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 117

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 117

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RICHARD E. ALLEN. - Among the men who have contributed materially to the growth and development of Custer county sinces the pioneer settlement of this part of the state, one who has been an eye-witness of and par- ticipant in this great growth and progress is Richard E. Allen, who is now living in retire- ment at Arnold. Mr. Allen was a homestead- er, was one of the early postmasters of the county, and was one of the first merchants of his section, but the greater part of his active career was passed as a farmer and stockman. In whatever capacity he found himself, he al- ways carried on his transactions and conducted himself personally in a manner that won and held for him the respect and esteem of his fellows, and his life record has been unmarked by stain or other blemish.

Mr. Allen was born April 21, 1857, at Mount Morris, New York, and he is a son of Silas E. and Evaline ( Blakeley) Allen, na- tives of the Empire state. There were six children in the family, of whom four are liv- ing: Eugene F., Marion S., Richard E., and Mrs. May Gunnison. Richard E. Allen was but one year old when the family moved to Clinton county, Iowa, and in 1863 removal was made to Linn county, that state, where Mr. Allen's father purchased 160 acres of land in the prairie country. There his boyhood and youth were passed, his education being secured in the public schools of the country, and he having been reared under the vital dis- cipline of the home farm. Mr. Allen earned his first money by shocking wheat, having been promised fifty cents a day, but through some misunderstanding he failed to get his money, and the bitter disappointment made such an impression on his youthful mind that he re- members it to this day and has always been careful in making promises to his own chil- dren. Mr. Allen remained on the home farm until he was nearly twenty-two years of age, and he then married. December 8, 1878, in Linn county, Iowa, he wedded Miss Lovira L. Parks, who was born in. that county, a daughter of Morgan S. and Lydia ( Harris) Parks, natives of Indiana. Three children were born to this union : Gertie E., Mertie M., and Blanche R. Gertie E. is the wife of An-

drew J. McCants, a farmer one-half mile west of Arnold, and they have no children. They are members of the Christian church. Mr. McCants is a blue-lodge Mason, is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen, and in political faith is a Democrat. Mertie M. is the wife of William Chadima, an ice and coal dealer of Cedar Rapids, Jowa, and they have no children. They are members of the Christian church and Mr. Chadima is a Democrat in politics. Blanche R. Allen mar- ried Charles F. McGuire, a farmer who oper- ates his eighty-acre farm one mile southwest of Arnold, and leases 600 acres in Powell can- yon. They are the parents of two sons and one daughter - Edgar and Willie, and Gene- vieve. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, he is a Re- publican in politics and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, in which he is past master of his lodge, besides which he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mrs. Allen has a brother, David R. Parks, two sis- ters, Mrs. Josephine Gross and Mrs. Jane Weatherwax, and one half-brother on her mother's side, George Clark.

In June, 1880, Mr. and Mrs. Allen came to Custer county and settled on the land on which the village of Arnold is now located. After the hard winter of 1880, the cattlemen here prevailed on Mr. Allen to take the post- office, which at that time was being conducted by George Arnold, for whom the town of Arnold was afterward named. Mr. Allen de- cided to start a store at the same time, and he accordingly went to Kearney, where lie bought one hundred dollars' worth of merchan- (lise such as he knew would fill the needs of of the men in his locality, and he hauled this merchandise overland 100 miles, with a pony team. The cowboys were not long in finding out that a store had been established and they soon cleaned out the little stock, which Mr. Allen replenished by another trip, this time to Cozad, fifty miles distant. This operation was repeated a number of times, Mr. Allen re- maining in the mercantile business about seven years. In 1889 he gave up his business and resigned the postmastership. When he had started as postmaster, the stamps cancelled at his office averaged $2 per month, but when he gave up his position they had reached the ap- proximate sum of $35, which gives an idea of the settlement of the country during the period of seven years. In 1889 Mr. Allen settled down in earnest to farming and raising stock, and soon he became one of the important men in these lines in his community. He ran stock and farmed, carried on his operations in

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a well ordered, progressive, and energetic way. and through the exercise of good judgment and natural ability he worked out a splendid success. He is now the owner of 351 acres of fine land, in addition to his modern home adjoining Arnold, and is living in retirement, in the enjoyment of the rewards that have come to him as a result of a well spent and honorable life.

Mr. Allen is affiliated with both the York Rite and the Scottish Rite bodies of the Ma- sonic fraternity, as well as the Mystic Shrine, his son-in-law, Charles F. McGuire, being also similarly identified with the time-honored fra- ternity. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are consistent members and generous supporters of the Methodist Episcopal church and in politics he supports the principles of the Democratic party.

D. J. JONES. - These lines concern one of the younger generation - a young man just rounding the mile post of his majority; one who comes of sturdy stock and possesses those indomitable characteristics that insure a high degree of success.

Mr. Jones was born at Omaha, Nebraska, May 13, 1898, and is a son of J. B. Jones. whose life record is known to nearly all of Custer county and who is the subject of an extended sketch in these pages.

D. J. Jones received his early education in the district schools and from very early years worked on the farm and planned to follow farming as an occupation. His initial efforts indicate plainly that he will succeed in the occupation he has selected, and that he will be a credit to the community and county in which he is located. He rents from his father one-half section of land, on which are splendid improvements and everything that goes to make a good farm equipment. He makes ex- cellent use of these facilities and is doing a general farming and stock business that is more than commendable for a man of his age and experience. He has good stock in the foundation of his herds, both in the cow lot and the hog pen. This will mean fine speci- mens of cattle and hogs in the near future. Ile has been for fifteen years on this place, which belongs to his father, who operated it before the marriage of D. J.

In April, 1917. Mr. Jones married Miss Emma Harmon, daughter of Ray Harmon, who lives near Ansley. One child blesses this union and makes happy the home of the young parents. Vivian being the name of this bright little daughter.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones are a highly respected young couple who have many friends in the vicinity of their home and as far as their ac- quaintance extends. Young, active, and gra- cious in social circles, it is not surprising that they have a host of friends. They are mem- bers of the Baptist church and give to it a valuable support and able assistance in many ways aside from their financial help, which has always been generous.

JOSEPH H. LINDER. - The rich possi- bilities of the farming country of Custer county have attracted men not alone from various other states of the Union and even from other countries, but have also enlisted the services of numerous agriculturists who formerly had centered their activities in other parts of Ne- braska. In this class is found Joseph H. Lin- der who. prior to coming to Custer county. in 1906. was interested in farming in Saunders county. He is now one of the leading farmers of the Berwyn community, where he is carry- ing on extensive and successful operations on a tract of 400 acres, all acquired through his own efforts.

Mr. Linder was born in Clarke county. Iowa, September 7, 1858, a son of H. B. and Sarah (Davis) Linder. His father, born in 1824, was a native of Virginia and as a young man traveled overland to Illinois, where he was married and settled down to life as an agri- culturist. His father having moved to Clarke county, as an early settler, and having found that part of the country promising, H. B. Lin- der followed him to the Hawkeye state and secured land. He was an industrious and pro- gressive man and made a success of his ac- tivities, and about the year 1884 changed his residence to Wahoo, Nebraska, where he lived in retirement until his death, in 1890. At that time his widow, who is a native of Illinois, went to live with her son J. D. Linder, and in March, 1918, she came to live with her son Joseph H. Linder, at whose home she still re- sides, aged eighty-three years. There were nine children in the family, of whom six are living, and of these Joseph H. is the only one living in Custer county. Mrs. Linder is a devout member of the Baptist church, to which her husband belonged. He was an adherent of the Republican party.

Joseph H. Linder was educated in the public schools of Clarke county, Iowa, where he grew to manhood, and about the time of his father's removal to Wahoo, he likewise took up his own residence in Nebraska, where he secured a farm in Saunders county, near the city of

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Wahoo, the county seat. There he secured a start, as an independent farmer in a small way, and he had the usual struggles in gaining his foothold, although in his case these were made somewhat lighter by reason of inherent ability and thorough information regarding the art of agriculture. In 1906 he disposed of his in- terests in that locality and came to Custer county, where he purchased his present farm of 400 acres, on which he has since done mixed farming. This compares favorably with other properties of the locality, and Mr. Linder has been unsparing in his labors in making improvements and generally raising the stan- dard of buildings and equipment. His success . as a farmer rests upon his many years of faithful and well directed work, and his pros- perity is all the more gratifying because of the fact that everything that he has has been self-gained, and in an honorable and straight- forward manner.

While still living in lowa, in 1882, Mr. Lin- der was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Louden, who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of John Louden, an early settler and farmer of Iowa. They have had seven chil- dren, as follows: Marshall Boyd, who is the owner of some good Custer county agricul- tural land ; M. Melville, who operates a rented farm in Custer county ; Genevieve, who is the wife of WV. D. Pratt, a farmer of this county ; W. G., who farms in this county ; Harry, who operates a rented farm; and Anna Belle and Laura Belle, twins, who are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Linder have been members of the Pres- byterian church for thirty years. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Daughters of Rebekah, and the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a Re- publican in politics. He is a supporter of all public-spirited movements and his belief in and friendship for the cause of education has led him to give his services for ten years as a member of the school board.

FRANK E. NEEDHAM is a substantial citizen of Custer county, where he owns valu- able farm lands and also a business building and a cream station in the town of Arnold. He has spent almost his entire life thus far in Nebraska and hence considers himself al- most in the light of a native son. He was born at Princeton, lowa, August 3, 1866, one of the four children of Arthur H. and Cameli. (Porter) Needham, the others being: Leroy, who married Grace Chapple: Bertha, who is the wife of Grant Mills ; and Mattic M., who is the wife of Keith Walker. The mother of

Mr. Needham died February 20, 1900, but his father survives and makes his home with his daughter Bertha (Mrs. Mills), at Forest Grove, Oregon.

Frank E. Needham was two years old when his parents brought him to Nebraska and set- tled twelve miles east of Lincoln. In 1882 re- moval was made to Custer county and a pre- emption claim was secured, situated five miles south of Arnold. There Frank E. Needham grew up, having as many advantages as the ordinary farmer boy at that time, as to school- ing and recreation. He remembers that the Fourth of July was about the greatest day in the year's calendar, and to celebrate it seemed almost a patriotic duty. He found, one year, that he would have to earn the money in order to enjoy celebrating, and therefore he engaged to plow a neighbor's corn field. He was only ten years old at the time, the task was pretty heavy, and along toward noon he mentioned to his employer that he thought it was a very long forenoon. All the satisfaction he received was a benevolent look from the old farmer and the consoling remark: "Son, don't you know while man makes the forenoon, God makes the afternoon ?"

Mr. Needham was united in marriage Au- gust 7, 1893, at Broken Bow, to Miss Hattie Burk, a daughter of James and Martha (Crabb) Burk. He and Mrs. Needham have one daughter, Ruth, who has prepared herself to be a teacher and was graduated in 1918 from the Nebraska Wesleyan University, at University Place, near Lincoln. Mrs. Need- ham has three brothers and two sisters, name- ly : John, William, Albert, Mrs. Laura Rodgers, and Mrs. Emma Beltz. Mr. Need- ham owns several properties that he has under rental, and he is also the owner of twenty- two acres of land and a substantial business building in the town of Arnold, where also, as mentioned above, he conducts a cream sta- tion, in which town he is an influential citi- zen in many ways.

LEWIS L. PRESTON, a general farmer and well known citizen of Custer county, re- sides on his valuable landed estate in the neighborhood of Oconto. Mr. Preston is one of the county's pioneers, and he has been a resident of Nebraska since he was seventeen years of age. He has lived through a wonder- ful period of state development and, as oppor- tunity has been afforded, he has done his full share in assisting to bring about the pros- perous conditions of the present day. Mr. Preston was born in Freeborn county, Minne-

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sota, December 21. 1860. His parents were Smith and Margaret E. ( Killmer) Preston, who had six children, the five survivors be- ing: Lewis L., Elmer, Mrs. Agnes A. Fedder- son, Mrs. Alice M. MeJunkins, and Henry - all well known people in Custer county.

Lewis L. Preston assisted his father on the home farm in Minnesota and went to school during his boyhood. He was seventeen years old when his father moved to Beaver City, Furnas county, Nebraska, and took up a pre- emption claim, on which he lived for six years, with pioneer courage and determina- tion holding on to his land even though dis- couraging periods of drouth that not only ruined the crops but imperiled the live stock and also made hardships out of the most or- dinary of domestic tasks.

In April, 1888, Lewis L. Preston came to Custer county, and he has lived here ever since. The section in which he finally se- cured a homestead, after working several sea- sons with the owners of the Kennebec ranch, was almost unsettled at that time, his nearest neighbor. two miles to the southwest, being Mr. Christensen, and Hans Knudsen being the nearest neighbor to the west. His claim was a piece of rough land, but Mr. Preston finally perfected his title and then traded the property for his present fine place, paying a substantial difference in cash. He has one of the best wells in this part of the county. its depth being 200 feet, and none can appre- ciate such a blessing better than the old set- tlers who, like Mr. Preston, had to haul all the water for domestic purposes for eight years and also all for the live stock. For eight years Mr. Preston was compelled to obtain water in this way, except what he could catch in the canyons. There were other hardships that early settlers in this county bravely faced and overcame, but the greatest was the lack of water, which disadvantage has long since disappeared, Custer county now being a rich agricultural section.

.At Beaver City, Nebraska. December 26, 1882. Lewis L. Preston married Miss Catli- erine Hancock, who was born in Wisconsin, a daughter of Robert and Louisa ( Bowman ) Preston, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Pres- ton have three sons: Clarence M., Harry S .. and Chester A. Clarence M. Preston, who is engaged in farming two miles northwest of Buffalo, Dawson county, married Lizzie Ilihnuth, a daughter of William Hilmuth, and they have four sons and one daughter. Harry S. Preston, who is operating his land in Buffalo valley, one mile north of his fa-

ther's farm, married Daisy Smock, a daugh- ter of Anton Smock, and they have one son and one daughter, Harry S. Preston being a patriotic young man who held himself ready to fulfill any demands his country might make upon him in connection with the world war. Chester A. Preston, like his next older brother, held himself in readiness for military call. He is a farmer near Buffalo, Dawson county. . He married Verna, a daughter of Nathan Province, and they have no children. Lewis L. Preston and his sons are all staunch Republicans and the religious faith of the en- tire family is that of the Evangelical church.

JOSHUA WOOD. - This is one of the historic names of Custer county -a name that harks back to the pioneer days when the South Loup river ran as wet as it does to-day but when skirting its banks were not so many well improved farms and when the valley through which it flowed was not dotted with so many elegant farm homes. The possessor of the name lives in Kearney but, neverthe- less, he belongs to Custer county, and into the history of this county his life and years are so interwoven that they cannot well be sep- arated.

Joshua Wood is a native of the state of Jowa, where he was born October 8, 1851. His parents were Thomas K. and Deme ( Mann) Wood. The father was a farmer and stock- raiser whose operations were attended with fair success. The parents moved to Buffalo county, Nebraska, in 1868, and in 1873 they located a homestead west of Sumner. The father died in 1897 and the mother in 1905. In their family were ten children, eight of whom are still living: Sarah F. Berry is now widowed and lives in Missouri Valley, Iowa ; William B. is a carpenter and he likewise resides in Missouri Valley: Rhoda Hammer is the widow of Lewis Hammer and lives in Council Bluffs; Joshua is the subject of this sketch; Perry C .. who lives in Sumner, is a farmer and stock-raiser: Delia Drake lives at Steamboat, Colorado. her husband being a farmer and stock-raiser; Nora Keen lives in Sumner : Lee is a barber and resides at Laurel, Nebraska; Mary Butts is deceased : Edward was killed at Meeteetse. Wyoming, while haul- ing lumber down a mountain side.

Joshua Wood moved to Nebraska when his father did and here he filed his first pre-emp- tion in 1874, on the South Loup river, this being the beginning of his career in Custer county. Ile lived on the place three years, operating for himself, and he then became con-

Eng by EG Williams & Ern NY

Jenny Good Wood

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

nected with the Loup Valley Live Stock Com- pany as vice-president and superintendent. In 1868 there was no Kearney, no B. & M. Rail- road. He killed a buffalo south of Gibbon, when the Gibbon colony came to this county in 1871. This was the last buffalo killed in this section. Prior to this time, when he first came to the west, buffaloes were killed by the wholesale. The hunters took only the hind quarters, and often four or five wagons were loaded down with the meat and hides. This gives an idea of the plentifulness of game in the early days. Mr. Wood has been married twice. His first marriage was to Etta Kilgore, daughter of Coe Kilgore, who was one of the early pioneers of the South Loup and whose history is given elsewhere. To this union three children were born : Of Walter and Frank, both of whom are prominent South Loup stock men, extended mention is made under their own respective names, on other pages of this book; Ada Overmire is on the home ranch. The second marriage of Mr. Wood was to Mrs. Barbara ( Byers) Davis.

During the early years Mr. Wood had much to do with the organization of the county. He attended the early political conventions and was the first sheriff of Custer county. Al- though there was little business in those days for sheriff or any other officer, his name is recorded at the head of the official roster of Custer county sheriffs. In those days he ren- dered the county valuable service and, along with such kindred spirits as Kilgore, Douglass, WVise, Young, Boblits. George, Allen, and many others, he assumed his share of respon- sibilities.

He has always stuck to the farming business but has made it always conserve the interests of stock-raising. He and his boys are in part- nership now and they have on hand splendid herds of fine cattle. Their fancy has always been for the white-faced Herefords. They have never failed to keep on hand registered bulls, and by this means they have proved the worth of their fine stock and made their ranch famous for the cattle they produce. Mr. Wood is a member of the Woodman lodge, is a Democrat in politics, and, withal, is a highly respected and influential citizen. Mr. Wood was interested with the Loup Valley Live Stock Company up to 1887. In 1885 the company established a ranch near Fort But- ford, Montana, and drove surplus ranch cattle, in the years 1885 and 1886, to the Montana ranch. Mr. Wood and Mr. Lewis Hammer. of Council Bluffs, Iowa, bought out the Loup Valley Live Stock Company in 1904, Mr. Wood acting as president and general mana-

ger up to 1916, when he and his two sons bought Mr. Hammer's interest. They still own and operate this ranch together.

WILLIAM T. JONES, who has contrib- uter to the development and upbuilding of Custer county through his connection with agricultural affairs, is known as one of the aggressive and skilled farmers of the Berwyn locality. When he began his career in this county he was possessed of only a little live stock and a small amount of equipment, but within six years he had placed himself in a position where he was able to purchase a farm, and from that time to the present his career has been one of continued and unin- terrupted success.

Mr. Jones was born on a farm in Saunders county, Nebraska, February 17, 1870, and is a son of James and Louisa ( Joslin) Jones, llis father, a native of Indiana, was there reared and educated. He took up farming as a vocation, and when he started operations on a property of his own he established him- self as a family man by his marriage with Miss Louisa Joslin, who was born in Kentucky and who had been taken to Indiana as a child. After farming in Indiana with indifferent suc- cess for a number of years, in 1869 Mr. Jones came to Saunders county, in the new state of Nebraska, where he settled on a homestead and continued operations for fifteen years. He next disposed of his interests there and took up his residence in Butler county, where he passed the last years of his life, and where his death occurred in 1898. Mr. Jones was one of the men whose abilities were allowed to develop through the opportunities offered in this state, and who, in their new environ- ment, worked their own way to prosperity. He was never a public man, preferring the atmosphere of his farm to the honors of po- litical place, but he was a staunch supporter of Democratic principles and an adherent of all movements making for advancement in any way. His widow survived him until 1916, when she passed away, having been the mother of ten children, of whom seven are living.

William T. Jones commenced his education in the district schools of Saunders county, Ne- braska, and completed them in Butler county, where his parents established their home when he was still a lad. He was reared to sturdy manhood and was taught the complete curric- ulum of farming in Butler county, and there, in 1903, was married to Miss Mary Kockrow, who was born at Lincoln, Nebraska, a daugh- ter of Martin Kockrow, who was both a farm-

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er and stone-mason. Mr. Kockrow home- steaded in Clay county, Nebraska, where he carried on operations for a number of years, and as a stone-mason he followed his voca- tion for a long period at Lincoln, during which time he had the honor of doing the mechani- cal work in the laying of the cornerstone in the old postoffice at the state capital. Mr. and Mrs. Jones became the parents of two children - Martin and Pauline.

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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 117

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