Victoria MARTIN BUSIG

CHARLES AND VICTORIA BUSIG (complete) (edited), by Inez Tompkins:
Charles Busig was born January 8, 1869 in Hannover, Germany, the son of August and Rosine Arberg Busig. He came to the United States at the age of 18, in 1887, to evade the military service. He told me he saw piles of corn in Iowa and didn't know what it was as corn wasn't grown in Germany. He worked on farms to get farming experience.
Victoria Catherine Martin was born June 29, 1873, and came to the United States in 1878 from Ontario, Canada at the age of about 5 with her family. On March 24, 1892, Charles and Victoria were married at Swanton, Nebraska. Grandma told me all they had when they married were a few chickens and cows. The couple resided on farms near Fairbury and Grand Island and became parents of Bill, Emma, John, Ervin, Mabel and Fern.
Emma told me her Mother's hair was so black that it had a blue shine and her eyes were almost black. No one else's hair had a blue shine and Emma was a little embarrassed as a child.
For a time they lived along the Blue River and the boys enjoyed fishing and swimming. Ervin said they had a big dog that once drug John out of the deep water and saved him from drowning.
They lived in a German community and went to a German school, in the early years. Ervin told of a man teacher who for punishment made them hold their hands out in front of them. He said if your hands drooped a little he would rap them with a ruler.
Ervin told about going to barn dances with his family. He loved the beer the old German farmers brewed in big wooden kegs. It was the best beer he ever tasted. The old farmers would guzzle the beer until they got going good, then they would throw their glasses in the corner and dance their cares away.
In 1917, the family decided to have a sale and move to Colorado. His Father put the results of the sale in his wallet and started packing. Then the wallet was missing. An honest person found the wallet and returned it, but you can imagine what was thought and said in the meantime.
The Busigs' bought a farm six miles northwest of Sterling and lived in the granary until Mr. Busig could build a house. He was a very good carpenter and built a nice house, a large barn, garage and chicken house. By that time they had a Model T Ford. Ervin said his Dad never got used to driving the car, he would let up on the gas going up hill and give it the gas going downhill. Someone was always pulling him out of the ditch. Ervin and his Dad worked for a number of years at the sugar factory and Mr. Busig would walk to work and ride part way home and walk the rest of the way.
On May 2, 1919 Emma married Charles Daniels at Ft. Morgan. Emma worked in the schools and Charles worked for the railroad and they lived in Sterling, Both are gone.
Bill Busig married Blanche Hyde on April 14, 1925. They lived on a farm northwest of the home place. To them were born Naomi and Bill.
John Busig married Bertha Barton. They were parents of Harold, Kenneth, Ruth and Lorry. In the fall of 1934 they moved to Parkdale, Oregon where John had a garage and worked repairing cars. During World War II the family moved to Vancouver, Washington as John also worked in the shipyards.
Mabel married Miner Pickell of Tabernash when she was teaching there. They moved to Denver and Miner worked in the house building trade and taught his boys the trade. Mabel taught in Denver but gave up teaching because no way was she allowed to discipline the students. They were the parents of Warren and Allan of California, Charles, Paul and Mark all of Denver and Ervin of Castle Rock. Warren and Allan stayed in the building trade, Warren painting water tanks high in the air. Charles is sales Rep for car parts, Paul is a mechanic, Mark was lay out man for Pearl Mack, now doing appraisals and Ervin is a lawyer for the E.P.A..
Ferne worked for Western Union and married Walter Borer. They lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ferne moved to San Francisco but developed M.S. and passed away.
Ervin and I (Inez Tompkins) were married in September of 1935. Grandma hated to part with her last chick. He was her transportation. At 63 years of age she was carrying two buckets at a time of grain to feed her chickens, carrying their water and gardening besides doing her housework. In her spare time she was piecing pretty quilts. I don't think Grandma ever bought a blanket at the store. She made comforters out of the good parts of worn overalls, pants and whatever came her way.
If Grandma and Grandpa ever ate in a restaurant or short order place I never knew about it. Their daily meals might have been simple but they were on time and adequate. Emma told of one time growing up, she had a toothache so her Father took her to a dentist. When the dentist had fixed her tooth he charged her Father $5.00. Emma said her Father had a fit and never really got over spending $5.00 on one tooth.
Grandpa caught a lot of hell for things he did too. When he built the house in town he fixed a secret place in the basement foundation and kept money there. One day when an old friend from Oregon was visiting, Grandad got real congenial and showed Simon Richards this secret place. I don't think any of us knew about it until then, but before Grandma got through with him we found out about it.
Grandma Busig often told me she believed that children should be seen and not heard. Consequently Ervin was very timid as a child. He sort of out grew it but he was not comfortable socially. He referred to his Father as Cap, I always thought he meant Captain.
The boys were all very mechanical. A neighbor has said the boys would be all over the Model T Ford working it over and Grandpa would be trying to pry one of them loose to help him.
Ervin told that Bill was quite a swain in his younger years. He had a motorcycle with a side car and he was very popular with the girls.
In 1935 they sold the farm and started the move to town.
Grandpa built the house at 330 West Main where they made their home.
Grandpa took care of his own yard until the last couple of years. He made one trip home to Germany before I knew him. At the family Christmas dinners he always said a prayer in German. He really enjoyed the family dinners. At age 92 he passed away on May 8, 1961. Grandma Busig really couldn't live alone so she went to the nursing home section of Logan County Hospital. She passed away on January 30, 1962 at the age of 89.
Their gravestone is a little north and east of the office building at Riverside Cemetery, Sterling, Colorado.
After Mabel read the story of the Busig family she wrote this, "I often think about my Dad and Mother being immigrants. I never knew how old Mom was when her Mother brought her from Canada. Her Mother must have been a very sufficient woman as she always seemed to have a farm. Emma told me that when we lived in Fairbury, Nebraska she would come to our house in her horse and buggy to sew for our family for a few days and then go home. I was too young to remember her, but wish I had known her. Dad, I guess, was willing to risk leaving country and family to avoid the German Army. I imagine there was an adventurous spirit also involved in that move."
Ervin spoke of an Uncle Bill Martin and said what a crack shot he was. In those days wild game often provided the meat for a meal. There used to be abundant rabbit, duck, geese, pheasant, squirrel and grouse.

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Obituary: Final rites for Charles W. Busig , 92, of Sterling who died early this morning in a local hospital, will be conducted at 10 a.m. Thursday from the Jackson Funeral Home, the Rev. Darrell Davis officiating. Mr. Busig was born on January 8, 1869 in Hannover, Germany, the son of August and Rosine Arberg Busig. He came to this country in 1887 and married Victoria C. Martin March 24, 1892, at Swanton, Neb. The couple resided near Fairbury and Grand Island, Neb., before moving to a farm six miles northwest of Sterling in 1917. They farmed until 1938, when they moved to Sterling. Mr. Busig was a member of the Presbyterian Church and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Victoria Catherine Busig of 330 W. Main St.; three sons, William F. Busig and Ervin S. Busig, both of Sterling, and John H. Busig of Vancouver, Wash.; three daughters, Emma M. Daniels of Sterling, Mabel G. Pickell of Denver and Ferne E. Borer of San Francisco, Calif.; 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery. Jackson Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Contributed on 1/21/10

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Record #: 25670

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