Nicholas Ries 1851-1937

RIES, WELTER, DONALD, SCHWARTZ

Posted By: Geo Clinton (email)
Date: 8/7/2012 at 14:05:14

Nov 16, 1937 - Humboldt Independent - Livermore — Nicholas Ries, at 86, died at his home here early Sunday following a brief illness. Funeral arrangements have been made for 9 o'clock Wednesday at Sacred Heart church. Burial will be at St Joe.

Mr Ries has been a resident of this place for the last 29 years and has lived in Humboldt county since 1873. He leaves a widow who is 83, and 7 children: Mrs. Mary Welter of Bradgate; Mrs Anna Welter of Livermore; Charles of Bode; Henry of Rodman; John of Clarmont, MN; Mrs Barbara Donald of Fort Dodge; and Katherine Ries of Des Moines; 17 grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren.

The Reis's celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary Sept 30 this year. They were wed in Minnesota and moved immediately to the Charles Coy farm in Humboldt county.

He was born in Luxembourg and came to America at the age of 16. She was born Anna Schwartz in Bohemia, and came to Wisconsin with her parents. When she was six the family moved to Wagasha county, Minnesota, by oxen. When first married the Ries lived a short time in a school house until a small frame building could be built for them on the Coy land. Lacking money to buy furniture at that time, they made a bed from logs, using rope for slats and a straw tick for a mattress. During the winter they often had to shovel snow from the attic to keep their furniture from being ruined, their first child was born in that building and "it was strong and healthy" Mrs Ries remarked.

Grasshoppers were extremely destructive during the first year of their marriage. Mr. Rles once described his corn stalks to have been going down as if cut with a knife while he was plowing the corn in 1874. Droves of the insects hid the sun often during '75, but some crop was harvested. That year he planted 20 bushels of wheat, and harvested 20 bushels. The next year hoppers cleaned out everything planted. However the succeeding seasons were better and profits enabled him to purchase 200 acres east of Bode in 1881. The couple lived on this farm with the exception of a few months spent in California, until they moved to Livermore.