“Some member of the Winter family has been here all this time,” Neva Winter said.
Winter is the current owner of the land that has been in the family since members traveled by wagons in 1866. The land is located a few miles north of Norfolk, adjacent to the North Fork of the Elkhorn River. Neva and her husband, Jim, bought the land from another family member in 1955 and farmed it up until Jim died in 2003. Their four daughters, Lorrie, Jean, Sandy and Mary, were raised in the farmhouse.
“The house was built in 1896, and then we added onto it about 42 years ago,” Winter said. “There’s over 40 in my immediate family so when we get together for family Christmas, it's too small now.”
This family is made up of her four daughters, nine grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. These great-grandchildren are the 9th generation of Winters.
Their farm location was chosen after Godfried Winter and his sons Carl and Wilhelm traveled from Ixonia, Wisconsin. They were part of a caravan of 53 wagons with 125 people that trekked to Madison County, Nebraska. The family reached the Elkhorn River and decided they wanted each of the three families to farm next to the water. To pick who got which lot, the settlers decided to put numbers in a hat, blindfolded the men and asked them to draw numbers. They each picked their number and went to work farming.
Winter has created scrapbooks full of photos and information about the family. She wrote a short, informational book in 2016 about the church the family helped build, St. Paul’s Lutheran. This church was built in 1866, before the town of Norfolk was established. The group that built this church went on to found the city of Norfolk. The Winter family carries a lot of history and the family members are proud of all they have done on their farm and the community of Norfolk.
The family was recognized July 10th, 2019 at the Madison County Fair with the Heritage Farm Award, a recognition that celebrates family farms 150 years or older.
“The purchase of my land, the money had gone to the university to help build it. They found out I had been here that whole length of time,” Winter said.
The farm ground is currently being rented, but Neva and her husband grew corn, soybeans and alfalfa on it. Corn and alfalfa were always grown on the land, Winter said along with oats and wheat grown at various times. While growing up, her four girls were actively involved in the farm and 4-H.
“All the girls were in 4-H. I think they took everything that was available,” Neva said.
She was a 4-H leader for 15 years in sewing, helping her girls and others make projects to bring to the Madison County Fair. She has also had multiple granddaughters attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a grandson-in-law, Jim Brungardt, that was number 54 on the Nebraska football team.
