History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time, Part 104

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > Nebraska > Custer County > History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time > Part 104

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the home on earth to the one "not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." He now makes his home with the children, where "Grandpa" is always welcome. He and his wife were both well and favorably known throughout the Merna and Anselmo districts, where they mer- ited the good reputation they enjoyed. They were always connected with the Methodist church, and Mr. Cory votes generally the Re- publican ticket.

BENJAMIN F. WELCH. - In noting the qualities that have raised Benjamin Franklin Welch from humble beginnings to his position as one of the substantial farmers of Custer county, one is forced to renew appreciation of courage, industry, and perseverance, for his life has not been without its discouragements and what he has attained has been gained through his own efforts.

Mr. Welch was born in Peoria, Illinois, September 26, 1854, and is a son of Ezra B. and Adelia E. ( Fisher) Welch, who were na- tives of New York and who went to Illinois as young people and were there married. Later they moved to Jasper county, Iowa, where Ezra B. Welch became the owner of a farm, and where, through industry and strict appli- cation to business, he made a success of his efforts. He was a Republican, and on several occasions was the incumbent of township of- fices. There were thirteen children in the fam- ily, of who three are now living - I. S., a re- tired citizen of Omaha, who served three years as a Union soldier during the Civil war, within which time he was confined in Ander- sonville prison for eighteen months ; C. E., also a retired resident of Omaha : and Benjamin F.

Benjamin F. Welch was educated in the public schools of Prairie City, Iowa, and for several years was engaged in farming in that state. In 1870 he came to Sarpy county, Ne- braska, where he was married, in 1876, and in 1888 he went to Box Butte county. He first came to Custer county in 1891 and bought a farm near Ansley, where he remained about twenty years,and in 1911 he moved to Broken Bow, where he now owns 160 acres of well improved land, in section 12 .. For a time he was largely engaged in feeding cattle, but at the present time he devotes his time principally to general farming. The obstacles which have appeared in his path have been overcome, and he now owns a valuable and well improved property, on which he has modern buildings and splendid equipment. Mr. Welch is a citizen who has the respect of his community

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

and has assisted in progressive movements. He is a Democrat, and his fraternal affiliation is with the Modern Brotherhood of America.

In 1876 Mr. Welch married Miss Maggie A. Weeth, who was born at Hyde Park. Illinois, a daughter of George Weeth, an early home- steader of Sarpy county, Nebraska, where he owned a good farm at the time of his death. Four sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Welch - Ernest E., who is studying for the medical profession, at Omaha: L. F., who is engaged in farming in the vicinity of Berwyn, Custer county ; H. G., who is a switchman at Ravenna. Nebraska: and Earl A., who is em- ployed in the United States government ship- yards at Portland, Oregon.

CHARLES O. HUNNELL. - Among the well known agriculturists of the Broken Bow community of Custer county whose careers have been especially remarkable for enterprise. perseverance. and tenacity of purpose, is Charles O. Hunnell, the owner of 200 acres of well improved land in section 2. Mr. Hun- nell was born in Hamilton county. Nebraska. November 12, 1875, and is a son of James and Sarah ( Baker) Hunnell, natives of Wisconsin and both now deceased.

Frederick Hunnell, the paternal grandfather of Charles O. Hunnell, was born in Germany. whence he immigrated to the United States in young manhood and settled in Wisconsin. where his death occurred. The maternal grandfather. Theron Baker, a native of New York, migrated to Wisconsin, and thence to St. Charles, Illinois, where he died when near- ly 100 years of age. James Hunnell was reared in Wisconsin, and when the Civil war came on, he left home and went to Iowa, where he en- listed in Company D, Forty-sixth Iowa Vol- unteer Infantry. He served two years with that regiment, when he was incapacitated by an injury to his heel-an injury that troubled him throughout the remainder of his life. When he received his honorable discharge he returned to Wisconsin and married. and in 1870 he came to Nebraska and located on a pioneer homestead in Hamilton county. He proved up on his claim and continued to carry on operations there until within one year of his death, when he went to Henderson. After his demise his widow returned to the farm. where she passed the remainder of her life. They were attendants of the Methodist Epis- copal church, and Mr. Hunnell was a Mason. A Republican in politics, Mr. Hunnell was one of the prominent and influential men of his community and served as county commissioner

and county judge. Of the seven children in the family, six are living : Mrs. Lennie Segrist, the wife of a carpenter of York county. Ne- braska: Charles O .; Mrs. Edna Ely, wife of a Custer county farmer ; Mrs. Mattie Lape, whose husband farms in Gage county; Cora, the wife of E. R. Deal. who is a farmer of Custer county and a sketch of whose career appears elsewhere in this work; and Mrs. Nina Murphy, the wife of a farmer and sheep- man of Thedford, Nebraska.

Charles O. Hunnell was educated in the public schools of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin State University, which he attended two years. Returning to Hamilton county, he farmed for a time, but after the death of his parents he turned over his share of the family estate to his brothers and sisters and struck out for him- self, with hands practically empty. Going to Wyoming, he worked as a cattle-hierder for nine years, and he then returned to Nebraska and settled on a homestead in Thomas county. About this time he engaged in the cattle busi- ness, buying and selling, and in partnership with his brother-in-law he leased thirty or forty sections of land - a project in which he was able. through industry and good business management. to accumulate enough capital to give him an individual start. In 1909 he pur- chased a farm in Custer county, section 2, and in July, 1913, he sold his Thomas county place and came to the Custer county farm, where he now has 200 acres of good land, devoted to general farming. In addition he owned 198 acres of land in Gage county, which later he sold. Mr. Hunnell is one of the progressive agriculturists of Custer county and has evi- denced his belief in modern methods, while as a citizen and a business man his rating is high. He is a Republican voter, and holds member- ship in the Masonic fraternity.

In March, 1917. Mr. Hunnell was united in marriage with Miss Grace Paylor, who was born in Missouri. They have one son, Henry Charles, who was born June 26, 1918.

BENJAMIN F. SMITH. - This sketch is written of a man who makes no house-top proclamation, who has followed the even tenor of a Custer county career with modest de- meanor, but who has made a host of friends and given a valuable contribution to both his community and his county.

Mr. Smith was born November 7. 1856, near Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He is a son of John F. and Rebecca A. (Clemmons) Smith, the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of Ohio. In the family of John F. Smith were

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

four children, of whom Benjamin F. was the last born, the others being Jennie Ferrec, Me- lissa, and Ida, deceased. The parents of Mr. Smith moved to Clairmont, Ohio, when Benja- min was six months old. John F. Smith was a farmer by occupation and after a short resi- dence in Ohio he moved to Richland county, Illinois, where his wife died. He then moved back to Ohio, where young Benjamin worked on the farm and attended school in winter time, but as there was no school until corn was husked and none after the sugar camps opened, in February, it will be seen that the school term was somewhat abbreviated. He made the best of his opportunities, however, and secured the education by which he has been enabled to conduct effectively all kinds of busi- ness transactions. His first money was carned by selling Seymour & Blair badges in a red- hot presidential campaign.

After reaching his majority he faced the world for himself and went to work on a farm by the month, in Mason county, Iowa. Here he worked four years. August 10, 1882, at Clinton, Illinois, he married S. Katherine Reed, and time has proved that he could have made no better selection for a life companion and helpmeet. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of George W. and Margaret A. (Schenck) Reed, and in her father's family were eleven children - S. Katherine Smith, Lida A. Santer, Lettie Man- ion, Hannah J. Barber, George W. Reed, Henry T. Reed, Cora L. Vance. Lucy B. Mc- Connell. Dora McConnell, Clara (deceased), and Myrtle B. Mills.

To the newly established home of Mr. and Mrs. Smith came happiness and sunshine through the birth of children, three of whom have blessed the union: Walter R. is operating a farm for himself, near Arnokl. He married Hattie Douglas and they have one son and one daughter. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge, and both he and his wife are connected with the Christian church. Earl L. is single and is "Somewhere in France" at the time of this writing. He is a private in Company E. Three Hundred and Thirteenth Engineering Corps, American Expeditionary Forces in France. Lonnie A. also is in France and is a member of Battery C, Three Hundred and Thirty-ninth Artillery, with the American Ex- peditionary Forces.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to Custer county in 1886 and located on a pioneer farm four miles south of Arnold. On this place they lived twenty-five years, and they endured the ordinary privations and hardships incident to the pioneer life of that day. They now own 320 acres and, so far as this world's goods

are concerned, they are considered well to do. All has been made by farming and stock-rais- ing. They belong to the Christian church and the Mystic Legion, and Mrs. Smith, or "Aunt Kate," as she is known among her friends, is a member of the Daughters of Re- bekah lodge and the Degree of Honor. Con- cerning the early days Mrs. Smith gives an account of one of the dances given in the set- tlement, somewhere along in 1888. This dance was given in the building now occupied by Grissom & Leo as a restaurant. Early in the evening the settlers began coming in and the decks were cleared for action. Most of the people brought their children with them and with quilts made beds for them in the rear of the hall. Here the youngsters were packed away like sardines in a box. Aunt Sarah Finch seemed to have been on the pie committee, for she brought a stack of them so large that it is said one had to stand on his or her toes to see over it. It is said that dancing and feed- were alternated throughout the evening -it was dance and eat then dance and eat some more. The food consisted of chicken, turkey, roast beef, roast pork, and all kinds of pies and cake. With such provisions on hand and such entertainment, it is small wonder that the dance lasted till morning. It seems, too, that their home-made wine of an extraordinary brand added joy to the occasion and helped to wash down the edibles. Historical annals con- tain no data of this wine. other than that it was furnished by the R. E. Allen and every- body pronounced it good. Music for these primitive dances was furnished by the Finch band.

This is the story of a pioneer and his wife who have passed through the stirring scenes and times of former years and who are now privileged to enjoy the result of their labors and sacrifice.

ED. P. MCEVOY. - Prior to coming to Custer county, in 1912, Ed. P. McEvoy had gained considerable experience as an operator of land in the Missouri valley of Iowa, but it was not until he took up his home in Ne- braska that he tasted the full fruits of success. At the present time he is the owner of a hand- some property of 480 acres, lying two miles west of Berwyn, upon which he is carrying on operations in a manner that at once desig- nates him as a man of superior ability and a farmer of practical and progressive ideas.

Mr. McEvoy is a native of Canada, and was born March 16, 1868, a son of Ed. and Mary (Kelly) McEvoy, who were born in that coun- try, and both of whom are now deceased. Ed.

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY: NEBRASKA

OWEN C. MURPHY AND FAMILY

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

McEvoy, a lifelong farmer, brought his family to the United States in 1872 and settled in the Missouri valley of Iowa, where he purchased a farm and operated it until 1890. In that year he moved to Adair, Iowa, and engaged in the general mercantile business. He made a success in commercial fields, as he had done in his agricultural efforts. He retired some years before his death, and passed away in the faith of the Catholic church, of which his wife also was a devout member. He was a Demo- crat in politics. Mr. and Mrs. McEvoy were the parents of eleven children, of whom eight survive, but Ed. P. is the only one now living in Nebraska,

Ed. P. McEvoy was but four years when brought by his parents to the United States, and the rural schools of Iowa furnished him with his early education, while he was growing up on the home farm. Trained to all manner of agricultural pursuits, he was fully prepared to enter upon a career of his own when he reached man's estate, and farming was his choice of a vocation. In Iowa he acquired land, which he cultivated successfully, and he became one of the community's well-to-do and influential citizens, being elected to sev- eral township offices, but in 1912 he disposed of his property in the Missouri valley and took up his residence on a farm near Callaway, Cus- ter county, Nebraska. Subsequently he sold this property and moved to his present farm, two miles west of Berwyn, where he has 480 acres of fertile and productive land. This he devotes to mixed farming, having had more than ordinary success in his work as a stock- raiser. Mr. MlcEvoy is known as one of his community's progressive men. The farm, in section 18, has been splendidly improved, and the modern buildings include a large and com- mcdious residence, as well as suitable and well equipped structures for the shelter of his stock," machinery, and grain.

A Republican in politics, Mr. McExoy is somewhat interested in local government af- fairs, but not to the extent that he looks for personal preferment at the hands of his fellow citizens or his party. His fraternal affiliation is with the Knights of Columbus, and he and the members of his family be'ong to the St. Joseph's Catholic church of Broken Bow.

In 1895 Mr. McEvoy was united in marriage with Miss Alice Gilmore, who was born in Harrison county, Iowa, a daughter of Charles Gilmore, an early settler of Jowa and a farmer there for many years. Mr. and Mrs. McEvoy became the parents of six children : Miss Ber- tha, who resides with her parents: Thomas, who died while in the military camp at All-

gusta, Georgia : and Eva, Anna, Charles, and Joseph, who are at home.

OWEN C. MURPHY. - There are prob- ably not many names better known in Custer county than that of Murphy, belonging, as it does, to pioneer settlers here and to their nu- merous descendants who make up some of the county's best citizenship. Owen C. Murphy, who for many years was prominent in the stock industry, came to Custer county in 1884 as a homeseeker, and established himself on land that he occupied continuously for thirty- four years. Mr. Murphy was born in Mc- Henry county, Illinois, January 9, 1858. His parents were Owen J. and Emma ( Chenoweth ) Murphy, the former of whom was born in Calhoun county, West Virginia, and the latter in Braxton county, that state. Of their seven children six survive, namely: Mrs. Minerva Clapsattle, Mrs. Melvina Elliott, Mrs. Emma Charles, Mrs. Sarah Crow, Owen C., and Mrs. lda Winters. The father of Mr. Murphy moved to MIcHenry county, Illinois, in 1838 and lived there, respected and esteemed, until his death, in 1892.

Owen C. Murphy was reared in a home where ample provision was made for comfort as well as necessities, and he attended the pub- lis schools. Thus in boyhood he was less ham- pered than many farmers' sons, his father not only recognizing the need of but being also able to provide, to a reasonable extent. for the recreations that seem so important in the eyes of youth. Mr. Murphy remembers that his first independent business transaction was buy- ing stock on a small scale. As the investment turned out well, he was encouraged and thus gradually he became more and more interested in the stock business. It is possible that this led to his coming to Nebraska, in 1884, when twenty-six years old. He located seven and one-half miles northwest of Callaway. Custer county, where he eventually accumulated 1,080 acres and where, for more than thirty years, he carried on an extensive stock-raising business. In later years, before retiring, he was a very successful breeder of Galloway cattle. He con- tinued active in the live-stock field until 1917. when he sold his ranch and stock and bought twenty acres of land adjoining the town of Callaway. On this land he has erected a hand- some, modern residence, thorougly equipped to invite ease and repose. While, in the main. Mr. Murphy has been unusually successful in all his business undertakings since coming to Custer county, he has lived through seasons of great discouragement - notably the hard

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

times of 1894 -- but, thanks to a naturally cheerful disposition and to listening to the practical, common-sense advice of his admir- able wife, he held on to his interests in the county when any number of his neighbors "abandoned the ship."

Mr. Murphy was married, at Woodstock, Illinois, August 25, 1881, to Miss Elsie Couse, who was born in MeHenry county, Illinois, and is a daughter of Andrew and Ellen ( Ful- ton) Couse. The father and mother were both born in New York, and Mrs. Ellen ( Fulton ) Couse was a representative of the same family as was Robert Fulton, the inventor of the first steamboat. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy and of these the follow- ing survive : Ida D., who resides with her par- ents : Elsie, who is a graduate of the Nebras- ka State Normal school at Kearney, and who is teaching school at Idaho Falls, Idaho ; Clara, who is the wife of William E. Arnold, a farmer located six miles northeast of Callaway ; Ellen, who is principal of the Callaway high school, and is a graduate of the Kearney State Normal School; and Mand L. and Margaret, both of whom are students in the Kearney Normal School. These young ladies are all exceptionally intellectual. Mr. Murphy and family belong to the Evangelical church. Po- litically he maintains an independent attitude, having no desire for any public office and be- lieving that the best man should be elected, irrespective of party affiliations. He has long been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

FREDERICK W. MORRISON. - Down near Callaway Frederick W. Morrison operates a splendid Custer county farm and makes his contributions to Custer county production. He was born May 27, 1868, and has been a resi- dent of Nebraska since his early childhood. He is a son of William F. and Virginia ( Lichten- berger) Morrison, the former of whom was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and the latter of whom was a representative of a very estimable farmily whose name is well known in Custer county. William F. and Vir- ginia ( lichtenberger ) Morrison became the parents of ten children : Harry L. ( deceased ). Edmund W .. Charles O., Samuel A., Josiah E .. Frederick W., Alfred E., Leon H., Anna 1. (deceased), and George A. The religious faith of the family is that of the Christian church.

In August, 1870, with team and wagon, William F. Morrison drove through from the state of Illinois, to York county, Ne-

braska, and in this pioneer journey to the new state of Nebraska he was accompanied by his wife and their seven children. When he ar- rived in Nebraska his cash capital was repre- sented in the sum of two dollars and forty cents, and this was the very nominal monetary reinforcement with which he initiated his wes- tern career. For one year the family lived in a dugout on Lincoln creek, this primitive dwelling having no window, and a strip of okl carpet having constituted the door. Frederick W. Morrison relates an incident of the early days, when the father and an uncle went into the Fort Kearney region, where they hunted and killed buffalo. When they arrived at the home, about midnight, the children were so hungry for meat. after having lived so long on corn bread and white gravy, that the mother called them from their beds and fried for them all the buffalo meat they could eat.

Frederick W. Morrison earned his first money by herding cattle, for ten cents a day. With his earnings he bought a pig, and before his father realized what was happening. that pig's progeny had so increased that Frederick was claiming most of the hogs on the place, so that the father called a halt on the hog deal. Like other country boys, young Frederick worked on the farm in the summer season and attended school in winter. He came to Custer county in 1900 and purchased 400 acres of land. besides filing homestead entry on an ad- joining tract of 160 acres. North of Callaway he now owns a valuable landed estate of 400 acres, the same being situated on what is known as the Fairview Table. His accumula- tions are such as to entitle him to classification among the well-to-do and substantial men of the county, and through energy and enterprise he is constantly adding to his possessions. He and his wife rank among the best of Custer county people, and theirs is a typical Custer county home, while their achievement is a prac- tical demonstration of what may be won through thrift and industry. Mrs. Morrison has always been her husband's energetic and faithful helpmeet, and has given him valuable assistance in every enterprise pertaining to the farm and home.

In politics Mr. Morrison is aligned in the ranks of the Republican party, but he is al- ways careful to see that his vote is cast for those whom he believes to be worthy of public trust. He maintains affiliation with the Ma- sonic fraternity.

At the home of the bride's parents, on Spring creek, this county, was solemnized. May 1. 1907, the marriage of Mr. Morrison to Miss Lulu M. Hough, who was born in Illinois and

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who is a daughter of Preston W. and Martha ( Pierce ) Hough, her father having been born in North Carolina. Mrs. Morrison has three brothers - William E., Carl W., and Earl P. - and on other pages, in the sketch of the ca- reer of her eldest brother, are given further data concerning the Hough family. Mr. and Mrs. Morrison have three children, all bright and happy, and all lending cheer to the attrac- tive home. The names of the children, with re- spective ages in the fall of 1918, are here noted: Ralph P., ten years; George E., six years ; and Roy T., four years.

BENJAMIN F. KIKER, a general mer- chant who is doing a large and increasing bus- iness at Comstock, this county, has had ex- perience in other lines, including banking and agricultural enterprise. He has spent many years in Nebraska and is well and favorably known in different sections of the state, hav- ing always been identified with substantial en- terprises in every community in which he has had his home.

Benjamin F. Kiker was born June 17, 1853, in Ohio county, West Virginia. He is a son of Joseph and Amanda (Christwell) Kiker. His father, who was born in Germany, came to the United States in 1857 and located in Illi- nois. He has been a farmer all his life and still lives on his old homestead in Illinois. The mother of B. F. Kiker died in 1898, and he is the eldest of the three living children. He has two sisters: Emma, who is the wife of Douglas Tankersley, a farmer in Scott county, Illinois : and Annie, who is the wife of John McCarty, also a farmer in Scott county. The mother of Mr. Kiker was a member of the Baptist church. The father is a strong sup- porter of the Democratic party.

After his school period was over, Benjamin F. Kiker came to Hamilton county, Nebraska, where he followed farming for twenty-four years and became a man of local prominence and influence. He then came to Custer county and for six years lived near Sargent. Within this period he was elected president of the Farmers State Bank of Sargent, in which of- fice he continued three years, at the expiration of which he moved to Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Kiker remained at Boulder during the next four years and then returned to Custer county and settled on a ranch west of Comstock. where he remained two years. Business acı- men then led him to change his occupation and he traded his ranch for a stock of general merchandise and located at Phillips, Hamilton county. One year later, in search of a wider

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History of Custer County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religous, and civic developement from the early days to the present time, Part 104

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company Number of Pages: 1180

Author: Gaston, William Levi, 1865- [from old catalog]; Humphrey, Augustin R., 1859- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1919
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western publishing and engraving company
Number of Pages: 1180