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 169
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Shortly after the birth of Theodore, the fam- ily moved to Chenoa, and from there to Ord, Nebraska, some time before the railroad reached that point. At Ord, the father opened a baker shop, and later opened a hotel, which he operated exclusively, having sold the bakery business. In 1892, he traded his hotel for a farm, and on this he lived until retiring from business in 1908, since which time he has resided in Ord. There are three sons in the family. Peter has a farm near Ord; John was employed for a time with Theodore, and then moved to Colome, Tripp county, South Dakota, where he is now connected with the Bi-Metalic Bank, and Theodore.
Theodore Knecht began for himself at the age of twenty-one. He secured a place in the lumber establishment of W. L. Phillip, and two years later entered the employ of Lloyd & Burk, serv- ing this firm for an equal period. On May 19, 1902, he came to Spencer to take charge of the yards of the William Knotter Company, and has proved to be a competent and agreeable manager. He is well liked by the public, and has the ful confidence of his employer.
Mr. Knecht was married in Spencer, July 3, 1903, to Miss Matilda Weidneck, daughter of Gustav Weidneck. Two children have been born to them, namely : Eldon and Raymond.
Mr. Knecht and wife attend the Methodist Episcopal and Lutheran churches, contributing to the support of each. Mr. Knecht is a republi- can in politics.
For five or six years the family lived in a sod house on the farm south of Ord, and found it a most comfortable dwelling.
Mr. Kneeht fully deserves the sneeess in life he enjoys, and is well worthy the confidenee his employer and his patrons place in him.
BERT E. MOREHEAD.
Bert Morehead, son of William W. and Susan (Talbott) Morehead, was born in Nora, Illinois, August 6, 1876, and was eighth in a family of eight children. He eame with his parents to Boone county, Nebraska, in 1884, where he received most of his education.
On September 9, 1903, Mr. Morehead was married to Miss Elva H. Galyean, also of Boone county, and daughter of Jesse and Kathrine (Stoner) Galyean. Mr. and Mrs. Morehead have had one child, Thelma, who is deceased, having passed away in 1908.
Mr. Morehead is a rising young man, and is employed in the general merchandise business with the Albion Mercantile Company at Albion, Nebraska. He comes from one of Boone county's pioneer families, and is widely and favorabiy known. A biographical sketch of our subject's father, William W. Morehead, is as follows:
Rev. William W. Morehead was born in Per- rysville, Indiana, October 14, 1836, and was the son of Furgeson and Sally (Benefield) Morehead, and, with them, came at an early age to the state of Illinois, where they engaged in farming.
On March 13, 1856, Mr. Morehead was joined in wedlock to Miss Susan D. Talbott, of Pennsyl- vania, and in the winter of 1884, they came to Boone county, Nebraska, where Mr. Morehead took up a timber claim of one hundred and sixty acres, six miles southwest of Albion. Mr. More- head never made his home on this claim, but from the time he eame to Nebraska until his death he lived in Albion, with the exception of preaching one year, 1890, at Newman Grove, and the follow- ing nine months at Bartlett, Wheeler county. In 1892, he returned to Albion, where he died a week later, on September 29, survived by his widow and five children, three children having died.
Mr. and Mrs. Morehead had eight children born to them, a fine family of five being spared them, and whose histories follow: Savanas B., who is married and has one daughter, lives in Albion, and fills creditably the office of clerk of the district court; Helen V., married to F. E. Mansfield, has four daughters, and lives in Boone county; Eby M., is married, has two children, and resides in Fremont, Nebraska; Armilda O., died July 26, 1881 ; Etta R., who is married to C. M. Cotterman, lives in the Philippine Islands, where her husband is director of posts, they have had three children, one of whom, Nellie G., died in 1889; and Bert E., who is married, and lives in Albion, and who is the original of this bio- graphical writing.
At the age of thirty years, William W. More- head entered the ministry of the Methodist Epis- copal church, in which field of work he continued until the time of his death. His life helpmeet survives him, and is living in the old home in Albion, surrounded by a large circle of friends.
MILES WARD.
It would be impossible to give a complete his- tory of northeastern Nebraska without including a sketeli of the life of Miles Ward, who is one of the most prominent of the old settlers. Mr. Ward has been a resident of Antelope county since March, 1884, and has lived continuously on the original place secured by him five years after his first coming here. It is located in section thirty- two, township twenty-five, range seven, where he has a pleasant home and valuable property, which is known as "Bonnie View."
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Mr. Ward is a native of Canada born near Kingston, December 20, 1844. His father, Mar- ceen Ward, was also born near the same place in Canada, April 2, 1823, of English parentage. Rachel (Babcock) Ward was also boin in Canada, January 8, 1825, and was of French descent. In 1852, the family came to Illinois, traveling from Buffalo to Detroit by boat, then by rail to Chicago, and settled down to farming in Illinois. Our subject there received a good common-school edu- cation, and helped his father on the farm. In 1872, he came to lowa, remaining there but a short time.
On December 18, 1866, Mr. Ward was united in marriage to Miss Addie Johnson, who was born September 2, 1844. This union was blessed with six children, named as follows: Seremus, who married Miss Verna Bear, has four children, resides in Elgin township; Lois, wife of Albert White, has seven children, resides in Texas; Ada, wife of Henry Hamdorf, has one child, lives in Ord township; Sylvester, married Miss May Bear; Clarence, married Alice Elin, has one child; and Florence, who is still at home.
In 1884, Mr. Ward, with his family, came to Antelope county, Nebraska, and here he rented land for five years, watching his opportunity to buy cheap land. He bought out a timber claim in section thirty-two, township twenty-five, range seven, and, as before stated, is still living on this land. Mr. Ward has two hundred acres of good land, on which are fifteen acres of fine trees, making the best forest grove in that section of Antelope county. Mr. Ward owned considerable land at one time, but has given each one of his children one hundred and sixty acres of good land, well improved, which goes to show the genial, big-hearted man he is. He is loved and respected by all.
On the day of the memorable blizzard of January 12, 1888, Mr. Ward went to the school house to assist in getting the children of the neigh- borhood, as well as his own, to their homes, and experienced great difficulties in accomplishing this heroic piece of work, which was eventually done, much to the credit of those who partici- pated. In 1894, Mr. Ward lost his entire crop by dronth. In his early days in Antelope, Mr. Ward experienced all of the hardships and dis- couragements of the early pioneers, but by dili- gence and hard work, is now able to reap the harvest of rest that is due him.
JOHN B. THORN.
Among the progressive and prominent farmers of this section of Nebraska may be mentioned the above named gentleman, who has been a resident of this state since 1886. He is reckoned among the early settlers, although still but a comparatively young man, and is esteemed as one of the substantial citizens of the community.
John B. Thorn was born in Henry county, Ohio, on the fifteenth of January, 1871, and was the second of the four children in the family of Garner and Augusta (Morris) Thorn. He was born on a farm, and remained there during his childhood years, receiving the usual district school advantages.
In 1885, the Thorn family came to Otoe county, Nebraska, where they remained for a few months only. In the fall of that year, the mother took up a homestead claim in Custer county, and the following year they all moved to that farm, where John, although but a boy of fifteen, actually began his work as a pioneer homesteader. Although the first few years involved many hardships, the young pioneer persevered, and was soon able to add many improvements to the farm, which was his home until 1900.
In 1898, Mr. Thorn was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Spencer. Immediately following the marriage, the young couple took up their residence on the old homestead, but in two years' time were able to move upon their own nearby farm, which Mr. Thorn had purchased a few years before.
Mr. and Mrs. Thorn have seven children : Mary Belle, Margaret Evaline, Helen Hayward, Opal Gertrude, Edson A., Blanche Ann and Dorothy Louise.
Seven years later, in 1907, Mr. Thorn and his family moved to their present home, which is pleasantly located on the southwest quarter of section seven, township fifteen and range seven- teen. He has added many important improve- ments to the place, including a neat frame dwell- ing, since it has become his home, and it is now a well-equipped grain and stock farm.
The Thorn family are old and well-known settlers, and have had considerable to do with the settlement and development of this section. As for Mr. Thorn himself, he is noted as one of the most progressive stock men to be found in this locality. In politics he is a republican.
EUGENE E. TRACY.
Eugene E. Tracy has had the interesting experience of witnessing the development of Sher- man county, Nebraska, from raw land to a fine farming country of comfortable homes and mod- ern improvements, and during this time has been actively identified with the cause of progress and advancement. Mr. Tracy was born in the town of Austerlitz, Columbia county, New York, February 4, 1862, and accompanied his father to Sherman county in 1879, having received his edu- cation in his native place. He is a son of Lyman J. and Augusta D. ( Whitlock) Tracy. The father was born in the state of New York in 1834, and was married in 1857. His wife died in New York in 1874, and in April, 1879, the family, consisting of the father and seven children, came to Sher-
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man county, where Mr. Tracy purchased an im- proved farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section twenty-six, township sixteen, range fif- teen, and also took up a tree claim adjoining, thus securing the entire southern half of section twenty-six. Ile continued to improve and culti- vate this farm until 1889, when he returned to his native state, at the time of his marriage to Mary R. Whited, who had been his houskeeper in his Nebraska home. He then resumed his resi- dence in the Empire state. His children were as follows: David A., of Maryland; Chester J., of Loup City; Engene E., the immediate subject of this article; William T., of New York state; Ida, now Mrs. H. E. Brewer, of Salt Lake City, Utah ; Minnie, now Mrs. J. Q. Pray, of Sherman county ; Lucius W., of Rock Falls, Illinois.
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Eugene E. Tracy has lived on the original farm purchased by his father, since coming west as a boy, and passed through the usual exper- iences of the pioneers. We are pleased to present for inspection a view of the home place on an- other page of this work. Land that formerly sold at two dollars and a half per acre is now worth from seventy-five to one hundred and fifty dollars, and this is but one instance that indicates the great change that has taken place. Mr. Tracy has held many township offices, having served as clerk, assessor, justice of the peace, and for a number of years has served as director of school district number ten, the school building being located on the Tracy farm.
Mr. Tracy was married March 3, 1903, to Elizabeth Kay, at the home of her parents, David and Caroline Kay, on section ten, near the Tracy home. The Kays, of whom we elsewhere write more at length, were among the early settlers of the region, and Mrs. Tracy, as well as her hus- band, has been through the hardships and priva- tions incident to pioneer life. Both are well known in the community, where they have many friends, and are highly esteemed. They have one child, Viola Marie. Mr. Tracy, with his family, is a member of the Presbyterian church. He is a republican in politics, and a member of the Knights of Pythias.
When the Tracy family first came to Ne- braska, hundreds of deer and antelope were to be seen in the country. Mr. Tracy was once mow- ing when deer started up from the tall grass and frightened his team. At another time two fawns were seen in the canyons near the house. One of these a sheep dog caught, and Mr. Tracy tied it with his handkerchief, and started on to find the other one. This proving to be a fruitless chase, he returned for the first one. and found it gone, thus losing both of them.
ISAAC F. VAN OSDOL.
For nearly forty years the above mentioned gentleman has been a resident of Nebraska, azJ
since 1890 he has lived in Valley county, being the proprietor of a valuable farm, comprising more than three hundred acres, in section twenty-nine, township seventeen, range thirteen. He is a pro- pressive and enterprising citizen and farmer, and a man of sterling integrity.
Mr. Van Osdol was born on March 4, 1856, in Switzerland county, Indiana. His father, James M. Van Osdol, was of Dutch descent, but a native-born Kentuckian. He died in 1896 in Shelby county, Missouri. The mother, Eliza Ferris Van Osdol, was of Irish ancestry, born in Kentucky.
In May, 1856, while an infant, Mr. Van Osdol was taken to Shelby county, Missouri, by his parents, in which state he spent his childhood, receiving the usual school advantages in the local schools. In the spring of 1874, he came to Otoe county, Nebraska, where he was engaged in farm labor for six years, and then, in 1880, went to Norden county, Kansas, where he remained three years, long enough to prove up on one hundred and twenty acres. He then returned to Nebraska, and farmed on rented land in Adams county for three years, and from 1887 to 1890 farmed in Norden county, Kansas. In the fall of 1890, he came to Valley county, where he had worked in 1886, and has been a resident of that locality ever since, renting three years on Davis creek. He then leased a school section west of his present home, where he lived from the fall of 1893 until the fall of 1899. In 1898, Mr. Van Osdol purchased three hundred and twenty acres of fine land, the east half of section twenty-nine, township seventeen, range thirteen, which was known as the Ashland farm, on which he moved in 1899. The farm was valuable even in those days, when raw, unimproved land, and is worth far more now, owing to the general advance in the price of land, and also to the amount of im- provements he has made. A beautiful, modern home, heated by the hot-water system, was built in 1907, a large barn having been built each of the two preceding years, and all are in good con- dition. A view of this modern farm place, with its beautiful view of hill and valley, is to be found adorning another page of our work.
On March 13, 1892, Mr. Van Osdol was mar- ried at Harrisonville, Missouri, to Miss Hattie Terrell, a native of Ohio. Her father, Albert S. Terrell, was born in Johnson, Trumbull county, Ohio, while the mother, Mary (McCool) Terrell, was a native of Venango county, Pennsylvania. They moved to Missouri in 1881, and Miss Ter- rell had been for some years a teacher in the public schools of Missouri and Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Van Osdol are the parents of four chil- dren : Carl E., who finished a course in the Lin- coln Business College in 1912; Otto Wayne, who is a student of the Agricultural College at Lin- coln; Royce D., still at home, and an infant, de- ceased. The family is well and favorably known
"ASHLAND FARM," RESIDENCE OF ISAAC F. VAN OSDOL.
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RESIDENCE OF E. E. TRACY.
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in this part of the country. Mr. Van Osdol has always displayed a commendable interest in local public affairs, and has served as school treasurer of his district for several years. He is now one of the directors, and has gained well-merited recognition as a worthy eitizen.
The family has had the pioneer privilege of living in a sod house, occupying a dwelling of that construction while cultivating the school land, and their first home on Ashland Farm was built of sod, with a straw stable to shelter their stock. Mr. Van Osdol was out in the blizzard of October, 1880, and also that of Jannary 12, 1888. In the latter, some of his cattle were snowed under two days and three nights, and all but three sur- vived. In the fearful year of drouth, 1894, Mr. Van Osdol raised three hundred bushels of wheat, probably the most bountiful harvest in all this region. He well remembers the cloudburst and flood of June, 1896, when everything in the low- lands was swept away.
BALTHASER VOLK.
The gentleman above mentioned is counted among the oldest settlers in the state of Nebraska, locating in Plattsmouth, Cass county, in 1885, where he resided until coming to Pierce county in 1891, and has taken a foremost part in the development of this region. He has built up a good home and farm in section six, township twenty-seven, range one, where he owns six hun- dred and forty acres of land, six acres being planted to trees.
Mr. Volk was born in Pekin, Illinois, January 26, 1859, where he grew to manhood and obtained a good schooling. Mr. Volk's father, Nicholas Volk, was born in 1819 in Hesse-Damstadt, Ger- many. He was a carpenter by trade, as well as a cabinet-maker, and served his native country the usual period in the army. The mother, Mag- gie (Urish) Volk, was also a native of Hesse- Damstadt, born about 1827, the family emigrat- ing to America some three years later. She died at the age of eighty-three years. Our subject's parents were married in Tazewell county, Illinois, where they lived on a farm.
Mr. Volk was united in holy matrimony in 1884 to Miss Lizzie Hill, and they are the parents of seven children, whose names are as follows: John, Sophie, Anna, Edward, Jesse, William and Elmer. Mrs. Volk's parents are old settlers in Illinois, coming from Germany in the early days.
Mr. Volk is widely known throughout this section of the country as a man who is always ready and willing to do for the better interests of his part of the state. He is a hard-working and industrious citizen, well liked by all who know him.
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS STEWART. (Deceased.)
On July 7, 1903, there passed from this life in St. Paul precinct, Howard county, Nebraska, Frederick Augustus Stewart, a man who in a peculiarly personal way linked the earlier part of the past century with the present, as a leading citizen of affairs. He had given the greater part of his career to the upbuilding of his region, and took especial pride in the advancement and bet- terment of the interests of his county and state.
The subject of this sketch was born in Herki- mer county, New York, May 16, 1827. He made that state his home until he was twenty-seven years of age, and was married there in 1854 to Lucretia Brown, also a native of New York.
Shortly after their marriage, they settled in McHenry county, Illinois, where Mr. Stewart en- gaged in farming and stock-raising. Illinois at this time was in its early stages of civilization, and our subject and his wife were among the earliest pioneers in their section. After a num- ber of years there, they moved into Wisconsin, which was just across the line from MeHenry connty, Illinois, and remained there up to 1877, when they moved to Rock Island county, Illinois. They remained until 1881, at which time Mr. and Mrs. Stewart came into Howard county, where for one year they rented, and then purchased some land. His farm was situated on section nineteen, township fourteen, range ten, and was a good farming section, which he built up in splendid shape, making of it a very productive farm, and he accumulated a nice little fortune since locating here, at the time of his death, in July, 1903, owning two hundred and eighty acres of good land, fitted up with good buildings and improvements of all kinds. At one time Mr. Stewart owned about nine hundred acres.
Mr. Stewart was survived by his wife and four children, three sons and one daughter, namely : Charles H., Jacob O., Fred E. and Francis E., all married, except Charles H., who, with his mother, now resides in St. Paul. The entire family are prominent among Nebraska old-timers. and have been closely identified with the growth and development of their section of the state.
WILLIAM HERMAN ROOD.
William Herman Rood, born in Rock county, Wisconsin, December 20, 1848, was the third child in the family of Charles P. Rood and Mari- anne Rood. Like his brothers, he grew up on the farm, receiving the usual advantages of the country boy in those days. In company with his father, he enlisted on November 22, 1864, in Company G, Thirty-seventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, both being mustered out at Washing- ton, July 27, 1865. Mr. Rood, his father, and
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brother, Hosea, all returned to Wisconsin to- gether, another brother, George B., being mustered ont in the following September.
As related in the preceding sketch of Charles R. Rood, Herman Rood, with his brother-in-law and a friend, took up a homestead in the Loup river valley in the fall of 1871, returning soon after to Wisconsin. In November, 1872, Mr. Rood, with Elder Babcock and family, came by rail to Grand Island, proceeding from thence to the Loup valley home by team. Mr. Rood re- mained here for the winter, but in March, 1873, in company with Heman Babcock, he went to Omaha to work for the city. He remained there but a short time, spending the latter part of that summer in the Minnesota harvest fields. He then returned to Wisconsin, and in May, 1874, Mr. Rood and his sister, Emma, came overland, driv- ing some live stock.
Mr. Rood purchased land in the Loup river valley in 1879, and on April 7 of the following year was married to Miss Linda Pierce, at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Pierce, in Springdale township. Since that time, with the exception of a year in Grand Island and some months in Wyoming, the North Loup Valley has been the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rood.
Mr. Rood has held many different official positions, and at different times has been con- nected with the mercantile business of North Loup. He is a prominent lodge man, and in many ways has been closely identified with the devel- opment and growth of this portion of Nebraska. In past years he has followed the carpenter trade in connection with the management of his farm. He is at present postmaster of North Loup, hav- ing been appointed on October 10, 1907.
Mr. and Mrs. Rood have one child, S. Inez, now married to Otto R. Hill, a farmer living in the locality.
Mr. Rood and family are widely known, hav- ing a large circle of friends, and are highly esteemed by all who know them. In politics he is republican, is a member of the Masonic order, the Order of the Eastern Star, of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Grand Army of the Republic.
WALTER G. ROOD.
Walter G. Rood, born near Dakota, Wisconsin, on June 5, 1864, was the youngest of nine chil- dren born to Charles P. and Marianne T. Rood. With his father and mother, he came to Valley county, Nebraska, on July 4, 1875, and resided on the farm there until January, 1888. The old home on the farm was then burned down, and Mr. Rood and his mother removed to North Loup.
He still managed the farm until 1893, and then in August wishing to supply the deficiencies of his early education, which was somewhat lim-
ited, went to a college in Milton, Wisconsin, for two years. In 1895, Mr. Rood tanght school in West Hallock, Illinois, and for the following five years followed this profession, the last two years being spent in the city schools of North Loup.
In April, 1899, Mr. Rood purchased "The Loyalist," the North Loup city newspaper, pub- lished weekly, and since that time has been edit- ing this progressive publication. He still resides with his mother at that city. Mr. Rood is a young man of splendid character, especially prominent in educational and religions lines. He is actively interested in the Sabbath school of the Seventh- day Baptists, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a republican in politics, and gives to that party the hearty sup- port of his ahly-edited journal.
AUGUST RAASCH.
Among the popular residents of Norfolk, Madison county, Nebraska, none is better known or universally esteemed than the gentleman above named. He has for many years been devoted to the interests and upbuilding of his community.
Mr. Raasch was born in Koenigsberg, Ger- many, September 2, 1842, and when he was two years of age, his parents left Germany for Amer- ica, locating in Tonawana, New York. In the spring of 1845, they moved to Wisconsin, taking up government land near Ixonia, Jefferson county. There Mr. Raasch was raised on a small farm, and received his early schooling. When seven- teen years of age, he worked ont for eight dollars a month three years, and out of this small pay saved money.
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