John K. CRAMER
Birth:
28 Mar 1823
Somerset Township, Somerset, Pennsylvania
Death:
25 Aug 1894
Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska
Marriage:
8 May 1852
Quincy, Adams, Illinois
Father:
Mother:
Notes:
John (K.) Cramer's birth & baptismal dates recorded in Sanner Lutheran Church, Somerset Co., PA. John K. Cramer is not included in Mazie Emanuel's list of Adam Cramer Jr.s children. However from his birth & baptismal records in the Sanner Church, and the births page from John K.s bible in possession of Karon Mazie, giving the same date and noting Somerset Co., PA as place of birth, we have placed him here. It is possible that because he apparently "went West" early, that he was not remembered by Mazie Emanuel's two Cramer family sources.
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Further notes by Karon Mazie.
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8-8-97 Received packet of information from the Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society (ENGS), re: J.K. Cramer and family: J. K. Cramer died 8-25-1894 at 72 years 4 months and 27 days of age. He is buried at Ridge Cemetery. There was a copy of a clipping from the newspaper: "O. C. Cramer, who was called here a few weeks ago by the death of his father, John K. Cramer, returns today to Hill City, South Dakota, where he has been located for several years, engaged in farming and mining. His sister, Mrs. J. L. Weaver, who came with him, will return to Hill City on Sunday. F W H 25 Sept. 1894 8:2"
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Notice of Application for Letters of Administration. In the county court of Dodge county, state of Nebraska. In the matter of the estate of John K. Cramer, deceased. -- Notice is hereby given that on the 8th day of October. A. D. 1894, at the county judge's office in the city of Fremont, Dodge county, Nebraska at 10 o'clock in the forenoon the following matter will be heard and considered, to-wit: The application of Orestes Cramer for the appointment of A. P. Shepard administrator of this estate of John K.
Cramer, late of said county and state, deceased. ****
By order of the court.
Dated this 13th day of September, A. D. 1894 (seal) Claus H
Plamback, County Judge, S14-4W F W H 14 Sep 1894 5:3 *****
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Obit for John K Cramer received from ENGS on 3-6-98, Published in the Fremont Herald 31 Aug. 1984
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JOHN K. CRAMER
Sketch of the Life of One of the Oldest Residents of Dodge County.
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Nickerson, Neb., August 30 Editor Fremont Herald:
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The death of John K. Cramer, of Nickerson township, on Saturday, August 25, removes one of the very first settlers of this section. He came to this county in May, 1855, and resided here continuously until his death, making a residence of over thirty-nine years in this community.
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Mr Cramer was born and raised in the state of Pennsylvania, and was 71 years of age last March. His wife died five years ago. He leaves to mourn his loss nine children, all grown, seven of whom were present at his funeral. Three live in this county, one daughter in Chicago, one son in St. Joseph, MO., one son and one daughter in Hill City, South Dakota. All of these were present at the funeral.
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Mr. Cramer was buried on his old homestead by the side of his wife, the funeral services being conducted by the writer. The pall bearers were all old settlers, three of them coming here at the same time he did. A large procession followed the remains to their last resting place. The deceased was a member of the Old Settlers Association, and he left a good home which he worked hard to make. His death was very sudden, resulting from paralysis of the heart.
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Mr. Cramer was a subscriber and reader of the Fremont Herald ever since its first issue. J. A. Garner
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1860 Census, it states value of real estate owned by J K CRAMER is $2000 and his personal estate is valued at $1325.00 *****
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1880 Census has John K Cramer born in PA, Frances, born in Ohio, her father born in VA and her mother born in Ohio. He is 67, she is 65, Robert L is living at home, 13 years old and a Emma F Sholtz, 1 year old is living there. It says she was born in Nebraska, her father born in Germany, her mother born in Nebraska. It does not say who Emma F Sholtz was born to. I believe she is the daughter of Pearle, for later we find a marriage of Emma Kreamer to Joseph D Etherton, married Nov 27, 1899. She was 21, and her parents included father not listed, mother Pearl Kreamer. In the Fremont paper there was a notice of interment -- Mrs. Emma Etherton, niece of R. L. Cramer was to be buried on the Cramer
farm. She was 27 years of age.
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1885 Federal Census for Nebraska, Township of Maple, shows John is 72, his wife is listed as Asserkus, 70 years old, born in Ohio, her father and mother born in Ohio. Robert is living at home, he is 19 years old. A granddaughter Clara is living with them. She is 10. It does not say who her parents are. Fulton, his wife and daughter Flora are living next door.
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In a questions and answers about Adams County Illinois, it states Rail service would not reach Quincy until 1854. The river was a great avenue of commerce. People were coming to Illinois, it became a state in 1818 and that meant protection and safety in the new frontier, and it means the US Government was promoting growth in the area. Many people came up the Mississippi River into the Port of Quincy, and then spread out into the neighboring counties.
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12-2-97 Frances B West was found on 1850 Census for Adams Co IL, but John K Cramer was not found on that census, info from Robert Oltmanns, see Frances West page. *****
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2-7-98 by phone: Marlene Cramer WHITE said they were told that the original spelling of the name was Krahmmer, and presumed to be Dutch. It was then changed to Kramer, and later to Cramer. She had met someone who was from Holland and he said the name Krahmmer was a common name there.
She said she and her father had very fair complexion, and turn very red, easily, sunburn easily, and this was attributed to being "red faced Dutch".
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4-23-98 Across the Elkhorn River from the mouth of Maple Creek, the Nebraska Colonization Company, made up of more than ten members from Illinois, bought real estate "20 miles square" during 1854 from Logan Fontenelle and named in his honor. This land purchased from the Omaha Indian for $100 now lies in Washington county, NE, but the Fontenelle settlement had once served as Dodge county seat before the year 1860. Dick Taylor
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Dick, Karon asked, "what do they mean, made up a colony." Can you answer that for her? You see the term "colony" used in reference to German-Russian settlements in Russia. The term "daughter colony" is seen most frequently. It means: A group of people of similar interests concentrated in one area. That was common among many immigrant nationalities in this country in the 1800's, and early 1900's, because of a common language. garymartens@earthlink.net
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Out of a history book, on the Nebraska genealogy web site, I copied this information about John Cramer . . . The first deaths that occurred were those of Mr. Porter and Mr. Demaree two young men who, while breaking prairie one mile east of Fontenelle, were on July 16, 1855, shot and killed by a wandering party of Santee Sioux. After scalping the slain, the Indians beat a hasty retreat.
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They were pursued by a party of volunteer citizens, but without result. The people of the surrounding country were considerably alarmed, and two volunteer companies of soldiers were raised for their defense,--one company being from Omaha, commanded by Captain William Moore, the other
composed of citizens of Fontenelle. As the Indians made no attack the duties of the soldiers consisted only of patrolling, scouting, hunting and fishing--mainly the latter--fish being abundant in the Elkhorn. This military period has been facetiously termed the "Catfish War."
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It had an effect, however, on the new industries of the county, for in that summer, Harlow Carpenter, John Cramer and Isaac Underwood, after having ten thousand brick ready for the kiln, suspended their labors to join in the general defense.
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The first saw mill was erected by Samuel and Silas Francis, in the summer of 1856.
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Fontenelle is now a village of some two hundred inhabitants. It contains a church, schoolhouse, a general store, besides a blacksmith and wagon shop; and is surrounded by a beautiful and fertile country. *****
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1890-91 NEBRASKA STATE GAZETTEER - DODGE COUNTY FARMERS LIST
Cramer, Fulton, Nickerson
Cramer, J K, Nickerson
Cramer, R S, Nickerson
This information found on the internet, in the Dodge County NE genealogy site.
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MAPLE CREEK, a rural post office in the central part of Dodge county, 12 miles north of Fremont, the county seat. Hooker E W, postmaster, justice.
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NICKERSON - a station on the F E & M V RR, in the eastern part of Dodge county, eight miles from Fremont, the county seat. Population , 150. HAVEN, W H, genl mdse, hardware, justice, postmaster.
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J K Cramer was involved in these areas during his lifetime. *****
*****
This enumeration was signed, under oath, October 11, 1855, by John W. Pattison.
FONTENELLE
John R. Cramer(note a)(note d), b. in Pa., carpenter; 1 m. 21 up.; 1 f. 16 up.; 1 f. und. 16.
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(a) Drew 160 acres of land and 2 town lots in drawing held at Fontenelle,
May 3, 1855. - Verne C. Fuhlrodt, Pioneer History of Fontenelle,
Nebr., a master's thesis, pp. 143-4.
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(d) Harlow Carpenter, John Cramer and Isaac Underwood had the first brick
yard in 1855. - Fuhlrodt, p. 62.
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NEBRASKA CENSUS, 1856, DODGE COUNTY
John C. Cramer, b. in Pa., farmer; 1 m. 21 up.; 1 m. und. 16; 1 f. 16 up.; 1 f. und. 16. *****
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It is probable they lived in a sod house called a soddy when they first arrived in Nebraska. The following is a description of how these houses were built, given in answer to a question, on the internet. I include it because I find it interesting.
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"The sod (grass) had such tightly bound roots that a rectangle of it would hold together with the soil. So the pioneers cut rectangles, leaving the grass and soil together, and stacked the rectangles like blocks for the wall of the home. Small tree trunks were the ceiling, which were also covered with sod. There was very little wood in some areas. Later, trees were sawed into lumber when the lumber mills got
going and the soddies were replaced by frame homes. But the soddies were warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Actually those old frame houses were terribly cold in winter. So that's a soddie.
One of my relatives in western Nebraska lived in a house that was originally a soddie, frame walls had been built around the sod walls, and never changed. The house was remodeled in the 1950's, and the original sod was still in the walls." *****
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Here is more information about sod houses:
NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
THE SOD HOUSE
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On the prairies, away from the streams which provided logs and timber for cabins, the settler turned to materials furnished by his environment to build his home. Like the Indian who had constructed lodges of earth, the pioneer found most of his building materials in the native soil. Bricks made of sod, which some jokingly called "Nebraska marble," made a satisfactory and reasonably comfortable home.
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When the settler first arrived, his primary concern was to provide shelter for his family. When the terrain allowed, the dugout was the most practical solution. Building into a hill was advantageous for the settler
because it was less work and effort than building another type of home. A ravine or a hill was selected, preferably facing south or east, away from the prevailing winter winds. The excavation was then covered with a roofing of logs, brush, and prairie sod. Sod bricks were laid up around the wooden door and indow frames to form the front wall of the shelter.
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The dugout blended into its surroundings, and often the only sign of habitation was a stove pipe sticking up over the hill. Occasionally in the darkness, a wagon might rumble over the dugout, knocking dirt into
the room below, or even crashing through the ceiling.
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When able to do so, the family built a sod house, which was a more substantial home than the dugout. With a "grasshopper" plow, they plowed about one acre of ground into strips twelve inches wide and four inches thick. The strips were then cut into about three-foot lengths. In laying the sod bricks, the builder placed them lengthwise, making a wall two feet in depth. The process was reversed every few layers, and the bricks were laid alternately lengthwise and crosswise to bind the walls, and to make them solid. All sod was laid with the grass side down.
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Wooden door frames were set in place as the wall construction began. Window frames of wood were positioned when the wall reached the proper height. Sod was laid around the sides and on top of boards placed above the frame. A gap, left at the top, above the frame, was filled with rags or grass, which allowed the sod to settle without crushing the glass panes in the window. Pegs, driven into the sod through holes in the frames, held them in place.
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Construction of the side walls varied little from house to house. The roof, however, allowed the builder a wide range of choices. The gable roof, hip roof, and shed roof were commonly used. Of these types, the
gable roof was the most popular.
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A variety of materials was used, depending on the locality and the finances of the builder. Cedar logs, when available, were used as ridge poles because they were rot-resistant and strong. The ridge pole
sometimes needed extra support, and this was commonly provided by, placing a forked post under each end, inside the walls. This provided the added advantage of having a place to put in pegs or hooks for hanging up clothes and utensils. Occasionally the forked supporting posts were placed just outside of the walls.
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Willow, cedar, or other woods were used for rafters. Crude roofs were often constructed by spreading native wild plum or chokecherry brush, or similar growth over the rafters. This layer of brush was then covered with wild prairie grass and a layer of sod was added on top of the grass. This type of roof always leaked when it rained. White muslin or canvas was often tacked to the ceiling to catch dirt, mice, bugs, and other vermin which might enter through the ceiling. A twice-a-year washing of the ceiling cloth was customary.
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A better roof could be made with sawed lumber, which, however, increased the cost of the soddy. Also, in early Nebraska, lumber may not have been available in some areas. Lumber roofs consisted of a combination of 2x6's for a ridge post, 2x4's for rafters, and wood sheathing nailed over the rafters. Tar paper, placed on top of the sheathing, did much to improve the generally leaky roof. The best roofs were made by adding wood shingles; more often sod, somewhat thinner than that used in the side walls, was placed on top of the tar paper to provide a roof.
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Windows were generally set even with the outside wall. Twelve-pane, doublehung windows were commonly used. The area on the sides of the windows, beveled to allow more light to enter, was white-washed in an attempt to control the dirt which was constantly flaking off into the room. The thick wall beneath the window provided a ledge (or sill), which often held colorful plants growing in tin cans. During a hard rain, these ledges were sometimes occupied by family members, since this was often
the only dry spot in the house.
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Curtains were sometimes hung at the windows. When a family could not afford glass windows or when they were not available, buffalo robes, blankets, or oiled paper were used.
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Dirt floors were found in the majority of the early homes. A family which could afford them might fasten carpets to the dirt floor. In some cases, rough or planed split logs were used for flooring, but only a few could afford the luxury of wide, roughcut planks from the sawmill. After the initial planing, these boards became polished to a hard finish through daily wear and through scrubbing. Boards made of cottonwood soon warped, giving an uneven surface, and
Frances B. WEST
Birth:
Abt 14 Nov 1826
Ohio
Death:
27 Nov 1889
Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska
Father:
Blocked
Mother:
Blocked
Notes:
7-19-1997 Phone call from Penny Cramer Schmidt, she found in her baby book where her mother had recorded her genealogy as far as was known, and Great grandma Cramer's name was Frances West.*****
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On 8-8-97 I received a packet of information from Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society, PO Box 541, Fremont, NE 68026-0541 which included the information she is buried at Ridge Cemetery, she died Nov. 27, 1889, at 63 yr 13 days. They included an obituary which I quote
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"CRAMER, FRANCES NICKERSON NEWS: Died -- In Nickerson township, Mrs. Frances Cramer, wife of J K Cramer. She was born in Ohio and removed in early life to Adams Co. Ill., where she married Mr. Cramer, and they in 1854, made up a colony from Quincy Ill., for Fontanelle and in 1865 Mr Cramer took his present home under the homestead law.
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She was the mother of nine children, eight of whom are living. One daughter, Mrs. McBride of Chicago, who was present at the funeral. The funeral services were conducted by J A Garner. A large procession of old settlers and friends accompanied the remains to their resting place upon the farm. Mr. Cramer will deed an acre of land for a cemetery. FWH 5. Dec 1889 1:4 *****
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Email from Ted Sandford saying he does not have any additional information of Milton West, but the timing makes him think Frances and Milton could be brother and sister. *****
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Email from Robert Oltmanns, RJOLTM@aol.com, 12-2-97 . . . Frances B West, age 23, on the 1850 Adams County Illinois census. He will send me all the WEST names on the census for 1850.
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12-8-97 received the information, Frances is listed as a seamstress, living in 2nd Ward of Quincy, IL. She is residing with the John Johnson Family. Another West, Austin WEST is also living in 2nd Ward, Quincy, IL., it may be her brother. He is listed in the marriages of Adams Co IL book, he married Catharine VALLEY on Aug 5, 1846. *****
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The 1850 Census of Adams County, Illinois lists Frances B West as a Seamstress, the 1870 Census of Dodge County, town of Maple lists Frances as insane. The 1885 Federal Census of Nebraska, Dodge County, Maple township lists Frances (the wife) as Asserkus. It lists a 10 year old granddaughter Clara living with John K, Frances and Robert. Fulton and wife Emma and daughter Flora are living next door apparently. *****
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An obituary listed in Adams Co., IL of a person who could be related to Francis. WEST, Stockton, died 1900, 89 years old.
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Children
Marriage
1
Birth:
9 Nov 1853
Illinois
Death:
Notes:
Lucratia lived in Hill City, SD in 1894 when her father passed away.
2
Alfuetta CRAMER
Birth:
13 Apr 1855
Death:
Marr:
Notes:
June 14, 1998: We had no record or idea of this person until Sandie Kitchen brought a Family Record of Births that she found in their family things, that lists this child. I believe she must have died early. Karon Mazie.
*****
Notes:
ENGS packet received 9-8-97
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1885 Census shows Fulton living next door to John Cramer, with his wife Emma and a daughter Flora, 8/12 of a year old. The daughter was born in Nebraska. Fulton is listed as a farmer. 29 years old. Emma is 28 years old, born in IA.
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When John K. Cramer passed away, a notation on his estate papers states Fulton was living in Kirksville, MO, Adair County.
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4-24-98 I found a record of Fulton Cramer listed as a farmer at Nickerson, NE in 1890, and have sent a request for a census look up for Fulton at Nickerson in 1890. This information was on the Dodge County
Genealogy web site, under a 1890-1891 Nebraska State Gazetter, Dodge County, listing John Cramer, Fulton Cramer and Robert Cramer.
4
Birth:
27 Mar 1858
Fontenelle, Washington, Nebraska
Death:
Notes:
It appears M. Havens bought things sold from JK Cramer's estate. This may be Metellah, or it may be a child of hers, in one place it is written as Matilda. Another place, in a census, it is written as Emdellah. *****
Marriage information received 12-13-1997 from ENGS, this info in identified by Lic 36 , Book 3, Page 36 *****
They lived in Lake Charles, LA, in 1894, when her father, J. K. Cramer passed away.
*****
5
Birth:
11 Oct 1859
Fontenelle, Nebraska
Death:
16 Sep 1934
Warm Springs, Montana
Notes:
Information received from Edna Cramer Pritchard, June 7, 1997, Yakima, WA.
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Charles was reportedly also called Erastus. There was one called Orster, and Edna feels this also may have been Charles.
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7-25-97, information from a genealogy contact in Powder River County, Montana, Ann Emmons, HC 87 Box 51, Volborg, MT 59351 emmov@mcn.net giving his birth date and place, wife and son's name. She states she will send me copies of the information she found.
*****
Notation on John K Cramer's estate papers states O.C. Cramer was living in Hill City SD at the time of his father's death. *****
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From Chuck Hoffman, former husband to Rita Gail Pierce, daughter of Laura Cramer's son. It appears in Chuck's information O C had a 2nd marriage. I don't find any other information to support that at this time.
*****
Emma Cramer Crosby said she has never heard of OC having married twice.
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1885 Census, Holt County, Stuart, NE lists Orestes Cramer, and Emma. It states she is 16 and he is 15 (apparently in error, it is in disagreement with his birth date as published in his funeral notice). It does not list any children. It was reportedly taken on June 15. Laura must not have been born yet. He is listed as a farmer, she is listed as a housekeeper. His father born PA, his mother born Ohio, her father and mother born in Iowa.
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Emma states O.C. homesteaded in Montana. Bureau of Land Managment Box 36800, Billings, MT 59107 BLM may have information that may help in locating your ancestor's homestead application.
6
Pearley CRAMER
Birth:
17 Jan 1861
Fontenelle, Washington, Nebraska
Death:
Marr:
Notes:
In her father's estate papers, it appears Pearly lived in the area and bought some of the things that were sold.
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In 1880 Census, there is an Emma F. Sholtz living with John and Francis Cramer, it states she is 1, born in Nebraska, father born in Ger. and mother born in NE. On Nov. 27, 1899, Emma Kreamer married Joseph E Etherton of Fremont NE. It states Emma was 21, born in NE, her mother was Pearl Kreamer. This marriage took place in Fremont. On Jan 19, 1906, there is a news article about the interment of Emma Etherton, on Robert Cramer's farm, saying she was the niece of Robert Cramer.
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On the 1880 Census, Pearl (Pirley) lived with her sister Lucratia. In 1885, she is again found living with her sister and brother-in-law, with a baby less than 1 year old, with the initial B., no name, listed as a
female, born in October 1884 apparently. It lists Pearl Kramer, single, 24 years old.
7
John Parker CRAMER
Birth:
23 May 1862
Fontenelle, Nebraska
Death:
Marr:
Notes:
When his father died, there is a notation he was living in Missouri at the time, it appears to be Dawson MO. When Robert died, there is a note in a news article he was living in Oklahoma.
*****
Notes:
When her father died, Emma was Mrs. McBride, and a notation on his estate papers says she was living in Chicago. When her mother died, a news article also implied she lived in Chicago.
*****
June 7, 1997. Edna Pritchard states she remembers this Aunt, who was once called the Cattle Queen of Colorado. Edna says she can remember the house Emma lived in, it was a square house, with dirt yard. She does not remember going through the mountains to get to this house.
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Edna told me that Emma's husband, Castile, (sp) took a herd to market, the herd comprised of his cattle, and Grandpa Emmett Cramer's cattle. He was never heard of again, they did not know if rustlers stole the herd and killed him, or if he took off with the herd. I remember my mother (Norma Cramer Howatt) telling me she rode in a wagon, to Dodge City with this Aunt, looking for the husband, the herd, or to find out what happened. They did not find him, and did not find out what happened.
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On 7-26-1997 Aunt Edna told Carol and Susan that Aunt Emma was a "grumpy old thing."
*****
June 14, 1998: We had the Cramer family reunion, and Sandie Kitchen brought a copy of a Family Record of Births, giving birthdates for all the children, John K, and Laura's children. I believe there is an error in the dates, because if Emma was born Oct 1863, there was not time for my grandfather to be born in 1864, and we have records that say that is when he was born. This record says he was born in 1865, so I am making this note, for other's who research this. Karon Mazie.
*****
9
Birth:
29 Mar 1864
Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska
Death:
4 Dec 1937
Yakima, Yakima, Washington
Notes:
Emmett Cramer was not born in the United States, he was born in the Western Territories. Nebraska became a state on March 1, 1867.
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Emmett was living in Chicago, in 1894, when his father passed away, this is noted on his father's estate papers. *****
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Emmett Cramer, father of Norma Howatt, was a cowboy, worked all over the mid west, cut ice on the Great Lakes. Uncle Bus Cramer said grandpa told him that his mother was Indian. Grandpa had a strong rapport with the Indians. Aunt Edna told me that after Grandpa died, a young Indian man came to there house and asked to talk to Grandpa, and when he was told Mr. Cramer had passed away, the man got tears in his eyes.
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Bus said Grandpa's mother died when he was very young, his father married again, and his step mother was mean to him, and he left home when he was 7. Someone took him in and raised him, Their name was Thomas, but they were not relation to grandma's family. (I have not found anything to support this idea, and since I have finally found information on the birth of John K Cramer, if it is correct information, I wonder if this could have been told about John K and Uncle Bus thought it was about Emmett. July 26, 1998, Karon)
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Grandpa had a hot temper, the kids were afraid of him. He spent time in jail once or more, because of his temper.
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Penny said they lived in a sod house, and the house was apparently built onto, and Bus and Fern saw part of it when they went to Colorado. Grandpa and Emma's husband did the last roundup on open land, Emma's husband took the herd to sell, and was never heard of again. Several have expressed the idea the brother in law, Castile, stole the herd, but Mom said they never knew if he did that or if rustlers killed him and stole the herd. Mom, Norma, said she went by wagon, with her aunt, to Dodge City, trying
to find Emma's husband, or what happened to him, and they did not find out anything. *****
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Edna said her dad was very critical of others, attributing wickedness to them, and Grandma Thomas ran a boarding house or hotel, and he said she ran a whore house. *****
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As a point of interest, a connection with other things in history, I want to mention Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Alexander Graham Bell sent the first clear telephone message in 1876. The first Pony express ride was in 1860. The American Association of the Red Cross was founded in 1881. The Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac was in 1862. The Civil War began with shots fired on Fort Sumter in 1861, and surrender of confederate forces at Appomattox in 1865, so Emmett was born during the Civil war, whether he was born in 1863 or 1864. There seems to be some question as to when he was born. *****
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1899 A.D. First beet sugar refinery is built at Grand Junction.
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1900 A.D. Gold production reaches peak of more than $20,000,000 annually at Cripple Creek, the second richest gold camp in the world. Population of State, 539,700.
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1902 A.D. Constitutional amendment permits towns of 2,000 to adopt "Home Rule"; Denver becomes home rule city. Beet sugar refinery built at Fort Collins. David H. Moffat and associates begin construction of Moffat Railroad over the Continental Divide. Completed to Steamboat Springs in
1980 and to Craig in 1913.
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1903 A.D. Mine, mill and smelter workers strike in many camps for higher wages and better working conditions; at Cripple Creek, strike results in much property damage and loss of life; all strike objectives in gold field are lost. Uncompahgre irrigation project, first federal government reclamation project in Colorado, is authorized.
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1905 A.D. Colorado has 3 governors in one day in a political squabble. First, Alva Adams, then James H. Peabody, and finally Jesse F. McDonald. Construction of the six mile Gunnison water tunnel started by Bureau of Reclamation.
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1906 A.D. United States Mint, Denver, issues first coins. March 12, National Western Stock Show is born with chartering of Western Stock Show Association following successful showing of about 60 head of cattle and horses and a few sheep and hogs in makeshift tent at Stockyards. July 29, Mesa Verde national Park is created by Congress.
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1907 A.D. With Ben B. Lindsey as Judge, Denver Juvenile Court opens - the first such court in the United States.
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1908 A.D. July 7, Denver municipal Auditorium, seating 12,500, is completed in time for the Democratic National Convention, when William Jennings Bryan was nominated the third time for President. August 1, Colorado Day is first celebrated, marking thirty-second anniversary of State's admittance to Union. Dome of the State Capitol is plated with gold leaf at a cost of $14,680.
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1909 A.D. Colorado attains first rank among states in irrigation area with 2,790,000 acres under irrigation. Gunnison water tunnel completed by Reclamation Service and opened, on September 23, by President William Howard Taft at the tunnel site. Western State Teachers College opens at Gunnison.
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1910 A.D. Population of State, 799,024. Number of farms, 46,170. Colorado voters adopt a constitutional amendment giving to the people the right of the initiative and referendum. May 8, first long distance phone call made from Denver to New York City. First airplane flight in Denver.
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1911 A.D. Colorado National Monument west of Grand Junction, created by Presidential order.
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1913 A.D. State Tax Commission created by Legislature. Assessed value of Colorado property for tax purposes set at $1,306,536,692. The "Big Snow of 1913" covers Colorado to a depth of 3 - 5 feet; transportation paralyzed for weeks. State begins licensing autos for the first time.
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1914 A.D. Strike of coal miners in southern Colorado fields is climaxed by "Battle of Ludlow" near Trinidad; several men, women and children killed during hostilities between miners and the State militia. August: WWI begins.
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1915 A.D. Worker's compensation measures are passed: State Industrial Commission is created. Rocky Mountain National Park created by Congress. Toll road for auto travel to top of Pikes Peak built by Spencer Penrose. Construction of Broadmoor Hotel at Colorado Springs started.
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1916 A.D. Colorado adopts prohibition. Emily Griffith Opportunity School is opened in Denver. Mining of tungsten causes flurry in Boulder-Nederland area.
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1917 A.D. April 6: Congress declares war on Germany and many Coloradans volunteer for service. Colorado reaches maximum mineral production, more then $80,000,000. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Famous Indian scout, dies and is buried on Lookout Mountain, west of Denver.
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1918 A.D. Agricultural production increased sharply to aid war needs. Dry lands plowed up to produce wheat. Colorado citizens purchase Liberty Bonds by the millions of dollars to help finance war. More than 125,000 Colorado men register for the draft for army service. Fitzsimmons General Hospital established near Denver. Coal production of state reaches new high of 12,500,000 tons. Impetus of war stirs development of mining of molybdenum at Climax, near Leadville - the nation's greatest source of
the metal. Denver Tourist Bureau establishes free auto camp ground for tourists at Overland Park, Denver. Other cities follow suit during the next few years. Federal Reserve branch bank established in Denver. Colorado voters approve constitutional amendment providing Civil Service for state employees. November, 11, 1918, Germany surrenders. *****
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Grandpa Emmett Cramer was listed as a range stockman in the 1990 census, which meant "cowboy". Here is a little information on cowboying at that time -
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Men Who Came From Kentucky and Tennessee to Settle Texas Were the First of the American Cowboys, The growing population of the eastern United States in the mid-1800s created a market for beef. The
construction of the western railroad provided the means of carrying the beef to the east. As a result, the cattle business began to flourish. Cattlemen raised stock and drove them great distances to the railheads. The men who tended and drove the cattle came to be known as cowboys and were as ethnicly diverse as the growing nation. With the increasing demand for beef, the cowboy's domain spread northward to Canada, and westward to the Rockies. The cowboy's life was often lonely and sometimes violent. His manners, dress, language, and amusements remain a symbol of the rugged independence and determination which characterized the American West.
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The Hard Life of the Cowhand: The cowboy's life was often lonely, with only his sturdy mustang pony for companionship. The ranges were not fenced, and the cattle had to be watched constantly for fear they might stampede during a thunder storm or when threatened by a predator. Regular chores included cutting out calves for branding and in the earlier days of the range, fighting off the Indians who were protecting their hunting grounds from the white man's invasion.
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The Round-Up: In the fall of each year the cattle were rounded up in preparation for the drive to market. The riding and roping skills of the cowboy and the agility and "cow sense" of his horse were especially
important in the round-up.
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The Trail Drive to Market: The pioneer cattleman, Charles Goodnight, was one of the first men to organize the cattle drive. He also invented the chuckwagon which served as the cowboy's trail kitchen. Camp life on the trail was often strictly regulated by the ranch owners. Charles Goodnight did not allow his cowboys to gamble, drink liquor, curse, or even play mumbletypeg on the drive. Little wonder that when the cowboy reached the end of the cattle drive and was paid, he often went wild and would squeeze six month's fun into a few days.
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The First Rodeo: July 4, 1886 - Informal Sport of Cowboys Soon Became A Grand Event Rodeo (Spanish for "cattle ring") began as an amusement among cowboys who had reached the end of the long cattle-drive and had to remain with their herds until they were sold. Given a few days of
freedom, it was not long before an empty cattle pen was appropriated and one cowhand challenged another to a calf-roping contest, or dared him to ride "the meanest horse between here and the Rio Grande. " The popularity of these informal sports grew until the first rodeo with paid attendance was held in Prescott, Arizona, on July 4, 1886. At the turn of the century, rodeos combined with the popular "Wild West" show. The events became extravaganzas, including wagon races, bull-riding and steer-wrestling. The Wild West Show soon fell from popularity, but its influences remained in the rodeo, which steadily grew in popularity throughout the western United States and Canada. In more elaborate rodeos, even the cooks got into the act by racing their chuckwagons. One of the most exciting events in the rodeo, bull dogging, was reputedly invented by a black cowboy named Bill Pickett. Pickett became enraged at a bull which refused to enter a corral. He jumped on the bull from his horse, grabbed its horns and gripped its upper lip in his teeth, bringing it to the ground like a "bulldog." Today, there are
more than 800 formal rodeos held annually. *****
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GENERAL HISTORY AND INFORMATION ON ROCKY FORD, COLORADO
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Rocky Ford, home of the famous cantaloupe, is located in the Arkansas River Valley. It is one of the most productive areas in the nation. It is located on U.S. Highway 50 near the Mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail.
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Christopher 'Kit' Carson, a famous frontiersman and Indian scout, often camped under the stars in what one day would become the world's most famous melon patch. His camp site was located near a rocky, graveled ford across the Arkansas River. The crossing, located twenty miles above Bent's Fort, was used by roving Indian tribes and wagon trains of the pioneers. Kit Carson gave the name Rocky Ford to the crossing. In 1870 Asahel Russell and George W. Swink built a trading post at the ford. When Swink
wasn't selling merchandise to the ranchers, he experimented with agriculture and irrigation. His watermelon crop in 1878 was bountiful, and he shared the melons with his neighbors. The present town site, 2 1/2 miles southeast of the ford, was platted April 12, 1887 on the AT & SF railroad. Senator G.W. Swink was the founding father of Rocky Ford, Colorado.
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Swink, the first mayor, started the first Watermelon Day celebration in 1878 when he stopped a Santa Fe Train and gave every passenger and crewmen a melon. He developed the Rocky Ford cantaloupe through seed shipped from Massachusetts in the late 1890's. By 1900 these cantaloupes were being shipped by the carload to large Eastern and Southern markets. Through the years, the popularity of the Rocky Ford cantaloupe has been maintained. *****
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Grandpa Emmett Cramer liked to sing. My mother often told me his favorite song was Strawberry Roan. Aunt Edna says she remembers him singing The Streets of Laredo. She said she can remember him singing the line "beat the drums slowly".
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At the Cramer Family reunion of June 13, 1988 in Yakima, we were fortunate to find pictures that were very old. Sandie Kitchen, (great granddaughter of Orestes Cramer) brought a very old family album, with
pictures of the family of Orestes Cramer and his descendents, and May Cramer brought out a very old family album of the Emmett Cramer family, and we were fortunate to be able to copy pictures of John K Cramer, sons of John, a daughter of John, and the family of Emmett, and of Orestes, to share with everyone who wanted a copy. Penny Cramer Schmidt had shared pictures to be copied with me, and they were there to be shared to. It was a very enjoyable time, meeting distant cousins, and seeing the old pictures, and having great food and fellowship. **
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10
Birth:
7 Jul 1866
Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska
Death:
12 Feb 1925
Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska
Notes:
8-8-1997 copy of clipping received from ENGS MARRIED -- Robert L. Cramer, 39 and May Kissel, 29, both of Fremont, were married yesterday in Omaha. The groom is a wealthy farmer who owns several hundred acres of land northwest of the city. The bride until recently was employed as a domestic at Brunswick restaurant. 15 Nov 1905 3:4
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9-4-97 Received Petition for the appointment of administrator for the matter of the estate of Robert L. Cramer, from Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society.
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10-13-97 Received email from Shirl at She states Robert L. Cramer and his wife Mae Kissel Cramer are buried in what appears to be Section 7 of the Hooper Cemetery of Hooper, Dodge County, NE.
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4-24-98 I found a note about the 1890-1891 Nebraska State Gazetter -- Dodge County, with a Farmers List. This list included a M. Kissel at Fremont.
FamilyCentral Network
John K. Cramer - Frances B. West
John K. Cramer
was born at Somerset Township, Somerset, Pennsylvania 28 Mar 1823.
His parents were Adam Cramer, Jr and Elizabeth Unknown.
He married Frances B. West 8 May 1852 at Quincy, Adams, Illinois . Frances B. West was born at Ohio Abt 14 Nov 1826 .
They were the parents of 10
children:
Lucratia Cramer
born 9 Nov 1853.
Alfuetta Cramer
born 13 Apr 1855.
Fulton Cramer
born 17 Feb 1856.
Metellah Cramer
born 27 Mar 1858.
Orestes Charles Cramer
born 11 Oct 1859.
Pearley Cramer
born 17 Jan 1861.
John Parker Cramer
born 23 May 1862.
Emma Cramer
born 23 Oct 1863.
Emmett Cramer
born 29 Mar 1864.
Robert Lee Cramer
born 7 Jul 1866.
John K. Cramer died 25 Aug 1894 at Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska .
Frances B. West died 27 Nov 1889 at Fremont, Dodge, Nebraska .