All Dressed Up and No Place to Go!

Anton and Edna (Taggart) Rasmussen on their way to milk the cows. Photo taken on their farm SW of Rushville, Nebraska.

Rasmussen Family Photos

My grandfather, Anton Rasmussen, was born in Asnaes, Denmark on Jan 23, 1896 to Rasmus and Maren Kristine Rasmussen. He was an only son, but had 7 sisters (Ingabor, Conn (Karin?), Eleonora, Helen, Elsie, Ellen and Helga). Grandpa was baptized February 2, 1896 and confirmed in 1910 (also in Asnaes). I remember him telling that he learned to swim when the other kids threw him into the canal! When he was 8, his family sent him to the country to work on a farm where they raised sugar beets. He spent the balance of his childhood living on that farm. He told me that he never slept another night in his parents' home until the night before he left to come to America.

Grandpa's father, Rasmus Anton Rasmussen (March 6, 1867 - 1958), was a mason, building large tall chimneys (common in Denmark?). These were built from the inside and up. He was also very strict and a disciplinarian. We know very little about Grandpa's mother, Maren Kristine Jensen (Aug 30, 1867 - abt 1943). We do know that she died during the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

Why did Grandpa decide to come to America? In Denmark, the largest farm that you might ever be able to obtain would only be 3-4 acres. Not much opportunity to stay. Plus, the economy at that time (mid-1910s) was not good and World War I was in full swing at that time in Europe. While Denmark was neutral during the war, Grandpa did run the risk of being drafted. He did receive a "Certificate of Unfitness for Service" from Denmark in 1916 (appears to be dated Dec 4, 1916, which was after he left Denmark).

Grandpa left Copenhagen on June 8, 1916 for America at the age of 20. The ship (a tramp steamer, as Grandpa always called it) was the S.S. Oscar II (see vintage postcard, above).

He arrived in the United States through Ellis Island on June 21, 1916 (see his inspection card, above). The Ellis Island records show that he paid his own passage and had $70 in his pocket. The records include his height (5' 7") and that he had a deformed left finger (from an earlier accident). He took the train to Hay Springs in the Sandhills of Nebraska and spent his first night there in the old hotel (see photo below). He said that when he arrived, he had just a little change left in his pocket. He had other friends and acquaintances from Denmark that had also moved to this region. One of those friends was a Hankins (or Jim Jensen or Jim Anderson, depending on the source), who took him to the Sandhills and helped him get a job on the Cravath ranch. The Ellis Island records have a spot to record who he was going to go meet, but as luck would have it, there is a gigantic ink spot right over the recorded name. However, it does look like it might be Jim Anderson.

Anton spent his first night in western Nebraska in the Hay Springs Hotel.

My grandmother, Edna Taggart, was one of ten children of Alfred and Emma (Carle) Taggart. The family lived in the "hills" north of Hay Springs, Nebraska. Grammie always liked to say that they were a bunch of hillbillies with not much to their name, and she's probably right.

During high school she lost her hearing for a couple of years. She eventually regained her hearing but had hearing problems the rest of her life. In her later years, giving her a hug would result in her hearing aids squealing!

Anton and Edna were married November 8, 1928 when Grandpa was 32 and Grammie was 18. Grandpa was already living in the house on the home place (where daughter Eleonora Hindman now lives) southwest of Rushville. Grammie said that when she went in the pantry, it was full of dirty dishes! [Notes on wedding: They were married in Rushville, Nebraska by Rev. Roth, a Lutheran minister. The witnesses were Edna's mother, Emma Taggart, and Mrs. Roth.]

Grandpa was in the process of buying the farm from the Holzbergers (William and Ida). While living there, their three children were born - William (March 1930), Brant (Dec 1931) and Eleonora (Feb 1934). During those years, Grandpa and Grammie farmed and ran a dairy. The depression, however, proved to be too much and they lost the farm (Jan 1946). They moved the family to Prineville, near Redmond, Oregon for 6 months. During the time that they lived in Oregon, Grammie said that she was sick most of the time and that Grandpa missed his friends and fellow Danes back in Nebraska. They eventually moved back to Rushville in June of 1946. When they first returned, they lived with Fan and Jack Thomas for a 4-6 weeks - it was quite a full house (Fan was Grammie's sister).

Anton and Edna's farm just north of Rushville (left). Also photo of them in front of house (right).

Eventually, they purchased the Linder farm just outside of Rushville (on the highway north out of town, 1 mile, west side). The land was purchased in a deal with the Holsteins and Linders. Linders was living on the place and Jens (a.k.a., Jim) was living on the farm across the road. Jens helped Grandpa buy the place. (Note: Jens Jensen had originally came to America and worked for Holtzberger. His brother was married to Grampa's sister.) By the time that my grandfather started to buy the Linder farm, he felt that he had failed in every previous purchasing attempt, so he did not put his name on the land deed until the land was paid for and officially theirs.

They lived there from spring of 1947 to 1963. Their son Brant moved a small house onto the place in the 1960s and took over the farming. Grandpa and Grammie moved to the house on Conrad Street in Rushville. Grandpa still went out to the farm every day and worked until his health declined to the point where he couldn't anymore. He could be seen driving his car and/or pickup out to the farm at a traffic-slowing speed of at least 20 mph.

Anton and Edna at their house in town.

Photo taken after Jim Rush's funeral. 1960s.

Grandpa had a love for trains and would often sit out on the picnic table in the backyard of the house in town and watch the trains go by (the tracks were on the other side of the street). He also was a heavy smoker, who loved his Chesterfields. My favorite picture of him is one that Brant took many years ago of Grandpa sitting in his favorite overstuffed rocking chair next to his radio, enjoying a cigarette. As kids, we (Elin and I) would sometimes have lunch at Grammie and Grandpa's. Grandpa would always have his lunch (usually a fried porkchop or a coarse bologna sandwich and some fried potatoes) on a tv tray, at his rocking chair, listening to the noon farm report on his radio.

In the end, Grandpa lost a lot of weight before he died. The doctors took away his fried foods and, in my opinion, his will to live. I don't think he enjoying "eating healthy".

Anton died April 6, 1976 in the Gordon Hospital at the age of 80. He is buried in the Rushville Cemetery, Nebraska.

(Note: Grandpa didn't keep in touch with his family too much after moving to the US, but did frequently correspond with his sister Eleonora. Anton and his sister died within 24 hours of each other and the letters containing the news of their death crossed paths somewhere between Rushville and Denmark.)

Grammie was, without a doubt, the best grandmother that a kid could have had. She was patient, understanding, and always had a treat or a snack for the kids. I remember one afternoon that my cousins, Stuart and Dwight, and I were spending at Grammie's and we were a little bored. Grammie found an old, genuine beaver coat upstairs in the closet and proceeded to cut it up to make us (and the other grandsons) coonskin hats. She added a rubberband gun for each of us and we had a blast for hours!

In the '60s and '70s, Grammie was an accomplished baker and cake decorator. She did many elaborate wedding, anniversary and birthday cakes. She had quite a business going during that time. That, of course, meant that there was always pieces of a cake laying around for the grandkids to munch on.

Somewhere along the way, she found a talent for writing poetry. She always called it "Hillbilly Poetry". The poems were almost always about her family or growing up out in the hills. When she was about 80, she decided to have the poems assembled and published in a book. She distributed (and maybe even sold a few) copies to friends and family all over the country. She was understandably proud of that.

When Grammie turned 70, she was in excellent health and was quite spry. She went out and split some wood that afternoon at Mom and Dad's. No slowing down for her!

Grammie at her 80th birthday party

Once she reached her 80's, Grammie started to slow up a bit. She had some heart problems in the spring of 1996, but recovered. She continued to live in her house in town, which was literally stacked to the ceiling with "stuff", but that is the way she was. Never threw away anything that might be of use.

In April of 1998, Grammie suffered a heart attack. The onset of the problem occurred during the night, but, not wanting to disturb anyone in the middle of the night, waited until 6 o'clock in the morning to call Mom (knowing that she and Dale would be up by then). The ambulance took her to the Chadron hospital where she made great headway during the next week. However, just when she was within a couple days of being released, she suffered a series of additional heart attacks (over the Easter weekend) that weakened her significantly. On April 17th, she was in grave condition - struggling for every breath, heart monitor barely registering a heart beat. She came as close to death as anyone could. However, by morning, she was much improved (to everyone's surprise - especially the doctors!). In fact, that morning, when Mom walked into the hospital room, Grammie asked her day it was. Mom replied that it was Saturday. "No", she said, "what day of the month is it?". Mom told her it was April 18th. "It's Dwight's birthday!", Grammie announced. Nothing was wrong with her mind!

The heart problems had weakened her and, unfortunately, did not allow her to return to her home. On May 4th, she moved into the Hay Springs nursing home. After spending a few weeks in the nursing home, she was able to go home. The stay was short lived. By morning, she was back in the hospital. She returned to the Hay Springs nursing home soon after.

Edna Rasmussen passed away July 1, 1998 at the age of 87. She is buried in the Rushville Cemetery, Nebraska.

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