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 178

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 178

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Edwin T. Mansfield came with his parents to Boone county in 1880, and Boone county has been his home to this date.

Mr. Mansfield was married November 3, 1887, to Miss Eva Garrett at the home of her parents one mile south of Albion. Mr. and Mrs. Mansfield have six children: Lulu; Ona and Ora, twins; Irma, Alice, and Ethel, all of whom reside at home.

Mr. Mansfield was in the implement business in Albion for a number of years and also followed farming and stock-raising. He is now residing on the original home place in Albion, and owns about six hundred acres of choice farm land.

C. L. BRIDGE.

C. L. Bridge, one of the old settlers of the re- gion where he chose his residence in the early days, occupies a good home and valuable property in section thirty-one, township twenty-seven, range seven, Antelope county, Nebraska. He has done his full share in the upbuilding of his locality, and is well and favorably known throughout this part of the state.

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Mr. Bridge is a native of Clinton, Massachu- setts, born on a farm in 1853, and he is the son of Charles H., and Rebecca (Prouty) Bridge, the father being born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, April 6, 1810, and died in 1865. Our subject's mother was born November 13, 1816, and died in 1892. Her ancestors came from England as far back as 1620. From Massachusetts our subject moved to New Hampshire and in 1872, came to Antelope county and opened up a small store (in partnership with Mr. Smith who now is in business and resides in Clearwater,) in what is now known as French township, where he remained a little over a year, then went to Holt county. During the blizzard of 1873 on Easter Sunday Mr. Bridge was living in the log house where he kept store. On several occasions Mr. Bridge tried to go to the stable where they had their horses but was driven baek. After the second or third day they managed to get to the horses by tunneling through snow. They found one horse dead and one nearly so, the snow had blown into the barn and the horses had trampled it down until their backs were up against the roof. Mr. Bridge and Mr. Smith had to take off the roof which was of logs and straw, to get the live horse out of the stable. They then brought the horse into the store it being the only place avail- able and tied him to the counter until the storm was over and they had again built a roof over the barn.

In 1874-75, the grasshoppers destroyed all of Mr. Bridge's erops, and did great damage to all vegetation.

Mr. Bridge went from Antelope county to Holt county, Nebraska. where he took up a home- stead in section twelve, township twenty-six, range nine, on which he built a log house. His home was situated on the bank of Elk Horn river, and in those early days wild game, such as deer, antelope, elk, and wild turkey was plentiful, and the settlers also had a great many scares from the Indians in those times. In 1880 he returned to Antelope county and took up a tree claim in section five, township twenty-six, range eight, where lie re- mained until 1900, when he bought land where he now lives in section thirty-one, township twenty- seven, range seven. This was originally the home- stead of Jesse Myers.

October 22, 1873, Mr. Bridge was married to Miss Mahala Chafin. Mr. and Mrs. Bridge are the parents of ten children: Henry, Nellie, Charles, Jessie, Mary, Alfred, Fred, Rufus, James, and Grace. Mr. and Mrs. Bridge and family are highly esteemed and respected by all who know them, and they have a host of friends.

MERITT A. JOHNSON.

Meritt A. Johnson, a prominent and successful farmer of Custer county, belongs to an old and honored family in the region of his present home. He was born in Jasper county, Iowa, March 18,

1865, son of Reuben and Selina (Cisson) Johnson, who had six sons and two daughters, of whom he was the fourth born. In the summer of 1884 the father came to Custer county, where the son Meritt had located the previous year, and the former secured some school land on section thirty- six, township seventeen, range eighteen. The rest of the family came in the fall of that year and they lived on the farm until the father's death April 11, 1902. The mother died in Lincoln, De- cember 20, 1903. They were survived by six chil- dren, four of whom reside in Nebraska, namely : Cordelia, Mrs. Bion Glover, of Custer county ; Ellen, a teacher in the public schools; Albert C., of Lincoln; and Meritt A., of this sketch. One son lives in Chicago and one in Florida. The father was a prominent citizen and served for a time as a member of the county board of Custer county.

Mr. Johnson was reared on a farm and lived in Jasper county until the spring of 1883, when he located in Valley county, and the following Janu- ary came to Custer county. He pre-empted and filed on a timber claim in Morrell county which he later sold. He bought his present place in 1893 and owns a fine grain and stock farm the south half of the southwest quarter of section twenty-four, town- ship seventeen, range eighteen, which he has im- proved and developed by his own efforts; he has three hundred and twenty acres under lease situ- ated a mile north. He has been actively interested in the development and welfare of the community and is regarded as a public-spirited, desirable citizen. He was married March 26, 1890, to Mary A. Richt- myer, a native of Seward county and daughter of Marcus and Hannah (Hosford) Richtmyer, early settlers of the county, who lived on their farm in township seventeen, range eighteen. They came to Nebraska from Wisconsin about 1868, the father being a native of Schoharrie county, New York, and a veteran of the civil war. They first secured a homestead in Seward county and about 1884 came to Custer county. The mother, a native of New York, born near Jewett, died December 29, 1901, and the father September 17, 1910. Mr. Johnson and wife had five children, four of whom now survive, namely: Reuben Clair, Mary Kate, ITarold Marcus and Doris Cordelia. The family is widely known and has a high standing in the community, its members being identified with the best interests of the county and state.

Mr. Johnson is republican in national ques- tions but in local elections votes for the man re- gardless of party lines.

While "batching it" on his pre-emption claim Mr. Johnson lived in a "dug-out." The family have lived in a sod house on two different occasions hut now occupy a neat modern dwelling.

At the time of his migration to Morrell county -then a part of Cheyenne, he camped by the way the journey occupying three weeks. On one stretch of the road it was twenty-six miles between water. During the blizzard of January 12, 1888,

"PLUM VALLEY FARM," RESIDENCE OF ARTHUR J. ANDERSON.

RESIDENCE OF FRITZ H. KUE HL.

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Mr. Johnson, who was two miles away from home, found his way through the fearful blinding storm safely.

FRITZ H. KUEHL.

Fritz H. Kuehl, who is proprietor of a fine estate in section thirty-two, is one of the promi- nent and successful ranchmen of Valley county, Nebraska. He has made this region his home for some twenty-four years, and has been a resident of eastern Nebraska for the past thirty-two years.

Mr. Kuehl is a native of the village of Rens- burg, province of Holstein, Germany, and was born September 6, 1860, the youngest of five chil- dren in the family of Paul and Lottie (Mohr) Kuehl, who had four sons and one daughter.

In January, 1880, Mr. Kuehl, in company with two others, came to America, first locating in Doug- las county, Nebraska, near Omaha. Mr. Kuehl was a farm boy in the old country, and upon com- ing to the United States was employed at farm labor the first year, then worked one year as a sec- tion hand at Millard on the Union Pacific railroad. He resumed farming in Douglas county, coming thence to Valley county in the spring of 1886, pur- chasing the southwest quarter of section thirty- two, township nineteen, range fourteen, and this has since been his home. The place is well adapted to grain and stock raising, and Mr. Kuehl makes a specialty of pure bred Shorthorn cattle. He now owns a farm of four hundred acres; a half-section in Ord township and an eighty-acre tract in Enterprise township. In 1905 he built a modern ten-room house, elegantly fur- nished, a large barn, and numerous well-kept out- buildings. We call attention to an excellent view of this country home, surrounded by its groves and orchard and its blooming shrubs and flower beds. Mrs. Kuehl is a lover of birds and flowers, and her success in floriculture is in evidence to one who may have the pleasure of visiting her home. Mr. Kuehl has gained his present standing and prop- erty through hard work and economy, and is one of the most prosperous and successful younger men of Valley county, having successfully passed through the hardships and privations of the early years of development. For six months he lived in a sod dugout found on the place when purchased. He lost all his crops by drouth in 1894, and two years later hail beat every growing thing into the ground. There were a few deer and antelope in the county when he came, and he has seen wagon loads of them brought into Ord from the sand- flats.

Mr. Kuehl was married to Miss Anna Sieh, November 23, 1881, in Omaha, Nebraska. Mrs. Kuehl was born in Germany, daughter of Juergen and Lena Sieh; she came to Nebraska in January of 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Kuehl had four children. whose names are as follows: Anna. wife of John Conner, has one child, Willard Robert Conner,

and they reside on the Conner farm across the road from Mr. Kuehl; Mary, Fritz, and Sophie; the younger children live under the parental roof. Mrs. Kuehl died January 27, 1895. In February, 1906, 'Mr. Kuehl was married to Mrs. Henry Reithardt, who in maidenhood was Sophie Kuehl, a native of Holstein and distantly related to her present husband.

Mr. Kuehl is a democrat in politics, and is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and, with Mrs. Kuehl, of the Degree of Honor.

ARTHUR J. ANDERSON.

Among the younger members of the farming community, the above gentlemen is well and favor- ably known. Although still a young man, he is also regarded as one of the original settlers, hav- ing come to Custer county at an early period, when he was very young. He is the owner of a fine stock farm of about two hundred acres or so, and is one of the most progressive and successful farmers of the locality.

Mr. Anderson, the son of David and Katherine (Wolf) Anderson, was born in Red Oak, Iowa, on the 18th of December, 1875. He was the eldest of three children, all of whom are still living. His father was of English birth, but had spent prac- tically all of his life in America. He was for years in the ministry of the Evangelical church, and was esteemed by all as a man of high integrity and sterling character. He died on April 21, 1903, on his Custer county farm. The mother, who was of German descent, died in Hamilton county, Nebraska, in 1883.

In early childhood, in fact when he was only about four years old, Mr. Anderson came with his parents to Hamilton county, where he grew to manhood, receiving his education in the local schools. As he grew older, he engaged in farm- ing. In 1892, he came to Custer county, and seven years later, in 1899, on March 22, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Kimball, a na- tive of Stockbridge, Wisconsin, who came to this state in the summer of 1883.

For some years, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson lived on rented farms, but in 1904, he purchased a two hundred acre stock farm in section nineteen, town- ship sixteen, range seventeen. Since his purchase he has made many improvements to the place; so that now it is one of the finest equipped stock farms in the region. A beautiful modern house was built in 1909, which the subscriber and his family now occupy .. We are pleased to call at- tention to a view of the home with its pleasing surroundings, adorning another page of this work.

Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, all of whom are living, and at home. They are named as follows: Leo W., David A., Harold W., and Bernard R.

Mr. Anderson. at present serving as director of his school, district number one hundred and

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nine, is independent in politics, and fraternally is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is still a young man, has been successful in all of his undertakings so far, and it would not be an idle prophecy to predict a very bright future be- fore him.

Mr. Anderson's recollection of his early years in Nebraska includes his uncomfortable experi- ences in the blizzard of January 12, 1888. Ile was at school, and his father coming for him, they started home. In some way a gust of wind car- ried his hat away in the storm beyond recovery. In his exposed condition his ears, cheeks, and nose were severely frozen, giving him a painful re- minder of the storm for many weeks after it had passed.

Their first residence on coming to Nebraska was a dug-ont, which was later replaced by a Frame dwelling; during the earliest years sun- flower stalks at times were their only fuel.

WILLIAM JILG.

William Jilg an enterprising real estate dealer of Osmond, Nebraska, has seen much more of the state of Nebraska than the average citizen. He was born in the village of Oberwildgrub, Austriau Silesia, January 1, 1863. His parents, Adolph and Caroline (Patch) Jilg, were natives of the same region.

The father, who was a musician of no little skill, came to the United States in 1874 and for two years toured the east, principally in Penn- sylvania, as a member of the famous "Little Ger- man Band." He was a member of the band at Madison, Nebraska, until quite a recent date. Returning to Austria at the end of 1875, he re- mained there farming, his usual vocation, until the autumn of 1878, when he sailed from Ham- burg, Germany, about the middle of September, in the steamer "Gibraltar." Mr. Jilg landed in New York with two of his sons, one of whom was William, two weeks later; and on the sixth of Oc- tober reached Columbus, Nebraska. The mother with her daughter and youngest son joined the father five years later.

The father and the sons first rented a farm twenty miles northwest from Columbus, on Look- ing Glass creek. A year later they moved to Madison county, and the father has continued his residence there since. He is living retired at Madison at the age of seventy-three years, and his wife, six years older, is still in good health, giving promise of many years more of life.

William Jilg worked for his father until four- teen years of age, when he began learning the cabinet-maker's trade. He later began for him- self, working out as a farm hand until his mar- riage in 1885. Renting for a few years in Madi- son county, he bought a quarter section northwest of Madison, built a house, and until 1891 was cul- tivating his own land. That year he sold his

stock of implements, rented the land and moved to the town of Madison, and was in the implement business there from 1891 to 1893, inclusive. He was otherwise engaged there through 1894, and the year following lived on his farm. Returning to Madison he resided there until the spring of 1899 when he leased his mother's ranch in Rock county, twelve miles south of Newport, and lived there two years. He next occupied the Doolittle ranch south of Atkinson, in Holt county, three years; then purchased a quarter section seven miles northwest of O'Neill, later adding a half section to his possession. Three years later he traded the half section for a store building and stock of groceries in Osmond, where he was in business for a time. Returning to his quarter section in Holt county, he resided there until De- cember 19, 1909, when he sold and came to Os- mond and resolved to remain here the rest of his life, having roamed around over the west a num- ber of years. Two seasons he traveled as an ex- . pert for the Champion Reaper Company and one season for the MeCormack Company, and in this way visited all sections of Nebraska. On returning to Osmond the last time he engaged in the real estate business until 1910, when he became local representative of the Kirchbraun & Sons Cream- ery Company.

Mr. Silg was married in Madison, Nebraska, April 7, 1885, to Miss Mary Fresch, a native of Ba- varia, whence her parents, Joseph and Catherine (Geip) Fresch, migrated to America in 1873, and settled in Madison county, Nebraska.

To Mr. and Mrs. Jilg eight children were born, one child dying in infancy. Those living are named as follows: William J., who is in the dray business in Osmond; Edward, a farmer; John, in charge of the Kirchbraun Company at Pierce; Ida, Adolph, Leo and Nora.

Mr. Jilg is a republican, and a member of the Catholic church.

Mr. Jilg reached Nebraska in time to see the last flights of the grasshoppers while engaged at farm work in Polk county .. His father-in-law, who was in the state some years earlier, lost his crops several seasons by the pests.

During the early years of his housekeeping, Mr. Jilg burned hay, corn, and "prairie chips" for fuel. They were on one occasion, in the track of a severe hailstorm that broke every window in the house and bent in some of the sash and win- dow casing. Western storms can at times be in- credibly severe. His crops were damaged three years by hail.

ISAAC WARD.

Isaac Ward, subject of the above biographical sketch, was born in Westmoreland county, Vir- ginia, March 30, 1858, and was eldest in a family of six children. He was raised in Fayette and Green counties, Pennsylvania, coming to Howard

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county, Nebraska, in May, 1878, where he worked for James McCracken and other farmers for six months, and in the year 1879 he took up a tree elaim of one hundred twenty acres. On October 25, 1879, Mr. Ward was married to Miss Flora McCracken, in St. Paul, Nebraska. The McCracken family came to St. Paul in 1872. One brother lives in St. Paul, one on a Howard county farm, and a sister, Mrs. Henry Roe, resides in St. Paul. Mrs. Ward's parents are deceased and the rest of the family are scattered. They were one of the very first families to settle in Howard county.

Mr. and Mrs. Ward lived on the north-west quarter of section fourteen, township fifteen, range eleven, for seven years, then moved to Colorado and engaged in ranehing remaining eleven years. In the spring of 1898 they returned to Howard county and purchased the old E. L. Peck farm on the North Loup river bottom, on section eighteen, township fourteen, range ten, where they now own two hundred acres of choice land, a good house, and well-equipped farm. They also own a town residence in St. Paul, Nebraska, and expect to make that place their home in the near future. Mr. Ward is owner of the hardware business of that name in St. Paul, of which his son, William R. Ward, is manager.

Mr. and Mrs. Ward have seven children four boys and three girls-a family of education and good attainments: Walter I., who is married and lives on a Howard county farm; Almeda, married to Charlles H. Kelley, is living in Alberta, Canada ; Mamie A., married to Otto A. Peterson, lives in South Dakota; William R., manager of the Ward Hardware Company, St. Paul; Oliver Leslie, col- lege student ; and Harry R., and Effie MI., who re- side under the parental roof.

Mr. and Mrs. Ward are widely known and have many friends and acquaintances in Howard county. Mr. Ward is a self-made man, and his life demonstrates what may be accomplished by industry, good management and. honest dealings. Ile is a man of intellgence and capability and has acquired an enviable reputation both socially and in a business way.

CHIARLIE D. WIGENT.

The above named gentleman is one of the old settlers in this part of the state of Nebraska, and has been closely identified with the development and growth of this locality, aiding materially in the upbuilding of the community in which he chose his home. Mir. Wigent resides on section four, township nineteen, range thirteen, where he has a fine grain and stock farm of one hundred and sixty aeres.

Charlie D. Wigent was born in Berrien county, Michigan, August 7, 1861, and was the youngest of six children in the family of John and Rachel (Mink) Wigent, who had four sons and two daughters. The Wigent family came to Valley

county, Nebraska, in 1877, the father being one of the original homesteaders of Valley county.

Mr. Wigent, subject of this sketch, took a pre- emption claim of one hundred and sixty acres on Turtle Creek, Valley county, in 1882. In 189-4, the dry year in Nebraska, Mr. Wigent, having heard the claims made by residents of Missouri and Minnesota, took his team and wagon and made a flying trip to look at the country, but soon re- turned to Valley county, saying that Valley county was good enough for him. Mr. Wigent's brother David and himself, and a nephew, Lysle Craig, who lives on Davis creek, are the only ones of the family living in Valley county.

Mr. Wigent was married to Miss Annie Kasel, December 1, 1894, in Ord, Nebraska, soon after his return from Dakota, satisfied to marry and settle down in Valley county. Mrs. Wigent is a daughter of James and Mary Kasel. Mr. and Mrs. Wigent have had eight children, seven of whom are living: Fredrick, Ernest, Pearl, Rachel, Ralph, deceased, Edith, Blanche, and an infant, Merilla.

Mr. and Mrs. Wigent and family have many friends, and are among the leading old families of Valley county.

AL. DOVER.

Among the prominent old settlers of eastern Nebraska, we mention the name of Al. Dover as being one of the best known from the fact that he has spent all but six years of his life in this region. and during that time he and his father have de- voted their best efforts to aiding in the develop- ment of the natural resources of Madison county, helping to build up the community in which they chose their home. Our subject now resides on sec- tion four, township twenty-two, range one, which has remained the home place since the family came to Madison county.

Mr. Dover is a native of Wales, his birth oc- curring November 26, 1865, and he is a son of James and Jane (Nicholson) Dover. In 1854, Mr. Dover's father came to America, settling in Massa- chusetts, there remained three years and worked at his trade, which was that of Morocco leather dresser, which trade he had learned in Wales. He returned to Wales and later came back to Ameriea with his family, sailing from Liverpool to New York. After reaching American soil, Mr. Dover started for the west, locating in Delaware county, Iowa, where he remained eight years; he then brought his family to Madison county, Nebraska, coming by the prairie schooner route.

After arriving at his destination, he took up a homestead and tree claim four miles northeast of Madison, on which he put up a sod house, the family living in this six years, when it was suc- ceeded by a good frame house. In the early day ; of residence here, the family experienced the many hardships and diseouragments incident to the early

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seventies, among other disasters, the destruction of all the crops by grasshoppers during the first few years in Nebraska. Columbus and Wisner several miles distant were the nearest market places then.

In 1889 Mr. Dover our subject, was united in marriage to Miss Nattie Twing, and Mr. and Mrs. Dover are the parents of one child, a daughter, Edna.

Mr. Dover is a highly and respected citizen of his community, and owns eighty acres of good land, six acres of which is cultivated to trees.

MOSES F. SMITH.

Moses F. Smith, one of the pioneer settlers of Custer county, Nebraska, owns over one thousand acres of Nebraska land-three hundred and twenty acres of this within the county-after selling six hundred and eighty acres in 1911; he is known as one of its most successful men in this section. He was born near Hebron in Pleasants county, West Virginia, April 18, 1862, next to the oldest child of Jacob and Eliza (Cornell) Smith, who had six sons. The parents were natives of West Virginia also, where the mother died in the spring of 1876 and the father still lives on the old home farm. Four of their children are living: Moses F .; Arthur P., an attorney at law, at Weleetka, Oklahoma, lived for a time in Custer county ; Okey J., on the old home place with his father; Oscar M., owns a farm near the old homestead. The first-named is the only one of his immediate family to locate permanently in Nebraska.

In 1884 Mr. Smith left home and went to Dan- ville, Indiana, to attend college, having received his early education in the public schools. In June, 1884, he came west by rail to Kearney, Nebraska. He proceeded from Kearney with a team into Cus- ter county and pre-empted the southeast quarter of section twenty-six, township nineteen, range twenty-two, in February, 1885, and this has con- tinuously been his home since that time. He has added to his holdings from time to time and is a successful and prosperous man, of quiet force and energy in the conduct of his affairs. Besides his property in Custer county, he owns over eight hun- dred acres of land near Ogallala, Keith county. He is well known throughout the region where he has spent so many years and is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Or- der of United Workmen. He is a communicant of the United Brethren church.

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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 178

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