Schroefel, Lind Family History

By Ester Lind Schroefel

Helen Bergren and Lewis Lind were married in Altona, Ill. They were the parents of Alven, Ester and Anna. Ester was born Oct. 16, 1884 and died Feb. 2, 1977.

They came to Wyoming on the train in 1889 before Wyoming became a state. Dad (Lewis Lind) had been out in the fall of 1888 and filed on a homestead. The family came on a passenger train in March, 1889. Dad dismantled a house we had lived in in Illinois and shipped it to Lusk. He rebuilt it on our homestead eight miles northeast of Lusk. Our neighbors lived in dugouts and sod houses and were very comfortable. Dad had seen these, however, and didn't want his family to have to live in them. Those were great days.

There were no telephones. People went for dinners and stayed all day. We came home before dark as we had chores to do.

Feed the pigs, milk the cows, feed the chickens and gather the eggs. We were happy to take care of things. We had six or eight head of sheep. Grandmother Bergren made her home with us. When the sheep were sheared, Grandmother and Mother spun the wool into yarn. Grandmother then knitted stockings and mittens for us.

Dad was a great horseman and raised and broke horses. I remember he shipped a car load of them to Illinois. He had a few cattle later on.  

There were herds of cattle coming from Texas going to Montana. We were afraid of them. You could hear and see them for miles, bellowing for water. Indians were here, but we never had any raids.

My dad worked for the Willsons at the Running Water ranch. He walked all the way going and coming. Dad dug wells for people and used a windlass.

We had the usual bad winter blizzards and in 1915 we had a hail storm that was terrible. There were no windows left for miles. I can remember we had to board up our windows.

I attended the Lohelien school. All eight grades were taught usually for five or six months of the year -- from the first of May to November. My classmates were Bertha Louie; Ole and Arthur Thompson; Emma, Adam and Hattie Lohelien; Arthur Root; and Minnie Reno. I remember we had to walk two or three miles to school.

John and Clara Tracy Schroefel were the parents of Clara Tracy, born Oct. 27, 1872 in Tamaqua, Pa. Charles was born in October, 1878 in Junction City, Kan., and Edward Herman Schroefel was born March 1, 1880 in Tamaqua. Ester Lind and Edward Schroefel were married Dec. 1, 1915 in Cheyenne, Wyo. at the Congregational parsonage. We made our home north of Lusk. We bought calves and fed them out. Our son Warren was a May basket, born May 1, 1918 at Lusk. He attended the Lusk Schools. He married Martha Jordon and they had three children, Warren E., Gloria and Geraldine (they were twins_)• Geraldine died in infancy. Warren E. married Margaret Arioste and they have four children, Sterling,· Cheryl, Shan and Scott. Gloria married Jack Hauptman and they have two children, Christal and Misti Dawn. Warren Sr. married Coleen Ladwig. He lives in Torrington, Wyo.

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