Peter and Mary Reinart




Peter Reinart was born at a farm near Roselle, Iowa, on 12 April 1878. He was the sixth son of Mathias and Susanna Reinart. As a toddler he once sat on Buffalo Bill's lap. At the age of eight he traveled alone on a train to the nearby town of Carroll to have his tonsils out. He nearly bled to death on the trip home. When in his mid-twenties Peter went to Nebraska to help with the oats harvest. While there he met and fell in love with Mary Hoffert, the daughter of Anton and Augusta Hoffert. Peter and Mary were married the following January in Axtell, Nebraska.

The newlyweds farmed near Funk, Nebraska, for eight memorable years. There was no means of irrigation, and the prairie fires and duststorms were severe. Mary combated the dust by hanging wet bed sheets over the windows. Once a tornado struck the farm and took all the buildings except the house, which was pushed two inches off its foundation. In 1912 Peter and Mary moved back to Iowa and to a succession of farms near the towns of Carroll and Halbur.

In 1927 Peter gave up farming, turned to carpentry, and moved his family to a house in Halbur, Iowa. There he and Mary spent the remainder of their lives. Both are remembered as gentle and loving people, who never quarreled. Mary loved to dance, especially square dances. She also enjoyed the music of polkas and waltzes. Two of her favorites were the "Blue Shirt Waltz" and "After the Ball Was Over." After their retirement, Peter and Mary spent their time working in a large garden, canning fruits and vegetables, and passing out the surplus to family and friends.

Mary died of breast cancer on 17 August 1956. Peter survived her by seven years, passing away on 21 June 1963. Together they had five children:


Peter and Mary Reinart and Their Daughters

/pictures/whiteball.gif Gladys Mary Reinart (12 November 1905 - 17 December 1940)

/pictures/whiteball.gif Monica Reinart (born and died - 1909)

/pictures/whiteball.gif Bertille Susan Reinart - (born 8 November 1910)

/pictures/whiteball.gif Mary Magdalena Reinart - (born 5 June 1915)

/pictures/whiteball.gif Genevieve Reinart - (born 10 February 1920)



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