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RAILROAD FAMILIES |
Many families who settled in and around Onaga were Railroad Families, as Onaga was born from the railroad. The town would have never existed as it did, if it had not been for the railroad.
BOLLS, NATHION J.
Nathion J. "Nate" Bolls was born at Overton, MO, on March 3, 1904. He was the son of Charles E. and Mary Jane Hayes Bolls. His mother died when he was only one and one-half years old, so he and his sister, Fannie, went to live with an aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. James Shelby, near Carrolton, MO.
On October 4, 1930, he and Ruby Lee Foote, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Foote, Dewitt, MO, were married. They are the parents of three children: Dr. Nathon Bolls Jr., Anna Jean, and Earl.
In 1942, Nate went to work for the Union Pacific as a carpenter in the bridge and building department. The family moved to Onaga in May of 1963. Nate worked for the Union Pacific for twenty-seven years, retiring January 1, 1969. He died Decelber 19, 1969, at St. Mary's Hospital in Kansas City, MO. Funeral services were at the Onaga First Baptist Church with burial in the Onaga Cemetery.
LUTHER J. BROWN
Luther J. Brown was born in Edwardsville November 8, 1897. He married Lena Lillian Ratcliff, daughter of Arthur and Catherine Louise Ratcliff on October 24, 1924. Lena was born October 23, 1902, at Carrolton, Arkansas.
Luther was an employee of the Union Pacific for forty-five years.
CARL R. BRUNKOW
Carl R. Brunkow was born May 22, 1911, at Duluth, the son of Robert and Ida Brunkow. He worked in the Union Pacific Shops in Filer, Idaho, and had been an employee of the company for about thirty years. Mr. Brunkow died in Filer December 9, 1969.
FRANCIS P. CATTAN
Francis Patrick Cattan was born March 4, 1906, near Coal Creek. He married Genevieve Maxine Founds June 26, 1934. Genevieve was born at Lillis August 6, 1914. They have one daughter, Theodosia.
Francis went to work for the Union Pacific in September 1934, on the section at Lillis. He was operator of roadway equipment when he retired in 1968, after thirty years of service. The section was taken off at Lillis in June 1959 and Mr. and Mrs. Cattan moved to Onaga in October of that year.
GROVER C. CRUM
Grover "Dock" Clyde Crum was born October 2, 1889, at Effingham. His parents were Henry Downs Crum and Jeanette Sutherland Crum. He married Helen Green on December 8, 1927. Helen was born August 12, 1900, at Madison, the daughter of O. O. Green and Ella Frances Day Green.
Grover and Helen had three daughters: Frances Marian, Virginia Lee, and JoAnn, who died February 16, 1970.
Frances had three children: Cherryl Ann, Mark, and Grant. Virginia had two sons: Samuel Louis and Michael Louis. JoAnn had two adopted sons: David and Luke. Mr. Crum worked for the Union Pacific for forty years and retired in 1949. He was a carpenter on bridge and building. He was a veteran of World War I and served in France for nine months.
JOHN DEVENEY
John Deveney was born March 16, 1913. He served in the U. S. Army for three years, two years overseaas. Alvin was a substitute mail carrier for twenty-one years, operated a service station for nine years, and had a television and lawnmower shop in Onaga until he retired.
WAYNE FALKENSTIEN
Wayne Falkenstien, son of Jesse and Laaura Taylor Falkenstien, was born July 31, 1922.
He enlisted in the Air Corps in 1942. He was a member of the 458th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sstationed in England. He served on a B-24 bomber for the duration of the war, flying 28 combat missions. He was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. Following the war he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad until 1949, when he re-enlisted in the armed forces. He was stationed at the following places: Okinawa, Japan, California, Salina, KS., Japan, Lincoln, NE, Greenland, and in Arkansas.
He married Annabelle Hayes, daughter of Claude and Clara Hayes of Onaga. They had one daughter, Mary Kay. Wayne died April 12, 1962.
CLIFFORD FIELDS
Clifford Fields was born on September 2, 1898. He was employed by the Union Pacific and Santa Fe Railroad for many years. He was later and perhaps better known as a water well driller in norhteast Kansas. He died August 16, 1977. His wife was Ruth.
FLORENCE FAMILY
William Alvis "Pop" Florence was born in Gainsville, MO, on July 28, 1872, the oldest son of George A. and Charlotte Johnson Florence. They were married during the Civil War in Marshall, Arkansas. His mother, the duaghter of a Tennessee school techer, was 16 years old at the time. His father and an uncle were in the Confederate Army. His grandfather and another uncle were in the Union Army. William went to work at an early age, and one of his first jobs wa hauling freight from Springfield, MO, to Mt. Home, Arkansas. Many of the buildings in Mt. Home are built with the red bricks that he hauled.
He was married on Christmas Day 1899, in Mt. Home, to Mattie Strahan, daughter of Reuben Barry and Sarah Fanning Strahan. Before moving to Onaga in 1934, they lived in Williamstown, Waverly, Vermillion, Lawrence, Lawrence, and Havensville where they engaged in farming and dairying. Pop had a great knowledge and love of horses, and is probably best remembered in this area as a "Horse Trader", while living in Onaga he was a car salesman for Walt Teske, Art Wentz and Yvo Ebert. He also worked several years in the Sinclair station for Lester Brimer.
William and Mattie had seven children, including a son who died in infancy and Olen F. "Jack" who died in a truck wreck in 1939 at the age of 25. The other children are Edith, Edgar, and Charlotte, Basil and Clarence.
Basil Floyd "Dry" worked for 40 years as a brakeman and conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas City. He has a daughter, Vickie. In 1949 he was married to Gladys Ristow. After retiring from the railroad in 1967, he returned to Onaga.
The oldest son, Clarence F. "Slim" was born in Williamstown, on December 25, 1899. He spent his early years in Waverly and Vermillion, graduating from Vermillion High School in 1918. After graduation he enlisted in the army and at the end of World War I was taking Officers Training at Leavenworth. After discharge he worked as a farm hand and in 1923 went to work for Henry Paulsen in the Fairview area southeast of Onaga. In 1926 he went to work for the bridge and Building Department of the Union Pacific Railroad. these were traveling gangs so "bunk cars" were provided as living quarters for the men. Also provided was a dining car, which was usually operated by the wife of one of the men. And so it was in 1929, when he married Tressie Burdett, that she went along as a railroad cook. With the help of a hired girl, Golda Robinson, they served meals until 1932. During the depression years he returned to farm work and also helped with the building of the Onaga High School gym. He retired from the Union Pacific as Bridge foreman in 1966, after nearly 40 years of service. In April 1979, Slim and Tressie celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. They have five children: Wilma, Deanie, Wayne, Lyle, and Marion.
GEORGE GARRETT
Geoege Garrett was born on a farm two miles northeast of Onaga August 11, 1874. He was the son of J. W. and Amanda M. Garrett.
He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for seventeen years as a material clerk and retiredn in 1928, because of ill health.
He died in the Holton hospital on November 12, 1952, and is buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
JAMES R. GENNETT III
James R. Gennett III was born December 10,1904, at Morganville, the son of James R. and Anna Celestia Wilkerson Gennett. He married Mildred M. Purves on August 10, 1927. She was the daughter of James R. and Sara Katharine Schooley Purves and was born in Morganville.
James enlisted in the U. S. Navy in September 1924. He went through training at San Diego, CA, and was stationed onthe destroyer, U.S.S. Henshaw. Because of an accident, he was discharged in September 1925. He went to work for the Union Pacific in 1926. He took the bridge and building foreman examination in 1937, and was relief foreman at the Kansas City yards during the 1951 flood. He retired as a bridge and building foreman of the Union Pacific yard gang December 10, 1969. They had one son, James Robert.
JOHN GROSSNICKLE
John Grossnickle worked on the Union Pacific Railroad from 1950 to 1953. He served in the U. S. Army from February 1953 to February 1955. When he was discharged, he went back to work for the Union Pacific and worked until 1958.
ROBERT L. GURNEY
Robert L. Gurney was born in a tent at Tulsa, OK, June 20, 1909. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Lester Gurney. He moved to Onaga in 1941, and was employed by the Union Pacific from June 1942 until he had to retire in March 1970, because of illness. He was a member of the Union Pacific Old-Timers Club. He died January 7, 1972, and is buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
He married Hazel L. Wege on July 14, 1931. She was the daughter of Ernest and Amelia Nicklas Wege. Robert and Hazel had three children: Edwin, Kenneth, and Norma.
EDMOND C. HAYES
Edmond Conley Hayes was born April 23, 1882, at Hiawatha. He married AVis DeGraw, and they were the parents of two children: Edmond C. Jr., and Moyne. They lived in Onaga until he retired as a section foreman for the Union Pacific and moved to Muncie.
OLIVER A. HAYES
Oliver A. "Pat" Hayes was born May 3, 1906, and when a young boy, moved to a farm near Onaga with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Alpha Hayes. He married Delia Wegner of Onaga.
Pat was employed with the Union Pacific for many years before his retirement. He died in Scottsdale, AZ, on May 17, 1980.
JESSE HODGE
Jesse Hodge was born in 1921. He spent his early life in Onaga. He died in California July 11, 1962, at the age of 41 years.
He married Martha Bigham and they had a son and a daughter.
During World War II, Jesse was in the infantry in Germany. He was woulded in combat and was awarded the Purple Heart. After the war, he started working for the Union Pacific. He was a brother of Velma Labbe.
LEE W. HODGE
Lee W. Hodge was born on September 28, 1916, in the Laclede community. He spent his early life in Onaga. He married Gladys Cady on September 30, 1949, in Boston Mass.
He was in the U.S. Army about ten years and served in Europe in World War II. He was a maintenance employee of the Union Pacific before retiring in 1972. He died April 7, 1975.
Lee was a brother of Velma Labbe.
JOHN M. HOLMGREN
John Martin Holmgren was born on July 8, 1890, in Alamosa, CO. He moved with his parents to Onaga in 1892. He entered the U. S. Navy in 1918, and began working for the Union Pacific Railroad after his discharge in 1921. He retired in 1953, because of ill health.
He was married to the former Mildred Milsap. He died February 10, 1964, and is buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
LLOYD HOOVER
Lloyd Hoover was a native of Onaga. He was born June 21, 1892, and died November 19, 1977, in Ogden, Utah. He married Ruth Hiskey.
He was a veteran of World war I, serving in the U. S. Navy. He worked in the L.K. & W. depot under Frank Radcliff and later worked in Marysville.
FREEMAN INGALSBE
Freeman Ingalsbe, son of Judson and Nettie Ingalsbe, was born in Onaga. There were eight children in the family: Bela, Bertha, Brooks, Simpson, Ada, Nora, Riley and Freeman.
On October 4, 1922, Freeman married Anna Surdez, daughter of Aurelian and Marie Surdez. There were nine children in the Surdez family; Aurel, Oscar, Arthur, Albert, Bertha, Paul, Ernest, Rose and anna. Anna was bborn north of Neuchatel. Freeman worked for the L.K. & W. Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad in the bridge and buiding department as a helper and paint foreman. He started working in 1918, and retired in 1962, the same day that Sid Taylor retired. anna ran a cook car for the railroad for six years. She and Freeman moved to the farm north of Onaga in 1930.
JOHN W. JACKSON
John W. Jackson was born December 27, 1875, at Leavenworth. His parents were Robert and Emma Jackson. He married Rose A. John on March 21, 1900. to them was born one daughter, Mrs. Lucille White, who had five children.
Jackson started to work for the Union Pacific in 1904. He worked for the company for thirty-one years. After he retired, he worked as custodian for the Onaga High School until December 1951. He died on January 2, 1952, and is buried in the Mount Mucie Cemetery at Leavenworth.
AARON JEANNERET
Aaron Jeanneret was born May 16, 1922, in marshall County. His parents were George and Barbara Ladner Jeanneret.
On June 3, 1942, he married Gladys Honig, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Honig. Gladys was born January 2, 1923, at Onaga. She had three brothers, Arthur, Harry and Roland, and two sisters, Elsie and Adeline.
In World War II, Aaron served three years in the Merchant Marines, most of that time he was assigned to ships on sea duty. He went to work in march of 1957, for the Union Pacific Railroad in steel erection and has been a foreman since 1976. Aaron and Gladys have two children, David and Barbara.
DALE W. JEANNERET
Dale W. Jeanneret was born February 11, 1920, at Topeka. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. George Jeanneret.
Dale married Constance Morgan. They had a son, Wayne. Dale was a veteran of World War II. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for manning his medium tank alone and knocking out two Mark V tanks and a German staff car. Dale worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for several years. He died November 24, 1976.
ELMER JONES
Elmer Jones was born May 13, 1900, at Stockdale. On July 19, 1937, he married Elsie Chalmers at Stockdale. Elsie was born June 28, 1900, near Manhattan. Mr. and Mrs. Jones lived for many years in Onaga.
He worked for the Union Pacific from 1928 to 1965. Mr. and Mrs. Jones had two children: a son, elmer, and a daughter Paulette.
Mrs. Jones died april 25, 1976, and Mr. Jones died July 7, 1979. they are buried in Grandview Cemetery, north of Riley.
RAYMOND T. KELLY
Raymond T. Kelly was born at Onaga October 24, 1915, the son of Lloyd and Lena Fairbanks Kelly. On October 7, 1934, he married Faye Hoskins. They were the parents of seven children.
Raymond had three brothers, Galen, Dale and Donald. Raymond was an Engineer for the Union Pacific Railraod for 35 years. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. He died December 30, 1980, and is buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
Raymond and Faye operated the Kelly Greenhouse in Onaga for several years until they sold it to Mrs. Cornelius Ralph in October 1960.
MARION KIRK
Marion Kirk was born in 1902 to George and Ida Mae Kirk at Gentry, Ark. He had two brothers, Bert L. Kirk and William C. Kirk. His parents died while the boys were young and they went to live with an aunt in Kansas.
In 1930 Marion was married to May Robinson of Onaga. They had three sons and one daughter. Their daughter died ag age five months.
Marion went to work for the Union Pacific in 1931 as a maintenance-of-way employee. In 1940 he started out as relief foreman, then as foreman in 1943. He retired in 1967 with thirty-six years of service with the railroad. In 1974 they returned to Onaga, having lived in Bunker Hill, Tonganoxie and Marysville after leaving Onaga in 1944.
Marion died February 5, 1978.
OTTO KUEHL
Otto Kuehl, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kuehl, and his wife, agnes, have two children.
Otto worked for the Union Pacific for twenty-two years. He started on the mower and then went on to roadway equipment.
LESTER B. MALLOY
Lester Balen Malloy was born in Seneca on March 11, 1902. His parents were Arthur and Lydia Malloy. He married Iona Morrison, who was born at Lillis on January 18, 1903. She was the daughter of John and sarah Morrison. Lester and Iona were married October 25, 1933. They had three children.
Mr. Malloy worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for twenty-two years until he retured in 1965. He was a section employee. He died December 30, 1973.
DUANE D. MALONE
Duane D. Malone died September 29, 1979, at the Veterans Hospital in Topeka. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict, having served with the Marines. Duane was awarded the Purple Heart during the Korean Conflict. He was a roadway equipment operator for the Union Pacific Railroad for many years.
He was the only son of George and Lorna Malone. He had two sons and two daughters.
HORACE G. MILLER
Horace G. Miller was born October 2, 1893, in Carroll County, Arkansas. His parents were Joe and Alice Usery Miller. He was married June 30, 1915, to Hermia Clark at Onaga. Horace, whose father was a farmer, would go out when he was twelve years old to buy and trade horses to use on his father's farm. When he was fourteen, he entered telegrapher's school. Mr. Miller was an agent and telegrapher for the Union Pacific Railroad for forty-eight years, retiring in 1955. The family came to Onaga in 1918, where Mr. Miller worked until 1936.
After retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Miller lived in Siloam Springs and Lee's Summit, MO, returning to Onaga in 1957. He was a clerk at Gurtler's hardware for a time. Hermia's parents were William S. and clara Clark. They owned a variety store in Onaga in the 1920's, and ran the Onaga Hotel when Hermia was in high school. At that time the hotel's dining room was open for meals. Mr. and Mrs. Miller had four children.
One son, Dale, lost his life in October of 1943, on a a bombing mission over Bougainville in the South Pacific. One daughter, Alice Claire, died in infancy.
JAMES MILLSAP
James Millsap and his wife, Laura Lucinda Dowell Millsap, were both born in New Cambria, MO. James was born in 1863 and died in Onaga on December 14, 1954. Laura was born in 1869 and died in Onaga on December 24, 1953. Mr. and Mrs. Millsap are buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
They had eight children: Willaim (Jack), Ethel Warner, Maude Light, Iva Painter, Dona Tennant, Charles (who died at eight years of age), Minnie Martin, Ruby Vautravers, and Mildred Holmgren Knoll.
The family had lived in Frankfort. Ruby started to school after the family moved to Onaga. An aunt, Mary Lear, lived with them until her death. Mr. Millsap worked as section foreman for the Union Pacific Railroad for several years until he retired.
HOWARD STRATTON NOBLE
Howard Stratton Noble was born in Brown County October 25, 1899. His parents were A;lbert and Alloda Littrell Noble. He moved early in life to Onaga, where he lived until moving to Salina in 1979.
In 1931, he married Christine Wege in Onaga. She died in 1957. Mr. and Mrs. Noble had three children, two boys and one girl.
Stratton worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for several years, and later worked as a stone mason's helper in Onaga. He died in march of 1980. He and his wife are buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
BERT PAINTER
Bert Painter was born in Onaga on July 18, 1906. He died on January 2, 1972. He was formerly employed by the Union Pacific Railroad. He was an Army veteran of World War II, and served overseas for three years.
Mr. Painter had two brothers, Dwight and Earl; and two sisters, Mrs. Glen Baker and Mrs. Pearl McDowell.
JULIAN PEREZ
In 1920, a young immigrant, Julian Perez of Mexico, came to look for work. He went with his two brothers and an uncle to Wyoming. It was winter and they were not used to the cold weather. They nearly froze, and did suffer frostbitten feet. They decided to come farther south and came to Onaga. Julian couldn't speak english and had difficulty being understood. With time, he picked up a few words here and there until he learned enough to "get by".
Julian got a job with the Union Pacific and settled in Duluth. He moved to the Silver Lake section, but came back to Duluth. Julian was determined to fit into the community, so he taught himself to read and write. He cound read the newspaper and played cards at the Men's Club at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Julian retired from the railroad, but all of his sons and two grandsons are working for the Union Pacific.
He and his wife reared eleven children, five boys and six girls. they are all grown and have moved away, but Julian and his wife remained in Duluth. His five boys served with the Armed Forces in World War II and the Korean conflict. They all returned home safely. One daughter is a teacher in Oklahoma. Julian always remembered all the friendly faces of his co-workers who helped him on the job, and the people who accepted him and his family.
JOHN A. PHILLIPS
John A. Phillips was born on January 10, 1876, at Kickapoo. He married Katie E. Knapp on October 17, 1900. She was born January 26, 1876, at Kickapoo. John's father, John G. Phillips, was station agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. John went to work there on the section.
John and Katie had three daughters while living there: Avesta, who died in infancy and is buried at Kickapoo; Lois Genevieve, born October 29, 1902; and Elsie Jeannette, born May 15, 1904. John was then transferred to Leavenworth in 1907. While there, they had a son, John Edward, born March 15, 1906 (died May 6, 1956), and a daughter, Catherine, born November 15, 1908 (died November 5, 1977). Mr. Phillips was then transferred to Onaga in 1911. At this time Onaga, which had a round house, was made the division point between Leavenworth and Miltonvale. John was a conductor on the Leavenworth, Kansas and Western Railroad on freight passenger and motor cars. He retired after thirty-five years of service. He also worked out of Kansas City on the Union Pacific main line to Denver. Conductor Phillips died September 12, 1947, and his wife Katie, died July 5, 1971. They are buried in the Onaga cemetery.
RAY B. PIERSON
Ray B. Pierson was the son of William B. and Fiannah Mellinger Pierson. He came to Onaga in 1938 with his parents.
He married Wilma Wise, Marysville, and they had three children.
Ray was a veteran of World War II and served in the Pacific area with the U. S. Marine Corps. He worked for the railroad for over 40 years. He started in the B and B department and was later a conductor.
There were four generations of Ray's family who worked for the Union Pacific. His grandfather, August, worked fo the company in Manhattan and in Nebrasks; hsi father, William, worked for thirty-eight years; and now his son works as a switchman in Topeka, and his son-in-law works as a mechanic.
WILLIAM B. PIERSON
Willaim B. Pierson, the son of August and Amanda Nelson Pierson, was born in Valparaiso, NE, on September 6, 1884. His parents came to the United States from Sweden. He married Fiannah Elizabeth Mellinger (born September 11, 1855 at Milford, KS, daughter of John and Louisa Sheets Mellinger. to this union were born four children: Dorothy, Frank, Ray, and Mary.
Mr. and Mrs. Pierson and family moved to Onaga in 1938. He was an agent and telegrapher for the Union Pacific Railroad for thirty-eight years. He died on March 19, 1949, and is burined in the Onaga Cemetery. Fiannah died in January 1987. The home the Piersons lived in was built for Mrs. John Zabel, mother of Leopold Zabel.
RALPH RATCLIFF
Ralph Stovall Ratcliff was born in Carrollton, Arkansas, on August 28, 1906. His parents were Art Ratcliff and Katie Louise Dreier. He came to near Frankfort at the age of 14 with his wodowed mother, brothers Frank and Clyde, and sister Lena to live for a time with a married sister, Mrs. Gary (Ruth) Stepp, until a home was established. He attended school at Winifred.
In 1926, he started working for the Union Pacific Railroad as a section hand at Winifred.
He married Florence Esther Perrussel, of the Neuchatel neighborhood near Onaga, on august 18, 1928. They had lived in Frankfort for five months when the depression hit and the railroad laid off a lot of employees. They moved to Onaga, where he worked for farmers, for the W.P.A. and was employed by Pottawatomie County doing bridge and road labor.
In 1944, he was again employed by the Union Pacific Railroad as a carpenter on the bridge and building gang and had 35 years of total service when he retired August 31, 1971.
He died December 4, 1975.
Ralph and Florence had four children.
LEONARD SEYBOLD
Leonard (Tom) Seybold was born in Salina May 22, 1989. On June 9, 1919, he married Dottie White in Junction City. Dottie was born December 21, 1902, at Clifton. Her parents were William and Nora Rand White.
Mr. and Mrs. Seybold had one son, Clyde, and two daughters, Joy and Phyllis. Mr. and Mrs. Seybold moved to Onaga in 1930. Tom worked for the Union Pacific for fifty-one years. He died July 16, 1966. Dottie died May 9, 1980. They are buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
ROY STEPHENSON
Roy Stephenson was born November 16, 1899, at Halls, MO, and moved to Circleville in 1909. On January 30, 1929, he married Eula Frances Burdette, who was born December 6, 1907, and died Januarty 28, 1959. Her parents were Thomas and Etta McDevitt Burdette. Roy died February 2, 1975.
Roy and Eula had two sons. Eula lived her entire life in Onaga and Roy lived in Onaga thirty-five years. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad from 1942 until he retired in 1965.
ROSS STINE
Ross Harold "Arky" Stine was born at Simpson on September14, 1894. He was the son onf Thomas and Nancy Carder Stine, and was one of twelve children, ten boys and two girls.
Mr. Stine married Ethel Ann Keeney, daughter of George and Caroline Keeney. Ethel's brother, Clyde Keeney, was killed in World War I. Ethel was born March 28, 1904, in Onaga, where she spent her entire life. Ross lived in Onaga 50 years and worked for the Union Pacific for 35 years, retiring on November 14, 1959.
He died in the Wadsworth Veterans' Hospital on August 18, 1964. Ethel died September 16, 1977. They are both buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
HERB J. TAYLOR
Herbert J. Taylor was born April 7, 1909, at Soldier. He was a veteran of World War II, and served with Merrill's Marauders in overseas action.
He worked many years for the Union Pacific Railroad as a bridge and building emplooyee until illness forced him to retire in December of 1965.
He died at the Veteran's Hospital in Wadsworth, March 20, 1973, and is buried in the Holton Cemetery.
SIDNEY D. TAYLOR
Sidney D. Taylor, son of Samuel lP. and Elizabeth Taylor, was born October 11, 1897. He was a veteran of World War I, serving in combat in France with Co. A of the 110th Army engineers. Following his discharge from the Army, he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad as a bridge maintenance man from 1920 to 1962. Roy Keeney, Andrew McBride, Eli Pinet, Glenn Taylor and sid Taylor, all from Onaga, went together in Co. A of the 110th Army Engineers and all came home together. Carl Lewis also served with these men. All were gassed to some extent, but Eli Pinet was the only one hospitalized for injuries.
THE BENJAMIN TESSENDORFS
Ben (Stamp) Tessendorf was born on March 5, 1894, in Topeka. He was adopted at the age of nine by August and Mary Tessendorf who lived west of Onaga, in the home now owned by Ronnie Marten.
He married Tillie Wege, daughter of Fred and Minnie Wege, Onaga, on October 29, 1914. To this union six children were born: Velma, Lucille, Clarence, Alberta, Leona, Alice, and Dale.
Ben and Tillie lived on the Ephriam Bonjour farm, they later moved to the Carl Dodds farm near Neuchatel before moving to Onaga in 1924. Ben was a trucking contractor for the Union Pacific Railroad.
They had 14 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.
Ben passed away June 14, 1960, at the age of 67. Tillie died February 15, 1973, at the age of 78. Both are buried in the Onaga Cemetery.
THEODORE THOMPSON
Theodore J. "Ted" Thompson was born August 19, 1905, at Goff. His parents were Will and Irene Horton Thompson.
Thelma Lucretia Hoskins was born at Centralia on March 9, 1910, the daughter of William and Lessie Hailey Hoskins. Thelma and Ted were married September 19, 1928.
They had seven children.
Ted farmed around Centralia and Corning. He then began working as a bridge and building carpenter for the Union Pacific Railroad and retired in August of 19770, after working twenty some years for the company.
LEO WEAVER
Leo Weaver was married to Thelma Eytchison, Daughter of Stephen and Mary f. Eytchison, in Kansas City August 11, 1926. Thelma was born on a farm north of Onaga January 8, 1907. They had three daughters.
Leo worked on th eL.K. & w. Railroad as a brakeman and then moved to Kansas City where he worked for many years for the Union Pacific until he retired because of ill health. The family moved bck to Onaga in 1954.
Mr. Weaver died November 12, 1955, when he was 56 years old. Mrs. Weaver died July 8, 1980.
MARVIN WEGE ALVIN WEGE
The parents of Marvin R. Wege and Alvin E. Wege were Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Wege.
Marvin was born December 19, 1909. He was employed on the Union Pacific from June 1942, until he retired in July 1974.
Alvin was born march 16, 1913. He werved in the U. S. Army for three years, two years overseas. Alvin was a substitute mail carrier for twenty-one years, operated a service station for nine years, and had a television and lawnmover shop in Onaga until he retired.
HERBERT WINANS W.
Herbert W. Winans was born Decemer 13, 1915, at Mirella, Michigan. His parents were Frank and Eva Winans.
He went to work on the Onaga section for the Union Pacific when he finished school. In 1941 he went to California where he worked for the Southern Pacific. His work was interrupted by World War II. He served three years and three months in the Corps of engineers in the European Theatre. After the war, he resumed his work on the Union Pacific Railroad and retired in 1973.
Herb died March 1, 1980, at Wamego. He is buried in the Onaga Cemetery. He was survived by one sister.