Times may be tough but my Great great grandfather really had it tough.
A recent post on a St.Paul Historical photo site that my lovely wife made caused me to review a genealogy of my predecessors. I have included the image on this post.
It is my Great Grandfather John Henry O’Brien when he was employed as a policeman in St Paul, Minnesota in 1892 just before he was fired for political reasons. As
His story is fascinating...this post is about my Great Great Grandfather
Bernard Heinrich Theders . Side note we all have 4 biological grand parents 8 great grandparents and 16 Great great grandparents so as you go back in time things get a bit confusing to say the least.
Bernard H Theders born 7/8/1831 named after his father who was born 1803 in Breischem, Westfalen , Germany. Bernard’s father (sr) drowned along with 4 daughters (sisters) when (jr) was 3 years old he had another sister who was 1 years old. Soon after this tragedy his mother took ill and passed away. Bernard and his baby sister were raised by an uncle. When Bernard turned 16 his uncle lent him the $ to go to America with instructions to pay him back and send money for his sister to immigrate to America. Bernard set sail from Amsterdam to New Orleans meeting his future bride Maria Brinkman on the passage in 1847.
After laboring for 2 years he sent the money he owed his uncle and sent $ for his sister (16) to come to New Orleans to start her adult life in America. Bernard who lived in Cincinnati at the time traveled to New Orleans to meet his beloved sister at the docks. Instead of a joyous reunion he was given her corpse , as she had died on the voyage across the Atlantic. No explanation as to what happened was given. In 1855 Bernard and Maria married and moved to Minnesota. Their first daughter Eva was born in 1857.
He was a farm hand till 1861 when he purchased 40 acres from his employer and set to farming then next spring. Before his first harvest in 1862 President Lincoln called for enlistments in the civil war. Bernard volunteered on August 14, 1862 along with 70 or so others from his southern Minnesota Sibley County. The next day they marched for 2 days to Fort Snelling to Muster in. He was advanced $13 of his $25 pay for joining. They then were sent home to have 10 days to harvest their crops or get their affairs in order. The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of Dakota (also known as the eastern Sioux). It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota, four years after its admission as a state. Upon arriving home they were immediately called back to Fort Snelling to be uniformed and go after the Indians who attacked and massacred many settlers under Little Crows lead. No time to harvest crops or get their affairs in order.
One of The many reasons for the massacre was the result of fur traders who were commissioned by the US Govt to distribute an annuity to the Indians in exchange for land were stealing the money , as well as treaty’s being broken land that was to be a type of reservation was absconded and settled.
One trader, who in four years and an annual salary of $2000 amassed over $100,000 in savings as an example. Sounds a lot like members of con-grass today doesn’t it? The Indians were starving and were told by this trader thief “ to eat grass”. He was among the 350+ settlers found killed and he had grass stuffed in his mouth. Like many conflicts a lot of guilt could be spread around.
Bernard Theders company lead by Col. Henry Sibley (my high schools name) went after the Indians and partook in many famous battles. The infantrymen walked and the scouts and Officers rode horses. In the following year they traveled an estimated 1950 miles through Minnesota and the Dakotas. The weather ranged from 110 in the shade to -20 below and everything in between. The men carried 25 lbs of equipment and they often ran out of food and water. Much resupplying of food came from Indian camps that were abandoned in their path. Many casualties from both sides on an almost daily basis. It was almost a guerrilla warfare type of battle. That experience was to be beneficial in the very near future for the survivors.
Upon returning to Minnesota the troops then started Marching to St. Louis getting a steamship ride for part of the way. For the next two years they made their way down into Kentucky to Indiana back to Tennessee to Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana and towards Georgia.
The regiment was considered undisciplined by a few Generals because they did not like to form lines when attacking. They staggered the lines to draw fire and then pounced on the revealed rebels , they utilized a more guerrilla warfare. At one point they were ordered to make camp in a very marshy area away from a city. The General said those stragglers could make trouble with the locals.
During a particularly bloody attack on a rebel fort the first line was soldiers from Ohio ordered to attack ,the second line was the Minnesota troops the Ohio boys were quite defeated but the stragglers saved the day knocking out the defenders and over taking the fort. They awarded the General with 12 large cannons from the enemy. When requesting to move camp out of the marsh the General said no because he was afraid they would take things from the residents .Col Sibley responded “you mean like the 12 cannons we got for you” . Camp was then moved to a more favorable location. It was around this time when Bernards daughter Eva died of unknown causes.
After returning home when the south was defeated, it was determined all told in the three plus years they had marched some 10,950 miles.
Great great grandpa Bernard returned to his wife and their 40 acres to farm. They had four more children one being my great grandpa Henry born 1870 who lived till 1898 dying 3 weeks before my grandmother Henrietta was born. She married John Henry O’Brien’s (the cop whose photo is attached) son Dewey in 1921 .Bernard out lived all his children as 2 other daughters died at age 11 and 14 another son died on his 18th birthday.
Bernard passed away in 1918.
It is my Great Grandfather John Henry O’Brien when he was employed as a policeman in St Paul, Minnesota in 1892 just before he was fired for political reasons. As
His story is fascinating...this post is about my Great Great Grandfather
Bernard Heinrich Theders . Side note we all have 4 biological grand parents 8 great grandparents and 16 Great great grandparents so as you go back in time things get a bit confusing to say the least.
Bernard H Theders born 7/8/1831 named after his father who was born 1803 in Breischem, Westfalen , Germany. Bernard’s father (sr) drowned along with 4 daughters (sisters) when (jr) was 3 years old he had another sister who was 1 years old. Soon after this tragedy his mother took ill and passed away. Bernard and his baby sister were raised by an uncle. When Bernard turned 16 his uncle lent him the $ to go to America with instructions to pay him back and send money for his sister to immigrate to America. Bernard set sail from Amsterdam to New Orleans meeting his future bride Maria Brinkman on the passage in 1847.
After laboring for 2 years he sent the money he owed his uncle and sent $ for his sister (16) to come to New Orleans to start her adult life in America. Bernard who lived in Cincinnati at the time traveled to New Orleans to meet his beloved sister at the docks. Instead of a joyous reunion he was given her corpse , as she had died on the voyage across the Atlantic. No explanation as to what happened was given. In 1855 Bernard and Maria married and moved to Minnesota. Their first daughter Eva was born in 1857.
He was a farm hand till 1861 when he purchased 40 acres from his employer and set to farming then next spring. Before his first harvest in 1862 President Lincoln called for enlistments in the civil war. Bernard volunteered on August 14, 1862 along with 70 or so others from his southern Minnesota Sibley County. The next day they marched for 2 days to Fort Snelling to Muster in. He was advanced $13 of his $25 pay for joining. They then were sent home to have 10 days to harvest their crops or get their affairs in order. The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of Dakota (also known as the eastern Sioux). It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota, four years after its admission as a state. Upon arriving home they were immediately called back to Fort Snelling to be uniformed and go after the Indians who attacked and massacred many settlers under Little Crows lead. No time to harvest crops or get their affairs in order.
One of The many reasons for the massacre was the result of fur traders who were commissioned by the US Govt to distribute an annuity to the Indians in exchange for land were stealing the money , as well as treaty’s being broken land that was to be a type of reservation was absconded and settled.
One trader, who in four years and an annual salary of $2000 amassed over $100,000 in savings as an example. Sounds a lot like members of con-grass today doesn’t it? The Indians were starving and were told by this trader thief “ to eat grass”. He was among the 350+ settlers found killed and he had grass stuffed in his mouth. Like many conflicts a lot of guilt could be spread around.
Bernard Theders company lead by Col. Henry Sibley (my high schools name) went after the Indians and partook in many famous battles. The infantrymen walked and the scouts and Officers rode horses. In the following year they traveled an estimated 1950 miles through Minnesota and the Dakotas. The weather ranged from 110 in the shade to -20 below and everything in between. The men carried 25 lbs of equipment and they often ran out of food and water. Much resupplying of food came from Indian camps that were abandoned in their path. Many casualties from both sides on an almost daily basis. It was almost a guerrilla warfare type of battle. That experience was to be beneficial in the very near future for the survivors.
Upon returning to Minnesota the troops then started Marching to St. Louis getting a steamship ride for part of the way. For the next two years they made their way down into Kentucky to Indiana back to Tennessee to Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana and towards Georgia.
The regiment was considered undisciplined by a few Generals because they did not like to form lines when attacking. They staggered the lines to draw fire and then pounced on the revealed rebels , they utilized a more guerrilla warfare. At one point they were ordered to make camp in a very marshy area away from a city. The General said those stragglers could make trouble with the locals.
During a particularly bloody attack on a rebel fort the first line was soldiers from Ohio ordered to attack ,the second line was the Minnesota troops the Ohio boys were quite defeated but the stragglers saved the day knocking out the defenders and over taking the fort. They awarded the General with 12 large cannons from the enemy. When requesting to move camp out of the marsh the General said no because he was afraid they would take things from the residents .Col Sibley responded “you mean like the 12 cannons we got for you” . Camp was then moved to a more favorable location. It was around this time when Bernards daughter Eva died of unknown causes.
After returning home when the south was defeated, it was determined all told in the three plus years they had marched some 10,950 miles.
Great great grandpa Bernard returned to his wife and their 40 acres to farm. They had four more children one being my great grandpa Henry born 1870 who lived till 1898 dying 3 weeks before my grandmother Henrietta was born. She married John Henry O’Brien’s (the cop whose photo is attached) son Dewey in 1921 .Bernard out lived all his children as 2 other daughters died at age 11 and 14 another son died on his 18th birthday.
Bernard passed away in 1918.
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“Hard times create strong men and families, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times.
Many will not understand it but you have to raise warriors, not parasites"
I think times are always tough. The question is the nature of the challenge. We live in times which aren't as physically challenging certainly as those in the past. Instead they are morally challenging, with the very nature of morality (right vs wrong) is being warped and twisted in ways unimaginable until only a few decades ago. Our children are being taught by ideologues who have divorced themselves with Reality and seek only to justify their own delusions of grandeur. Our Congress and government has been infested with those who openly seek to destroy the freedoms this nation was founded on. Even 200 years ago I think Thomas Payne nailed it:
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”
Reminds me a little of The Golden Pinnacle.
Sure hope that was 1898, not 1998 or I'm much older than I thought I was!
Thank you for sharing.
Can't imagine Marching all those miles...our ancestors were a tough breed and life was hard.
We've had it easy and have no right to complain about the conditions inwhich we live by comparison.
You'd better be laughing at me and not with me, or I'll have to reserve another padded room next to mine.
An aunt, born in 1919, told of a family bible that dated to the 1300's. When my dad's family weathered out the worst of the depression in Poplar, WI., the book disappeared. My cousin has been making inquiries for more than 20 years...no avail. Perhaps before i pass...?