GERMAN SETTLEMENT UPDATE ISSUE #54
Veterans Day, God Bless All Those Who Served Our Country & Community
The Oscar Von Kuster family. Oscar served in the Civil War. Richard & Marian Timmerman hold tree planted in honor of their father Merton who served in the US Air Force, WWII. Richard served in Viet Nam.
Art Feyereisen and family decorate graves of Vets each year on Memorial Day. He served in the Korean conflict. Larry Rohl, Al Krita and how many others also served. (Please send me names of more Vets in the GSHS) Thanks to all Vets who served our country and came back to serve their community. (Floral photo by Derek Peterson)
Above are some of the books of Christian Bonnes, used by the German Settlement.
By-the-way, Richard Timmerman wrote recently that the Oak Valley School building (1858-1952) was sold after 1952 to Frank Hufford who moved it a mile north to serve as his farm granary. The school was also called the “Bonnes School “, after Christian Bonnes who donated one acre of his farm land on the SE corner of Highways SS and N. Before that, he was the first teacher of neighborhood kids in his home in the early 1860s. Christian had some college education in Alsace-Lorraine in the “Old Country” as well as his library (see pictures above). He was often visited by neighbors seeking knowledge.
THIS IS AN INVITATION to all interested in preserving the history of the German Settlement. It’s easy to renew or become a GSHS member now.
This was so intersting to learn more about the school, I know he gave land but did not know it was named after my family nor that he taught the children. The book pictures were just was over the top, I wanted to read everyone of them, so awesome. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.