The Wesselowski Van Wert Family Tree

Yampa Leader, June 23, 1916
Purchase cars
The Phillips Brothers have been busy selling Ford cars the past week and now Franz Chapman, D.M. Chapman, Charles Neiman, and F. E. Van Wert are learning the mysteries of auto driving. James Phillips went to Denver yesterday and will bring two more Fords. Robert Phillips came up from Steamboat with one yesterday.

Transcribed by Renee Schmidt

Oak Creek Times, December 14, 1916
FE Van Wert Buys Out Whitecotten
F.E. Van Wert, owner of the Ben Male coal mine, bought out the coal business of Walter Whitecotton Tuesday, including the scales and storehouse and will hereafter supply Oak Creek with coal, through Walter Neff, who will attend to local orders.
Mr. Van Wert will keep teams hauling coal from his mine to the storehouse and will also load out coal for out of town patrons. He will sell coal for about $1.50 at the mine and lump $3.75 and nut coal at $3.25 in Oak Creek.
Mr. Whitecotton had been handling Pinnacle Coal and Purchased the business from Albert Schempp who had just previously bought out Walter Coller.

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Oak Creek Times, December 14, 1916
Van Wert Family to spend Winter in Pennsylvania
Mrs. F.E. Van Wert and children of Trout creek left Saturday morning for Homesdale, Pennsylvania, where they will spend the winter with the former’s mother, Mrs. Charles Smith and also with relatives of Mr. Van Wert. The latter expects to join them in the spring and will accompany them on their return home.

Transcribed by Renee Schmidt

Oak Creek Times, March 2, 1917
Van Wert Dance Howling Success
The biggest dance ever given in Oak Creek was held Saturday night at Princess Theatre. Everybody within a day’s ride of the town was invited to be a guest of Forest E. Van Wert and the Trout Creek coal mine, and a glance into the hall would convince anyone that they were all there.
There were streaks of light in the east when the dance ended, the floor being filled with couples until 5 a.m. Everything was free, even to the fine lunch which was served shortly after midnight. The Keen and Lindsey orchestra furnished the music and no better dance music has ever been rendered at the entertainment of the kind in Routt county. It will be a long time before the affair is forgotten.

Oak Creek Times, August 17, 1917
Daily Delivery Starts on Local Rural Route
Daily delivery started on Oak Creek rural route No. 1 yesterday, F.E. Van Wert taking the mail out in his flivver, he will carry the mail temporarily for a few weeks until a regular mail carrier can be secured. As the job now pays $1,200 a year it is not believed that a great deal of difficulty will be found in getting a permanent carrier after haying is over.

Transcribed by Renee Schmidt

Oak Creek Times, September 7, 1917
Making Garage of Old Pacific Hotel
The Pacific Hotel is being remodeled this week for a garage, big double doors being cut in the front of the building and all the partitions on the first door are being removed.
The second story is being remodeled for living rooms for the families of F.E. and Herman Van Wert. A fine large patch is being constructed at the rear of the building.

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Steamboat Pilot, September 4, 1918
Fire at Oak Creek
The Van Wert Livery stable at Oak Creek was totally destroyed by fire yesterday morning, the loss being about $2,000. The old Pacific hotel building, which stands on the adjoining lot, as saved by the volunteer fire department.

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Oak Creek Times, October 18, 1918
Real Estate Transfers
F.E. Van Wert sold Ed Reary lots 17,18,10,and 20, Oak Creek, receiving $1,350

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Newspaper article:

AUTOMOBILE LEAVES EMBANKMENT AND LIVERY MAN AT OAK CREEK DIES AT FATEFUL RAILROAD CROSSING
Forest E. Van Wert. well known liveryman of Oak Creek, was killed yesterday afternoon when his automobile plunged from the road in Argo gulch, a short distance trout the Moffat Coal company mine, and while he was returning from a trip to the Egry ranch near Pyramid.
The manner of the accident is something of a mystery, the only witness being Joe Mudra a young lad who was riding with Mr. Van Wert at the time, and who without injury. Van Wert had gone from Oak Creek in the afternoon, making a trip to the Egry ranch, and was on his return to his home when the accident occurred. About an hour before the accident he was met by Samuel Abbs of Oak Creek. Who was returning from a trip to twenty mile park. Van Wert had taken William Egry out some distance on the trout creek road to a point where they were met by another member of the Egry family, who had bought a saddle horse for the purpose of taking Mr. Egry home. The roads were in bad condition and when last seen, Mr. Van Wert was driving carefully.
Although the Mudra boy was unable to tell a coherent story it is evident that he was walking along the road and was picked up by Van Wert and was riding into town. The tracks of the automobile indicate that something had gone wrong with the steering gear of the machine, as the tracks led around a curve, and then straight for a fifteen-foot embankment, at the bottom of which the machine was discovered badly damaged.
When the accident occurred the Mudra boy made his way hastily to Oak Creek, a distance of about two miles, and excitedly informed the first people he met that Mr. Van Wert was badly hurt or killed. It seems that little attention was paid to the story, and that some time elapsed before the excited lad finally prevailed upon someone to go to the scene of the wreck.
Finally a machine was secured and after a delay of about an hour a party went to the place of the accident and discovered Van Wert among the wreckage and nearly dead. He was taken in the machine to Oak Creek, but expired just as the railroad crossing was reached. A peculiar coincidence to this fact. In June of this year, while crossing the railroad at this point, Mr. Van Wert’s machine collided with a locomotive, the machine being carried 100 feet along the track and totally wrecked, while he barely escaped with his own life. It seemed his fate to die at this particular point, and it was just as the machine in which he was being taken to town crossed the tracks that he drew his last breath.
Mr. Van Wert was one of Oak Creek’s most authentic citizens, and prior to his residence there was engaged in ranching in Twenty mile park, near the J. B. Male ranch. Two years ago he moved to the mining town and became interested in the livery and coal business. Two months ago his livery barn was destroyed by fire, but he had started to rebuild.
He is survived by his widow and a son, by a brother, Herman, with whom he was associated in business.

Transcribed by Renee Schmidt