Jim Mick was born December 4, 1937 in Osceola, Nebraska. Frances Mick was born July 10, 1942 at Columbus, Nebraska. They were married February 23, 1963 at Bellwood, Nebraska. Two children were born to this union: Pamela Marie on October 5, 1968 at Columbus, Nebraska. She will be a sixth grader at Bellwood Elementary School. Joseph James was born January 7, 1974 at Columbus, Nebraska. He will be a first grader at the Bellwood School. At the time of this writing, Joseph happens to be the only boy born in his generation with the last name of Mick.
   Jim is the son of Joseph and Lydia (Gabel) Mick of Bellwood, Nebraska. They are also the parents of five other children: Dwane Mick, Joann Mick (Ebel), Janice Mick (Molnar), Jerry Mick and Ann Mick (Bell).
   Joseph F. Mick is the son of Joseph and Minnie (Sprunk) Mick. They were also the parents of four other children: Louis, Augusta, Walter and Eileen.
   Lydia was the daughter of Edmund and Theresia (Thanel) Gabel. They were also the parents of six other children: John, Engelbert, Alfred, Herman, Rose and Theresia. Lydia passed away September 30, 1977.
   Frances is the daughter of Marlin and Mary (Hiller) Scholz. They are also the parents of five other children: Rita Scholz (Hanus), Joseph Scholz, Patricia Scholz (McCafferty), Kenneth Scholz and Gregory Scholz.
   Marlin Scholz is the son of Frank and Emma (Engel) Scholz. They were also the parents of three other children: Clarence, Milton and Harold.
   Mary is the daughter of Peter and Rose (Hilger) Hiller. They were the parents of ten other children: Harry, Eva, Florence, Francis, Edward, Veronica, Anthony, Chris, Paul and Rose Ann.
   Jim and Frances have lived in or around Bellwood all of their lives. At the time of this writing, Jim is engaged in farming, and they are living on the farm his father purchased in 1%1.

   Joseph Mick was born March 13, 1847 in Austria, Germany. Caroline Mick was born Jan. 12, 1847 in Austria, Germany. They were married in Austria and sailed for America. They reached New York on July 4, 1876 on America's annual celebration of Independence Day.
   They arrived in Columbus, Nebr. some four days later. They farmed five miles south of Columbus in Butler county on what was known as the Joe Hauser place.
   They then moved northwest of Bellwood. This ground proved to be too wet so on Feb. 26, 1885, they traded for a farm three miles west of Bellwood. On Feb. 26, 1886 they moved on this farm. This farm was a Union Pacific Railroad section and was homesteaded in 1869 by Seth Richards.
   The original school District No. 13 was located on this farm. The district had filed a quick claim deed on Nov. 15, 1871 and paid $75 for the five acres. In 1886, the school was moved and Joseph Mick purchased the five acres for $150. The school was moved one mile south and then to its present location when a new school building was built in 1917. The school census of 1886 filed at the Butler County Court House shows four families remain in the district at the present time: Schmit, Kreizinger, Nicolas, and Mick.
   Three children were born to Joseph and Caroline: Mary, Joseph F., and Anna.
   Joseph Sr. died on April 18, 1893 at the age of 46. Caroline and the three young children remained on the family farm.
   Mary married William Siedel of St. Paul. They had six children.
   Anna married Leopold Rohrich of Bellwood. Three children were born to this union: Molly, Raymond, and Laura.

   Joseph F. remained on the family farm and married Minnie Sprunk. Six children were born to this union.
   Caroline died at her daughter Mary's home at St. Paul, Nebr. on Sept. 14, 1925 at the age of 78.

   Seated: Anna Mick Rohrich and Caroline Mick, wife of the late Joseph Mick.
   Standing: Mary Mick Siedel and Joseph F. Mick.

   Joseph F. Mick was born April 25,1881 on a farm south of Columbus, Nebr. in Butler County. At the age of four his parents, Joseph and Caroline Mick, moved to the farm he grew to manhood on, raised his family on, and lived there till his death.
   His wife Minnie Sprunk Mick was born Dec. 3, 1886 south of Bellwood, Nebr.
   They were married on February 5, 1907 at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Polk County. Six children were born to this union: Joseph, Ferdinand who died in infancy, Louis, Augusta, Walter and Ilene.
   In 1926, they built a new house on the farm. This is the house currently being used today.
   On June 3, 1935 Joseph F. died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 54. His death in the mid thirties was during a period of drought, depression, and hardships which left his wife Minnie to carry on through still more years of drought and depression.

   Joseph married Lydia Gabel of Shelby, Nebr. in 1931. Six children were born to this union: Dwane (Jane Semin Mick), JoAnn (Mrs. Kenneth Ebel), Janice (Mrs. Louis Molnar), James (Francis Scholz Mick), Gerald (Patricia Raric Mick) and Ann Julie (Mrs. Don Bell). After Lydia's departure, Joseph married Leona Seipp Janicek of Columbus.
   Louis married Barbara Liss of Duncan, Nebr. in 1936.
   Augusta married Leonard Kracman of Abie, Nebr. in 1942. Two children were born to this union: Dennis (Vera Svitek Kracman) and Bonnie (Mrs. Vernon Ramaekers).
   Walter married Lorene Bruckner of Shelby in 1948. Five daughters were born to this union: Shirley (Mrs. Gary McDonald), Connie (Mrs. Myron Moural), Jolene (Mrs. Frank Fichtl), Jeanette and Deanna at home.
   Ilene married William Aerts of David City, Nebr. in 1949. They have one daughter Cheryl at home.
   On Oct. 28, 1956, Minnie died at the age of 69.
   The children of the late Joseph F. and Minnie Mick continue living and farming in the Bellwood community except William and Ilene Mick Aerts who farm at rural David City.
   Walter and Lorene Mick's daughters are the fourth generation of Micks on the farm purchased by Joseph and Caroline Mick in 1885.

   Joseph F. Mick and Minnie Sprunk Mick, February 5, 1907.

     Leonard and Augusta Mick Kracman's wedding in 1942.
     Left to right: Louis Mick, Joseph Mick, Walter Mick, Minnie Mick, Augusta Mick Kracman and Ilene Mick Aerts.

   David W. Minnick was born in South Dakota in 1874. His mother, Emma Pischel was born near Berlin, Germany. His father, Ira S. Minnick was born in Michigan in 1851. They lived in South Dakota, later moving to Bellwood. They lived three blocks west and one block north of the Post Office. David had two brothers, John and Arlie and four sisters, Martha, Mabel, Cora and Effie. David was married to Ethel Rose. She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1876, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Rose. Joseph Rose was born in London, England in 1845. He came to America some time before the Civil War and was a Civil War veteran. His wife, Mary Young was born in Camden, Maine in 1849.
   In Nebraska they lived in a sod house southeast of Bellwood in section 32 of Savannah Township. They later moved to Bellwood. Joe Rose became one of the two first rural mail carriers at Bellwood. Their children were: George, Charles, Frank, Nell, Ethel, Anna, and Ernest.
   David Minnick and Ethel Rose were married in David City, Ne. They lived in Bellwood and later moved to a farm south of Octavia. Later moved to a farm six miles west and one mile south of Bellwood.
   They had six children: Clifford, James, Frank, Maude, Mabel, John and Dick.
   David passed away in October of 1924 and Ethel in August of 1948. Clifford, James, Frank and Dick are now deceased. Maude is a retired teacher living in Fullerton, California. Mabel (Mrs. Guy Dodendorf), is retired and lives in Fremont. John was married to Clara Landes in 1942 and they now live on a farm near Bellwood. They have three children: Mrs. Ron (Barb) Ritterbush of Cozad, and two sons, John and Stephen of Lincoln, Ne.

   Louis E. Moell, the second child of eleven, was born to Anton Moell and his wife in 1879. It is believed Louis as one of the oldest was born in a log cabin which was the family home on the Moell farm three miles west of Bellwood.
   In 1906 the Moell family, except for Louis who remained on the family farm at Bellwood, moved to Thayer County where they could purchase farmland for half the price of land in the Bellwood community.
   Louise Pomp was born in Austria on October 27, 1883. As a young woman of 18 years of age, she came to the Bellwood community. Her only relatives here were cousins the Joseph F. Kreizinger family. She worked in the area including the Bellwood Hotel.
   On February 26, 1908, Louis Moell and Louise Pomp were married at the Frank Kreizinger home. They made their home and living on the Moell farm.
   To this union one son, Irvin, was born. Irvin was a very gifted person. He was talented in choir, arts, and dramatics. World War II claimed Irvin's life while he was serving as an infantry staff sergeant.
   Louis Moell died February 1953.
   Louise spent many hours crocheting and gave many gifts of these items to neighbors and friends.
   Louise Moell remained on the farm after Louis's death for a time and later moved to a home in Bellwood till her death in 1965.
   A special memory of this writer of the Moell farm was the big white rooster painted on the red chickenhouse.
   The Moell family will always be remembered by the Catholic Community of Bellwood. The majority of their estate was left to St. Peter's Parish in Bellwood. Under the directorship of Rev. G. C. Messman, a very modern Catholic Church and social hall was built in 1968. The Moell family's gift provided for half of the total cost of the new church and social hall.