USA > Nebraska > Buffalo County > Buffalo County, Nebraska, and its people : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 27
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work, going out with a government surveying party to the Bad Lands district seventy-five miles northwest of Fort Niobrara, Nebraska.
Subsequently Mr. Smaha worked at the butcher's trade in Lincoln and Omaha and in 1886 came with his brother George to Ravenna, Buffalo county, Nebraska, and established a meat business here. The town had been founded only a short time before and proved an excellent location for a market. The brothers con- tinued in business together for four years, at the end of which time our subject bought his brother's interest and became sole owner of the meat market. For more than twenty years he was alone in the management of the business, but when his oldest son reached mature years he took him into partnership and the business is now conducted under the name of Joseph Smaha & Sons. His second son, Adolph O., is now also connected with the business. Mr. Smaha under- stands everything pertaining to the butcher's trade and the conduct of a meat market and as he adds to this thorough knowledge, good judgment, enterprise and unswerving integrity, it is but natural that he should have built up a large and profitable patronage. He owns the building in which his business is located and also holds title to forty acres of land adjoining Ravenna and two good resi- dence properties in the town.
In August, 1882, Mr. Smaha was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Slavik, a daughter of Matt and Frances (Masek) Slavik, natives of Bohemia, who emigrated to America about 1872. The father was a farmer by occupation and purchased land in Butler county, Nebraska, which he operated for many years. At length, having accumulated a competence, he retired from active life and made his home with Mr. Smaha until his demise in July, 1905. His wife sur- vives at the age of eighty-nine years and is living with our subject.
To Mr. and Mrs. Smaha have been born ten children, namely: Joseph F., who was born on the 9th of December, 1883, and is engaged in business with his father; Minnie, whose birth occurred June 9, 1885, and who is teaching school in California; Adolph O., who was born on the 18th of November, 1888, and is also associated with his father in business; Elizabeth, born April 16, 1891, Emil, born March 21, 1894, Blanch, born March 28, 1898, and Eldine, born July 31, 1908, all of whom are at home; and three who died in infancy.
Mr. Smaha believes in the principles of the republican party and loyally sup- ports its candidates at the polls. He has served as a member of the town coun- cil and is at the present time a member of the fire department, of which he was .the first chief. He has always discharged his official duties with a conscientious regard for the public welfare and is recognized as a good citizen. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a charter member, and to the Modern Woodmen of America, and his religious belief is that of the Meth- odist church, to which he belongs. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he came to America when a boy of fourteen years and not only had to meet the usual obstacles that confront one who starts out in life without capital or the aid of influential friends, but he also had the additional handicap of being unable to understand English. However, he soon acquired a good knowledge of the language and his enterprise and determination have enabled him to win a gratifying measure of prosperity. In 1912 he turned over the management of his shop to his son, and he and his two daughters, Minnie and Elizabeth, and his son Adolph O. made a trip to Bohemia, as he wished to
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visit his aged mother whom he had not seen since he left home as a boy of four- teen years. They spent about a year in Europe and after his return Mr. Smaha again became actively connected with the conduct of his business.
O. J. LLOYD.
O. J. Lloyd, a retired farmer living in Elm Creek, has been honored by his fellow citizens by election to the office of mayor and is efficiently and conscien- tiously discharging the duties devolving upon him. His birth occurred in Bunker township, Mercer county, Illinois, on the 19th of March, 1851, and he is a son of James and Catherine (Burroughs) Lloyd, the former born in Erie, Penn- sylvania, on the 3d of September, 1827, and the latter in Salem, New Jersey, on the 26th of February, 1825. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Benijah Lloyd, settled at Millersburg, Mercer county, Illinois, in 1834 and took up land on a soldier's claim. He was a tailor by trade. He passed away at Millers- burg, as did his wife, who was in her maidenhood Elizabeth Dunn. The parents of our subject were married on the 15th of February, 1850, in Mercer county, Illinois, to which place the father had removed as a boy with his parents in 1834. He engaged in farming there on reaching mature years and became the owner of three hundred and eighty acres of excellent land. He also owned land in Nebraska and was in good circumstances. He passed away in Mercer county on the 21st of October, 1901. His religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church and he gave his political allegiance to the democratic party. He served as assessor of his township and made an excellent record in that capacity. His wife makes her home with our subject and on the 26th of February, 1916, cele- brated her ninety-first birthday.
O. J. Lloyd was reared upon the home farm in Mercer county, Illinois, and for a considerable period engaged in farming independently there, as he owned a valuable tract of land in that county. In 1887 he sold out and came to Buffalo county, Nebraska, passing the first winter in Elm Creek in order to give his children the advantages of the schools here. On the 8th of January, 1888, when he was living in Elm Creek, occurred the terrible blizzard, which is still remem- bered for its severity. The following spring he took up his residence upon his farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Dawson county and resided there for many years. In 1896 he removed to Elm Creek, but after making his home here for two years returned to the farm, where he resided until 1913, when he retired and again took up his residence in Elm Creek. He was prompt and enter- prising in carrying on the work of his farm and his progressive methods, com- bined with his successful management of the business phase of farming, enabled him to gain more than a competence.
Mr. Lloyd was married in Mercer county, Illinois, to Miss Frankie Vernon, who was born in that county and died in February, 1895. To them were born five children. Ray V., who was born January 13, 1873, is living on his father's farm in Dawson county. Earl E., whose birth occurred on the 17th of May, 1874, received his education in the Elm Creek schools. He later worked for a time in a bank, after which he entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad
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as timekeeper. He has since worked his way steadily upward and is now hold- ing a good position in the auditing department of that road at Omaha. Oliver M. was born on the IIth of November, 1878, and likewise received his educa- tion in the Elm Creek schools. While employed with a surveying gang on a railroad the district engineer noted his ability and helped him to secure training as a civil engineer. He is now engineer for mines near Salt Lake City. Florence, who was born September 28, 1880, married Charles Shepherd, a railroad man living at Pocatello, Idaho. Bessie, whose birth occurred on the 21st of June, 1887, is at home. In 1898 Mr. Lloyd was married the second time, Miss Emma Callendine becoming his wife, but she is now deceased.
Mr. Lloyd is a stalwart democrat and has held a number of local offices. In 1897, while living in Elm Creek, he served as president of the village board and while living in Dawson county 'served as assessor of his township and lacked but fifteen votes of being elected county clerk. He is now serving as mayor, or as president of the village board of Elm Creek, of which he had for two years previously been a member. He has always discharged his official duties with an eye single to the public welfare, and his record as an office holder is creditable alike to his ability and his integrity. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Degree of Honor and the Modern Woodmen of America, all of Elm Creek, and his religious faith is indicated by his member- ship in the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a man of great energy and unusual soundness of judgment and these qualities have been important factors in his success as a farmer and in his influence as a man of affairs.
H. S. STEELE.
H. S. Steele, one of the well-to-do and successful farmers of Elm Creek township, is entitled to honor as a veteran of the Civil war, having served throughout that conflict as a member of an Ohio regiment. He was born in what is now West Virginia on the 25th of' November, 1840, the only son of James and Caroline Steele, natives of Virginia. He was left an orphan at an early age and was reared by his maternal grandmother. While still a boy he removed to Ross county, Ohio, and later to Fayette county, that state. In 1861 he enlisted at Washington Courthouse, Ohio, in Company A, Fifty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and remained with that command for three years and three weeks. He took part in the following engagements, Shiloh, Chickasaw Swamps, Fort Heinman, Corinth, Vicksburg, Atlanta and Jonesburg. He was never wounded although he had a number of very narrow escapes, having the bottom of his canteen shot off at Shiloh and on one occasion having his musket knocked out of his hand by a spent cannon ball. At another time a minie ball passed through his belt.
After Mr. Steele was honorably discharged from military service he removed to Woodford county, Illinois, where he remained until 1873, when he came to Buffalo county, Nebraska. He had a soldier's claim and took up one hundred and sixty acres of land in Elk Creek township, on which he has since lived. He passed through the usual pioneer experiences and in addition to the hardships
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H. S. STEELE AND FAMILY
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incident to all life on the frontier had to contend with the grasshopper plagues and with droughts. He never wavered, however, in his faith in the ultimate prosperity of the country and this belief has been justified as he has seen his land increase greatly in value and as he has gained financial success. He owns three hundred and sixty acres in Elm Creek township and one hundred and sixty acres in Perkins county, this state, and derives a gratifying income from his land. He has always been progressive in his work, and his industry and good manage- ment have enabled him to accumulate a competence.
In 1870 Mr. Steele was united in marriage at Bloomington, Illinois, to Miss Mary Frances Lucas, who was born in Kentucky on the Ioth of July, 1851, a daughter of Thomas and Minerva Lucas, natives of the Blue Grass state, who, liowever, were living in Woodford county, Illinois, at the time of their daughter's marriage. They subsequently came to Buffalo county, Nebraska, and both passed away here. To Mr. and Mrs. Steele have been born seven children, namely : Laura M., the wife of William Schrack, of Elm Creek; Charles, who is farming in Phelps county; Bert, a farmer of Elm Creek township; and Elmer and Ellsworth, twins, Clifford and William Henry, all four of whom are at home.
Mr. Steele supports the republican party as a rule although if the occasion demands he votes an independent ticket. He has served as a member of the school board and has at all times manifested a commendable interest in the edu- cational advancement of his district. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and their many excellent qualities have won them the respect and esteem of all who have been brought in contact with them. Mr. Steele proved his patriotism when as a young man he enlisted in the Union army and it is characteristic of him that he should meet to the full every obliga- tion resting upon him.
WALTER S. NICHOLS, B. V. Sc.
Dr. Walter S. Nichols, of Ravenna, has a large and profitable practice as a veterinarian and owns a modern, well equipped veterinary hospital. His birth occurred in Marshall county, Iowa, on the 13th of May, 1882, and he is a son of Horace M. and Mary T. (Tomlinson) Nichols, both natives of Marshall county, Iowa, the former born in 1854 and the latter in 1855. The father farmed in his native county until 1910, when he retired and removed to Stroud, Okla- homa, where he still resides. In April, 1890, his wife was called to her reward.
Dr. Nichols was reared in Marshall county, Iowa, and received his early education in the public schools of Marshalltown. Subsequently he devoted three years to the study of agriculture in the State College at Ames and in the fall of 1902 he came to Buffalo county, Nebraska, and purchased a farm seven miles north of Gibbon. He operated that place until 1907, when he sold out and entered the University of Toronto at Toronto, Canada, where he took a veterinary course, graduating in April, 1910. In May of that year he returned to Buffalo county and located at Ravenna, where he has since remained. He has been very successful in his chosen profession and has gained the confidence Vol. II-14
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of the public and of his professional colleagues. In 1911 he erected an office and also a hospital, which is provided with all of the equipment of an up-to-date institution of the kind. In 1915 he built a good residence adjoining the hos- pital and he also owns other residence property in Ravenna which he rents, and holds title to a good farm in Keith county, this state. He is likewise a stock- holder and director of the Sweetwater State Bank and financially he is in com- fortable circumstances.
Dr. Nichols was married on the 24th of December, 1911, to Miss Esther Newberg, a daughter of George and Trina (Anderson) Newberg, natives respectively of Sweden and Norway. In 1880 they became settlers of Sherman county, Nebraska, locating eight miles north of Ravenna, where the father took up a homestead which he has since improved and operated. He has reached the age of seventy years and his wife is sixty-eight years old.
Dr. Nichols is a republican in his political belief but his professional duties have left him little time to take an active part in public affairs. He is a Methodist and fraternally his connection is with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. He holds membership in the State Veterinary Medical Association and the Missouri Valley Veterinary Medical Association and in this way and by constant reading keeps in touch with the advanced thought that is being made in veterinary science. He has gained a wide acquaintance and his many excel- lent qualities have enabled him to win the warm regard and the respect of all with whom he has been associated.
REX M. JONES.
Rex M. Jones, a retired farmer living at Elm Creek, has witnessed much of the development of Buffalo county, as he has resided here for about forty-five years. His birth occurred at Norristown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th of October, 1838, his parents being Mark and Eliza (Shearer) Jones, likewise natives of that county. The paternal grandfather, John Jones, was a native of Wales and met his death in 1850 by being kicked by a horse. The father of our subject was a wheelwright by trade but in his later years engaged in buying and shipping stock, and it was he who shipped the first load of cattle into Philadelphia over the Pennsylvania Central Railroad. A celebration was held in Philadelphia when the train arrived, as the importance of new railroad connections was recognized.
Rex M. Jones was intimately acquainted with Andrew Carnegie as a boy, as they often played together, and Mr. Carnegie drove boat mules on the Schuyl- kill river for our subject's grandfather. Mr. Jones received his education in the common schools and still has a picture of the schoolhouse where he attended school and on the picture is written "Plymouth Quaker Meeting House, built prior to 1680." When twelve years of age he entered the employ of Dan Rice, the famous show man of the early days, whose winter quarters were near his home. He drove the five horse team of the band wagon from Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Marion county, Ohio, being with the show the entire summer. In 1871 he removed to Yates City, Illinois, and was living there at the time of
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the great Chicago fire. In December of that year he came to Buffalo county, Nebraska, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of railroad land in what is now Elm Creek township. In March of the following year his family joined him and they took up their home upon the farm, which was totally unimproved. For a number of years they lived in a sod house but at length were able to erect a good frame residence. At the time that they settled in this county there was nothing at the town of Elm Creek save a railway station and a section house. Mr. Jones engaged in farming upon his place and not only brought his land to a high state of cultivation but also made many improvements upon it. About 1905 he put aside the active work of the fields and removed to Elm Creek, where he is now enjoying a period of well deserved leisure made possible by his well directed labors of the past.
Mr. Jones was married in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, February 16, 1860, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Hart White, who was also born in Norristown. They have had four children, namely: William, who is working in the shops at North Platte, Nebraska; Elva, the wife of Ed Fitzgerald; Mark J., a mer- chant of Elm Creek; and Nettie, who died while attending school at Norris- town, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Jones is a republican and although he has never held office has been quite influential in local political affairs, his support of a candidate going far toward securing his election. His people were stanch abolitionists at the time of the agitation against slavery and he himself drove many a slave over the underground railroad. His family were members of the Friends church and he has never departed from the faith in which he was reared. At the time of the Civil war he met and shook hands with Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, and he has many interesting reminiscences of that period of the country's history. In 1894 he visited his old home in Norristown, Penn- sylvania, and he has in his possession a picture of the house in which he was born. He has gained his success by industry and good management, and the leisure which he now enjoys is well deserved. During the '5os he worked for twenty-five and fifty cents a day, but by the time that he removed to this county he had accumulated considerable capital so that, although he had to endure some hardships in this new region, he did not suffer as did some of the settlers.
EDWARD C. STANTON.
Edward C. Stanton, who is successfully conducting a retail liquor business in Ravenna, was born in Grundy county, Illinois, on the 7th of July, 1866, a son of Patrick and Mary (Dorgan) Stanton, natives respectively of La Salle county, Illinois, and Ireland. The father devoted his life to farming and followed agri- cultural pursuits in Grundy county, Illinois, until 1880, when he removed to Clay county, Nebraska. After renting land there for eight years he went to the vicinity of Kearney and purchased a farm which he cultivated until 1910. In that year he retired from active life and removed to Hartwell, where he is still living. His wife also survives.
Edward C. Stanton was reared and educated in his native county and
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remained with his parents until he reached the age of thirty-one years. He then rented a farm which he operated for five years, at the end of which time he engaged in the saloon business at Gibbon. Two years later he came to Ravenna and for the past fourteen years he has conducted a retail liquor business here. He is a man of enterprise and good business judgment and is now in com- fortable circumstances.
On the 19th of June, 1905, Mr. Stanton was united in marriage to Miss Tonnie Hildebrand. Her parents, John and Josephine (Slodivenik) Hildebrand, were born in Bohemia but became early settlers of Sherman county, Nebraska, where the father engaged in farming until his demise in 1888. The mother afterward married James Kostal, who is engaged in farming in Sherman county. Mr. and Mrs. Stanton have a son, Edward P., whose birth occurred in June, 1908.
Mr. Stanton supports the republican party at the polls but has never had the time nor inclination to take an active part in political affairs. Fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World and his religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. He is well known in Ravenna and since locat- ing here has gained many friends.
JUNIUS S. DONNELL.
Junius S. Donnell is a comparatively recent addition to the citizenship of Kearney and Buffalo county, but already has made for himself an enviable and creditable place in the business and financial circles of the city, being now presi- dent of the Central National Bank. He is honored and respected by all who know him, not alone by reason of the success he has achieved but also because of the straightforward business policy which he has ever followed. He was born at Oak Ridge, North Carolina, on the 8th of February, 1865, and the first twenty-one years of his life were passed in that locality, during which period he worked upon the home farm and completed his educational training at the Oak Ridge high school. During the summer of 1886, having attained his majority, he went to Kansas and embarked in mercantile pursuits at Ness City. Two years later he became a resident of Dotham, Missouri, where for ten years he continued in the same line of business. It was on the expiration of that period that he entered upon his banking career, serving as cashier of the Exchange Bank in Fairfax, Missouri, for six years, then becoming the owner of the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Craig, Missouri, which he operated for five years.
In 1910 Mr. Donnell removed to Kearney and entered business circles here as assistant cashier of the City National Bank, bringing with him the ripe experi- ence of a successful business man and banker. Two years later he became the cashier of the Central National Bank and in 1915 was elected its president, the position which he now occupies. He is bending his energies toward adminis- trative direction and executive control and the wisdom of his judgment and his keen sagacity find expression in the growing success of the institution of which he is the head.
In January, 1901, Mr. Donnell was united in marriage to Miss Una Whitford, and to them have been born two children, Marian and Francis. The family
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JUNIUS S. DONNELL
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attend the services of the Christian church and are interested in the moral progress of the community. Mr. Donnell is also a member of the Kearney Commercial Club and cooperates heartily in all of its plans and projects for the city's upbuild- ing and development. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias, and his political allegiance is given to the democratic party. He now considers Kearney as his permanent home and is interested in all that pertains to its welfare and the substantial growth of the community.
JOHN F. DAUL.
John F. Daul, who owns five hundred acres of excellent land, is one of the most successful and progressive farmers of Elm Creek township. He was born in Washington county, Wisconsin, thirty miles north of Milwaukee, on the 26th of May, 1852. A sketch of his father, Frederick Daul, appears elsewhere in this work. During our subject's childhood the family removed to Kewaunee county, Wisconsin, and there he grew to mature years. In 1873 removal was made to Buffalo county, Nebraska, the father, who was quite well-to-do, chartering a car and shipping a team of horses and his household goods by rail. The family settled in what is now Elm Creek township, where the father purchased a half section of railroad land.
John F. Daul had but limited school advantages, as, being the oldest in the family, he had to go to work when a boy. He received thorough training under his father in all kinds of agricultural labor and continued to assist with the operation of the home farm until he was thirty-five years of age. He then located upon his present place, which he has brought to a high state of develop- ment. He has made all of the improvements, which compare favorably with those of other farms in the neighborhood, and has carefully conserved the fer- tility of the soil. He holds title to five hundred acres of land, from which he derives a gratifying income. For a few years he lived elsewhere, but has again taken up his residence on his farm. While living in Wisconsin he began running a threshing outfit and continued in that business for twenty-four consecutive seasons, becoming very expert in that work. He claims that in the twenty-four years he did not waste as much grain as most threshers of the present day do on one job, as he not only understood the business thoroughly but also took pains to do the work well and to avoid waste.
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