My grandpa and grandma Janssen came to America in 1913 from Holland, from Venray, Netherlands. It was called Holland then. My mom was a Talbot, and their family came to America, I believe in 1827 from Manchester, England, My great grandmother Talbot was from Germany—my Talbot great grandparents are buried in a cemetery near a little town called Ansley in central Nebraska, north of Kearney.

A man who was one of the pioneer’s of Rushville, he had a general store on Main Street. His name was Anton Jansen, with 1 “s”; no relation. He was from Venray. People were starving in Holland and there were no jobs, so he offered each family a team of horses and a wagon if they would come to America (to Rushville) and work for him. So that’s what my grandpa and grandma Janssen did. They only had two children when they moved here, and they came through Ellis Island. 

I suppose they rode the train to Nebraska from Hoboken, New Jersey—- they lived north of Rushville on the old Caparoon place, which is, I guess, by where Barbara & Charles Krotz’s former home is today.

Anton Jansen was instrumental in forming the first Catholic Church(St. Mary’s) in Rushville or with the process of building it.  I lived near the Niobrara river south of Rushville until age 5 or less and then spent most of my childhood on Mirage Flats— between Rushville and Hay Springs going South, about 10 miles. 

Anton Jansen started and built a Catholic church, also near the Niobrara River in the Mirage Flats area. The Niobrara River, where old Jules’ home and orchard were located,—- Jules Sandoz, another one of our pioneers, began that Catholic church, donated the land, I believe —Sacred Heart Church–with Anton and other new residents of the area. His daughter, was a famous author– Mari Sandoz.