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Burgraff/Kortlever/Stek/Bel

Peter & William Burgraff

As you could tell by the previous post and article, the family is now using the Burgraff spelling. After the death of Little Arrie in South Dakota, the family moved back to Iowa, where they can be found on the 1895 Iowa Census for Lyon County, Iowa.1 Shortly after that census they moved to Nobles County, Minnesota, and the family was enumerated on 21 June 1895 on the Minnesota State Census in Bigelow Township.2

In the aftermath of the tragedy Peter would adopt the letter A. in front of his name in honor of his brother Arrie. He grew into a quiet man who lived out his life farming in Whatcom County, Washington. According to family members that knew him, he was very private and did not have a close relationship with his father John. He appeared to always get along well with his step-mother Mary and he visited her frequently before her death. Peter married Myrtle E. Nichols on 27 October 1908 in Whatcom County, Washington.3 He died 23 April 1956 and is buried in Lynden Cemetery, Whatcom County, Washington.4

William survived his injuries although they were severe. He had been hit by several pieces of shot in the chest, arm, neck, and head. According to family members he had a spot of white hair where a pellet had lodged in his scalp. He also did not appear to get along well with his father, but according to one of his daughters, he was very close to his step-mother Mary Kortlever. William lived in Washington for some time with his family and married Lelia Bell Faler on 1 December 1907.5 After Lelia’s death in 1910,6 William moved back to Minnesota and on 4 March 1912 he married Gertrude Stootman in Willmar, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.7 William would remain in Minnesota for the rest of his life and died on 14 February 1940 in Raymond, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.8

I had often wondered about the relationship later in life between Peter and William and started asking family members that knew them both. By all accounts the brothers had a push-pull relationship throughout their lives. They visited each other and stayed in touch, but when together they often fought. Mad at each other one minute, the next minute they were over it. It comes as no surprise that neither men kept guns in their homes or hunted. That they were able to maintain a relationship at all is a tribute to the strong family ties that must have been fostered after the accident.

None of their younger siblings or their children knew anything of Little Arrie’s death or the role that Peter played in it. In fact none of them were even aware of the existence of Little Arrie or his brother Little Albert until one of their nieces began doing research in the 1970s. They all knew about Sadie because one of children had found her death certificate in John’s desk.


1. Iowa State, “Iowa State Census, 1895,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 Jul 2009), John Burgraff; 1895 Iowa State Census, Des Moines, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa.
2. 1895 Minnesota State Census, Nobles County, Minnesota, population schedule, Bigelow, p. 10, family 73, John Burgraff; digital images, The Generations Network, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 Jul 2009); citing Minnesota Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905.
3. Whatcom County, Washington, Marriage Licenses, 3719, Peter Burgraff-Myrtle E. Nichols, 27 Oct 1908; Whatcom County Marriage Records, Bellingham.
4. Whatcom County Historical Society, “Whatcom County Funeral Notices,” database, usgenweb
(http://theusgenweb.org/wa/whatcom/wgsobits/deathsbur_buz.htm: accessed 7 Jul 2009), Burgraff, A. Peter; USGenWeb Whatcom County, Washington.
5. Washington State Archives, marriage certificate 5481 (1 Dec 1907), Will Burgraff-Lilia B. Faler; digital image, Washington State Archives, “Spokane County Marriage Records,”Washington State Digital Archives (http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov).
6. Latah Cemetery (Latah, Spokane, Washington), Lelia Bel Faler Burgraff marker, Plot 2-6-4; Photo online.
7. Family Group Sheet of William Burgraff (1883-1940), Burgraff-Scott Family Archives; privately held.
8. Family Group Sheet of William Burgraff (1883-1940), Burgraff-Scott Family Archives; privately held.

Burgraff/Kortlever/Stek/Bel

The Kindness of Strangers

I know I promised the next post would be about Peter and William – I swear it will be the next one – but I need to take a minute here to talk about the kindness of some people.

When I was working on my research of Arrie Burggraaf I received an incredible amount of help from people that had no personal stake in this research, but went out of their way to help me.

There had been a small blurb in one of the newspapers in Sioux County, Iowa, about the death of Arrie. It simply gave me a where and when, so I went in search of a local paper near Running Water, South Dakota. Carol Hagen answered the phone when I called The Springfield Times, and asked for help finding the news article based on the date provided. I asked if they had an archive department and Carol informed me she was the archive department and the editor! She kindly went through the old papers and transcribed the article for me.

Carol then pointed me at people in Bon Homme County that might be able to help me locate the right cemetery. Three phone calls ensued and three different people in Bon Homme County were on the search. While each one thought the other might have the right information, none of them stopped looking. The next day I had a phone call with a cemetery name, and the name and phone number of the head of the cemetery committee.

I called Ron and Lois Hornstra of the Pioneer Cemetery at 3 pm in the afternoon and the next morning I had pictures in my email of Arrie’s gravesite and the cemetery. Complete with directions to locate the grave should I ever be able to visit.

This is the kind of thing that makes genealogy and family history so special. It is amazing that these folks took the time to help me solve a family mystery. I can’t thank them enough for all their help and kindness.

Burgraff/Kortlever/Stek/Bel

The Arrie Burggraaf Tragedy

Little Arrie Burggraaf is the youngest son of Elizabeth and Jan Burggraaf. He was born 27 April 1886 in Sioux County, Iowa, but would live a very short life.1 John Burgraff had married Mary Kortlever and in late 1893 the Burggraaf family (John, Mary, Peter, William, Arrie, Sadie, and Maggie) moved west to Bon Homme County, South Dakota. The circumstances of the move are not well known, but John was speculating on land and South Dakota was booming. It would be a fateful decision for the family and its impact would be felt for years.

A newspaper article from The Springfield Times dated 16 November 1893 tells the story.2

Warning: The newspaper article that I’m about to quote is extremely graphic – journalism in the 1890s was a little more free-wheeling.

Accidental Shooting
Last Friday a telegram was received from Running Water asking the immediate attendance of Dr. Keeling at the residence of Mr. Burggraff, who lives two or three miles north of that place, where it was stated that one boy was killed and another injured by a gun. On the arrival of the doctor at the place it was found that the affair was the result of the accidental discharge of a gun in the hands of the oldest son of Mr. Burggraff, a boy named Peter, about 16 years of age. The piece was loaded with buckshot, for the purpose of goose hunting, and at the time of the discharge was pointed in the direction of the two younger brothers, Arrie and Willie, who stood in the doorway. The head of the former was nearly blown off and he was instantly killed, the blood and brains being scattered about the floor and on the screen. Willie, the younger child, received four shot and was considerably injured, but is in a fair way to recover under the treatment of Dr. Keeling.

The father was absent in Iowa at the time of the accident and was immediately telegraphed for.

A coroner’s jury was impaneled Saturday, and brought in a verdict of accidental death.

The family have but recently come to this county from Iowa. Mr. Burggraff having bargained for the I. W. Seaman place southwest of here, but the trade having been declared off, had moved to the location above described, being only a temporary residence, as it is said that he will move to Nebraska, where he has purchased a farm.

While the article didn’t get all the ages (Peter was a month shy of his 13th birthday) or information about where the family was going (Minnesota) correct, the event itself appears to be correctly documented. Little Arrie is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Bon Homme County. The cemetery committee placed a plaque on his grave some years ago, but got the birth date wrong. It should be 1886 – 6s and 0s in old handwriting are frequently confused. I am grateful to the committee for marking his grave.

Arrie Burgraff Marker

I’ll have more on the aftermath of this tragedy in the next post when I talk about Peter and William.


1. Family Group Sheet – Jan Burggraaf, Burgraff-Scott Family Archives; privately held.
2. Carol Hagen, Springfield, South Dakota to Sharon Scott, e-mail, 11 Apr 2007, “Article in November 16, 1893 paper”;