Published in The Tribune, October 13, 1918

PIONEER NICHOLAS RIX

Pioneer Nicholas Rix, one of our choicest pioneer friends the past 47 years, died at his residence here in Ft. Calhoun on October 10, 1918, and was buried October 13.

He was born in Germany in 1830 and when 22 years old started for America, and after tossing on the briny ocean for 14 weeks finally reached New Orleans, coming up the Mississippi river to Comanche, Iowa, where he was married to Maria Hagadorn in 1856. In 1857 with two yoke of oxen and his bride and belongings, he trecked to Ft. Calhoun and took a homestead, building his house on the site of the old council house of Ft. Atkinson, 1819-27. Elam Clark told this writer that Rix was helping build the mill and used to take a wheelbarrow full of lumber home at night and he would bet Nicholas drove every nail needed in the lumber before he went to bed. He made the first window sash and first coffins in the town and when he dug his well 90 feet deep, John Richter and he made the clay into brick for his own well and foundation and the same for Dr. Andrews down town. One of those old fashioned well brick made to lay in a perfect circle we now have, and in that house his son, Emil, now of the Lee, Colt Hardware Co. of Omaha,was born, October 16, 1858.

In those days when he wanted a pound of sugar or a few nails he would put his butter and eggs in a market basket and walk the 16 miles to Omaha and back, and one time he needed a two horse plow and was too poor, or did not have enough money to ferry his team over the river and no plows in Omaha. He went to Council Bluffs and carried the plow back four miles on his back. In four years he sold out and moved to the well known Deer Creek farm, building his own two-story dwelling and barns and accumulated over 500 acres of land, and a few years ago he brought me apples from the cellar he had made that were over two years old and not rotten. When he came to town to build his big mansion he brought eight car loads of crushed limestone he bought off the railroad to put into his drives and walks. As he was originally a cabinet maker, some of the beautiful furniture is the work of his own hands. Many times, both on the farm and here, we have sat at the table with him, and it was like going to the home of some near relative.

He surely left a fine family and was clean in manner and honest in business. In bad years he never sued a single tenant on any of his farms.

He leaves three sons and two daughters: Emil, assistant cashier of the Lee, Colt Co.; Dr. Rudolph Rix and Henry, a business man, all three in Omaha; and Miss Emma and Miss Minnie, unmarried, who have kept house for him since their mother died eleven years ago; also six grandchildren in Omaha, all of whom were present at the funeral.

For thirty-three consecutive years he was school director in his district and a number of years an officer in the Garryowen Cemetery Association.

Rev. C. M. Swihardt of the Omaha Grace Lutheran church preached a fine sermon on the life and activity of Jesus. Mrs. Joe Bolln and Mrs. Chas. Rathjen sang the anthems, with Mrs. Elsie Cook at the organ. Pallbearers: Henry Rix, W. Frahm, Henry Woods GALLEY FOUR Rohwer, Jacob Sierk and Otto Kruse of Ft. Calhoun and Henry Grimm of Blair. Honorary pall bearers were Tim Ohrt, John Hindrickson, Nick Rathjen and Henry Schmidt, with Claus Mencke and E. M. Andersen, president of the Lee-Hoit Hardware Co. of Omaha. Among others from greater Omaha were Mr. Voerster, Mads Mortensen, H. Smith, George and Henry Stoltenberg, Chas. Voss, Mrs. W. Lonergan, Edward Paulsen and wife, Henry Micheels and wife, Miss Karbaugh, W. Worline and Fritz Moller and wife and Fred Weise of Bloomfield. From Blair: Frank Jahnel and Hans Lamp.

There was a immense turnout and many beautiful flowers. I did not get to the cemetery. The expensive Rix monument where his wife and three of his children are buried was especially designed by him some years ago. W. H. WOODS

typist’s notes: ( There is a puzzling insert amongst the pallbearers names. The words “GALLEY FOUR” were inserted, perhaps as a newspaper directive.)

( The Lee Colt Hardware Co., mentioned twice in the early part of the obituary, is renamed “Lee Hoit Co.” towards the end of the article.)

(typed as printed in the newspaper.)