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 105

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 105

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field, he moved his stock to Comstock, where he somewhat enlarged the scope of his busi- ness and where he now conducts one of the leading mercantile establishments of this sec- tion of the county.

January 29, 1880, at Aurora, Nebraska, Mr. Kiker married Stella New, who died Novem- ber 29, 1881, leaving no children. On June 27. 1886, was solemnized the marriage of MIr. Kiker to Sarah F. Green, and of this union eight children have been born, as follows: Stella is the wife of John A. Grant, who is, at the time of this writing, in the engineering department with the American Expeditionary Forces in France: Roy C., who is a member of Company A, Seventh United States En- gineers, is with the United States army in France : Joe, who is his father's general man- ager, married Ora Pulliam ; Claude 11., who is a soldier in the United States army, is at Fort Riley: Grace and Cora, both of whom are school-teachers, reside at Boulder, Colorado ; Mary is deceased : and Sada remains with her parents. Mr. Kiker is not active in politics but he is a good citizen and does his part in promoting worthy enterprises and assisting public-spirited movements that give assurance of being practical and permanent.

GEORGE L. McCREA. - Among the farmers of Custer county who have passed their entire lives on the properties which they now operate. George L. McCrea is one whose efforts have served to assist in the upbuilding of the community and the development of ag- ricultural interests. The owner of a good farm in the Berwyn locality, he has shown progress- iveness and public spirit and in the working out of his career has displayed personal char- acteristics that have gained him respect and esteem among his neighbors.

Mr. McCrea was born on the homestead place in Custer county, June 26, 1881, and is a son of James and Diana ( Barnes) McCrea, natives of Michigan. The father is now de- ceased and the mother is a resident of Massa- chusetts. The parents were married in Michi- gan, where for about twelve years they made their home thereafter, and in 1880 they came to Custer county, Nebraska, where the father secured the homestead on which George L. McCrea now resides. James McCrea fought as a soldier of the Civil war, having been for three years and six months connected with a battery of Michigan light artillery. He had an excellent record for brave and faithful ser- vice and passed through many of the decisive and hard-fought engagements of the struggle,

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on one occasion, at the battle of Chickamau- ga, being captured by the enemy, but being soon released by exchange. Just as he was a dutiful and courageous soldier, so was he an honorable and industrious farmer and busi- ness man, and the record which he established as a civilian equalled that which he made as a wearer of his country's uniform. Politically he was identified with the Republican party, but only as a voter and a worker in behalf of his friends. He was a Dunkard in religion, which faith his widow shares. Of their two children, George L. McCrea is the survivor.

The district schools of Custer county fur- nished George L. McCrea with his early edu- cation, and after he has attended up to the ninth grade of the public schools at Berwyn, he settled down to agricultural pursuits on the home farm which he had always known as his place of residence. His training as a farmer was comprehensive, and on attaining his ma- jority he became associated with his father. at whose death he assumed management of the home property, which he has continued to conduct and operate in a capable and highly prosperous manner. His farm is now modern in every way. When he took charge of the property the residence was a sod house, or "soddy," but this he replaced with a nice frame home, in which he has modern equip- ment : and the other buiklings have been either replaced, enlarged, or repaired until now they give the farm attractiveness and added value. with a general air of prosperity which speaks for the owner's progressiveness. His stock is of a good grade, and in every respect he is a typical representative of the successful class of central Nebraska farmers.

Mr. McCrea was married May 29, 1904. to Miss Nellie M. Perkins, who was born in Lancaster county. Nebraska. and to this union there have been born five children, all at home and attending the public schools of Berwyn - Ruth, Ray, Rex, Doris, and Thaine. Mr. Mc- Crea is fraternally affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a Republican politically, and has served his community as a member of the school board.

CHARLES SCHMIDT. - The career of the substantial citizen whose name introduces this sketch began in Poland and ended in Cus- ter county. He was a man upon whose shoul- dlers rested the stern responsibilities of life. who did well his part, and sixteen years ago was called from the scene of his labors to that long home which awaits mankind.

Mr. Schmidt was born in Poland, in 1848,

and came to this country in 1878. Here he began at once a life of hard work, which, re- inforced by rigid economy, provided well for his family. Having received a liberal educa- tion in the old country and having there es- tablished the habits of industry, he found that both served him well in the new land of his adoption. He worked at anything he could find to do. Anything to make an honest dollar that would help to support his family or add to the equipment with which he started farm- ing for himself, was just the thing that he was ready to do. He worked in the Dakotas. If work was not obtainable in one place, he went to another, where work could be obtained. He was married in 1878, to Henrietta Rhodes, a daughter of J. T. and Mrs. M. E. Rhodes. Mrs. Schmidt is a native of Illinois and is a very estimable lady. They reared a large fam- ily of children, all of whom have been a credit to the name : Charles lives on a farm in Custer county ; Robert married and went to Colorado, where he is engaged in farming : Bert, Alfred, and Clarence are working on the home farm: May Bassett lives in Canada ; Alvina McDer- mott lives on a farm in this county: Etta Bales lives on a farm near Seneca ; Zelma is at home : Paul died in infancy. The father homesteaded 160 acres of land and later bought another quarter-section, which made him a splendid farm. After his death, which oc- curred in 1902, the boys continued to run the place and they put on the present-day improve- ments, all of which are the result of their toil. They have done splendidly in maintaining the farm and making stock-raising profitable. They have a good grade of cattle. hogs, and horses. They own their own machinery and have the place in a high state of cultivation. The fa- ther belonged first to the Lutheran church but later, in this country, united with the Christian church. The nearest town is Merna where the boys are to-day well and favorably known and held in high respect as men of integrity and dependability. Looking at their premises to-day, one would hardly believe that their father began with nothing, lived in a sod house. and made his first money by husking corn down in Dale valley, and that for years it was a hard struggle to make ends meet and get the start with which profitable farming could be conducted.

LEE CORNISH. - Down in the Lodi sec- ction of the Wood River valley, Lee Cornish, with his young wife and child, has his splendid farm home. Mr. Cornish was born June 29_ 1881, in Otsego county, New York. His par-

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

ents, Lyman W. and Eunice A. (Lowe) Cor- nish, were likewise born in Otsego county. Lyman W. Cornish was an industrious New York farmer, was a man of sterling character ; was a communicant of the Baptist church and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. In the Lyman Cornish family were three children, two sons and one daughter: Arthur B. Cor- nish is a resident of the Lodi vicinity in Cus- ter county. Mrs. Louisa L. Johnston is de- ceased. The third is Lee Cornish, the subject of this sketch.

In 1884 Lyman W. Cornish came with his family to Custer county and settled on a claim that had been previously entered by Jacob Ingraham, who sold his relinquishment to Mr. Cornish. This claim was located about three and one-half miles from the present site of Lodi. The family had the usual experiences incident to early pioneer life. All freight had to be hauled from Kearney or Lexington, for those were the days when no railroads reached the county. In 1890 Mr. Cornish put down the first hydraulic well in the west end of the Wood River valley, and for many years set- tlers hauled water from this well to the Red- fern Table - some hauling as far as eight or ten miles. The neighbors at this time were F. E. Van Antwerp. S. N. Pierce, Jonas Han- son. C. L. Mongev, and others. Lee Cornish states that his sister. Mrs. Lonisa ( Cornish) Johnston, was the first school-teacher on the Redfern Table, and boarded in the home of James Whitehead.

Lee Cornish was married February 5. 1914. to Miss Florence Trexler. an amiable and competent young woman. Mrs. Cornish is a daughter of Filbert Trexler, who was a native of Pennsylvania. Her mother, whose maiden name was Lela Perkins, was a native of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Trexler were people of sterling worth and were staunch members of the Presbyterian church. Mrs. Cornish is a member of the same church. In the Trexler family were five children, two sons and three daughters - Harrison was the firstborn : Florence is the wife of Lee Cornish. subject of this review: Mrs. Esther H. Butts ( whose hsuband is "somewhere in France" at the time of this writing ) : Burton R .. a young bachelor. is serving his country in Company A. Tenth Engineering Forest Division, somewhere in France : and Helen I. is the youngest of the children.

Lee Cornish is a member of the Baptist church and is one of the faithful constituents of the little church at Lodi. Notwithstanding Mr. and Mrs. Cornish divide their religious affiliation, they are a family of sterling worth

and of commanding influence in the commit- nity. They have one child, a bright boy who is named after his maternal grandfather, Fil- bert Trexler.

Mr. Cornish bought the interests of his brother and sister in the old home estate, and that is now his home. It consists of 640 acres, with a school lease on an adjoining 160 acres. This the old original Cornish homestead still remains in the family. The present home, however, is vastly different from the primitive habitation of the pioneer days, and is one of which Mr. and Mrs. Cornish may well be proud.

Mr. Cornish is rated as a very successful farmer and stock-raiser, and as one of the citi- zens of whom Custer county is justly proud. When one looks at the Cornish farm, with its broad acres, its splendid equipment, and splen- did invoice of live stock, it is interesting to remember that years ago Mr. Cornish made his first money by herding hogs for a neigh- bor. With his first money he intended to make his first investment - in a circus ticket. That was perhaps the first circus that ever visited Callaway. He arrived late, however, and found that the circus was not as promising as had been advertised, so he invested the circus money in a curry-comb, with which he after- ward improved the appearance of his saddle pony, and from which, no doubt, he obtained more genuine satisfactory than he would if he had attended the show.

CHARLES E. HIMMELRIGHT. - Since 1892 Charles E. Himmelright has been a sub- stantial and valued citizen of Custer county, and to him and his good wife are to be credited one of the splendid home of which the county boasts.

Mr. Himmelright was born in Iroquois county, Illinois, April 8, 1870, and is a son of Thomas and Louisa ( Billings) Himmelright, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of the Hoosier state, where their marriage was solemnized. The father enlisted in an Indiana regiment and served in the Union army for eighteen months in the Civil war. He came to Custer county with his family in 1892, bought land here, and here established his home. He is still a resident of the county. The mother, however, has passed to her re- ward in the realm beyond. In the father's family were five children - Retta Kelly, of Mason City: Maggie, the wife of John Cole. residing in Colorado: Charles E., the splendid citizen of whom we are writing; Gertie, mar- . ried and living at St. Joseph, Michigan ; and

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Alfie, a resident of Ansley, Custer county, where he is engaged in the well-digging busi- ness. The family hold the faith of the Chris- tian church, and the father is an honored mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Charles E. Himmelright received his early education in Illinois, where in the public schools he qualified himself for the transaction of business and for useful citizenship. In 1882 he went to Kansas, where he remained nearly five years, coming in 1887 to Aurora, Nebras- ka. from which place he removed to Custer county in 1892.ª Here he bought a farm of 200 acres and established his home. He de- veloped the farm, put up good buildings, and has made it a very attactive and comfortable, as well as profitable. place.

October 3, 1898, recorded the marriage of Mr. Himmelright to Mrs. Ella Ritenour, a sister of Benjamin P. Morris, who is well and favorably known in Custer county and a re- view of whose career appears on other pages of this volume. The first marriage of Mrs. Himmelright was with Willis Ritenour, and by this union she had four children - John. Anton. Ada, and Newell - all residing in Ans- ley except Newell, who entered the military service of his country when the nation became involved in the great world war and who was on active duty in France at the time when the war came to a close. Mr. and Mrs. Himmel- right have three children - Floyd. Twila, and Ina. and they are cheery members of the pleasant home circle.

Mr. and Mrs. Himmelright are members of the Christian church. and in a fraternal way he is actively affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Wood- men of America. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party.

On the home place Mr. Himmelright is doing a general farming and stock-raising bus- iness. Hogs and cattle are given special atten- tion, and he has a small herd of Short-horn registered cattle from which he is breeding a splendid type of beef and milk stock. When on the place you look around and see the im- provements and the representation of wealth and labor, you would scarcely realize that this energetic farmer began with nothing and has accumulated all by his own efforts.

JOSEPH MORONEY. - The agricultural and stock-raising industries of Custer county have a worthy representative in the subject of this review and he is accounted one of the public-spirited and substantial men of his com- munity.

Joseph Moroney was born at Trenton, New

Jersey, November 2, 1866. His father. Martin Moroney, was a native of County Clare. Ire- land, and when a young man came to the United States and found employment as a "nailer." in the days when nails were made by hand. In New Jersey he married Miss Mary Daugherty, also a native of Ireland. and in 1876 they become residents of Grundy county, Illinois. In 1885 Martin Moroney became a settler of Custer county, where he secured a homestead of 160 acres - the northeast quarter of section 4, township 18, range 22 - and pre- empted the northwest quarter of the same sec- tion. Pioneer conditions were to be found on every side, and the first home of the Moroney family was a primitive sod house, this having been the family domicile for many years. On this farm Martin Moroney and his good wife spent the remainder of their days, passing away when well advanced in years - both hav- ing reached the age of eighty years when called to their final rest. They became the parents of five children, two of whom died in infancy. Those living are: John, whose whereabouts are unknown: Joseph, of this sketch : and Mary, the widow of Thomas Con- don.

Joseph Moroney accompanied his parents to Custer county and the old homestead has al- ways been the scene of his activities. first as a young man assisting his father in the opera- tion of the farm, and, after the death of his father, by his coming into possession of the property. He has added to the original acreage and is to-day the owner of 580 acres. The sod house has been replaced by a modern frame dwelling, erected two years ago. equipped with electric lights, pipeless furnace heat, and hot and cold water. It is a beautiful country home and speaks well for the progressive spirit of its owner.

In Custer county, on the 9th of November, 1898, Mr. Moroney married Miss Elizabeth Farritor, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of James and Ann ( McDonald) Far- ritor. of whom further mention is made on other pages of this history. Mr. and Mrs. Mo- roney have become the parents of five children. all of whom are still at home. Their names are : John F., Monica Marie. Josephine Eliza- beth. Coletta Angela, and Thomas J.

The family are communicants of the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Moroney is a Democrat.

CHRIS NELSON. - This is the story of one of the very early settlers, the man who . had hair-raising experiences and passed through all the hardships and privations inci-

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(ABOVE) HOME OF JOSEPH MORONEY. ( BELOW) OLD HOME OF MARTIN MORONEY

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

dent to the first days and who is a reliable farmer of Danish extraction.

Chris Nelson was born February 1. 1849, in Denmark. His father was Nels Christen- sen and his mother Anna M. Nelson, each descended from a long Danish line, and they had four children : Rasmus, Christina, Chris, and Anna. Nels Christensen, the father, came to the United States when young Chris was so small that he cannot remember. It was the intention of the father to make money as fast as he could, but things did not go as well with him here as he expected. When the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in a cavalry regi- ment under General Crook, as a substitute for a rich man's son, and he served three years, rendering valuable service. Just before being mustered out, he was one of the guards that held the Lincoln assassins. He received a wound at Vicksburg. After the war, the little money that he had he was persuaded to invest in an oil proposition, which proved to be a kind of "get-rich-quick" scheme that worked only one way, and that way was not in the direction of the investor. The investment was lost and there was no money to send for the family. The mother worked hard, kept the little family together, gave them the advan- tages of school and Chris kept himself busy and managed to learn the blacksmith trade. by the time he was twenty-one. Then he and his mother, one brother and one sister, came to America and joined the father at North Platte, after a long separation. They came to Custer county in 1877 and Chris located about five miles northwest of Callaway. Paul Syerson came at the same time and located in the same locality. The two were neighbors and worked together at most anything that came to their hands. They went into a can- yon and cut and stacked hay for their stock. Then trouble with cattlemen ensued. Cow- boys came to interview the settlers, asked what they were doing and what they intended to do with the hay they were putting up. Nel- son and Syerson declared it was for their own use, and that they expected to start farming. The cowboys then issued the verdict that they could not farm in that locality and that they would starve to death if they tried it. After they were gone. Nelson remarked that some- thing was up, "but I cannot tell what it is." They decided to take precautions, and kept their stock tied and were prepared to receive "visitors" most any time -and sure enough they came. One night, about ten or twelve o'clock. the cowboys came riding down the canyon, and when they found that Chris and his friend Paul Syerson were both at home,

they pretended to be lost and tried hard to separate the two by getting one of them to go and show them the way down to the Gas- man ranch. But the ruse did not work. They were finally told by Chris that he knew what , they were there for and that they were not lost, but that they would be. if they hung around there any longer. This had the de- sired effect, and the cowboys rode off.

Chris' father was a trapper and at that time was trapping near the ranch where the cow- boys were employed. The morning after their episode with Chris Nelson, the father dropped in at the ranch house to get warm and the boys told him that he should have been with them last night, as they had been out trying to scare a couple of grangers out of the coun- try, but failed to get them separated and that one of them was a young husky who didn't scare very well.

In November. 1879. at North Platte, Chris Nelson was united in marriage to Julia Schreyer, a native of Wisconsin, and a daugh- ter of John G. and Sofia Schreyer, both of whom were natives of Germany. The young couple established their home, faced the dif- ficulties of the day, overcame the handicaps of the frontier and have made a success of everything they have undertaken. Eleven children have come to the home: Mrs. Mary Kelly is living at Tacoma. Mr. Kelly is a bookkeeper for a transportation company. They have five children. Rosetta is the wife of Jesse Woodward, a farmer living near Cal- laway, and they have five children. Sofia is the wife of John Carlson, a lumberman in Washington, and they have three children. John is living on a farm of 320 acres, twelve miles west of Callaway, and he and his wife have two children. Anna is the wife of Elmer Nicholson, a farmer living in the vicinity of Callaway, and they have two children. Tina is the wife of Del Butler and they live on a farm near Finchville ; they have four children. Ray married Anna Sorensen and is a farmer near Milldale. Margaret is the wife of Will- iam Lyons and they live on a farm near Mill- dale : they have one child. Agnes is the wife of Asa Ryan, who is a farmer living five and one-half miles northwest of Callaway, and they have one child. Willis, fourteen, and Al- bert. twelve years of age, are at home with their parents and are in school.

Mr. Nelson earned his first money when a boy seven years of age, by watching and changing picketed cows in his native country. He there contracted the industrious habits and power of close application that have made his success in Custer county possible. He has a

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good farm. a splendid home, has made his money by farming and stock-raising, and in all his activities Mrs. Nelson has rendered valuable assistance. They have reared a fine family of children and are rated well in the community. Politically, Mr. Nelson affiliates with the Democratic party.

FRED NORDEN. - Domiciled in one of the comfortable homes in Custer county, with- in range of the Ansley postoffice, is one of Custer county's farmers who, being of Ger- man descent, is one of the best citizens as well as one of the most thrifty farmers to be found in any part of the county.

Fred Norden is a native of Germany, where he was born February 16, 1861. His parents, Johaan and Eldra ( Myer) Norden, were both German people of strong characteristics, ener- getic and frugal. The mother died in Ger- many : the father came to the United States in 1882 and settled at Victor, Iowa, where he remained until the time of his death. In the immediate family of Johaan Norden were seven children. Three of them, Fred, Her- man, and Henry, at the present time are living near Ansley, where they are conducting farm operations. All were formerly members of the Lutheran church, but they are now affiliated with the Methodist church.

Fred Norden lived in Germany until 1882, when he came to the United States with his father, making Iowa his first home. From that state they immigrated to Custer county in 1887. Fred Norden pre-empted and home- steaded a quarter-section of land and entered at once into the varied experiences of a Cus- ter county farmer and pioneer. The first home was a sod house, in which he and his family lived until they built the present comfortable farm house, in 1889.

The same year that he came to Custer county Mr. Norden married Anna Lohman, who was a native of Germany and who proved his faithful helpmeet and home companion until her death. Mr. and Mrs. Norden became the parents of five children: Edward lives at the parental home : Mary is a Red Cross nurse at Little Rock, Arkansas: Fred lives at North Loup, Nebraska, where he conducts farming operations ; and Frieda and Minnie are still under the parental roof.

Mr. Norden has 480 acres of fine land which . he leases and operates in connection with his own holding, which makes a farm of a total area of about 1,000 acres. Mr. Norden com- menced with nothing. and all of his posses- sions have been acquired by the work of his

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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 105

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