I generally don't have the time or take the time to show one of many little projects I work on day to day, but since I had help on a picture I featured in the Manning Monitor, I thought I would show it here and include some of the information connected to this picture and family...
I spent time over several days running around to find and visit with Marlene Siepker and her cousin, Melvin Renze and they were both very helpful. Marlene is 91 and Mel is 96 and I teased them that they are not old enough for many of the old pictures and projects I work on.

This plowing bee picture came from the huge collection of Lila Handlos - her son, Tom, called me one day in 2016 to pick up that collection so I could scan it...which included 10 scrapbooks and a number of loose items (400 items scanned).

I could pick out Frank Handlos in the picture and a few others looked familiar but couldn't come up with names.
Then Marlene Siepker called me about the picture I featured in the January 11 Monitor and said she could ID some more people and told me this plowing bee was on her parents' farm northeast of Manning.
Once I opened the picture I immediately could see several of the Renze girls and specifically picked out Marlene.
If I know the family connected to a picture, sometimes I can ID some of the people in that picture, based on family resemblances and decades of working on old family pictures...which is why I keep begging to scan people's collections of Manning.

Update: Marlene Siepker found this same picture in an old scrapbook recently and on back, amazingly, the names were written down, so now I have all of the names.

Manning, Iowa
"Home of Pioneer Spirit"
Where independent & rugged-thinking individuals (both past & present) work together to accomplish great things for the community!

On the Fred & Frances Renze farm - April 1943
Theodore Trecker, Ben Sextro, Frankie Handlos, Herman Sonksen, Gilbert Renze, Frank "Shorty" Sextro, Ben Lechtenberg, Marlene Renze, Otto Billmeier, Herbert Sextro, Bill Mergele, Virginia Renze, Ray Hagedorn, Henry Espenhover holding Joyce Renze


Theodore Trecker, Ben Sextro, Frankie Handlos, Herman Sonksen, Gilbert Renze, Frank "Shorty" Sextro, Ben Lechtenberg, Marlene Renze


Otto Billmeier, Herbert Sextro, Bill Mergele, Virginia Renze, Ray Hagedorn, Henry Espenhover holding Joyce Renze
Donna Renze (another daughter of Fred) wasn't at the plowing bee as she was attending St. Anthony Academy in Carroll.

Here is the article Marlene had about the Plowing Bee.

FARMERS FURNISH 11 TRACTORS TO ASSIST NEIGHBOR FRIEND - Circa 1942
A display of loyalty and the good neighbor policy was evidenced on Tuesday when friends and neighbors gathered at the Fred Renze farm 3 miles east and 1 mile north of Manning to plow and prepare 35 acres of land preparatory to corn planting.
Mr. and Mrs. Renze have been in Rochester, Minnesota, for nine weeks since April 15, 1942, where Mrs. Renze (Frances) is submitting to cancer treatments in the Mayo Clinic. Mr. Renze is remaining with her to give her all necessary care and to assure her transportation to and from the clinic. Because of this he has been unable to remain at home and keep up with the farm work which is pressing at this time of season.
Neighbors and friends realized his situation and came forward with loyal and determined efforts to see that the necessary work was taken care of and things gotten ready for the planting season.
Eleven tractors with plow attachments and other equipment drove on to his place Tuesday and immediately set in to make short work of the 35 acres that had not been plowed and by evening the work was practically finished, and a good neighbor was made happy.
Henry Espenhover took the supervision in hand and was ably assisted by the following who were there and furnished tractors and equipment and their labor: John Sextro, Frank Sextro, Ben Sextro, Frank Handlos, Bert Petersen, Frank Fangman, Ben Lechtenberg, Otto Billmeier, Herman Sonksen, Gilbert Renze, Roy Hagedorn.
Mrs. Roy Hagedorn and Leona Lechtenberg took charge of preparing the food for the men and must be complimented for their fine work.
The above is a fine example of what friendship and co-operation means as one to another and especially in these times when help is scarce and production means more than it ever did before.
These people realized that a friend and neighbor was in need of help and gladly came forward to see that it was given; no better reward can be had than friendship such as this.

It always takes extra time but one thing I've learned is I have to listen and visit with people who help me with IDs and information.
They enjoy talking about old times and most of the time I find out a lot more information about various subjects, beyond the immediate topic I approached them about...
Here are some little notes I jotted down while visiting with Marlene.

One of the main reasons why I like to work on Manning history is because my family and myself many times have lots of connections to a topic and the Renze farm is one of them.

Some memories by Marlene Renze January 15, 2024 as recorded by Dave Kusel
Fred and Frances Renze were at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for 9 weeks, so the neighbors got together to help plow and plant Fred's corn crop.

Fred and Margaret Renze were raised by Henry & Lena (Renze) Espenhover. Lena was the eldest sibling of Fred & Margaret.
Their father, Diederich, died in 1919, and their mother, Johanna (Hannasch) died in 1910.

Ray & Luella Hagedorn were employed as a hired hand and hired girl by Fred & Frances Renze to assist with the family and do chores while Frances was dealing with her cancer. Luella stayed at the farm during this time.

After Frances passed away, Fred moved his family to Carroll in 1945 where he was employed as a carpenter building houses.

Fred later married Marie Fritz (of Carroll circa 1953) who had Rosemarie, James, and Phyllis Ann Fritz. The marriage didn't last long…
I'm trying to figure out this Fritz family of Carroll.
There was a large Fritz family in the Manning area during this same time frame and I'm wondering if they are related.

Since our AR Kusel operation farmed Fred's land for around 20 years, I asked Marlene if she remembered the original Milwaukee right of way.
The old RR cut was still visible and headed northeast towards Halbur. It was just over the hill north of the east/west road where it would have once crossed the north/south road of that intersection. Today Rural Water has a tower on the southeast part of that intersection.

Marlene said that her sister Virginia would ride the horse up and down the RR grade.
Charles H. Ramsey would raise colts and each year would bring the mare out to the Renze farm with the colt.
Then once the colt was old enough Charles would sell that pony and then breed the mare again.
Marlene remembers the name of the mare was Pearl and one of the colts was Pal.

Fred then filled in that right of way, but Marlene didn't remember any of the details, other than she remembers helping pick up lots of rocks.


I'm sure many people will think this information is a waste of time to record/document but for Renze descendants someday, they will appreciate these little stories that are NO longer told to the younger generations, so they won't be able to pass them along in the future.

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