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 76

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 76

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Our subject's father, William C. Clark, was born in England, July 21, 1819, and when he grew to manhood was engaged in milling, doing his grinding by the aid of windmills. On December 25, 1843, he was married to Miss Sarah Knott Wanstall, who was also a native of England. In 1867 he came to America with his wife, four sons, and his wife's sister, Mary Wanstall. They lo- cated in Delaware county, Iowa, on a farm, where they lived a great many years, then retired and moved to Earlville, Iowa, and it was at this place that Mr. and Mrs. Clark died, December 25, 1899. Nine children had been born to them, four of whom are deceased. One son resides in England, one in the state of Washington, one in California, and two sons reside in Albion, Nebraska, one of whom is the subject of this sketch, and the per- sonal history of the other son, Henry, appears in another portion of this book.

On April 14, 1896, William C. Clark was mar- ried a second time, the bride being Miss Mary Wanstall, who was born in England. Mr. Clark died in March, 1903, survived by his widow and five sons. His widow is living with the son, Al- fred Clark, in Albion, at the advanced age of ninety-two years, and this has been her home since the death of her husband.

HENRY KELLOGG.

York state has given its share of sturdy, pro- gressive men to the settlement of the west, and among them, one of the most prominent is Henry Kellogg, a retired farmer, living in Wayne.

He was born near Pen Yan, Yates county; New York, on June 21, 1851, and in September of that year, his parents, George W. and Mary L. (Owen) Kellogg moved to Huron county, Ohio. They lived there for only about a year or two, and then pushed on, settling in Hillsdale county, Michigan. The father died here in 1860, leaving the mother to rear her little family. She married again later and moved to Iowa, where she died.

Young Henry grew up to manhood in Michi- gan, and began farming on a rented farm there. Early in June, 1874, he reached Saunders county, Nebraska, and for the first year lived on a rented farm. He bought eighty acres near Wahoo, which he broke as soon as possible, and in the fall of 1875, built a house on his own land, Saunders county being his home for seven years.

In May, 1881, he moved to Wayne county, and

bought one hundred and sixty acres about four miles east of Wayne. From time to time, as cir- cumstances warranted, he added to this purchase, until at the time of his retirement in the spring of 1902, he was the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of well improved land, most of it under cultivation. When he retired, Mr. Kellogg purchased a comfortable dwelling near the cen- ter of Wayne, and here, with his good wife, he is enjoying a rest from the active labors of the past.

Mr. Kellogg was married in Hillsdale county,

Michigan, on October 12, 1871, to Miss Zella Koon, a native of that county. Her parents, like Mr. Kellogg's, were from New York state, her father being born at Watkins Glen, where his father had been a well known blacksmith in those early times. Mr. Kellogg's people had figured in early history of the country, his grandfather hav- ing participated in the battle of Niagara, in the war of 1812.

Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg, six of whom survive. Mary, the wife of Warren Bishop, lives near Medford, Oklahoma; Charles is farming near Verdel, Nebraska; George and Frederick are farming in Knox coun- ty, Nebraska; and Martin and Walter are both farming in Stanley county, South Dakota. Ralph died when about two years old.

Mr. Kellogg endured the privations and passed through all the vicissitudes of an early settler's life on the western prairies, and has done well his share in winning the wilderness for civ- ilization. No better citizen can be found in the state, and he enjoys the respect of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

HENRY N. SIEM.

The gentleman whose name is at the head of this personal history, is the proprietor of one of the most valuable estates in Pierce county, Ne- braska, and has been a resident of that locality for twenty-five years. He is prominently known throughout Pierce county as one of the foremost farmers and stockmen in his home county, and after many years of hard labor in building up his farm, is now prepared to enjoy the remaining years of his life in peace and comfort, surrounded by a host of good friends and acquaintances. Mr. Siem is not content to sit idly by, however, and still looks after his farm.

Mr. Siem was born in the village of Henstedt. Holstein, then a province of Denmark, February 6. 1835, being the son of Claus Siem, who died at the age of fifty-six. The mother was Miss Christina Mueller, who died in the old country at the age of seventy-four. Our subject served Denmark in the army from 1858 to 1859, and was called to the army to defend the country against Germany in 1864.

Mr. Siem sailed from Hamburg in 1866, on the steamship "Borosia," and landed in New York City. From the spring of 1866 to Febru-

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ary, 1867, he was employed at farm work near Momence, Kankakee county, Illinois, then return- ed to the old country, where he owned a farm of eighty acres, a very large estate in the old world. During this year in America, he became interest- ed in the girl who has been a factor in his life ever since. In 1880 he returned to Illinois, mar- ried and again crossed the water to his landed estates, expecting to pass his days in the father- land. However, this was not to be; Mrs. Siem, having lived since early childhood in America. was not contented in a foreign land, so in 1882. Mr. Siem sold his farm, and for a fifth time cross- ed the Atlantic, sailing from Hamburg in the "Lessig," the same vessel on which he had crossed two years before. On coming to Amer- ica the third time, Mr. Siem settled in Douglas county, Nebraska, and rented for four years near Omaha. In 1886, he came to Pierce county, and purchased the northeast quarter of section eleven, township twenty-eight, range four, to which he has added one hundred and sixty acres in section ten, and an eighty-acre tract in sec- tion three. On the first tract he built a frame house and set three acres of trees, which now surround the dwelling and orchard and garden.

Our subject was out in the blizzard of Janu- ary 12, 1888, most of the afternoon, seeking his cattle, of which he lost ten head. The storm was so blinding and suffocating that it was with great difficulty he finally made his way home.

July 29, 1880, Mr. Siem was married in Kan- kakee county, Illinois, to Miss Helen Deerson, who was born in Germany and came to America with her parents when she was five years old. Mr. and Mrs. Siem have three children: Helen, wife of Claude Stimson of Perkins county, South Dakota, and Peter and Hannah, still under the parental roof.

In 1908, Mr. Siem remodeled his house, mak- ing an imposing fourteen room dwelling, prob- ably the finest country residence in northeastern Nebraska. The view down the front driveway from the road is most imposing, with a fine three acre grove on the left hand, and a thrifty, grow- ing orchard of equal area on the right. Nor is appearance all, pleasing as this may be, for the appointments are superior to most city homes. Soft water, hot and cold, is supplied to the bath room and other parts of the house, the submerged tank system being used. A gas motor used for forcing the water into the tank also supplies motive power for the separator, the churn and the laundry machinery. A furnace keeps the entire house comfortable in winter, and in the well- furnished double parlors, with the fine piano, western hospitality is dispensed with generous hand. A full page view of the place. with its numerous barns and outbuildings, is to be found elsewhere in this work.

Mr. Siem is highly respected by all who know him, and in religion is of the German Lutheran faith. Should you ask his political views, he will

tell you he is a republican, good and strong, and has been ever since becoming a permanent resi- dent and citizen of the United States.

AUGUST RAABE.

August Raabe, one of the most prominent and influential farmers in Stanton county, Nebraska, resides on section twenty-six, township twenty- three, range one, and is one of those substantial citizens whose integrity, industry, thrift, and economy have added so much to the material wealth and growth of Nebraska. Agriculture forms the basis of wealth in that part of the country, as, indeed, in most sections of the United States. It is therefore of the greatest importance that the class of people who inhabit the great farming regions of the country should represent those elements of sterling worth which were prominently displayed by the majority of the early settlers and their descendants.

Mr. Raabe was born in Wisconsin in 1857, and is the son of Robert and Minnie Raabe of Brandenburg, Germany, who had come to this country the year previous to his birth.

When the subscriber was only seven years old, his parents decided to come to the real west, where they could get land cheaply and would find it easier to give their children the start they desired. So they drove their yoke of oxen from Wisconsin to Nebraska, where they took up a homestead and built a sod house. Later, this dwelling was replaced by a log house, to be suc- ceeded in turn by one of more modern construc- tion.

At this time, the early settlers frequently se- cured fresh meat by shooting a deer or an ante- lope, for these animals were plentiful. Their postal facilities could not be called excellent, however, for their nearest postoffice as well as market, was Omaha, and it took three weeks to make that trip. However, they persevered, and at last reaped their reward.

In 1884, Mr. Raabe was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Prawitz, of Stanton, who was also born in Wisconsin. They are the parents of eight children : Ida, Herman, Amil, Pauline, Walter, Martha, Arthur, and Lawrence.

Mr. Raabe is one of the leading citizens of the county and has been so closely identified with agricultural interests in that locality, that a his- tory of its development would be incomplete without mentioning his labors here and the pio- neer experiences which he passed through.

W. T. DICKERSON.

W. T. Dickerson, well known all through An- telope county, Nebraska, as one of the old timers in northeastern Nebraska, who came to that re- gion when the whole country was practically a barren plain, has watched its development into

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the present fertile state. and taken an active and leading part in this transformation. He now resides on section four, township twenty-five, range eight, Antelope county, where he is highly esteemed by all who know him.

Mr. Dickerson is a native of the state of Ohio, born near West Bedford, Ohio, March 18, 1844. His father, Elijah Diekerson, was also born near West Bedford, Ohio; his mother, who was Eliza- beth Akers. was a native of Ohio, born in 1819 and died in 1874.

Our subject moved to lowa, where he lived for twenty-eight years, then came to Antelope coun- ty, Nebraska. April 1, 1880. He drove from Iowa to his homestead in Antelope county, locating on section twenty, township twenty-three, range eight. There be built a sod house and "batched it" until 1884, when he sold his farm and bought the Waverly hotel in Neligh, remaining there six years. He then bought eighty acres of school land, but retained this but a short time, when he sold and went to Elgin to reside, purchasing a livery business, and later sold this, going back to farm life, and is now located on section four, township twenty-five, range eight.

Mr. Dickerson has divided his time between business life and farming to such an extent that he is now content to settle down in life as a farmer, and he is well known in his community as a popular, substantial citizen of his locality.

WOODS CONES.

Woods Cones, one of Nebraska's old settlers and substantial citizens, first came to this state in the fall of 1870, his father having bought land the year before. They remained in Pierce two months and returned to Iowa, making frequent trips to this region until 1882, when they made permanent location in Pierce.

Our subject opened the first bank in Pierce county, Nebraska, in the spring of 1882, which was known as the Pierce County Bank, Cones & Spencer being the firm name. In 1890 the bank was chartered as the First National Bank of Pierce, and in 1897 surrendered its charter and reorganized as the Pierce County Bank under the state law. In 1870 Mr. Cones became inter- ested in a large cattle ranch three miles north of Pierce, disposing of this in 1897. Besides bank- ing Mr. Cones is largely interested in buying and selling farm lands and farm loans.

Mr. Cones was born in lowa City, Iowa, Octo- ber 17. 1858. Ile attended college at Grinnell. and Mount Vernon, Iowa, and graduated at Illinois college at Jacksonville in the class suc- ceeding W. J. Bryan, with whom he was well ac- quainted at the time. After graduating, Mr. ('ones entered his father's bank and helped him establish the first bank at West Point also the first at Wisner, Nebraska. Mr. Cones' father. William Cones, was a native of Cincinnati, Ohio.

and was the first in the family to engage in banking.

Our subject was first married in Indiana to Miss Mary Hayes. His second marriage occur- red in Pierce to Miss Ida Ulrich. They have one daughter, Lorinda.

Mr. Cones is a democrat, and is affiliated with the Masonic lodge at Pierce, is a charter mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias at Pierce, and of the Elks of Norfolk.

Mr. Cones well remembers the early days when deer and antelope were plentiful. He ex- perienced and witnessed the grasshopper raids and the blizzards, and he helped fight the prairie fires.

JAMES H. WELSH.

James H. Welsh makes his residence on sec- tion twenty, township fifteen, range ten, about one and a half miles northwest of the city of St. Paul. He is one of the well known and de- servedly esteemed men of his community, an old settler in the county, and by his faithful efforts to improve his circumstances and advance the growth of his locality, he has placed himself among its prosperous and worthy citizens.

Mr. Welsh was born on May 16, 1866, in Hu- ron county, Canada. and was the eighth child in a family of nine. At the age of five years his pa- rents moved into Michigan, settling in Sanilac county, and after two years in that vicinity the father came on to Nebraska, arriving in Howard county on April 23. and filed on homestead rights. After several months he sent for his wife and children, they coming on October 16, 1873. They followed farming on the original claim for five years, then purchased over four hundred acres of good land on the North Loup river bottom, which the father cultivated up to the time of his death, in May. 1880. He left a family of six children, they keeping on with the farm work after his demise, and succeeded in building up a very fine estate.

James H. Welsh remained in Howard county until he was twenty-two years of age, at that time going to Manitoba. C'anada. and spending two years in that vicinity. From there he went to Montana and lived for two years, and then to Colorado for one year, and his next location was in Arizona where he spent some time. In fact, he has spent considerable time in nearly every one of the western states, and is thoroughly familiar with the entire country west of the Mississippi river, also living in the Black Hills country in South Dakota.

In March, 1908, Mr. Welsh returned to How- ard county for permanent residence, taking up a location one and a half miles northwest of the city of St. Paul, and here he is extensively en- gaged in farming and stock raising, and is called one of the well-to-do and leading citizens of his

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section. He is a good neighbor and a represen- tative citizen, progressive and always alive to the best interests of his community.

Mr. Welsh was married on September 7, 1886, to Rachel Herbertson, at the home of her parents near St. Paul, they being pioneers of this region, where he was reared. Three children were born to them, two are now living, being charming young women, and reside in Denver, Colorado.

Mr. Welsh and his entire family are well known throughout this region, and all have done much toward the upbuilding of the locality.

DENZIL A. STEWART.

Among the prominent farmers in Valley coun- ty may be numbered Denzil A. Stewart, who is the owner of a fine farm, comprising four hun- dred and eighty acres of land. His farm is best adapted to raising grain, although he gives con- siderable attention to the raising of fine stock. He is counted among the early settlers of this county, having resided here most of the time since 1873.

Mr. Stewart was born at Milton Junction, Rock county, Wisconsin, on November 18, 1859, and was the younger of two children born to William and Mary (Barker) Stewart. The father died when Denzil was only two years old. The mother, later on, married Jahoil Taylor. In July, 1873, Mr. Taylor, with his wife and family, re- moved to Valley county, Nebraska, taking up a homestead on the northeast quarter of section twelve, township seventeen, range fourteen. Here Mr. Taylor died in December of that year. The widow, with her two children, lived on the homestead until they proved up on same. She died September 30, 1890. The homestead farm is now owned by Denzil, and, with the exception of nine or ten years, when he was engaged in the mercantile business in Horace, Greeley county, it.has been his residence continuously. Even dur- ing this period, the farm was managed by Mr. Stewart or some member of his family.

At the time that the step-father, Mr. Taylor, took up the homestead, he was the first settler in this portion of Valley county. Their home was the first frame house built in the valley, and the lumber for it was all hauled from Grand Island, sixty miles away.

On January 31, 1886, Mr. Stewart was married to Flora Thompson at the home of her father, John Thompson, in Davis Creek township. Mr. Thompson is also one of the older settlers, having come alone to Valley county in the fall of 1878, driving from Breckenridge, Missouri. He was joined by his wife, who was Millie Wright, and family the next spring.

Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have three daughters and one son, as follows: Sunshine A., now Mrs. Lawrence Bright, of Ord, Nebraska, who has one

daughter, Mavis; Noble; Maud, married Floyd Whitney, of Sumpter, Nebraska; and Gladys.

In common with other pioneers, Mr. Stewart passed through many discouraging years in the early times, losing crops by the grasshoppers and droughts. In 1894 nothing was raised, not even as much as the seed. But he has passed the or- deal, and is now reckoned among the most suc- cessful and prosperous farmers of the commun- ity. He and his family are prominent in all social affairs of the neighborhood, and enjoy the respect of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. He is independent in politics, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. During the blizzard of January 12, 1888, Mr. Stewart was seven miles from home, and was compelled to re- main over night.

B. K. MELLAND.

On section nine, township twenty-one, range four, of Madison county, Nebraska, we find another of the prominent old-timers of that region in the person of B. K. Melland, who is a pros- perous farmer and stockman, well known through- out the county as a progressive, public-spirited citizen, and enjoying the respect and esteem of all who know him.

Mr. Melland is one of the sturdy sons of Nor- way, born March 25, 1856, and is a son of Christ and Mary Olson, who were respected tillers of the soil of that country.

Our subject left his mother country, and em- barked at Stavanger for the United States in a steamer, arriving in New York City after a rath- er hard voyage of two weeks on the sea.

He came directly to Nebraska, and purchased ninety acres of railroad land in Madison county. which he rapidly turned into a productive farm. He has had the usual hard times experienced by all who came here to seek their fortune, but through it all has never lost sight of the fact that it takes patience and perseverance to win any- thing worth while, and, through constant hard la- bor and good management, has succeeded in sur- mounting what at times seemed hopeless obsta- cles. He has a finely improved farm, good build- ings of all kinds, plenty of stock, and pasture land for the same, also raises fine crops of grain annually.

Mr. Melland was united in marriage in No- vember, 1877, at his home in Norway, to Miss Tena Larson, and to them have been born six children, named as follows: Christ, Lewis, Mary, Ole. Bertha and Johnnie.

When Mr. Melland first landed in Madison county he had the large sum of twenty-five cents in actual cash, and it is nearly unbelievable to think of this and compare his present prosperity with that time.

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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.

JOSEPH S. PEDLER.

Joseph S. Pedler was born on a farm in Gray county, Ontario, May 30, 1857. He was the eld- est of two sons in the family of Samuel and Sarah Sparks Pedler. His mother died in 1861, when he was only four years old. His father remarried, and of this marriage eleven children were born. Out of this large family, Joseph and a half- brother, H. W. Pedler, were the only ones who came to the United States.

Mr. Pedler spent his earlier years on a farm, receiving but little schooling, and in his seven- teenth year, he started out in life for himself, learning the blacksmith trade. It is a curious fact that as far back as the family history could be traced, some member of the Pedler family has been a blacksmith or iron worker. Mr. Pedler first received forty dollars per year and board.

In 1879, he emigrated to Newton, Iowa, and .worked at his trade there for about a year, going to Loup City, Sherman county, Nebraska, in May, 1880. In the following July, he was married to Miss Mary A. Thompson, in Grand Island, Ne- braska, coming to the Loup City home immediate- ly after the marriage.

Mr. Pedler was elected sheriff of Sherman county in the fall of 1885, and after serving in that capacity for two terms, was deputy sheriff for two years. While he was serving as sheriff, there was considerable excitement over the shoot- ing of Editor B. L. Richardson of "The Loup City Northwestern" by Editor O. B. Willard of the "Sherman County Times."

During these years, Mr. Pedler had began the study of law and in December, 1893, he was ad- mitted to practice law in the Nebraska courts. Three years later he became a partner of ex-Coun- ty Judge G. W. Hunter and since that time has given most of his time to the practice of his chosen profession. For four years he was county attorney of Sherman county, and was county judge in 1908-9.

Notwithstanding his extensive law practice, Mr. Pedler has also had much to do with the financial and business life of Loup City and cen- tral Nebraska, being president of the Loup City State Bank. He is an active, progressive man of affairs, especially prominent in educational lines. For about fifteen years he has been continuously on the Loup City school board, and served on the board previous to that time. During the past year he has been a member of the city council. He lias attained the thirty-second degree in Ma- sonry, and is a member of other lodges and orders.

Mr. and Mrs. Pedler have had two children, Raymond and Saidee, neither of whom is living. They have a comfortable home iu Loup City, and enjoy the respect and esteem of many friends.

Mr. Pedler has been in Nebraska thirty years and is reckoned as one of the pioneers. He re- muembers the time when plow shares were brought

to him from a distance of fifty miles to be sharp- ened and when he made some of his tools out of old horseshoes and files.

AUGUST W. MULLER.

In compiling a list of the representative farm- ers of Cedar county, Nebraska, a prominent place is accorded the name of August W. Muller, who has been for many years engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has been a resident of the county since 1880, and in that length of time has won a secure place in the community, being now regard- ed as one of the most prosperous farmers of that locality.

Mr. Muller is a native of Germany, having been born in 1841 in the province of Anhast Des- sau, the son of Carl and Fredericka Muller. His childhood and the years of his early manhood were spent in the land across the sea, and in 1864, he was united in marriage to Miss Augusta Prummer.

The following year, 1865, he decided to cast in his fortune with the new world, and accord- ingly started from Hamburg in a steamer bound for New York. From this city he came direct to Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1880.

At this time, he joined the throng who were moving westward, and came to Cedar county, this state, where he took up a homestead in section twenty-one, township thirty-one, range two, east. He has occupied this place continuously since that time, and has now a well-improved farm, with comfortable house, commodious barns, and con- venient buildings.

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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 76

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