In the spring of 1876 Margaret Schantz Moschel had three children waiting for her arrival in Beatrice. They were Louis (Ludwig), Charles, and Catherine. Daniel was traveling with Margaret to Beatrice. Here are brief facts about these children.

Louis (Ludwig) Moschel Louis was 32 in 1876 and married to Catherine Klein since 1869, one of the three marriages of a Moschel sibling marrying a Klein sibling. Louis and Catherine moved to Beatrice in 1875 and were farming in the area by 1876. Louis and Catherine had three children by 1876.

Charles Moschel Charles was 29 in 1876 and married to Maria Braun who was born in Germany. In 1876 the couple had one infant child named Christian. Charles moved to Beatrice in 1872 or early 1973 and married there in 1875.

Catherine Moschel Klein

Catherine Moschel Catherine was 26 in 1876. She is the one child of Margaret whom we think remained in Webenheim for a time after the rest of the family left in 1862. We don't know why. She came to America on the ship Bremen in March 1865, initially going to the Peoria area to join her family. She went to Chenoa in 1869. In 1871 she married Jacob Klein, another marriage in which a Moschel sibling married a Klein sibling, adding to the morass of double relationships. Jacob moved to Beatrice, Nebraska, in 1872, starting a general store. When Catherine came to Beatrice is a little uncertain. Perhaps she came in 1872, maybe a bit later. By 1876 they had two children living with their first born dead.

Daniel Moschel Daniel was 22 in 1876 and still single. In the spring of 1876 he was preparing to move to Beatrice, Nebraska, with his mother, Margaret.

As you can see by the known facts, it appears Catherine and her husband, Jacob, were the pioneers in moving further west in 1872. We'll tell more of that story later. Catherine's brothers were probably encouraged by stories from their sister and Jacob and they decided to move further west as well. Daniel, for whatever reasons, decided not to stay with his siblings in Illinois and made his way in Beatrice, initially traveling there with his mother.

The Moschels remaining in Illinois are daughter/sister Margaret and sons/brothers: Frederick and Jacob. Stepdaughter/sister Louisa, as a widow, eventually comes to Beatrice about 1883. Stepson/brother, Christian, stays in the St. Louis area running his successful business.

The Moschels are beginning to spread apart geographically and not staying in the mainly German towns they established in Illinois. They are moving to other areas, still holding close ties to Germany, but now having to share new areas with other ethnic groups. New generations are being born which have never set foot on German soil.

Before telling the stories of the Moschels in their earliest years in Beatrice, here is a description of this small town, which is growing rapidly since we last visited it. Then Daniel Freeman was staking his Homestead claim just three miles outside of Beatrice on January 1, 1863, making him the first person to avail himself of the new Homestead Act. He was the first of many. We thank the Gage County Historical Society for providing much of this material.

Beatrice - Early 1870's

In 1871 the first railroad reached Beatrice via Crete, Nebraska, which is about 20 miles NE of Beatrice. This fact was noted by a citizen, William Bradts. His diary for December 19, 1871, states, "The R.R. Train reached Indian Creek within the corporation limits of Beatrice this evening." This was an important signal that Beatrice had arrived. Two banks were established by 1872, the first Gage County Fair was held in 1872, and a city council was elected in 1873. The population was 1500.

Homesteading

People initially had to go to Brownville, Nebraska, about 40 miles east of Beatrice to register their claims. In 1868 the Federal Land Office was moved to Beatrice. This provided further stimulus to the Beatrice area. It was a time of much migration and the new settlers needed many things to make a new life. Jacob Klein and his wife Catherine must have realized that and provided a much needed service in starting a general store.

Others saw similar business opportunities and between 1874 and 1879 the following businesses were established: F.D. Kees Gunshop, The Owl Drug Co., Wiebe Lumber Co., Pagel Grocery, Black Bros. Flour Mill, Dempster Mill Mfg. Co., Wehn Carriage Works, John H. Von Steen Lumber & Coal Co. In addition to J. Klein & Co. selling dry goods, they had competition from other dry goods stores. They included Sprague & Loomis; Reynolds and Townsend; Buchannan & LaSelle; Blakely & Hill; and the Ogle Store. Clearly many saw the opportunities. Many area residents were changing from people who had log and sod cabins to those that had better homes and wanted to start building schools and churches as well.

The Indians fared less well. By 1876 Native Americans in Nebraska had ceded all claims to land in current Nebraska. This is another story, and one that is getting told more as we mature as a nation and realize our own past history.

The people who came to this part of the state found fertile soil and grew abundant crops. The western part of the state was drier and became cattle country. There was usually ample rain in the eastern part of the state. One exception to that was the drought year of 1874. Here is another entry from William Bradts' diary, which mentions not only the drought, but the grasshopper infestation. On August 12, 1874, he wrote, "As I wrote you in my last letter the grasshoppers came down upon us in countless numbers, staid long enough to devour everything and have since, risen and left us. We have an abundant wheat harvest, but the corn, first and last, from the hot winds was a failure. No such winds before, since we came to the state, and the long dry season has made our yard almost as bare as the road." Still, farming in general was rewarding, and it was often stated that men who had failed at farming in the Midwest, prospered in Nebraska.

The citizens of Beatrice also enjoyed a newspaper. The Express was published as a weekly starting in 1870. Earlier papers were the Blue Valley Record and the Gage County Clarion.Another early paper was The Woman's Tribune which promoted woman's issues, included temperance.

This brief introduction of early Beatrice ends with another excerpt from William Bradts' diary. Bradts, in addition to owning a lumber company, was also a city council member. This entry from July 4, 1874.

Women Crusaders in 1873

"The City Council was compelled to pass an ordinance to keep the Crusaders off the sidewalks. We came near having a terrible riot, several threw water, mixed with pepper, from a small force pump, or what is called armstrong engine, out of the window of the saloon, all over the Crusaders, in their faces and eyes.

"The next night the husbands of the Crusaders came to protect them, water was sent out freely again, and a riot seemed unavoidable, and I could see that something must be done speedily. Terrible threats were made by the enemies of the Crusaders that if they continued to meddle with saloons as they were doing that they would meet with rough treatment. I called on the President of the Crusaders, and counseled her to withdraw from the streets with their evening gatherings, but council with lunatics would have availed as much. The first time we met in the Council room, we passed an ordinance to compel them to do so, and now the usual quiet and good order of the City has been fully restored, and these same women who could not be coaxed from meddling with what they had no right to do, have to all appearance concluded that the Council did the right thing. They still meet in the old drug store but are coming to their normal state of mind, gradually."

And on July 24, 1874, he writes, "The Crusaders continue to meet, every evening at Thackers old drug store. They call it Temperance Hall. There is now a feeling among most of the citizens that it is better to stay away than to visit the place and there are good reasons for it."

Evidently most of the Crusaders were led by Methodist women. German immigrants, you might recall, were the first to start breweries in Peoria, Illinois. We are beginning to see a clash of immigrant values and cultural heritage. And guess who was running a saloon in Beatrice in 1874? You have it, one of Margaret Schantz Moschel's son, Charles Moschel.

With this background we move to see what Catherine Moschel Klein and her husband, Jacob, are doing in 1876 in Beatrice. You already know what Charles was doing, and we will check in on son Louis (Ludwig) as well.

The Illinois Store

J. Klein & Co. store in Beatrice, picture courtesty of the Gage County Historical Society

It was a beautiful spring day and Catherine walked over to the window to open it a bit further to let the breezes blow through the rooms. As she walked to the window and looked out, she could see the sign J. Klein & Co to her left. She still smiled every time she saw it. How proud she was to be a part of the growing store her husband, brother, and friend were building. In just two weeks, May 19th, they would celebrate the third anniversary of the opening of the store. This year it would be on a Friday and Catherine had convinced her husband to have the anniversary celebration last through the weekend. She planned on decorating the store and making it a festive affair.

Just at that moment her son Jacob came up the stairs from the store below. Jacob was almost three. If he took the steps very carefully, father watching him all the way, he could make it up the stairs to the living quarters of the family. Jacob immediately went over to look at his young brother, Frederick, in the basinet in the corner by the window where the now lovely breezes were soothing the 2 ½ month old infant.

Catherine liked living over the store. It was convenient for her husband, and it allowed him to be a part of the family throughout the day as he worked, and she helped when she could by keeping the books, inventorying supplies, and making lists of things that needed to be ordered. Primarily, though, Catherine was a mother. A mother of three, but sadly, the first born lived only six weeks.

This past month had been difficult for Catherine as she relived fears of young babies dying. She had done the same with Jacob and now she was doing it all over again with Frederick. The first born was named Emil, after the family friend and business partner, Emil Lang. Emil was single at the time his namesake and godson was born on June 27, 1872, and he took it as hard as the parents when young Emil died just six weeks later. But this year Emil was going to marry and Catherine wished him many sons and daughters of his own. He certainly had been a big part of young Jacob's life and now Frederick's as well. Emil often ate with the family after the day's work was done and before he went to his own boarding room near the store.

Catherine's was helping her husband, Jacob, today by checking his writing. The Beatrice Expresshad promised to include a short paragraph on the store for its third anniversary. Jacob wrote fairly good English, but he wanted Catherine to correct it as well. Jacob had only two years of schooling in Illinois before starting to farm. Both of them wrote German better than English. Jacob had first written the story in German, then English, and Catherine was to check both for him.

His paragraph began.

The J. Klein & Co store, also known as the Illinois Store, will celebrate being in business for three years starting on May 19. The partners in the store are Jacob Klein, Emil Lang, and Charles Moschel, all former residents of Illinois.

Catherine thought that was a good beginning. It stated a connection to the established state of Illinois, but it left out what was probably the most important part of their connection, Germany. Emil had come from Lanskron, Austria, in 1869, when he was 20 and directly to Chenoa, Illinois. There he met Jacob Klein and they became instant good friends. Jacob and Catherine moved to Beatrice after they married in 1871. Shortly after Jacob went back to Illinois to make preparations for starting in the mercantile business. He encouraged Emil Lang and his brother-in- law Charles Moschel, Catherine's brother, to come to Beatrice and be a part of the business. Catherine remembered how her husband told them how beautiful it was in Beatrice near the Blue River. He also promised the town was destined for big things in a very short period of time. They were all young and they were willing to do it.

Queensware

Catherine went on with the writing.

The store started with $2000 worth of groceries, notions, queensware, woodenware and willoware and since our opening have always tried to keep a full inventory for the residents of Beatrice and the area. The merchants have had long experience in this and their experience will benefit all area residents.

Catherine thought this a bit boastful and, in reality, not true. They did not have one day's worth of experience before starting the store. They put their entire $500 investment into this venture. Catherine wondered if she should mention this to her husband who was always thinking of ways to keep the image of the store as positive as possible.

The store has already expanded three times in its short tenure and the dry goods department has been expanded. For customers unable to come to the store, we will come to you.

Catherine winced when she read the above. Yes, the store had expanded, but the original expansion was a saloon, which was not the favorite of many women in the community. The indication of the store coming to the customers meant in reality there was initially not enough business to keep the three men busy, so they divided their efforts. Her brother, Charles, ran the saloon; her husband ran the general store; and Emil Lang peddled merchandise on the road until this year. It now looked prosperous enough for the store that they could all work right here, and change the saloon area into a dry goods department. That, Catherine thought in the end, would be the best for her, her family, and the store. Controversy does not sell goods.

The owners of J. Klein & Co. invite you to come to the store for the 3-day anniversary celebration. There will be hard candy for the children, and coffee and tea and cake for the adults. We hope to see you then.

Catherine was ready to make preparations for the opening. She knew Emil's fiancee, Caroline, would help and also Charles' wife, her sister-in-law Maria would pitch in as well. There was no question that Jacob's sister, Catherine, would help also. (Reader's note---Catherine Klein Moschel was married to Ludwig (Louis) Moschel, thus, making Catherine a twice sister-in-law to Catherine Moschel Klein. These two women swapped birth names for married names. They were born within a month of each other in 1849 and ended up dying within in the same year in 1926. All this and being double sisters-in-law as well. The irony of this cannot be overlooked!)

Catherine decided the paragraph would work even if it stretched the truth. It was not too long but gave the facts and also issued the invitation to come to the store. She would commend Jacob on his work.

***

Dear Reader,

Catherine, in her mind, had her crew ready to help with the anniversary celebration, which, as it turned out would be one of many to come. In addition to the anniversary celebration, the other major event that Catherine was looking forward to in this spring of 1876 was her mother and youngest brother relocating to Beatrice. Catherine's mother would join them in their household and live above the store. Soon after that would be move into a grand new house in Beatrice.

It was a time of surging ahead for the Moschels in Beatrice. Louis (Ludwig) Moschel made partial payment on 80 acres when he arrived in Beatrice in 1875. He and his wife Catherine and 3 children lived there in 1876. Charles Moschel we know is either running the saloon or just in the process of making the transition to working in the grocery part of the store. How much controversy there was about the saloon we do not know, but considering the Crusaders were active, we can see the possibility for conflict.

Jacob Klein

Jacob Klein, husband of Catherine, would become one of the most successful immigrants we are following. Jacob was born in Oberweisen, Germany, near the town of Bingen on March 31, 1846. He came with his parents and family to the United States in 1855. They went to Tazewell County Illinois where his father leased a farm, paid off an indenture, and 10 years later moved to Livingston County in Illinois, where no doubt, they met the Moschels. Jacob went to school in Germany for four years before they moved to the U.S. and went to schools in Illinois for two years before working full time on the family farm. At age 22 in 1868 Jacob Klein was naturalized as a U.S. citizen, which was four years ahead of his older brother. He left his parents' farm when he was 23. It appears he farmed for a couple of years on his own before marrying at age 25. Shortly after his marriage in 1871, he came out to Beatrice, obviously looking for something beyond what he had in Illinois, and decided to make his way in Nebraska.

He did well in Nebraska. By the next time we next visit Beatrice in the 1890's you will see this man, with little formal education, has built a merchandising empire in a booming town. He contributed to the beginning of many civic organizations. He served his area as a Nebraska state senator. Jacob Klein is the man to watch in Beatrice.

How did he do it? We are not sure. We have access to newspaper articles about the Klein store over the years courtesy of the Gage County Historical Society. The early articles imply the owners have considerable experience. Later articles, which recall the early history of the store, reveal they had no experience whatsoever. Which is the truth? Probably, it is much closer to the latter. It is also true they lived above the store, and initially there was a saloon attached to the store. The latter is not mentioned in later articles about the store. Probably the tides of change were against the "unrespectability" of being a saloon owner. The early store was 22' X 36' and located at the corner of 2nd and Court. The first name of the store, Illinois Store, was also dropped as their identification with the past probably dropped as well. We do know that their were trips from Illinois relatives to visit Beatrice, we are uncertain of the reverse.

Quotes in the Beatrice Daily Express on May 17, 1911, have Jacob Klein saying, "On May 19, 1873, I began business in Beatrice opening up my store at the corner of Court and Second streets in the building now occupied by the Beatrice Iron Works. When I started that store I was fresh from the farm in Livingston county, Ill., and had not a day's experience in business. My total capital was $500." Later in the same piece he says, "I have traveled a great deal but I have always been glad to get back to Beatrice. I have worked hard while I have been in business here but I have been happy every moment of the time and I guess that is the principal thing. I have raised a large family here and have always been glad that I located here in the early days and stayed here."

William Jennings Bryan

The 1880 census states that Jacob Klein attended school in the prior year. Now that's interesting. It was not uncommon in early frontier areas for older people to go to school. If this is true about Jacob, we have a 35-year-old man attending school in 1879. Was he learning more English? Needed math? What was the motivation? Probably motivation is the key word. This man, along with his family, clearly had motivation to do as well as they could. In the years to come they would have one of the more expensive houses in town and have a block in the downtown named the Klein Block. Jacob would be a member of the School Board and a stockholder of the Beatrice Canning Company and Beatrice Paper Company. Last, but not least, his political acumen would get him on the inside track of the Democratic hopefuls in the state and a personal friendship with William Jennings Bryan as well as being elected County Treasurer and State Senator. All pretty good for a boy from near the Rhine River in Germany. What was Catherine doing during this time? Probably the acceptable things of the day for a wife of a successful businessman. The 1880 census says "keeping house."

Here is how it all started for Jacob and Catherine. This is an article from the Beatrice Express on September 4, 1873. The heading at the top of the article says, J. Klein & Co.

"The youngest of the mercantile fraternity of Beatrice is the above firm, who occupy a new two- story built by them on Court Street, near the corner of Second, where they opened business in May last. They carry about $2000 worth of groceries, notions, queensware, woodenware and willowware, their stock of these articles being fresh and full. Messrs. Klein & Co. came from Illinois to this place, and have named their house the Illinois Store. They have had long experience in their business, and are acquainted with all its mysteries, so that they feel confident of being able to do the fair thing by their patrons at all times."

***

While J. Klein and Co. are contemplating the mysteries of business in Beatrice, what are the Moschels back in Webenheim doing in 1876? That is where we will turn our attention next.