Compendium of history, reminiscence, and biography of Nebraska : containing a history of the state of Nebraska also a compendium of reminiscence and biography containing biographical sketches of hundreds of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of Nebraska, Part 135

Author: Alden Publishing Company
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago : Alden Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1402

USA > Nebraska > Compendium of history, reminiscence, and biography of Nebraska : containing a history of the state of Nebraska also a compendium of reminiscence and biography containing biographical sketches of hundreds of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of Nebraska > Part 135

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Mr. Zimmerman and wife have three children, namely: Archie O., Elizabeth and Elva E. Ar- chie O., was born in Sherman county, January 30, 1885, lives on his own farm near Loup City, and has one child ; Elizabeth, married William Owen, and they have one child. and live at Sunnyside, Washington, where Mr. Owen is connected with

the United States reclamation service; Elva E. Zimmerman, for a number of years a teacher of vocal and instrumental music in Loup City, was married, March 19, 1911, to R. H. Mathew, who served four years as county attorney, and was at the time of his first election the youngest official ever elected to that important position in the state.

Mr. Zimmerman's first dwelling on his home -. stead was a small "soddy," with a dirt roof, in which he lived three years, and which was re- placed later with a commodious house, lathed and plastered, and in this the family lived for four years. Since selling the homestead farm, Mr. Zimmerman has purchased a farm of two hundred and forty acres north of Loup City, and another of three hundred and twenty acres south of town, besides a number of small tracts. He also owns a fine tract of timber sixteen miles south of Rich- mond, Virginia, which was an old plantation be- fore the war, and has since grown up in a forest of fine trees.

Mr. Zimmerman is a republican in politics. and a member of the fraternal order the Loyal Mystic Legion, and also the Modern Woodmen of America.

BYRON H. BAKER.

For over twenty-eight years the gentleman whose name heads this personal history has been associated with the agricultural interests of Mad- ison county, and as an old settler and one of her worthy citizens, he is prominently known. Mr. Baker is proprietor of one of the fine farms of this locality, and resides on section four, town- ship twenty-four, range four. He has accumu- lated his property and gained his good name by his persistent and honest labors.

Mr. Baker is a son of Daniel and Fannie (Moore) Baker, and was born in Madison county. Iowa, December 7, 1851. His father is a native of West Virginia, of German descent. The mother claimed the Keystone state as her birthplace, she being descended from Holland stock.

Mr. Baker remained in his native state until he reached the age of thirty-two years, receiving the usual schooling, and there followed the occu- pation of farming. He came to Madison county, Nebraska, in 1883, and upon deciding to locate here, bought the Thomas Eberly homestead. He has steadily improved this place until he now has a fine farm of six hundred and forty acres, on which are ten acres of fine orchard and forest trees.

In 1876 Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Lantie Hiatt, a native of Iowa, and a daugh- ter of Aaron and Sarah (Neely) Hiatt, they being natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have been blessed with six children, whose names are as follows: Milan D., Earl A., Clyde O., Frank W., Clem G. and Floyd. They are a fine family, and enjoy the respect and esteem

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of all who know them, and their friends are many.

Mr. Baker is a substantial, progressive citi- zen, and a suceessful man of affairs. He has done much toward the betterment of conditions in his home eounty and state since his residenee here, and well deserves the prosperity and com- fort he now enjoys. He is a member of the Methodist church, and of the Woodmen, Odd Fellow and Workmen lodges. He is a demoerat.

EDGAR VARNEY. (Deceased.)

Perhaps there was none of the early pioneers of this section of the state who were better or more widely known than the above named gen- tleman. For fully a quarter of a century he was a resident of this state, most of the time being engaged in the mereantile business, and at all times being recognized as one of the fore- most citizens of the community in which he re- sided.

Edgar Varney was born in Corinth, Saratoga county, New York state, June 30, 1839. His early life was spent in that section of the east, and it was there that he secured his education. In March, 1868, he was married to Mary Emelia Tiffany, daughter of Thomas and Arvilla (Hogle) Tiffany, also a native of New York state.

Mr. Varney first came to Nebraska in 1873, when he took up a claim in Hall county, near Grand Island. He occupied this claim and farmed until 1880, when, with his wife and family, now numbering eight children, he came to Custer county, first settling in Westerville, where he engaged in mercantile business.

Six years later, in 1886, Mr. Varney moved from Westerville to Ansley, putting up and opening the first store in that town. From this time until 1900, he was known as one of the suc- cessful merchants of that seetion of the country. IIe retired from aetive business at this time, al- though still retaining and manifesting a great interest in public affairs. On September 23, 1908, he departed this life, leaving his family and a large cirele of friends to mourn his loss. All the eight children born to him are still liv- ing: Mrs. Judge Armour, resides in Broken Bow, Nebraska; Mrs. R. E. Brega and C. E. Varney live at Callaway, Custer county; Mrs. Anthony Wilkinson is in Grand Island, while T. T., S. P. and J. II. Varney and Mrs. E. P. Gaines are still residents of Ansley.

Thomas T. Varney was born in Corinth, New York, on May 2, 1872. He remained with his parents, moving with them to Nebraska, until 1892, when he first began life for himself as one of the members of the firm of Fairfield & Varney of Ansley. Three years later he disposed of his interest in this firm in order to have more time to devote to other matters in which he was in- terested. In 1902 he assisted in organizing the

First National Bank of Ansley, and has been connected with that enterprise ever since. He was the first vice president, and in 1906 became cashier, which position he still occupies. When organized, the bank had a capitalization of twenty-five thousand dollars, with a surplus of fifteen thousand dollars. This bank is one of the solid financial institutions of central Nebraska, and now occupies a fine new building, modern in all of its appointments.

Thomas Varney also has large interests in Custer county outside of the bank, and is one of the prominent citizens of this section. He has devoted considerable time to public affairs, and was postmaster for ten years, first receiving that appointment in 1896, and has served as a mem- ber of the town school board for several terms. He has always been connected with every enter- prise tending to the growth and development of the county.

WILLIAM HUSE. (Deceased.)

An instance of a man's following the bent of his own mind, and following a chosen voca- tion after a less agreeable one had been selected for him, is illustrated in the life of William Huse, deceased, for many years prominently con- nected with journalism in northeastern Nebras- ka. His father, Reverend Nathaniel Huse, a minister of the Episcopal church, recognized but three professions-the law, the church and med- icine-so one of these his son William must pur- sue. He chose the law, although his heart was in journalism.

William Huse was born in Binghamton, New York, in 1828. His mother died about the time of his birth, and he was reared in the family of an uncle at Southampton, where he attended the common schools, most of his higher education being acquired through his own efforts. He studied Latin grammar before taking up Eng- lish. He was admitted to the bar in New York. Ile moved to Bowling Green, Missouri, in the fall of 1865. The local animus toward northern men was not cordial or agreeable in that section in those days, and early in the spring, Mr. Huse moved to Janesville, Minnesota. He remained there until 1872, when he came to northeastern Nebraska and made it his home nearly all his remaining years.

Hle settled at Ponca for the practice of his profession, and for a pastime and to satisfy a natural bent of his mind, he began a career as journalist. He established first the "Ponca Journal," and later others in Jaekson, and La Porte, the old county seat. When Hartington was located, he established the "Herald" there the first winter, running his paper in a tempo- rary building little better than a shack. He sold this, and in 1888, with his son, William M. Huse, bought the "Norfolk Daily News," of which the

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son is now editor, he having purchased his fath- er's interest, and is now conducting the best daily paper published in any town of like size in the west.

Mr. Huse was proprietor of the "Newcastle Times" for nearly a year, and in 1899, with his son, Eugene W. Huse, Mr. Huse went to the coast and purchased the "Republican" at Klamath Falls, Oregon, remaining in that country four years. In 1903, they returned to northeastern Nebraska and purchased the "Wayne Herald" in October, 1903; a year later they sold to E. Cunningham, with whom the son remained as manager until 1906.

Mr. Huse was married in New York to Miss Ruth Almina Berry, a native of Chautauqua county, March 17, 1849. After the death of Mr. Huse in 1906, she made her home with their son, Eugene W., until her death in March, 1911.

Mr. Huse was a fluent writer, as well as a ready speaker. He took delight in the stories of pioneer days and wrote many of them for the different journals he published; these he re- vised and elaborated, publishing them in an at- tractive little volume which in time will be in- valuable in compiling a fuller history of the state. Mr. Huse was a man of broad mind, of wide reading and culture, and has left his im- press on the thought and character of the west which will be continued for years to come, through the inherited mentality of his sons.

GEORGE J. WOLCOTT.

Among the old settlers of Nebraska who have spent many years in the work of building up and developing the commercial industries of a new country, the gentleman above named holds a prominent place.

George J. Wolcott was born in Lafayette county, Wisconsin. March 4, 1857, and was sec- ond of seven children in the family of Oliver and Calista (Harris) Wolcott. Mr. Wolcott grew up to his young manhood days in lowa. being but a small boy when the Wolcott family moved from Wisconsin to that state, where our subject learned farming and received such ad- vantages as were afforded by the public schools.

In June, 1880, the Wolcott family moved from Iowa to Merrick county, Nebraska, where they purchased a good acreage of land and be- came largely interested in stock.

On December 24, 1885, Mr. Wolcott was united in marriage to Miss Mary Eatough at the parents' home in Merrick county. Miss Eatough was born in Merrick county, the dangh- ter of James and Sarah (Foot) Eatongh, and at this date is the oldest living first born girl of Merrick county. The Eatoughs were one of the first pioneer families of this county, coming here before Merrick connty was organized and when Central City was known as Lone Tree sta- tion. They arrived here in 1862.

Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott lived on the old home farm until 1901, when in August of that year they moved to Central City on their small farm of thirty-four acres in the southeast part of town, so as to give the children advanced schooling.

Mr. and Mrs. George Wolcott have had eight children born to them, all of whom are living: Mabel, who is attending the university; Calista. a teacher in the public schools; and Vella, Ju- nita, Olived, Enid, Marie, and George, junior, all of whom reside at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott and children are of the well-known Merrick county families, the children all being natives of this county, and they are interested along social and educational lines.

The family of Wolcott is one of the larger representative families of Merrick county, Ne- braska.

P. J. GREINER.

For the past quarter of a century P. J. Grei- ner, subject of this review, has resided on sec- tion tewnty-four, township thirty-two, range five, Knox county, Nebraska, where he has a good farm and is well known as a highly es- teemed, substantial citizen. Mr. Greiner since his coming to Nebraska, has always done his full share in advancing the best interests of his home county and state, and has been a factor in help- ing to bring the present prosperity the state now enjoys.

Mr. Greiner is a native of Iowa, his birth oc- curring in Dubuque, April 11, 1864, and he is the son of John and Margaret (Clemens) Grei- ner, both natives of Tryer village, province of Prussia, Germany, where the father learned and followed the stonemason's trade. Our subject's parents left their native land for the west to make a fortune for themselves, sailing from Bre- men to New York City on a sailboat, and after a voyage of one hundred and three days landed in the United States. The family settled in lowa, where our subject was born and raised to manhood.

After reaching his maturity, in 1885, Mr. Greiner took up a homestead in Knox county. Nebraska, on section twenty-four, township thirty-two, range five, which has remained his home to the present day, as before stated. On this homestead he first built a sod house in which he resided four years, later building a good frame house. In his first days of settle- ment here, Mr. Greiner experienced many hard- ships and discouragements, as did many of the early settlers of that time; he has had crop fail- ures through the various destructive elements of hail, sleet, hot winds, etc. In the blizzards of 1888 and 1891 he suffered considerable loss and hardship; in 1894 he suffered through the con- trasting element of heat, the hot winds of that

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year burning every spear of crops for that sea- son; and in 1896 and 1909 he experienced an- other severe loss by hail. But through all these vicissitudes Mr. Greiner has prospered and now owns a fine farm of three hundred and sixty acres, of which he is justly proud.

In 1892 Mr. Greiner was married to Miss Ju- lia Everett, and they are the parents of five chil- dren, namely: Frank, Maggie, Ethel, Clara, and May. They are a fine family.

JAMES B. LONG. (Deceased.)

James B. Long, who departed this life in May, 1891, was among the very earliest settlers of Boone county, and succeeded in accumulating a valuable estate through industry and good management, becoming one of the best known men of his region, and at the time of his death having a host of friends to mourn his loss.

Mr. Long came to Boone county, Nebraska, in May, 1871, driving overland by team from Iowa county, Iowa, accompanied by his two sons, Winfield and Elihu, and his brother-in-law, George B. Hyde, all of whom became homestead- ers here and are among the well known pioneers of this part of the state. Mr. James B. Long took up the sixth claim filed in Boone county, on section twenty-two, township nineteen, range five, and his son was the next one in line. The entire party returned to Iowa in July, and in October our subject, his two sons, a daughter and the mother, also Mrs. Long's brother and family, came back to Nebraska, traveling by wagon and team. Winfield Long was married previous to coming here, and he also brought his wife and child with him. In 1873, Mr. Hyde was accidentally killed by drowning, or slain by Indians while herding cattle, as he disap- peared and was never afterwards heard from.

The Long family were among the best pioners here, our subject always being identi- fied with the best interests of his locality, and was active along all lines in the upbuilding of the county, although quiet and unobtrusive in manner, and became well known as a successful and prosperous agriculturist and stockman.

Mr. Long's death occurred on the home farm, May 8, 1891, his wife departing this life the year previously. Two sons and two danghters sur- vive, Winfield S., now of C'hariton, Iowa; E. T. Long, Mrs. James Reynoldson and Mrs. Addie M. Phelps, all of Boone county.

W. L. SEAMAN.

W. L. Seaman, a worthy and highly respected citizen of Antelope county, Nebraska, is a pioneer settler of this section of the state, and has done his full share toward the development of the better interests of his community.

Mr. Seaman is a native of New York state, born November 13, 1865, and is the son of Wal- ter L. and Agnes (Jolly) . Seaman. Our subject's father was born in 1820, in the state of New York, and the family of Seaman had lived on Long Island for two hundred years or more; the house first built by a Seaman, in 1678, still stands. Our subject's mother was born in 1847, and is a native of New York state.

Mr. Seaman with his mother came to Butler county, Nebraska, in 1877. They came direct from Troy, New York, but drove overland from South Bend, Indiana. On arriving in Butler county they rented a farm, living there about a year, and in 1878 came to Antelope county, where he took up a homestead and tree claim in sections fourteen, fifteen and seventeen, town- ship twenty-eight, range seven, and had three hundred and twenty acres of land, first building a dugout where they resided six years and then in 1884 built a frame house. Mr. Seaman now has one hundred and sixty acres of land and twenty-five acres of trees, making a beautiful home place which is known as the "Jessup Farm."

Mr. Seaman is practically a self-made man. He is well known along educational lines, having persevered in his studies under some little diffi- culties. He attended school at Gates college, and went to Grand Island business college, and then attended Normal school at Fremont, Ne- braska. After completing his studies he taught school three years, in districts thirty-seven, fifty- four and seventy-seven.

Mr. Seaman takes an active part in public matters in his community, and was postmaster at Jessup (on the old Star Route) for eighteen years from 1887 to 1905. During this time he had a general merchandise store in connection with the post office.

Mr. Seaman is without doubt one of the lead- ing old settlers of the county and has done his share in bringing about the present prosperity enjoyed in the region. When he first came to Antelope county deer and antelope were plenti- ful and on several occasions were known to come into his yard.

Mr. Seaman is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Masonic Order. He was brought up in the Episcopal church, but is now a member of the Congregational church and has always been a republican.

WILLIAM J. WALLACE.

William J. Wallace, a large landholder, is recognized as one of the leading stockmen of Custer county. He was born in Appanoose county, Iowa, December 31, 1853, next to the youngest of the five children of Thomas and Eliza R. (Berkeley) Wallace. He has two brothers surviving, James R. and Lewis, both living on the home place in Iowa. The parents

"HILL-CREST FARM," RESIDENCE OF HARVEY PARKS.

RESIDENCE OF JAMES H. CUTLER.

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were natives of Scotland and came to America in early life. They were married in Indiana and both died on the homestead in Iowa, the father in 1903 and the mother in 1855.

In boyhood Mr. Wallace attended school near his father's home, being reared on a farm. As a young man he engaged in farming for himself and was married in his native country, April 2, 1876, to Miss Mary E. Sutton, who was born in Marshall county, Indiana. They lived in Iowa after their marriage until October, 1881, when they brought their two children to Custer

county, Nebraska, securing a homestead and tim- ber claim adjoining, aggregating three hundred twenty acres of land, and this is still the home place. Mr. Wallce ahas brought his land to a high state of productiveness and is successful in his various enteprises. He owns six hundred and ninety acres of land and was the first man in the county to own pure bred horses, having for many years made a specialty of raising and dealing in horses and mules. In 1898 he erected a fine modern residence, fitted with many conveniences. In his early years on the farm he had to haul his pro- duce to Grand Island to market, a distance of one hundred miles, and in those days he met the usual trials and discouragements of the pioneer He has been closely identified with the progress and development of the county and has a good standing with his fellow citizens.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wal- lace : Memory, married and living in Custer county ; Pearl, at home ; Della May, wife of Fred Peters, of Custer county, has four children ; How- ard and Wesley. both married and living in the county, the latter the father of two children. The family are well known in Custer county, where they have a large number of friends.

HARVEY PARKS.

Harvey Parks, who has spent all but a few months of his life in Valley county, Nebraska, resides on section thirty-five, township nineteen, range fourteen, where he is well known as a prominent young man of his locality. Mr. Parks was born near Nashua, Chickasaw county, lowa. November 8, 1877, and was second of five chil- dren in the family of Charles and Annie (Simp- son) Parks, who had three sons and two daugh- ters. Charles Parks, who was born in Mont- gomery county, New York, came to Valley, Ne- braska, in the spring of 1878, overland by prairie schooner route from Iowa, and after reaching his destination bought railroad land northeast of Ord. The family lived on the farm until 1898, being engaged in farming and stock raising. Mrs. Charles Parks died May 9, 1898, deeply mourned by her husband and family. Mr. Parks left the farm and now resides in Sargent, Custer county, where he is in the mercantile business, also still attending to his live stock intersets. The sons, Harvey, Walter and Glenn, reside in Valley 21

county ; and two daughters, Mrs. Charles Bur- dick and Mrs. Ernest Gifford, also live in Valley county.

Harvey Parks, the principal subject of this sketch, was reared in Valley county, and his life has been that of a farm boy, receiving the usual school advantages. In 1898 he went out in life for himself, farming and stock raising.

On March 22, 1899, at Ord, Mr. Parks was married to Miss Pauline Bradt, a native of Val- ley county, whose parents, Aaron and Clara J. (Harlow) Bradt, came into this county in the early years; the former was a native of Niagara county, New York. and the latter of Rock county, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Parks have been blessed with two children, Leonard and Lloyd. They now reside in their pleasant home in the east half of section thirty-five, township four- teen, range nineteen, where Mr. Parks has a fine stock and grain farm; he also owns the west half of section thirty-six, making all a six hundred and forty acre farm. On his stock farm, he has a herd of Hereford cattle, of which he makes a specialty, and other finely bred stock. We call attention to an engraving of this farm home, sit- uated as it is on the highest upland, giving a fine view of hills and the valley beyond.

Mr. Parks and family are well known along educational and other progressive lines, and are highly esteemed. Mr. Parks is a successful farmer and stock man, and is one of the young men of Valley county who always take an active part in the upbuilding of their home county and state. He is independent in politics and a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen of America.

JAMES H. CUTLER.

James H. Cutler, a carpenter, builder and con- tractor of Custer county, has erected many of the best buildings in Anselmo, Callaway, Merna and Broken Bow, besides smaller towns in the re- gion. He has helped put up many of the large grain elevators. However, in recent years he has paid considerable attention to farming and stock raising, in which he has been successful to a grat- ifying degree. He passed through the pioneer days of hardship and privation and he and his wife have reared a fine family in Custer county. He was born in Marshall county, Indiana, Febru- ary 14, 1848, youngest child of the seven sons and three daughters of David and Lois (Hopkins) Cutler. He lived on the home farm until 1868 and on September 17, of that year, married Elmira Mosholder. After marriage they moved to Osage, Mitchell county, Iowa, making the three weeks' trip with a wagon and team. They reached Mitchell county in October, and in the fall of 1869 returned to Indiana, but soon after came hack to Iowa, where Mr. Cutler worked on a farm for his brother.

In the spring of 1870, Mr. Cutler's brother. William, went to Beatrice, Nebraska, and in Sep-

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tember of that year James joined him, his wife coming later, reaching there on Christmas day. They lived on a farm about six miles from Beat- rice until March, 1872, then James Cutler, with his wife and two children, removed to Nuckolls county, where they took up a homestead and lived on it for five or six years, then moved into the town of Edgar, three miles north of their farm, and lived there until the spring of 1882, during which time Mr. Cutler leaned the carpenter's trade. In February, 1882, he came to his pre- emption claim five miles southeast of Anselmo, Custer county, where he lived until 1894, the year of severe drouth, when he removed to Sheridan county, Wyoming, and after twelve years spent there, during which he worked in lumber and rail- road tie camps, returned to Custer county. In 1904 he purchased the northeast quarter of section thirty-two, township nineteen, range twenty-one, and the following year purchased the southeast quarter of the same section, to which they moved in 1908. He and his wife have a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres, and a modern residence built in 1909. We give this as the subject of one of the illustrations on another page. Their first resi- dence in Custer county was a dugout, which was later replaced by a "soddy." During the three- day blizzard of April, 1873, Mr. Cutler braved the storm once a day to feed and water his stock. He shot several deer in the pioneer days, but only wounded them; however, he brought down many antelope and has killed his buffalo, the lat- ter event occurring on a fork of the Republican river in the edge of Colorado.

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Compendium of history, reminiscence, and biography of Nebraska : containing a history of the state of Nebraska also a compendium of reminiscence and biography containing biographical sketches of hundreds of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of Nebraska, Part 135

Author: Alden Publishing Company Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago : Alden Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1402

Author: Alden Publishing Company
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago : Alden Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1402