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My ancestors originated from Germany and entered the
United States through Pennsylvania in 1849/1850. They stayed in Pennsylvania for a few years
before they traveled to the Midwest and settled in Winneshiek County near Fort
Atkinson, IA in 1854. The historical
fort had once been a U.S. Army frontier post from 1840-1849 to keep the peace
between the Winnebago (now known as the Ho-Chuck) and various feuding Native American tribes. My great-great-grandfather established the
family farm in May of 1854, now a century farm, which has been handed down
through several generations.
My father loved history and I learned the art of
storytelling from him. Most of the
information I have of our ancestors came from my dad. He enjoyed telling us about the good old days
of farming and stories about the ancestors.
One story stands out the most in my mind...
My father’s great-uncle, Ben, used to tell him about
groups of Native Americans, the Winnebago, who traveled through the area on the
way to their camp near the St. Anthony of Padua Chapel, also known as the World’s
Smallest Church. The chapel is located
beside the Turkey River, which would have made it an ideal location to
camp. Ben was born in 1874, so it must
have been shortly before the turn of the century when the Winnebago migrated to
the river during the warmer seasons. There
was one Winnebago man who stood out among the others because he always wore a
bandana over his face. One day,
curiosity got the best of my ancestor, and he finally asked why the man always
wore the bandana. The man replied,
“Brother-in-law shot off nose.” Then he
vowed he would return the favor, “Someday, I shoot off brother-in-law’s
nose!”
This was one of my favorite stories that my dad used
to tell me. I often wonder what happened
between the two men to cause such a bloody outcome. Most importantly, did the Bandana Winnebago
ever get his revenge? I guess we’ll
never know!
