Lenus Mundt MHS 1957
Back: Lyle, Lenus, Paul
Front: Janis, August, Eileen (Rothfolk), Larry
Minnie (Hansen) Lampe, August & Eileen (Rothfolk) Mundt
Lenus Mundt
Washington No. 9 page 77 of the Manning Schools history book
Roger Hargens, Paul Mundt
Lenus Mundt, Larry Knudson
Janis Mundt
Mundt farm
Back: Katherine, Henry, Jr.
Middle: Annie, August
Front seated: Milda, Louis
In 1896, Heinrich found the body of a peddler on the farm place. According to the Carroll paper, "his head was shot to pieces with gunshot and was a ghastly sight to look upon". A neighbor, Pete Wiese, was charged with the murder and jailed for eight months but a jury found him not guilty. This, according to the paper, "enshrouds the murder of the unfortunate Jew peddler in darker mystery."
Heinrich purchased the farm from his uncle in 1898. He married Mary Hansen (daughter of Trienke Ehrichs and August Frederick Hansen) March 4, 1900 with Preacher Martens officiating. Heinrich and Mary had seven children, Louis, August, Catherine, Henry, Annie, Milda, and Mary (who died in infancy). Louis and Henry both served their country during World War II, with Louis injured during a battle in Germany.
Heinrich died in 1954 and Mary died two years later.
August recalled doing farm work for Perry Fisher where he earned $10 a month, plus meals. In the 1920s and 1930s August "witched" for water and dug water wells throughout rural Manning. Many of the wells were dug by hand in 1931; the work was made easier with the purchase of a horse-operated well digger.
On December 18, 1938, August married Eileen Rothfolk. Eileen was the daughter of James Rothfolk and Sophia Grau and the granddaughter of August and Mary Grau and Peter and Emma Rothfolk. Eileen was born in Audubon July 29, 1916, and grew up on her parent's farm south of Manning. Eileen's parents told her if she didn't behave after getting her Christmas presents, the "rauber kerl" (robber man) would come and take the presents away!
Eileen worked for her aunt and uncle, Ida and August Kusel, milking cows and cleaning house for $1.25 a week. August and Eileen had five children, Larry now living in Fort Worth, Texas, Lyle of Lynnwood, Washington, Janis of Spalding Nebraska, Paul of Jackson Tennessee and Lenus of Sacramento, California. Eileen was especially proud of her lemon jelly roll recipe and how clean she kept her family's clothes. She washed clothes with water heated to boiling on a wood-burning stove. She enjoyed listening to polka music and cooking "blout vus" and "swat sua" (both included hog's blood as a key ingredient).
In the mid-1940s, August served as director of Washington Township School District No. 9, the same country school he attended as a child. On May 12, 1950, one of August's cows was selected from photos mailed in to radio station KIOA and named "Miss Moo of 1950." Miss Moo won a spring bonnet. In 1952, August won a $25 first prize in the "Corn Days" contest for the longest ear of corn, measuring 14 and 5/8 inches. August worked on his father's farm all his life and purchased the land in 1957. In 1959, August bought the depot built for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad in Manning and had it moved to the farm where it is still used as a garage.
August took pride in keeping his corn rows straight and his fields weed-free. He played accordion for his children and grandchildren and gave away his prized watermelons to friends and neighbors.
Following August's death March 9, 1988, Eileen moved to Manning where she died February 13, 2004. Part of August and Eileen's farm is still owned by sons Paul and Lyle, keeping the property in the Mundt family for over 127 years.
August Mundt, Melvin Kusel, Alan Kusel, Amos Kusel, Bernard Lengemann, Emil Ress
Building the Quonset on the August & Ida Kusel farm 1962.