Bad Handwriting...

Husel, Hansel, Housel... take your pick.  For a long time I believed the married name of my 1st cousin 2x removed was one of these eventually the correct name surfaced, it is "Housel".  That made researching this line and their children so much easier.  I found "Charles Lawson Housel"  in the 1940 USA Census living in Colorado with a second wife named Viola M. He was her second husband research in to that gives her first married name as Gould and her maiden name as Chapman. Viola was childless and seems to have been the Nurse in his Practice.

My cousin Georgie Anna Grace L Begg born 1875 in New Brunswick, Canada died in 1930 in Colorado. Charles and Georgie had 2 daughters and 3 sons all born in Nebraska. Her Father was a Presbyterian Minister in Scotland, Canada and finally in Nebraska.

I do have another Post written earlier about her parents William Proudfoot Craig Begg and his wife Fanny.

Charles Lawson Housel was descended from Early Pioneers to Nebraska and I have been able to find stories and research done by others on this family. Part of an account written about his parents Gardner Housel and Mary Jane Cook in the early days from a history of Nebraska...

• Mr. Housel killed many deer and buffalo, hunting in the main herd of them about Christmas in 1873. Grasshoppers destroyed his wheat and rye the following year, but the corn made a partial crop after the pests left. The blizzard of April 12 to 14, 1873, was disastrous to their stock. They had just bought some cattle from Mrs. Housel's home folk, and lost all but one cow and calf Mrs. Housel kept in the kitchen during

  the storm. The winter of the deep snow, 1880 and 1881, was severe on the settlers; the last snow of the season fell May 22, 1881. Mrs. Housel was herding their cattle on the prairies at the time and well remembers the circumstance. In the sudden and severe blizzard of January 12, 1888, Mr. Housel was returning with a load of straw; the wind was of such force that he got home with only the small amount on which he was lying. The two older boys were at school and remained at a neighbor's all night.

  
  
  
  Other writings tell of Gardner's Parents as living in earthen dug outs before the farm was built.
  
  
  Life must have been so hard, the following is a letter I found in the history of Nebraska.
  
  

  Women's Lives on the Great Plains

  Men often struck out for the Great Plains on their own, leaving their wives and children (or wives-to-be) behind. Once women came west, however, they were certainly their husbands' partners in terms of taking on the work involved in making a home on the Plains. Both Mattie and Laura wrote to family members about their work, work that included cleaning, washing, child care, gardening, cooking, sewing, and more. A letter from Estella Stilgebouer (one of Uriah and Mattie's daughters) describes how hard women's work was, even as late at 1911:

  …I had a big washing and ironing to do house to straighten out bread to bake etc. and when Sat night came about 5 P.M. I had to lay down was just about give out. and my feet hurt me so I could scarcely stand. the balls of them even swelled. Mon & Tues this week we have worked in the garden, as the weeds were grown pretty bad. Then we washed this morning. I have been so tired since we got back. seems like I cant get rested, but has been too much push work I guess.

  My garden is pretty good. have had radishes onions, lettuce peas and beets. we started 200 strawberry plants this spring they are doing fine.

  Letter from Estella Stilgebouer to Ella Roesch, June 21, 1911

  Some Early Dwellings in Custer County Nebraska
  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  From looking at the research of others the Housel Family goes way back in  to Gemany in the 1600's before Gardner Housel and Mary Ann Cook left the New York area to settle in Nebraska.