A 4"x6" glass plate negative, bust portrait photograph of Richard W. Zeilinger, David City, Nebraska, wearing a dark suit, white shirt with stiff collar and knotted tie with tie tack.
Thorpe Opera House Foundation/Boston Studio Project
Local Accession Number
00035670000
Source
Original format: 4"x6" glass plate negative from the Boston Studio Project collection.
Historical Notes
Richard Wilson Zeilinger was born October 13, 1872, to John and Catherine Benchoff Zeilinger in a dugout on the banks of Deer Creek in rural Butler County, Nebraska. Less than a week after his birth a prairie fire swept the area south of the Platte River where they lived. Richard's cries in the night awakened his mother who saw the fire approaching. The family and their livestock were able to cross Deer Creek and were not injured but the stable and hay were destroyed. Richard was the ninth of ten children born to John and Catherine. He attended country school, David City High School and Lincoln Business College. In 1905 he married Elizabeth G. Carlisle in Wahoo. He brought his bride back to 715 North 4th Street in David City where they lived for sixty-two years. Richard was a partner with his brother, John F., in Zeilinger Brothers Hardware store. Richard and his wife had three children and were active in the First Congregational Church, Masonic Lodge and community affairs. Richard W. died in 1967 at the age of 95.
