Wilhelm August Bauerle

(As remembered by Mona Kaye Bauerle Radcliffe)
(Mona Kaye Bauerle's grandfather and Louis Bauerle's father)
Son of Wilhelm Fredrick Bauerle and Maria Auguste Knorr; born in Bittenfeld, Germany.
September 15, 1865 - November 5, 1944 (79 years)

Wilhelm was born in Germany in 1865. His mother died when he was an adolescent and his father quickly remarried. His father was then murdered by a neighbor over a land dispute and the step mother was quite mean to the boys. In 1882, his step mother died and Wilhelm was unable to support the family due to a poor economy in Germany. So, at about 18 years of age, Wilhelm placed his younger siblings in an orphanage and left for America.

He traveled as a stow-away on a ship from Germany ot America. He only traveled with a small suitcase which is now on display at the Champion museum in Champion, Nebraska. The suitcase contained all his belongings, but it was mostly filled with bread to nourish himself as he hid on the ship. When his supply of bread was gone, he got so hungry that he came out of hiding and presented himself to the Captain of the ship. The captain was going to throw him overboard (!) but then told Wilhelm if he could bail water out of the ship he would feed him a meal. Whew!

The ship from Germany came into the harbor in New York City before the Statue of Liberty was erected. Wilhelm saw the statue laying on a barge in the harbor. This was probably in 1884 Once in America he heard of German families settling in what is now Eastern Nebraska. We don't know how he made it to Nebraska or how long it took him. He worked for these German families on the eastern plains andthen heard about the Homestead Act and he headed to the Champion area to claim his piece of land. He lived in a dirt dug out until he could afford more. He helped build the railroad which was coming through Nebraska. He was working in the Culbertson, Nebraska area on the railroad when he spotted his future bride, Anna Elizabeth Ebel. She was ten years younger than William and was out herding cattle when he was taken with her.

During this time, William (the American version of his name) was saving money to send back to Germany to help his younger brother Heinrich (Henry) make the trek to America. Henry ends up eventually settling in the Champion area as well. Henry Bauerle married Laura and had five children: Herman, Ivan, Elva, Ada, and Esta.

Grandma Anna Bauerle taught Mona Kaye and the other grandkids the table grace that is still heard at many dinner tables:

Come, Lord Jesus
Be Our Guest
Let This House
To Us Be Blessed
Amen

William and Anna Bauerle had seven children: Emanual, Emma, Albert, Louis, Ida, Selma, and Valeda. William and Anna are buried at the cemetary in Imperial, Nebraska.