My roots are deeply imbedded in Gage County. My grandfather, Andrew J. OVERGARD was the son of an immigrant from Denmark, Bertel OVERGAARD. Bertel was a brick layer who worked at his trade all over southern Nebraska, northern Kansas, and western Iowa. Many of the brick school buildings in those areas were built by Bertel. He helped lay the tile and did much of the brick work at the state capitol building in Lincoln. He is buried in Lenore, Kansas. His son, Andrew, made his home in Beatrice. He was a railroad engineer, served as chairman of the committee that established the present day Beatrice City form of government, and also served as chairman of the school board. Andrew's children were Jack Kenneth (my father), Andrew James, Charles, and an adopted daughter, Mary Louise (Overgard) NORMAN (who still resides in the Beatrice area). Andrew's wife Genevieve "Jenny", my grandmother, was a HERSHEY. Her father, Solomon HERSHEY, owned and operated Hershey's Meat Market and Grocery store in Beatrice for many, many years in the 1930's and 40's. After his death, one of his daughters continued to operate the business. Many of the HERSHEY and OVERGARD family are buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Beatrice. On my mother's side, my grandfather, Ivan LASHER, lived in Wymore. He operated a hardware store there for many years (I believe in the 1930's), raised pigs on leased land, and manufactured and sold catfish bait for those fishing the Blue River. His wife Clella (nee LIZER) was Wymore's premiere piano and organ teacher. She played the organ at the Methodist church in Wymore, and was very active in the local chapter of the Eastern Star. She was the grand organist for the Nebraska Eastern Star at their conventions. Ivan and Clella had two daughters, A. Claire (my mother), and Dawn L. (who lives with her husband John Tudbury in California. There are a number of the LASHER and LIZER family members buried in the cemeteries at Blue Springs and in Beatrice. I would like to find someone who would be willing to go to those cemeteries to obtain information off the gravestones for these two families. I have extensive records on the OVERGARD and HERSHEY families but very little on the LASHER and LIZER families. I live in Virginia so it is difficult to get to any records there in Gage County. I would appreciate any information on any of these families, particularly anecdotal information about any of them that might be found in old newspaper articles, etc.. I will happily share any information in my possession. Warm regards and thanks in advance for any information any of you could provide. Richard N. Overgard, Sr. -- :-) Dick & Jan Overgard overgard@erols.com (540)347-2954