1908
The Sanders Family
In 1908, Charles Bruno Sanders and Nellie Wolf Sanders, who had been married in Vinland in 1900, settled on a quarter-section of land in Clinton Township, Douglas County, east of the town of Lone Star. Charles was the son of Nancy Matney Sanders, whose father was an early settler of Douglas County. His father was Harmon Bruno Sanders, who had come from Germany in the 1860s. Charles died in 1943, having labored mightily to support his family through many years of economic hardship.
Nellie had come west from Chicago as a young woman to earn her way by “living in” with families. She exhibited the strong and loving commitment of so many women settlers: to the well-being of family and community. She worked tirelessly toward these ends until her death in 1967.
Their children—George, Mary, Esther, Marion (“Pete”), Arthur (“Blackie”), Frederick (“Fritz”), R.W. (Raymond, or “Tag”) and R. H. ( Richard, or “Wooley”)—grew to adulthood on this land.
Charles and Nellie are remembered with love and respect by their many descendents. Their granddaughter Nancy Patricia Sanders–the daughter of R.W. Sanders and Dorothy Jewell Sanders–and her husband, William J. Crowe, built their home on the site of the original Sanders farmhouse. With Nancy’s sister, Kathryn Sanders Wilson, and her husband, John Ross Wilson, they share in the care of this land and legacy. Nancy and Bill’s daughter, Katherine Mary Crowe—the sixth generation to live in Douglas County—will take up that responsibility in time.
Step Sponsored By: Nancy Sanders and William J. Crowe