Josiah Jerome Judevine was born June 19, 1882, in New Hampshire. His grandfather, Calvin, came from England before the Revolutionary War and settled in Vermont, where Josiah's father, Joseph, was born.
   In 1849, Josiah and Mary Ellen Hamilton were married and then moved to Wisconsin. Returning home from a trip to Pikes Peak in 1859, Josiah passed through the Platte Valley in Butler County, which eventually led to his locating here. In 1870, he and his family settled on 160 acres in Savannah Township, section 22, the land value being estimated at $30 per acre, and described as five acres grove, two hundred fruit trees and hay land. During the next few years he made three trips to the Black Hills goldfields. Josiah died on May 15, 1910, his wife having died six years prior.
   Their son, Frederick Clinton, born in 1852 in Wisconsin, married Mary Elizabeth Paige in 1872. They purchased 80 acres of land on section 23 of Savannah Township, and in 1912 moved into Bellwood where Fred entered the hardware and furniture business. Their marriage produced five children: Royal, Frank, Clifford, Ethel and Etta May. Mary died in 1918; Fred died in 1931.
   Royal married Kate Richwein; they had one son, Everett. After Kate's death, he married Mabel Carpenter. Their daughter, Arnola DeMuth, resides in Bellwood. Royal died in July, 1959, Mabel having died on March 6, 1928.
   Arnola's marriage to Sylvester DeMuth produced six children: Dianne, Jacquelyne, Sharon, Mary Pat, Daniel and Barbara. Mary Pat, her husband Joseph G. Romshek and their family are residents of Bellwood.

   John J. Kirchner was born in Cechan, Austria, in 1868. He migrated to the U. S. when he was 11 years old and lived with his family northwest of Bellwood in the first farm home east of Leonard Kracman's present home.
   He married Sophia F. Kriezinger in 1897. She was the daughter of Joseph and Adelhied Kreizinger. They homesteaded the farm, where Audrey Kreizinger still lives, in 1881. Sophia was born in 1877.
   Their first home was the first farm east of the Clear Creek bridge, on the River Road.
   Later they moved to the Frank Bock farm (as we knew it). After having each year's crops drowned by excess water for five years, they moved to higher ground. This was the Dr. McNally farm - one mile west of District 13 school.
   To this union four children were born: Joseph J. now of Alliance, Helen K. Janicek who lives in Kimball, Augusta (Gussie) Wilson and Charlotte Hiller, both of Bellwood.
   John became a naturalized citizen of the U. S. in 1914. John and Sophia retired in 1921 and moved to Bellwood. In 1927 John was elected manager of the newly organized Co-op Oil Co. He was a member of the Bellwood band for 30 years.

   Reinhardt was born in Paderborn, Germany. His father was Joseph Koenig. Joseph's occupation in Germany was driving the Catholic Priests to various destinations in a horse drawn coach. Paderborn was so named because so many boys born in the community became Priests. Reinhardt came to the U. S. and lived in Detroit, Michigan where he worked in the copper mines. He then went to Australia around by South America to hunt for gold. He and a few others made the journey in a small sailboat and it took them 105 days to get there. He then returned to Germany. While there he married Magdolena Munsterman. She was born Jan. 6, 1841 and died Nov. 3, 1892. They came to America in 1869 and went to Michigan. They homesteaded in Nebraska on June 15, 1877. Their homestead was in Butler County on section 8 of Alexis Township. The land is now owned by Allen Hanner. Reinhardt's main occupation was raising livestock. Children born to this union were: Henry, William, Mary Koenig Waibel, Charles and Clementine Koenig Vanderwark. After Reinhardt's first wife died he married Anna Nebosis on Nov. 2, 1894. Twin daughters were born to them on Feb. 25, 1897. They are Anna Koenig Francis and Lucy Koenig SeIzer.

   Adolph C. Kosch, son of Alois and Alouisa (Janicek) Kosch, born 1895 at a farm east of Bellwood. In 1917 he married Minnie E. Schmid, daughter of Robert and Sophia (Zwiener) Schmid.
   A. C. started repairing cars and selling Fords from a small garage north of the Kosch home in Bellwood at age 14. At first the business was called Kosch Brothers because Adolph was too young to have the business in his own name. He changed to the Dodge - Plymouth line of cars in 1912 and sold and repaired cars at the garage he built uptown until 1963 when the garage was sold to the Bellwood Fire Department. He was active in many organizations including the Town Board, School Board, Fire Department, American Legion and St. Peter's Church Board. He strived constantly to make Bellwood a better place for everyone. Some of his able employees over the years included Fay Smith and Ulysses Young.
   A. C. Kosch passed away on June 8, 1978.
   Minnie E. Kosch, born June 9, 1896. While a young girl, she had been church organist at St. Joseph's Parish for several years, After her marriage she was organist and choir

director at St. Peter's Parish for over 61 years.
   Minnie was also active in the Bellwood's Federated Women's Club, Legion Auxiliary and St. Peter's Altar Society, all of Bellwood.
   Adolph and Minnie had one child, a daughter Verleen, born March 11, 1922. She is married to David Kinsman of Columbus, Nebr., and they now reside in Phoenix, Ariz. They have seven children and five grandchildren.

   Alois Kosch was born in 1849 to John and Anna Geyerova Kosch at Irmsdorf, Austria. He came to America first in about 1874. Then his parents and others in his family came. The first purchase of land was in 1877 in his father's name John. This land is four miles east and one south of Bellwood. The first house was across the road from the Arthur Kosch old home. In 1881, Alois acquired land of his own and built the house Arthur had before he built his new one. Alois married Aloisia Janieck, who came from Jechan, Austria with her folks, Frank and Karolina Hermethova Janieck. They had nine children. One son Rudolph, died at age 15. The oldest son, Herman, took over the farm after his dad died in 1910. He married Loretta McGowan. Herman and brothers built a house in Bellwood for their mother. This is the Adolph Kosch house now. In 1915, Aloisia was struck by a car, walking across the road to her home from church and was killed.
   Herman's son Arthur took over after Herman retired. Arthur is still farming it now with his three sons, Tom, Ken, and Jerry. This brings it to the 5th generation the land has been in the Kosch family. Herman has five other children, Paul, Mary Alice (Sister Clothcair), Imogene, and twins John and Catherine.
   William married Julia Hilger, farmed at Shelby, had six children, Al, Leo, Wilhelm, Mary Rose, Loyola, and Eugene.
   Alois Jr. married Bertha Thelen, one daughter Tomona. Bertha died and he married Regina Messing, had 12 children, three sets of twins. They were Maxine, Max, Harold, Howard, Jerome, Elizabeth, Alois 3rd, Threasa, Dean, Donald, Delmer, and Jerold. Threasa, Jerome and Dean died when children. They farmed at Shelby too.
   Anna married George Zeller, farmed in Bellwood area and had three daughters, Lydia, Roenna, and Evelyn. Roenna died at age 21. After George died, Anna married Baltus Hornung.
   Henry married Angie Shields, farmed around David City and Kimball. They had four daughters, Dorothy, Marcella, Elenore, and Betty.

   Lizzy married George McGowen and they farmed at Ulysses and had five children, Charlotte, Leo, Bob, Kathleen, and Thomas.
   Lottie married Frank Zimmer, farmed in Bellwood area and had three children, Duane, Carol, and Lois Ann.
   Adolph married Minnie Schmid. He started a garage by his place of residence and later built one closer to town where the fire house is now. He sold Dodge cars. They had one daughter, Verleen.

   Joseph F. Kreizinger and Adelheid Schmid Kreizinger and son Frank came to America from Irmsdorf, Austria in 1874 and made their home on a farm three miles southwest of Bellwood. Later on, Joseph W., Louis R., Anna, Emma, Sophia, and Charlotte were born.
   Joseph W. married Molly A. Meinyer on January 8, 1906 at the home of the bride's parents. They purchased the Kreizinger farm and made their home there.
   The elder Kreizinger retired and moved into Bellwood as the rest of the children had married and moved to their own homes.
   Two children were born to Joe and Molly, a son, Audrey J. and a daughter, Claire. Claire married Dr. A. D. Peck, son of Alfred and Marie Grohman Peck, on January 24, 1942, and moved to Fort Collins, Colorado.
   Audrey J. married Delores Schmit, daughter of Leo C. and Susan Sand Schmit on September 4, 1946, at the St. Bonaventure Church in Columbus, Nebraska. They made

their home with Audrey's parents until 1951 when the parents retired and moved into Bellwood.
   Two sons, James J. (1947), and Joseph L. (1961) were born to Audrey and Delores. Jim married Marlene Shotkoski, daughter of Syl and Stella Shotkoski in Ord on August 12, 1972. They have one son, Michael J. and live in Lincoln, Nebraska. Joe is finishing his first year at Platte College, Columbus, Nebraska and lives at home. Michael represented the 5th generation on Audrey's side and the 6th generation on Delores's side to live in Nebraska.

   In the spring of 1869 Francis John Loomis and Elizabeth (Kieffer) Loomis along with their infant daughter, Cora, left Sheboygan, Wisconsin traveling by covered wagon to the Platte Valley of Nebraska. Where with only a compass for direction they located a spot on the south bank just east of where the Platte and Loup Rivers join and settled on an 80 acres in a section reserved for homesteading.
   At first they built only the walls of a house in the style known as board and batten. The roof was not added until late fall. Elizabeth always told how happy she was the day the roof was finished. For a long time they had only a dirt floor as was the custom in those pioneering days. Boards were hard to come by! Part of this original house still stands, as a shop, on the homestead.
   They had five children, four born on the homestead: Gene in 1871, Flora in 1876, Victor in 1884 and George in 1885. The three older children became educators. Cora and Flora teaching in various Butler, Platte and Buffalo county school

      Front row, left to right: Joseph W. Kreizinger, Joseph F. Kreizinger, Adelhied Schmid Kreizinger, Charlotte Meinyer Smith.
     Back row: Anna Zimmer, Frank Kreizinger, Emma Judevine, Louis (Lute) Kreizinger, Sophia Kirchner.