Published in The Daily Telegram, January 24, 1942
DIED
KLUG, ALBERT--Albert Klug, 81, oldest craft shop operator in Columbus both in years and in service, died at 9:30 p.m. Friday at his home at 1569 Twenty-fourth avenue, following an illness of eight days. He had been in apparent good health, giving daily attention to his blacksmith shop up to Jan. 15, when he was stricken with apolexy while at work and removed to his home. He remained in a coma most of the time, becoming steadily weaker.

Rites Monday

The body was taken to Gass-Bideaux mortuary and will be taken to the Klug home at 10 a.m. Sunday, where it will lie in state to the hour of the funeral. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the Klug home and 2:30 at the Trinity Lutheran church with Rev. Herman Goede officiating. Burial will be in Columbus cemetery. No flowers are requested. Albert Klug was born in Abtshagen, Pommer, Germany, Sept. 30, 1860, the son of Carl and Johanna Klug, and grew to manhood in his native town.

Emigrated in '84

At the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a blacksmith, remaining in that trade for nine years. When he was 24 years old, in 1884, he emigrated to the United States by himself, coming directly to Columbus, and to the farm of his uncle, John Klug, which was located across the line from north Columbus township in Colfax county. There he remained five months, then decided to make practical use of his old country trade, and hired out as a blacksmith to Herman Nadenstade, a smith located on Eleventh street. He worked for Nadenstade for a year.

Started for Self

On March 1, 1886, Mr. Klug formed a partnership with the late Louis Held, one-time mayor of Columbus, and opened a blacksmith shop on Eleventh street. The partnership lasted two and a half years. In the fall of 1888, Mr. Klug started in business for himself, renting a small building belonging to the elder Frederick Gottschalk and located at what is now 2322 Thirteenth street. He remained in that located four years.

Bought Site

In 1892 he bought the lot and buidling at 2323 Thirteenth street, owned by Mike Abts. The building had been known for a considerable time as the Abts saloon. He turned this building into his blacksmith shop. The north end of the present-day building is still the original "Abts saloon." A few years after the beginning of the new century Mr. Klug rented his blacksmith shop and in turn rented a building on Eleventh street as his own smithy.

Had Operation

About 1908 he left Eleventh street to rent a frame building at 2301 Thirteenth street, present site of the Nielsen Chevrolet company, and opened an implement shop. In the meantime, in 1909, he rented his Thirteenth street blacksmith shop to John M. Umland, who at that time established his first blacksmith shop in Columbus. Mr. Umland continued at the stand to 1915, when he erected his present machine shop at 2807 Thirteenth street, at which time Mr. Klug closed out his implement business and returned to blacksmith in his own building. Mr. Klug worked steadily at his craft from that time on. Seven years ago he was taken seriously ill, submitted to an operation, and was thought to be near death. But after a lay-off of six months he returned to his shop remaining there daily up to Jan. 15.

Expert Craftsman

The veteran craftsman, who spent virtually 67 years at his trade, including his years as an apprentice, was what might aptly be described as "the village blacksmith" in the meaning of the term as portrayed by Longfellow in his poem of the same name. "Klug's blacksmith shop," was a familiar term to farmers in the Columbus territory for half a century. In the early days Klug established himself an expert horseshoer. Long before the advent of electric welding, Mr. Klug was skilled in the rebuilding of broken metal parts, and his adeptness at the open forge never gave way to modern developments in the repairing and tooling of metals.

One Man Shop

When innovations in transportation took away his once lucrative wagon and buggy repair business, Mr. Klug reverted to farm implement repair, and that had been his main business for the past 20 years. Through his long life over the bright coals, hammer in hand, the blacksmith developed an iron constitution, and he had often remarked he had "never known a sick day." When business was pressing years ago he employed helpers, but for the past quarter century, he operated strictly a one-man shop-his own boss and workman. Work he could not handle because orders piled up he referred to other shops.

Wed 54 Years

Mr. Klug was an artisan of the old school, one of the few remaining in this territory. He was not only one of the oldest active blacksmiths in point of service, but likewise in age in Nebraska. Mr. Klug married Miss Mary Klug, daughter of John Held, one of the founders of Columbus and a Columbus township settler of the 50's, on Oct. 13, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Klug celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Oct. 13, 1937.

Consistent Reader

Mr. Klug divided his life between his home and his shop and took little active interest in civic affairs, although he was a consistent reader and remained well-informed in affairs of state to his death. He was a devout church member, in late years of the Trinity Lutheran church, and earlier of the German Reformed church, of which he was a board secretary for 10 years.

A Blacksmith's Prayer

My fire is extinct,
And my forge is decayed,
By the side of the bench
My old vise is laid.

My anvil and hammer
Lie gathering dust,
My powerful bellows
Have lost all their thrust.

My coal is now spent,
My iron's all gone,
My last nail's been driven,
And my day's work is done.

-- Unknown

(the above is displayed as written, including all typing & spelling errors)

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