Reinhardt Genealogy
A Reinhardt History
By Patricia Reinhardt
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John Rotherham And Bessie Gaffney Rotherham
When he grew older, he went to Western Nebraska to work as a
cowboy. Near Ogallala, is a site called Wild Horse Springs where
horses came for water. John Rotherham told of rounding up wild
horses which would be shipped back East.
John met Bessie Gaffney at Ewing. They were married at
Atkinson in 1895.
John's older sister, Mary, was living in Cripple Creek,
Colorado with her husband, John Barry. This may have been a factor
that influenced John and Bessie to move to Colorado. Margaret
Rotherham Reinhardt said the couple traveled to Cripple Creek in
a covered wagon.
John worked as a logger. He had lots of horses to bring logs
down from the mountains. These were used for mine timbers.
Their first child, Mary Evangeline, was born May 6, 1896. She
was baptized in the Cripple Creek Catholic Church on June 14, 1896.
Sponsors for her baptism were Edward Rotherham and Sarah Rotherham,
John's oldest brother and his wife. Mary Evangeline's baptism is
recorded in a book, Cripple Creek and Victor Mining District
Catholic Baptisms, published by Marilyn Kashe, Kashe Publishing
Company, Box 24, Victor, Colorado 80860-0024.
Mary Evangeline died when she was two months old. Bessie was
told her child's death had something to do with the high altitude
in Cripple Creek.
The second child, Joseph Michael, was born October 26, 1897.
As soon as she could travel, Bessie was advised to take the baby
to lower altitude lest the same condition happen to this child,
Bessie boarded the train with the new baby. John stayed to sell
the property and then he came back to Ewing. They lived at Ewing
for a while, then bought the Johnson place between Atkinson and
Emmet. They were there six years, then moved to the Englehaupt
place south of Atkinson, where they lived for 2 years.
In August of 1915 Bessie was in Atkinson to await the birth
of Tom. Her husband, John, took Margaret, John, and Jim into
Atkinson to visit her.
Helen and Jane were preparing to go to a dance. They used a
curling iron that heated in the globe of a kerosene lamp. They
forgot to blow out the lamp. Helen went to get the horse. They
must have seen the fire and returned, for it is said the girls drug
furniture from the house. The house and many possessions were
lost.
After the fire, the family rented a house in O'Neill that they
called The Pink House. John built a small, two-room dwelling which
temporarily replaced the burned house.
This account of the following years was given by James
Rotherham of La Feria, Texas. By 1916, a new house was being
built. John hired an old German carpenter named Henry Brandt to
build it. He worked alone so it took quite a while to complete.
It had four bedrooms, two up and two downstairs. There was a front
room and kitchen and four dormers on the south side.
The property had a flowing well. It was only necessary to put
a pipe into the ground and pressure forced the water up. The water
was 42 degrees winter and summer. The family kept milk and butter
in a tank and it was cooled by the water,
The well was about 100 feet from the house. When Bessie
washed clothes or scrubbed, the boys hauled water. Tom, John and
Jim hauled lots of water.
The family lived in this house until 1928. The economy of the
United States was particularly brutal to ranchers and farmers in
the mid-1920's. John and Bessie had borrowed the money to build
the house. They owed too much to pay it off so they decided to
let the place go and start over. It was sad to leave the house
where so many kids were raised.
In 1928, John and Bessie bought a growing crop on a place east
of Chambers, Nebraska. They lived there from fall to spring, just
long enough to harvest the crop.
Next, they rented a place four miles south of Inman. It .was
called The Ella Reily place. She was a widow who owned 640 acres.
In 1934, John and Bessie bought a place nine miles south of
Inman. The Hopkins family had homesteaded the land and it was now
sold as part of their estate.
There was very little farm land. The property was used for
hay and cattle. It would support 80 head of cattle. During the
drought years of 1933 and 1934, John sold hay for $17 a ton and
that provided a good income. James Rotherham concludes, "It was
just a streak of luck form the Almighty that we got that place."
This would be the home of John and Bessie for the rest of their
lives.
The children of John and Bessie were:
Whenever Bessie got to Omaha, she would visit the Poor Clare
nuns, a cloistered order. She would ask them to pray for her
concerns. Her sixth child was named for St. Clare, founder of the
Franciscan order, the Poor Clares.
The family practiced their Catholic religion faithfully.
Chores were done early on Sunday morning. Everyone got dressed in
their best clothes. Grandma wore a colorful flowered dress, a
fancy hat and earrings. She would be the first one in the car.
Floyd Edward Reinhardt remembers riding in the white, 1939
Oldsmobile coupe, sitting on a bench behind the front seat. He
would lean over the seat listening to Grandma tell stories of her
girlhood in Pennsylvania. He liked to be near her because of her
lily of the valley perfume.
At mealtime, Grandma followed the grace with intercessions to
many saints and angels. Everyone waited patiently for her to
finish. Finally, Grandpa would say, "Go ahead and eat, she will
be praying all day."
On Sunday afternoons, the Rotherham house was bustling with
activity. James Rotherham describes the events.
I took twelve piano lessons and with excessive practice,
I learned to play quite well. I had over 200 sheets of
music. I really don't know where to start with the names
of the songs. Of course, we sang 'My Wild Irish Rose';
'I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen'; and 'The Wild
Colonian Boy'. Those were the Irish songs. We, also,
sang Kate Smith's songs, 'When The Moon Comes Over The
Mountain'; 'South of The Border, Down Mexico Way'; and
'Somewhere in Old Wyoming'. Mom could jig and Dad could
do the clog like a tap dance."
After dinner, the Reinhardt's anxiously awaited the
arrival of kids from neighboring farms. Around the
corner at a full gallop on saddle ponies came the
Steskals and the Poyers. Tubby basked in the attention
given by the Steskal boys, not knowing they were really
interested in his sisters, Bunnie and Kitty.
They all spent Sunday afternoon riding horses around
the countryside. Tubby rode behind Melvin Steskal
holding on for dear life as they flew across the fields,
Melvin was always kind to everyone.
Occasionally, they would ride over to the lake for
an afternoon of swimming. Sometimes, Kitty and Bunnie
and Tubby and others would jump into a horse tank. The
tank floated on the water and the occupants were given
a ride around the lake with the Steskal boys swimming
and pushing.
Joseph P. Rotherham of Sterling, Illinois has these
memories of his grandmother, Bessie. It was about 1939
when he spent time at his grandparents farm.
Every morning she would go out to the pump to get
the water in a 3 gallon bucket. She would always drink
2-3 glasses of water each morning and advised her
grandson to do the same.
Wash day was quite a chore in Bessie's day. John
and the children used a crosscut saw to cut wood. A fire
would be started in the yard. Water was carried from the
pump and heated to boiling in a tub on the fire. The
water was poured into the gas Maytag washer. The washing
was done in the yard by the house. Clothes were hung
outside to dry.
Joseph and his grandmother would go to gather wild
asparagus. Bessie would pick up the corners of her apron
and they would place the asparagus in the apron. They
took only as much as they could use.
Bessie made bread at least twice a week. Her arms
were strong from kneading the bread and all the work she
did.
The men and boys were responsible for milking.
After the cows were milked there was separating to do.
The milk was poured into a machine that separated milk
from cream. Turning the separator handle was a great job
for kids.
The cream was then churned into butter. Another job
for kids! A large wooden paddle was pushed up and down
in a tall crock until butter appeared. Grandma packed
it in a bowl and put it in a cool place. They kept lots
of things in the fruit cellar or storm cave.
John found jobs for his grandchildren, too. They
pulled cockleburs from the cornfield. Grandma would
send out lemonade and cookies for them to eat under a big
shade tree.
Grandpa thought a lot of his horses. If you upset
his horses or mistreated them, that really got his dander
up. One of his pet peeves was kids getting into the
horse tank. The water would get riled up and the horses
wouldn't drink it. Summers were hot in Nebraska and the
kids hopped into the horse tank frequently.
Joseph Rotherham had a pet pig called Porky. It
followed him around just like a dog. The thing that
finally got to Grandpa was when the pig ran through the
screen door. Joe had to sell the pig and got $5.00 for
the 100 lb. pig.
Another experience that disturbed Grandpa was when
the family dog, Tippy, fell into the outhouse. No one
knows who rescued Tippy, but the dog was so overjoyed at
being freed he immediately ran and jumped onto Grandpa's
bed. Grandpa was storming mad.
Grandpa always walked down to the front gate to get
the mail. No one ever got the mail but Grandpa. He'd
come home and go through it and pass out any letters to
the waiting crowd.
Floyd Edward Reinhardt recalls his experiences.
John Earl Reinhardt remembers his grandfather as an
easy going guy. He wore long underwear year round. In
winter he wore woolen underwear; in summer, cotton. He
claimed the cotton underwear kept him cool in summer.
Grandpa "went to bed with the chickens". The young
adults who helped on the farm often longed for the city
life of Ewing. After their grandfather was asleep they
would roll the family car about l/4 mile down the road
(out of earshot) and start the engine. Off to Ewing they
went for an evening at the dance hall or tavern.
Grandpa, who went to bed early, also got up very early.
As soon as he was up he yelled, "Get up, you lazy pups,
are you going to sleep all day?"
Joseph P. Rotherham remembers a conversation with
his Grandfather in 1939. The clouds of war were rolling
across Europe and the Far East. Americans were urged to
collect scrap metal and John and his grandson, Joseph,
and a neighbor boy, Johnny Dougherty, were loading metal
from the farm. John Rotherham said, "One of these days
the Japanese will be shooting this back at us."
The prophetic words remained in Joe's memory as he
was stationed in Manila in 1945 waiting to make a landing
in the planned invasion of Japan by the U.S. The farm
boy who lived near the Rotherhams, Johnny Dougherty, was
also stationed there. He, Joe and John Earl Reinhardt
had a reunion in Manila,
John and Bessie watched their son, James, and many
grandchildren go off to the war. Thankfully, all
returned safely.
In 1947, John began to grow weak. His wife would
help him move about the house. About January 1, 1948,
he became ill and was taken to O'Neill to stay with his
daughter, Jane. He died January 14, 1948 at age 79. It
was 17 degrees below zero the day he was
buried at Calvary Cemetery in O'Neill.
Bessie continued to live on the farm with her son,
James. Her brother Thomas Jefferson Gaffney and several
grandchildren came to help with the haying in the summer.
In April of 1955, Bessie had a stroke. She was
taken to the hospital in O'Neill and spent two or three
weeks there. Her daughter, Margaret, quit her job and
came from Omaha to take care of her.
Margaret Rotherham Reinhardt told of a storm that
came one late spring day in 1955. Bessie was unable to
get up without assistance. A tornado was approaching and
Margaret could not move her Mother to the storm cave.
She walked outside and prayed as she sprinkled holy water
in the direction of the storm. The tornado moved away
from the house but took out a large fence near the barn,
Bessie's brother, "Tommy" was in a nursing home in
Genoa, Nebraska. He died October 26, 1955, Bessie died
October 27, 1955. Tommy's funeral was one day and
Bessie's was the next. Bessie was buried in Calvary
Cemetery in O'Neill, Nebraska.
(IMAGE OMITTED)
PICTURE TAKEN IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA ABOUT 1945
BESSIE AND JOHN ROTHERHAM
(IMAGE OMITTED)
WITH GRANDCHILDREN L. TO R. MARY RITA AND
JOHN EARL REINHARDT-PICTURE TAKEN ABOUT 1927
BESSIE ROTHERHAM
(IMAGE OMITTED)
WITH GRANDCHILDRENL L. TO R. BERNADINE, FLOYD EDWARD AND
CATHELINE REINHARDT--PICTURE TAKEN IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA
ABOUT 1942.
A GAFFNEY REUNION
(IMAGE OMITTED)
BUN MALLOY HICKS, NEICE OF BESSIE; BESSIE GAFFNEY; JOHN GAFFNEY, BESSIE'S
BROTHER; GENEVIEVE GAFFNEY FLOOD, BESSIE'S YOUNGEST SISTER; JOHN ROTHERHAM
AND WILLIE GAFFNEY, BROTHER OF BESSIE; TAKEN ABOUT 1924. THESE RELATIVES
CAME FROM WYOMING FOR A VISIT.
SONS AND DAUGHTER OF
JOHN ROTHERHAM AND ELIZABETH GAFFNEY ROTHERHAM
(IMAGE OMITTED)
PICTURE TAKEN IN 1953
L.TO R. JOSEPH MICHAEL, HELEN, AND JAMES BERNARD
OBITUARY OF MRS JOHN
ROTHERHAM IN THE HOLT
COUNTY INDEPENDENT IN
OCTOBER OF 1955
(DOCUMENT OMITTED)
(DOCUMENT OMITTED)
OBITUARY OF BESSIE
GAFFNEY ROTHERHAM
OCTOBER-1955
(DOCUMENT OMITTED)
OBITUARY OF JOHN
ROTHERHAM IN THE
HOLT COUNTY INDEPENDENT,
O'NEILL, NEBR. JAN. 1948
(DOCUMENT OMITTED)
(DOCUMENT OMITTED)
(FAMILY TREE DOCUMENT OMITTED)
Parents Of Margaret Rotherham Reinhardt
This account gives details of the life of John Rotherham and
Bessie Gaffney Rotherham. John was eleven at the time his father
died in Newman Grove, Nebraska. It is said he did not go to school
after his father's death. His mother, Catherine Powers Rotherham,
moved to Holt County in 1881 and he continued to work on the family
farm.
Mary Evangeline, died in infancy
Though Margaret Rotherham Reinhardt's given name was Mary
Margaret, she went by Margaret. Margaret recalled the love she
received as a child because of the death of her siblings. "Mother
would take me on her lap again, after she lost a baby."
Joseph Michael
Jane
Helen
* Mary Margaret
Clare, died in infancy
Stillborn boy
Stillborn girl
John, Jr.
James
Thomas
"We had a player piano. There were records of different
songs that were put on a roller and then you pumped with
your feet and as the roll turned it made the music,
beautiful and perfect.
Despite the musical frolicking, there was some serious card
playing in an adjoining room. James explains:
"Yes, we often had card games at our house. Usually the
same fellows came to play but Dad also went to their
homes. Judge Jim Harrington, County Commissioner; John
Sullivan, O'Neill City Policeman; Tom Coyne; and Dad.
These were the regulars. If one couldn't make it, they
would pick some other buddy up. They didn't play for
money, but they always played Pitch. Some smoked cigars
and they drank whiskey, but very little."
Floyd Edward Reinhardt, "Tubby", says, "Some of the
happiest memories of my life were spent on that farm."
He gives a description of the Sunday afternoon activities
for the youngsters.
"I remember being on the farm when I was 6 or 7 years old.
I would walk out to visit the haying crew with my
grandfather. On the way back we would travel through the
shelter belt with the intention of Grandpa hunting 2 or
3 pheasants for dinner (the noon meal). These would be
cooked by Grandma for the haying crew. He never failed
to bring home the pheasants."
Grandpa was of tall stature and wore a bushy
moustache. He could be stern, but had a gentle, loving
nature toward his grandchildren.
JOHN AND BESSIE ROTHERHAM
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