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Scene Six - Intro by the Cousins Four This scene is set in 1918, but covers the period of history from 1896 to 1918. In this era of history our families are pulled apart. By the end of this scene they will be combatants in a war that eventually involved 36 countries. At the time it was called The Great War, later to be called World War I when the seeds of destruction were sewn for the next conflict by the methods used to end The Great War. This introduction scene is written in the winter/spring of 2003. As scribe for the group, I (Theresa Ripley) have found my days filled with reading about the World War I in juxtaposition to reading about war in Iraq. Reading about both caused sadness. The war to end all wars, as The Great War was called, has not lived up to its name. Instead it was the war that set the tone for the 20th century. And through all of these years, Moschels on both sides of the Atlantic lived through it. It is in memory of these people that we research, write, and try to share with others what has happened to us as a family. In our experience others might find a common humanity theme that is worthy of reflection. The Great War was probably the beginning of the separation of the Moschels on both sides of the Atlantic with notable exceptions which we will describe. By 1918 most of America wanted nothing to do with things "German." *** In 1918 the Moschels who had traveled from Webenheim to America as young people in the 1850's and 1860's were either deceased or taking their place as "elders" in their family and communities. We know the communities profited from their contributions in the 1850's through early 1900's. Germans were industrious and community builders and this was demonstrated whether they were in Illinois, Nebraska, or, now we add, Montana. The generation that was center stage in the U.S were the first-generation Germans who were now middle-age and had sons eligible to fight in The Great War after the U.S. declared war on Germany on April 2, 1917. On the other side of the Atlantic, the only family member remaining with the Moschel name was Louisa Moschel, the woman who remained single. She was 74 in 1918. The family names we are now following are Schmidt and Schunk. These families had sons and fathers who fought in The Great War. Thus families on both sides of the Atlantic are poised for war, instead of extended families which had continued correspondence and travel back to Germany from the 1860's to 1900. Much of that would change after The Great War. Before looking further at the families, it should be instructive to view selectively the history between 1896-1918 of the U.S. and those states where Moschels lived: Illinois, Nebraska, and Montana. Then we look specifically of brief histories of the towns where the Moschels lived: Chenoa, Illinois; Beatrice, Nebraska; and Geyser, Montana. We will do the same for Germany and Webenheim, Germany, which celebrates its 700th year in 2003. The task seems daunting, but as we face a Mideast war, we think our time is well spent in studying a previous time of war.
The other major news of our small family is that Markus Klein, our German cousin, has added to our family this year. We are pleased that the Moschel family, in its extended sense, has a new member as Markus Klein married Christine Schneider on March 21, 2003. The marriage occurred on the same day that the allied forces started their Shock and Awe bombing campaign in Iraq. As cousin researchers and writers we will study and write about The Great War, but in reality we celebrate the Moschel family growing a bit larger. No one in 1918 could have imagined the twist and turn of events to our family.
United States 1896-1918 U.S. history from 1896-1918 covers monumental change. One way to digest these events is viewing through the lens of the presidencies numbered 25 through 28. These men were: William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. William McKinley, 25th President
In Scene Five we discussed the election of 1896. It was William McKinley vs. William Jennings Bryan, the latter a Nebraskan and friend of our Beatrice, Nebraska, relative Jacob Klein. It was the first campaign which was supported by large amounts of corporation money and it succeeded electing McKinley He took office in 1897.There are three especially important developments in McKinley's administration: The Spanish-American War, annexation of several countries, and starting the Panama Canal. Historians seem to agree that McKinley did not want war with Spain over Cuba. The forces that brought on the war were industrialists who wanted to protect their trade markets. Some even suggest it was the newspapers that wanted war as a means to sell papers. The press reported the Cuban population was dying and suffering at the hands of Spain. One account states that a Hearst-owned paper sent a photographer to Cuba to take photographs of the war. The photographer reported he could not find a war and the boss flipped back, "You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war." And thus we got into a 100-day war that John Hay, the American Secretary of State, described later as "a splendid little war." There were 5,462 American deaths in the war but only 379 of those were from war casualties, the rest of the deaths were from disease and possibly many from rotten meat sold to the army by Armour and Company. There were also heroes in the form of the Rough Riders led by Theodore Roosevelt (TR). TR took that fame and parlayed himself first into a governorship of the state of New York and then vice-president in the 1900 election. The other most tangible result of the Spanish-American War was the annexation of several colonies. Among those were Puerto Rico, Wake Island, Guam, and the Philippines (all Spanish possessions). Spain was paid 20 million dollars for their colonies. Also annexed were the Hawaiian Islands.
Our family tie-in to these events is Shelby Cullom, first cousin three times removed to three of the Cousins Four. He was in the Senate during this time and writes in his autobiography, "One of the most dignified and impressive scenes I ever witnessed since I became a member of the Senate was passage of the bill appropriating fifty million dollars to be expended under the direction of the President, in order to carry on the war." He goes on to discuss the Spanish-American War and how unprepared the United States was for war because they had been at peace since the end of the Civil War. He states, "Many Republicans thought that the best means of limiting appropriations was in cutting down the estimates for the War Department. They seemed to think that we would never again engage in a foreign war." Cullom goes on to write, "During his Administration, President McKinley did me quite an honor by appointing me chairman of a commission to visit the Hawaiian Islands, investigate conditions there, and report a form of government for those islands." Cullom then continues in detail about his trip to the Hawaiian islands and his report regarding annexing the islands. Then in a ironic way, he writes in 1911, "It is true they (Hawaii) afford us a coaling station in the middle of the Pacific, but that is all. Should hostilities break out in the Far East, our country being a party, it would be almost impossible for us to defend them, and they would become easy prey to foreign aggression. I hope that this policy will change in the near future, and that Pearl Harbor will be improved and the islands fortified." A story that starts with President McKinley but ends with President Wilson is the saga of Panama Canal. An American vessel off the coast of California attempted to reach the Spanish-American War. The ship arrived for the last battle but the experience made Americans believers once again in the need of a shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. McKinley authorized a commission to find the best route. McKinley was renominated by the Republicans and reelected in 1900. His Democratic contender was again William Jennings Bryan. The important new factor was that Theodore Roosevelt was elected as vice-president. McKinley's reign in office ended a few months after his second inauguration when he was assassinated by Leon Franz Czolgosz, an anarchist. McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901. McKinley lingered for 8 days and died on September 14, making Theodore Roosevelt (TR), vice president and 42, the youngest man ever to take the office of presidency. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President
The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (TR) had the vitality of the man who held the office. He was a man for progressive reform. Although the presidency of his day did not have as much power as the industrialists, such as Rockefeller, Morgan, and Carnegie, TR brought his philosophy of "walk softly, but carry a big stick" to the office. He did much to make sure every American had a square deal. His term can be remembered for trust busting, continuing "the big ditch" (the Panama Canal), and conservation. Five weeks into his presidency TR faced off with the industrialists in an unprecedented law suit to break up the railroad trust. The trust was J.P. Morgan's Northern Securities Holding Company which controlled much of the country's railroads. The unprecedented case was two years in the courts, but the outcome determined that the relationship between business and government was changed forever. In total, Roosevelt brought 44 law suits against companies, and the popular name of trust-busting was used. Business saw these actions as against them, but Roosevelt thought big business had to be regulated and stopped from consolidating and having power held by a few. This made TR very popular among the masses. In another action controlling business, TR stepped into a situation in June 1902 where he had no constitutional authority. The situation was a strike by 147,000 mine workers. At the time the country ran on coal power and the northeast was threatened with the lack of coal. The situation was said to be the biggest crisis since the Civil War. TR stepped in with the threat of troops to run the mines and with this threat the mine owners agreed to the terms set by an Arbitration Commission which ruled for the miners. The miners received a pay increase and shorter working hours, both turning points in labor relations. The country realized that both labor as well as capital have rights. One other union should be mentioned in this time frame, and although it was small in membership, it was important in its tone. The name of the union was Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), but was better known as the Wobblies. It was a socialist union that believed all workers should be in a single large union. At the time, for example, the American Federation of Labor accepted only white, skilled craftsmen. The Big Ditch, or the Panama Canal, which started as an idea under the McKinley administration, became an obsession under TR with his naval background and his vision of future conflicts and the need to get from ocean to ocean. The problem was that the Isthmus of Panama was still owned by Columbia. Here was TR's solution as presented in Don't Know Much About History "If Colombia stood in the way, just make a new country that would be more agreeable. Led by a former director of the French canal company with U.S. Army assistance, Panamanians revolted against Columbia in November 1903. The American battleship Nashvillesteamed south and pointed its guns in Columbia's direction, and Panama was born with the U.S. Navy for a midwife. Recognized faster than any new government had ever been, Panama's regime received $10 million, a yearly fee of $250,000 and guarantees of independence. In return the United States got rights to a ten-mile swatch across the country--the Canal Zone--in perpetuity." After the Panama revolt, TR went to Panama for a "photo op", a tactic he began to perfect for future presidents. TR started this in his Rough Riders days in the Spanish-American War when he invited photo journalists to accompany his troops. As has been said by some, "he liked to package himself."
In addition to The Big Ditch, another notable aspect of the TR presidency is his conservation efforts. When his presidency started, one half of the virgin forest was gone. As a man who valued the wilderness, he strove to reverse the trend. He formed the National Forest Service and by the end of his presidency the National Forest acreage increased from 56 million to 148 million acres. If you tally what his presidency added to the national conservation of land, the result is 84,000 acres a day for each day of his presidency. He added 5 National Parks, 18 National Monuments, and National Game Preserves, Federal Bird Reservations, and Reclamation Projects. Just view the list linked here. http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trenv.html The scribe particularly enjoys the addition of Crater National Park in Oregon in 1902. Some historians think the biggest mistake of TR's presidency is his statement made on the night of his victory in the election of 1904 that he would not seek another term. By term's end probably he could easily have won, but instead he hand chose his successor who was his Secretary of War, William Howard Taft. William Howard Taft, 27th President
Taft easily defeated William Jennings Bryan in the 1908 election. Bryan was on his third unsuccessful bid for the presidency. Roosevelt (TR) thought Taft would continue his policies and the common joke of the day was Taft stood for Take Advice From Teddy. TR did give Taft a break and went to Africa for a year after the election on a big game safari. Taft scaled back TR's reforms and Roosevelt felt betrayed. When TR returned to the U.S. he went on the attack against Taft. TR then decided he wanted to head the Republican ticket in 1912. In February 1912 TR put his hat in the ring on the Republican side and did great his usual great campaigning. In the end the Republicans gave the nomination to Taft at the Chicago convention. Roosevelt's response was to bolt the Republican party and start his own progressive party seven weeks later which was dubbed the Bull Moose party. It had an very progressive platform which included women's suffrage and labor reform, issues we take for granted today, but in 1912 they were decades ahead of their time. The split in the Republican party between the progressives and conservatives made it possible for Woodrow Wilson to be elected in 1912, TR came in second, and Taft third. Taft later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and wrote, "I don't even remember being president." Taft's presidency did have its achievements, though. There were 80 anti-trust suits. Congress also submitted an amendment for the states to approve the Federal income tax. Some might not consider this an achievement, but clearly it has affected U.S. citizens since it went into effect in 1913 as the 16th amendment to the constitution. It states, "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census of enumeration." Woodrow Wilson, 28th President
In 1912 Woodrow Wilson was at the helm of the United States. Prior to the war Wilson got major legislation passed, including a lower tariff, the Federal Reserve Act which supplied the nation with a more elastic money supply, and the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission to deal with unfair business practices. In addition there was progressive legislation which included stopping child labor and establishing an 8-hour day for railroad workers. These activities and the rallying cry of "he kept us out of war" got Wilson narrowly reelected in 1916. The U.S. went from isolation and being neutral to declaring war on Germany on April 2, 1917. This was not an easy transition. We will discuss it further as we view The Great War through our relative's eyes. There were 8 million German-Americans in America at this time who were not eager to see their country at war with their homeland. This made life very difficult for many German-Americans and what was then called "the hyphenated" Americans. Many, including Theodore Roosevelt, had no use for such hyphenated Americans. Neither did a lot of other Americans. As we will see, this caused a number of discriminatory acts against German- Americans. After war was declared, the Selective Service Act was passed on May 18, 1917, which established draft conscription for men between the ages of 21 and 30. The Espionage Act was passed in June 1917 which was to deal with spying but in reality it was to silence people who were against the war. The Espionage Act and the considerable anti-German propaganda directed to any one with German connections, must have made life difficult for German-Americans regardless of their actual feelings toward Germany. The American involvement turned the tide of the war toward victory for the Allies. Wilson began to enumerate his Fourteen Points and his desire to establish "a general association of nations...affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike." By November 1918, a treaty was signed and the cost to America for The Great War according to Don't Know Much About History was "130,174 dead and missing and more than 200,000 wounded. The American wartime bill totaled around $32 billion." In our next scene we will deal with the aftermath of the war and Wilson's efforts to start a League of Nations.
Illinois 1896-1918 During this time frame Illinois had five governors. They were John Tanner (1897-1901), Richard Yates (1901-1904), Charles Deneen (1905-1913), Edward Dunne (1913-1917), and Frank Lowden (1917-1921). All were Republicans except Dunne. Tanner, unlike previous Republican governors, particularly our cousin, Shelby Cullom, began to side with labor in disputes. In the Spanish-American War Tanner asked the legislature to grant him the authority to assist the war effort by utilizing all the resources of the state. During the short war Illinois provided ten regiments and even had one military hero. During the tenure of these five governors one book, Illinois: A History of the Prairie State states that our cousin Senator Shelby Cullom "masterminded a federal crowd patronage machine that could shift quickly into high gear when a convention neared." The book clearly implies Cullom had considerable power, a machine if you will, in the state. Cullom was senator for the state of Illinois from 1883-1913, wielding what was conservative power against the coming progressive era. One notable event during Deneen's administration was the passage of a federal meat inspection law. The law was probably due almost entirely to the publication of the book The Jungle by Sinclair Lewis that outlined the lives and work of immigrants at the Chicago packing plants. It is said hardly anyone ate sausage for a year after reading the book. Also during Deneen's time, many laws were passed to protect workers. By 1918 Illinois should have been ready for a statewide centennial celebration. At the time the state had 6 million residents and two thirds lived in cities. The reason the state did not have many ceremonies was the entry into World War I. The governor who led the state through the war was Frank Lowden.
In 1918 Illinois had more German-Americans and Austrian-Americans than any other state. To give perspective, Chicago was considered the sixth largest German city in the world. Governor Lowden had been in office only three months when war was declared. His response, knowing the number of German-Americans in the state, was to state that loyalty was the "solemn duty" of citizens. Draft boards were quickly set up and Illinois trained men for air, sea, and land duty. Illinois: A History of the Prairie State notes, "Illinois sent 314,504 men to the war by enlistment and draft, which was 52,207 more than the state contributed to the longer and bloodier Civil War." But to give another view, five of the 50 U.S. congressmen who voted against the war came from the state of Illinois. An important person in the state during war time was Samuel Insull who was chairer of the state council of defense. He was a successful businessman and it was his job to manage the home front. He mobilized the state for possible emergencies, put limits on what fuel and food people could have, had people work longer hours, and sold Liberty Bonds. In this latter category Illinois had 5.5% of the population of the nation but bought 7% of Liberty Bonds. Farmers were given draft deferments and city boys helped with the crops. Under difficult cultivating and harvesting conditions the 1918 corn crop was third highest in yield. Production of wheat was also increased for war needs. On the industrial production front Chicago could account for two billion dollars directed related to war contracts and many downstate cities had large numbers of war industries as well. The African-American population doubled in Chicago from 1910-1920 but were barred from union membership.
How were German-Americans treated in Illinois during this period? The record was mixed; horrible at worst, mixed at best. Here are selected illustrations of incidents involving German- Americans. (Taken from Bonds of Loyalty: German Americans and World War I. All cartoons also come from this book.) A German-American, Robert P. Prager was lynched in Collinsville, Illinois, on April 5, 1918, as he was suspected of being disloyal and the trial of the perpetrators found them not guilty. This event and the subsequent trial are discussed in detail in the book. "On Saturday night, 6 April 1918, Morris Gotler, a merchant of nearby East Alton, was forced to kiss the American flag and was threatened with hanging." "On the same day, William Heiserman, a farmer of Kenney, Illinois, near Springfield, was severely beaten by several men on the main street of town for having made allegedly pro-German remarks. "Meanwhile in Athens, Illinois, a ‘loyalist committee' forced John Rynders, a grocer, to swear allegiance and to kiss the flag. The banner was then tied about his neck and, thus attired, the man was required to lead a Liberty Day parade the next day. Rynders' offense was a refusal to contribute groceries for a dinner associated with the bond selling efforts of the community. "On 8 April 1918 the Reverend A.F. Meyer, pastor of a rural German Lutheran congregation near Pinckyneyville, Illinois, was admitted into a St. Louis hospital for treatment of injuries suffered at the hands of five men who objected to allegedly unpatriotic remarks he had made in a sermon. Seventy-five years of age, Meyer had been tarred (though not feathered) and subjected to other physical abuse." "A federation of German Catholic societies in Illinois postponed indefinitely its annual convention, scheduled for Peoria in May 1918, when the host city ‘withdrew its hospitality'." "In Staunton, Illinois, the local Vigilance Corps posted signs throughout its strongly German community that the use of a foreign language had become ‘exceedingly distasteful to Americans' and that English should be spoken in public." "The city fathers of Steeleville, Illinois, passed an ordinance simply forbidding the German language to be spoken in their community, any time, anywhere. The Steeleville vigilance committee made a special point of informing the local German Lutheran pastor of the ordinance." "German-language instruction in public schools was halted or curtailed in Saint Louis, Edwardsville, East Saint Louis, and several other communities in the Saint Louis vicinity during April and May 1918." Many other incidents in Illinois were described in the book but the above certainly give a flavor of the actions. As stated in the book, "an extraordinary climate of fear had been created." This was Illinois in 1918: preparing for war, sending men to war, and German-Americans facing both the issues of fear and loyalty. It had to be supremely difficult to be German-American in Illinois at this time.
Nebraska 1896-1918 From 1896-1918 the U.S. had four presidents, and the state of Illinois had five governors. Nebraska beats them all. From 1896-1918 Nebraska had 10 governors. To follow Nebraska politics during this time is intriguing to say the least. The name that dominates the state is William Jennings Bryan, even though he was not living in the state all of the time. In order for the Nebraska Democrats to win some of the elections they had to partner with the Populist Party, and labeled the new mix the Fusion Party. The Fusion Party lasted until 1901 when a Republican became governor. During 1896-1918 period there were two Fusion governors, five Republican governors, and three Democratic governors. Like Theodore Roosevelt, William Jennings Bryan offered his services for the Spanish-American War of 1898, and was Colonel of a Nebraska regiment. Unlike TR, he did not have good press coverage and was outdone by TR. The period 1896-1918 has been referred to as a time for progressive movements in the United States. In Nebraska, the progressive movement that stands out was reforming the railroads, which were the primary big business in the state. The 1907 legislature passed acts tailored to some of the abuses of the railroad business and also enacted a Child Labor Act. The 1909 legislature continued with reform. It passed a bank guarantee law and changed election primaries from closed to open election. The legislature also passed a daylight saloon act which required saloons to close from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Governor Shallenberger signed this bill, and he also signed his death warrant to get reelected. As a side note, William Jennings Bryan, whom you must remember is a friend to our relative Jacob Klein, was a "dry" but often compromised on the liquor issue with his "wet" colleagues until after 1910 when he came out in favor of the Anti- Saloon League. The 1911 legislature continued with reform, doing away with the spoils system, starting a road system, passing a sanitary health act, and it was the first state to start the referendum system by the voters. The 1913 legislators reform efforts were workman's compensation laws, laws to protect against stock fraud, and it was the first state to require its governor to estimate state income and expenses. It should be noted that between 1890-1910 the so-called frontier left Nebraska. The state's population increased only 12.7%, but the trend started for movement toward the cities and total wealth increased by 200%. Farm prices per acre went from $18.63 in 1890 to $49.95 in 1910 (this included land and buildings). The biggest developments in farming were the addition of two important crops: winter wheat and alfalfa. Another important agricultural development was Congress passing the Kincaid Act in 1904 which allowed for homesteading in 37 counties of NW Nebraska of 640 acres instead of 160, noting that in the West one had to have more land to be profitable. Taking a page out of Chicago's success with the Columbia Exposition of 1893, Omaha, Nebraska, had the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898. Similar to Chicago, huge white buildings rose out of the prairie like a modern-day Las Vegas with exhibits from Little Egypt to agricultural exhibits. They had over 98,000 visitors. The first auto came to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1902 and by 1905 the legislature passed a law to require automobile operators to stop on highways and let frightened horses pass. The trend was clear by 1910 as there were 15,000 cars registered with the state.
Nebraska faced World War I with German-Americans numbering 200,000, either born in Germany or German-American parents. William Jennings Bryan was President Wilson's Secretary of State in 1915 but resigned in protest to Wilson's edging toward siding with the Allies against the Central Powers. As in Illinois, the Nebraska governor, Keith Neville, organized a State Council of Defense which had many of the same functions as the Illinois counterpart. In March 1918 Governor Neville called a special session of the Nebraska legislature to pass legislation he thought needed for the war. One such measure was to repeal the Mockett Foreign Language Law which had been passed with the support of the German-American Alliance. This law had made it possible with a petition of 50 signatures in any school district to have a specific language established as a course of study. It is possible that there were many schools in Nebraska where the sole language of instruction was German. Regarding the war effort, Nebraska had one infantry regiment, the 355th , and also field hospitals. One of the field hospitals (Nebraska Base Hospital No. 49) had the best record of saving lives of all the American hospitals in Europe. Nebraska sent 57,526 men to the armed services and suffered 1,655 casualties. Nebraska also claimed to have true military hero of WWI and that was Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force. Upon further research, it turns out Pershing was a Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska for only four years starting in 1891. Everyone wants to claim a hero. Nebraska also had a senator, George W. Norris, who was a strong opponent of the war and voted against war in 1917. The people who did profit from the war were many Nebraska farmers. Prices soared from 1915- 1919. Wheat went from 84 cents to $2.02. Corn went from 47 cents to $1.22. There were similar trends with oats, barley, potatoes, and hay. Production soared. Land prices also soared. We will look at the results of that in the next scene.
Now we add a new state to the Moschel story. In 1916 some Moschel descendants began to make their way to Montana. Illinois became a state in 1818; Nebraska in 1867; but statehood did not come to Montana until 1889. What happened before the Moschels came to Montana? The World Book Encyclopedia identifies six periods of development in Montana: Indian days, exploration, gold rush, cattle industry, Indian fighting, and statehood. Several Indian tribes lived in the area which was to be called Montana before white settlers came. In the era called exploration, French trappers arrived first, followed by Lewis and Clark in 1805. Missionaries came in the 1840's. The U.S. received most of what is now called Montana in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, but parts of the large state were in other territories. The gold rush started after gold was found in 1862. As in other gold rush towns that prospered, law and order was almost nonexistent and vigilante groups made their own law. The cattle business started in Montana in the 1850's. In 1866 the first longhorn cattle came from Texas. After the railroad came in 1883 the eastern market was open to the cattle ranchers. As far as Indian fighting, two of the most famous Indian battles happened in Montana. Custer's Last Stand (named after the leader Lt. Col. George Custer) took place at Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, in the Montana territory when the Sioux Indians annihilated the 7th Calvary. The second important battle was the Nez Perce Indians, led by Chief Joseph, who were trying to move from Oregon to Canada and freedom. The Indians were captured in Montana in 1877 only about 40 miles from Canada after a heart wrenching 1400-mile journey which, even though they lost, won the hearts of many who followed the story. The population of Montana grew from 39,000 in 1880 to 143,000 in 1890. Statehood came in 1889. Growth in Montana in the 1880's through 1890's came mostly in the mining industry, and particularly in Butte, Montana, which had deposits of gold, silver, and then most important, copper. The wealth in Butte is evident to this day in the magnificent old buildings built during this time. Five governors led Montana from 1889-1918, three were Democrats, one Republican, and one Democrat-Populist. The first governor, Joseph Toole, served from 1889-1893 and again from 1901 to 1908. He was a steady hand during this time of new statehood. The second governor, John Rickards (1893-1897), saw that a legal code was established. The third governor, Robert Smith (1897-1901), saw three institutions of higher learning created. The fourth governor, serving after Toole served two more terms, was Edwin Norris. As common for the day, progressive reform was occurring and Norris saw health laws passed and mine owners held responsible for employees who were disabled.
Governor Samuel Stewart (1913-1921) saw Montana through World War I and, like other state governors, formed a Council of Defense. He also saw enacted a Sedition Act of 1917 that outlawed criticism of the government or armed forces. This act was the model for one later enacted by the U.S. in 1918. The same legislators also passed a gun registration law. The Council of Defense banned the use of the German language in the state and in Lewiston, Montana, a mob burned German books in the high school. On other fronts, Montana gave women the right to vote in 1914 and in 1916 Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She voted against the U.S. going into World War I in 1917 only four days after taking office. Her words were: "I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war." The boom of the homesteading in Montana was from 1910-1918 which is when the Moschel descendants came to the fourth largest state in size. Luckily, at the same time that miners and homesteaders were seeing the economic resources of the state, others saw its natural beauty should be preserved. George Bird Grinnell is credited with working for the establishment of Glacier National Park. After years of effort on his part, President Taft in 1910 signed the bill which created Glacier as the nation's 10th national park. It should be noted that Grinnell strongly influenced Theodore Roosevelt to do what he did as "the conservation president."
Chenoa, Illinois, 1896-1918 By 1918 Moschels had lived in the Chenoa area for almost a half a century. They were embedded in the community by economic, social, and religious bonds. Our Chenoa storyteller from the last scene, Margaret Moschel Klein, was a widow by 1918. Her husband, John Klein, died in 1912. In all probability, Margaret was living in Chenoa in 1918 with her one unmarried daughter, Matilda, or Tillie for short. The rest of her children were married and most had children of their own. Both of her Chenoa-area brothers were still alive, but her first cousin Jacobina Moschel Sandmeyer died in 1906. Margaret was 77 in 1918. She had already lived 4 years longer than her own mother. How much longer would she have?
From 1896 to 1918 Chenoa had a lot of firsts. The first electric lights came in 1916. The first cement sidewalks came in 1905. The first car agency started in 1911. The first motor hearse was used in 1916. The first telephone was used. It was also a time of expansion. The library started in 1912. The new grade school was built in 1911 for $40,000. The Opera House was built in 1911. The downtown band stand was built. Many of the churches expanded in one way of another. The Methodists, St. Paul Lutherans, and Trinity Lutheran all built new churches. The Catholics built a new rectory and new parish hall. The Mennonites remodeled their church. The Presbyterians purchased a new pipe organ. New organizations started. The McLean County Farm Bureau started in 1914 with a Chenoa branch. The Home Bureau started in 1917, also with a Chenoa branch. The American Legion started in 1919 after the WWI. Several social organizations started: Cactus Club, Swastika Club, Social Literary Club, 20th Century Club, Ozo Club, Chenoa Women's Club, Arts and Travel Club, Royal Neighbors, Boy Scouts, and the Parent-Teacher Association. The town continued to have more than its share of fires, one in 1899 and another in 1900. The firefighters were better prepared than the 1884 fire with both better training and equipment. Another disaster in 1900 killed four coal miners which effectively stopped the mining industry in town. Other small industries continued, including an ice manufacturing company and a cellulose company. One major leisure tradition was the annual Fourth of July celebration. Performers came through town to standing room only audiences. Baseball ruled the day in 1905 and 1906 as Chenoa won against a much larger town and the players were all local heroes. Silent films started at the Rex Theater in 1909. One form of entertainment, though, decreased. This was drinking alcohol. Prohibition started in 1918 at a federal level, but evidently started in Chenoa as early as 1909 when five men were arrested for selling liquor in an "anti-saloon territory." By 1916 the so-called Local Option made liquor illegal in Chenoa. According to the Chenoa Centennial book, five Chenoa men died in World War I, although four of these died of influenza rather than battle wounds. A Chenoa physician was also in the war. The local Home Bureau did not meet in 1918, but instead did Red Cross work for the war and studied how to deal with shortages of food stuffs and deal with problems of WWI.
Our storyteller in this act is Amelia Klein Phillips, the youngest daughter of Margaret Moschel Klein. Amelia is married to Ralph Waldo Emerson Phillips and has four children: Blanche, age 10; Bernice, 8; Dorothy, 5; and Donald, 3 months. Amelia and her husband, Ralph, are both 37. Amelia is a first-generation German-American. How has she experienced the war? Are any of her German-American relatives fighting in the war? Are German-Americans in Chenoa experiencing discrimination? Does she keep contact with other Moschels and Kleins living in Chenoa, Beatrice, or Great Falls, Montana? How does she feel about her German roots?
Beatrice, Nebraska 1896-1918 We have been following five Moschel siblings who first moved from Germany to Illinois and then finally to the Beatrice area during and after the 1870's. By 1918 three of the German-born Moschel siblings were dead. They were: Charles Moschel, co-owner of the original Klein store, who died in 1892; Louis Moschel, farmer, who died in 1915 at the age of 72; and the half sister of both of these men, Louise Moschel Miller who moved to Beatrice from Illinois as a widow with four children, who died in 1912 at the age of 80. Two German-born Moschel siblings were still alive in 1918. They were Catherine Moschel Klein, wife of store owner Jacob Klein, and Daniel Moschel. Catherine Moschel Klein was 69 in 1918. Catherine became a widow the month after The Great War armistice was signed in 1918. Catherine had five surviving children. Daniel Moschel, The youngest German-born sibling, was 64 in 1918. Daniel had moved from Beatrice to Akron, Colorado, by this time. Thus, that leaves Catherine as the last Moschel sibling of the emigrant generation in Beatrice in 1918. As our story continues, we will be following the children of Louis Moschel and Catherine Moschel Klein in Beatrice. Beatrice, like Chenoa, had numerous indicators of progress by 1900. Churches, schools, government services, and newspapers were expanding. The First Church of God went from worship in a tent in 1903 to a purchased building in 1906. The Beatrice Mennonite Church was built in 1901. The new high school was built for $81,886 in 1909, and the St. Joseph's Catholic School was built in 1907. The Carnegie Library opened in 1904. Volunteers built the first fire station in 1908. There were two telephone companies by 1902. In 1910 a waterworks plant was built which would also generate electricity for street lights. The Mennonite Deaconess Home and Hospital was built in 1911.The Beatrice Daily Sun started in 1902. The city was not expanding as much as they thought it would in 1888, when they envisioned doubling in population, but clearly improvements were happening. Beatrice was also active regarding other social services. The YMCA was started in 1907, and it's counterpart, YWCA, in 1915. The Beatrice Women's Club (formed 1894) was interested in civic issues. Their 1903 minutes include a full afternoon discussion of garbage disposal, and in 1907 they wrote a proposal to the county board of supervisors to build a new jail and sheriff's residence. The Business Women's Bible Class was formed in 1915, but eventually became the Business & Professional Women's Club of Beatrice in 1920. Emma Moschell (daughter of Louis) is listed as a member. Leisure facilities were also appearing. The city added a new park in 1907 and a new athletic park in 1913.The city celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Golden Celebration from September 24- 27, 1907. One of the more interesting leisure events in Beatrice was the Venetian Nights. This celebration ran for several years on the Blue River at the turn of the century. It was sponsored by the Ne-haun-chee Canoe Club and was a water festival of decorated canoes. The photographs of the event illustrate the elaborate displays, in which much pride was taken.
As World War I approached a new sense of civic responsibility was evident among Beatrice citizens. Beatrice was also the county seat of Gage County. The May 10, 1917, Daily Express stated an organizational meeting will be held of the County Defense Council which will be charged "in matters to the public welfare, etc. All patriotic citizens are urged to be present." Two days later the paper reported that Gen L. W. Colby was elected temporary chairman and that, "It is the purpose of the council to work in harmony and cooperate with the recently organized State Council of Defense, which has headquarters in Lincoln." Daily Express reported on December 18, 1917, "A meeting of the committee of the Gage county council of defense having in charge the matter of the elimination of the teaching of German in Gage county parochial and public schools was held this afternoon....the local committee is to confer with the heads of such schools in the county asking the officials to comply with the request of the state council." The April 6, 1918, edition of the Daily Express reported, "The Beatrice division of the Gage county War Works committee met last evening and completed their records showing the financial responsibility of each citizen in the drive for the sale of the Third Liberty loan which will be in progress April 11, 12 and 13...The rating has been arrived at a systematic manner after weeks of hard work on the part of the committee. It is absolutely fair and along the line of the motto of the national committee: ‘Your share is fair.'" One wonders how much Jacob and Catherine Klein, clearly among the most wealthy citizens, were assessed and how they felt about that assessment. Local reports of harassment and abuse of German-born citizens will be reported in the Scene Six, Act Two. The only German newspaper in Gage County was Die Nebraska Post. On June 1, 1918, it changed its name to The Post and stopped printing in the German language. One month later it stopped printing altogether. Two other businesses in Beatrice changed their names. The German Bank merged with the Union Bank in 1912. The German Nurseries changed to the Sonderegger Nurseries. Gage County started conscription on June 17, 1917 and by September all men between the ages of 18 and 46 were to register for the draft. Women were urged to register for volunteer service and Beatrice listed 763 women volunteers. Wartime rationing occurred and the Red Cross chapter designed war projects. When men left for active service, they were sent off at the train station with great emotion and celebration. Gage County lost 40 men in the war and 30 injured. The world wide flu epidemic of 1918 brought suffering to Beatrice residents. Public places were ordered closed and for all practical purposes no shopping occurred during Christmas season 1918. The Klein Store and other merchandisers must have experienced great economic losses.
Our storytellers in Beatrice in 1918 are two first cousins. They are Frederick Klein, third child of Jacob Klein and Catherine Moschel. The other storyteller is Bertha Moschel Pretzer, seventh child of Louis Moschel and Catherine Klein. In 1918 Frederick is 42, married, and has two children, ages 18 and 12.. His first cousin, Bertha, is 28, married and has a one-year-old child. In 1918 Frederick Klein worked at the Klein Mercantile Company. The store had faced a difficult time with a fire that destroyed the second Klein store in 1902. Within six months they rebuilt a larger store, and father and sons worked together.
What kind of lives did these first cousins face in Beatrice in the years leading up to 1918? Were they discriminated against as first-generation German Americans? Were they supporting the war efforts of the community and nation? Frederick Klein had a draft-age son in 1917. How did Frederick and Frederick's parents feel about a son/grandson called to war against Germany? We shall explore this in Scene Six, Act Two.
Geyser, Montana 1918 In this scene one branch of the Moschel family move farther West. The instigator who did that was John Henry Sandmeyer (son of Jacobina Moschel Sandmeyer and George Sandmeyer). John was not alone in his Western adventure. In fact, he was far from alone, as you will read below. *** Who is John Henry Sandmeyer and how does he fit into the Moschel story? To understand that, you must step back and put John into the context in our story. Perhaps that is easiest done by a short review of the Moschel family with the relevant persons highlighted for this part of the story. To review,
we are following these generations: Generation 2--Jacobina Moschel Sandmeyer, daughter of Johannes Moschel, born September 8, 1838, in Webenheim, Germany
*** In 1853 Johannes Moschel (generation 1) moved from Webenheim, Germany, to the Peoria, Illinois, area with his family. Several of Johannes's siblings also immigrated to the same area. One emigrant was his sister-in-law, Margaret Schantz Moschel, the widow of Johannes's brother, Christian. For most of the Moschel story thus far we have followed Margaret and her children. Now we branch off to follow some of Johannes's descendants. Johannes Moschel's seventh child, Jacobina Moschel Sandmeyer (generation 2), married George Sandmeyer and moved to Chenoa, Illinois, where they farmed and had four children. While living in Chenoa, the Sandmeyers had extensive contact with the Moschels and Kleins as mentioned in previous scenes. The oldest child of Jacobina Moschel Sandmeyer and George Sandmeyer was John Henry Sandmeyer (generation 3), born 1859 near Peoria. John Henry Sandmeyer married Lillie Phillips in 1884 and this couple had eight children by 1900. At the turn of the century John Henry Sandmeyer was farming with two of his brothers in the Chenoa area and living in a four-room house with his wife, Lillie, and eight children. Cozy.
By 1912 John Henry Sandmeyer built a large, three-story, 10-room house for his family. The 1916 marriage of John and Lillie Sandmeyer's second son, also named John Henry Sandmeyer (why or why do they do that to us genealogists!!) would impact the entire family and their eventual descendent, Elly Nelson Hess, one of the Cousins Four. It all started with a honeymoon trip out west taken by John Henry Sandmeyer Jr. (generation 4) with his bride, Fae. Here's what happened. As you'll see, eventually John Henry Sandmeyer Sr., father, follows John Henry Sandmeyer Jr., son, to the West, both hoping for a better life. Here's what happened. As newly weds John Henry Sandmeyer Jr. and his wife, Fae, were seeking a better life. Farm land was expensive to rent in Illinois, and on their honeymoon trip out west they explored the possibilities for acquiring farm land. They choose Montana and purchased land near Great Falls, Montana. As luck would have it, most of it bad, John Henry Sandmeyer Sr. and family were not doing well financially back in Illinois and John Sr. decided the best thing to do, encouraged by his son John, was to move to Montana where land was cheaper and John Sr. could pay off some accumulated debt in Illinois. John Sr. and his wife, Lillie, went by train with their machinery in 1917. John Sr. and Lillie went to Geyser, Montana, and bought land. Soon the four unmarried Sandmeyer daughters came by car. By the end of 1918 John Sr., his wife, and five of his children lived together in Montana and John Jr. lived separately on his own property in Montana. The first home of John Sr. and family was a log cabin while a larger house was built on their property. John Sr. raised oats, wheat, and alfalfa. Land in Montana was not suitable for farming as they found out later. What kind of environment did the Sandmeyers find themselves in? Early white residents in the area had two sources of income: prospecting and ranching. The prospectors moved on. Homesteading came and many settlers tried different crops, many finding none of them suitable and instead started raising livestock. Most of the government homesteading was over by 1910. Many of the initial homesteaders sold their land and moved on; or if they stayed, added improvements to their land in the form of fencing, houses, and barns. The Sandmeyers moved to the Geyser area right after a bumper crop year of 1915. The latter teen years (1916-1919) were drought and disaster, which seemed to follow John Henry Sr. It is uncertain the climate of fear against German-Americans in Montana, but according to family oral history John Sr. felt persecuted due to his German background.
Our storyteller
in Geyser, Montana, is John Henry Sandmeyer Sr. who is 59 in 1918. He
is a man who has moved several places and had difficult experiences. What
are his hopes and fears in moving one more time with his wife and children?
How does he experience discrimination as a German-American in Monana?
What is it like to live and work on this land? We will explore these questions
in Scene Six, Act Three.
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