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 194

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 194

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In 1875 Mr. Van Camp came with his wife to Wood county, Wisconsin, and was there en- gaged in the lumber business, working in saw mills and at times rafting the product down the rivers. On coming to Nebraska he at once en- gaged in farming, and was successful in raising good crops of wheat and corn when others failed completely, and after the grasshopper raids had driven many out of the locality, he raised good erops on the land which they had abandoned. Most of the grain raised he sold to settlers for seed, and some went to the Bazile Mills. During these times hunting was a common sport in the

893

COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.

county, and Mr. Van Camp saw antelope quite often from his farm.

During his early manhood Mr. Van Camp was a Whig in politics, but in 1856 changed to a republican when that party was organized. Since that time he has given the party his hearty sup- port, and has always taken an active part in its affairs, both state and national. Mr. Van Camp has been a member of the Masonic lodge since about his twenty-first year, joining the order while living in Jefferson county, New York state.

H. A. SCHERER.

One of the most valuable estates in Stanton county, Nebraska, is the one owned by H. A. Scherer, located in section thirty-five, township twenty-three, range three. Mr. Scherer is one of the most prosperous farmers of this part of the state, and has been a continuous resident of this county for a long term of years.

Mr. Scherer was born in 1860, at Frankfort- on-the-Main, Germany. His father, Henry Scherer. was a farmer and overseer of a factory where fur hats were manufactured. When our subscri- ber was a child of three years, they left their native land and came to Pennsylvania, where they remained until 1869.

At this time, they came to Stanton county, took up a homestead, and prepared to make it their permanent home. A dugout was built in which they lived for two years. Later when they determined to build a frame house, they had to haul the lumber from Omaha, paying forty dollars per thousand feet. For a while they had a hard time to make a living, as the grasshoppers destroyed their crops for several years in snc- cession. Finally, things began to brighten some- what, and they began to add one improvement after another to the farm, so that now it is one of the well-known estates of the county.

From time to time, as circumstances seemed to warrant, Mr. Scherer has added to his landed possessions until now he is the proprietor of six hundred and eighty acres of the finest land to be seen for miles around.

In 1884, Mr. Scherer was married to Miss Kate Haley. Six children have been born to them, all of whom are living. They are named as fol- lows: Frank, Max, Earl, Mary, Minnie, and Alfa. Mr. and Mrs. Scherer are both well-known socially, and are favorably regarded by every- one with whom they have come in contact.

HIRAM H. HOYT.

Prominent among Antelope county's worthy citizens is the gentleman above mentioned, as he has been largely instrumental in bringing about the present financial and commercial prosperity. Mr. Hoyt is a progressive farmer and is well known throughout Antelope county as a success-

ful agriculturist, and is highly esteemed by all who know him.

Mr. Hoyt is a native of New York, and is the son of Henry and Abagail (Rosco) Hoyt, both natives of New York. Our subject grew to man- hood in his native state, when he decided to go west to Iowa, he having found he could get land cheaper in the west, and thinking it a better place for a young man to get a start in life. .After residing four years in Sioux county, Iowa, our subject came to Antelope county, Nebraska, in the spring of 1882 and took up a homestead claim in section eight, township twenty-four, range eight, on which he built a good frame house.

Mr. Hoyt was married in 1868 to Miss Louisa June, and Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt are the parents of four children, whose names are as follows: Anni L., who is married to Mr. Nathan Prosser; Andrew J .; Oliver H., married Miss Hannah Smith ; and Mary A., wife of Irvin W. Wilson.

Mr. Hoyt sold his homestead and bought eighty acres of land on which was a small house to which a goodly addition was built in the fall of 1910. He and his family enjoy the respeet and esteem of the community in which they dwell.

GEORGE O. WATERS.

George O. Waters, of Broken Bow, Nebraska, has for many years been prominent in connection with the work he has done in the interests of agriculture and horticulture in his county and state. He has in many ways been conspicuous in furthering the development and progress of central Nebraska and has given freely of his time and means in this cause, being especially in- terested in educational measures. He has been a resident of the county from the days when the coffee mill was often used to grind grain for making bread until the present day, and was one of the earlier settlers of Custer county. Mr. Waters was born in Preble county, Ohio, May 30, 1849, the second born child of Isham and Rachel (Cassat) Waters, who had four sons and two daughters. The father was a native of Ken- tucky and the mother of Ohio. In 1852 the Waters family moved from Ohio to Clinton county, Indiana, going onto a heavily timbered farm. In those days Indiana was but sparsely settled and the father helped very materially in the development of his part of the state, where he was one of the pioneers. He enlisted in Com- pany I, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and remained in the service abont fifteen months, receiving an honorable discharge on ac- count of physical disability. He then returned to Indiana and in the spring of 1865 went with his family, which consisted of his wife and their five children, to Clark county, Missouri.

The entire family of Isham Waters, at one time or another, came to Nebraska and became a

894

COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.

resident o fthe state. The parents came to Cus- ter county and there the father died, the mother passing away in Otoe county. Besides George O., there are three sons and two daughters now sur- viving, but the only two who have retained their residence in the state to the present time are George and his sister Mrs. John Saner, of Ne- braska City.

George O. Waters remained with his father on the home farm until September 10, 1867, when he enlisted in the United States army at Keokuk, Iowa, and later he was assigned to Company F, Thirtieth United States Infantry, and in the spring of 1869 to Company H, of the Fourth In- fantry, the fourth and thirtieth regiments being consolidated at that time. He was discharged at the end of his term of enlistment, in September, 1870. He had served at Fort Sedgwick, Colora- do, and Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming, also at Fort Steele, and received his discharge at Fort Fetterman. He had been engaged in frontier service among the Indians during his term. After his discharge he returned to the home farm in Missouri and he was married on Christmas day, 1870, to Elvira Storey, daughter of Greenberry and Amie Ann (Carman) Storey, a native of Mis- souri and her parents natives of Kentucky. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Waters lived on the Missouri farm until the spring of 1879, a period of more than eight years.

On April 21 Mr. Waters left Missouri and moved with his family to Custer county, Ne- braska, arriving there May 12, 1879. They came with a team and covered wagon and secured a homestead seven miles north of Westerville on the northwest quarter of section thirty-four, township eighteen, range eighteen, where they lived until the spring of 1888. At that time Mr. Waters moved to Broken Bow and for four years served as deputy clerk of the district court.

In December, 1889, Mr. Waters and his family moved to their new home one mile east of Broken Bow, known as Willowbrook farm, and located on section thirty-three, township seventeen, range twenty, which is still the family home. Nine children have been born in the family, six of whom now survive, the first four born in Mis- souri : Harry L., deceased; William W., Charles F .; Edward L., deceased; Robert E., George H., Clark S., Elvira May, and an infant who is de- ceased. William W., a young business man of Broken Bow, is married and has three children; Charles F., in business in Eddyville, Nebraska, has two children ; Robert E., married and living on a farm near Westerville, Custer county, has three children ; George H. and Clark S., unmarried and living at home; Elvira is the wife of Bert Oxford and lives in South Dakota. The family is among those of the early ones that are well known and popular in Custer county, and Mrs. Waters, as well as her husband, has always stood for the best interests of the county and state. Her

parents are now deceased. Her father came to Missouri in pioneer days in that state and spent the remainder of his life there. The homestead in Missouri is still in the possession of the Storey family. During the past year Mr. Waters has been a member of the county board and he had previously held various township offices. He has also served as a member of the school board of Broken Bow. He was one of the organizers of the Custer county agricultural society and served several terms as its president. He is an enter- prising and progressive farmer and has won suc- cess in his ventures. He has a comfortable, modern home, surrounded by a nice lawn and shade trees. When the family first came to this place the land was covered with corn stalks. It is now in a high state of cultivation and improve- ment and reflects credit upon its owner. Mr. Waters is prominent in the Knights of Pythias order, being a member of the lodge at Broken Bow.

GEORGE FRANKLIN WHITE.

Among the younger members of the farming community of Valley county, Nebraska, none are better known or command a higher place as a pro- gressive farmer and stockman than the gentle- man named above. He has one of the finest farms in the county and has met with marked success in both farming and stock-raising.

Mr. White was born in Wisconsin on the fourth of March, 1867. He was the tenth in a family of twelve children born to William F. and Catharine (Clark) White; seven of these children are still living. The father was of English and Irish descent, a native of Massachusetts and died in this county four years ago. The mother who was Mr. C. R. White's second wife, was of Ger- man extraction ; she died in 1896.

When Frank White, as he is usually known, was only three years of age, the family came to Nebraska, settling first in Otoe county and later in York county, so that he has been a resident of the state ever since he could remember. He received his education in the local schools of the latter county, and assisted his father about the farm when not in school.

In 1890, he came to Valley county, and en- gaged in farming for himself. On August 27, of the year following, he was married to Miss Clara Coleman in David City, Nebraska. She is a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Taylor) Coleman.

Seven years after coming to the county, Mr. White purchased a quarter section in section twenty-eight, township thirteen, range seventeen, where he built a comfortable home which he still occupies. A view of the residence, with its picturesque surroundings, is shown on another page. In 1909, he bought another quarter section adjoining his other property. In addition to

"HILLSIDE FARM," PROPERTY OF JOSEPH GIDDINGS.

HOME IN YORK CO. FROM'7 TO 91

"ASH GROVE FARM," RESIDENCE OF GEORGE F. WHITE.

895

COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.

raising the usual crops, Mr. White has given a great deal of attention to stock-raising, and in this departure he has met with signal success. He has always taken a commendable interest in local public affairs, and has served the commun- ity in many and various capacities. For twelve years he was justice of the peace, while he was moderator of his school district, number forty- three, for a number of years. He has also held various township offices. In fact, he has been in many ways an important factor in the progress of the community.

Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. White, four of whom are living: Vain, died in infancy, while Paul J., Myrtle E., Earl L. and Ellen M. are all at home.

Both Mr. and Mrs. White are deeply interested in the educational and religious life of the com- munity. They are members of the Friends church, and for nearly five years they conducted a Sabbath school in the neighborhood, of which Mr. White was superintendent until failing health compelled him to abandon his post. He is a prohibitionist in political views, and both are members of the Women's Christian Temper- ance Union.

They have enjoyed the pioneer privilege of living in a sod house from time to time, and occupied one on their present place until 1903, when the dwelling shown in our illustration was built. They endured the losses consequent to grasshopper raids, chinch bugs, hail and drouth. In 1894 their entire harvest consisted of less than twenty bushels of wheat, and fifty bushels from an eight-acre field of rye. Corn bread and water constituted their only food at times. A few deer and antelope were on the prairies when they first came, but these soon disappeared.

JOSEPH M. GIDDINGS.

Joseph M. Giddings is well known throughout Custer county as an energetic, successful farmer and stoekman. He was born at Hebron, MeHenry eounty, Illinois, September 4, 1841, second child of George and Harriet E. (Montague) Giddings, who had two daughters and four sons. The Gid- dings family left Illinois in the spring of 1846, and moved to Winnebago county, Wisconsin, being pioneers of that region. The father pur- chased a large tract of land there, and the family lived in that county many years, the subject of this sketch being edueated there. Two daughters and one son of the family still live in Wisconsin, the daughters in Winnebago county and the son at Fond du Lac.

Joseph Giddings was the only one of the family to come to Nebraska, which he did in 1878, driving through by team. Starting on the first of March, accompanied by Frank Kimball, he did not reach his destination before the second of May, the roads being in such a fearful condi- tion. He went to York county, raised two crops

there, and in the spring of 1879, took up a home- stead on the northwest quarter of section seven, township sixteen, range seventeen, in Custer county, where he resided until 1911, when he became a citizen of Ansley.

In the early days, Mr. Giddings experienced the same hardships and adversities as other pio- neer settlers. Grand Island was their nearest trading point, and it was a trying thing to make the four-day trip, which he did many times with an ox team. He well remembers the dry years, the years of panic, and the times when they used a coffee mill to grind corn and wheat meal for their bread. He had always been in pioneer surroundings since he could remember, as he was a small boy when the family moved to Wisconsin, and he has a vivid recollection of going with liis father, driving a yoke of steers, to the small trad- ing post called Chicago, seventy-five miles distant from their home. Mr. Giddings did not attend the sale in the neighborhood, January 12, 1888, the day of the worst blizzard in many years, but Ira, his son, then a lad, was present. Messrs. Willard and Frank: Kimball, neighbors, were present, however, and took the boy home with them, where he remained over night. Mr. Gid- dings can never forget the three-days' blizzard of October 15, 16 and 17, 1880, which began the winter of the deep snow. His well drifted full of snow, and was never used again, for in melt- ing, it caused the well to cave in. They used melted snow for family use and stock uutil spring, and then had to haul water until fall' The man who had been engaged to bore a well for them in June did not come until November. This well has been in use ever since that time. The Giddings' first residence was a dugout in the bank west of their present home, the spot hidden by a plum thicket. . This was followed by a sod house, and by a second one, in which the family lived until 1908, when the present neat frame dwelling was built.

Mr. Giddings was married in Winnebago county, March 1, 1871, to Miss Julia Sperry, a daughter of Rais and Sarah (Lilly) Sperry, both natives of Ohio. Her father and a brother came to Custer county about 1881, settling on the Mitchell farm in Myrtle township, of which her brother owns one hundred and sixty acres at this time. Mr. and Mrs. Giddings have two chil- dren : Lilly, wife of Sylvester Lee, lives at Ronan, Missoula county, Montana, has eight children, and Ira R., the youngest, took over the manage- ment of the farm in 1911, when the parents pur- chased a comfortable cottage in Ansley, and retired from active life.

Mr. Giddings has an excellent record as a soldier. He enlisted in Company K, Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, being mustered in September 4, 1861, and was discharged at Montgomery, Alabama, September 4, 1865, having been in the service four years. His regiment was

896

COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHIY.

on guard duty on the Iron Mountain railroad, below St. Louis, for a number of months, then went to the front. Their first important battle was at the Siege of Vicksburg, and they afterward went down to New Orleans, and on to Berwick Bay. Here, at Brazier City, Mr. Giddings was taken ill, after four days of continuous picket duty in the rain. He was sent to the hospital rejoined his regiment when able, and, with it, par- ticipated in many engagements, becoming & veteran. After his discharge, he returned to his Wisconsin home.

Mr. Giddings is a republican in politics, and has been a delegate to every county convention but three since coming to the county, and was a member of the first board organized to frame the herd law. He is a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic.

AUGUST J. HOEHNE.

August J. Hoehne, of Osmond, Nebraska, is a native son of this state, and has seen the many phases of progression during his lifetime. He has contributed his share of energy and qualifica tions to the upbuilding of the state, and is now a dealer in implements in Osmond, Nebraska.

He was born in Cuming couty, November 26. 1865. His parents, John and Caroline (Briet- kreutz) Hoehne, natives of the kingdom of Prussia, came to America in 1859, lived four years in Wisconsin, and then came west to Cum- ing county in 1863. They settled on a homestead, and also filed on a pre-emption claim, on both of which they proved up and received clear title. Their first house was of logs, and their first stable, or shelter, for stock was of straw, with a roof of same. Later a more substantial barn of logs was erected, and eventually a com- modious dwelling and a better barn. The first school house was made of mud, pressed down between parallel frame work of willows, and later was covered with siding on the outside, and was plastered on the inside, making a very pre- sentable building, which answered its purpose for thirty years. They were there in time to suffer all the grasshopper raids, losing all their crops two or three years, and much of them sev- eral other years.

Mr. Hoehne's father died, October 25, 1877, and he remained with his widowed mother until he was twenty-six years of age, when he started out for himself, opening an implement house in Wisner which he conducted profitably for three years, weathering the panic of 1893. Receiving a flattering offer from the Deering Binder Com- pany, he was their salesman and collector for three years, and represented the McCormick com- pany the two years following, covering territory throughout Iowa and Nebraska. He again entered the implement business, opening an establishment in West Point in 1900, and on October 25, 1902. transferred his interests to Osmond, disposing of | year terms,

his business in the summer of 1910, and retiring from business. Here he built a large two-story dwelling, one of the most pretentious in town, of a very pleasing style of architecture, which was his residence while living in the town.

Mr. Hoehne was married in Osmond, Nebras- ka, October 23, 1907, to Miss Nellie Farrow, a native of Washington, Illinois, daughter of Benjamin and Louise J. (Good) Farrow, who came to Nebraska in 1884, and settled on a farm, six miles east of where Osmond now stands. Pierce was their trading point and nearest town. One daughter, Harriet, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hoehne.

Mr. Hoehne is a democrat, and is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and has been initiated into the Masonic order.

Mr. Hoehne has vivid recollections of the early days, when he first knew Nebraska-the grasshopper raids, blizzards and prairie fires. A half brother, caught in a blaze of burning grass, was so severely burned on the face and hands that for a time it was feared he would be perman- ently disfigured.

One year, when preparing a Marsh harvester to begin cutting the ripened grain, the machinist, who was at work, looked up, and noticing a cloud in the northwest, remarked: "You will cut no grain today; see that cloud?" Within a short time the cloud approached, and descended a cloud of grasshoppers, which before night left no grain to cut; nor was there any corn left in the fields. So numerous were they that the sound of their eating and of falling leaves could be distinctly heard at quite a distance from the fields. seems odd in these days of high prices to hear It that a little over thirty years ago grain was hauled a hundred miles to Omaha, where twenty- five cents was the best price paid for it, the trip sometimes requiring ten days or two weeks.

During the blizzard of 1881, Mr. Hoehne, as a boy, was herding sheep for a man in Wayne county. Owing to having only partly finshed sheds, half of the sheep were lost. In the bliz- zard of January 12, 1888, he was living with his mother on the home farm, but found no necessity for going out into it.

Children of the present day have little con- ception of what their father's and grandfathers endured in the pioneer days of the west.

FRANK J. TAYLOR.

Frank J. Taylor, a successful and leading attorney of Howard county, is a prominent man of affairs in his section of the state. He was elected county attorney in the fall of 1892, and held that office for six years. In 1903, he received the nomination and was elected to the same office, serving for one term, and again re-elected in 1908, holding the office at the present time. He has also held the office of city attorney for four one-

897

COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.

Mr. Taylor is a native of Ashton, Illinois, born February 12, 1866, and is the eldest of five chil- dren in the family of John P. and Susan Taylor. The Tayolrs lived in Ashton up to 1879, at that time coming to Sherman county, Nebraska, where our subject received his early education, and later attended the St. Paul high school, after which he entered the law office of Darnell & Kendall in that eity, and in June, 1890, was admitted to the bar of Nebraska. He also took a law course at the University of Michigan, graduating with his class in 1891, returning to St. Paul, and forming a part- nership with A. A. Kendall. Together they built up a large general practice, and after a short time, Mr. Taylor opened an office by himself, and has continued practice up to the present time.

During his career in this section, Mr. Taylor has gained a high reputation as a publie official and good business man, and has built up a nice property, having a handsome residence and con- siderable interests in different enterprises in the county.

Mr. Taylor was married, June 27, 1895, to Miss Byrdie E. West, at the home of her parents in St. Paul, where she was born and reared. They have two children, Harold and Burdette. Mrs. Taylor's parents, G. W. and Emma (Johnson) West, came to Howard county in 1871. Mr. West was among the first settlers in Howard county, and had one of the first store buildings opened in St. Paul.

In 1907, Mr. Taylor assisted in the organiza- tion of the First State Bank of Dannebrog, and the First State Bank of Farwell, Nebraska, and in 1908, was one of the purchasers of the Cushing State Bank. In 1909, with others, Mr. Taylor purchased the Citizens National Bank of St. Paul, and is now president of each of these institu- tions, all of which are situated in Howard county, Nebraska.

In addition to his banking interests, Mr. Tay- lor is extensively interested in Nebraska farm lands, being the owner of twenty-four hundred acres, all in the vicinity of St. Paul.

OSCAR W. ENGER.

Oscar W. Enger was born in the city of Chris- tiana, Norway, August 30, 1856, and was the youngest of three sons in the family of Hans Peter and Christina Maria (Ebling) Enger. The father died in 1858, and the mother later married Rasmus Hansen, and to them one son was born, Emil Hansen.

In the fall of 1868, the family came to the United States, saling from Christiana to Hull, England, and embarking at Liverpool in the "Minnesota," which landed in New York, after three weeks of stormy weather.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 194

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