Milder Family Story

Gertrude Smith and John Milder met at a so-called meeting place in West Liberty. John belonged to the Catholic Church and Gertrude was a member of the Methodist Church. Gertrude converted to the Catholic religion and married John on April 6, 1910 at St. Joseph's Church. It was a lovely day and a lovely wedding. Those present included Gertrude's attendants, their immediate families, and a few friends. After the wedding, a dinner prepared by Gertrude's cousins was served at her home.

Gertrude wore a long white dress and veil made of silk. Her going away dress was lavender and she wore a green hat with lilac flowers on it. "It was really pretty", she recalled.

Their wedding trip was from West Liberty to Nichols on the train. They stayed overnight at the home of John's mother.

John and Gertrude on their
wedding day.

John and Gertrude's first home was in Nichols, Iowa. They lived there from April until September of that year. The house was sold so they moved to a small place near West Liberty. There John farmed and did carpentry work. They traveled by horse and buggy. Their first child was a son, Edward, born in January, 1911. Two daughters, Mary, 1912, and Louise, 1913, followed.

Around this time they decided to move to another farm between West Liberty and Nichols. They farmed there for several years and attended St. Mary's Church in Nichols. Three children were born during this period. Wilhelmina was born in 1914; Elizabeth, 1915; and Paul, 1917. Edward and Mary attended a one-room school.

In 1917, during World War I, the family had its first farm sale. Because of the war, prices were good. The family then moved out of state to a farm near Greeley, Neb. They kept most of their possessions and made the trip by train. John and Uncle Ruby took the livestock, machinery and the 1910 Ford. Gertrude took the children by passenger train. All the children had whooping cough.