M. Matthiesen Gone

M. Matthiesen, known by his many friends around Blair as Farmer Matthiesen, passed away at his home on Lincoln street, at six o’clock this morning.

Mr. Matthiesen was born in Augustenburg, Schleswig Holstein, Germany, October 27, 1838. He came to America in 1869 and settled on a farm in Washington county, where he resided until moving to Blair in 1892.

Mr. Matthiesen was a man whom to know was to respect, always a gentleman with a kind word for all and his friends are limited only by the number of his acquaintances.

On Monday evening he was stricken with paralysis from which he never rallied, the end coming this morning. As we go to press, no definite arrangements have been made for the funeral.

#2 Democrat April 15, 1915

At 6:10 last Wednesday morning, the spirit of Matthias Matthiesen passed to the Great Beyond, after a serious illness lasting thirty-seven hours. While not in the enjoyment of robust health for a number of years, more particularly since the death of his wife, something over two years ago, he had managed to be around and attend to his business affairs and converse with his friends and neighbors on current news topics. Since the death of his wife, his maiden sister, Miss Louisa, had lived with and watchfully cared for him, anticipating his every wish and gratifying it. On returning home after a brief absence last Monday P.M. about five o’clock, she was startled by groans coming from the basement of their home and, upon investigation, found her brother lying on the floor at the foot of the stairs, unconscious. Help was summoned and he was removed upstairs and a physician summoned, the presumption being that he had missed his footing and fallen. But when his apparel was removed and no bruises or abrasions found upon any part of his person, the physician pronounced it a case of paralysis or apoplexy. He remained unconscious until Wednesday morning at 6:10 o’clock, when the grim reaper, Death, claimed him for his own and numbered him amount the countless millions of sheaves which he had garnered from earth. It is doubtful if any man so generally known as “Farmer” Matthiesen, as he was universally designated by his friends and neighbors, to distinguish him from his brothers, ever lived the allotted span of life, and more, with less contention with his fellow-men, or was more universally respected than he. Everything in his life was a stern reality; no word of a frivolous character, no gossip or criticism of his fellow-men, ever escaped his lips; his word in all things, material or inconsequential was his bond and his whole life was squared by the Golden Rule. He made no outward profession of Christianity, substituting performance rather than precept in all his transactions.

Deceased was born at Augustenberg, Schleswig-Holstein, on the 27th day of October, 1838, and came to the United States, locating first at Fort Calhoun, in this county, in 1869, the next year removing to near Cuming City, and a year later locating on land south and west of the Brewster school, where his first wife died. In 1882 he again married and remained on the farm until 1892, when he removed to Blair, his second wife dying here in 1912. Two brothers, F. H. and Chris, and one maiden sister, Louisa, survive him, the brothers being in California to spend the winter.

#3 Printed in the April 14, 1915 Pilot

Matthias Matthiesen passed peacefully away at 6:10 this morning, never having regained consciousness since found on the basement floor at about 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon. He had gone down there a few minutes before, and when his sister, Miss Louisa Matthiesen, who has been keeping house for him since his wife died in September, 1912, returned from a visit with neighbors, she heard him groaning. He had evidently gone down there for something, having turned on the light, and was stricken while down there. The first report was that he had fallen down the stairs, but this wasn’t true, as there were no bruises on the body such as there would have been had this been the case. He sank gradually until the end came early this morning. His nephew, Ed Matthiesen, has notified his two brothers, F. H. and Chris, who are both in Los Angeles, Calif., and the probabilities are the funeral will be held at 3:30 Saturday afternoon. F.H. will not be able to come on account of a paralytic stroke he suffered just about a year ago. Mr. Matthiesen was born in Augustenburg, Isle of Alsen, off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, October 27th, 1838, and was therefore past 76 years of age. He came to America in 1869, settling first at Ft. Calhoun. He located on the old farm north of Kennard in 1871 and lived there until 1892, when he moved to this city, where he has since lived. His first wife died in childbirth and several years later, in 1882, he was married to Marguerita Stoltenberg, of Davenport, Ia. The writer first knew him while he was a bachelor out on the farm. He used to ride a little white pony over to our house for butter, and we were even then impressed with his kindliness. He was always the same gentle, kindly man, who made many friends because he was friendly. He has been failing noticeably the past two or three years and especially since the European war broke out. Several of his wife’s relatives have been killed and it grieved him greatly that his mother country should be at war against such heavy odds. He will be greatly missed and long remembered by those who had the privilege of intimate acquaintance with his lovable soul.

Note: WWI started in Europe in 1914; on April 6, 1917 the US entered WWI

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

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