The Shaske Family: From Jaroshefske to Today

Tanya Jensen
Feb 19
5 min read

Rice County Court Document from November 1926 showing name change from Frank Jaroshefske to Frank Shaske

A family's name tells a story of identity, heritage, and sometimes, change. The Jaroshefske family of Minnesota understood this well. For years, they had been known informally as "Shaske" among their neighbors and friends, though their legal documents still carried the longer German surname. The 1920s brought a formal transition to this shorter, Americanized version. A biography of the family recorded in "Rice County Families, Their History, Our Heritage," suggests that in 1924, all family members of age gathered at the Goodhue County courthouse in Red Wing to make the change official. Yet court records reveal that Frank Jaroshefske formalized his name change to Shaske in November 1926 at the Rice County courthouse. While accounts vary about exactly when and where each family member made the change, one thing remains clear: during the 1920s, the Jaroshefske family embraced their identity as the Shaskes, a name that would carry forward through generations.

Back: Francis, Clifford, Florence & Frank - Front - John & Mary (Schmidt) Shaske

Time takes its toll on old photographs, but sometimes we get a chance to turn back the clock. At our family business, Beyond Generations Genealogy, my daughter Onyka works her magic restoring cherished family photos. She recently worked on a treasured family portrait taken around 1917 of my 2x great-grandparents, John and Mary (Schmidt) Shaske. In the photograph, John and Mary sit while their four children - Francis, Clifford, Florence, and my great-grandfather Frank - stand behind them. Thanks to Onyka's careful restoration work, their faces now shine through with remarkable clarity, giving us a vivid glimpse into their lives during the early 1900s.

The Early Years

Johann "John" Shaske was born on May 12, 1866, in Holden Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota, to German immigrants Johann Daniel Jaroshefske and Juliana Schultz. As a boy, he lived on a farm and attended the rural school in Holden Township, where census records show his family remained throughout his childhood. His young life was marked by the loss of his mother, Juliana, who passed away in 1881 when John was just 15 years old. While his father later remarried and moved to Brookpark, Minnesota, John chose to remain in Holden Township, determined to build his own future in the community where he had grown up. He continued the farming traditions he had learned in his youth, which would shape his life in the years to come.

Mary Clara Schmidt's story began in Saint Paul on August 17, 1876, born to German immigrants Conrad Schmidt and Caroline Meyer. While she was born in the growing city of Saint Paul, she moved to the Nerstrand area as a child, where she attended local schools. This move would eventually lead her into the same social circles as her future husband.

John and Mary married in December 1896 in Nerstrand, Minnesota. Like many German-American families of their time, they worked hard to build a life for themselves and their future children. They would need that strength to weather the storms ahead – World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II were all part of their life's journey.

Clifford, Frank, Florence & Frances Shaske - circa 1911

John & Mary (Schmidt) Shaske Wedding Photo - 10 December 1896

The Next Generation

Their four children each found their own path in a changing world:

Clifford Victor John (1897-1975) stayed true to his farming roots. He worked the family's land in Holden Township for many years. In 1924, he married Lena Leider, and together they raised three children: Ardith, DeWayne, and Dale. The family continued farming until 1960, when they moved to Faribault for a new chapter in their lives. There, Clifford kept busy with various jobs - he worked at the Rice County District One Hospital, Lockwood Auto Co., and Ochs Department Store, and helped with maintenance work at several other local businesses.

Standing: Mary (Schmidt) Shaske & Clifford Shaske - Seated: Caroline (Meyer) Schmidt (Mary's mother) holding Clifford's daughter Ardith - circa 1926

Frances Elva Agnes (1902-1978) became a teacher in rural schools around Faribault. She spent almost twenty years shaping young minds in our community.

Frances Shaske with her students. Frances is in the back row on the far left. circa 1926

Frank Samuel Sr. (1903-1970) my great-grandfather, showed how adaptable the family could be. He started out making harnesses at G.A. Dreblow & Son in Faribault, but as horses gave way to tractors, he shifted to farming. He married Margaret Woods in 1929, just as the Great Depression was beginning, and they raised six children together: Kenneth, Carol, Frank Jr, Lowell, Janice, and Daniel.

Left to right: Frank Shaske holding his son Kenneth Shaske, Caroline (Meyer) Schmidt (Mary's mother), Mary (Schmidt) Shaske. circa 1931

Florence Meryl (1906-1986) worked as a clerk in Faribault, joining the growing numbers of women building careers outside the home.

Frances (kneeling) & Florence (standing) Shaske playing with their niece, Ardith. circa 1928

Faith, Family, and Farming

John was deeply involved in his faith community, joining the East Prairie Evangelical Church in 1889. Over the years, he served as a steward, class leader, Sunday School superintendent, and Sunday School teacher. This commitment to faith and community would become a family legacy, with later generations maintaining strong ties to the local churches.

The Shaskes were primarily farmers, working land near Nerstrand that would remain in the family for generations. John and Mary made their home in Holden Township for nearly three decades, raising their four children. In 1924, they decided to move to Faribault, though their eldest son Clifford stayed behind on the family farm. Clifford and his wife Lena (Leider) continued the farming tradition, maintaining the family property. This historic farmland remains in the family, though the original house and barn have since been demolished.

John passed away on August 7, 1938, after suffering a stroke at his son Clifford's home. Mary lived another 23 years, passing away on March 10, 1961, at the Woods Nursing Home in Faribault. Both were laid to rest in the Evangelical Cemetery in Nerstrand, where their ancestors' tombstones still bear the original Jaroshefske name.

Legacy

At Beyond Generations Genealogy, we help families preserve their histories through research and photo restoration. When Onyka restored the 1917 Shaske family photo, she didn't just sharpen an old image – she helped bring our ancestors back into focus, allowing us to see clearly the people who helped build our Minnesota communities.

Looking at their faces in that restored photograph, I can't help but feel connected to their story of resilience, adaptation, and family bonds. From farming the land to teaching in rural schools, from working in shops to raising the next generation, the Shaskes were part of the fabric that made Minnesota what it is today.

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