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 148

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 148

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In 1882 Mr. Liehs married Miss Maggie Craiger, who was born in Germany, and to this union there were born three children, of whom two are living: Annie, who is the wife of Louis Kuehnel, a farmer in the state of Washington ; and Fred, who was educated in the district schools of Custer county, has spent his entire life in agricultural pursuits and is now his father's chief assistant in the opera- tion of the home farm. Mr. and Mrs. Liehs and their children are members of the Luth- eran church. In politics Mr. Liehs maintains an independent stand. In connection with the nation's participation in the world war Mr.

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Liehs has shown his loyalty by giving liberal support to the various agencies through which the government has been upheld in its war preparations and activities.

SOREN SORENSEN. - Many of the early settlers in Custer county came to this section in the hope of securing land on which they could carry on agricultural industries, but there were others who, already equipped with a useful trade, realized that their services would be in demand in the development and upbuilding of a new country. Thus men like Soren Sorensen, who were skilled in different trades and were ambitious to get ahead in the world, left Denmark and other European countries for growing communities in the great country across the Atlantic ocean, and in the course of time many of these found full op- portunity for their mechanical skill. Mr. Sor- ensen came to America in 1881 and located at Grand Island, Nebraska.

Mr. Sorensen was born May 5, 1857. in Denmark. His parents. S. and Cassie ( Jen- sen) Sorensen, passed their entire lives in Denmark. They had seven children and the following are living: D. C., who lives at Elva, Nebraska, is a bricklayer by trade: Mrs. Eliza Peterson remains in Denmark ; and Christ like- wise lives in Denmark. By trade the father was a cabinetmaker.

After settling at Grand Island, in Hall coun- ty, Nebraska, Mr. Sorensen worked at the car- penter trade, which he had learned in his own country, and he soon found his time well oc- cupied. As population increased, houses had to be erected, and he was called to other places to complete work and some times he put up the first houses in a hamlet that soon grew into a town. This was the case at Litchfield, in Sher- man county, where he built the first house, in 1890. In 1910 Mr. Sorensen came to Mason City, and since then he has been engaged in the business of selling lightning rods.

In 1884 Mr. Sorensen married Miss Anna Walker, who was born in Iowa and who died in 1898, leaving two children : Frank, now a farmer in Oregon, and Estella, the wife of John Goodenfelda, who conducts a hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mr. Sorensen was mar- ried the second time in March. 1910, when Mrs. Anne C. Robertson became his wife. She was the widow of Robert Robertson, who was born in Denmark and who died in Custer county, Nebraska, August 5, 1904, the Robert- sons having come to this county in November. 1891. Mr. Robertson was a well-to-do farmer and left a good property, Mrs. Robertson later

adding to the farm acreage. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson became the parents of eight children, concerning whom the following brief record is consistently entered: Charles operates the home farm in Custer county; Mrs. Mary Arp resides at Mason City, this county : William and Fred are progressive farmers in this coun- ty: Matt is a resident of Hazard, Sherman county : Lewis H. was a gallant young son of Custer county who sacrificed his life on the battlefields of France, and is accorded a tribute in following paragraphs ; Hans is associated in the work and management of the home farm, in Custer county; and Letitia is the wife of Nels Stanter, a farmer of this county.

Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen hold membership in the Lutheran church, and they are well known throughout their section of Custer county, where they are held in unqualified popular con- fidence and esteem. In politics Mr. Sorensen maintains an independent attitude, as he does his own thinking and decides for himself in regard to the qualifications of candidates for public office. He is affiliated with the Mason City lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

LEWIS H. ROBERTSON. - Here is con- sistently given a memorial tribute to the late Lewis H. Robertson, who entered the military service of the United States on the 5th of October, 1917, and who went with the Amer- ican Expeditionary Force to France, where he was one of the heroic and gallant young Americans who fell in battle on the 26th of July, 1918. After having been cited for brav- ery. he gave his life that future generations might be blessed with the freedom and liberty which his native land has enjoyed for more than two centuries. From an appreciative es- timate that appeared in a Custer county news- paper at the time of the death of this gallant young patriot are taken the following extracts :

Corporal Lewis H. Robertson was born at Davey, Lancaster county, Nebraska, January 4, 1888. When he reached the tender age of three years he moved with the family to the Black Hill Basin, in the fall of 1891, where he resided until seven years ago, after which he spent part of his time at Hazard. Nebraska, in partnership with his brother Matt. His father died three years after the family ar- rived in the Basin, August 5, 1894.

Corporal Robertson's premature departure is mourned by his mother, Mrs. Anne C. Sorensen, and five brothers and two sisters. He will be missed also by a host of friends and many army comrades.

Corporal Robertson entered the army October 5, 1917, going as an alternate from Hazard, Sherman county, Nebraska, with the following men who were his comrades at Camp Funston : Ray Hennis, Law- rence Larson, Henry Rasmussen, William Rasmus-

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sen, Ernest Jacobson, Chris H. Pierson, Earl Eckley, Joe Horak, Walter Cadwalder, and Henry Pillen.

At Camp Funston he served in Company K, Three Hundred and Fifty-fifth Infantry, and distinguished himself as a promising soldier, and was transferred to Company G, Fourth Infantry, United States Army, at Camp Newport News, Virginia, five weeks later sailing for France, arriving in France April 15, 1918. He was well thought of by his officers at Funston - Captain Moore, First Lieutenant Mel- ville, McClellen, Schooks, and Orchard. He was also praised by his officers in France - Colonel Har- vey, Second Lieutenant R. C. Erwin, Sergeant Case, and First Lieutenant J. A. Crawford. The Fourth Infantry, United States Regulars, was in the thick of the recent drive of the allies in which they crowned themselves with high honors. It was in this conflict that Corporal Lewis H. Robertson died in action, July 26th, at the hopeful age of thirty years, one month, and twenty days. More detailed . accounts are lacking at this time. All we know is that he slumbers amidst vast armies of fallen heroes on the sacred soil of France. Could he speak, the following perhaps would be his message to us :

Where I have fallen upon my battle-ground Let me there rest - nor carry me away. What holier hills could in these days be found Than hills of France to hold a soldier's clay? Nor need ye place a cross of wooden stuff Over my head to mark my age and name ; This very ground is monument enough ! 'Tis all I wish of show or outward fame. Deep in the hearts of fellow countrymen My fast, immortal sepulcher shall be, Greater than all the tombs of ancient kings. What matters where my dust shall scatter then? I shall have served my country oversea

And loved her - dying with a heart that sings.

This whole community with one accord has noth- ing save praise to offer in commemoration of Cor- poral Robertson. Everywhere one hears the sincere remark that he was an ideal soldier, an ideal man. He asked for no exemptions and refused to be a slacker. He was confirmed in the Danish Lutheran church at Black Hill Basin, December 25, 1902. He has endeavored since then to live a consistent Chris- tian life.

For the second time it becomes our sad but sacred duty to place a golden star upon our service flag. With hushed breath and subdued heart-beat we change his star of true blue to one of gold, in com- memoration of his faithful service and the sacrifice of his young life on the altar of his country. For as Jesus, our Saviour, himself says: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Sleep well, dead lad, knight of the azure blue! Sleep well, thy stately sleep amid the bloom !

Love holds thee dear; Faith hails thee leal and true: Proud honor weaves rich chaplets for thy tomb. Dead in the splendor of thy golden youth,

Dead in the promise of thy dawning day, Yet ne'er to die, immortalized in truth, A living star in freedom's sky always! Deathless to ride, in never ending flight, Through vaulted domes of spanless spaces far, ;Close to the founts of quenchless, radiant light,

Where, glory-crowned. God's fadeless heroes are. They hold thee not - these hills where thou wast horn, -

Nor yet these hearts that love thee, warm and dear ;

Now art thou ray of that eternal morn

That breaks in ceaseless splendor, year on year.

HORACE G. LANG has proved himself the possessor of a large amount of that ex- cellent quality of manhood and that self-re- liance which, united with perseverance and industry, have enabled him to become one of the valued men of Custer county.

Mr. Lang was born at Grafton, Grafton county, New Hampshire, August 3, 1862. His father, Gilman Lang, was a native of New Hampshire and became a manufacturer of edged tools, an occupation which he followed until 1872, when he became a resident of Tay- lor county, Iowa, where he spent the remain- der of his days, passing away at the age of seventy-one years. In New Hampshire he married Miss Nancy Ellwood, and she passed away at Broken Bow, Nebraska, at the age of seventy-one years. They were members of the Methodist church and were the parents of three sons, all of whom became residents of Custer county: George W., who was a farmer, is now deceased; Warren J. is a resi- dent of Broken Bow; and Horace G. is the subject of this sketch.

Horace G. Lang was a lad of seven years when the home was established in Taylor coun- ty, Iowa, and there he was reared to man- hood, acquiring his education in the public schools. In 1883 he came to Custer county and secured a homestead, making his home in a sod house for five years. He then sold the place and bought his present farm. Here he owns 625 acres, under a high state of culti- vation, and on the place he has erected a splen- did set of improvements and carries on gen- eral farming and stock-raising. Mr. Lang was one of the very early settlers of Custer county and shared in the hardships of the pioneer days. He hauled water from Broken Bow, twenty-one miles away, and the lumber in his house was brought from Kearney. He hauled oats to Kearney and sold them for ten cents a bushel, besides carrying them up two flights of stairs.

In Custer county Mr. Lang married Miss Clara Vincent, a native of Indiana. At her death she left five children: Rowena is the wife of Clarence Dunn and resides at Calla- way: she is the mother of two children and her husband is in the national army at the time of this writing; Ione is the wife of Wal- lace Blakeman, a farmer of Custer county, and they have two children ; Blanche is the wife of George Edwards, a farmer of Custer county, and they have two children; Elfa is the wife

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ELLIS W. GIVEN AND FAMILY

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of Frank Yohn, of Corliss; Wisconsin, and they have one child; Clara is unmarried and resides in California.

For his second wife Mr. Lang married Mrs. Martha Twell, whose maiden name was Mar- tha Dunn. She is a native of Taylor county, Iowa, and is a daughter of J. B. Dunn, a prominent citizen of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Lang have a son, James G., who is a lad of fourteen years and who is assisting in the operation of the farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Lang are members of Baptist church and in politics Mr. Lang is a Republi- can, though in local affairs he casts an inde- pendent ballot. He has never aspired to pub- lic office but has rendered efficient service as a member of the school board and helped to or- ganize the school district.

Mr. Lang is a son of Gilman Doe, but, not liking the name, he applied to the proper au- thorities and had his name changed to Lang, his grandmother's maiden name having been Langley.

Horace G. Lang is one of the influential men of his community, his word is as good as a bond and he is always found ready to aid any cause that has for its object the upbuilding of his adopted county.

ELLIS W. GIVEN. - Of the many honest, industrious farmers who are the boast of Cus- ter county, not a few have passed the greater part of their careers in the vicinity of Merna, and a list of these would be incomplete with- out the name of Ellis Welch Given. Mr. Given is one of West Virginia's contributions to this region, having been born in that state February 10, 1866, and he is a son of Robert E. and Rachel M. (Jordan) Given, of whom more specific mention is made on other pages of this volume.

E. W. Given was reared to the discipline of the farm, in Illinois and Nebraska, and accompanied the family to Custer county in 1884. Under the direction of his father he learned the best methods of farming. He operated the home farm for several years while the parents were still living and after their death he came into possession of the old homestead. New improvements have been made, and the property to-day is among the finest in the neighborhood. Mr. Given is the owner of 240 acres, devoted to mixed farm- ing.

December 25, 1895, Mr. Given was united in marriage to Miss Katherine Jacquot, a daughter of Nicholas Jacquot, a record of whom will be found elsewhere in this history.

Mr. and Mrs. Given are the parents of three children: Brooks Elliot, Ardetta Deborah, and Robert Ellis, all of whom are at home. The family are members of the Methodist church and in politics Mr. Given is a Dem- ocrat. Mr. and Mrs. Given represent two of Custer county's earliest families and are held in the highest of esteem by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

J. W. RAY. - A man of some prominence, a successful farmer, a generous and obliging neighbor, is named in this paragraph, and to tell the life story we go back to Lucas county, Iowa, where on the 23d day of February, 1867, he made his debut into the world. He is a son of Jesse and Margaret (Thomas) Ray, both of whom were natives of the Buck- eye state, splendid people of sterling qualities and well respected in the community of their home.

Mr. Ray has been a farmer all his life. His education, which is of a liberal character, was received in the public schools of Kansas and Nebraska, and at the early age of thirteen years he started out to make his own way in life. His success has been in keeping with his energy and dauntless spirit and has reached a grade often displayed in the county of op- portunity where he has his present home.

The father, Jesse Ray, came to Nebraska in an early day, and homesteaded in Hamil- ton county. From that county he eventually moved back to Iowa, and from the latter state he later removed to Kansas. He and his wife were devoted Christian people, mem- bers of the Methodist church. To them were born eight children, five of whom are still living. The subject of this sketch and his sister, Mrs. Lloyd Foster, are the only ones living in Custer county.

On April 19, 1891. J. W. Ray was united in marriage to Martha Patterson, at Dodge, Nebraska. The parents of Mrs. Ray were Nebraska pioneers, having come into the state in 1868 and having settled and homesteaded in Dodge county, where they continued to re- side until their death. The mother died in the fall of 1912, the father having passed away June 1. 1901. Mrs. Ray is the only daughter living in Custer county. She has a brother living in Dodge, Nebraska.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray have four children : Ma- bel is the wife of James Ralls and lives in Loup county, and Ruby, Eunice, and William are at the parental home. Mr. and Mrs. Ray have lived on the present place eighteen years. He has a fine stock of cattle, good horses and a well improved farm of 320 acres,- a very

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

creditable showing for the opportunities that have been afforded him. He and his excel- lent family are highly respected by their neighbors, and their present energy will in- sure to Mr. and Mrs. Ray a competency for early retirement. Mr. Ray gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and he is counted as one of the staunch supporters of the political regime represented by that party. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, from which he derives all the social and pe- cuniary benefits.

STEPHEN A. DEAN. - Living in the vicinity of Broken Bow, in one of the splendid farm homes that adorn the middle section of the county, is Stephen A. Dean, who here enjoys the distinction and rating of a first- class farmer, an upright citizen, and one of the spirits to be consulted in connection with the promotion of any public enterprise.

Stephen A. Dean was born in Johnson coun- ty, Iowa, March 5. 1861, and is a son of Wes- ley and Casandra (Zike) Dean. The father was a native of Ohio, but the mother came from Kentucky. They became the parents of seven children of whom three are still living ---- Stephen A., Mrs. Alta J. Moats, and Mary B. The father died when young Stephen was eleven years of age and the mother moved to Iowa City, where she gave her children a high-school education, thus furnishing them good equipment for life.

After finishing his education, Stephen A. Dean returned to the old farm in Johnson county, Iowa, and began farming operations. He had everything to learn, for he had never farmed before, but, being twenty years of age, he went at it with a youthful will and enthusiasm that conquered all difficulties and made things come his way.

Following the natural course of humanity, on June 30, 1885, Mr. Dean was united in marriage to Miss Nellie E. Strang. a young lady of the home vicinity. Mrs. Dean was a daughter of James B. and Julia (Bailey) Strang. both natives of the Empire state. From the time of their marriage. the Deans maintained an ideal home, and three children, all boys. made their advent into the family circle : Ervin E. was placed in class 2, divi- sion B of the final draft for service in the world war; Roy C., as a member of the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Aviation Squad. was in France when the war came to a close : and Harry O. was assigned to class 2 in the finał military draft. Mrs. Dean was called to the life eternal in the year 1902.

Mr. Dean came to Custer county in 1882 and pre-empted a quarter-section of land, five miles northwest of Broken Bow. He made proof on the claim and was the first one to re- ceive title for his land in this section. Mr. Dean later returned to Johnson county, Iowa, and bought from his mother the old home place, upon which he continued to farm and to raise and feed cattle and hogs, but in the meantime he kept his Custer county land rent- ed, and continually added to its improvement. November 26, 1903, he wedded Miss Ruth J. Thomas, who. like his first wife, was born in Johnson county, Iowa. She is a daughter of Robert M. and Malinda (Jones) Thomas. Three years after his second marriage Mr. Dean returned to Custer county, where he took up residence upon his pre-emption claim. This was in 1906. and since that time the Dean family have been continuous residents. They now have 280 acres of land, on which is one of the most attractive farm homes in the coun- ty. The land is in a high state of cultivation and Mr. Dean is rated as one of the foremost of the progressive farmers of the county. The family are members of the United Brethren church and are faithful constituents of the local Grange, to which they have contributed energy and leadership. In politics Mr. Dean is rated as a Democrat. but he is a man of broad infor- mation and strong convictions. and accordingly issues and candidates must make an appeal of sincerity if they secure his support.

ABEL H. FORD. - As a living example of what resolute working, earnest endeavor, and indomitable perseverance will accomplish, Abel H. Ford stands prominent among the worthy citizens of Custer county. Coming here in 1887, with no capital save that rep- resented by his personal qualities and charac- teristics, he has worked his way uninterrupt. edly to a position of independence, and his status to-day is that of a substantial citizen and prosperous agriculturist.

Mr. Ford is a native of Iowa, where he was born April 6, 1860, a son of Jackson and Elizabeth (Savage) Ford. There were seven children in the family, of whom five are liv- ing: James B., a salesman, of Des Moines. Iowa ; Abel H., of this review ; Oscar, engaged in farming in Kansas: Della, the wife of J. T. May ; and Anna B., the wife of Roy Minor, who is engaged in mining near Bisbee, Ari- zona. Jackson Ford was for many years a farmer in Iowa, but he is now living in re- tirement in Colorado. at the advanced age of eighty-four years, while his wife, who is sev-

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MR. AND MRS. STEPHEN A. DEAN

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

MRS. JOHN A. DEVINE

JOHN A. DEVINE

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enty-four years of age, makes her home with her son Abel. The father is independent in political views, and has never been identified with fraternal orders.

Abel H. Ford was given a public-school education in Iowa and was reared on the home farm. Like many farmers' sons, he was at - tracted by railroading, and for five years he followed that vocation, only to return to the soil. In 1887 he came to Custer county and settled on a homestead twenty miles northwest of his present property, residing thereon un- til 19II, when he sold out and purchased his farm in section 36, township 19, range 19, where he has developed a splendid property and made many modern improvements. Mr. Ford follows general farming, in addition to which he raises considerable live stock, and in both departments he has shown himself thoroughly familiar with modern methods of procedure. Through fair dealing and honor- able transactions he has built up an excellent reputation in the community, and has gained popular confidence and respect as a public spirited citizen. He is independent in poli- tics, and has no fraternal connections.

In 1887 Mr. Ford married Miss Martha D. Roberts, a daughter of William and Cynthia (Billings) Roberts, of Iowa, and three chil- dren have been born to them: Charles F., a farmer six miles northwest of Sargent, mar- ried Loula Kenyon; Mamie E., is the wife of Ed Jameson, a farmer of Custer county ; and William H. resides at home and assists his father in the operation of the home farm.

JOHN A. DEVINE. - There is all of con- sistency in entering in this history a definite tribute to the memory of the late John A. De- vine, whose were pioneer honors in Custer county and whose character was the positive expression of a strong, loyal, and noble nature. He "stood four-square to every wind that blows ;" he wrought well as a member of the world's great army of productive workers ; he was content to follow the even tenor of his way without ostentation or any desire to come into the white light of publicity, and he made his life count for good in all of its relations. To the civic and industrial development and upbuilding of Custer county Mr. Devine con- tributed his quota, and as a citizen he cont- manded the fullest measure of popular con- fidence and esteem.

John A. Devine was born in Ireland, on the 2d day of February, 1845, and he was sixty- three years of age at the time of his death, which occurred at his old homestead, near

Oconto, Custer county, in 1909. Mr. Devine was a child when his parents immigrated to America from the fair old Emerald Isle, and the family home was established in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared to manhood and where he acquired his early cd- ucation. There was solemnized his marriage to Miss Bridget Ann Sharp, and somewhat later they established their home at Streator, Illinois. In the latter state they continued their residence until 1889, when they came to Custer county, Nebraska, and settled on the homestead which is still the abiding place of Mrs. Devine and three of her children. Here Mr. Devine instituted the reclamation and de- velopment of a farm, and here he and his wife endured their full share of the hardships in- cidental to pioneer life. The passing years brought to them independence and prosperity, and there was not denied to them the fullest measure of good will and esteem on the part of the community in which they lived and la- bored to goodly ends. It has been consistently said that the word of Mr. Devine was as good as his bond, and thus he fully deserved the high esteem in which he was uniformly held. His religious faith was that of the Catholic church, of which his widow likewise is a de- voted communicant, and in politics he gave his allegiance to the Democratic party. Mrs. De- vine is now one of the venerable pioneer wo- men of Custer county and here her circle of friends is limited only by that of her acquain- tances.

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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 148

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