USA > Nebraska > Platte County > Past and present of Platte County, Nebraska : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 1
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Gc $78.201 P69p v. 2 1198399
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01066 6102
.
PAST AND PRESENT
OF
PLATTE COUNTY,
NEBRASKA
A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement 8-72 Phillips
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1915
1198399
Conocer Eu
Biographical
CARROLL DANDOLA EVANS, M. D.
Dr. Carroll Dandola Evans, a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Baltimore, Maryland, has been engaged in the active practice of his profession for thirty-four years, and his life work has been regarded as a valuable contribution to those agencies and elements which work for the uplift and benefit of mankind Outside the strict path of his profession his influence has ever been on the side of progress, nor has it been of a restricted order as many, relying upon his good indg- ment, have followed his leadership. He is, moreover, a prominent representative of Masonry in Nebraska and ranks very high in that order.
A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Evans was born at Tarentum, Allegheny county, May 26, 1856, and is descended from ancestry American in its lineal and collateral branches through many generations. His great-great-grandfather was one of the colonists who, a hundred strong, accompanied William Penn to the new world in 1681, when he came to take possession of the territory which he had purchased of the crown and which afterward became the state of Pennsylvania. In 1683. when Penn returned to England, he appointed the ancestor of Dr. Evans to serve as deputy governor, in which capacity he continued until 1689. He was a brother of the father of Sir Robert Evans, who in turn was the father of Mary Ann Evans. who under the non de plume of George Eliot became one of the distinguished repre- sentatives of the literary world. The ancestral estate of the Evans family near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was still in possession of representatives of the name until 1913, when it passed out of the family.
The paternal grandparents of Dr. Evans were born and reared near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there spending the greater part of their lives, and their religions faith was indicated by their membership in the Friends church. The maternal grand- father, John Hammel, was a member of the American army in the War of 1812, and also participated in Indian wars in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Both he and his wife were of Pennsylvania birth. The parents of Dr. Evans were William Valentine and Rachel (Hammel) Evans, who were among the earliest settlers of the Connoquenessing valley, in Butler county, Pennsylvania. After remaining there for about sixteen years they removed to Tarentum, Allegheny county. At a period which antedated the building of a railroad across the Allegheny mountains William V. Evans with an older brother made the journey to the "far west" and established his home in the wilds of western Pennsylvania, where he met the experiences of pioneer life with the sturdy courage and determination of the frontiersman. His home was in the Connoquenessing valley, about three miles from the present site of Evans City, in Butler county. While he adhered to many of the beliefs and prac- tices of his Quaker ancestry he did not abstain from activity in political affairs. On
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PAST AND PRESENT OF PLATTE COUNTY
the contrary he became a leader of party thought and action, and he gave earnest support to many movements which promoted morality and religious activity in his district and which upheld good government. Moreover, he departed from the teach- ings of the Friends in that he was a member of the militia of his state. In a word, he was a man fearless in defense of his honest convictions who guided his course ac- cording to the dictates of his judgment.
After supplementing his common-school course by academic instruction in his native town, Dr. Evans had the privilege of pursuing a business course in Duff's College at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in preparation for a professional career he took up the study of medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his universtiy course being taken at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was graduated with the class of 1882. Later in the same year he pursued post- graduate work in the New York and Chicago Polyclinic in Gynecology and Surgery. A characteristic of his youth was his ambition for advancement. He set his mark high and utilized every opportunity to raise himself to its level. When he marked out a course he persevered therein, regarding no difficulty or obstacle too great to be overcome in carrying out his cherished purpose. This determination on his part has always been one of his salient characteristics and has enabled him to proceed far on the path to establish success. In his professional work, while due deference and respect were always given to the usually accepted authorities and guides on various subjects, he early recognized the fact that medicine and surgery, as sciences, were in an imperfect state; and at the point where authority and guidance were wanting or incomplete it was not in his method of procedure to stop but rather to pursue the subject both as to its requirements and the means necessary to accom- plish the desired results. And possessing a high degree of perceptive ability to recognize the proper course to be pursued as well as the executive ability to accom- plish the desired result, his professional work has been eminently successful.
Following his graduation from the Baltimore University, Dr. Evans entered upon the practice of his chosen profession at Bradford, Pennsylvania, but after a year, attracted by the opportunities of the growing west, he made his way to Nebraska, arriving at Columbus on the 16th of May, 1882. Reviewing the possibilities and opportunities of the town, he determined to remain and accordingly opened an office. Hardly had he established himself in practice here than he was appointed physician at St. Mary's Hospital, in which position he has since continued, cover- ing a period of a third of a century. His ability as a physician and surgeon has been widely recognized. He did not consider his education completed when his college course was over; on the contrary, he has remained a student of the science of medicine and surgery, keeping abreast with the best thinking men of the age in this connection. Through study and investigation science has revealed to him its secrets, and his growing ability has enabled him to successfully cope with many complex professional problems.
Dr. Evans was married on the 27th of May, 1886, when Miss Lorena Rose North, the eldest daughter of James E. North, of Columbus, Nebraska, became his wife. Her father was a pioneer citizen of the state, having established his home in Columbus in the early part of 1858. while his brother, Major Frank North, won distinction in connection with the Indian warfare. Dr. and Mrs. Evans became the parents of two daughters and two sons, Rachel Nellie, James North, Carroll Dandola and Lorena Rose. This has ever been a most united family, a congenial
Cose North Grace.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF PLATTE COUNTY
companionship existing ever between parents and children, while the warm-hearted hospitality of the home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends. Theirs is not only the most beautiful home in Columbus, but is one of the finest in the state. Mrs. Evans and family are members of Grace Episcopal church of Columbus and take a deep and helpful interest in its work and wellbeing. In a word, the family name is associated with all that is uplifting and beneficial in community life, and their labors have been an influencing factor for good along various lines.
Dr. Evans' father was a prominent political leader in the days of the old whig party and was a delegate to the convention which was held in Lafayette Hall at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when the republican party was organized in that state. Reared in the faith of the party the Doctor has never seen reason to change his views but still supports its platform and has contributed much to its success through his efforts to increase its support, yet has never sought the rewards of office in recog- nition of party fealty.
The military chapter in the life record of Dr. Evans was written during the period of his early manhood, for at that time he became a member of Company H of the Tenth Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard. which he joined as a private in 1874, being commissioned second lieutenant by Governor Hartranft on the 3d of January, 1877. While he was thus serving, his regiment was called ont in connection with the quelling of the riots of the strikers in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, and in the railroad riots at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1877. He was thus on active duty for three months and was often in the most hazardous and dangerous positions. He remained in active connection with his regiment until May 30. 1878, when he was honorably discharged. On the 15th of January, 1901, he was commissioned by Governor Charles H. Dietrich as aid-de-camp with the rank of colonel on the governor's staff. On the 4th of May, 1901, he was commissioned by Governor Ezra P. Savage as surgeon general of the Nebraska National Guard with the rank of colonel. On the 1st of June, 1902, he became an active member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States and on the 20th of May, 1901, he was appointed by Governor Savage as a delegate to the Congress of Military Surgeons of the United States, held in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 30, 31 and June 1, 1901. On the 26th of May, 1902, he was appointed by Governor Savage as a delegate to the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States meeting at Washington, D. C., June 5, 6 and 7, 1902, and through appointment of Governor John H. Mickey, on the 5th of April, 1903, he was made surgeon general of the State Guard with the rank of colonel. Ten years before this, through appointment by Governor Savage, he was a delegate to the American Congress of Tuberculosis and attended the meeting held at the Hotel Majestic, New York, on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May, 1893. In the same year he was appointed by the State Medical Association of Nebraska as a delegate to the American Medical Asso- ciation and attended the meeting held at Milwaukee in June.
While prominently known in professional connections Dr. Evans is also accounted one of the prominent Masons of the state. His identification with the order dates from 1878. On the 8th of July of that year he became a member of Pollock Lodge, No. 502, A. F. & A. M., at Tarentum, Pennsylvania, and was raised to the degree of Master Mason on the 9th of September. He was made a Royal Arch Mason August 12, 1881, in Bradford Chapter, No. 260, at Bradford, Pennsylvania, and on the 24th of May, 1885, became a member of Gebal Council, No. 12, R. & S. M.,
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PAST AND PRESENT OF PLATTE COUNTY
at Columbus, Nebraska. He was made a Knight Templar, December 13, 1883, in Mount Tabor Commandery, No. 9, at Fremont, Nebraska, and in January, 1886, he attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He was elected knight commander of the Court of Honor, October 20, 1903, and received the thirty-third degree on the 12th of February, 1908, at Omaha, Nebraska. He is a past officer of Polloek Lodge of Tarentum, Pennsylvania, and of Lebanon Lodge of Columbus; has received official honors in Orient Chapter, R. A. M., of Columbus ; Gebal Coun- cil, R. & S. M .; Gethsemane Commandery, No. 21, K. T .; is past grand commander of the Knights Templar of Nebraska and was inspector general of the Grand Com- mandery for four years. He has also been grand king of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Nebraska and has served on important committees in the Grand Lodge. . He is a member of Coeur de Lion Conelave, No. 10, Red Cross of Constantine, at Omaha ; of the Royal Order of Scotland at Washington, D. C .; was created a noble in Tengier Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., June 27. 1892, at Omaha; and received the Order of the Eastern Star, December 27, 1898, at Columbus, Nebraska. For some time he served on the board of trustees of the Nebraska Masonic Home at Plattsmouth, and was really the organizer of the Masonic Orphanage at Fremont, Nebraska. He also served as secretary of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States for several years.
Of him it has been written: "Being a man of enterprise and character, he has stamped his individuality upon all the Masonie bodies of which he has been a mem- ber, cheerfully and willingly aiding to build up the several organizations of the state, and to the labor and ability of such citizens as Dr. Evans the fraternity in Nebraska owes much of the high standing it has attained in our commonwealth." The foregoing indicates that Dr. Evans has attained high honors in various connec- tions, that he has played well his part in life and that his efforts have been resultant and beneficial, proving of marked worth to the community in which he lives.
JOHN BOYER.
John Boyer, postmaster of Humphrey, was born in Virginia, August 18, 1866, a son of Hugh and Margaret (James) Boyer. natives of the Old Dominion. The father was a farmer and stoek-raiser, but at the time of the Civil war put aside business and personal considerations and served for four years as a member of the Confederate army. He afterward resumed agricultural pursuits in his native state, where he remained until 1882, when he came to Nebraska and secured a homestead in the western part of the state. This he operated until his death, which occurred in March, 1906. He became known as one of the representative and highly respected agriculturists of the district in which he lived.
John Boyer was reared and edueated in Virginia, remaining under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age, when he went to Madison county, Nebraska, where for four years he cultivated a farm. He next removed to Boone county, where he rented land for three years, although in the meantime he engaged in buying stock in Humphrey for Dave Hale for about nine years. Upon leaving Boone county he returned to Humphrey, where he conducted a real-estate business for six years. at the end of which time he entered upon the duties of assessor of
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Granville township, serving in that capacity for a year. In January, 1914, he was appointed postmaster of Humphrey by President Wilson, which fact indicates his allegiance to the democratic party.
In August, 1897, Mr. Boyer was married to Miss Catherine Lich, a daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Lich, natives of Germany, who came to America in early life, while for the past twenty years Mr. Lich has been numbered among the farmers of Madison county, Nebraska. His wife passed away in 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Boyer have become the parents of six children: Mary, who is a clerk in the postoffice ; Catherine; Albert; Oscar; George; and Floyd.
Mr. Boyer is interested in the cause of education and has served for five years as a school director in his home locality. He now holds membership with the Royal Highlanders and with the Modern Woodmen of America, is loyal to the beneficent spirit of those organizations and is one of the well known and highly respected residents of his community.
DAVID THOMAS MARTYN, M. D.
Dr. David Thomas Martyn, of Columbus, is one of the distinguished physicians in his section of the state. Long actively engaged in practice, he has maintained a position among the foremost representatives of his profession, keeping in touch with advanced thought and methods and actuated at all times by a desire to be of service to his fellowmen. Kindliness, sympathy and helpfulness are features in his practice which have ever dominated his desire for pecuniary reward. Dr. Martyn was born at Granville, Vermont, July 26, 1845, his parents being Marshall and Abigail (Eaton) Martyn, who were also natives of the Green Mountain state.
Dr. Martyn was eighteen years of age when he became a resident of Illinois and after teaching for a year he enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry for service in the Civil war. He remained at the front until the close of hostilities in 1865 and then entered the medical department of the Northwestern University, from which he was graduated in 1869.
In 1870 Dr. Martyn removed to Nebraska, settling at Columbus in 1876, so that he has now practiced in that city for almost four decades. His marked ability brought him immediately to the front and he has few peers and no superiors in professional work in Platte county. Broad reading has kept him in touch with the advanced thought of the day and he is the loved family physician in many a house- hold where he has ministered through long years.
On the 1st of March, 1877, in Clarks, Nebraska, Dr. Martyn was united in marriage to Miss Susan P. George, by whom he had the following children: Dr. David T. Martyn. Jr .; Lucy H., the wife of W. E. Rhodes, of Chicago, Illinois; Susan P., who gave her hand in marriage to Charles E. Givens, of Kirksville, Missouri; Homer M., living in Kirksville, Missouri; and Helen R., who died at the age of three years. Dr. Martyn belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, but while firmly believing in its principles, he has never had time nor inclination for public office. He has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his professional duties. which have ever been discharged with the utmost sense of conscientious obligation.
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An indication of the general feeling entertained for him in the city where he has so long resided was expressed in an article written by Edgar Howard, editor and proprietor of the Columbus Telegram, for the issue of that paper of Decem- ber 5, 1913. The article read as follows: "One of the most beautiful pictures in the average person's parlor of memory is the one which portrays the kindly features of the old family physician, and the gaze never turns to the picture without recall of the gracious and helpful ministrations of the one whose mission to the home was the banishment of pain. Despite all the present-day denunciation of the awful disclosures of mixing money with medicine, and the proved crime of fee-split- ting between physicians and surgeons, let us not forget that the profession of medi- cine still holds within its ranks some real noblemen, many of whom minister to Nebraskans, and several of them to the people of Columbus. I know a type of the old-time conscientious and kindly family physician of our boyhood dreams. He came to Columbus thirty-eight years ago last Saturday-came here in a day when the telephone was an undreamed dream-in a day when the automobile was not even a creature of imagination-in a day when the motive power of the physician was his saddle horse. For nearly forty years this prince of a noble calling has ministered to the people of Columbus and for fifty miles around, and with a fidelity so instant and so lasting that today the very presence of the old practitioner, now entering the years of gray but still wearing the smile and the charm of a fadeless youth, is a real tonic to thousands of men and women who through four decades have been helped by the healthful influence of his personality, or healed by the application of his medical skill. Last Saturday, when I saw that magnificent man and minister celebrating the thirty-eighth anniversary of his professional advent in Columbus by a programme of devotion to his patients, the thought came to me that if on that day there might have been assembled in one place all the men and women who have appreciated the professional services and admired the honorable personal life of Dr. David T. Martyn, no amphitheatre in all the world had been large enough to receive the throng, and no earthly choir had been able to sound sweeter peans of praise than would there have been loosed in honor of a man who sweetly serves the Master by living a life of service to humanity."
HOWARD A. CLARKE.
Howard A. Clarke has been identified with financial interests of Columbus since 1903 as cashier of the Columbus State Bank, the oldest state bank in Nebraska. His birth occurred in Bellevue, Sarpy county, Nebraska, on the 15th of Decem- ber, 1868, his parents being Artemas Matthewson and Almira A. (Williams) Clarke, the former born in Greenwich, New York, in 1838, and the latter in Penn- sylvania. Their marriage was celebrated in the Keystone state on the 1st of January, 1856, and in the same year they removed to Bellevue, Nebraska, where Artemas M. Clarke had established a mercantile and stock business in 1855. In 1879 they made their way to Omaha and there spent the remainder of their lives, Mr. Clarke passing away in 1911 and his wife in 1914. The latter was a lineal descendant of Roger Williams, while Artemas M. Clarke was a descendant of a brother of John Clarke, who with Roger Williams was one of the founders of
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Rhode Island. Isaac Duncan Clarke, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of Massachusetts.
Howard A. Clarke completed a high-school course at Omaha by graduation and remained in that city until 1900, when he removed to Gretna, Sarpy county, Nebraska, where he was president of the Farmers & Merchants Bank for three years. On the expiration of that period, in 1903, he came to Columbus as cashier of the Columbus State Bank, having remained in that capacity continuously since. He is widely recognized as a capable, courteous and obliging official and his efforts have contributed in no small degree to the continued growth and success of the institution. He is likewise the president of the Platte County Bank at Platte Cen- ter, Nebraska, and thus a prominent factor in financial circles of the community.
On the 5th of December, 1899, in Columbus, Nebraska, Mr. Clarke was united in marriage to Miss Nelly Post, a daughter of the Hon. A. M. Post. Their chil- dren are three in number, namely: Artemas M., Elizabeth Sterling and Bruce Teft Clarke. In his political views Mr. Clarke is a stanch republican, while his religious faith is that of the Baptist church. He is a Master Mason and also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a man of high social and business standing and is recognized as one of the valuable and worthy citizens of Columbus.
HERMAN W. LUEDTKE.
Herman W. Luedtke, cashier of the Citizens State Bank at Creston, belongs to that type of substantial and representative business men who are factors in promoting the stability of a community, advancing the public welfare while pro- moting their individual success. He was born in Sherman township, this county, July 20, 1880, and is a son of Herman and Louisa (Meyer) Luedtke, both of whom were natives of Germany, remaining in the fatherland until 1869, when they came to the new world, first settling in Wisconsin. In 1871 they came to Platte county, Nebraska, and settled in Sherman township, where the father took up a homestead, immediately beginning the improvement and development of the land. He there underwent the hardships of a pioneer and the grasshopper years. He continued to operate his farm throughout his remaining days, his life's labors being terminated in death in November, 1900. For several years he had survived his wife, who passed away in June, 1891.
Herman W. Luedtke was reared and educated in the county which is still his home, attending the district schools and the public schools of Creston and com- pleting his course in the Fremont Normal School at Fremont, Nebraska. He then took up the profession of teaching in school districts No. 49 and No. 46, devoting his attention to that work for two terms. He afterward secured a clerkship in a gen- eral store in Creston, where he remained for a year, but at the end of that time he entered the Citizens State Bank as assistant cashier in 1903, serving in that capac- ity until 1912, when he was promoted to the position of cashier. while his brother Eric became assistant cashier. Herman W. Luedtke is also one of the stockholders and directors of the bank and is a popular official, always obliging and courteous, while at the same time he carefully safeguards the interests of the bank and
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PAST AND PRESENT OF PLATTE COUNTY
therefore protects the stockholders and depositors. In addition to his other interests he is a stockholder in and secretary of the Creston-Blau Gas Company of Creston and in the Farmers Grain & Stock Company.
In June, 1907, occurred the marriage of Mr. Luedtke and Miss Anna Graham, a daughter of Edward T. and Laura B. (Morris) Graham, the former born in Prince Edward Island, while the mother was a native of Wisconsin. Mr. Graham arrived in Platte county in 1871 and homesteaded land in Humphrey township, giving his undivided attention to the improvement and operation of his farm from that time to the present. Success has attended his efforts in large measure, and he has added to his holdings until he is now the owner of ten hundred and forty acres of splendidly improved land, the wisdom of his judgment being shown in his judicious investments. He is also the vice president of the Citizens State Bank of Creston and is regarded as one of the foremost business men of his part of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Luedtke have become the parents of three children: Milan G., who was born June 25, 1909: Lois C., born February 29, 1912; and Ilene M., born October 31. 1911.
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