Joe and Anna (Hansen) Kuper Family History
Re-built 04 Jan. 2009
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| Joe and Anna Hansen Kuper Nov 11, 1912 | Joe and Anna, ca 1950 |
Children of Joe and Anna Kuper: L-: Alice Hippens, Edna Iverson, Harold Kuper, Josephine Speck, Clarence Kuper, Ethel Hall. 1995. Edna Iverson's home in Ree Heights |
| Parents of Ethel, Lewis, Clarence, Josephine, Harold, Alfred, Edna, Alice | ||
Joseph James Kuper (I think it was John Joseph ... see
Sprenger history link below) was born 9 Apr., 1892, on the family
northeast of Orient, Faulk County, South Dakota to Abehard
and Agnes
Sprenger
Kuper
who had come to America from Germany and settled in Wisconsin before
coming west to Dakota Territory. Joe died in 1977, at the Good Samaritan
Nursing Home in Miller and is buried at Polo.
Anna Caroline Hansen (see link below) was born 9 Dec.1885 in
Wisconsin to Christopher (5'6") and Ingaborg (4'11") Iverson
Hansen. The Hansens, also from Norway, settled in Wisconsin before
moving to near Orient, Faulk County, Dakota Territory. Hansens were
parents of the first child born
in Faulk County. Anna died in June of 1955, at Faulkton of complications
from diabetes.
Anna had homesteaded northwest of Miller, Hand County, and was in the process
of building her own home when Joe met her. They were married Nov. 11, 1912 at
the Hansen homestead nine miles west of Orient. She brought to the family her
daughter, Ethel Elizabeth, (b. Apr. 22, 1911). He helped her build the home they
were to live in for the next few years, supplementing their income by digging
water wells for their neighbors using horse-drawn power to rotate the drill.
After selling the homestead they bought a farm west of Orient, selling in 1920
and moving to a farm south of Burkmere (no longer in existence.) This farm was
sold and the family moved 14 miles southwest of Faulkton. The next move was to
south of Seneca where they lived for four years before moving for the last time
to a farm 30 miles north of Highmore, Hyde County, SD.
Anna was to learn at the age of 40 that she had diabetes. She had spilled hot
rhubarb on her foot and it refused to heal. They retired from farming in the
spring of 1948, when they sold their farm and moved in to Orient. That fall fire
swept through Hollobird, Highmore and to Lebanon, destroying everything in its
path including their last farm. The Kupers had purchased an acreage in Rockham
in 1947. Her illness had progressed to the point of blindness and she was
admitted to the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Faulkton. Before her passing on
18 June 1955, she was to know the heartache of losing a leg to her disease.
At the age of 85, Joe, fearing the ravages of old age decided to hire a live-in
companion to be with him until his final days. The companion died, leaving Joe
alone once again. Undaunted, he simply hired another companion who also died. He
then decided not to hire another companion because, as he said, he would "just
get attached to him and he will probably die, too."
His faithful dog aroused him one morning as the house was burning and the
twosome escaped through a window as the house burned to the ground. He drove to
Pierre and purchased himself a small trailer and set it up on the acreage he had
purchased in 1947.
At the age of 89, he was still able to dance a jig, had all but one of his own
teeth and stood straight as an arrow. His skin was as brown and tough as the
leather of a football. At age 91, Joe was admitted to the Prairie Good Samaritan
Nursing Home in Miller, although, not exactly willingly, but of necessity. He
continued to live there for the next three years, passing away 6 Nov. 1977.
Joe and Anna are buried in the Faulkton Cemetery.
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Speck
family
Hansen Family
Sprenger family
Other Kupers
data found along the way
Photo albums: Hansens Kuper/Speck pages:
Photos of everyone wanted!
Additions, comments and corrections always welcome!
FIX THIS!!!
