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 202

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 202

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plentiful in those days and were frequently seen brousing around. Mr. Nahrstedt bought his pres- ent farm in 1895, and has lived there continuously since, and is well and favorably known in his com- munity.

Mr. Nahrstedt was united in marriage in 1894. to Miss Sarah Anderson, and Mr. and Mrs. Nahrstedt are the parents of six children, whose names are as follows: Archie, Clarence, Harold. Iola Roy and Waldo. They are a fine family and enjoy the highest respect and esteem of all who know them, and their friends are many.

CHARLES J. MYTTON.

Charles J. Mytton, a substantial and successful fruit grower, farmer, gardener and stock raiser, of Custer county, Nebraska, has taken an active part in public affairs in his community. He was born near Welshpool, in Shropshire, England, March 4, 1856, the only child of Charles and Mary (Evans) Mytton. He was educated in local schools and learned the trade of shoemaker. In October, 1871, he came to America, in company with Thomas Mor- ris, who has always lived with him since that time. Sailing from Liverpool, October 2, in the "Colo- rado," they landed at Castle Garden, New York. fifteen days later. They located first at Blackstone, in Livingston county, Illinois, and were partners in a shoemaking establishment there for ten years.

After his marriage in 1879, Mr. Mytton lived in Illinois until 1881 and then moved to Missouri. where he engaged in farming in Harrison county, near New Hampton, until 1886, the date of his com- ing, with his wife and two children, to Custer coun- ty. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, comprising the northwest quarter of section twelve, township sixteen, range eighteen, which is still the home place, and is known as the Walnut Grove Stock Farm. He has developed his farm and improved it, until he has a well equipped stock farm, and makes a specialty of raising thorough- bred hogs. He has of late years given much atten- tion to fruit growing and gardening. He has in his orchards two thousand apple trees, two hundred cherry trees, and one hundred plum trees. Of small fruits, he has eight hundred currant bushes, two hundred raspberry bushes, and two hundred grape vines. About twenty acres are given over each year to vegetables, for which he finds a ready market in all the surrounding towns. Mr. Mytton is a publie spirited and representative citizen, and displays great interest in the prosperity and wel- fare of his community. For several years he has served as a member of the school board of district number sixteen.

On April 22, 1879, MIr. Mytton was married to Miss Eleanor Fitzgerald, a native of County Kerry, Ireland. Her parents, Morris and Bridget (Con- nell) Fitzgerald, came to America in 1862 and set- tled at Ottawa, Illinois, later moving to Blackstone. where the daughter was married. Her father,

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Morris Fitzgerald, was born in Ireland, and after coming to America enlisted in the union army from Illinois, and was killed in the Civil war. Her mother was born in Ireland and died in Dale. Ne- braska, October 17, 1889. Mrs. Mytton has a half- brother, Joseph Wilson, who lives in Custer county. Mr. Mytton's father, who was a native of Eng- land, died there in 1900, and his mother, a native of Wales, now lives in England.

Mr. and Mrs. Mytton have had ten children, as follows : Della, wife of Walter Lawrence, of Broken Bow, has two children; Mary, a teacher in Custer county, is a graduate of Boylis Business College, of Omaha, and of the Zenarian Penman College, of Columbus, Ohio; Margaret and Elizabeth, twins, both teachers in Custer county schools; Alice C. and Eleanor M., both teachers; William, George D. and Anna S., at home. One daughter died in infancy. The entire family worship in the Cath- olie church. Mr. Mytton is a member of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America.

Thomas Morris, who came to America with Mr. Mytton, is an inmate of the household, the two men having been together constantly since leaving their native land in 1871. Mr. Morris, still hale and hearty, has reached the extreme old age of one hundred and seventeen years; he was born in Ber- rew, Montgomeryshire, Wales, January 15, 1794, and has lived in three centuries. In the autumn of 1911 a neighbor with a motor car came and gave him his first ride in a self-propelled vehicle. In his youth the usual means of locomotion was walking.

Mr. Mytton was living north of Ansley in 1888, and on the day of the famous January blizzard was on his way to town with a load of corn. He made his way in with it, and remained over night. The dog that usually accompanied him became sepa- rated from his master and found his way home, causing great uneasiness until Mr. Mytton re- turned. A most terrifying experience of Mr. Myt- ton occurred while living in Missouri. A cyclone overtook him, which at times tossed him thirty to forty feet. He finally reached a place of safety, but was severely frightened and shaken up; the storm was so severe it tore great trees up by the roots.

Mr. Mytton and family have lived in primitive style in dugout and "soddy" before being able to build a frame house, but managed to find some comfort withal.

FRED C. MARSHALL.

Bohemia has furnished Knox county a large proportion of its enterprising citizens, and several townships are made up practically of this happy, light-hearted, and industrious race. Like a long line of ancestors who cultivated a taste for music and art, Mr. Marshall is a violinist of more than local note. He heads an orchestra that is called upon to furnish music throughout the entire lo-

eality in which he lives, and is well-known to every person in Knox and the surrounding counties.

Among the earliest of the Bohemian settlers in Nebraska, was Ignatz Marshall, senior, and his family of five boys. He was a fine musician, and trained his sons and a son-in-law thoroughly in the art of string music, espe- cially the violin, so that even in the days of the greatest hardship that came to the family, music filled a large place in their lives and enabled them to enjoy many hours of happiness. He was born in Bohemia, grew up and was married there, and came to America in 1867, the family set- tling in Chicago. After two years spent in the latter place. they came on to Nebraska, father and sons securing tracts of land in the Niobrara Val- ley, Pishelville, where they suffered every form of pioneer hardship and privation, including scares from Indian uprisings, drouths, floods, grasshopper raids, etc.

There were four sons in the family that came on to Knox county with their parents, Ignatz, junior, Frank, Louis, and Emil. Charles Marshall, who was the father of our subject, Fred C. Marshall, was born in Bohemia in 1854, and after coming to America with his parents, he remained in Chicago when they came on west. He was there at the time of the great fire, joining his relatives here the following spring, when he filed on a tract of land in the same locality.

In 1886 Charles Marshall moved to Niobrara and opened a general store, which he operated up to the time of his death, which occurred on Deceni- ber 10, 1903, and in his demise the people of the community lost one of their popular citizens. His wife was Mary Lundak, also a native of Bohemia, who came to the United States in 1867. She now resides in Niobrara. Of their children, Fred C. is the second in order of birth, he first seeing the light on June 25, 1880, at Pishelville. The first seven years of his life were spent on the farm, when the family moved to town, where he attended the city schools, and during his hours from school assisted his father in the store. After his gradu- ation from high school, in 1896, he secured a teacli- er's certificate, and for four years taught in the country schools, and for one year was employed in a store at Plainview. He was offered the princi- palship of the Verdigris schools, accepted the same, and spent two years and a-half at that point. In 1903 he was elected county superintendent of schools, and served for four years in that capacity. During 1908 he farmed near Verdigris, and on February 1, 1909, took charge of the Niobrara Tribune, which he had purchased a short time pre- vious. This paper he is making a "live wire" in Knox county journalism, and is eminently fitted to efficiently fill the editorial chair.

Mr. Marshall was married at Norfolk, on June 6, 1906, to Miss Frances Viele, daughter of A. H. and Kate (Noyes) Viele, old residents of Blair,

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Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall have one daughter, Beatrice.

In 1910 Mr. Marshall, in company with other well-known men of his locality, promoted the im- provement, of the Niobrara Island Park, an island in the Niobrara river, which they are fitting up as a summer resort, he being the first to erect a cot- tage, on the camp. This is a beautifully located spot, and promises to be one of the noted summer- ing places in this part of the west, having been do- nated to the town of Niobrara by the government for park purposes when the Sioux Indian treaty of 1889 was made, and contains nearly seven hun- dred aeres.

Mr. Marshall is a republican and is active in local affairs. He is a member of a number of fra- ternal orders, including that of the Masons, Odd Fellows, Bohemian Benevolent Association, and with his family is a regular attendant of the Epis- copal church.

HENRY VAN HOOSEN.

Henry Van Hoosen has made a good record as a citizen of eastern Nebraska, where he settled in 1870. Through all the pioneer struggles he has done his part in the upbuilding of the general in- terests of the community and has won the respect, and confidence of his friends and neighbors.

Henry Van Hoosen, is a son of William and Celinda (Woodward) Van Hoosen, and was born in Sparta, Livingston county, New York, August 15, 1835. He was third in a family of ten chil- dren. He has two brothers living in Polk county, Nebraska; and one sister residing in California. The mother died in 1874, in California, and the father in Merrick county, about 1893. In 1845, Mr. Van Hoosen went with his parents to Illinois, where Mr. Van Hoosen received the greater part of his education. The family were living within three miles of Nauvoo, a Mormon settlement, at the time of anti-Mormon uprising, which lasted several weeks before government troops were called upon to quell the trouble.

On July 2, 1862, Mr. Van Hoosen was'united in marriage to Miss Mary Moore, of Michigan, and later of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Van Hoosen have had ten children, seven of whom are living: Ro- sella, who married Cyrenus Fiandt, who died, and she later married Robert Phelps, and they live in North Yakima, Washington ; William, a carpenter, married, and has one son, also lives in North Ya- kima. Washington; Ellsworth, deceased in 1873; George, deceased, June 21, 1880; John, a farmer, married, has one daughter, and resides on the home farm in Merrick county ; Charles, a railroad engineer, married, has two children, and lives in Sterling, Colorado; Edward, a merchant, who is married, has two children, and resides in Scott's Bluff, Nebraska : Louis, deceased in infancy ; Lilly, married William Powell, has two children, and re- sides in Angora, Nebraska ; Margaret, wife of Har. vey Moore, lives in North Yakima, Washington.

In the spring of 1868, Mr. Van Hoosen made a trip to Nebraska, looking for location and filed on a homestead of sixty-five acres in Saunders county, seven miles southeast of Wauhoo. Two years later Mr. Van Hoosen brought his family overland from Illinois to his homestead farm spend- ing three weeks on the journey. After twelve years' residence there they sold the homestead and purchased one hundred and sixty acres in section nineteen, township thirteen, range six, west, in Merrick county, mostly under cultivation, where they lived until 1905, when Mr. Van Hoosen re- tired from the farin and moved to Central City and purchased a good home, where they now re- side. Our subject served as director of his school district number forty-eight for several years.

Mr. and Mrs. Van Hoosen are among the ear- liest settlers of this portion of Nebraska, and are widely and favorably known. They have passed through all the trying experiences and hardships of pioneer days.

Mrs. Van Hoosen's father died in June, 1886, and the mother in August, 1902. She has one brother residing in Kansas, four brothers in Illi- nois, two sisters in Illinois, and another brother in Iowa.

CARL A. ANDERSON.

Carl A. Anderson, editor of "The Weekly Ga- zette," at Wausa, is a Nebraska boy to the manor born. His parents, August and Christine Ander- son, were natives of Kylingared parish, Elfborgs district, Sweden; the father's birth occurred No- vember 9, 1834, and the mother's the sixth day of April, 1838. They were married in Sweden, on February 22, 1866. and soon after set sail for the new world. Crossing the North sea from Stock- holm, to Hull, they proceeded by rail to Liverpool, where they went on board a sail ship and reached the coast of Nova Scotia after a tiresome journey of little over twenty-one days. The ship was not allowed to harbor, but was kept on anchor out at sea on account of cholera breaking out on board, and they were kept in quarantine there 'for several days. The mother contracted the disease and for a time her life hung in a balance, but was merci- fully spared. This was only the first of their trou bles. On arriving at Jamestown, New York, they discovered that some one reporting them dead on board the ship and given a watery grave had ob- tained possession of their trunk and belongings and decamped, thus leaving them with nothing but the clothes they wore and two or three dollars in money. The father worked on a farm in New York state for some three months, after which he and his young wife removed to Bishop's Hill, New York, and later to Geneseo, Illinois. Here they Iived until 1867, when they came to Nebraska, and settled in Saunders county, taking up a homestead about fourteen miles south of Fremont. Trouble seemed to follow the travelers. While the mother came by passenger train, Mr. Anderson came

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through with their furniture, and the train in which his car was made up was wrecked. By quickly jumping through a window of the car, the father's life was saved. After settling in their Nebraska home, hardships and misfortunes relent- lessly pursued them ; grasshoppers devastated their crops for three years in the seventies, leav- ing hard times and want in their wake; prairie fires frequently came racing down onto them, and one time got so far beyond their control that the sills of their house took fire, but was fortunately extinguished before any great damage was done. Deer and antelope were to be seen in the country when the senior Mr. An- derson settled with his family in Nebraska, some- times coming into the door yard. The eighty-acre homestead was sold after a few years, and a tract of one hundred and sixty acres purchased. The mother's illness for three years during the eighties set the family back to such extent that popular subscription was gathered by the neighbors to de- fray a part of the doctor bills, but her partial re- covery made the family happy again and new hopes of the future were entertained. During these three years, Carl, was cared for by neighbors and came near being adopted by one of those fami- lies. Through dire and brighter years the family continued their residence in this same place until in January of 1893, when two of the sons came to Wausa, being followed here in March of the same year by the father and mother, the latter making this their home until death. The father passed away November 13, 1896, the mother October 6, 1909. Their five children are: J. Albert, farmer and stock raiser. living north of Wausa; Frank Edwin, editor of "Omaha Posten," at Omaha, Ne- braska, a weekly Swedish newspaper devoted to the interests of the Swedish Americans; Theodore, a merchant of Wausa; Cecelia Gertrude, wife of Charles S. Erickson, farming one mile north of Wansa ; and Carl August, the subject of this sketch.

Carl August Anderson was born at Mead, Saunders county, Nebraska, August 25, 1879, and lived there until May 30, 1893, when he joined the family in Knox county. Mr. Anderson attended the common schools of Saunders county and later the schools of Wausa. In 1895 he began learning the printers' trade and kept at the case for eight months, when he returned to the farm and worked a year and a half. He next worked a couple of vears in Wausa, learning harness making, and then clerked for sixteen months at Wakefield, Nebraska.

On January 1, 1901, he bought a half interest in the "Wausa Gazette" of Mr. J. E. Baggstrom, who had established the journal in partnership with Frank Edwin Anderson, now editor of the "Omaha Posten." The brothers were associated in the publication of the "Gazette" until January 1, 1904, when Carl purchased the entire interest in the paper, and his brother moved to Omaha to take up a wider field of journalism. He edits a live country paper 'full of news and a goodly amount

of display advertising. His job work ranks well to the front as compared with work turned out by country shops, and he enjoys a liberal patronage as his products of "the art preservative" well merits. Mr. Anderson was appointed postmaster of Wausau, January 1, 1908, and is serving his first term to the satisfaction of all those receiving mail at that office.

Mr. Anderson was married at Mead, Nebraska, August 31, 1904, to Miss Olga Elenore Monteen,, a Nebraska girl. She is a daughter of Gust and Ingrid (Berg) Monteen, both hailing Sweden as the place of their nativity. Mr. and Mrs. Ander- son are the parents of two children, Rupert Cedric and Gordon Vladimir.

In politics Mr. Anderson is a staunch republi- can, and through the "Gazette" gives healthy support to the party candidates. Like many of his people, he is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church, a'nd is putting in some earnest work in promoting this good cause, having acted as leader of the local choir for the past eight years, and also been associated with any other musical organi- zation within the church.

WILLIAM WEITZEL.

William Weitzel, son of Godfrey and Marie Weitzel, was born in Bergen, Germany, July 29, 1840, and was fourth in a family of twelve chil- dren, three brothers of whom reside in America, and three in Germany, the others being deceased. The parents are also deceased, having died in Ger- many, the father in 1896, and the mother in 1859.

In 1852, in company with an elder brother, Ju- lius, Mr. Weitzel came to America, going to Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania, where he made his home with his uncle, Jacob Weitzel, for four years, during which time he worked on a neighboring farm for one year for five dollars a month and at the end of the year his savings amounted to forty dollars. In 1856 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was engaged in the grocery business one year, and in 1858 went to Marshall county, Illi- nois, where he and his brother were engaged in the retail grocery business until 1866, and in Jan- uary, 1866, he went to Chicago.

In Chicago, on September 9, 1867, Mr. Weitzel was married to Miss Emma M. Mayer, who was a native of Marshall county, Illinois. They are the parents of two children ; Frederick M., who is mar- ried, has two children, and lives in Albion, Ne- braska; and William C., who lives in San Fran- cisco, California.

On October 16, 1871, Mr. Weitzel came to Boone county, Nebraska, and homesteaded one hundred and eighty-six acres in sections one and two, township twenty, range seven, where he lived until 1886. On August 20, 1882, he was ap- pointed deputy county clerk, serving until Jan- uary 1, 1888, when he was elected county clerk, in which office he served until 1894. He also

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served his county as superintendent of public in- struction four years, served as justice of the peace two years, and as assessor four years, and has been a director of the Albion National Bank since 1890, and since 1899 has been treasurer of Albion school board.

In May, 1864, Mr. Weitzel enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Volunteer In- fantry of Illinois, serving until close of the war, and received his honorable discharge November 1, 1864.

Mr. Weitzel is now living in Albion, where he has a fine home, and is conducting an abstract and insurance business.

JAMES W. VOORHIES.

James W. Voorhies, an agriculturist of promi- nence in Antelope county, Nebraska, resides in Royal township and is one of those substantial citizens whose integrity and industry, thrift and economy have added so materially to the wealth and growth of Nebraska. Agriculture forms the basis of wealth in all countries of the world, and it is therefore of great importance that the class of people who inhabit the great farming regions should represent those elements of sterling worth so prominently displayed by the majority of the early settlers of the west and their descendants. Mr. Voorhies is a worthy citizen and a good neigh- bor, and richly deserves all the success which has come to him.

Mr. Voorhies was born in Tama county, Iowa, July 16, 1855, and lived in that vicinity until he came to Nebraska in March, 1887, receiving his education in the country schools of Iowa. Mr. Voorhies' father, G. W. Voorhies, was born in 1830 in New York, and is a descendant from Holland; and our subject's mother was born in 1832, also in the state of New York, her maiden name being Calista J. Dingee.

On April 4, 1883, Mr. Voorhies was united in marriage to Miss Laura E. Ferguson, and Mr. and Mrs. Voorhies are the parents of eight children. whose names are as follows: Wilber R., Anna E., George S., Mary C., Alfred W., C. Walter, Laura M., and Lucy M.

In the year of 1887 Mr. Voorhies with his family came to Nebraska and bought a relinquish- ment on a timber claim from Mr. A. E. Jones, and there started to make a fortune for himself, and has succeeded to a fair degree after various diffi- culties and discouragements. On June 23, 1889, they suffered losses through the hail storm of that date, and reaped only about one-third of their crops, August 11, 1895. Again on August 23, 1900, they experienced another severe hail storm which killed almost all of our subject's young fruit trees, as he had a fine orchard started. The year of 1894 was the year of the great drouth, and is vividly remembered by all who were here at that time, as all suffered alike. Mr. Voorhies relates that on July 28 of that year the thermometer reg-

isters one hundred and ten degrees in the shade, andthe wind at the time was blowing a hurricane. On July fourth of that year a great prairie fire started and swept over miles of this country. This shows how dry the grass was at that time, as it would be almost impossible at the present day for such a fire to gain a start.

In those early days they had no wood to burn, and they were compelled to burn corn and hay to keep warm. But those days are passed, and Mr. Voorhies now possesses a fine property of three hundred and twenty acres of land which is a well- improved farm, and has seven acres of shade trees, and also fruit trees.

WESLEY M. VANNICE.

Wesley M. Vannice was one of the pioneer set- tlers of Custer county. and is one of the very few who came in an early day to occupy their original homesteads through all the years. He was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, July 1, 1847, the youngest child of Abraham a'nd Elizabeth (Domiree) Vannice, who had five sons and four daughters. He was reared on the farm where he was born and received the ordinary common school education usually received by a farmer's son of the locality. He remained on this farm until his enlistment August 13, 1863, in Company M, Eighth Iowa Volunteer cavalry, in which he served two years to a day, receiving his discharge August 13, 1865. He was with Sherman during the famous march to the sea, and also served under General Thomas. At the time of his muster out, at Macon, Georgia, he was chief cavalryman under General Wilson. Mr. Vannice participated in the battles of Kenesaw mountain, Dalton, and various other engagements,, while serving under General Sher- man, and while under Thomas was before Nash- ville, and in the two battles of Franklin, twenty miles from Nashville : with General Wilson he took part in the Wilson raid during the spring of 1865, going through Alabama and on to Macon, and he served with Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta.

At the close of the war Mr. Vannice returned to his old home in Iowa and went back on the farm, which was located near Burlington. In 1881 he engaged in general mercantile business at North- field, Iowa, and became postmaster there, and in the fall of 1884 he came to Custer county, taking a homestead on the southeast quarter of section twenty-five, township seventeen, range twenty-one. which place is his present home. He has passed through the various experiences of pioneers in the county since he located on this place and has de- veloped and improved his land until he has a val- uable estate. He was married in Kossuth, Iowa, November 19, 1874, to Sarah J. Myers, daughter of Joseph and Catherine Myers, and when he came to Nebraska he was accompanied by his wife, their two children, and a nephew of his wife's. Five

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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 202

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