1938 HS class in Osmond, Nebraska

This is 1938 class of the local high school in Osmond, Pierce County, Nebraska. I love the handwritten names at the bottom of each photo. These are charming faces. I’m starting randomly as usual with Iona Schultze – bottom row, third from the right.

Iona was born in Nebraska in 1921. Therefore the first census she’s in is 1930. Iona was the 4th of 9 children at that time. The family’s home was in Plum Grove, Pierce, Nebraska – same county as Osmond. Ferdinand and Bessie Schultze, also from NE, were the parents. Ferdinand was a farmer, his parents were from Germany. He was born in 1889 and married when he was 26. Bessie was 17 at the time of the wedding. In 1930 with 9 children she was only 32! In 1940 Ferdinand and Bessie and 8 children (not included Iona) still lived in Pierce county. Ferdinand’s mother, Anna, lived with them as well. Both Ferdinand and Bessie are buried in Osmond Cemetery.

Iona Schultze

There’s not much else out there in online documentation about Iona however. The few family trees that include her have only the 1930 census linked to her as “evidence”. Although a husband and child are both mentioned, there are different ideas on who the husband was (Drake or Van Tassel, maybe both?).  An Iona (Schultze) Van Tassell is mentioned in the book Osmond Nebraska 1890-1990, A Century of Memories. Hopefully, this photo will be a kick start to more research.