Yuma County, Colorado
Photographs

 COGenWeb Logo
Home Page Photograph Index Site Index

Yuma County Pioneer Photographs:

William F. and Lizzie (Clausen) Kerst, mother Martha Clausen, sister Alice (Clausen) Tilton, Yuma



In 1880 Lancaster County, Nebraska, Henry Goldbaum is 61, Henry Goldbaum 28 Son, Conrad Kerst 28 Son, Sarah Kerst 26 Wife, Caroline Kerst 8 Daughter, Alice Kerst 3 Daughter, Melinda Looker 33 Sister-in-law, Louisa Broady 57 Mother-in-law, and Laura Looker 3 Niece.

In 1900 Fillmore County, Nebraska, Conrad Kerst is 48, Sarah Kerst 47 Wife, Gertude Kerst 16 Daughter, Bessie Kerst 15 Daughter, William Kerst 12 Son, Walter Kerst 9 Son, Sarah Kerst 7 Daughter, and Clara Kerst 4 Daughter.

William's sister Alice died in 1902, Alice A. Kerst Grant BIRTH 1877 Nebraska, DEATH 1902 Raymond, Lancaster County, Nebraska, BURIAL Oak Creek Cemetery Raymond, Lancaster County, Nebraska, MEMORIAL ID 94640057.

LIZZIE'S FAMILY

May 22, 1919 Smith Center, Kansas " Death, the result of appendicitis, came to relieve the sufffering of Robert Bull at his home in the northeast part of town Friday. For several days after a surgical operation the week before he seemed to be getting better, but a turn for the worse came and he had not the strength left to successfully combat it.
Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon in the local Methodist church, Rev. S. A. D. Rogers preaching the sermon. Burial was in Fairview cemetery, the local Odd Fellows lodge, of which Robert had long been a loyal member, having charge of the services at the grave. He was a charter member of the Canton of that lodge, and his services are bound to be greatly missed.
Robert Edward Bull was born in Gardner, Grundy county, I11., August 13, 1869, and died in Smith Center, Kan., May 16, 1919 at the age of 49 years. 9 months and 3 days. He came with his parents, the late W. R Bull and wife, to Beaver township, this county, during the seventies and spent most of his life there. About six vears ago he moved to this city and cared most tenderly for his parents until they died a couple of years ago.
He was married to Mrs. Mary Gould on June 2, 1915, and to them was born one son, William Robert Bull, who is less than a month old. Besides his wife and young son he leaves to mourn his loss two step-daughters, Mildred and Mareuerite Gould, and four sisters.
The latter are Mrs. Joe Drew, Reamsville, Mrs. Lizzie Harris, Blanche, Colo., Mrs. Martha Clausen, Yuma, Colo., and Mrs. Mary Skinner, Kensington. A fifth sister, Mrs. Emma Overton, died in Kankakee, I11., last winter."

In 1900 Smith County, Kansas, Martha Clawson is 43, Sadie E. Clawson 17 Daughter, Lizzie Clawson 10 Daughter, Minnie C. Clawson 7 Daughter, Henry G. Clawson 5 Son, Alice Clawson 3 Daughter, and Robt. E. Overton 20 Boarder.

In 1910 Smith County, Johnnie R. Skinner is 65, Martha Skinner 53 Wife, Minnie C. Clawson 17 Daughter, George H. Clawson 13 Step Son, and Alice Clawson 13 Step Daughter.

Lizzie's sister Alice married John M. Tilton and moved to Yuma, where John did plastering and wall-papering.

1918 Yuma

Alice died in Yuma.



Lizzie's sister Sadie was in Smith County in 1920, and in Englewood, Colorado in 1940 Robert E. Overton is 60, Sadie E. Overton 57 Wife is a clerk.

Sadie E. Overton BIRTH 1883 DEATH 3 Oct 1951 Englewood, Arapahoe County, Colorado, BURIAL Littleton Cemetery Littleton, Arapahoe County, Colorado, PLOT Block CC, Lot 3, Grave 4 MEMORIAL ID 7892812.

Lizzie's mother Martha claimed land near hers in Yuma County





Sister Minnie was in Yuma County in 1920, Gilbert Mosher, farming, 31, Minnie Mosher 26 Wife, Glenda Mosher 8 Daughter, Delpha Mosher 5 Daughter, and Malvin Mosher 0 Son.


In 1910 Smith County, Kansas, William Kerst 22 is renting a farm, Lizzie Kerst 20 Wife, Orley Kerst 2 Son, and Opal Kerst 0 Daughter.


William proved up a quarter in section 19, 1N 48W in 1915. His land bordered Washington County.

In 1920 Yuma County, William F. Kerst is farming, 34, Lizzie Kerst 30 Wife, Orlie Kerst 12 Son, Opal Kerst 9 Daughter, Harold Kerst 6 Son, and Bernard Kerst 2 Son.

May 1949 Yuma

November 1956 "Mr. and Mrs. William Kerst of Denver, former residents of Yuma county, observed their golden wedding anniversary on Sunday, November 14. at their home in Denver. Mr and Mrs. Kerst were married at Smith Center. Kan. on November 13, 1906. They came to Colorado forty-five years ago and homesteaded south of Yuma. This county was their home until this past year when they retired and moved to Denver. The children and their families were home for the dinner and the guests numbered forty. Attending from this community were Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Kerst and family, the Bernard Kerst family, Mrs. Elmer Mekelburg and her family from Lone Star."

"William F. Kerst, a resident of Yuma county for the most part of his life, died Monday, Jan. 14, 1957, in Denver after a serious illness of several weeks. He had undergone surgery recently.
Mr. Kerst was born in 1888 and died only a few hours before he would have been 69 years old.
The funeral services will be this Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Presbyterian church in Yuma, followed by burial in the Yuma cemetery.
Mr. Kerst lived mostly in the Yuma area. He and his wife homesteaded south of Yuma, then moved north of Yuma in the Lone Star community. For a while they lived in Yuma while Mr. Kerst operated the Yuma Sale Barn. For the past fifteen years they had divided their residence between a home in Denver and their farm home at Lone Star.
Mr. and Mrs. Kerst recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their home in Denver.
Survivors include his wife, Lizzie; five children, Bernard and Harold of Wray, Orlie of Wiggins, Opal Mekelburg and Doris Imhoff of Lone Star; two sisters, Mrs. Helen White and Mrs. Sadie Murphy, both of Lincoln, Neb., and one brother, Walter Kerst of Dunning, Neb."


William Frederick Kerst BIRTH 15 Jan 1886 Princeton, Lancaster County, Nebraska, DEATH 14 Jan 1957 Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, BURIAL Yuma Cemetery Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, PLOT Original 215 MEMORIAL ID 50842479.

Lizzie Clausen Kerst BIRTH 19 Aug 1889 Reamsville, Smith County, Kansas, DEATH 8 Jul 1988 Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, BURIAL Yuma Cemetery Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, PLOT Original 215 MEMORIAL ID 50842477.




1978

ORLIE

Orlie Alfred Kerst BIRTH 16 Jan 1908 Reamsville, Smith County, Kansas, DEATH 29 Apr 1971 Denver, Denver County, Colorado, BURIAL Yuma Cemetery Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, PLOT North Addition K A 1 MEMORIAL ID 50842478/

OPLE

April 1957 Yuma



1982 Yuma



Ople Alnora Kerst Mekelburg BIRTH 20 Mar 1910 Smith Center, Smith County, Kansas, DEATH 20 Jul 1986 Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, BURIAL Yuma Cemetery Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, MEMORIAL ID 73216594.

September 1970 "Mr. and Mrs. Art Mekelburg and Mrs. Anna Hisam visited at the Herman Mosher home in Greeley. They were dinner guests Sunday at the Ray Mekelburg home in Fort Collins."

HAROLD
January 1957 " Mr. and Mrs. George W. Calvert of 829 G Street in Springfield, Ore., are observing their golden wedding anniversary on Sunday, February 3, which is being attended by Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Kerst, John and Joe of Wray, who left Saturday morning for Springfield.
Hosts at the open house honoring the couple will be their children, Mrs. Kerst, Merle Calvert of Waverly, Ohio, Ervin Calvert of Kent, Wash., and Glen Calvert of Canyon City, Ore., and their families.
The Wray people plan to return home by February 7,.

" Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Kerst celebrated their silver wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 11, 1961 at their home east of Wray where they were hosts at a family party with over fifty relatives as guests for dinner. Among the out-of-town guests were the two mothers, Mrs. George Calvert of Springfield, Ore., and Mrs. William Kerst of Denver, a brother and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Calvert of Seneca, Ore., Mr. and Mrs. Joe Snoddy of Sheridan, Wyo., Mr and Mrs. Garth Grissom and baby, Mr. and Mrs. William Kerst and Mike, and Mr. and Mrs. Loren Penton, all of Denver, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Mekelburg of Fort Morgan, and Mr. and Mrs. Herb Drew of Burlington"

" Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Kerst returned home on Monday from Springfield, Ore., where they had been called by the death of Mrs. Kerst's father, George W. Calvert, on November 30, 1959. Services were held at Springfield on the following Friday.
Mr. Calvert was 79 years of age and is survived by his wife, three sons and one daughter. The Calverts lived in Logan county for 25 years before moving to Oregon in 1935."

Harold Frederick “Stub” Kerst BIRTH 14 Feb 1913 Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, DEATH 23 Nov 1974 Lincoln County, Oregon, BURIAL Burial Details Unknown, Specifically: Kerst Ranch MEMORIAL ID 137102725.

Virdie Margaretta Calvert Kerst BIRTH 15 Feb 1912 DEATH 26 Mar 1999 BURIAL Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend MEMORIAL ID 150210707.



December 1956 "The Methodist church in Wray was the scene of a Christmas wedding on Saturday evening, December 15, when Miss Neola Kay Kerst, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Kerst, became the bride of John Roy Drommond, son of Mrs. Gail Brown. The double ring service was read by candlelight at seven-thirty by Rev. James C. Keesey. Barry Bowman was organist and played "Love's Greeting." "A Dream of Love," Schubert's "Serenade" and "The Wedding March."
Mr. Kerst gave his daughter in marriage. She wore a princess style weighted silk coat dress with three-quarter sleeves. The dress and matching accessories were shell pink. She carried a bouquet of white orchids and frenched pink carnations. Miss Elena Kerst, sister of the bride, was her attendant and wore a frosted blue weighted silk, styled with princess lines, and a matching jacket. Her accessories Were pink and her flowers were pink delight roses and carnation florettes.
William H. Edens was the groom's attendant. Another school friend, Dan Jones of Boulder, was also a witness.
The ceremony was attended by the immediate families of the bride and groom and a few close friends, who were guests at a reception afterward at the home of the bride's parents.
The Kerst home was decorated for Christmas-time and the cake carried poinsettia trim.
The bride has been a popular member of the senior class of the Wray high school and the groom is a sophomore at Colorado University. They plan to make their home in Boulder."

BERNARD

Bernard E. Kerst BIRTH 9 Jul 1917 Yuma County, Colorado, DEATH 9 Oct 2004 Glenwood Springs, Garfield County, Colorado, BURIAL Burial Details Unknown MEMORIAL ID 62724941.
"Bernard Kerst was born in Yuma, Colo., on July 9, 1917, to William and Lizzie Kerst. A happy childhood was interrupted by the Great Depression, which forced Bernard to leave high school during his sophomore year to support himself and help his parents. During those hard years, he displayed the work ethic that would exemplify his life.
After developing a small trucking business in his late teens and 20s, and helping build Victory ships in Portland, Ore., during World War II, Bernard began farming and ranching in eastern Colorado. In 1941 he married his life partner, DeVonna "De" Gregory, who preceded him in death in 1999. Bernard and De found their niche on their sandhill ranch north of Wray. He raised cattle, and she tended the horses she loved so much. Bernard then focused his expertise with cattle in the development and operation of a feed lot near Wray. He was a conservationist and served on the board of the East Yuma County Soil Conservation District. Bernard received the annual Bullshippers award from the Farm and Ranch Association for outstanding service and leadership in the agriculture community and was named an honorary member for his support of Future Farmers of America.
Bernard and De had two children: Carolyn, born in 1942, and Dan, in 1950. Carolyn and her husband, Wayne, were killed in a car-train accident in 1966, a loss that Bernard painfully but quietly bore for the balance of his life. Bernard is survived by his son and his wife, Lynne; grandson Jared and his wife, Jenny; and grandson Tyler, his wife, Keturah, and their daughter (and Bernard's delight) Isabel Carolyn, all of Glenwood Springs. Bernard is also survived by his sister, Doris Imhof of Yuma, and by many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his siblings, Orlie "Slim" Kerst, Opel Mekelburg and Harold "Stub" Kerst.
Bernard's failing eyesight and De's emphysema led them to retirement in Tucson, Ariz., in the mid-1980s, when they made many friends from across the country. Bernie, as he was affectionately called in his retirement years, was active in his retirement community, including years of leading an exercise class, which participants called "Bernie's Body Builders."
Bernie moved to Glenwood Springs in 2003 to be close to his family. He attended Mountain View Church regularly, enjoyed the wonderful people at Manor II, and until recent weeks walked the pedestrian bridge almost daily. His sweet and generous spirit was a blessing to his family and all those who came to know him. He will be missed but is finally home with his lord Jesus, De, and Carolyn.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 15, at the United Methodist Church in Wray. Bernard valued quality time with his family and friends in the later years of his life. Dan, Lynne, and their family would like to honor him by encouraging you to do the same. They urge you to take the resources you would use to send flowers (apologies to their florist friends) or donate to your favorite charity and spend it instead on quality time (dinner out, new playing cards or sports equipment, etc.) with your spouse, family, or close friend. Then let them know (kerst@sopris.net) what you did.
The family thanks all who have touched Bernard's life, including the VVH Cancer Center nurses and Roaring Fork Hospice for their wonderful service to Bernard and the family during his battle with cancer.The family thanks all who have touched Bernard's life, including the VVH Cancer Center nurses and Roaring Fork Hospice for their wonderful service to Bernard and the family during his battle with cancer."

Back to Pioneer Photographs.

This page is maintained by M.D. Monk.