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 88

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 88


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Mr. James was born in the state of Indiana, February 22, 1845, a son of Henry and Mariar James; his father is a native of Germany, and the mother of New York state.


In 1863 Mr. James enlisted in the army during the civil war, joining Company D, Seventh In- diana Cavalry, under Generals Greyson and Sher- idan, and participated in all the battles fought under these generals in Mississippi and Tennessee. Mr. James finished an excellent war record in 1866, receiving his honorable discharge in that year.


After the war Mr. James went to Iowa re- maining there two years, when he decided to go further west, driving to his homestead in Knox county, Nebraska, which still remains the old homestead farm to the present day; on this land he first built a sod house, which was later re- placed by a dwelling built of logs, both of which have been succeeded by a beautiful frame resi- dence, which together with the fine farm and orchard and beautiful grove of trees, makes this one of the finest farm homes in this section of the country.


In the first years of his residence in Knox county, Mr. James went through the many hard- ships and great suffering due to a new and unset- tled country which had as yet scarcely known the tread of a white man's foot, and whose virgin soil


had not felt the cut of a plow. And after onr subject's coming to this region, dire misfortune seemed to pursue him at every turn; the grass- hopper pests that infested that part of the west- ern country in those earliest days of settlement destroyed the entire crops the first two years ; and another source of danger was the fires that swept over the open prairies of this western country which devastated everything in its wake, and which our subject had to fight many times to save his life, home and possessions.


In 1867, Mr. James was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Mortoff, and they were the parents of one child, True S. James. In 1898 Mr. James again married, the bride of this second union being Miss Retta Hill. In 1910 Mrs. James died, survived by her husband and family by whom she was deeply mourned.


Mr. James is a highly respected and es- teemed eitizen of his locality, and holds the full confidence of the people. While he was in Ne- braska lie served his community well for two years as assessor, and through his strict adhe- rence to his full duty has added dignity to that office.


Mr. James moved to Angola, Indiana, April 18, 1911, purchased nice property there and re- tired from hard labor. He expects to spend the rest of his days there.


JOHN W. WILLIAMSON.


John W. Williamson, one of the truly self- made men of Nance county, has prospered as an agriculturalist; and is owner of a well improved farm in Boone county, as well as a residence in Genoa, which he occupies with his family, all of whom are popular members of their neighbor- hood social set.


Mr. Williamson is a native of Delavan, Wis- consin, born on June 28, 1850. He was the eldest of thirteen children in the family of Ole and Mary Williamson, and lived in Wisconsin until he was twenty-one years of age, receiving his ed- ucation in the country schools and assisting his parents in carrying on the farm work. In 1871 he started out with a team and wagon to drive across the plains to Nebraska, and picked ont a location in Boone county on which he filed as a homestead. Ile was in the government service, his work being on the Pawnee Indian reservation, which at that time embraced the whole of Nance county. His work was in teaching the red men to farm, and came to know their language and habits well, many times hunting buffalo with . them, and of those days he tells some very inter- esting and exciting incidents. He remained in the government service up to the fall of 1874, at which time the Indians were transferred at their request, to Indian territory, our subject acting as their pilot and friends on the journey. There were in all a party of twenty-four hundred In-


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dians, many of whom walked the entire distance to their new home. On one occasion, while on a buffalo hunt in the Republican river region, Mr. Williamson and his companions met a tribe of over fifteen hundred warriors of the Sioux band, and a terrible massacre occurred, between three and four hundred Pawnees being killed, and many of the Sioux. This took place on August 5, 1873.


Mr. Williamson is still in the Indian service as a regular employee, his duty being gardner and dairyman in connection with the Indian In- dustrial school at Genoa. He has been successful along agricultural lines, and is the owner of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Boone county, also has a comfortable home in Genoa, where with his family he has lived for the past several years. In all he has made Nance county his home for forty years, which is a longer period than any other white man can boast of.


On April 25, 1874, Mr. Williamson was married to Miss Carrie Atwood, of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, whose family dates back to the Pilgrims of Mayflower fame. Mrs. Williamson came to Boone county with her parents in 1871, they also being among the prominent old timers of the region. Four children were born to our subject and his esteemed wife, who are named as follows: Harry V., Lois Gertrude, Eugene, and Anna May. Eugene died in 1880, while the others are married; the two daughters live in Nebraska, while the son is a druggist at Delta, Colorado.


DR. JAMES S. STOCKWELL.


One of the oldest and best known practitioners of the northwest is found in the person of Doctor James S. Stockwell, of Butte, who, while well along in years, is still as young in heart, mind and body as many who are his junior by a score of years.


James S. Stockwell was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, September 3, 1834, and is a son of Ephraim and Margaret (Streeter) Stock- well, who moved to Licking county, Ohio, about 1837, and after a short time in that vicinity went to I a Grange county, Indiana. James' early edu- cation was obtained through attendance at the country schools in these various places. At an early age he learned the carpenter trade, and sup- ported himself while studying for a higher pro- fession. He early evinced a liking for medicine, and determined to fit himself for that work, so began his studies in Kendallville, Indiana, and in 1859, removed to Sturgis. St. Joseph county, Michigan, where he could have better advantages. Having finally saved enough money to commence his college career, he went to Ann Arbor, and entered the medical department. He was mar- ried, and his wife also took up a course of study.


After completing his studies and receiving his diploma, he located in South Bend, Indiana, where he established an office and practiced for ten years, then gave up his work there to go farther west. In 1883, he settled in Parkston, South Dakota, remaining for five years, and then removed to Phoenix, Holt county, Nebraska. In the spring of 1890, he filed on a homestead sit- uated three miles southeast of Butte, and after residing on the land for two years, purchased a house in Butte, removed his family to town, and has since that time made it his home.


During the course of his practice in different locations, Doctor Stockwell has encountered many severe storms on the plains, etc., the worst probably being the blizzard of January 12, 1888. He had a call to a sick bed eight miles from town and was on his way home when the storm over- took him. For two hours he battled with the blinding, frozen blast, and became confused as to direction, so was finally forced to give his team their heads, they going to the house of a settler, who gave him shelter for the night. On other occasion he had experiences with prairie fires which might have resulted seriously. When in South Dakota at one time his escape from one was effected only by speedily starting a back fire and driving out the flames, thus giving him a chance to get his team into the burned space.


Doctor Stockwell has enjoyed a wide prac- tice throughout Holt, Boyd and other counties in Nebraska, as well as in Gregory county, South Dakota, and while younger physicians have en- tered the field with diplomas of a much later date. the old doctor holds his own against all competi- tion. He is a typical pupil of the old school, kindly and sympathetic, in whom his patients have the utmost confidence, and for whom they have an affection that is almost that of a beloved blood kin.


Doctor Stockwell was first married at Kendall- ville, Indiana, in 1856, to Miss Sarah Fowler, a native of Michigan. Two children blessed this union : Adelbert, now in business at South Bend, Indiana, and Lillian, an artist of flattering at- tainments, at present making her home with her brother in South Bend. Doctor Stockwell's wife died in 1884.


June 29. 1888, our subject was married the sec- ond time, in Holt county, to Miss Amelia Da- mero, a native of Wisconsin. Her family came to Nebraska. settling in Holt county. and are well known old timers in that vicinity. Dr. and Mrs. Stockwell have three children: Ver. Lynn. now attending Butte high school: and Mabel.


Doctor Stockwell is a democrat, and has al- ways evinced a deep interest in party affairs. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Butte.


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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.


FREDERICK H. GLEASON.


Energetie efforts and intelligence go hand in hand in the building up of one's fortune, regard- less of the vocation to which they are applied. One of the well-developed and improved estates of Pierce county is that owned and operated by F. H. Gleason, who resides in section three, town- ship twenty-five, range two, and is the possessor of three hundred and twenty acres of excellent raneh and farming land.


Mr. Gleason came to Pieree county in 1885 with his parents, who were natives of Massachu- setts, and his father bought and improved a farm situated three miles south of Foster, Nebraska.


Our subject was born on August 27, 1862, in Worcester, Massachusetts. His father, Frank Gleason, was born in Massachusetts in 1840 and died in 1898. At the breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted in the sixty-first Massachusetts regiment, and participated in the battles of Mis- sion Ridge, Chattanooga, Shiloh, and Nashville, Tennessee; during his term of service he was wounded three times. The mother, Miss Lizzie Hyde, was born in 1840, in Massachusetts, and died in 1894.


Frederick H. Gleason was married to Miss Matilda Klug in 1894; two children were born to them : Ervin and Beulah.


Mr. and Mrs. Gleason have a beautiful home situated on a high point which can be seen for miles around, and which commands a view of the city of Pierce and the surrounding country. This home is encircled by one of the best cedar groves in the county, and gives evidence of the taste of its owner and his pride in improving its appearance. We are pleased to publish an engrav- ing of the dwelling and surroundings that give a better idea of its fine appearance than could be done in many words. Mr. and Mrs. Gleason are held in the highest esteem by all who know them, and their friends are many.


Mr. Gleason votes the republican ticket.


GEORGE ALLEN.


George Allen may be truly numbered among the leading old-timers of Antelope county, Ne- praska. He has made this region his home for the past twenty-seven years, and during that time has acquired a half section of valuable land. He has a comfortable home and farm on seetion two township twenty-five, range six. He eame here when this section of the country was very sparsely populated and by his industry and per- serverance has gained a wide reputation as a successful agriculturist and worthy citizen. A view of his residence appears on another page.


Mr. Allen is a native of Stephenson county, Illinois and was born four and one-half miles southeast of Lena, March 22, 1855. Ile is the son of Hiram and Lois (Bearden) Allen, both being natives of Canada. Our subject lived in


his native state many years, receiving his edu- cation there, while helping his father on the farm. Mr. Allen came to Antelope county, Nebraska, on April 3, 1883, taking up a homestead in section two, township twenty-five, range six, which has remained the original homestead farm to this day. He bought an adjoining quarter section, making a goodly farm which is improved with a comfortable frame house for his dwelling home. Here Mr. Allen went through all the hardships and disappointments incident to those pioneer days, losing crops through failures caused by storms of every description, the most severe being the memorable blizzard of 1888 when he lost several head of cattle in the icy blast. In 1894 he lost his entire crops through the drouth of that year, the hot winds burning up every green thing in the northeastern part of the state. Then one season he lost his crops in part from the ef- fects of a hail storm, all of his corn being killed. Prairie fires were a source of great danger at times and in fighting a particularly severe prairie fire, Mr. Allen was seriously burned.


Mr. Allen was married in 1882 at Freeport to Miss Rosa Beck, a native of Stephenson county, Illinois, a daughter of John and Mary Beck. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have one daughter, Pearl, who married to H. Peterson; they have two children and live on a farm a few miles north of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Allen.


Mr. and Mrs. Allen enjoy the respect and esteem of all who know them, and they are sur- rounded by a host of friends and acquaintances.


Politically, Mr. Allen is independent of party ties, voting for the man he thinks is best qualified to give the people the most satisfactory service.


ARTHUR W. LADD.


The subject of this sketch was born at Oneida, Knox county, Illinois, on the twenty-ninth day of July, 1858. His parents lived on a farm until ' he was about twelve years old, when they moved to town, where he attended school for three years. Although he had not completed the high school course, he was compelled to leave school and start in the battle of life. As a boy he was em- ployed as a clerk in a restaurant, dry goods and grocery stores, and finally as assistant postmaster in his native town. While thus employed he purchased one of the amateur printing outfits for printing cards or other small matter. Being fascinated with the taste of the printing busi- ness, and being discharged from his position in the post-offiee on account of a change of admin- istration, he conceived the idea of starting a newspaper. The town had never had a printing office, and had always been considered too small to support a paper. Such obstacles looked small to the eighteen-year-old boy, and he found a friend who "staked" him to the amount of sixty dollars. This with a small amount he had


"HILLCREST FARM," RESIDENCE OF F. H. GLEASON.


=


"FAIRVIEW STOCK FARM," RESIDENCE OF GEORGE ALLEN.


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himself was used for the purchase of a very small printing outfit. The paper as first started had four columns to the page, and it was printed one page at a time. It proved to be capable of supplying "a long felt want," and it waxed strong with every passing month. Additional equipment was added as fast as any surplus funds accumulated, until at the end of three years a nice little country newspaper was being printed.


Mr. Ladd now being twenty-one years of age, and having developed the newspaper business of his native town to its full extent, yearned for other worlds to conquer, and decided to "go west and grow up with the country." He made a prospecting trip through Nebraska, and the first place he visited was Albion. This place was then fifty miles from a railroad, Columbus being the nearest station. However, bonds had been voted and the Union Pacific was sure to be built to Albion the following year. The prospect looked good to him, and he decided to locate in Albion. This was in September, 1879; in thirty days he had returned to Illinois, closed up his business, and was on the ground at Albion, where he commenced the publication of the Albion News. At this writing he has just completed thirty years as publisher of this paper, which he started in 1879. This is a record very seldom heard of in the country newspaper business.


The News is one of the leading weekly papers of the state, and has developed into a good busi- ness property. It occupies a nice brick building built especially for a printing office. Mr. Ladd has also built one of the best residences in the town, and has acquired other business interests. He is vice president of the Albion National bank, one of the "roll of honor" banks of the state. He is a stockholder and director of the Albion Mil- ling Company. On the whole his thirty years of newspaper business seem to have resulted in a fair return.


In September, 1887, Mr. Ladd was nnited in marriage with Miss Amy I. Fox, and to them one daugther was born.


In 1890, under the administration of Benja- min Harrison, Mr. Ladd was appointed post- master for Albion, and he served the term of four years, when a democratic president passed the office along to a member of his own party. As a member of the school board and city council, Mr. Ladd was drafted several times. When the commercial club was organized, he was elected president for two consecutive years. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and served the local lodge in all of its several official capacities.


Mr. Ladd organized the first brass band in Boone county in 1880, and continued to play in or conduct a band at Albion for more than twenty years. He was also musical director of the Philharmonic orchestra, which for several years was a musical organization of more than local reputation.


Mr. Ladd has been a member of the State Press Association for more than twenty-five years, and in 1904 he was elected president of that as- sociation.


In 1900 the republicans of his senatorial dis- triet nominated Mr. Ladd for state senator, but as this was in the days of populist supremacy he was defeated in the district, although he carried his own county by a nice majority. He has never sought public office, being content to exert his efforts for the election of others. He has always been a consistent republican, and of late years of the "progressive" type.


WILLIAM W. BLACK.


William W. Black is a prominent farmer and stockman of Wayne county, Nebraska, and is known throughout this part of the state as a successful and progressive agriculutrist. He has a good home situated on section seventeen, town- ship twenty-seven, range two, where he has de- veloped a fine farm.


Mr. Black was born in Henry county, Iowa, April 22, 1853, and is a son of Samnel and Mary Black, who were parents of six children. Samuel Black enlisted in the Civil war, but a short time after entering the service was taken sick and died. He had one son, Abram, who served in Company B, twenty-fifth Iowa Volunteer Infan- try, remaining in the army from 1861 until 1865, and participating in many important battles. He marched with Sherman on the historic trip from Atlanta to the sea, and was a brave and faithful soldier. At the time of Samuel Black's death, his son, William W., was only eleven years old, but being the oldest son at home, although the young- est of the family, he took charge of his mother's farm until four years after he was married, then moving to Potawatamie county, Iowa, where he rented for four years.


Mr. Black received his education in his native state and was there married. In 1886, he came to Wayne county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of his present place, which then con- tained no improvements, being in a raw state. Mr. Black broke all the land on the homestead quarter. He first built a small house, sixteen by twenty-four, where the family lived until 1905. when the present home was erected. He has also built a large barn, granary, hog houses, and other out-buildings, and has planted a ten-acre grove and two orchards. Mr. Black has, since coming to Wayne county, added two hundred and forty acres to his first purchase, now owning four hundred acres, for which he paid from eleven to thirty-five dollars per acre. and none of which he would now sell for less than one hundred dol- lars per acre.


Mr. Black is an energetic and ambitious farmer, and has achieved very good results by his efforts, being now one of the well-to-do men


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of his locality. He is always interested in the publie welfare and progress; is upright and re- liable in his dealings, and has many firm friends.


In 1880, Mr. Black was united in marriage with Miss Mary McPherron, daughter of John Wesley and Mary Elizabeth (Cook) McPherron, and a native of Iowa. Five children have been born of this union : Edith Pearl, Otto Lewis, Della Octavia, Jessie May, and Minnie Francis.


Mr. and Mrs. Black are members of the Metho- dist Episcopal church at Carroll, and Mr. Black is a republican.


JULIUS ECKERT.


It is a notable fact that in many localities in the western states, we find communities made up almost entirely of foreign-born people and their American-born descendants, with but few of the descendants of the eastern Yankee. In Nebraska especially, we find many of the sturdy citizens who first saw the light in a land under the German skies. Prominent among the German settlers we find the name above given, Julius Eckert, who has been a resident of Stanton county for about forty years.


Mr. Eckert was born in 1850, in West Prussia, Germany, and is the son of Wilhelm and Augusta Eckert. He grew up in his native country and obtained his education in the schools there.


In 1870, Mr. Eckert determined to come to America where the poor man had a better chance than in his native land. He accordingly came by steamship from Bremen to New York, and from thence to the prairie lands of Illinois. He re- mained here but one year, then came to Stanton county, Nebraska, where he took up a home- stead. He first built a dugout, and this served as a dwelling for him and his wife for several years.


The settlers of that time and place met with many discouragements and losses, and those who remained must needs have possessed more than ordinary will power and determination in order to overcome the obstacles thrown in their way. The first few years, their crops were almost total failures, owing to the ravages of the grasshoppers. Several times they were compelled to fight prairie fires in order to prevent the destruction of their property. Even as late as 1894, the crops were almost a total failure. owing to the hot, dry winds prevailing that year. Neighbors were few and far between, and Wisner was the nearest post- office and market place. However, they did not lose heart but persevered, and now have received their reward. They have watched the phenominal development of this treeless wilderness to its present high status, and have the satisfaction of knowing that chiefly through the efforts of these early settlers, this development has been made.


Mr. Eckert was married in 1870 to Miss Augusta Schultze, of Stanton county, and six chil-


dren have come to bless their union. The children are named as follows: Otto, Ernest, Hulda, Theo- dore Max and Agust.


Mr. Eckert has retired from active manage- ment of his farm, and is comfortably situated in his town residence in Stanton, where he enjoys what comes to a man in affluent circumstances, who has passed the meridian of this life.


ANTON DROBNY.


For the past quarter of a century the subject of this review has been a resident of Knox county, Nebraska, and on the original farm which was first purchased by his father and later bought by our subject, which is located in section twenty- six, township thirty, range six, Mr. Drobny and his father before him have been potent factors in the advancement and upbuilding of the best interests of the state in which they chose their home on coming to American shores.


Mr. Drobny is a native of Bohemia, having been born in Satski village, in the year 1875; he was the youngest of seven children in the family of Frank and Katie Drobny, both natives of Sat- ski village, Bohemia. When but ten years of age, in 1885, our subject with his parents, came to America, embarking on a sail boat bound from Bremen to New York. After landing in the United States, they at once proceeded to the far west, lo- cating in Knox county, Nebraska, where they bought outright the land on which our subject now lives, which, as before stated, is located in section twenty-six, township thirty, range six, they began at once to improve the land, steadily adding by degrees to its advancement, until now it is one of the finest and most valuable estates in this part of the county. Later our subject bought the farm and since his possession of same has strictly adhered to the standard of progres- sion set by his father before him. Losses from various causes have been experienced by our sub- ject, when in the years of 1896 and the early part of 1910, hailstorms destroyed the greater portion of the crops for those years ; and in the drouth of 1894 the hot winds of that year burned every spear of crops that in the beginning gave such good promise of a plentiful harvest.




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