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 195

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 195

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The family consisted of Rasmus Hansen and wife and son, Emil, and Fred and Oscar Enger. The eldest Enger boy, Christ, was a sailor, and

away from home at the time, but joined the fam- ily in Nebraska a year later. The family settled in Dodge county, Nebraska, in October of 1868, renting a farm, and in the same fall, Mr. Hansen homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Cuming county, and in the spring of 1869, began improving the homestead, on which the family moved the following winter.

In the fall of 1869, Mr. Hansen died, and Mrs. Hansen and the family remained on the home- stead until proving up on the claim. Mrs. Hansen remarried, and died in 1881.

Oscar Enger remained with his mother until the spring of 1874, and then went to Fremont, and worked for one of the wealthy business men on his country place in the edge of town. In 1878, he went baek to Cuming county and the old homestead, and began farming for himself. He farmed and raised stoek for three years, then sold his interest in the homestead, and purchased one hundred and sixty aeres of farm land in Colfax county, twelve miles northeast of Sehuy- ler, living on that farm until September, 1892. He then sold this land, and bought a farm in York county, which he kept but a short time, and purchased land in Hamilton county.

In the spring of 1895, Mr. Enger sold his Ham- ilton county farm, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in seetion nineteen, town- ship twenty, range thirteen, in Valley county. This was a raw tract of land when it came into his possession, but Mr. Enger has greatly im- proved same with a commodious dwelling, good buildings, groves and orchard.

Mr. Enger was married to Miss Martha Watt in York county, July 30, 1892. Miss Watt was born in Nebraska, and is a daughter of Jepp M. and Hancena Watt. Mr. and Mrs. Enger have four sons living: Henry J., Clarence, Raymond and Ivan, all of whom reside under the parental roof. Mr. and Mrs. Enger and family are one of the well known families of Valley eounty.

Mr. Enger has in past years held township offices, and is active in leading toward the uplift- ing of his eounty and state along progressive lines, and has had something to do with the advancement of the several connties mentioned.

Mr. Enger's half brother, Emil Hansen, resides in Valley county ; Christian in Luke county, and Fred in Blair, Washington county, all of Ne- braska. Emil Hansen, half brother of Mr. Enger, was born in Norway, February 4, 1866, and is a son of Rasmus and Christina Maria (Enger) Hansen, both of whom were natives of Norway. Mr. Hansen when but two years of age eame with his parents to America, settling in Nebraska, growing to his manhood days. On February 14, 1886, at Schuyler, Nebraska, he was married to Miss Matilda Johnson, and Mr. and Mrs. Hansen are the parents of three living children : Earl E., Arthur R., and Vernon L. Mr. and Mrs. Hansen and family reside on their home farm located on

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the northeast quarter of section twenty-five, town- ship twenty, range fourteen, and own in all twelve thousand and eighty acres of farm and grazing land.

Mr. Enger, subject of this sketch, is a self- made man, and is now one of the prominent and successful farmers and stock men of Valley county.

He has suffered many hardships and depriva- tions in the development of the west. He lost nearly all his erop by drouth in 1893, and ex- perieneed worse losses the year following. Dur- ing the early years when developing his home- stead, Mr. Enger lived for a time in a "soddy." Deer and antelope were to be seen here during the early days and game birds were to be seen in myriads.

Mr. Enger happened to be on the train be- tween Fremont and Schuyler at the time of the great blizzard of January 12, 1888, and so severe was the storm that the train was all after- noon making the distance between the two towns.

CARL PRAUNER.

Carl Prauner, whose settlement in north- eastern Nebraska took place when this region had barely been opened up to the emigrants who were looking for a fertile part of the country to locate and build up good homes, is now well known as a prosperous farmer and worthy citi- zen.

Mr. Prauner was born in Germany, March 24, 1850, and was sixth of seven children in the family of Martin and Mary Prauner, who had four sons and three daughters. In company with his elder brother, John Prauner, he came to America June 1, 1869, and upon arriving in the United States traveled westward, locating in the central part of Madison county, Nebraska, where they took up adjoining homesteads.

Mrs. Rosa Ketteman, a sister, had come to America in the spring of 1868 with her husband, who died in Madison county in the fall of 1868. Mrs. Ketteman later on married again and is now living in Madison county, her name being Mrs. Rosa Lucht. So far as Mr. Prauner knows, brother John, sister Rosa, and himself, were the only members of the Prauner family who came to America. John and Carl Prauner are pioneer homestead settlers in Madison county, and are now living in their pleasant home in Battle Creek, Madison county, Nebraska.

Mr. Prauner was married to Miss Mary Eyl at the home of her parents in Madison county, May 9, 1875. The Eyl family were old pioneers of Madison county, of whom the parents and a sister are deceased; four brothers of Mrs. Prau- ner are living, two of whom reside in Madison county.

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Prauner have had fourteen children, thirteen of whom are living: Fred,

who is married, has three children and lives in Madison county ; Katie, wife of Charles Hagerman has five children; Annie, wife of Fred Bierman, has three children, Charles, married, has one child; Mary, wife of Jake Knapp, has three chil- dren ; all the aforementioned reside in Madison county ; and Henry, Lena, Minnie, Rosa, George, Gustave, Lizzie, and August, who are living under the parental roof. The Prauner family are well known in Madison county where they all reside and are well liked by their neighbors, and occupy a high position in their community as worthy citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Prauner have fourteen grandchildren.

Carl Prauner, although living in Battle Creek so as to give the children the best educational advantages, still finds time to direct the work- ings of his several farms and keep in active touch with his farm and stock interests. Mr. Prauner is a prominent member of the German Lutheran church of which he has been a trustee for many years.

WILLIAM GLEASON.

Among the best known residents of Custer county is William Gleason, now living retired from active life, at Ansley, and who is a veteran of the Civil war. Mr. Gleason was born at Read- ing, Hillsdale county, Michigan, September' 13, 1836, son of Eleazer and Betsey (Berry) Glea- son, the second of a family of ten children and the first white child born at Reading, the sur- rounding country at that time being inhabited by Indians. He now has a brother and a sister in Michigan and two brothers in Oregon. The father was a native of New York and died about 1893, at Reading. The mother, also a native of New York, died on the homestead in Michigan, in March, 1896.

Mr. Gleason was reared on a farm, received his education in the local schools, and then took up farming as an occupation. March 21, 1861, he was married at Allen, Michigan, to Esther Russell, a native of the state of New York, and soon afterward they removed to Illinois, from which state he enlisted in August, 1862, in Com- pany H, One Hundred and Fifteen Illinois In- fantry. He served until the close of the war and received his final discharge at Camp Butler in the summer of 1865. He participated in many important engagements, including those at Chicka- mauga, Resaca, Nashville, Dalton, and minor skirmishes and struggles.

After the war Mr. Gleason and wife lived a few years in Michigan, then removed to Iowa, where they remained ten years, he engaging in grain and agricultural implement business. In June, 1884, Mr. Gleason brought his wife and four children to Nebraska, and they secured a home- stead of one hundred and sixty aeres of land in Loup precinct, Custer county, which was the

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family home until 1903, at which time he retired from active life. They then located at Ansley, where he purchased a good residence and ten acres of land, which they still occupy.

In public affairs Mr. Gleason takes an active interest, and he served five years as assessor, and during most of the time since he came to the state has held various offices on the school board of district number sixty-seven. He is a promoter of every measure calculated for the general good, and is considered a substantial, reliable citizen. Both he and his wife have a wide circle of friends and they have reared their children to patriotic views regarding their adopted state. They have four children, namely : Marcus, living at home; Fannie married A. Stuckey, of Ansley, and they have four children; Betty, married F. A. Betts, of Oregon, and they have ten children; Mary is the wife of S. C. Bruner, of David City, Nebraska, and they have one child. Mrs. Gleason's parents were both born in New York and died in Michi- gan. She has a sister and three brothers in Michi- gan, a sister in Oklahoma and a brother in Ne- braska.

DAVID A. CALVIN.

The Calvin family is familiar to all who have lived in Howard county and the surrounding country, and the gentleman whose name heads this personal history is widely known as one of the very earliest pioneers of that part of Ne- braska. He has seen every change which has come to his vicinity, and in its progress has been an important factor, doing fully as much in bring- ing about its present prosperity as any other one man in the county.

David A. Calvin was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, on February 27, 1837, and made that locality his home until he was seventeen years of age. There were eight children in his parents, family, he being next to the youngest, and of this large family but himself and one sis- ter survive.

He left home in 1854, going into Illinois, where he followed farm work for about seven years, and was married there to Miss Mary Jones, in Adams county, she being a native of Indiana, their mar- riage occurring on New Year's Day, 1861. Two children were born to them in Illinois, and in the spring of 1865 the little family moved to Iowa, settling in Polk county and spending about seven years in the state. They then started by wagon train to Nebraska, and while on this trip were overtaken by the terrible April storm, which will be remembered by many of the old-timers in Iowa and Nebraska. However, they finally landed in Howard county after a tiresome and tedious journey, and Mr. Calvin filed on a homestead in section thirty, township eleven, range twelve, and still has this homestead in his possession.

There he went through every form of pioneer existence, meeting with discouragements and

failures of every description, but stuck to the home and farm, and finally succeeded in making of it a valuable property, constantly adding to its acreage until he became proprietor of a large tract, all of which he has improved with good buildings, well stocked, etc.

Some little time ago Mr. Calvin retired from active farm work, and settled in St. Paul, where he enjoys a comfortable home and the family have many warm friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Calvin have had nine children, the four youngest being native Nebraskans. One child was lost by death, while the remaining eight are as follows: George, Mary Olive, Emeline, James Wilbert, Richard E., Lois, Curtis and John, all married and living in different parts of Ne- braska, excepting Emeline, who is in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

JAMES G. HOLDEN.

In many ways, truth is stranger than fiction, and the lives of many of the old settlers of the west contain many incidents, which if related, would be even more entertaining than any form of fiction. This is especially true of the above, whose life in the mining regions of Montana in the days when the country was new, is replete with many startling incidents. While here he was at times prospecting with such men as Wm.

A. Clark, Jim Whitlatch, although none of them had any cash to spare at that time. He was secretary of the organization known as the Vigi- lance Committee when it formally disbanded in Montana. He is also a Civil war veteran, having served on detached duty away from his regiment as scout and courier, most of the time, and was in the engagements in and about Decatur, Nash- ville, Knoxville, and at Fort Donaldson. Later on, he came to Nebraska in the early days of its settlement and lived and saved and suffered as others did.

James G. Holden was born in Canada on the second of April, 1844, and was the youngest of the four children born to James and Chloe M. (Wood) Holden. The father died in Canada in the spring of 1852 and the mother came to Chicago with her fatherless children, joining her two brothers who lived in Ogle county. Soon after, James was taken back to Canada and kept there two years at school. In 1858, the mother married a Wis- consin man, and thenceforth made her home in Rock county, Wisconsin, where James joined her in the fall of 1860.

On September 21st, of the year following, he enlisted in Company K, Thirteenth Wisconsin Infnatry and was mustered out in November, 1864, at which time he was chief clerk in the quartermaster's department at Decatur, Alabama. He remained here for about a year after being mustered out and then returned to Wisconsin. He remained here only about six months and

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then went to Omaha by wagon, from there taking the overland route via the Bozeman cut-off to Montana, with a bunch of horses and mules from Alabama.

He arrived in Helena, Montana, in July, 1866, and soon established connections with the firm of Holter Bros., becoming the general manager and bookkeeper of their Helena office. He re- mained with them for three years, in the mean- time engaging in several mining operations which were not successful. However, his education and ability seeured a ready recognition among the business men of the time.

In the spring of 1870, Mr. Holden returned to Wisconsin, and on July 12th, he was married to Miss Josephine Bradt in Rock county. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Holden spent some months in travel, taking a trip among the prin- eipal cities of the United States. In the following spring, Mr. Holden alone came to Merrick county, Nebraska, and took up a hometsead in the north- west quarter, section fourteen, township fifteen, range four, being joined by Mrs. Holden in August of the same year.

Mr. Holden has held many positions of trust and has amply fulfilled all official obligations. He was elected county clerk in the fall of 1877 and served four years, and immediately took the office of county treasurer. Just at this time he became associated with D. Martin and J. W. Sparks, and with them, organized the Platte Val- ley Bank, with David Martin as president, J. W. Sparks, vice president, and James Holden as cashier and manager.

He severed connection with the bank in 1888, and opened up an abstract and real estate and in- surance office, and he has continued in that line of business to the present date.

Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Holden, six of whom are living. The eldest daughter, Hattie E., lives in California; the two elder sons, Paul and James G., junior, are both in the state of Washington; Philip is at home, in business with his father, while Dora D. and Floyd, the two youngest are still at home.

Mr. Holden and family are prominent figures in the social life of the locality and are widely and favorably known.

GEORGE F. MOTT.

A history of the state of Nebraska would not be complete without ineluding a sketch of George F. Mott, who has made this region his home for some thirty years, and in that time has always done his share in the development of the agricultural resources of this section of the country.

Mr. Mott was born in Ohio, in 1848; his birth- place being a farm house, and his associations, from the first, being with agricultural interests, it is natural, therefore, that he should find sne- cess in life's endeavor in the tilling of the soil.

His father, F. S. Mott, was born in Baden, Ger- many in 1804, and passed away to the great be- yond in 1888. His mother, Mary (Dentz) Mott. who was also born in Baden, her birth having occurred in 1823, is now living in Boone, Iowa. Our subject's father was a shoemaker, which oc- cupation he followed in his native country. He came to America on a sailboat being twelve weeks on the sea. Their first home was in Ohio; afterwards the family went to Wisconsin, and still later to Boone, Iowa, where F. S. Mott died. A part of the time after coming to Ameriea, F. S. Mott worked at his trade, but most of his life in America was spent in farming.

Mr. Mott, our subject, in the fall of 1880, eame to Knox county, Nebraska, from Iowa. where he had lived fifteen years, and took up a homestead in section nine, township, thirty. range eight, on which land he built a frame house fourteen by twenty feet. Here in the early days misfortune seemed to pursue Mr. Mott in a relentless manner, as he suffered losses of every description through drouths, prairie fires, and storms of every variety. In 1884 Mr. Mott was burned out by the prairie fires that raged that year; in the memorable blizzard of 1888 he lost several head of cattle; in 1893 his crops were destroyed by the hailstorm of that season; and in 1894 the drouth and hot winds burned the crops, making a total failure of them. But Mr. Mott still kept faith in the ultimate success of this region, and has been well rewarded for his faith- fulness and perseverance. He now owns nine hundred and twenty acres of some of the finest land in this section of the county, which he has improved greatly. He has twenty aeres of fine trees.

February 9, 1876, Mr. Mott was united in mar- riage to Miss Josephine Weaver, who was born in Bohemia, and came to the United States with her brother-in-law and sister in 1871. They are the parents of fourteen children : Frank S., who is married to Miss Minnie Mohr; George J., whose wife was Miss Ida Knight; Mary, wife of John Hansen; Josephine, who is now the wife of Mr. Berthold Groeling; James, married to Julia Jelinek; Lillie, who is the wife of Walter Bra- mon, and William, Julia, Edna, and Peter. All those married are in homes of their own, and the last four are living with their parents. Josephine, Laura, Hattie and Minnie are dead.

WILLIAM A. HAVENS.

William A. Havens, one of the younger pio- neers of Boone county, is now a prosperous ag- riculturist and stockman in Ashland preeinet, where he has made his home for the past eight years. He has devoted his entire attention to this calling, and through industry and good management has acquired a valuable estate and gained the highest esteem of his fellowmen by

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his upright character and honesty of purpose in all things.

Mr. Havens is a son of Walter and Nancy Havens, who were searly settlers in Iowa, where he was born, December 5, 1869. He spent the first eight years of his life in Delaware county, Iowa. then came to Boone county with his grandfather, W. W. Havens, the latter settling on a farm. He was married here on February 20, 1901, to Miss Eda Dodge, of Loretto. The year following his marriage he purchased three hundred and twenty acres of fine farming land on section twenty- seven, township twenty-one, range seven, and this has remained the home place up to the present time. He has made of this place a good home and well developed farm and is classed among the leading younger pioneers of his section.

Mr. and Mrs. Havens have had four children, Donald, who died in 1904, Arthur Lee, Florence and William Dale, who are all bright and charm- ing young people. Mrs. Havens is one of a family of seven children, all now scattered in dif- ferent parts of the country. Her mother lives in Loretto, her father having been dead many years.

GEORGE W. RICE.

Located very pleasantly in section one, town- ship twenty-seven, range eight, is to be found the gentleman whose name introduces this biogra- phical sketch. Mr. Rice has been identified with the history of Antelope county from a very early date and his contributions to the welfare of this section of the state have been such as to merit the highest praise. Mr. Rice has the sterling qualities that go to make a substantial citizen. He is a man of industrious habits, persistence, honesty of purpose, and force of character.

Mr. Rice was born in Jasper county, Iowa, March 9, 1869, his birth place being a farm house, and his associations from the first being with agricultural interests. It is natural, there- fore, that he should be a farmer, and that he should find success in life's endeavors in the till- ing of the soil. Our subjeet's father, Austin Rice, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1834, his father coming from England when he was a young man ; our subject's mother's maiden name was Clara Clark, born in 1840 in Woreester, Massachusetts.

Mr. Rice's parents came to Nebraska in 1882, settling south of Clearwater in Stanton town- ship, Antelope county, where they took up a homestead on which they built a sod house and resided there eight years. Our subjeet then moved near Royal where he rented for nine years. He then bought a tree elaim from S. A. Boyd, the claim consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of land in section one, township twenty-seven, range eight. Later Mr. Rice sold this homestead and bought the southwest quarter of section one, township twenty-seven,

range eight, which is well improved and is now the residing place of our subject. He devotes a good deal of attention to fine hogs and now owns about seventy-five full blooded Duroc Jersey hogs, subject to registration, mostly sired by Red Chief "I Am," some from "Nebraska Bell," and "Failor's Model."

In 1892 Mr. Rice was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ludwick, and Mr. and Mrs. Riee are the parents of six children, named as follows: Clarence, Alva, Floyd, Roy, Austin and Lewis. They are a fine family and are highly esteemed and respected by all in the community.

Mr. Rice relates many interesting reminis- cences concerning early days in Antelope county. He and his two brothers were at school when the great blizzard of January 12, 1888, came up. They started for home which was one and a half miles distant. His brothers were not able to continue so stopped at a neighbor's house, about eighty rods from the school; but he continued on his way home, keeping the road by watching closely some tracks that had been made by hand sleds that they took to school with them and thus he managed to get home safely.

WILLIAM T. HICKENBOTTOM.

William T. Hiekenbottom has been a resident of Nebraska since 1873, and during that period has witnessed the wonderful changes and develop- ment of the state. He passed through all the trying incidents and privations of pioneer exis- tence, and has always been identified with the best interests of his state. He was born in Jef; ferson county, Iowa, April 2, 1851, the third child of Stephen and Caroline (Taylor) Hicken- bottom, who were parents of four sons and eight daughters. The father was a farmer and stoek raiser, and Mr. Hickenbottom was reared on a farm. His parents are now deceased, his mother having died at his home January 30, 1911. His brothers, James and Rollo, live in Custer county, where they are prominent as farmers and stock- men. and three of his sisters, Mrs. Sarah Moore, Mrs. Chris Jensen, and Mrs. Jane Eastman, live in Custer county. Two sisters live in Fairfield, Iowa, one in Washington, and one in Oregon.

In February, 1873, William T. Hickenbottom left his home in Jefferson county, Iowa, and came by horseback on the "overland trail" to York county, Nebraska, taking a homestead five miles west of the town of York, which was his home for nine years. He was one of the early settlers of that county and passed through the trying siege of the grasshoppers and other tribulations of pio- neer life. He was there married to Ellen .J. Doud, and of this union three children were born : James W., Rose Ann, and one child, who died in infancy. In 1882 Mr. Hickenbottom eame with his wife and two children to Custer connty, and he took a pre-emption and timber claim, building

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his home on the former, which was located on sec- tion six, township sixteen, range seventeen, which remained the home place until he came to his present home in Broken Bow, in September, 1909. Mrs. Hickenbottom died on the home farm in 1885, survived by her husband and two children.

On January 15, 1889, Mr. Hickenbottom was married in Jefferson county, Iowa, to Ellen May Griffith, a native of lowa, and in the spring of 1889 they came to their Custer eounty home. They have had four children, of whom three sur- vive: Carrie, Abbie, and Leota, at home. Mr. Hiekenbottom's two oldest children, James W., and Rose Ann, by his first marriage, both live on the Kineaid homestead in Cherry county, Ne- hraska. He is married and has three ehildren, and she is the wife of Durfee Hyatt, and has one ehild. Mr. Hiekenbottom eame. first to Nebraska with a span of horses and little else besides a bridle and saddle, and through his own efforts has become one of the successful farmers and stock men of central Nebraska, owning over twelve hundred acres of well improved and devel- oped land. Both he and his wife are well-known and popular in social eireles and are highly re- garded by their many friends. Mrs. Hickenbot- tom's parents, John and Sarah Griffith, reside in Keokuk county, lowa. Her sister, Mrs. Byron Brewer, lives in Roek county, Nebraska, and her brother, Emery Griffith, lives nine miles south of Broken Bow. She also has three brothers and one sister living in Iowa.

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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 195

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