Frank had three brothers and two sisters, and two half-brothers. His brothers were: John, Peter, and Conrad. His sisters were: Mary, Mrs. Conrad Frey; and Elizabeth, Mrs. John Van Dyke. His half-brothers were Edward P. and Herman L.

Frank Ternus attended the district and parochial schools, and early engaged in farming and stock raising.

He was married to Miss Christina German of Humphrey. They had ten children: George, Joseph, Arthur, Jerome, Eugene, Lawrence and Richard; Eleanora, Mrs. Stanley Gart; Celia, Mrs. Edward Ramacker; and Mary Ann, Mrs. Joseph Ramacker. All of whom attended St. Francis School at Humphrey.

In World War I, Eugene and Jerome served in the United States armed forces. Jerome, a sergeant in the infantry, participated in major battles in Europe until he was wounded. Lawrence is married to Louise Albers, a daughter of Doctor and Mrs. Albers of Humphrey.

After the death of Christina German Ternus, Mr. Ternus was married to Mrs. Gertrude Schaffer.

Frank Ternus served as a county supervisor in Platte County for eight years. He is a member of St. Francis Catholic Church in Humphrey, Nebraska.

SARAH JANE DACK TERRY

Sarah Jane Dack, born October 25, 1863, in Kewanee, Illinois, came to Nebraska with her parents, John Edward and Jane Wiley Dack, at the age of eight. The Dack family settled in O'Kay in 1871.

Sarah Jane attended the Wattsville school. She was fourteen when she took the teacher's examination and received a certificate to teach. She taught in the O'Kay vicinity for three years.

Sarah Jane Dack was twice married. Her first. husband was Thomas Hall, whom she married in 1882. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Hall Jenkinson of Grand Island, Nebraska.

In 1891, Sarah Hall was married to Samuel C. Terry, who died at Monroe, Nebraska, in 1928. They had five children: Charles T. and Maurice E., of Monroe, Nebraska; John E., of Lynwood, California; Viola Terry Johnson and Ellen Terry Nansel of Los Angeles, California.

Both the Dack and Terry families were among the oldest pioneer families in the Monroe community. For many years their names were identified with progress in that part of Platte County. They were builders who with others left their imprint on the unbroken prairie by transforming it into a modern community of farms and homes.

Sarah Jane Terry was a member of the Monroe Evangelical United Brethren Church. She died June 22, 1948, in Monroe, Nebraska.

ALBERT F. TESSENDORF

Albert F. Tessendorf, well-known Platte County farmer and stockman, was born April 3, 1875, on his father's farm. His parents were Friedrick and Wilhelmina Ladwig Tessendorf. Friedrick, a native of Wisconsin, who came to Platte County in 1871, settling on a farm five miles northwest of Platte Center, was born January 2, 1829, and died at his home May 24, 1910. Wilhelmina Ladwig Tessendorf, a native of Germany, was born September 12, 1837, and died February 2, 1919. Albert had two brothers and two sisters: Albertine Emilia, Wilhelm Friedrick, Gustav Ferdinand, and Anna Helena. All except Franz Albert are deceased.

Albert Tessendorf received his early education in the District 17 rural school of Platte County and was trained in the art of farming on his father's farm.

On February 11, 1902, he was married in Columbus, Nebraska, to Lydia Minna Henning, daughter of Ferdinand and Carolina Hedrick Henning. They had five children: Walter, born January 14, 1903; Minnie, born December 7, 1904; Olga, born March 23, 1908; Wallace, born August 9, 1910; and Norman, born December 3, 1917. Walter died in infancy. All the other children attended the District 1 rural school and were graduated from the Platte Center High School.

Prior to his retirement, Mr. Tessendorf, who lives in Platte Center, was one of the leading farmers and stock raisers of the county. He is a member of the Grace Lutheran Church of Platte Center.

MATTHEW WILLIAM THOMAS

Matthew William Thomas was born March 25, 1878, in Buffalo, New York, and died April 16, 1946, in Columbus, Nebraska. He was the son of Peter and Susanna Greenwalt Thomas. Peter Thomas was born at Schillinger, in the Rhine Province of Germany, in 1836, and died in Columbus June 2, 1892. Susanna Greenwalt Thomas was born at Schillinger, near Treves, in the Rhine Province of Germany, November 24, 1853, and died July 3, 1930, in Columbus.

Peter Thomas immigrated to the United States from

Germany in 1870, settling in Buffalo. Susanna Greenwalt arrived in Buffalo in 1872. They were married there on January 22, 1873. In 1884, they came west and settled on a farm in Platte County, Nebraska, four miles north of Columbus. Besides Matthew, they had five sons and five daughters: F. Thomas, of Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Nicholas, of Denver, Colorado; Susanna, Mrs. Samuel Letheby, of Norfolk, Nebraska; Nora, Mrs. James L. Muldoon, of Beaumont, California; Michael, who died in 1879, and Josef; Susy, who died in 1884; Mary, who died in 1900; John, who died in 1901 ; and Minnie, who died in 1926.

Matthew Thomas attended St. Francis Academy in Columbus, and Boyles Business College at Omaha. He was employed then at the Columbus Post Office under Civil Service for ten years, after which he became a clerk with the Union Pacific Railroad at the freight depot in Columbus, where he worked for twenty-five years.

On November 18, 1940, at St. Bonaventure's Church in Columbus, he was married to Miss Julia Rand, daughter of Jens and Mary Jevnlid Rand of Newman Grove, Nebraska. Jens Rand was born June 18, 1862 in Norway. Jevnlid (sic) Rand was born April 1, 1856, in Norway, and died April 3, 1923, at Newman Grove, Nebraska. The Rands, pioneers in Nebraska, came to Newman Grove from Norfjord, Norway, in 1883, and were employed for three years by an English family, from whom they learned to speak English fluently.

Julia Rand Thomas was graduated from high school and college. She taught school in Newman Grove, and in Columbus conducted pre-kindergartens prior to 1941. She had four brothers and one sister: John, Matthias, Mathilda, Christian and Julius. Matthias, an insurance agent, married Tillie Tisthammer. Mathilda married Albert Anderson. Julius died December 20, 1894, at Newman Grove. John died September 30, 1936, at Lindsay.

Matthew Thomas was a member of St. Bonaventure's Catholic Church and served as a church trustee for several years. He belonged to the Holy Name Society, the Third Order of St. Francis, the Knights of Columbus, and was a Democrat. Interested in civic affairs, he spent many hours as a volunteer worker in the War Loan Office. His hobbies were landscaping, gardening, music and outdoor sports.

Julia Rand Thomas is a saleslady with Levines Store in Columbus.

GEORGE THOMAZIN

George Thomazin, retired Woodville and Burrows Township farmer living in St. Edward, was born December 13, 1877, in Burrows Township. His parents were George and Maria Burrows Thomazin. George Thomazin, who came to Platte County from England in 1866, was born April 2, 1856, and died in Burrows Township July 22, 1901. Maria Burrows Thomazin was born in Fulton County, Illinois, November 20, 1857. Burrows Township was named for her family.

George Thomazin had three brothers and three sisters: James A., Robert H., Mrs. Fannie Hoare, Thomas R., Mrs. Ethel M. Johnson, and Mrs. Mary Vollmar. Mrs. Johnson was county treasurer of Boone County for eighteen years.  Mrs. Vollmar died on July 9, 1942, at Fairview, Illinois.

Mr. Thomazin was educated in the School of District 14. He resided in Burrows Township until 1904, when he moved to Woodville Township. In 1945, he retired to St. Edward.

On March 22, 1905, at Genoa, Nebraska, he was married to Miss Alma Welin, daughter of John and Erika Jonas Welin. Mr. and Mrs. Thomazin had one son. Leonard Allan Thomazin, born December 23, 1907. Leonard attended school in District 68, St. Edward High School, and the University of Nebraska. He is a road surveyor and has a ranch in Holt County.

George Thomazin is a member of the West Hill Baptist Church, and the Modern Woodmen, and politically he is affiliated with the Republican Party.

GEORGE TIADEN

George Tiaden, Loup Township farmer, was born October 4, 1877, at St. Louis, Missouri. In 1882, he came to Platte County with his parents, who settled north of Duncan in Gruetli. His father, Henry Tiaden, was born March 24, 1830, in Oldenburg, Germany, and died in June, 1912, in Columbus, Nebraska. His mother, Wilhelmina Graf Tiaden, was born in Saxony, Germany, March 24, 1830, and died January 10, 1924, in Columbus. George had four brothers and two sisters: Fred, Henry, William, Louis, Bertha and Cora.

On November 2, 1912, in Platte County, he was married to Miss Ida Lemp, daughter of Fred and Anna Lemp. Fred Lemp was born in Switzerland, in 1838, and died in Platte County in February, 1901. Anna Lemp was born in Canton Bern, Switzerland, August 7, 1852. Ida Lemp Tiaden had two brothers and one sister: Fred and Herman; and Louisa Lemp Oppliger, widow of Rudolph Oppliger. Fred died April 26, 1944.

George and Ida Lemp Tiaden had three sons and four daughters: George, born October 12, 1913; Dorothy, born April 26, 1915; Edna, born May 7, 1917; Lillian, born February 2, 1919; Wilma, born February 14, 1921; Lester, born August 11, 1923; and Quentin, born January 22, 1927. All were born in Columbus,

and attended District 37 grade school, Monroe High School, and Kramer High School.

George Tiaden has engaged in farming and stock raising in Loup Township for more than fifty years.

Mr. and Mrs. George Tiaden are members of the Evangelical Protestant Church.

BERTHOLD CARL G. TIESING, M.D.

Berthold Carl Gerald Tiesing, M.D., was born August 16, 1873, at New Haven, Connecticut, and died March 17, 1930, in Columbus, Nebraska. His parents were Frank and Martha Reichel Tiesing. Frank Tiesing was born in 1839 in Germany, and died in 1883, in New Haven, Connecticut. Martha Tiesing was born in Germany, November 12, 1850, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, January 30, 1933. Doctor Tiesing had two brothers: Edward and Herbert. Edward, a die maker, died in New Haven, Connecticut, January 1, 1931. Herbert was a Doctor of Dental Surgery.

Doctor Berthold Tiesing received his formal education in the New Haven schools and later attended Hill House, a preparatory school. In 1890 he went to Germany where he studied medicine and specialized in surgery at the University of Jena in Saxe Wiemar. He was graduated in 1894 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. While attending the University of Jena, he studied piano and flute, becoming highly proficient in both.

After his return to the United States, he served three years of interneship in hospitals in New York City, specializing in obstetrics. In 1897 he came to Columbus and established a practice. His first office was in the Niewohner Building at the southeast corner of Thirteenth Street and Twenty-sixth Avenue. Later, he moved to a house at 1060 Twenty-fourth Avenue, which he bought and remodeled. He had his office there until 1930.

On May 15, 1907, at Auburn, Nebraska, he was married to Amalie A. Dirks, daughter of Reverend John H. and Mrs. Dirks. Reverend Dirks, a Lutheran Pastor, was born in Detern, Germany, July 14, 1842, and died January 3, 1926. Mrs. Dirks was born in Holte, Germany, October 6, 1840, and died April 10, 1912, in Auburn. Mrs. Tiesing had four brothers: Dick, Henry, Martin and Carl.

Doctor and Amalie Dirks Tiesing had two sons and one daughter: Berthold F., born December 22, 1908; Cecelia R., born June 6, 1914; and Herbert C., born February 25, 1919. All attended the Columbus schools and the Luther and Midland Colleges. Cecelia and Herbert were graduated from Kramer High School in Columbus.

Around 1910 Doctor Tiesing was associated in practice with Doctor P. T. Conlan, who later moved to California. From 1912 to 1920 he was associated with Doctor Harry J. Arnold, member of a pioneer Columbus family.

Doctor Tiesing was a past president of the Platte County Medical Society, a member of the Platte County and Nebraska State Medical Associations, and was on the Staff of the Columbus Hospital, now the Lutheran Hospital. From 1918 to 1930 he was the grand lodge physician of the Sons of Herman order in Nebraska, and from 1897 to 1930 its medical officer. From 1927 to 1930 he was medical officer of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He also held membership in the Columbus Maennerchor Society, serving for a time as its director. For three years in the late 1920's he was director of the Columbus Community Orchestra. He was a charter member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbus and choir director there for one year after its organization.

BERTHOLD FRANKLIN TIESING

Berthold Franklin Tiesing, known as "Bert," was born December 22, 1908, in Columbus, Nebraska. His parents were Berthold C. G. Tiesing, M.D. and Amalie A. Dirks Tiesing. Doctor B. C. G. Tiesing was born at New Haven, Connecticut, and died in Columbus March, 1930. Amalie Tiesing was born at Auburn, Nebraska, February 10, 1883. Berthold's paternal grandfather was an Army Captain in Germany, and his maternal grandfather was a Lutheran Pastor. He had one sister and one brother, Cecelia and Herbert. Cecelia A., married to John Peterson, lives in California. Herbert Carl, married to Charlotte DeMark, is in the welding business.

Berthold F. Tiesing attended the Columbus grade schools, Luther Academy at Wahoo, Nebraska, Midland College at Fremont, Nebraska, and the Hiatt School of Photography at Long Beach, California. He has worked at aircraft construction, surveying, music and photography.

On October 7, 1939, at Kingman, Arizona, he was married to Miss Norma Johanna Behlen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Behlen of Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Tiesing had two daughters, born at Long Beach: Carol Elaine, born January 13, 1941; and Patricia Deane, born April 14, 1944.

Berthold Tiesing had military training in the Civilian Military Training Corps at Des Moines, Iowa. He holds memberships in the Long Beach Camera Guild, the Photographic Society of America, and the Long Beach Community Orchestra. He is a Lutheran and a Republican.

© 2005 for the NEGenWeb Project by Ted & Carole Miller