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 148

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 148

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The Mills family were pioneers in two counties of Nebraska, coming to Lancaster county before Nebraska was admitted as a state, and into C'us- ter county in its early pioneer days. Ira P. Mills reached maturity in Lancaster county, receiving the usual school advantages, and made farming his occupation. He was there married on July 6, 1881, to Miss Clarinda Perrin, a native of West Virginia, and daughter of Joshua and Lucinda (Deems) Perrin. The mother died in West Vir- ginia in 1861, and the remainder of the family came from Ohio to Lancaster county, March 23, 1875. Mrs. Mills was the older of two children. The father still resides in Lancaster county.

At the time the move was made to Custer county, Ira P. Mills came with his wife and one child, and he also became an original homesteader of Custer county. He is one of the younger men among the early homesteaders who came to that locality, and has been active in various move-

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ments for the progress and welfare of county and state. He has been an energetic and successful farmer and stockman, and now has sixteen hun- dred acres of land in his home farm, besides other land interests in the county. He now occupies one of the pleasant homes of the village of Ar- nold, and his son, Benjamin, lives on the old farm. He experienced the usual trials and dis- couragements of the early settler during the years of drouth and poor erops. He has always taken an active interest in educational matters, served fifteen years as a director of his school district in Mills Valley, and is now a member of the school board of Arnold. During 1891 and 1892 he served as a member of the county board.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mills, all in Custer county, except the eldest : William J., married, and living in Omaha, has two children ; Bernard I., married, living in May- wood, Nebraska; Benjamin H., married, and liv- ing on the old homestead farm; Helen L. and Floyd P., at home. The family are well known in social circles, and have many friends.

WILLIAM BRUNE.

One of the pioneers of the state is the above named gentleman, who has, for more than thirty years, been a resident of Nebraska. Nearly all of that time he has been identified with the agricul- tural interests of Wayne county, having aided materially in transforming this locality from its wild natural state into a thriving farming dis- triet. He is a man of perseverance and energy, and has met with deserved success in his labors, being classed among the leading farmers of his community.

Mr. Brune was born, June 15, 1849, in Ger- many, and was the son of Frederick and Katie Brune, of Westphalia. His childhood was spent in his native land, and he served as a soldier in the army of his home country.

In 1877, he decided to come to America on account of the greater opportunities offered the young man. He. came at once to Otter county, Nebraska, where he first rented land. A few years later, he came to Wayne county, where he bought the farm of one hundred and sixty acres which has since been his home. The first few years were extremely disconragaing, but pros- pects brightened somewhat as time went on. and by thrift and good management he has been en- abled to add to the original land holding, and also to make extensive improvements. He owns three hundred and twenty acres, and also has a thrifty grove. about five acres in extent, which lie planted. When Mr. Brune purchased his land, it was in a wild state. This he broke and put under cultivation, and he has erected all the buildings on the place and made every improve- ment.

In 1875, before leaving his native land, Mr. Brune was united in marriage to Miss Johanna

Sommer. They are the parents of nine children, named as follows: Mary, Minnie, William, Anna, Emma, Henry, Fred, Sophia and Frank, all living in Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Brune are well known among the people of this locality.

COL. WALTER W. WOLCOTT.

The gentleman above named is one of the lead- ing business men and prosperous citizens of Cen- tral City, Nebraska, and has served his home county and state in the most creditable way for the past thirty-two years.

Walter W. Wolcott was born in Dundee, Kane county, Illinois, December 25, 1854, and was third of nine children in the family of Oliver and Ca- lista Wolcott, who had seven sons and two daugh- ters. Mr. Wolcott grew up in Harrison county, Iowa, having moved from Illinois to Iowa with his parents in the pioneer days of 1861. He was a farm boy, and had received good advantages. Mr. Wolcott first came to Merrick county, Ne- braska, in March, 1878, overland by team, from Harrison county, Iowa, to Merrick county, and was accompanied on the trip by his father, who also came to see the country. They returned to Iowa overland within a few days, and on April 2, 1878, Walter Wolcott and family, of wife and one child, came to Merrick county for residence. Mr. Wolcott was married to Miss Sylvia Lans- berry, December 27, 1874, in Pottawattamie county, Iowa, Miss Lansberry being a native of Floyd county, Iowa, and her parents natives of Kentucky. Mr. Wolcott and family remained in Central City until joined by his father and family in 1880, at which time he went out on the Wolcott ranch, and followed farming for ten years. In December, 1890, Mr. Wolcott came to Central City to reside, and purchased the weekly news- paper, "The Nonpareil." and was owner, editor and manager of this paper for six years. Mr. Wolcott carried on this paper as a republican organ, and "The Nonpareil" was known as one of the most ably edited newspapers in Nebraska, being widely quoted along all lines. Mr. Wol- cott, since the sale of "The Nonpareil," has en- gaged in the mercantile business, and is inter- ested in other business propositions throughout this portion of Nebraska.

Mr. Wolcott had a wide reputation as a news- paper man, but is probably best known by his connection with the National Guard of Nebraska, of which he was a member fifteen years. He en- listed as a private in the State Guards, and served three years as first lieutenant, three as captain. three years as major, and six years as lieutenant colonel of the First National Guards, retiring January 1, 1897. He was offered a commission on the governor's staff, with the rank of colonel.

Col. and Mrs. Wolcott have seven children. four of whom are living: Ollie, wife of L. R. Morrow, has three children, and lives in Oregon : Mary, wife of Frank Kombrink, who is engaged

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in the furniture business in Central City, and has two sons; Neva, wife of John Jenkins, junior, a miller of Central City; and Mauna Loa, who resides at home.

Col. and Mrs. Wolcott and family are well known in social and educational circles, and are one of the prominent families of their locality. Col. Wolcott has always taken an active interest in all the affairs of his county and state, and is a man who is widely and favorably known.

FREDERIC W. CARPENTER.

The old Knickerbocker state has given her share of worthy sons in peopling the west, and of these, none has done his duty as he under- stands it more faithfully than Frederic W. Car- penter, of Bloomfield.

Mr. Carpenter was born at Afton, Chenango county, New York, September 1, 1860. His father, William A. Carpenter, was born near Goshen, Orange county, that state, and followed farming all his life. He lived in Chenango county at the time Frederic was born, and a few years later removed nine miles away to a farm near Harpersville, in Broom county. The mother, Susan (Seely) Carpenter, was born in Chenango county, and resides now in Afton, at the age of eighty years.

Frederic Carpenter lived the first ten years of his life near Afton, and attended the schools of that town and of Harpersville until he was nearly of age. He learned the tinner's trade at Bing- hamton, being apprenticed, January 25, 1880, and worked in the vicinity of his home until coming west in 1883. He came direct to Nebraska, ar- riving in Creighton September 7, and soon after filed on a homestead in the western part of Knox county, between Venus and Walnut Grove. He lived on the homestead until 1885, seeking work at his trade from time to time, to make a living until he could prove up and secure title to his land. On these trips, he worked at O'Neill, Ne- ligh, Niobrara, Creighton and Bazile Mills. In 1885, he moved to Creighton, and was employed here until the spring of 1891, eight years for one man.

He then migrated to Roseburg, Oregon, when he worked at his trade for seven and one-half years. Hard times brought him disaster, and, losing his all, he abandoned everything, and re- turned to Nebraska. Working in Omaha for three months, he came back to Creighton, where he knew a place was always awaiting him, and had steady employment here until 1901, when he accepted a good offer at Bloomfield, and has been here ever since. He has had full charge of the tin shop of the Pioneer Hardware Store since 1906, and his excellent work gives entire satis- faction to his employer and his patrons. This was not his first visit to the site of Bloomfield, he having ridden over the country when it was a part of the open plains, and when the present

townsite was a herding ground for cattle on the open range.

Mr. Carpenter was married in Creighton. January 5, 1888, to Miss Mary Agnes Carpenter, who was born in the Dominion of Canada, a daughter of Oliver Carpenter, who was in no wise related to the Carpenters in New York. Three sons have been born to Mr. Carpenter: Wayland, who has begun railroading; Everett, deputy postmaster at Bloomfield, and Oliver.

During the early years of his life in Nebraska, Mr. Carpenter, like the other settlers, burned hay, corn and stalks for fuel. During one of his trips to O'Neill, he was employed for two months, working seventeen hours a day, making the sheet- iron hay burners that were in vogue at that time, such was the demand for those heaters.

On his claim, Mr. Carpenter lived in a sod house, the usual dwelling of those days, and can testify to its comfort in both winter and summer.

His marriage occurred just a week before the memorable blizzard of January 12, 1888. He lived near the store, and had hardly become set- tled at the time of the terrible storm. He had no occasion to go out into it, but has vivid recollec- tions of the suffering in the frigid temperature following in its wake.

Mr. Carpenter has never been much of a hunt- er, but as a fisherman he is unexcelled. He in- dulged himself to his heart's content during the years he lived in Oregon.

Mr. Carpenter is a republican in politics, and a member of the Ancient Order of United Work- men.

HARLEY A. LONGNECKER.

Harley A. Longnecker, counted among the successful farmers in Boone county, Nebraska, resides on a rented farm northeast of Albion. He has made that region his home for the past ten years, and during that time has become well and favorably known as a citizen of sterling worth and high business principles, enjoying the respect and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.

Our subject is a native of Livingston county, Illinois, born on the 17th day of December, 1873. He spent the first seven years of his life there, then his parents moved into LaSalle county, and remained for about sixteen years, Harley receiv- ing his education in the common schools of that vicinity. About that time he started for himself. engaging in farming with a brother in the north- ern part of Iowa, but only remained there for a short time, coming to Taylor county, that state, and farming for a time.

In March, 1897. Mr. Longnecker made a trip to Boone county, Nebraska, and was married in Albion on the third of the month, to Miss Minnie L. Galyean, at the home of her parents. the young couple immediately returning to Iowa for resi- dence.

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Mr. Longnecker made his home in Taylor county for three and a half years, becoming very successful in his farming operations, but decided to try his fortune in Nebraska, and in the fall of 1900, came to Boone county for permanent resi- denee. He rented land here, and has since then been engaged in mixed farming and stock rais- ing.

Mr. and Mrs. Longnecker have three children, namely : Clifford E., Leora Mae and Jesse Harold, who form a bright and interesting eircle, and their home is one of the pleasantest one may wish to visit. Mrs. Longnecker comes of an old pioneer family, her father now being dead, but her mother resides in Loretto, Boone county.

Our subject is the youngest of thirteen chil- dren in the family of William and Sarah Long- necker, both being deceased.

AUGUST SWARD.

Prominent among Antelope county old settlers is Angust Sward, who has made this region his home for many years, and has done his share in the development of the agricultural resourees of this seetion of the county. Mr. Sward lives on section twenty-eight, township twenty-three, range seven, where he owns six hundred and forty aeres of good land.

Mr. Sward is a native of Sweden, being born in Erburn village, Stockholm province, Novem- ber 18, 1849. Like so many of his countrymen, our subject beeame imbued with a desire to seek his fortune in the new world, of which they had heard such glowing accounts, and in 1869, Mr. Sward left his native country for America by way of Guttenburg to Glasgow, Scotland, and from there embarking on a steamship for New York. After landing in the United States, he proceeded to Pennsylvania, where he worked for fifteen years in a mine.

Mr. Sward was joined in wedloek, May 17, 1873, to Miss Katrina Carlson, and Mr. and Mrs. Sward are the parents of five children, named as follows: Edward, Emma, Stella, Walter and Martha. They are a fine family, and are highly esteemed and respected by all who know them. and they have many friends.

In 1884, Mr. Sward, with his family, came to Antelope county, Nebraska, taking up a home- stead claim on section thirty-two, township twenty-three, range seven, and on this land built a good, substantial sod house, which served its purpose well for nine years, and then, in 1893. sold out, and moved to section twenty-eight. where he now lives. Along with the other set- tiers, he suffered many setbacks during early days. In 1894, he lost all his erops by reason of the severe drouth of that year. Ile well remem- bers the memorable blizzard of January 12, 1888. At that time the children were at school, and remained there all night, and until the storm abated, one of the boys making his way to a neighbor's house to procure food for the scholars.

JAMES LEDWICH.

James Ledwieh, the present mayor of Broken Bow, Nebraska, and one of the most prominent attorneys of Custer county, was one of the orig- inal homesteaders of the county. He is a native of Shoreham, Vermont, born July 14, 1844, eighth child of Robert and Bridget (Louth) Led- wieh, who had seven sons and four daughters. When a small child, his parents moved across Lake Champlain into New York state, and there he grew to manhood on a farm. He received a common school education, and in October, 1861, enlisted in Company K, Ninety-sixth New York Volunteer Infantry, spending four years and seven months in the service. He received his dis- charge in New York City in February, 1866. He served under MeClellan through the peninsu- lar eampaign, and participated in the battle of Williamsburg. He took part in the battles of Seven Pines and Fair Oaks; in the seven days' retreat to Harrison's Landing; marched thence to Fortress Monroe, and on to Suffolk. He was serving under General Butler during the cam- paign in front of Petersburg in 1864, took part in the campaign before Richmond, marching into that city in April, 1865, and was serving under General Grant at the time of Lee's surrender. He was a non-commissioned officer, being first sergeant of Company K.

After his discharge from the army, Mr. Led- wich returned to New York, and soon afterward went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he took a course in the business college of Bryant & Strat- ton. After completing his commercial course, he spent nine years, traveling through the south as agent for a fire insurance company. In 1875, he came west to Pottawattamie county, lowa, where he joined his family in the town of Avoca. His parents had come to Iowa in 1870. In 1876, Mr. Ledwieh attended the Iowa College of Law at Des Moines, from which he graduated in the spring of 1877. In 1878, he eame to Wilbur, Saline county, where he engaged in the practice of his profession, and in the spring of 1884, he eame to Broken Bow, where he was one of the first attorneys, the only others who had located there prior to that time being Silas Holcomb and John S. Kirkpatrick. In 1885, Mr. Ledwieh took up a homestead three miles south of Broken Bow. He is one of the leading attorneys of central Nebraska, and in connection with his law prac- tiee, deals in real estate.

Mr. Ledwich was married in Crete, Nebraska, January 14, 1885, to Miss Della Wisner, daugh- ter of Captain Wisner, an early settler of Saline county, who is now deceased. Mr. Ledwich and wife have five children : Arthur E., Domain, Ralph, Louise and Ruth. Mr. Ledwieh is a mem- ber of Washburn Post, Grand Army of the Re- publie, of Broken Bow, and in politics he is a re- publiean. With the exception of a few years spent in Douglas county, Custer county has been his home continuously sinee he first located there.

OLD SODDY, BUILDT 1885.

"SILVER MAPLE FARM," RESIDENCE OF GEO. W. WATSON.

FORMER SOD RESIDENCE

"NOBLE VALLEY STOCK FARM," RESIDENCE OF CHARLES M. STICHLER.

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GEORGE W. WATSON.

One of the best-known members of one of the older families of Nebraska is George W. Watson, a native of the state, born at DeSoto, Washington county, December 17, 1860, at a time when Ne- braska was a territory. He is the oldest of three children born to James and Eliza (Coulter) Wat- son, both natives of Indiana. The father was of Welsh descent, and served in Company B, Second Nebraska Cavalry, in the Civil war. He settled in Washington county in 1856, and died there February 20, 1869. During his residence here, he ran a shingle mill at times, while a neighbor had a saw mill. The lumber and shingles they rafted to Omaha, where they were used to build and cover many of the early houses there. The mother was of Scotch parentage, and died on the old homestead in Washington county in July, 1873. Besides George B., there is one son and one daughter, Horace G., of Douglas county, Ne- braska, and Luella, wife of Calvin Taylor, of Blair, Washington county.

Left an orphan at the age of twelve years, George W. Watson remained in his native county until attaining his majority, and there received his education. He then engaged in farming, and in 1880 went to Missouri, where he spent a year and a half in Worth and Nodaway conn- ties, then returned to Washington county. On November 11, 1885, he married Margaret Leach. who was born in Indiana, daughter of Abraham and Mary (McKnight) Leach, hoth natives of Canada. Mr. Leach located in Washington coun- ty in 1878, and is now living in Custer county. where his wife died in 1902. Besides Mrs. Wat- son, they have three sons in Valley county, Ne- hraska; one daughter in Grant county, Nebras- ka ; one son in Joliet, Illinois; one son in Wash- ington county, Nebraska, and one son in North Dakota. Mrs. Watson is now serving her third term as director of school board number fourteen, and hoth she and her husband are well known and popular in their part of Custer county.

In the spring of 1889, Mr. Watson brought his wife and two children to Custer county, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land on section twenty-two. township sixteen, range seventeen, which is still the home place. They occupy a highly ornamental frame dwelling beautifully situated in orchard and grove. We are pleased to call attention to a view of this fine esate on another page of this volume. IJe has been closely identified with the best interests of his locality, and has held various township offi- ces. He is a successful farmer and man of affairs. and owns three hundred and twenty aeres of fer- tile and well-cultivated land. devoted to stock and grain, and well improved as regards substantial buildings. None of the corn raised on the place is ever sold: on the contrary, he buys each year and feeds from forty to sixty head of eattle, one to two hundred head of hogs, and has usually thirty to forty head of horses on the place.

Five children have been born to Mr. Watson and wife, namely : Ferneman, deceased; Myrtle, wife of W. E. Wolford, of Custer county ; Earl D., at home; Nina, wife of O. D). Wolford, of Rush- ville, Nebraska ; H. Glenn, at home.

Mr. Watson has a vivid memory of conditions in Nebraska during his early years and has wit- nessed the remarkable development that has taken place there since he was old enough to take cognizance of it. He has every reason to be proud of his success and of his family.

Mr. Watson was present at one of the notable events of the early history of the state, but being an infant in arms, of course remembers nothing of it. His parents were in the train going up the valley when at Rawhide creek one man of the party wantonly killed an Indian woman sitting peacefully on a log watching the covered wagons go by. The entire party would have been mas- sacred had they not consented to give up the cul- prit that the Indians might be avenged. They compelled the whites to stand around in a circle while they skinned the murderer alive and then permitted the whites to go on their way. The eld- er Watson did not look while the punishment was inflicted but of course heard the victim's cries.

During one of the early blizzards, that of April 12 to 14, 1873, the family kept their cow in the kitchen to save her from freezing, and were compelled to do their cooking on a box stove in another room. It is related that some bachelor neighbors kept their four oxen in their small cabin the three days for the same reason; there was nothing else to do. In the blizzard of Janu- ary 12, 1888, Mr. Watson braved the storm to feed his stock, but felt it necessary to wear a veil over his face.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the Christian church ; he, with his son, is a mem- her of the Modern Woodmen and Mrs. Watson affiliates with the Modern Brotherhood of Amer- ica. In politics Mr. Watson was formerly re- publican but for the past fifteen years has been totally independent of party ties.

CHARLES M. STICHLER.

Among the prominent settlers of Valley county, Nebraska, we mention the name of Charles M. Stichler as being one of the best known from the fact that he has spent the past twenty-six years in this county, excepting two years, one of which he spent in Washington state, and the other in the state of Missouri, always being satis- fied to return to Nebraska. During his long resi- dence here, Mr. Stichler has devoted his best ef- forts to aiding in the development of the natural resources of Valley county, and helped to build up the community in which he chose his home.

Charles M. Stichler was born in Dubuque county, Iowa, January 4, 1863, and was sixth of twelve children in the family of Adam and Mary (Harker) Stichler, who had seven sons and five

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daughters. The father and mother are both dead; eleven of the twelve children are living, five of whom reside in Nebraska. Charles M. Stichler and brothers Leonard and Martin, reside in Val- ley county ; all having been raised and brought up on a farm.

Charles M. went out for himself in his twen- tieth year, going to Colorado for a trip to see the western country. After spending a few months in Colorado he returned to Iowa, and in the spring of 1886 came to Valley county, Nebraska, going on a farm his father had purchased from the railroad company on section thirty-three, township twenty, range thirteen. Charles now owns a part of this farm, and also has purchased additional land, so he now has a fine farm of four hundred and forty acres, which is well equipped and improved with good buildings, and on which he has a good home. He raises good breeds of stock, making a specialty of Shorthorn cattle and Clydesdale horses.

Mr. Stichler was united in marriage to Miss Mary Jane Honeycutt in Scotia, Nebraska, on April 25, 1887. Miss Honeycutt is a native of Indiana, born near Terre Haute, April 12, 1869; her parents, Moses and Nancy (Butcher) Honey- cutt, were early settlers in Nebraska, but now reside in Bremer, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Stich- ler have had ten children, eight of whom are liv- ing, namely: Gladys; Mabel, wife of William Wheatcraft, they living on part of the old Stich- ler farm; and Gertie, Hazel, Nettie, Walter, Her- man, and Harold, all of whom are living at home.

Mr. Stichler has stuck closely to Valley county, although in 1890, he went to the state of Washington, living in Terius and Tacoma for about a year, and in 1894 went to Davis county, Missouri, for a year, always returning to Valley county satisfied that Nebraska was a good place to live. Mr. Stichler's brother, Martin, lives in Valley county ; his brother, Leonard, is married and lives in North Loup, Nebraska.

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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 148

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