USA > Nebraska > Sarpy County > Biographical record : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Saunders and Sarpy Counties, Nebraska > Part 5
USA > Nebraska > Saunders County > Biographical record : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Saunders and Sarpy Counties, Nebraska > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
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HON. ALEXANDER BOULIER.
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he has an excellent willow fence 160 rods in length. He now rents his farm to Christopher Lehman for $400 per year. He owns some val- uable property in town, having purchased ten lots, and also own a valuable property in Lin- coln, Nebraska. He has two or three horses and a carriage. Mr. Hagstadt has always been in- dustrious and energetic, and his efforts have met with unusual success.
ON. ALEXANDER BOULIER, whose portrait is shown herewith, is a native of Woodford county, Illi- nois. He was born September 20, 1845, and is a son of Henry and Mary Josephine (Sau- vage) Boulier. His father was a farmer and stock raiser.
Alexander attended the public schools and worked on his father's farm until he attained the age of twenty-one years, when he rented a farm in Woodford county and engaged in stock raising and general farming, until 1884. He then moved to Saunders county, Nebraska, and rented the west half of the northwest quarter of section 10 and the northeast quarter of sec- tion 9. Many substantial improvements since then, in the way of a house, barn, corn-cribs, etc., have been made.
February 14, 1869, Mr. Boulier was united in marriage with Sarah A. Bailey, of Peoria county, Illinois. They have eight children : William H., aged thirty years, who married Annie Woods, of Saunders county; Carrie Belle, aged twenty-six years, who is now Mrs.
Samuel Hoshor; Mary J., aged twenty-four years, who married Louis Schere; Luella B., aged twenty-three years, who wedded Michael J. Rockford; Irvin S., aged twenty-one years; Clifford J., aged nineteen years; Ralston H., aged sixteen years, and George D., aged thir- teen years.
Mr. Boulier is a Populist in politics. While a resident of Illinois Mr. Boulier was township clerk of Partridge district for fourteen years and school treasurer nine years. He repre- sented his district in Saunders county, Ne- braska, in the legislature of 1899, and has been renominated in 1900. He is at present a mem- ber of the school board. Mr. Boulier is a man of influence, and his counsel is valued by the best citizens of Cedar precinct.
RNEST FRENCH PECK, manager of the Farmers Co-operative Asso- ciation, is a native of Wayne county, Pennsylvania .. He was born September 18, 1858, and is a son of David Horton and Rachael Elizabeth (Gaylord) Peck. His parents are both dead. His mother died in 1897. His father survived her a short time, and died in 1898.
The family left Pennsylvania when Ernest was six years of age, settled in Rock Island county, Illinois, and engaged in farming. The subject hereof was given the advantages of a public school education. He attended the dis- trict schools for ten years, and in 1875 moved with his parents to Saunders county, Nebraska.
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BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
The father followed farming, while young Peck attended the public schools. Thus he continued for one year, and then entered the state uni- versity, where he remained three years. On leaving that institution he immediately engaged in teaching school in the states of Dakota and Colorado, and also in Saunders county, Ne- braska. He then opened a meat market, and conducted a successful business for ten years. Selling out this business, he accepted the man- agement of the Farmers Co-operative Asso- ciation, succeeding J. B. Brainard, a brother of Captain David Brainard, one of the members of the famous Greely party on its trip to the frozen North.
Mr. Peck was married in July, 1888, to Mary Dewey, of Lancaster county, Nebraska. They have a charming family-Louise Joyce, aged twelve years; Vincent Willard, aged ten years; and last, but not least, the winsome twins, Donald Dewey and Dorothy Manila, aged four years. Mr. Peck's patriotism may be inferred from the names of his twin chil- dren. He has a splendid home on Oak street, Whitney addition to Cedar Bluffs, and his hap- piest hours are spent there.
Mr. Peck was chairman of the town board of trustees for three years, and served as vil- lage treasurer four years. During both these periods, comprising seven years, he was a jus- tice of the peace. He was re-elected chairman of the board of trustees in face of the state- ment he had made, publicly given out, that he was not a candidate and would not serve if elected. In spite of his protests, the people insisted on electing him. This fully demon-
strates his popularity. In politics Mr. Peck is a straight-out Republican. He is a member of the First Baptist church of Lincoln, Ne- braska.
HARLES HENRY ECKERY, one of the most enthusiastic young business men of Morse Bluff, Saunders coun- ty, Nebraska, is a native of Iowa City, Iowa. He was born August 10, 1871, and is a son of John and Mary Elizabeth (Glassinger ) Eckery. His parents are both living on their farm near Ashland, Nebraska.
His father moved from Iowa City to west- ern Iowa, near Neola, Pottawattamie county, and after a short stay there removed to Perkins county, Nebraska. There he owned about 4,000 acres of land which was used as a stock farm. Mr. Eckery was one of the most prominent stock raisers in the state.
In 1896 Charles Henry Eckery received from his father 120 acres of land, and for two years conducted a general farming and stock raising business. In 1898 he traded the farm for the grain elevator in Morse Bluff, owned by Fleming Bros. He has made a great many important improvements in it, carrying on a large business in grain and live stock. In 1899 he handled 150,000 bushels of corn and oats.
In 1898 Mr. Eckery married Honora Calnon, a daughter of Michael and Hannah Calnon, and they have one child, John Henry, one year old. Mr. Eckery is a Republican polit- ically, and, religiously, a member of the
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Roman Catholic church. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, Camp No. 1476, Morse Bluff. He has a handsome resi- dence and owns lots 1, 2 and 3 in block 13, Morse Bluff. He also owns lots 14, 15, 16 and 17 in block 6.
H. BRUNING. The gentleman here named needs no introduction to the citizens of Saunders county, Nebraska, for his wonderful success as a prop- agator of the red cedar tree has made his name a familiar one throughout Nebraska, and, in fact, in many other states. What at first appears to be only a successful private undertaking turns out to be one which results in material benefit to the entire public. It has always been a recognized fact that the greatest need on the western prairies was a protection from the winds, but it remained for years practically an unsolved problem. It devolved upon Mr. Brun- ing and his honored father to illustrate how the sturdy red cedar could be cultivated and made the best possible wind-break, affording protec- tion alike to houses and the tender fruit trees of the orchard, whose blossoms are often blighted by the cold blasts. He formulated plan after plan for raising from the seed, which is encased in a hard and horny shell, but for eighteen years he worked before attaining the desired results. A man with less energy and courage would have given up in disgust, but with a tenacity born of an indomitable will, unweakened by failure, he persevered with re- newed energy, and the ultimate success attend-
ing his efforts is known to every one and has gained him the appellation "Nebraska's Wizard of Horticulture."
Mr. Bruning was born, September 13, 1848, in Worth county, Missouri, and is a son of F. H. and Anna (Vassar ) Bruning, of Kent, Iowa. His father is also in the nursery busi- ness. His parents moved to Iowa when he was three years of age, locating in the southwestern part of Union county. He remained at home until he arrived at his majority, receiving his early mental training in the public schools. While attending the public school he was en- gaged, at the age of sixteen years, as assistant teacher of mathematics in the school, continu- ing until he was twenty-one years old. In company with his father, he then traveled through wild regions and among hostile Indi- ans in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Their object was to study red cedar and devise some plan of growing it from the seed. He had studied medicine and chemistry somewhat, which, together with his father's practical knowledge, rendered them well equipped for the work. After eighteen years of successive failures, they made their first success. The following year proved another failure, and the succeeding year a success, the great discovery being made in 1877. The first beds were set out in Kent. Iowa; after a temporary stay there, Mr. Bruning moved to Saunders county, Nebraska, for his health, and also because it was more convenient for the business. He now holds 180 acres in Cedar precinct, as follows: the northwest quarter (fractional) of section 24, the northwest quar-
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BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
ter of the southeast quarter of section 24, and the southwest half of the northeast quarter of section 24. The value of the discovery is be- yond calculation. As an example of his exem- plary persistency, may be pointed out his peach tree experiments. For forty-six years he planted seeds from a seedling peach, before he considered the peach a perfect one, and it is now considered one of the very finest grown in the world. His cedar nursery runs from 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 trees, and he has about 200 cherry trees, 10 acres of apples (about 800 trees), and seven acres of peach trees (about 1,000 trees), beside seedling grape and miscellaneous trees.
Mr. Bruning was united in marriage June 15, 1873, with Mary Ann Morgan, and he has one son, Lewis Andrew, age twenty-five years. The latter started farming, but, selling out, ac- cepted an interest in his father's business. He married Jennie V. Slayton, of Fremont, Ne- braska, June 15, 1898.
ALPH C. JOHNSON, a prominent and well-to-do farmer of Saunders county, Nebraska, is a son of Israel and Susan (Colmore) Johnson. He was born near Liberty, Maine, May 25, 1852. His father was a prosperous farmer, and the son had the ad- vantage of good schools and was given a good education. In addition, his father carefully trained him on his farm and made him a first- class farmer.
At the age of eighteen years Ralph C. John- son started out in life for himself, and secured
employment in railroad mills and shops in Massachusetts. In 1868 he came to Nebraska, and engaged in the lumber business for a rail- road company, supplying ties, piling and tele- graph poles. At this work he continued for two years, meeting with success, although the business was attended with great hardships and perilous journeys, necessitating trips that re- quired him to swim the Platte River and other streams.
Wishing now to establish a home, Mr. John- son moved to Saunders county, Nebraska, hav- ing only an ox team with which to make the journey. He took up the 80 acres of home- stead land on which Cedar Bluffs now stands.
Mr. Johnson's first enterprise was to buy a threshing outfit, which he operated for some time. His success in this enterprise enabled him to add to his stock of this world's goods. He now owns the northwest quarter of section 34, also the northi one-half and the southwest quarter of section 27. Stock-raising at pres- ent engages much of his time. He has 420 head of cattle, 200 head of hogs, and 15 head of horses.
In the fall of 1874 Mr. Johnson married Maggie Roberts, since deceased, of Saunders county, Nebraska. Two children resulted from this union : Randall K., aged twenty-four years, and Mary, aged twenty-two years. In 1884 he again married ; this marriage was with Minnie Wellman, of Buffalo, New York, and three children were born to them: Arthur B., aged sixteen years; Ida M., aged fourteen years ; Clair D., aged eleven years.
Mr. Johnson has two brothers, John and
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Ambrose, who followed his wise choice, and have also sought homes in the new West. Ambrose engaged in the lumber business at Fort McPherson, while John settled on the southwest quarter of section 33, Saunders county, Nebraska.
The subject of this sketch is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Baptist Church in religion. He was a school director from 1898 to 1900. He is a member of Occidental Lodge, No. 215, F. & A. M .; of the chapter and commandery at Fremont, and the Tangier Temple, Mystic Shrine, at Omaha. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen, and of the A. O. U. W.
LOF NELSON. Within the bound- aries of Saunders county, Nebraska, the above named gentleman is known as one of the most substantial and progressive farmers, and his farm, which is located in Chapman precinct, on sections 8, 14 and 6, is one of the most highly improved in the county. He was born in Gothland, Sweden, in 1847, and is a son of Nels and Margaret (Olson) Olson.
Olof Nelson, when twenty-two years of age, with his brother Peter, who was aged fifteen years, came to the United States in 1869, and in 1871 his parents located in Saunders county. He first located in Kansas, but six months later he moved to Missouri, where he spent another six months, and then located in Nebraska in 1870. He went to Saunders county with Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Hanson, and at once took
up a claim on which he built a dug-out, 12 by 16 feet, in which he lived so as to gain a clear title to the land. He later built a farm house and for the first few years his experience was discour- aging, as the crops were destroyed either by hail or grasshoppers. By constant perseverance, however, his efforts have been crowned with success. He set out some cottonwood trees, which he obtained from Duck Island, in the Platte River, for 50 cents per thousand. In 1875 he bought the east half of the northwest quarter of section 17, paying $5 per acre-the land being placed on the market by the railroad company-and in 1882 he bought 80 acres from his brother, which tract lies east of his farm. As there were no bridges in those early days, the farmers were compelled to ford the streams, and many a time has Mr. Nelson made his team swim the Platte River. During the first couple of years, when he had poor crops, the subject hereof worked out by the day. He first built a sod barn, which had a straw roof, and the material for his first house and barn was hauled from Fremont, which is a distance of about 30 miles. His first barn measured 14 by 16 feet, but his present one is 32 by 40 feet, and he has since built a corn-crib 36 by 24 feet. Nearly all of his farm is inclosed by either a wire fence or by willow trees, and he has good water and a fine windmill on his premises. Mr. Nelson has always taken an active interest in the developing of his adopted county, and he is esteemed by his many acquaintances as a good neighbor and a loyal citizen.
The subject of this sketch was united in mar- riage with Sophia Carlson, also a native of
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BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
Sweden. Her parents first settled in Iowa and later moved to Omaha, where Mr. Nelson made her acquaintance. This union has been blessed by three sons, all of whom are single and at home, namely : Harmon N., Elmer, and Eddie.
In politics Mr. Nelson is a Populist, and has served as a school director of district 28. Religiously, he is a Baptist. He built his large and commodious home in 1892.
RANK KRAUSE moved to Saun- ders county, Nebraska, in 1869, and took up a homestead. By hard work and perse- verance he managed to make both ends meet, surmounting all difficulties, and today he may be classed among the representative citizens of the county. He owns considerable property in Saunders county, consisting of an extra fine orchard and land under a high state of cultiva- tion.
Mr. Krause is a native of Baden Baden, Ger- many, where he was born January 18, 1839. He passed his boyhood in his own country, and in 1854 came to the United States, landing at New Orleans. His parents went to Wisconsin, where his father settled on a farm, and meeting with good results, remained until 1869, when they located in Saunders county, Nebraska. Frank Krause took up a homestead on the east half of the southwest quarter of section 28, on which he still resides. He also took up a soldier's claim of 80 acres. His holdings now include. in addition to the above, 120 acres in section 33, and 128 acres in section 22. When
he started, he had a small house, 12 by 16 feet, which he built, and a pole and straw barn. The land was planted in wheat, but the visita- tion of grasshoppers in that section during the next few years made it difficult to get a suc- cessful start. He worked hard, and with each set-back he returned to his task with renewed vigor, which in the end was bound to bring forth good results. He now has a very fine property and his orchard, which comprises about 2,000 trees (apples and plums predom- inating, but with a good selection of cherries, peaches and apricots), is undoubtedly the finest in the county.
Mr. Krause enlisted in the Union Army on February 14, 1863, in Company K, 27th Regi- ment, Wisconsin Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Conrad Krez, and was a participant in the siege of Vicksburg, the capture of Little Rock, Arkansas, the Red River campaign in Louisiana, and the siege of Mobile. He was mustered out at Brownsville, Texas, August 29, 1865.
On May 5, 1869, he was united in marriage with Maggie Hutchings, of Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, a daughter of Albert Hutchings of that section. They have nine children, whose names and dates of birthis follow : Albert E., born August 8, 1870; Elizabeth, born January 22, 1872; Frank J., born November 8, 1873; Lucy A., born July 22, 1876, who married E. J. Cullen and has a son one year old. named Edgar; Alexander, born June 18. 1879; Charles, born July 18, 1881 ; Mabel, born Feb- ruary 14, 1884; Henry, born September 28, 1887; and George, born August 24, 1888.
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The subject of this sketch is a Democrat in politics, while in his religious views he is a Roman Catholic. He is the soldiers' relief commissioner for the district, and is a member of Sully Post, No. 105, G. A. R.
ACOB OCKANDER is a prominent and well-to-do farmer residing three and one- half miles northwest of Weston, Ne- braska, where he owns a fine farm, upon which he has put all the improvements. He was born in Sweden in 1839 and is a son of Gabriel Ockander, who died a few years after his wife's death. Jacob is the only son in a family of nine children, and four of his sisters accompanied him to this country.
He located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1869, and moved to Saunders county, Nebraska, in 1870, the year following his immigration to this country, and from Oscar Boline bought the west half of the northeast quarter of section 6, township 14, range 6, of which only 10 acres had been broken, and in the middle of the farm was a cave, dug preparatory to building a house. Mr. Ockander subsequently bought 80 acres of railroad land-the west half of the southeast quarter of section 31, township 15, range 6, of which 40 acres were owned by Mr. Boline. Until his home was completed, he lived with a neighbor, Oscar Johnson. His house was 14 by 22 feet, and he afterward erected a kitchen, 12 by 12. In the slough, a few rods back of the house, he built a sod barn large enough for a team and a cow, and near
the barn was a fine spring, which furnished an abundant supply of water. In the early "seventies" he set out many box elder and cottonwood trees, buying the slips from an island near Fremont, where he also obtained his lumber. He also devoted about two acres to an orchard, consisting of apple, peach, pear and cherry trees. In 1888 he built a barn and corn-crib, which he greatly enlarged in 1899, and also built a new hog and cow shed. He carries on general farming and raises about 60 hogs a year. In 1899 he had a fine apple year, and in fact all his crops were good. He recently added a room 16 by 18 feet to his home, and is constantly making improvements upon his farm. He has two windmills, one at the barn, which he put up in 1892, and the other at the house, which he put up in 1896. He has two wells, one 124 feet deep and the other 50 feet deep. Mr. Ockander is a pro- gressive farmer, and throughout his community he enjoys the friendship of hosts of acquaint- ances.
The subject of this sketch was married in Sweden to Elizabeth Vestber, who died on Christmas day of 1899, and this union was blessed by the following children : Ella, Hilma, Gabriel and Victoria. Ella, a native of Sweden, is the wife of John Carson, a farmer of Mari- posa precinct, Saunders county, and they have five children; Hilma, also a native of Sweden, the wife of Mr. Egbert, keeps house for her father; Gabriel, born in Sweden, possesses many of his father's good traits, and practically manages his father's farm; Victoria, born in Nebraska, is the wife of Henry Roslund, who
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BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
resides a short distance from Mr. Ockander's home.
In politics Mr. Ockander is a stanch Pop- ulist, while in a religious connection he attends the Baptist church, of which he is a member.
1 RA McCLUHAN, a successful farmer and stock raiser of Morse Bluff precinct, was born in Warren county, Illinois. He is the son of John McCluhan, deceased, and Lealı (Hogue) McCluhan. His mother still lives in Saunders county, Nebraska. John Mc- Cluhan located in Saunders county, March I, 1877, and engaged in farming. He died there in November, 1889.
Ira McCluhan worked on his father's farm in the summer season, and attended the public school during the winter time. In this way he acquired a fair common-school education. At an early age he showed an aptitude for stock business, and induced his father to engage in that industry. The father made his son the purchasing agent, and to him was left the care of the stock. Since that time the Mc- Cluhans have been leaders in the stock raising line in Saunders county, and have made a great success of it.
Ira McCluhan owns a quarter section in Bohemia precinct, 55 acres in his home place, and 200 acres in Dodge county, all of which is devoted to the business of stock raising. It was not until 1891 that Mr. McCluhan started this enterprise in Dodge county. In all of his dealings he has the reputation of being so
scrupulously just and honest that his word can be positively relied on. He has the implicit confidence of all the stock men, and to this his success in a great measure can be attributed.
In November, 1897, Mr. McCluhan was united in marriage with Mary B. Naverkal, of Saunders county. They have two sons : John, aged eighteen months, and an infant, unnamed. Their beautiful home in Morse Bluff is one of the finest in the county, situated as it is on a knoll immediately overlooking the town and with a full view of the Platte River district in the distance. Surrounded by fruit trees and fringed with a heavy growth of cottonwood, it is, indeed, an ideal home.
HARLES W. MOSIER, of Morse Bluff, Saunders county, Nebraska, was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 21, 1858. He is a son of John W. and Cather- ine (Stuart) Mosier, both living on their farm in Dakota. The family moved to Montgomery county, Iowa, when Charles W. was four years old.
Charles W. Mosier received his intellectual training in the public schools, and worked at times on his father's farm. Being an am- bitious young man, and anxious to do for him- self, he rented a farm, which he successfully managed for four years, when he moved to North Bend, Nebraska, and rented another farm. This he cultivated one year, after which he ran a grader for one year. Saunders coun- ty, Nebraska, was then a "calling card" for
RODNEY K. JOHNSON.
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parties seeking new homes. The advantages of stock raising afforded by that county at- tracted the attention of Mr. Mosier, and he moved there and engaged in the cattle and sheep business, which he followed four years, selling out to go into the livery business, in which he has continued ever since.
Mr. Mosier chose for his life companion Mary Figgens, of Montgomery county, Iowa. Mrs. Mosier was a daughter of Louis and Eliz- abeth (Charter) Figgens, both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Mosier have two children : Clemma, aged twenty years, and Ira, aged six years. Clemma married John Bignall, and has three children, Emma, Irwin, and Emphord.
Mr. Mosier is a Populist in his political con- victions. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. For the past year he has held the office of city marshal and street commissioner.
ODNEY K. JOHNSON, the leading merchant of Valparaiso, Nebraska, whose portrait is shown on the oppo- site page, is a gentleman of remarkable business ability. Having been located there since the very inception of the town, he has always been one of its most energetic citizens, devoting time and money to the furtherance of its public enterprises. No man has done more than he toward making Valparaiso the thriving place that it now is. He was born in the town of Knox, Waldo county, Maine, on December 13, 1842, and is a son of Andrew and Mary Ann (Litle) Johnson.
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