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 126

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 126

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Mr. Jones was born at Mexico, Missouri. July 23, 1861, and is a son of Martin and Martha (Wade) Jones. His paternal grand- father, James Jones, was born in Kentucky, as was also his wife, Rebecca, and soon after their marriage they moved to Missouri, where for a time Mr. Jones followed the vocation of veterinarian, but later he engaged in farming in Illinois, where he remained until his death. Reuben Wade, the maternal grandfather of James B. Jones, was a native of Kentucky and was a shoemaker by trade. He moved to the vicinity of Kirkwood. Illinois, where he en- gaged in farming, and he passed the remain- der of his life in the pursuits of the soil. Mar- tin Jones. father of James B., was born at Mexico, Missouri, where he married Martha Wade, a native of Logansport, Indiana, and there their only child was born. During the Civil war Mr. Jones' sympathies were with the Confederacy, and for several years he served as a member of the state militia. Some time after the close of the struggle he re- moved to Illinois, where he engaged in mer- chandising, and he was fairly successful there- in. He passed the rest of his life in the Prairie state. He was a Democrat and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife also belonged. although later in life she transferred her membership to the Christian church.

James B. Jones was educated in the public schools of Warren county, Illinois, where he had been taken as a lad, and his early train- ing was along agricultural lines, so that he naturally adopted the vocation of farming.

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In 1884, when twenty-three years of age, he came to Custer county, Nebraska, and pre- empted a claim, which he proceeded to put under a high state of cultivation. He at once entered actively into local governmental affairs, and in 1890 he was elected sheriff of the county, a capacity in which he served two years. He then returned to his work on his farm, but was not permitted to remain long out of public life, for in 1898 he was elected state grain inspector, an office which he held also in 1899 and 1900. During the years 1895, 1896, and 1897, he had been deputy warden of the state penitentiary, and in 1901 was made jailer of Douglas county and acted in that ca- pacity also in 1902. A man of marked cour- age, strong for discipline, but with ideals of humanitarianism, he made an excellent official record and served in many ways to better ex- isting conditions in regard to the wards of the state whom it is necessary to confine. In 1917 Mr. Jones left the home farm, which he had increased to a half-section of land, and moved to Ansley, but he and his son still own the country property and carry on extensive operations in general farming and stock-rais- ing. The land is under a high state of culti- vation and is very productive, while its value has been enhanced by the erection of substan- tial buildings and the installing of modern equipment of all kinds. Since coming to Ans- ley Mr. Jones has engaged with a full measure of success in the real-estate business and has continued in auctioneering activities, in which he has been well known for the past twenty- eight years. Politically he is a Republican, with progressive views. His fraternal con- nections are with the Modern Woodmen of America, in which he is venerable counsel ; the Fraternal Order of Eagles; and the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows. He and the members of his family belong to the Baptist church.

September 28, 1882, Mr. Jones married Miss Allie Maus, who was born at Aledo, Illi- nois, daughter of Joseph and Emma Maus, natives of Pennsylvania, and early settlers of Illinois. Mr. Maus died in the latter state, following which Mrs. Maus came to Nebras- ka, and she passed away at Ansley. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jones : Mamie, who is the wife of Ralph Bush. a Custer county farmer : Roy C., who also- fol- lows farming here; Flossie, who is the wife of Jacob Kulhanek, a farmer in Custer county ; Gay, who is the wife of James Petrik, like- wise a farmer here: Gladys, who is the wife of Frank Kulhanek, an agriculturist of Custer county ; Vida, who is the wife of Louis Chris-

man, a Custer county farmer ; and Dewey, who is carrying on operations on his father's farin.

GLEN O. PERKINS. - No list of the sub- stantial and representative financial institu- tions of Custer county would be complete if there were failure to make mention of the Arnold State Bank. Strictly a home institu- tion, it is backed by local men who have their capital and their reputations wrapped up in its welfare and whose ability, financial astute- ness, and mature judgment are enlisted in thoroughly safeguarding the interests of the depositors. One of the stockholders and in- fluential executives of this well ordered bank- ing house in the village of Arnold is Glen O. Perkins, who is the incumbent of the position of cashier and who is building up for himself a high reputation in banking circles.

Mr. Perkins is a Nebraskan by birth and a Custer county man by education, inclination, and business training and association. He is indebted to the public schools of the county for his early educational discipline, and on the 11th of February, 1913, he became identified with the Arnold State Bank. At the same time Clarence E. Mills, who at the time of this writing is in the military service of the United States, became assistant cashier of the bank, he likewise being deserving of great credit for the service he rendered in connection with the development of the substantial business of the institution, while similar credit is due to the stockholders, whose personnel has remained unchanged since that time.

The Arnold State Bank was organized in 1909, with a capital stock of $10,000, and it was not long before its able executive inan- agement and its general solidity had so far increased the scope of its business as to justify an increase in the capital stock, which is now $50,000. The deposits have grown in propor- tionate rate, and in this have been shown forth the increasing prosperity of the community which the bank serves and also the confidence in which it is uniformly held. With the open- ing of the year 1919 the Arnold State Bank had deposits of nearly $500,000. As previous- ly noted, the officials of the bank are all local men of substantial civic and financial stand- ing, with prominent interests either as business men or as farmers and stock-growers. The personnel of the executive corps is as here noted : President, John Finch ; vice-president, Ira P. Mills: cashier, Glen O. Perkins. In addition to these officers the board of directors includes also Fay G. Finch, Alexander Delosh, P. S. Houghton, S. A. Perkins, C. E. Mills,

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

and Dr. F. A. Burnham. At the time when the great world war came to a close the Ar- nold State Bank displayed its service flag with four stars, these stars being representative of Clarence E. Mills, former assistant cashier, who was with Company A, Headquarters Bri- gade, General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces, France ; Lloyd S. Beltz and Hans Madison, in training at Camp Dodge, Iowa; and George Rath, in the radio branch of the service and in training at Pur- due University, Lafayette, Indiana.

JOHN H. WEVERKA, who is one of Custer county's substantial and respected citi- zens, owns a large acreage of land here and has a wide reputation as a successful breeder of fine stock of all kinds, making a specialty of Poland-China hogs. He is a self-made man, in that he has built up his fortune through his own industry, his start in life hav- ing been made with a half-section given him by his father.

John H. Weverka was born in the city of Omaha, Nebraska, February 8, 1883. His par- ents are Martin and Frances Weverka, who were born in Austria and who came from there to the United States in 1881. Their ob- jective point was Nebraska, and for two years after reaching this state they lived at Omaha, where their son John H. was born. Two weeks after that event they came to Custer county and homesteaded, and they still live on their property. They became the parents of ten children, and the following are living: Joseph, who is a farmer living in Kansas, married Mary Tomes; Mary is the wife of James Kriss, a farmer north of Comstock ; Albina is the wife of Joseph Moravec, a farm- er north of Comstock; John H. is the immedi- ate subject of this sketch; and Martin, who is a farmer living near Sargent, Nebraska, married Emma Polak.

Almost a native son of Custer county. John H. Weverka has from boyhood taken a son's interest in the affairs and development of the county. He obtained his education in the public schools and remained at home working for his father until he was twenty-five years of age, during this time becoming skilled in farm methods and the use of farm machinery. Although a young man, Mr. Weverka, through his natural aptitude and industry. has accom- plished thus far in life much more than many have with many added years. He now owns 880 acres of land, gradually acquired. a large part of which he uses for pasture. The por- tion that he devotes to crop-raising has a four-

foot depth of soil and is unusually fertile. He has his farm well stocked, has substantial and adequate buildings of all kinds, and an air of thrift and comfort prevails. While he is known as an excellent farmer and intelligent stock-breeder, Mr. Weverka has proven him- self still more and has done work on his place that would be creditable to an engineer. More than that, his work has benefited not only himself but the county as well. Finding that about fifty acres of his land was too marshy to be successfully cultivated, he set an example of improvement by digging a drain from seven to twenty feet deep and 700 feet in length, running tile the whole distance, thereby re- deeming this and adjacent land and making it particularly well adapted for certain crops. Mr. Weverka is progressive in many ways in his farm undertakings and is so capable that they are usually very successful. He has skill with tools and does a large part of his own carpenter work. As may be imagined, he is one of the busy and cheerful men of his neigh- borhood. His property is located in section JI, township 18.

Mr. Weverka was married October 7, 1907. to Miss Pauline Moravec, whose parents came from Europe and settled as pioneers in How- ard county. Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Weverka have seven children, namely: Rosa. Minnie, John, Paul and Pauline (twins), Frances and Annie. In politics he is a Democrat and is very loyal to his party organization. With his family he belongs to the Catholic church.

C. B. LAURIDSON. - It would be hard to conceive of a more solid combination for the attainment of financial security than a bank founded upon the prosperity and landed values of such a rich agricultural county as Custer, and this fact is exemplified in the prosperity of the Farmers Bank of Mason City, of which C. B. Lauridson is president. Mr. Lauridson is one of the substantial stockholders in the bank and his status as a farmer and a citizen is typical of the material upon which it rests and which has made the institution illustrative of the best type of country bank in a farming community.

Mr. Lauridson, who has been an extensive farmer and stock-raiser of Custer county since 1893, was born in Denmark, in 1853, a son of Ł. and Lyda ( Bietsch) Lauridson. Ilis parents, who were farming people and devout members of the Lutheran church, never left their native Denmark, being content to round out their careers in the peaceful atmosphere of their happy and prosperous little country.

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Of their seven children five are living, but none save the subject of this review ever came to the United States.

C. B. Lauridson was given a good education in his native land, first completing the curric- ulum of the public schools and then being given a good training in farming in one of the leading agricultural colleges of his coun- try, from which he was duly graduated. He was twenty-seven years of age when he de- cided to come to the United States, and he arrived in Iowa in 1880. He realized that his lack of knowledge of the English language was a great handicap to the attainment of suc- cess, and accordingly, during the first winter, he attended a high school. He next secured employment on a farm, on which he worked until 1887, when he rented a farm in Lan- caster county. In 1893 he came to Custer county, where he purchased a small farm, and since then he has continued to add to his hold- ings until he is the owner of one-quarter of a section of valuable and fertile property. This has all been developed under his management and direction, and has been improved with splendid buildings, including a beautiful home, and substantial barns and outbuildings. Mr. Lauridson is a practical farmer, but also a progressive one, and he takes advantage of modern facilities. In addition to carrying on general farming, he raises full-bred Short- horn cattle. In the capacity of president of the Farmers Bank of Mason City, a position which he has held since 1910, Mr. Lauridson has displayed financial ability of no mean character and has directed its policies so ably that it is accounted one of the county's strong and stable institutions - one founded on a rock that cannot be shaken by financial storms. While popular throughout his community, Mr. Lauridson has not sought political office, al- though it is probable that he could have the solid Republican vote for any office which he might desire. He and the members of his family belong to the Lutheran church.

In 1888 Mr. Lauridson married Marie Nel- sen. who was born in Denmark, a daughter of Nels Nelsen, and to this union there have been born two children: Helga, a graduate of the Nehraska Agricultural College, at Lin- coln, and now in partnership with his father in his agricultural operations ; and Petra, a graduate of the domestic science department of the State University, at Lincoln, who is now a student at the State University Hospital, preparing to become a nurse, with expecta- tions of following that profession in the great war, which came to a close ere she was per- mitted to engage in this patriotic and humane service.

THOMAS B. RUSSELL, who is now liv- ing retired at Anselmo, is one of the honored pioneers of Custer county, he and his wife arriving here when the work of development had hardly begun.

Thomas Baldwin Russell was born in Phil- adelphia, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1842, and is a son of Eli and Lydia (Jackson) Rus- sell, natives of Pennsylvania. Eli Russell was a farmer and when his son Thomas was a boy of twelve he took his family to a pioneer farm in Union county, Indiana, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives.

Thomas B. Russell was seventh in a family ot thirteen children. His boyhood days were spent under the conditions and influences of the farm, in his native state and in Indiana. When a young man of twenty years he mar- ried and became a farmer. In 1877 he es- tablished his residence in Louisa county, Iowa, and two years later he came to Nebraska and settled in York county. In the fall of 1881 he came to Custer county and took a pre- emption claim of 160 acres - the southwest quarter of section 7, township 19, range 22. He also took a tree claim, the southeast quar- ter of section 12 of the adjoining township. His first home was a sod house, which served as shelter until a better one could be built. Neighbors were few and far between, hard- ships and privations were on every hand, and the nearest market place, Plum Creek. now Lexington, was sixty-five miles away, the trip requiring several days with a team. While there were numerous obstacles to be met and overcome, yet the wants were few and the thought of owning land and having a home where the children could be reared was a great source of satisfaction to Mr. and Mrs. Russell, who, with other early settlers, deserve great credit for the courage displayed and the good judgment exercised in paving the way for the transformation that has taken place, and mak- ing possible the prosperity that exists at the present day.

August 23, 1877, at Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Russell was united in marriage to Miss Della Huston, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph McGill and Sarah (Heglin) Huston, both of whom were born in the Buckeye state The father was a soldier in the Civil war, enlisting at Newport, Ken- tucky. After the war he became a painting contractor and his last days were spent in New York city. His wife passed away in Ohio.

By a former marriage. to Jennie Parvis. Mr. Russell had a family of five children: Nettie is the wife of C. B. F. Jones, of Ohio; Emma J. is the wife of Sidney Dennis, of Anselmo ;

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Florence W. married Squire White and re- sides at College Corner, Ohio; Minnie is de- ceased ; G. E. owns the old farm and resides in Denver, Colorado.

For a number of years Mr. Russell engaged in farming and stock-raising, but for several years past he has lived retired in a comfortable home in Anselmo. Thirty-seven years have come and gone since Mr. and Mrs. Russell be- came residents of this pioneer section, and they have seen it change into a community of beau- tiful homes and farms, with thriving villages, and with schools and churches, and while these privileges are being enjoyed we should not fail to give due credit for those brave men and women who endured the hardships and priva- tions and made possible the conditions that exist to-day.

JOSEPH J. MORAVEC, who is a pros- perous farmer and stock-raiser of Custer county, owning a valuable, well stocked, and finely improved farm in section 12, township 18. in the neighborhood of Comstock, is not a native of Nebraska, but has spent almost his entire life in the state. He was born March 19, 1882, in Bohemia, and in the fall of the same year was brought to America by his par- ents, John and Annie (Sekot) Moravec, who also were natives of Bohemia, belonging to that large class that at that time had few op- portunities in the way of advance in fortune in that country. Their very general prosperity in the United States has shown that they only needed a chance, and that they have had in the country of their adoption. It was the grandfather of Joseph J. Moravec who home- steaded in Howard county, Nebraska, and on that farm the parents settled. They had twelve children, but only two of the eight survivors live in Custer county. these being: Joseph J. and Pauline, who is the wife of John Wever- ka, a well known farmer and stock-breeder.

Joseph J. Moravec remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age. in the mean- time acquiring a good common-school educa- tion in Howard county. He then started out for himself as a farmer, and through his energy, industry, and good judgment. he has acquired a large body of land. owning 720 acres, located in a particularly fertile part of the county, and to the natural value of his property he has added improvements in the way of substantial buildings. He carries on general farming, making use of improved machinery and using methods which insure success. While live stock of all kinds may be found on his farm, he makes a special fea-

ture of Herefords or White Face cattle. Mr. Moravec keeps well informed on agricultural matters and is counted one of the dependable men in the business at the present time, when unusual demands are made on the farmers and stock-raisers.

On February 20. 1906. at Poplin church, in Sherman county, Nebraska, Mr. Moravec was united in marriage with Miss Albina We- verka, who is a daughter of well known peo- ple, Martin and Frances Weverka, early set- tlers who still live on their homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Moravec have five children, namely : Edward, Henry, William, Emma, and Alice. The family belongs to the Catholic church.

CHRIS JUEL, a prosperous, enterprising. and prominent Custer county farmer who has pursued his vocation on an extensive scale in section 5. Broken Bow, since 1905, was born in Denmark, January 27, 1868, his parents be- ing H. L. and Mary K. ( Hansen ) Juel.

The parents of Mr. Juel were born in Den- mark and immigrated to the United States in 1882, settling in the western part of Iowa, where the father, a cooper by trade, found pro- fitable employment as a carpenter in the rail- way shops. The parents both died in lowa, in the faith of the Lutheran church. They had but two children, the daughter now being Mrs. Sine Jacobson, of Omaha.

The early education of Chris Juel was ob- tained in the schools of his native land, and after his arrival in America, at the age of fourteen years, he was variously employed un- til he settled down to permanent farming. He had no monetary assistance or influential friends to help him to a start, and it was neces- sary for him to rely wholly upon his own ability and industry, but these proved sufficient to gain him the necessary foothold, and through the medium of farming and stock-raising he be- came the owner of 160 acres of good Fowa land. Disposing of this property in 1905, he came to Custer county and bought a farm of one-half section, which. through wise invest- ment and capable management, he has since increased to 750 acres. Mr. Juel has an at- tractive and comfortable country residence. built since his arrival. as well as commodious and substantial buildings for the housing of his stock, grain, and equipment, and his stand- ing in the community is that of a skilled ag- riculturist and a man of integrity - one who has made his own way and has done so in an honorable manner. He carries on mixed farm- ing and raises a high grade of Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs. Mr. Juel is a Demo-

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

MR. AND MRS. CHRIS JUEL

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

crat, but has found no time for politics, al- though he is a loyal and public-spirited citizen.

In 1893 Mr. Juel married Miss Mary Fagan, who was born in Iowa, and whose father, Will- iam Fagan, is still a farmer of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Juel are the parents of six children, all residing at home - Almor. Mae, Pearl, Rita, Teresa, and Ellen.

CORTEZ E. LANG. - A native son of Custer county who has spent his entire life in this vicinity, Cortez E. Lang has been exten- sively engaged in farming and stock-raising and prominently identified with business af- fairs. He is at present the owner of a large farm in Sherman county, just across the Cus- ter county line ; is president of the Farmers Co-operative Company of Litchfield; and is connected with the civic affairs through his incumbency of the office of township treasurer.

Mr. Lang was born on a homestead farm in Custer county, May 19. 1876, and is a son of James R. and Rovilla Jane (Foster) Lang. His father was the first man to file on a home- stead in Custer county, the one on which Cor- tez E. Lang was born, this filing taking place June 8, 1874. A review of the family history will be found in the sketch of James R. Lang. elsewhere in this work. Cortez E. Lang grew up amid pioneer surroundings, knowing in his boyhood little of the comforts or conveniences of civilization and securing his education in sod schoolhouses and dugouts. He early learned the value of industry, for in his boy- hood and youth nothing was to be gained save by the hardest kind of work, and conditions were such as to develop a man's natural re- sources and tax his ingenuity to the limit. This did much, probably, to bring out his nat- ural talents and abilities. and practically from the start of his career he has been successful in his undertakings. With the exception of five years, when he was engaged in the hard- ware and implement business at Litchfield, he has devoted himself to farming, and his pres- ent property in Sherman county, a tract of 320 acres, was purchased by him in 1904. Here he carries on general farming. while during the winter months he does a large business in feeding cattle and hogs. He has splendid im- provements on his property, made by himself. these including a commodious and attractive residence. substantial barns, and good out- buildings for the housing of his grain, machin- ery and stock. He is progressive and aggres- sive in character, and his property bears all the evidence of the capable management that ever conserves prosperity. As a business man of

ability and a citizen of well known integrity. Mr. Lang was chosen president of the Farm- ers Cooperative Company of Litchfield, the interests of which he had advanced in no un- certain way. Fraternally he is affiliated with the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has numerous friends there- in, as he has also in business and public life. In his political views Mr. Lang is independent .. owning allegiance to no party, but endeavor- ing to secure the passage of good legislation and the election of worthy and capable offi- cials. The high esteem and confidence in which he is held is shown in the fact that his fellow citizens have entrusted him with the (luties connected with the office of township treasurer, and his friendship for education is evidenced in the service he has rendered and is rendering as a member of the school board.

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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 126

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