©Copyright 2000 -2016 by Peggy Struwe
This was written by Peggy Struwe and permission is granted to use it on the Logan County Web Site, 19 January 2000.
Sophia was born to Jacob Bernhard Klump and Jane Parkinson in 1865 at Willow, Illinois, Jo Daviess County. Her father was in the Civil War along with 5 of her mothers brothers. Her parents were married during the war. She was the oldest child and grew up in an large extended family on a large farm.
Her father, mother and siblings moved to York, Nebraska in 1882. Her father and brothers homesteaded land on the Cliff Table in Custer County Nebraska while she and her sisters made tree claims. For 2 years, the men commuted to Custer county and proved up the homesteads. A large sod house was built for the family while the girls continued their education in York.
The family moved into the homestead sod house in 1884. A large frame two story home was built within several years.
Sophia married Frederick Bertran at her parent's home on the custer county homestead. Sophia and Fred lived in Custer County for a number of years. They lived about 4 miles north of Broken Bow, near Merna on a farm. Later they moved into Broken Bow where Fred Bertran ran a creamery and sold icecream, milk and eggs while still commuting to the farm.
The children were Harold, Florence, Jean, Donald, Esther, Marie and Enid. Harold died from a lung abcess while they lived on the farm in 1906 and is buried in Broken Bow. Fred moved the family to a number of different towns across northern Kansas while he worked on the railroad. They then moved to King City, Missouri to an acreage near Fred's parents and family who lived around that area.
Enid and Francis were born in King City. Francis drowned in a bucket at the age of 9 months. When Enid was a small child, Dennis Dishner was taken in from an orphanage to raise, but was never adopted. He grew up as part of the family. Sophia selected him because he had the most beautiful big brown eyes and she wanted Enid to have a playmate her own age.
Sophia's family often visited from Nebraska. On a visit by her brother Fred Klump and his wife Ethel (Butler), she learned that they wanted to sell their homestead and tree claim north of Ringgold, Nebraska in McPherson county. The family bought the homestead from her brother but also retained the home in King City. In the early 1920's the family all moved to the rural McPherson county ranch. Florence was in College in Warrensburg, Missouri and Jean was a nurse. The other grown children moved with them to the ranch.
In 1924 Sophia divorced Fred Bertran. She retained the ranch and custody of Enid and Dennis. Fred Bertran retained the house in King City, Missouri and moved there.
Don farmed and obtained a country school to teach. Marie boarded and went to school in Stapleton and later taught school in McPherson County. Esther taught school in McPherson County and in South Dakota. Florence married and had 3 children then moved to the ranch when she divorced. Sophia ran the ranch and cared for her grandchildren.
In 1942, she sold the ranch and bought a house in Stapleton, Nebraska and lived there until her death on December 25th, 1952. She is buried beside her sons Harold and Donald Bertran and Don's wife Goldie in the Broken Bow, Nebraska Cemetery.
During the last year of her life, her grandson Don Beach, his wife Lucille and two children came to stay with Sophia to help care for her. She died at her home from bladder cancer.
While in Stapleton, Sophia was active in church and Eastern Star. She had many family and friends who visited frequently. She was an avid reader and loved books. She was never dressed up unless she had her hat and veil on. Submitted by Peggy Struwe
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