Nuss Family History

FRANK NUSS was born June 12, 1876, in the colony of Muenchen, state of Kherson, county of Ananjew, South Russia. Muenchen received its name from the city of München in Bavaria, Germany, where most of its original inhabitants came from. It lies on the right side of the river, Tschitschekleja, some 140 miles from Kherson and 100 miles from Ananjew. It is not one of the larger colonies of the Ukraine, but since a number of smaller settlements (Hutoren) belonged to it, it counted, at the beginning of the 20th century, with the smaller settlements, over 3,500 inhabitants. The foundation of Muenchen was laid in 1809 and 1810. The original settlers received not only their share of 60 Dessiatine of land each from the Russian government, but also a small sum of money to buy a team of horses, a few cows and the most necessary farm implements. The government helped them also to put up their first homes. The great grandparents of Mr. Frank Nuss came to Muenchen in the beginning of the 19th century. In Muenchen were born his grandparents, as well as his parents, Frank Nuss and Elizabeth Engel.

His parents had a small farm at Muenchen, where young Frank worked until he was nearly 21 years old. Before he had reached that age, when he would have been drafted into the Russian Army, he left his parents and the land of the czars, and emigrated as a single man to the United States. He came to Dickinson in the first part of 1897, and was soon employed by Mr. John Flint for nearly three years on the city dray line. After that he worked for Mr. Nick Kuntz on a ranch a mile and a half west of New England. Two years later he was back in Dickinson and worked for some time at the St. Charles Hotel. On November 24, 1902, he entered into marriage at St. Joseph's Church with Miss Marian Herauf, daughter of Joseph Herauf and Margaret Froehlich. Their marriage ceremony was performed by Fr. Thomas L. Rabsteineck, and was witnessed by Mr. John Froehlich and Mrs. Marian Wandler. However, ten months later his wife passed away. Two years and eight months later, on July 10, 1905, he entered into marriage with Miss Catherine Wanner, born November 13, 1882, at Landau, South Russia, daughter of Joseph Wanner and Margaret Schur. Their marriage ceremony was performed by Fr. Thomas L. Rabsteineck, at St. Joseph's Church and witnessed by Messrs. Joseph Wanner and Adam Friedrich.

Mrs. Frank Nuss came to Dickinson the year before, after having lived for one year at Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada, where she had immigrated in 1903, with her cousin Frank Wanner, who remained in Canada. Before her marriage she was employed at Dickinson as a domestic by Mr. and Mrs. Mike McGinley. Mrs. Frank Nuss had four brothers: Casimir, Christ, Jerome and Emmanuel, the first two stayed in Russia and the later came to America, Emmanuel to Canada. She also had seven sisters: Elizabeth, Margaret, Appolonia, Veronica, Philomena, Victoria and Rozalia, wife of Sebastian Mischel. She had lost her mother when she was barely three months old, and at the early age of only eight years she was placed with strangers. Mr. Frank Nuss had two brothers: Peter and Jacob, both of whom remained in Russia, and four sisters: Elizabeth, Frances, Catherine and Maryjosepha, wife of John Metz, the latter was the only one of his sisters who came with her husband to the United States in 1898.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Nuss stayed on the ranch of Mr. Nick Kuntz until late that fall, when they came back to Dickinson, where Mr. Frank Nuss was employed a second time, for a number of years on the city dray line. Being by profession a farmer, Mr. Frank Nuss rented in 1914, a section of land near Antelope, east of Richardton, from Mr. Lepert, where he farmed and ranched for three years. However, since he was not in the best of health at that time, he reluctantly gave up farming and ranching, which was so much to his liking, and returned again with his family to Dickinson.

In 1918, he took over the city dray line with Mr. Martin Metz, for one year, and afterwards he ran the same himself with the help of his oldest son, until his death. Their marriage was blessed with twelve children, three of whom died in infancy. John was born May 3, 1906; Veronica, August 10, 1907; Pauline, January 3, 1914, wife of Anton Weiler; Frances, February 5, 1915, now Venerable Sister Conchita (Sister Conchita later changed her name to Sister Francis Mavis), of the Order of St. Francis, Rochester, Minnesota; Mary Eve, November 22, 1917, now Venerable Sister Joan, OSB, Minot, North Dakota; Florentine, September 11, 1919, wife of Frank Weiler; and Eleanor, September 8, 1921, wife of Joseph Dorner. Mr. Frank Nuss died on March 18, 1925, and was laid to rest in St. Joseph's Cemetery two days later.

After being a widow for three years, Mrs. Frank Nuss entered marriage with the widower, Stephen Frank, August, 8 1928. Their marriage ceremony was performed at St. Joseph's Church by Fr. George P. Aberle, and witnessed by Messrs. John Klein and Emmanuel Wanner. Mr. Stephen Frank was born at Landau, South Russia, September 3, 1873, son of Michael Frank and Marian Koch. He left Russia for the United States in the spring of 1898, and homesteaded in the St. Pius region, where his parents followed him in the fall of the same year. On October 21, 1901, he entered marriage in the original St. Patrick's Church of Dickinson, with Clementine Heidt, daughter of Christ Heidt and Appolonia Friedrich. Their marriage ceremony was performed by Fr. Claude M. Ebner, OSB, pastor of the church, and their witnesses were Messrs. John Badinger and Adam Friedrich. After 27 years his wife died, February 14, 1928, leaving him with eight teenaged and small children. Mrs. Frank Nuss still had five teenaged and small children of her own when she married Mr. Stephen Frank. After their marriage she moved with her children on his farm of five quarter sections of land, four miles southeast of St. Pius. Together they had not only a most peaceful and happy life raising their children and giving to them the best elementary education in the St. Pius Parish School, but also were successful in farming and ranching, in spite of the hard and dry years of the Thirties. After their children had all grown up and were managing for themselves, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Frank retired in the late fall of 1942 to Dickinson. Here they joined the St. Joseph's Parish. On March 22, 1958, Mr. Stephen Frank passed away at the ripe age of 84 years and was laid to rest in St. Joseph's Cemetery. His widow followed him in death May 1, 1961 and was interred in St. Joseph's Cemetery.