George Motschenbacher

     George Motschenbacher George was a shoemaker by trade, born in Bavaria, Germany. He sailed forAmerica and settled in Wisconsin in 1849.
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The July 10th issue of the Daily News contained some interesting storiesof early days in Clay county as related to the Daily News by the lateMrs. Ann Miller of this city, and I including some the the
anecdoteshere. 'During these warm days when growing corn shoots up rapidly onthousands of acres in the Red River Valley, one might recall GeorgeMotschenbacher, believed to be the first settler to
grow corn in thedistrict. Motschenbacher started to farm in Clay county in 1880, on land18 miles south of Moorhead. Coming from Wisconsin, he planted seed cornbrought from that state. Continuing
to plant a little corn each year, inthe face of skepticism by other early settlers who believed that cornwould never be a successfull crop in this district, he prophesied thatcorn would some day be
an important crop in the Red River Valley. Aftersuccessive crop failures on his small plantings of corn, Motschenbacherfinally succeeded in raising good corn, according to his daughter, Mrs.Anna
Miller of Moorhead. Some of the difficulties of pioneerinf in Claycounty half a century ago are described by Mrs. Miller, who came herewith her parents as a child. Flood waters of the Red river
covered awide area almost every spring the early days, says Mrs. Miller. A lowarea streching eastward was usually flooded all the way to Breckenridge.Deep snow halting travel, burying wood fuel and
sometimes envelopingwhole farm buildings was a difficulty encountered by the early citizens.Snow was the main source of water for husehold and farm purposes duringthe early days here says Mrs.
Miller. Tubs of snow were kept continuallysimmering on the stove during the winter, and the water saved to lastover the summer. Wood cut in the river district served as fuel for allpurposes. Wild
geese were plentiful and formed an inportant source ofmeats. Sometimes in the spring they hovered over the country in hugeflocks. One such flock of geese settled on a large pond near the home ofa
farmer north of Moorhead on a spring evening. That night it froze, andthe water clutched hundreds of the chilled geese as if in a trap. Thenext day the farmer and his sons went to the pond and
killed 250 geesewith clubs, selling them in Moorhead for a dollar a piece. (Mrs. Millerlived for many years at 224 Sixth St. S. She was the mother of Mrs. J.T. McDonough and Miss Iola Forman of
1012 Sixth Ave. S.)
From the Daily News:
The Daily News carried an obituary of George Motschenbacher, who died athis home in Alliance township September 18, 1896. He was born April 9,1827, in Merkendorf, the Kingdom of Bavaria. He
emigrated to America inthe year 1855; was married to Kunigunda Rebhahn on Oct. 6, 1855, inMilwaukee; lived in the town of Addison, Wis. from the year 1857 until1870; then moved to Arcadia, Wis.,
lived there until the spring of 1881;then moved to the town of Alliance, Clay county, Minn., where he hasresided since. There were born seven boys and seven girls, of whichseven boys and five girls
are living. There are 33 grandchildren living.¹
     George Motschenbacher was born on 9 April 1827 in Merkendorf, Bavaria, Germany.¹ He was the son of Andrew Motschenbacher.¹
     George Motschenbacher married Kunegundis Rebhahn, daughter of Luke Rebhahn and Mary Anna Zwoster, at Mission of St Mary, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA, on 16 October 1855.¹
     George died on 18 September 1896 in Alliance Townshp, Clay County, Minnesota, USA, at age 69.¹