Nebraska GenWeb Project
Resource Center
Pioneers
Friedrich Wilhelm DAMME
Frederick Damme, son of Henry and Catherina Damme, was born in Prussia, March 21, 1837, and came to America with his parents in 1843. They landed at New Orleans, went up the river to St. Louis, and then went by team and wagon to Franklin County, Missouri, where they settled on a farm. His mother died in 1852 and two years later Frederick Damme, then 17 years of age, left home and went to Illinois, where he worked as a farm laborer. His father died of cholera in 1856.
Frederick Damme seems to have come to Otoe County about 1857. He bought a farm which was later in Osage Precinct, where he lived the remainder of his life. He settled on it in 1859. He was listed as a farmer living alone in 1860. His 160 acres of unimproved land was valued at $200.00. His farm implements were worth $25.00 and his livestock was worth $225.00. He owned two horses, a milch cow and four hogs. No crops were mentioned.
In 1863 Frederick Damme married Miss Christine Roethmeyer of Franklin County, Missouri, who was born in Germany in 1843. The family was recorded as living in Syracuse Precinct in March 1865. There was one child in the family, Louisa, one year old. Frederick Damme's wife died in 1869, leaving him with three little children, Louisa, George and Charles.
Frederick Damme owned 480 acres of land in 1870, valued at $6,000.00, of which 250 acres were under cultivation. His farm implements were worth $325.00. His livestock, valued at $1300.00, consisted of six horses, one mule, five milch cows, fifteen other cattle and nine hogs. In 1869 he had raised 800 bushels of wheat, 600 bushels of corn, 200 bushels of oats, 300 bushels of barley, 60 bushels of potatoes and had put up 30 tons of hay. The family had also sold 100 pounds of butter.
Frederick Damme married, secondly, September 17, 1872, Miss Anna Neemann, daughter of John and Minnie (Houtels) Neemann, whose parents later came to America. In 1889 they had seven children: Herman, Minnie, Christine, John, Katie, Caroline and Matilda. He died at his home seven miles west of Talmage, May 16, 1909, at 72 years of age. Frederick Damme was survived by two children of his first wife, Mrs. Louisa Butz and Charles Damme of Talmage, and by his second wife with their two sons and five daughters. His estate included 1300 acres of land. He was a Republican.
References:
Chapman, Otoe and Cass Counties. p 341.
Federal Census, 1860 Otoe Co., mss., Family #550, including Productions of Agriculture.
Territorial Census, Mar 1865, Syracuse Pct., Nebraska and Midwest Genealogical Record, XXI, p 23.
Chapman, supra.
Talmage Tribune, 1909 May 21, p 1W; June 4
Nebraska City News, 1909 May 25, p 4 (1).
Fred Damme, who was one of the first settlers of Osage, and also is one of the prominent and worthy representative German-American citizens, is at the same time one of the prosperous and intelligent farmers and stock-raisers of that precinct, and owns 760 acres of thoroughly improved land, 480 on section 35, and the balance in McWilliams Precinct His parents, Henry and Katie Damma, were born in Germany. They came to America in 1843, taking ship at Bremen. The ocean passage occupied a period of eight weeks. Then they were landed at the city of New Orleans, after which they pursued their journey up the Mississippi by steamer to St. Louis. From that city by means of wagons they went on to Franklin County, Mo., where land was purchased and a farm improved. This was the home of the family until 1856, when the father died, after a sickness of about twenty-four hours, thus closing a life of sixty years. The cause of death was cholera. His wife had died at the close of 1852, aged fifty-four years. The following are the names of their children: William, Minnie (deceased), Henry, Minnie (deceased), Frederick, August, Louis and Louisa.
The subject of our sketch was born in Prussia on the 21st of March 1837, and was thus quite young when his parents immigrated to this country. The scenes furnished by his first recollections are those of the home and its surroundings in Franklin County, Mo. He continued to reside with his parents until he was seventeen years of age, during that time imbibing the first principles of an education, and also becoming practically acquainted with the farm and farm work. Upon leaving home he went to Illinois and there worked out upon a farm. In 1859 he went to Nebraska City and had so prospered as to be able to purchase his present property of 160 acres. As most purchases of a similar nature were at the time, it was entirely without improvement, and what is today seen in the various departments is all the result of his work, intelligence, ambition and prosperity.
In beginning life in this state our subject found that it was not by any means a path without obstacles, difficulties and hardships. There were ...
7 Sep 2007 Submitted by Curtis Wolbert <cwolbert@neb.rr.com>, g-g grandson of Friedrich Damme.BACK to the Pioneer Registry
© Sep 2007 for NEGenWeb Project by C Wolbert, T&C Miller