born: 15 Feb 1901, Monroe Twp,near Parkersburg,Butler Co.,Iowa
bapt: 27 Mar 1901, Parkersburg,Butler Co.,Iowa, at St. Patricks Catholic Church
died: 4 Aug 1965, Monroe Twp,near Parkersburg,Butler Co.,Iowa
bur.: 7 Aug 1965, Parkersburg,Butler Co.,Iowa, at St. Patricks Cemetery
occu: farmer and grain elevator operator
Father: Charles Lemuel CASWELL (1871-)
Mother: Mary THORSON (1875-)
Georgia (Nicklaus) Rewerts wrote the following about Lu:
One last story I would like to tell you is about Lula Mae Caswell
Nicklaus. She was legally my stepmother, but you couldn't have
found a more loving or generous mother for four kids anywhere in
the world. When Lu knew that her time was limited, she adopted all
four of us kids. On the papers it said, father--none. I liked to
kid her a lot about that and asked her if she didn't want to name
anyone as she wasn't sure who was the father of her four kids.
She had a sense of humor and laughed right along with it. To this
day I sometimes think I have to call Lu and tell her ..........
She is still missed very much as are all of the ones who are gone,
but not forgotten.
``Grandma Lu'' was the only grandmother on the Nicklaus side that
Peter B.'s grandchildren ever knew, of course. Here are my (Dennis Nicklaus')
recollections of her: I only knew her
after they moved to town. Since we always lived a couple hours away in Iowa,
we visited just a few times a year and stayed for a weekend.
We'd always get together at her house
at Christmas (usually the weekend before or after) with all the other cousins.
I remember the funniest things, looking back now to when I was a kid. I remember
Lu had a big salt and pepper shaker collection. She always had a huge Christmas
cactus in the front room. Shoots off that plant are still (1997) around ---
I think my mom has some that started off of it. For Easter, Lu would always
hang colored plastic eggs from an old branch in a pot on the front porch.
She also had a nice old music box that ran off of the old paper scrolls with
holes punched in them that we'd play with.
One time when we were visiting and there was a bunch of bees somewhere in the
front yard. Somehow, I was trying to protect my sister, gallant young boy
that I was, and I wound up getting stung. I remember it really hurt!
Lula is listed in the 1910 census with her parents Lun(?
It is hard to read) Caswell, 39, and Mary, 35. They have three
children, Hazel, 5, Thoedor, 3, and Lula, 12 months. They
are in Riverdale Twp, Watonwan Co., MN (page 6B).
