VICTOR & LOUISA VATH & FAMILY   c.1900

LILLIE b. 1883   LOUIE b. 1885   LAURA b. 1888   JESSE b. 1890

VICTOR b. 1861    LESLIE b. 1893    LOUISA b. 1867

ANNA b. 1895  EFFIE b. 1898

CHILDREN BORN AFTER PICTURE

NINA b. 1900, ELMER b. 1902, ROSCO b. 1906, IONE b. 1909

Victor Emanuel Vath was born in Bavaria Germany in 1861 and his family moved to Peoria Illinois that same year. Victors father Adam and mother Agnes (Staub) had at least six children.

Victor married Louisa Smith (b. Peoria) in 1883 in Peoria. Victors brother Konrad married Louisa's sister Anne Smith the following year.

In the late 1800s Victor moved his family to Nebraska. He found a job working on what was then known as the "Red Ranch" located in the sand hills south of Kearney. After a few years he bought a "pre-empted" place in the sand hills and raised cattle, hogs and ran a truck garden. He raised a lot of melons and according to my uncle Wendell he was known as the "Watermelon King". His family grew to eleven children, one of which was my Grandfather Louie Vath. (see picture above and also Louie Vath and Sons on home page).

Konrad and Anna also moved to the sand hills with their family of nine boys and one daughter. The children of both familys went to the same school and it is said that more than half of the thirty five kids in school were Vaths.....Barry Vath

VICTOR & LOUISA VATH

1890 ish. ?

Photos courtesy of Ada and Allen Tillinghast