Interesting Items About the Weide Family - by Ray Weide
Godfrey Weide was a man of great strength. The story is told that a walking plow was broken in ploughing up the sod and not wishing to take a team of horses out of the field, he walked 15 miles to Le Roy, Kansas, bought a new one, hoisted it to his shoulders and walked back home with it. This story was verified by a neighbor, a Mr. Shepard, who gave Weide a lift for several miles on his wagon when he found him walking down the road.
Since the Godfrey and Charles Weides were German immigrants, their home was always open to new immigrants who came from Germany. The large farming operations also needed many hands and many of these people worked for Godfrey and Charles Weide before setting up their own operations. The writer remembers four young men who came from Germany and stayed in the Ed Weide family until they could find other employment. All members of the Weide family were expected to be taught the German language through the third generation. So it happened when this writer started to school at the age of five years, he knew so little English that he and the teacher had difficulty understanding one another. During his college days this became of great value since he was required to have three years of a foreign language for a degree, so he chose German and he became known as "Dutch" Weide on the Baker campus for his fluency in that language. All services of the Evangelical Turkey Creek Church were conducted in German and this writer can well remember when Rev. Rodewald read the first English sermon on a Sunday evening in the year 1912. When the first English S.S. class was organized, the older members shook their heads in dismay.
You may remember that Karl Weide, a brother of Godfrey Weide, settled along Turkey Creek three miles to the East. This man and his sons, "Little Billie", August, C.T., and Gustaf were known as the shouting Weides and at revival meeting they were as their best. They would roam the aisles shouting, jumping, hugging one another and giving free reign to their religious enthusiasm. One night at a meeting in the Turkey Creek, August got happy, jumped up and down with such force that the stove pipes came tumbling down, throwing soot all over the church. Meetings had to be closed for several evenings until the church could be cleaned up.
This writer does not remember his Grandfather very well due to his death in early life, but his wife became known as the grand lady to all members of that branch of the family. Her home was always spotless, and she was always ready to help when trouble arose. She took a great pride in all her grandchildren. At the time of her death (she lived to be nearly 100 years of age) she had 60 grandchildren and many great grandchildren.
After the death of Charles Weide, his brother Frederick, or Uncle Fritz as he was known, became the patriarch of the Weide clan. He was well known for his good judgement and his neighborly attitude. We remember him best as he rode around the countryside on his black stallion "Kernel". With his full beard flying, he looked like one of the prophets right out of the Old Testament.
William, another brother of Frederick and Charles, was known as Uncle Billy who lived at the headwaters of Owl Creek, was the real sheepman of the family and always kept large flocks of sheep until the time of his death. Sheep shearing time usually called for a meeting at his place to see who could shear the most sheep in one day.
One of the large buildings which housed the large flocks of sheep which Godfrey and his son Charles kept, was known as the old sheep barn for many years. This barn had two driveways and a ten foot stone wall for a basement, in which sheep were fed and kept during stormy weather. Soon after this barn was built a colony of Russian Mennonites moved into a settlement known as Nikkeltown. Having no shelter, they were invited by the Weides to use the barn as temporary housing. At one time sixteen families lived in the tops and bottom of this barn. It was these people who helped Godfrey Weide build the old house.
The cabin in which Godfrey Weide lived when he came to Turkey Creek was located on a little mound on the north bank of the creek. On the South side of the creek and to the west were dense thickets which were used by the Osage Indians for shelter from the winter storms. Godfrey Weide was well known for his ability as a butcher and especially for the sausage he made. The Indians would often come to the cabin door and beg for Hog-a-meat as they termed it. Since it was during the winter months that the tribes would spend a part of their time making weapons for their hunting expeditions, many of these artifacts were left at their camp sites. We picked up many arrowheads and even one battle ax while helping plow the field south of the creek. Unfortunately, these were lost as our family moved to another community.
We would hope that other members of the family will sometime take time out to add to these stories and keep the history of this family for another generation.
Godfrey Weide was a man of great strength. The story is told that a walking plow was broken in ploughing up the sod and not wishing to take a team of horses out of the field, he walked 15 miles to Le Roy, Kansas, bought a new one, hoisted it to his shoulders and walked back home with it. This story was verified by a neighbor, a Mr. Shepard, who gave Weide a lift for several miles on his wagon when he found him walking down the road.
Since the Godfrey and Charles Weides were German immigrants, their home was always open to new immigrants who came from Germany. The large farming operations also needed many hands and many of these people worked for Godfrey and Charles Weide before setting up their own operations. The writer remembers four young men who came from Germany and stayed in the Ed Weide family until they could find other employment. All members of the Weide family were expected to be taught the German language through the third generation. So it happened when this writer started to school at the age of five years, he knew so little English that he and the teacher had difficulty understanding one another. During his college days this became of great value since he was required to have three years of a foreign language for a degree, so he chose German and he became known as "Dutch" Weide on the Baker campus for his fluency in that language. All services of the Evangelical Turkey Creek Church were conducted in German and this writer can well remember when Rev. Rodewald read the first English sermon on a Sunday evening in the year 1912. When the first English S.S. class was organized, the older members shook their heads in dismay.
You may remember that Karl Weide, a brother of Godfrey Weide, settled along Turkey Creek three miles to the East. This man and his sons, "Little Billie", August, C.T., and Gustaf were known as the shouting Weides and at revival meeting they were as their best. They would roam the aisles shouting, jumping, hugging one another and giving free reign to their religious enthusiasm. One night at a meeting in the Turkey Creek, August got happy, jumped up and down with such force that the stove pipes came tumbling down, throwing soot all over the church. Meetings had to be closed for several evenings until the church could be cleaned up.
This writer does not remember his Grandfather very well due to his death in early life, but his wife became known as the grand lady to all members of that branch of the family. Her home was always spotless, and she was always ready to help when trouble arose. She took a great pride in all her grandchildren. At the time of her death (she lived to be nearly 100 years of age) she had 60 grandchildren and many great grandchildren.
After the death of Charles Weide, his brother Frederick, or Uncle Fritz as he was known, became the patriarch of the Weide clan. He was well known for his good judgement and his neighborly attitude. We remember him best as he rode around the countryside on his black stallion "Kernel". With his full beard flying, he looked like one of the prophets right out of the Old Testament.
William, another brother of Frederick and Charles, was known as Uncle Billy who lived at the headwaters of Owl Creek, was the real sheepman of the family and always kept large flocks of sheep until the time of his death. Sheep shearing time usually called for a meeting at his place to see who could shear the most sheep in one day.
One of the large buildings which housed the large flocks of sheep which Godfrey and his son Charles kept, was known as the old sheep barn for many years. This barn had two driveways and a ten foot stone wall for a basement, in which sheep were fed and kept during stormy weather. Soon after this barn was built a colony of Russian Mennonites moved into a settlement known as Nikkeltown. Having no shelter, they were invited by the Weides to use the barn as temporary housing. At one time sixteen families lived in the tops and bottom of this barn. It was these people who helped Godfrey Weide build the old house.
The cabin in which Godfrey Weide lived when he came to Turkey Creek was located on a little mound on the north bank of the creek. On the South side of the creek and to the west were dense thickets which were used by the Osage Indians for shelter from the winter storms. Godfrey Weide was well known for his ability as a butcher and especially for the sausage he made. The Indians would often come to the cabin door and beg for Hog-a-meat as they termed it. Since it was during the winter months that the tribes would spend a part of their time making weapons for their hunting expeditions, many of these artifacts were left at their camp sites. We picked up many arrowheads and even one battle ax while helping plow the field south of the creek. Unfortunately, these were lost as our family moved to another community.
We would hope that other members of the family will sometime take time out to add to these stories and keep the history of this family for another generation.
Updated 8 February 2025