Jacob Rathjen, who was buried in our Ft. Calhoun cemetery Dec. 1, 1910, was a very had working, quiet, (although somewhat eccentric) German farmer about four miles southwest of town. He would have been 80 years old in March 1911, and probably came to Washington county about forty-two years ago and then worked for the late Paul Stolenburg on what is now the Dr. Allison farm south of town but for about forty years has lived on the farm where he died. He leaves one son over twenty years old, a most noble young man whose mother died a few years ago. He was a very distant relative of Charles and Nicholas Rathjen of this city. Rev. Hilkeman officiated at the funeral. The weather was too cold for us to attend the funeral.

Note: Handwritten on the copy was: Son of Hans Nicholas Rathjen; Born 8 March 1831; Died 29 Nov 1910.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~