NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG3622.AM: Gitchel-Larsen Family
Papers: 1862-1962
Gibbon, Amherst, and Riverdale, Buffalo County, Neb.: Farmer, carpenter
Size: 1 box; 0.5 cu.ft.
BACKGROUND NOTE
Benjamin Skiff Gitchel was born in Michigan in 1848. With his wife, Mary Elizabeth Bailey Gitchel, he moved his family to Nebraska in 1880, locating in Valley Township, Buffalo County. Since Mary’s parents had preceded them to Nebraska, their reports had probably influenced the Gitchel’s relocation. Besides farming and raising animals on his homestead, Ben was a carpenter. He constructed a local schoolhouse and was probably the builder of one of the oldest barns in the area. In 1899 the Gitchel’s moved to Amherst, trading their farm for one there. Benjamin S. Gitchel died on January 8, 1907. Mary died in 1925.
The Gitchel-Larsen link was formed in 1905 when Benjamin S. and Mary E. Gitchel’s daughter, Ann Ette, married Andrew L. Larsen. Larsen, born August 12, 1876, was the son of Charles L. and Karen Jensen Didriksen Larsen. A farmer all of his life, Andrew Larsen lived nearly all of his years on Section 18 near Riverdale in Buffalo County. He died in Kearney on December 7, 1960.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of one box of manuscript material arranged in three series: 1) Correspondence, 1862-1962; 2) Genealogical Material; and 3) Miscellany. This material relates to the history and experiences of members of the Gitchel and Larsen families of Buffalo County, Nebraska.
The Correspondence, 1862-1962, of Series 1 is comprised primarily of letters written by Benjamin S. and Mary E. Gitchel. Their letters describe their homesteading experiences in Buffalo County, Nebraska. They provide information on crops and animals raised, prices for farm products, game hunted, timber in the area, weather conditions, the Nebraska Grange, Ben’s carpentry work, and hard times faced during the 1890s. Larsen family letters, between the siblings of Andrew L. Larsen, and Danish letters are also included in this series. Series 2 consists of Genealogical Material dealing with the Gitchel and Larsen families, as well as other families, such as the Didriksens, related to them. Family trees and charts and photocopies of photographs are included. The Miscellany of Series 3 includes writings, orations, and poems by members of the Gitchel Family. Writings of Mary E. Gitchel and Ann Ette Gitchel are identified. Also included are report cards and teacher certification papers of Gitchel family members. Newspaper clippings provide biographical information and material on family reunions.
Note: See also the photo component [RG3622.PH] for photographs relating to the Gitchel-Larsen family.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – Correspondence, 1862-1962
Box 1
Folder
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- Gitchel Family Correspondence, 1877-1888
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- Gitchel Family Correspondence, 1889-1894
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- Gitchel Family Correspondence, 1895-1905, 1913, 1922, 1926 and 1962
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- Larsen Family Correspondence
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- Danish letters, 1862-1867
Series 2 – Genealogical Material
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- Family Trees and Charts
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- Photocopies of photographs
Series 3 – Miscellany
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- Writings delivered or written by members of the Gitchel family
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- Certificates – report cards and teacher certifications
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- Newspaper Clippings – Obituaries and Family Reunion articles
Albert D. Wright, Elements of the English Language. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1872
- Newspaper Clippings – Obituaries and Family Reunion articles
ADDED ENTRIES:
Agricultural history — Nebraska — Buffalo County
Agricultural laborers — Nebraska — Buffalo County
Buffalo County (Neb.) — History
Carpentry — Nebraska
Danes in Nebraska
Farm life — Nebraska — Buffalo County
Gitchel, Benjamin Skiff, 1848-1907
Gitchel, Mary Elizabeth Bailey, 1856-1925
Gitchel family
Homesteads and homesteading — Nebraska — Buffalo County
Larsen, Andrew Lincoln, 1875-1960
Larsen, Ann Ette Gitchel, 1878-1970
Larsen family
AIF/psw 04-17-1980
Encoded TMM 04-07-2010