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 74
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Mr. Browder was married to Miss Maude Mc- Daniel, at the home of her parents, in Albion, Ne- braska, on December 31, 1896. Mrs. Browder is a native of Missouri, and the youngest of two children, her parents now residing at Boulder, Colo. Mr. and Mrs. Browder had one child, a son, which died at the age of four years. They have a pleasant and comfortable home in Albion, and enjoy the friendship of a large circle of peo- ple.
F. MEIERHENRY.
F. Meierhenry, who came to Nebraska twenty- seven years ago, now owns a very comfortable home on section thirty-five, township twenty-five, range one, Wayne county, where he has develop- ed a fine farm. He has always interested himself in whatever movements were on foot for the ad- vancement and welfare of his community and the betterment of conditions in the county or state.
Mr. Meierhenry was born at Lippe Detmold, Germany, in 1866, and is a son of Herman and Lizzie Meierhenry, natives of that country, who were parents of eight children. He received a common school education in his native place, and was reared to habits of industry and thrift.
In 1884, he left home for America, sailing from Bremen to New York on the steamship "El- bert." He came direct to Washington county, Nebraska, rented land six years, and then se- cured a place of his own. He came to Wayne county in 1898 and secured his present home. This place was slightly improved, and he has in many ways beantified it and added to its value. He has a fine orchard and grove of about four acres, and his land is well tilled and productive.
In 1893, Mr. Meierhenry was united in mar- riage with Miss Amelia Maas, and nine children have blessed this union, as follows: Oscar, Au- gust, Elza, Donald, deceased, Erreg, Albert, Louis, Edwin, and Adelia. Mrs. Meierhenry, who was born in Wayne county, is a daughter of Carl Maas, was reared here.
Mr. Meierhenry is a progressive and useful citizen, esteemed as a man of upright honesty and integrity, and has a wide circle of friends.
LOUIS BELZ.
A typical pioneer of Nebraska is represented by the gentleman above named, Louis Belz, who has lived for many years in this section of the country, and the story of whose life and expe- riences has become virtually a part of the history of the development and growth of this region. He has built up for himself a comfortable home, has amassed a fortune by his perseverance and thrift, and has come to be regarded as one of the foremost citizens of Stanton county.
Mr. Belz was born in Pummon, Germany, April 6, 1832, and is the son of Fred and Kather- ine Belz, his father being a small farmer of the community. Mr. Belz spent his childhood years in Germany, and received his education in the German schools. He was also married there in 1857, to Miss Wilhelmina Zilmer.
In 1857, the family left their native land for America, sailing from Hamberg to Quebec, the little sailing vessel taking eleven weeks for the trip. They came at once to Wisconsin, where they remained until 1866. Wishing to enjoy fully the opportunities afforded the pioneer, they came to Stanton county, Nebraska, traveling by means of a yoke of oxen, the trip from Wiscon- sin to Stanton county taking seven weeks, with these slow-going beasts.
Mr. Belz here took up a homestead and built a sod house in which he lived a number of years. Later, a log house was erected, the lumber being hauled from Fremont to build it. Here our sub- scriber and his family worked and toiled for years, meeting numerous discouragements at first. They lost their crops several times, owing to the rav- ages of the grasshoppers, and were more than once compelled to fight prairie fires in order to keep their homes from being destroyed. Their fortunes gradually changed for the better, and now our subject enjoys the comforts of a beau- tiful home, very pleasantly located in section twenty-four, and is the owner of a well-equipped farm. He is one of the leading citizens of the community and enjoys the respect and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.
Mr. and Mrs. Belz are the parents of four children : Lena, Mrs. Gustav Krenzien; Frank, Paul, and Ida, now Mrs. Herman Sidell.
CHARLES W. SMITH.
Charles W. Smith, proprietor of one of the most valuable estates in Antelope county, Ne- braska, has been a resident of that locality since 1879. He is known throughout the northeastern part of the state as one of the foremost farmers and stockmen in Nebraska, and after many years' hard labor in accumulating a fine estate, is now prepared to enjoy the remaining years of his life in peace and comfort. He still looks after his farm and business, not being content to settle down in idleness, though the burden of carrying on hard labor has been transferred to younger shoulders.
Mr. Smith is a native of Stockholm, Sweden, horn January 28, 1835. During his childhood up to the age of eight years, he lived with an aunt who was not overly kind to him; in fact, so bur- densome did life become that at the tender age of eight he ran away with an old sea captain who felt pity for him in his forlorn life, and took him to Liverpool. The aunt wrote for the child to re- turn to Sweden, but instead he embarked as
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MR. AND MRS. THOMAS KINGSTON.
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cabin boy in a sailboat bound for America. His early youth was spent as a sailor with all the hardships that life implies. When only twelve years of age the ship in which he was sailing was wrecked on a coral bank in the West Indies and they were swept overboard to drift helplessly, without food or water, from nine o'clock Tues- day afternoon until midnight the following Sat- urday, when a party of wreckers on an island suc- ceeded in reaching the drifting boats and brought succor to the famishing castaways.
Mr. Smith followed the sea for ten years, and at the age of eighteen became a landsman again, working until 1861 on the docks at New Orleans, loading eotton on vessels plying out of that port. At the outbreak of the war in order to avoid ser- vice under the confederate eolors, he made his way to Mobile whence he shipped to Cuba, sailing from Havana to New York. Learning that his old friend, the sea captain, was in Maine he pro- ceeded there for a short visit, then migrated west by way of Chicago, going on from there to Oma- ha, which at that time was the end of the rail- road. He worked his way to the mountains as a member of a freighting outfit, spending some time in the various mines throughout "the moun- tains" as all the region embraced in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, was called, finding employ- ment until the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, which made freighting less strenuous than formerly. A friend and companion in the work with him desired to return east to see his family, and he persuaded Mr. Smith to accom- pany him, thus ehanging the whole course of his life. He settled in Harrison county, Iowa, en- gaged in farming until the spring of 1879, at which time he started by wagon train for Ne- braska, locating in Antelope county. He imme- diately took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in southeast quarter, section thirty-two, township twenty-seven, range five, built a sod house and lived in that one year, then erected a good frame house, which was one of the best in that section of the country, hauling the lumber from Niobrara. He later built an addition on this dwelling, and still occupies it.
On Mareh 7, 1872, Mr. Smith was
married in Iowa to Miss Ann John- stou, whose ancestors came originally from the hills of Scotland. They are the parents of five children, whose names are as fol- lows: Linzza W., who married Avah Armstrong, and has seven children; Dean B., who married Clara Sheets, they are the parents of five chil- dren ; Ralph, whose wife is Miss Anna Hein, they having two children, while Clare holds the posi- tion of freight and baggage agent for the South- ern Pacific railway company at Cottage Grove, Oregon, and Ruth, the youngest child and only daughter, lives at home. Mrs. Smith passed away on November 13. 1901, deeply mourned by all her family and a wide circle of friends.
Mr. Smith and his family enjoy the regard and esteem of a large number of friends and acquaint- ances, and owns a beautiful home, consisting of five hundred and sixty acres of land. This place is plentifully supplied with fine groves surround- ing each tract, including a splendid four-acre wal- nut grove, which is considered the finest in that part of the country and is one of the chief attrac- tions of the estate. Mr. Smith is a democrat in politics.
At the time of the memorable blizzard of Jan- uary 12, 1888, three of our subjeets children were at school and all of his stock out in the open fields. The eldest son managed to make his way through the fierce storm to the homestead, telling his parents that the two others were to remain at the schoolhouse for the night, but the father, knowing they would suffer from hunger, started after them, losing his way three times during the trip between his own gate leading to the road and the house, a distance of less than fifteen rods, but finally got the youngsters safely home. As for the cattle and other stock, they found their way to the sheds of their own aecord, and none were lost.
THOMAS KINGSTON.
It is quite a change from a comfortable, lux- urious home in an old-established country to one in the prairie wilderness of a new world, where re- cently the Indian and the wild animals held full sway, and few coming from such a home can en- dure the privations of the pioneer and remain long enough to reap the reward which can be won from the wilderness. Of such, however, are Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kingston, of Staunton. They are natives of Ireland, and from childhood enjoyed the comforts of a home of plenty, as the parents of both were prosperous, well-to-do people.
Mr. Kingston was born November 24, 1851, about forty miles from Cork, near the little vil- lage of Glandore, a summer resort by the sea. His father, James Kingston, was a prosperous stockman and dairy farmer, owning his own land, and at his death, Thomas' share of the estate was a small farm and eight hundred pounds, sterling -quite a fortune for a young man just starting out in life.
On January 22, 1874, Mr. Kingston was mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Northover, whose father was an English officer in the Coast Guards. Her mother also was English. Shortly after marriage. they decided to try their fortunes in the New World, so the farm was sold, and with the pro- ceeds, they embarked on March 26, 1874, on "The Greece." The voyage, while long, was a very ex- citing one. They were only four days ont from Queenstown when they heard a signal gun of dis- tress and on coming to the rescue, found a French steamer with about seven hundred on board, in- eluding erew and passengers, with fires out, nine
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feet of water in the hold and the crew almost ex- hausted at the pumps. Boats were lowered and the unfortunates were taken on board the "Greece," making a load of about thirteen hun- dred for the old vessel. The French captain de- clared the vessel abandoned, and the captain of "The Greece" put a small prize crew aboard it to try to get it into port for salvage. Through some blunder in getting away from the abandoned vessel, the two collided and "The Greece" had a large hole torn in her stern, and at first it looked as if both rescuers and rescued were again in grave peril. However, the hole was patched up, and after eighteen days buffeting with the waves, the disabled vessel reached New York, after hav- ing been reported lost.
Mr. and Mrs. Kingston came to Omaha, and from there direct to Stanton county, where he purchased a half section of railroad land eighteen miles from Wisner. When Mr. Kingston settled on it, he paid down all his ready cash, expecting to make enough on his first crop to meet the pay- ments as they fell due. Unfortunately, the grass- hoppers invaded the country just at this particu- lar time, and for four years Mr. Kingston had considerable difficulty in providing for the wants of his family. He was not able to meet his pay- ments and so lost the land and all he paid on it. When his fortune turned, Mr. Kingston re-pur- chased the entire half section. The land he orig- inally bought at four dollars per acre cost eight dollars on re-purchase, and the last forty acres cost fourteen dollars per acre, which shows how quickly values rose.
He began to give all his attention to stock- raising, and so added to his land, that when he re- tired, in 1900, he was the owner of over a thous- and acres of as fine land as there is in the west. Three hundred acres was under cultivation and even this failed to provide enongh feed for his stock.
On coming to Stanton, Mr. Kingston purchased a small house, added to it and thoroughly re- modeled it, so that now it is a most comfortable home with all modern conveniences.
Three children have been horn to Mr. and Mrs. Kingston, and all are living. Sarah, mar- ried J. A. Brown of Stanton ; Mary E., is the wife of L. L. Way, an automobile dealer of Wayne; and James Richard has for some time occupied the old home ranch.
In every way, Mr. and Mrs. Kingston have proved themselves true pioneers. They suffered gallantly and uncomplainingly the hardships of the early settler's life, and are now enjoying their rewards. Their religous training has been in the faith as expounded by the church of England, the true Episcopalian.
Mr. Kingston is a member of the board of county commissioners, and the influence of his progress is apparent in many public enterprises. We are pleased to present portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Kingston elsewhere in this work.
EDWIN D. PULCIFER.
Edwin D. Pulcifer, residing on the north half of the northeast quarter of section one, town- ship twenty-seven, range four, Pierce county, Nebraska, is regarded as one of the leading citi- zens of his locality. He has always been one of the important factors in the upbuilding of his region, aiding in its development and growth from the time of its earliest settlement.
Edwin D. Pulcifer was born in Syracuse, New York, May 29, 1851, and lived there until 1862. His mother died in 1859, and about three years later the boy and a sister went to Wisconsin and made their home with relatives. In 1864 Mr. Pulcifer went to Jasper county, Iowa, reaching his destination the night before Lincoln's second election. In 1869 he went to Marion county, Iowa, where he worked on a farm, and in 1875 he went to Dallas county, Iowa, where he married and resided until 1882. In that year Mr. and Mrs. Pulcifer moved on the homestead where they now reside. For five years they lived in a primitive sod house, and then moved into the present frame house, situated in a fine grove of trees planted by Mr. Pulcifer. The grove and orchard cover seven acres.
In the blizzard of January 12, 1888, Mr. Pul- cifer was two and one-half miles northwest of home. The mare he was riding found the way home-on foot he could not have found the way. The higher grasses between tracks helped keep directions. Several wayfarers found shelter in his house over night. A notable storm he experi- enced was known as the dark day. A yellow haze made it too dark to see anything, and hail and mud fell thickly, covering foliage and herbage. In the early days, hay and cornstalks were some- times used for fuel.
Mr. Pulcifer was married to Miss Allie Holly in 1875, and they have a fine family of ten chil- dren, who are named as follows: Bertha, Dora, Lillie, Marian, Charles, Ellen, Fay, Orville, Elmer and Mary. Six of the above named children have claims of their own, and five of them are married and have families. Charles was educated in Aurora, Nebraska, and Lillie in Lincoln.
Mr. Pulcifer is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is highly respected by all in his community. He served his county as precinct assessor for fourteen years, and although a prohibitionist and of the weaker political party of the county, he has been elected by a comfort- able majority to the office of county assessor.
NIELS C. NIELSEN.
Among the prominent pioneers of Howard county is Niels C. Nielsen, who occupies a com- fortable home in the thriving town of Boelus, where he enjoys the esteem and respect of his fellow men. He is a native of this region, and with a very small start in the world has endured
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hardship and privation in order to secure a com- petence for his old age, now being in an inde- pendent position financially. To his friends he recounts many interesting experiences of the pioneers days in central Nebraska.
Mr. Nielsen was born in Howard county on April 28, 1873. He is a son of Niels and Maria Nielsen, who settled in Nebraska in 1872, during their early married life. Our subject was reared in his native county, attended the district schools as a boy, and later spent two years at the Western Normal College in Lincoln. Nebraska. He left that institution in 1894, returning to his father's farm where he remained for two years then started farming on his own account on rented land. In December of 1898 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres on section thirty, town- ship fourteen, range twelve, which was a well improved traet, and operated this successfully for the following five years, when, owing to poor health he was obliged to give up active farm work, so secured the appointment as rural free delivery carrier on route number one, which he kept up for over two years. Mr. Nielsen moved his family to Boels shortly after securing his appointment.
In the meantime he had purchased some resi- dence property in Boelus, upon which he erected a fine home. Since his retirement from the mail service he has been engaged in different lines of work here. He is owner of one hundred and sixty acres situated on section six, township twelve, range twelve, Hall county, Nebraska, which he purchased in the fall of 1906. This he farms himself-his Howard county farm being rented and derives a good income from the same. He is a thorough business man, and considered one of the substantial citizens of his locality.
Mr. Nielsen is active in local affairs. He is a populist, and has held various township offices, serving as assessor during 1900, also as road supervisor for one year. For four years he was director of school district number sixty-six, and in 1906 was elected city clerk of Boelus, which of- fice he filled up to 1909. He is a prominent mem- ber of the Danish Brotherhood, and was secretary of Lodge 165, for a period of three years, in 1906 being elected as a delegate to the National Con- vention of the D. B. S. which was held at Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Mr. Nielsen was married February 19, 1898, his wife's maiden name being Wilhelmina Soren- sen, born in Michigan and reared in Howard county, where her parents were early settlers. Two children have blessed their union, Johannes and Valentina, both of whom are bright and sturdy young people. They have a pleasant and happy home, and enjoy the society of many friends. During 1908 Mr. Nielsen took his family for an extended trip through California, spending three months in travel, which was greatly enjoyed by all.
JAMES A. OLLIS, Jr.
James A. Ollis, one of the leading citizens and agriculturists of Valley county, Nebraska, is well known as a man of sterling qualities and true public spirit. He is an old settler of this locality, having come to Valley county some twenty-eight years ago, and through the years has given gen- erously of his energies and unceasing work for the upbuilding of his home state and county.
James A. Ollis, junior, son of James A. and Martha (Brown) Ollis, was born in Hancock county, Illinois, October 12, 1859. He is second in a family of five children, and has one sister residing in Texas, and another in Valley county, Nebraska; the other children are deceased. Mr. Ollis' parents reside in Ord, Nebraska, where they are well known and have a host of good friends.
Mr. Ollis received good educational advanta- ges, and after teaching in Illinois schools for several years engaged in farming. In 1882 he came to Valley county, Nebraska, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land in Mira val- ley, living there for two years. In 1884 he pur- chased what has since been his home place which is located in section sixteen, township eighteen, range fourteen. This is a finely improved and well-equipped stock farm, and Mr. Ollis makes a specialty of breeding thoroughbred horses.
On November 5, 1880, in Illinois state, Mr. Ollis was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Kerr, which union was blessed with eight children, namely : Sarah E., wife of E. C. Armstrong, has two chil- dren, and resides in Valley county; Alice M., Elmer K., Nellie M., William M., Ethel M., Ruth E., and James B., all of whom reside at home. Mrs. Ollis died on the home farm in October of 1896, survived by her husband and children.
In 1885 Mr. Ollis was elected county commis- sioner, and has also served as director of school district number nine for twelve years. In 1900 Mr. Ollis was made a member of the Nebraska house of representatives; and in 1908 was elected to the state senate, representing district number fifteen; and was again elected for the senate for the term of 1910. He served as member of the state board of agriculture for five years and on the board of managers during 1911.
On Angust 4, 1905, Mr. Ollis was married to Mrs. Eliza E. Knott who was born in Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Ollis are surrounded in their home by many good friends and enjoy a wide acquaintance.
Mr. Ollis is one of the younger pioneers of his county, and through the years has been closely identified with its interests. He is a progressive man of affairs, prosperous and successful, and owns twelve hundred eighty acres of land, all in Mira valley.
In 1905 Mr. Ollis built one of the finest modern homes in Valley county. In 1898 he installed a telephone line from Ord exchange to his farm home at his own expense. It was the first rural
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'phone in Valley county. He is a Presbyterian, a democrat in politics and a member of the Ameri- can Order of Protection, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and with Mrs. Ollis of the Rebekahs, an auxiliary de- gree of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
WILLIAM PREUSKER.
William Preusker, residing in township twenty- four, range two, Madison county, Nebraska, is proprietor of a well developed and valuable farm in section twenty-eight, which he has operated successfully for the past eighteen years or more. He is one of the substantial citizens of his lo- cality, and is held in the highest esteem by all who know him.
Mr. Preusker is a native of Germany, born February 4, 1857, his birth taking place in Bran- denburg village ; he is a son of Fred and Elizabeth (Ziehe) Preusker, who were also natives of Germany.
Mr. Preusker grew to manhood in his native country, receiving the usual schooling, and there he lived until he reached the age of thirty-five years. In 1892 he left his native land for America, embarking at Hamburg on the steam- ship "Bismark," and was seven days on the sea.
After landing in New York, Mr. Preusker went direct to Nebraska, where he bought the farm known as the Fleming homestead, which he has steadily improved and now has a good home and valuable property; he has had pretty fair sailing since coming to Nebraska, but in the year 1894 he lost all the season's crops during the ter- rible drouth that caused the scorching winds which swept over the land, burning everything to a crisp.
Mr. Preusker was united in marriage January 4, 1880, to Miss Anna Middelstead, who is a native of Russia, and a daughter of Julius and Thorena Middlestead. Mr. and Mrs. Preusker are the parents of seven children, whose names are as follows : Adolph, Amelia, Gust, Hulda, Fred, William and Lydia. They are a fine family and in their pleasant home are surrounded by a host of good friends and neighbors.
Although not of the very oldest settlers, Mr. Preusker has in his eighteen years' or more resi- dence in Madison county proven himself to be of good worth and industrious, and he is highly esteemed by all in his community. He is a mem- ber of the Lutheran church, and a democrat.
JAMES PIERCE. (Deceased.)
The late James Pierce was one of the best known men of Custer county, and the head of a large family. He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, July 4, 1824, a direct descendant of Thomas Pierce, a native of England, who came
to America in 1634 and settled in Charleston. Thomas Pierce was the father of seven children, one of whom founded a family in Charlestown, and the family continued to live there for many generations. The grandfather of the subject was a soldier of distinction in the revolutionary war. He captured the first British prisoner that was taken by the Americans. He was a lieutenant in the militia and was drilling his company on the green at the time the opposing army appeared for battle at Lexington, and was in the thickest of the fight. His wife stood in the doorway of their home and watched the proceedings.
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