USA > Nebraska > Seward County > General history of Seward County, Nebraska > Part 16
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John P. Maule, one of the first school teachers in the village of Beaver Crossing, in the sod house period, died Friday, November 29, 1912 in a hospital in Kingston, New York, of heart failure. He left a wife, one son and two daughters.
George Pickerel, a pioneer settler near Seward, having settled near that city in 1872, died at his home in Seward, Wednesday, August 1, 1894,aged seventy-two years. He left an aged wife and eleven sons and daughters.
John Rumsey and wife, 1870 homesteaders in -L- precinct, moved to Lexington, Nebraska in 1878, and removed to Covina, California in 1907 where she died May 4, 1909, he following her to rest May 31, 1910.
James A. Fallen an 1871 settler in Seward, died at his home in that city December 20, 1914, aged seventy-one years and nine months.
Elam Rumsey and wife settled on a homestead in -L- precinct in 1870 where they resided fourteen years when they moved to Lexington, Nebraska, where he departed this life in August, 1903, she remaining till March 12, 1914 when she passed to her rest,
William Porter and wife homesteaded an eighty acre farm in the south part of -M- precinct in 1870 where they resided several of the pioneer years finally moving to Friend where they spent their remaining days. Mr. Porter died while on a business trip to the western part of the state in 1906 and the wife followed him a few years later.
John Englehaupt, an early settler and lumber dealer at Beaver Crossing in its booming days, and later ingaged in that business for many years at Milford, died at his home in that village, June 20, 1903.
W'm. C. Follett an 1870 homesteader in -N- precinct died at his home in Seward where he had recently moved, June 12, 1903.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Edward Maul and family were pioneer settlers at Milford, moving from there to Beaver Crossing in 1872, he opened the first blacksmith shop in that village, and for many years performed the work in that line for the entire locality. Without doubt Mr. Maul pounded more breaking plows than any other man in Seward county and nine of every ten acres of im- proved farming land, in at least, the south-west quarter of the county were broken with plows sharpened by him. He departed this life after a long period of suffering with dropsy, at his home in Beaver Crossing, June 4th, 1887. His wife, Hannah Maul, followed him to rest August 15, 1912. They left five sons and two daughters, one son having preceded his mother.
Martin Campion, an 1871 settler two miles south-east of Beaver Cross- ing, moved to Lincoln in 1906 where he departed this life June 1, 1909, aged sixty-five years. He left a wife, one daughter and two sons.
John Bartels came to Seward county and took a homestead in 1870 two miles from Staplehurst upon which he resided forty-four years, and until: the end of life, December 8, 1914. He was married June 15, 1866 to Dora Milkie and moved with his family from lowa to Seward county in 1870. Mr. Bartels was seventy-five years, four months and nine days of age at time of his death. His wife died several years previous. Three sons survived them.
William A. Collier, an 1868 pioneer, died at his homestead home in -N- precinct, July 6, 1909. Mr. Collier was married to Charlotte Ann Laune, May 15, 1864. His wife who survived him, died October 13, 1914. Five sons and daughters survived them.
Orson Olmstead and wife, who settled near Seward in 1870, were among the few older people to seek a new home in the west. He was- born in Hartford, Conneticut, May 26, 1806, her birth occurring Feruary 21, 1814. Her maiden name was Pauline D. Grant. They were married at Stillville, New York, April 14, 1838. She died December 26, 1893, and he went on to join her in that brighter world five days later, December 31, 1893. They were the parents of seven children, six surviving them.
Wiliam O. Pierce, a Nebraska pioneer, settling in Sarpy county, in that state in 1856 when it was known the world over as "The Great American Desert." He was married December 31, 1849 to Miss E. S. Poor who shared his pioneer life commencing the second year after their marriage when they emigrated in 1851 from Indiana to the wilds of lowa. He died at Seward in 1900, leaving a wife, five sons and six daughters to mourn the departure of a loving husband and father.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Aaron Anderson came to Seward county in 1867 and homesteaded the west half of the south-west quarter of section twelve in -F- precinct. He lived single until March 7, 1873, when he was united in marriage with Susie McFeely. He died at the homestead home, March 1, 1904, leaving his wife and two sons to mourn the loss of a kind husband and father.
Hiram L. Boyes came to Seward county in 1867 and settled at Seward where he built a saw mill, later adding a flouring department which took the name of "Banner Mills." Mr. Boyes experienced many difficulties in the pioneer times in conducting his mill, but managed to keep it in running order, adding improvements until it became a permanent, modern enterprise, previously mentioned in this work. He died June 19, 1900, aged eighty- eight years. His wife having preceded him to rest several years, seven sons and daughters remained to mourn the loss of a father and mother.
Rev. E. L. Clark, the first resident preacher in Seward county, came in 1865 and settled on a homestead two miles south of Seward. We quote the following in regard to Rev. Clark from Cox's history: "Mr. Clark preached the second sermon ever delivered in this locality in the fall of 1865 at the home of the writer, two and one half miles north-west of the present city. Mr. and Mrs. Clark were most welcome in this community. He proved of great benefit to the community in moulding moral and religious sentiment among the people. He organized the first Baptist Church in 1870." Mr. Clark was not only available as a minister of the Gospel, but took high rank in those early days as a statesman, being elected in 1866 to represent his district in the Territorial legislature and elected to the first Nebraska state legislature, being an active and valuable member in the Capitol removal and many other important legislative acts. He passed to his great reward in March 1873, his good wife following him December 19, 1874. They were the parents of eleven children.
Hon. George A. Derby settled on a homestead in -E- precinct, near the present location of Utica, in 1870. Mr. Derby represented the county in the state legislature two terms. He died July 12, 1901, his wife having preceded him April 29, 1893. They were the parents of fourteen sons and daughters, twelve of whom reached the age of men and women.
Hon. William R. Davis was married to Margaret A. Bohannan in the town where he was born in North Carolina, and moved from there to lowa in a prairie schooner darwn by an ox team in 1852, removing in 1857 to Rock Bluff, Cass county, Nebraska. Mr. Davis was elected to the third, fourth and fifth sessions of the territorial legislature, and was appointed as_ sistant assessor for the territory. His wife died in 1864, and in August
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
1866 he ma ried Hannah C. Coleman. In 1868 he moved to Seward and in company with his son-in-law, J. N. Beaty opened the first general mer- chandise store in the locality of the present city, which business was contin- ued for ten years when he abandoned the general merchandise trade and soon after established the grocery business which is now conducted under the firm name of "W. R. Davis & Sons." Mr. Davis died July 23, 1899. A wife and eight sons and daughters survived him.
David H. Figard was married to Amy Anderson March 17, 1860 and they came to Seward county and took a homestead in -F- precinct in 1867. Mr. Figard was elected county treasurer in 1885 and moved from the farm to Seward where he resided till the end of life, February 14, 1900. The wife and two sons, Henry and Silas remained to mourn the departure of a kind husband and father.
Robert T. Gale, Seward county's first homesteader, who entered a home- stead just east of the city of Seward January 2, 1863, it being the next day after the homestead law became in effect, died in the spring of 1867. A wife and daughter survived him.
David Imlay was born in 1792 and married Doras Johnson in 1814, moved from Pennsylvania, their native state, to Ohio to make their first home in the wilderness of Muskingam county the year they were married where they remained nine years when they returned to their native state to spend nine years, returning to Ohio they made another stay of seven years when they again moved on westward to the woods in Wabash county, Indiana. Their next move was to Harrison county, Iowa, in eighteen fifty. six and to Seward county, in 1864, settling on a homestead in section ten, -G- precinct. She died in 1871 and he followed her in June the next year.
Grandfather and Grandmother Imlay were the parents of twelve child- ren, one son, Hon. William Imlay was born at the old home in Pennsyl- vania in eighteen thirty. He accompanied his parents in their journeys from one state to another and during their residence in Indiana he was mar- ried to Mary Donaldson. After their settlement in Harrison county, Iowa, they seemed to have branched off from the parents and came to Cass county, Nebraska where they resided till eighteen sixty-four when they came to Seward county and settled on a homestead one mile west of Seward his parents coming the same year. Mr. Imlay was elected to the Nebraska territorial legislature the same year of his settlement and upon the organza- tion of Seward county in 1865 he was elected to the board of county supervisors and served with Wm. J. Thompson and H. W. Paaker three
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
consecutive terms. In death as in life Hon. William Imlay and wife fol- lowed his parents to that eternal city of the blessed. They were the parents of seven children.
Thomas H. Tisdale who opened a store of general merchandise in the John E. Fouse ranch building at Old Beaver Crossing in 1869 and later moved his store, the U. S. postoffice and the town name four miles south- east to the present location of the village of Beaver Crossing, died at his home there July 7, 1888. Mr. Tisdale did very much to assist the early settlers in their struggles to keep "the wolf from the door" while they were improving their homes and getting in shape to help themselves. And it is a matter of regret that so few remembered his kindness past the time they needed it. He took a great interest in the welfare of his town and adjacent territory. Though he had no child to send to school he took a leading in- terest in the advancement of his home schools, being a prominent factor in the building and furnishing of Beaver Crossings' first good school house. And after the house was completed and the money which had been raised for its erection expended he procured funds to buy it a bell from the pro- ceeds of a dance in the new school house, July 4th, 1874. And whatever spirit may have been engendered by the dance, that bell rang for many years for every religious service held in the town, and has called the school children together every school day for forty-two years, and is still in service. And the benefit derived by the public from Mr. Tisdale's management is beyond computation, and there is no greater reward to bestow upon the one whose forethought extended the pepoles' interests so far in the future than to cast upon his last resting place a flower. Mrs. Lane E. Tisdale preced- ed him to rest, dieing July 29, 1881. They never had any children.
William Morford, a pioneer settler in -N- precinct, died at his home, January 10, 1899. A wife and several children survived him. Mr. Mor- ford was a prominent and successful farmer, and an earnest and active pol- itician, always taking a firm stand for what he believed to be right.
Benjamin Hunkins,an 1869 homesteader in - M- precinct,died April 27, 1900. Mr. Hunkins served two terms in the Wisconsin legislature previous to his settlement in Nebraska, was an able attorney at law though he did not practice his profession in his new home state. He was an enterprising, progressive and highly respected citizen. He was ninety years of age at the time of his death and left several grown children and grand children.
Luke Agur who built a mill at Marysville in the early seventies died at Exeter, Nebraska, July 1, 1902. Mr. Augur was one of the few early millers of Seward county who were justly cansidered public benefactors.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
S. C. Langworthy, Seward's second banker, died at his home in that city, March 2, 1904. Mr. Langworthy came to Seward in the early seven- ties and established a state bank, and was president of the First National Bank of Seward at the time of his death.
W. B. Barratt, one of Seward's earliest business men, having settled there in 1872, died at his home in that city, January 20, 1901.
S. Adler, a pioneer merchant at Seward, and an able business man, died at Hot Springs, South Dakota, June 30, 1902. Mr. Adler made substan- tial and valuable improvements in the city of Seward during the time of his business career there.
General Victor Vifquain, one of the earliest settlers in Seward county, having settled near Camden in 1860, died Thursday, January 8, 1904. He was a philanthropist in ever sense of the term, and never failed to do a kind act when ever and wherever it was needed.
Alexander D. Ritchie, one of the earliest homesteaders in -D- precinct, died at his home in Seward, April 25, 1892. Mr. Ritchie was married to Harriet Hoyt January 11, 1847, at Chicago, Illinois. He was a progress- ive farmer and bought a section of rail road land which he put under culti- vation in addition to his homestead. He helped to establish the State Bank of Beaver Crossing and was its first president. His wife followed him to rest at Seward, February 2, 1904. They were the parents of five children, Hon. W. E. Ritchie, (deceased mentiond in this work) Alonzo D., Frank- lin C., (deceased) Alice G. married D. S. Jackson, and Jennie H. (deceas- ed) wife of Dr. H. B. Cummins, of Seward.
Stites Wooley, a pioneer who settled at Nebraska City in 1855. Was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1807, married Mary A. Stevenson in 1839, who was born in London, England in 1811. They removed from Nebraska City to Seward in 1864 and homesteaded near where Seward is located. Mr. Wooley was a brick mason by trade and laid the brick in many of the early brick structures in Seward. He died December 10, 1887 and his wife followed him January 10, 1899. They were the parents of four sons and four daughters.
Milton Langdon came to Seward county in 1872, settling at Oak Grove where he followed the business of producing lime for many years. He died in December 1880, his wife surviving him nearly four years, dieing July 16, 1884. They left two sons and two daughters to mourn their departure.
(For additional list of deaths of pioneers see page 267 -- 272.)
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Seward County Agricultural Society and Other Societies and Lodges.
It is not the mission of this work to give singular and complete histories of societies and lodges. The County Ag- ricultural Society is closely indentified with the progress of agriculture in Seward county from the days of its earlest set- tlement. Its benefits to all the leading industries of farming, fruit production and stock raising are beyond estimate. In fact it is difficult to understand what a farming and stock raising county or state could substitute to take the place of an agricultral society. It is true the society is composed of private individuals who have only a personal interest in the success of the enterprise. But so are the rail road compa- nies and other companies, almost indispensable to public in- terest, and it is a fact that a rich county agricultural society is a positive indication of a prosperous community through- out the county.
The Seward County Agricultural Society was organized in 1871 and therefore may be classed among the pioneer en- terprises of the county. Just who all have been prominent members of it I am unable to state, but its first officials were Milton Langdon, president, F. M. Ellsworth, vice president, T. F. Hardenburg, secretary, and George W. Standard, treasurer. And the names of W. W. Cox, James A. Brown, T. L. Norval and Joseph Lossee are connected with the early organization of the society.
The society has held fairs nearly every year since its or- ganization which have been generally satisfactory and are increasing in interest to the public. Their fair ground at Seward is second to none in Nebraska and is a beautiful park. The buildings are modern and elaborate in design.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
OTHER SOCIETIES OR LODGES.
I do not care to follow the precedent laid down by Broth- er W. W. Cox in trying to produce the history of lodges as a part of county history. In fact I fail to connect their his- tory with the history of the county in any way. Their rise and increasing growth has had nothing to do with conditions of public welfare nor have they advanced the prosperity of the communities in which they exist. The personal welfare of their individual members is all the conceivable benefit there is in any of them. However, that secret societies, or lodges, of nearly every kind do exist in Seward county, many of them being represented in every village is a matter worthy of note. Some of them are secret fraternal societies and some are secret beneficiary or insurance orders. The lat- ter's accomplishments in the way of benefits to their mem- bers have reflected creditably upon them with the general public in every locality of the county.
There are but a small number of lodges in Seward county with organizations dating back to pioneer times. In fact no beneficary order was known in the county till several years past the pioneer period. The earliest lodge to organize in the county was the Independent Order of Good Templers. The first organization was at Milford followed shortly by one at Beaver Crossing in the fall of 1871. For a limited time this was quite a popular movement, but it soon lost its at- tractive feature by an overgrowth of internal enthusiasm for the cause on one side while there was a corresponding disre- gard upon the other, causing distructive contentions to de- stroy the fraternal interest of the members, resulting in the final death of the order inside of one year. A few years later lodges of the same order were organized in different localities of the county, but they were about as short lived as the previous ones.
Among the early pioneer settlers there were many mem-
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
bers of the orders of Odd Fellows and Masons, and lodges of those orders were organized in Milford and Seward in the early seventies, but the greatest movement throughout the county in lodge formation took place along about 1880, when in addition to the Odd Fellow and Mason movement in the organization of lodges, The G. A. R. came to the front as an order and with their old time enthusiasm the comrades, bearing in mind the old order: "FALL IN, Boys," fell in and organized posts in every town in the county. But sorrow- ing time with its destroying angel has laid its cold hand up- on so many of the boys and passed them to the eternal camp ground that the posts are diminished and fast passing away, there being but two with depleted ranks left in the county at the present time. The great movement in the formation of lodges of the insurance orders occurred about 1888 and was the begining of a popular theme which has been increasing every year not only in membership in the older orders, but in new societies. The Ben Hur order was introduced in the county about 1902 and the Highlanders about a year later. They have many members throughout the county.
It is possible that the increase in membership in the dif- ferent lodges during the past twenty-five years in Seward county has been much greater than in a majority of older counties farther east, resulting largely from the restless de- sire in the public mind from the earliest settlement of the county for changing scenes and enterprises. It is a notea- ble characteristic of individuals in the early communities to be vigilent and on the alert for that which might better their condition. And in this may be seen that spirit of progress that has made not alone the lodges but the general prosper- ity of Seward county, a spirit that has been a growing feature among those of the rising generation.
Bird's Eur View of the County Fair Grounds at Seward.
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CHAPTER XXIX.
Notable Advancements in Seward County's Prosperity Leading Up From Pioneer Times to The Great Changes to Modern Times.
During the early years of the pioneer period, from 1860 to 1870, there were many deprivations and trials difficult to endure. Obtaining the necessaries of life was many times a problem solved with a puzzled brain and an empty stom- ach. The country offorded many natural additions to what the settlers produced on their homesteads, to eat, but the important items that make up the main staff of life were the ones that tried the nerves and filled life with worry. Mills to grind bread material were so remote as to be almost out of reach. To reach them and get a few bushels of corn ground requiring days of journeying, crossing bridgless streams, camping on the great boundless prairie nights and keeping one eye open in a vigilant watch with fear for the possible onslaught of the red skins. Salt and other staple necessities from the cities and towns were fully as difficult to obtain. Crops and live stock were subject to confiscation by the Indians or wild animals. But the earliest settlers came to stay and struggled along, looking forward for brighter and better times in the future. The spirit of progress was an early harbinger of good and mills soon began to answer its call and appear in different localities, the first one being the mill of Thomas West, known as West Mill, built in 1864. And the mills were followed in a few years by stores and postoffices. Although the capacity of the mills was small and the store supplies limited they were blessings that made home seem homelike to the discouraged settlers and gave them a new impulse for improving their opportunities which marked the beginning of an unparaleled advancement that
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
regardless of the many ups and downs yet to be experienced went steadily and surely on.
The years from 1870 to 1880 were fraught with many trials and disappointments for the homesteaders. Crop fail- ures, sand and dirt storms, hot winds, drouths, grasshoppers, chintz bugs, living in sod houses and dugouts, poverty, pri- vation and want made up the problem of frontier life. Yet the footsteps of approaching prosperity by which the dark days were growing brighter were still advancing. During those most trying years of the pioneer period there was but one year that a decrease in population was shown by census returns. In 1875, the year following the great grasshopper raid there was a decrease of eight hundred and twenty-eight in population, a result of some people being worse scared than hurt and without waiting for further warning left, some of them being glad of an oppotunity to get scared away from their debts, left unpaid for farm implements and machinery half worn out and eaten up with rust, standing in the fields as mementos for the implement dealers who trusted them to remember them by. And so far as this class of inhabi- tants went the decrease in population was not lamentable. However many excellent people become alarmed and left, many returning later on. But in 1876, the year after the scare, there was an increae of two hundred and seventy-four in population, and in 1878, two years later there was an av- erage increase of five hundred and fifty-six for each year, or one thousand, one hundred and sixteen for the two years. The following two years, 1879 and 1880, after the grasshop- per excetement had subsided and conditions had become settled to a normal state, the average increase for each year was one thousand, five hundred and fifty-two, the total in- crease for the two years being three thousand, one hundred and four.
The great agricultural wealth of the soil was gradually
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
becoming more fully understood every year, while the facili- ties for transportation of farm produce were improving and thereby increasing the profits from productions. And those productions were being more fully developed every year by introductions of advanced labor saving farm implements, by a better knowledge of the most profitable crops, suitable to the climate and soil and by the use of cheaper and grain saving methods of harvisting. The dismal and dull days of the pioneer period were gradually passing away from about the date of the last homestead entries in 1870, and termina- ted during the period from 1880 to 1890. Land that seemed so cheap or valuless, many acres of which were laying idle and growing up to weeds, or let out to tenants in considera- tion of their keeping down the weeds, took an incline upwards and some idea of its approaching value appears to have been entertained by the homesteaders. They cut off all waste of valuable land by fencing and crowding the highways from their fields to the section lines. Sod houses and dugouts crumbled, decayed and shortly passed out of use and exist- ance, being replaced by fine modern homes. The remem- brance of the sod houses and dugouts of Seward county, with all of their pioneer time blessings passed to history when the changes from pioneer to modern coditions were ushered in. And while this marks one of the advancing steps of prosper- ity, it will be remembered by many with deep and heartfelt regrets. Surrounding those homely places of abode, now characterised as disagreable places of refuge, are entwined the sweetest memories of childhood, youth and the familey's home. "Be it ever so humble there's no place like home." And a great majority of the early settlers will remember those homes in all of their ugliness as "friends in need and friends in deed." It is well understood that in the closing days of the pioneer period Seward county had a wave of in- creasing prosperity which was shown no where more evi-
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