This story has been very confusing to write, because a number of dates and facts didn’t line up, so it was hard to figure out what was the right information. I will try to use the facts that I believe are the correct ones to tell Peter’s story.
Peter Lucas was born Jan. 7, 1894, (some information says 1893) at Davenport, IA, to Peter and Hannah Lucas. His parents were both from Germany and had one child, Minnie, born there before immigrating to America and settling in Iowa in 1883. Little Minnie died at age 3, and it is assumed she is buried in Iowa. “Pete” had six other siblings and later, one half-sister. Another sister, Hannah, died at age 4.
After 12 years in Iowa, so in 1895 when Pete was 1 year old, the family moved to a farm northwest of Osmond, where he attended school and grew to manhood.
According to Find-A-Grave information, his father died in April 1900 when Pete would have been 5 years old. But the 1900 census, which was supposedly done in June 1900, has his father listed, and also has Pete listed as 6 years old.
Pete’s mother’s obituary, written in 1932, states that after her husband died, she continued to operate the farm for the next six years with the help of her children. They would have been Fred, 15; Ella (Tacey), 13; Anna (Schnider), 11; Mary (Schneider, spelled differently from Anna’s), 8; Peter, 6 (or 5); Harry, 4, and Hannah, 4 months old His mother remarried in 1906 to a man named Ferdinand Fick, and he and his brother Harry were incorrectly listed in the 1910 census as Peter and Harry Fick.
Pete was drafted in May of 1918 when he was 23 or 24 years old, and served in the 163rd Depot Brigade. He served for just seven months, and according to Roger Tacey, who would have been his grand-nephew, he was set to go overseas but then the war ended, and he was discharged in December of 1918.
As was mentioned in a previous veteran’s story, the role of depot brigades was to receive and organize recruits, provide them with uniforms, equipment and initial military training, and then send them to France to fight on the front lines. The depot brigades also received soldiers returning home at the end of the war and completed their out processing and discharges. The 163rd was based out of Camp Dodge, IA.
After he was discharged, Pete returned to live with his mother and stepfather, along with his brother Harry and half-sister Lena, on their farm northeast of Osmond. After his stepfather died in 1923, Pete remained living with his mother, and by the 1930 census, they are living in Osmond, with Pete working odd jobs.
Mother Hannah died in 1932, and Pete then went to live with his sister and brother-in-law, Ella and Green Tacey and their children, and was working as a “laborer” – probably a farm laborer – according to the 1940 census.
At some point, Pete went to live with and work for Otto Kiichler as a farm hand, as shown in the 1950 census. According to Roger Tacey, Clarence Kiichler, Otto’s son, said Pete was the best farm hand they ever had.
In December of 1958, Pete entered the Veterans Hospital in Grand Island, where he spent the rest of his life. Early in 1969, his left leg was amputated, but he was able to move around on crutches and in a wheelchair, Pete died Sept. 27, 1969, and he was buried in the Osmond City Cemetery, along with his parents, and several of his siblings. John Adkins, Irwin Schneckloth, Joe Blunck, Erwin Record, John Bahr and Oliver Beals, members of American Legion Post 326, served as pallbearers.
World War I
Closeup of Peter Lucas
