families. They embarked at Bremen, Germany on the ship S.S. Herman and arrived at the port of Baltimore, Maryland in 1874. These Russian-German families, the Hiebs came westward and settled in Bon Homme County, during Ulysses S. Grant’s administration, and all homesteaded together. They obtained farms from a land company at Tyndall, which were in the Emanuel Creek Vicinity. The brothers starting out were poor, but they and their families came together to overcome many obstacles. Their first homes were sod houses, which housed several families and the animals. Tyndall and Yankton were the nearest towns. Flour and other necessities were transported by walking to and from town. Some of the Hieb native prairie land still contains the old wagon trail ruts that led to Yankton. Hogs were loaded five or six at a time on a wagon and hauled to Tripp. This journey usually started before sunrise. When they arrived in Tripp, they were met by several hog buyers, who bid for them competitively. In 1918 ten hogs were sold for $600. Cattle were purchased on the farm by a buyer. They were then herded down the road by several riders. This drive usually started at the Hieb farm and they gathered cattle from other farms as they headed for town. The men would wait until the cattle were out of sight and not likely to return and then fix all the fences that had been trampled by the frightened cattle. Saturday night barn dances were held for entertainment in the early days. The bands that played also would stop and play at farms on their way to and from their destination. The storage of food was a problem. Sheep were usually butchered just before Christmas. The pork and beef was buried in wheat for storage during the winter. In 1875, my Great, Great Grandfather Christian Hieb helped organize the Immanuel Reformed Church. He donated some acreage for the new building. He passed away in 1903, and is buried in the cemetery, but the church no longer is there. My Great Grandmother Eva Kaul’s family came from South Russia and they were called the Black Sea Russian-Germans. They farmed in the Tyndall area as well with their arrival very similar to the Hiebs’. Three of Eva’s sisters died in the blizzard of 1888. Many of the children that were caught in school when the blizzard of 1888 hit did not survive. Visibility was absolutely zero; the death toll was 235 including many children. The grief could never be erased from her father’s mind and he never allowed his remaining children to attend school when the winter weather was even slightly uncertain. This is why she did not know very much English as her parents taught them the German language. Eva married Adolf Hieb, my Great Grandfather and moved to Harrold, South Dakota where they farmed and had fifteen children. My grandfather Samuel Hieb being one of the fifteen and father to my mother. My mom always referred to her father as “Daddy”, as she lost him at the young age of seven due to a hunting accident. Because of the loss of my grandfather when mom was so young she didn’t grow up hearing the stories from her father of his ancestor’s before him and where we came from in order to pass down to her own children and so on. See each generation either tell the tales or records into documents how the path began and with out that eventually it disappears completely and there is no longer a way to connect. “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” —Marcus Garvey Human beings desire attachment, belonging, and connection. The relationships we form with other people can be incredibly durable, not only with people in our present, but also with people in our past and future. The more we discover about our past, the greater a connection we feel to our ancestors. As we record our own history, we open the opportunity for future generations to connect with us when we are gone. Knowing our family history builds resilience. In learning about our ancestors’ lives, we can see patterns of overcoming failures and surviving hard times. Their stories remind us that surely not everything in life will work easily, that disappointments occur and inequalities exist, but that we can recover, triumph, and find happiness despite hardships. Our family history goes beyond the names and dates we find in our tree. It’s about what makes us who we are. It’s about people with whom we can form deep connections. It’s about people who lived and breathed and suffered and triumphed. It’s about roots and branches and leaves and entire forests. It’s about all of us. n More photos at www.hervoiceonline.com “We’ve Got You Covered” We Are A Team Of Experts! Urgent Need? Call Us. (605) 857-1472 • Family Owned Over 10 Years Experience • Insurance Preferred Contractor • NO OBLIGATION Inspection & Estimate • Licensed/Bonded/ Insured 1600 Whiting Dr., Yankton, SD HERVOICEvJULY/AUGUST 2019v31