The following paragraphs are excerpts from the Genealogy of Dixie Laire (Book/Author unknown).

Christopher Tatge, a retired agriculturist of prominence in Allen precinct, Pierce county, Nebraska, resides on the farm he has extensively improved in section nine, township twenty-seven, range one, and is one of those substantial citizens whose integrity and industry, thrift and economy have added so much to the material wealth and growth of Nebraska. Agriculture forms the basis of the wealth of the world. It is, therefore, of great importance that the class of people who in habit the great farming regions of the country should represent those elements of sterling worth so prominently displayed by the majority of early settlers and their descendants.

Mr. Tatge was born, March 1, 1830, in Reppin, a village of the electorate of Hesse-Cassel, Germany. He was reared in his native land, and in 1849, becoming dissatisfied with the limited field that surrounded him, he started for the new world, sailing from Bremen in the "Wieland,"a sailship, commanded by Captain Henkle. He landed in New York, after a voyage of twenty-eight days. Coming west to Chicago, where he remained three weeks, he secured work on the farm of Mr. Menkler, a noted horticulturist, in Kendall county, where he was employed six years, learning thoroughly the science and art of horticulture. He removed to Benton county, Iowa, in 1855, practicing his profession until the spring of 1887, when, owing to the opportunities offered in central Nebraska, he came to Pierce county, and still lives on the original home of one hundred and sixty acres. To this he added until,before dividing with his children, he acquired one thousand two hundred and eighty acres of the best Nebraska land.

Phillip Tatge, the father of our subject, was a native of Germany, and participated in the historical events that took place early in the nineteenth century. He was a descendant of one of the French Huganot families, driven from France by religious persecution, after the revocation of the edict of 1685. The family escaped from France under cover of darkness, and many were the hardships and privations they underwent during those trying times. With such ancestory and amid such surroundings, Phillip Tatge was born and reared, and it is but natural he should prove to be a brave soldier. He served under Napoleon, the greatest general the world has ever known, from 1804 to 1816, participating in the retreat from Moscow, swimming an icy river in making his escape. He was wounded in the elbow by a ball at Leipsig, and later was engaged in historic battle of Waterloo against Lord Wellington. The incidents connected with his career as a soldier would fill a volume. He was one of a band of twenty-seven tried and true selected by Napoleon as a special guard while in Russia. Of the twenty-seven, only seven returned, Phillip Tatge being one of these. Tremendous hardships were endured by this faithful band, and at one time they were so closely pressed that they were compelled to swim the river Bernesine. After his return home at the close of these years of terrible war, he was appointed highway overseer, which position he held for many years, proving himself to be efficient in peace, as well as in war. Phillip Tatge died when Christopher was but seven years old. His mother, Charlotte Tatge, died seven years later, leaving the boy make his way alone.

COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY. 849

Christopher Tatge was married in Oswego, Kendall county, Illinois, in 1853, to Sophia Coleman, and they are the parents of eight children, as follows: Charles; John, who married Miss Lydia Budy, who died May 4, 1911, leaving six children; Martha, now the wife of C. E. Manzer, a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume; Edward, married to Jessie Norton; Lizzie, married to William Peterson; William, who married Louise Totten, they having two children; Anna, now the wife of Fred Wendle, and the mother of four children; and George, who married Miss Teena Manzer, eight children have blessed this union. In all, there are thirty-nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Our subject has made a special study of agriculture and horticulture, and is one of the most experienced fruit men in Nebraska. He has forty acres of fruit and other trees on his farm, and it is known far and wide as the Pierce County Fruit Farm. In his orchard are apple trees, the seed of which Mr. Tatge imported from Arabia. He also has an especially fine variety, a winter snow-apple tree, possibly the only one in central Nebraska. In his researches, Mr. Tatge discovered the secret of preventing insects from destroying fruit trees, and also a process of preventing insects from destroying fruits two of the greatest obstacles fruit growers, in all climes, have to contend with. He has secured a patent on the process, which he intends to give to the government for the public good. Secretary Wilson, of the president's cabinet, a friend of Mr. Tatge, is to have the process investigated, and extend the knowledge to the rest of the country, that all may benefit by the discovery. Mr. Tatge originated the Randolph and the Tatge plum, the latter one of the greatest orchard trees on the Pacific coast. He has originated some fifty varieties of apples as well, all of them distinct, and of excellent quality. Mr. Tatge is a member of the Christian Union church, and is known and respected as one of the men who have done much to transform Nebraska from a pioneer country into one of the greatest States in the Union. A view of Mr. Tatge's old homestead residence, with its large barn and other buildings, besides a part of his extensive orchard, are to be seen on another page of this volume.

If you have come to my website via Ancestry: Several years ago the genealogy giant Ancestry absorbed the genealogy websites of Rootsweb along with personal databases posted at Rootsweb's WorldConnect Project that included a large database of my own family information. I started using Rootsweb in 2000 and they gave us the capability to add, remove, and update our information at anytime and I used these options frequently to post correct and current data. Presently (2006) I am told by Ancestry that we cannot maintain our own databases, we cannot even remove them. If you find information at Ancestry with my name attached please search my website for current information, the databases posted at Ancestry contain inaccurate information. - Karen Rowe.