My Genealogy Hound

GOTTLOB SCKEIKING is one of the earliest settlers of Buffalo county and one of its most substantial farmers. He was born at Wittenburg, Germany, December 13, 1853, and is one of a family of ten children born to John G. and Christena (Munck) Sckeiking, both of whom are natives of Germany, the former having been born in 1819 and the latter in 1824. Gottlob, the subject of this biography, came to this country in 1869 with his parents, being then sixteen years old, and located near Burlington, Iowa, where he engaged in farming for six years. Arriving at his majority, and being thrown upon his own resources, he decided to seek his fortune in the far West, and, accordingly, came to Buffalo county, Nebr., April 4, 1876, and pre-empted a quarter section in section 6, township 10, range 16; built a small house and “bached it.” He broke twenty-five acres that spring and put it into sod corn, which flourished for a time and gave promise of an abundant crop, but was totally destroyed in August by the grasshoppers. For three consecutive years the grasshoppers had destroyed the crops in that section, and the few settlers, being discouraged, left that fall for the East, with the exception of Mr. Sckeiking, who alone remained to spend the winter. He lived on corn bread, a few potatoes, with an occasional jackrabbit sandwiched in; and his nearest neighbor being some three miles distant, there was a time when for two months he never saw the face of a human being. He hauled some wood from government lands upon the Loup river, it requiring three days to prepare and market in Kearney a single load of wood, and he received the small sum of $2 per load for his trouble. The following spring he entered a homestead of a quarter section in section 6, township 10, range 16, and took a timber claim in section 32, township 11, range 16, and put out a large amount of crops. That year proved to be a very prosperous one, and from thirty-five acres of wheat he thrashed five hundred and eighty bushels, which he sold at 80 cents per bushel. He has been very prosperous ever since, and now has three hundred and twenty acres of fine land, two hundred and twenty acres of which are under cultivation. He has a spacious frame dwelling and has just completed a new frame barn.

Mr. Sckeiking was married, April 5, 1880, to Mary Sterley, who was born April 15, 1857, and is the only daughter in a family of eight children born to George and Barbara (Kroft) Sterley, both of whom are natives of Germany, the former having been born in 1825 and the latter in 1822. Her father is a resident of Buffalo county, having located here in 1869. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Sckeiking has resulted in the birth of six children, as follows — George, born May 1, 1881; Christena (deceased), born October 13, 1882; Barbara, born March 23, 1884; Emma, born July 13, 1885; Samuel (deceased), born January 7, 1885, and Julia, born August 28, 1888.

Mr. and Mrs. Sckeiking are both active members of the Lutheran church. Politically he is independent.