Robert Valentine Protis was born February 14, 1879 in
Raymond, Wisconsin. Out of seven children, he was the only one to survive to
near adulthood. Surely he was the joy of his parents, Charles and Harriet, but
for some unknown reason around the age of 16 Robert decided to take off with
three of his friends and seek adventure by riding the rails west.
In true hobo fashion the boys would hop on and off trains,
trying to keep out of the train engineer’s sights, as they made their way
across the country. It was in Fremont, Nebraska, that tragedy struck.
Robert, who had changed his last name to Bell, hopped off
the train with the others as the train made a stop at the station. Not wanting
to be seen, the boys, as usual, waited until the train had begun moving before
getting back on. They were riding on the break beams and as he shifted his
position tragically Robert slipped and fell beneath the wheels.
His death was instantaneous and most horrible. His body was
dragged down the track for about a block, I won’t go into the details but you
can imagine the carnage. The train was switching, otherwise his death might not
have been noticed as quickly.
On March 5th his remains were express mailed back
to his devastated parent’s, who buried him in Yorkville Cemetery.
Robert died on April 27, 1896 at the tender age of
seventeen.
NOTE: The obituary in the Racine Journal is incorrect. It
lists his sister as Mary Protis Schumacher, however, she is his aunt, the
sister of his father Charles.
Supporting Sources are below:
 |
| The Nebraska State Journal; Apr 29, 1896; pg 3 |
 |
| Lincoln Journal Star; Apr 28, 1896; pg 1 |
 |
| Fremont Tri-Weekly Tribune; May 5, 1896; pg 3 |
 |
| Racine Journal; May 7, 1896; pg 3 - error: not his sister, but his aunt. |
MY FAMILY CONNECTION:
Robert is my 1st cousin, 5x removed. His mother, Harriet Hay Protis, is my 5th great aunt, the daughter of my 5th great grandfather Adam Hay and his second wife, Harriet Thomas.
HIS FAMILY INFORMATION:
Father: Charles Protis (1858-1907)
Mother: Harriet M. Hay (1856-1912)
Sister: Estella May (1877-1878)
Sister: Mary Elizabeth (1881-1881)
Brother: Charles (1883-1887)
Sister: Jennie (1885-1887)
Sister: Hazel (1888-1889)
Brother: William (1891-1891)
