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.