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 164

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 164

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The second wife is a native of Ireland and at the present time is fifty-two years of age. To the second union has been born another

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family of five children: Herbert, eighteen; Thomas, fifteen; Charles, eleven; Julian, seven; the third born died in infancy. The four living children are all in the home domi- cile and in connection with home duties and farm work are attending school, and give promise of developing into characteristic Irish-American citizens of whom the parents may well feel proud.

Mr. Teahon homesteaded 150 acres and also pre-empted another quarter section. These became the nucleus of his present day holdings. At the present time he is the owner of 900 acres, adapted to agriculture and stock- raising. In addition to the land he owns he has a section of land leased and all this com- bines to make this a splendid stock ranch. He has fair improvements, adequate for the stock operations he carries on.

The ranch carries an average of 130 head the year round, and in addition to cattle Mr. Teahon has given some attention to sheep and now has a small flock of 120 head which he finds very profitable.

When on the Teahon ranch it is hard to realize that when Mr. Teahon landed in Cus- ter county the sum total of his capital was five dollars, and all he possesses to-day is the accretion of that capital combined with tire- less energy and indomitable pluck.

In the local community Mr. Teahon has al- ways been a progressive spirit and during the war time did his share in contributions and work, to secure for his local district the amounts required of it by the quotas levied. He has served on the school board for the last six years.

He lived through the pioneer times, has had his experiences in sod houses, blizzards, and prairie fires, and notwithstanding, un- usual fatalities seem to have attended the family to which he belongs. He is to-day hale and hearty and bids fair to survive another quarter of a century, in which to en- joy the fruits of his toil.

JOSEPH A. HAUMONT, who is a pros- perous farmer and stock-raiser of Custer county, Nebraska, is well and favorably known all over the county, which has been his home all his life. Mr. Haumont is an ex- ample of what may be accomplished by the application of intelligent energy in one direc- tion, his success in his agricultural activities depending not only on his natural leanings but also upon his special training along scien- tific lines.

Joseph A. Haumont was born May 21. 1893, in Custer county, Nebraska. His par-

ents are Louis and Phoebe J. (Thompson) Haumont. Louis Haumont was born near the beautiful old city of Brussels, Belgium, and left there when a young man and came to the United States. During the time he lived in the state of Illinois and worked on farms, he was married to Phoebe J. Thomp- son, who was born in that state, a daughter of William Thompson. Afterward they came to Custer county, Nebraska. They had the following children: Joseph A., William, Jules, Stella and Loren L.

In the public schools of Custer county Joseph A. Haumont secured his early educa- tion, and he grew up on his father's farm. As he grew older and recognized the responsi - bilities that would be his in developing the land and raising the best of stock, he deter- mined to thoroughly prepare himself by ac- quiring practical as well as scientific knowl- edge along these lines and became a student in the University School of Agriculture, at Lincoln, Nebraska. There he became ac- quainted with the scientific methods of ad- vanced farming and live-stock raising and he is applying this knowledge in carrying on his industries on his farm, which is situated in section 27, township 21, Custer county.

Joseph A. Haumont was married Decem- ber 22, 1915, at Broken Bow, Nebraska, to Miss Emma Gutzman, a daughter of Daniel and Diana (Kepless) Gutzman. The father of Mrs. Haumont is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Haumont have one son, Owen G., who was born May 20, 1918. As a well educated young man, Mr. Haumont takes a deep inter- est in public matters, especially in regard to Custer county and, like his father, is a Re- publican in politics.

EUGENE ARMSTRONG, of Sargent, is one of the men who, starting their lives as agriculturists, have turned their attention to commercial affairs and through their abil- ity and industry have placed them- selves in positions of independence. Mr. Armstrong's line at the present time is the windmill and pump business, which he has fol- lowed for eighteen years, and in which he is one of the best known men in Custer and the surrounding counties, having developed his specialty to large proportions. He is a native of Carroll county, Indiana, and was born Oc- tober 14, 1864, a son of W. H. and Lucinda (Crabhill) Armstrong.

WV. H. Armstrong, a native of Kentucky, was taken by his parents as a child to Indiana. where he met and married Lucinda Crabhill. a native of Pennsylvania. He had received a

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good education in his youth and his first vo- cation upon entering actively upon a career of his own was that of an educator, but he gave up the labors of the school room in favor of the implements of the agriculturist. In 1866 he removed to Iowa, where for two years he tilled the soil, and about 1869 he took his fam- ily to York county, Nebraska, where he home- steaded a tract, pre-empted another, and took up a timber claim, and there rounded out his life in farming and stock-raising, having quite a large business in the latter direction. He was a progressive man in many ways and ex- tended his energies to numerous fields of activity. He was the buikler of the first store at Waco, Nebraska, which he himself occu- pied as a dealer in general merchandise, and did a large business with the farmers in buying live stock and grain. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children.

Eugene Armstrong, more familiarly known to his associates and business friends as "Gene," was two years of age when he was taken to Iowa, and about five years old when the family located in York county, Nebraska. There he received his education in the district schools and received a good training along both agricultural and business lines, which ex- perience has since been of the greatest value to him. When ready to enter upon a career of his own, he chose farming, which he fol- lowed in connection with other business until 1900, when he gave up all other interests to devote himself exclusively to the windmill and pump business, to which he has since given his best energies and talents. With headquarters at Sargent, he commands a large and con- stantly growing trade throughout this section of the country-side, and his straightforward manner of doing business and his fidelity to engagements and contracts have gained him many friends and a warm and sincere regard in business circles. Mr. Armstrong is not active in public life, but is a sound and sub- stantial man whose citizenship is of a public- spirited and practical quality.

On December 24, 1893, Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage with Miss Ella M. Wood. of Coburg, daughter of the late Lemuel Wood and of Mrs. Minerva A. Wood, a resident of Sargent. Three children have been born to this union: LeRoy, single, a graduate of Sargent high school and of Creighton Univer- sity of Omaha, now first sergeant in the United States Medical Corps, Base Hospital No. 101, American P. O. 701. American Ex- peditionary Forces, France, born November 24, 1894; Lona, born March 1. 1905, who is attending school; and Gaylord E., born May 6, 1908, who is also a public school student.

JAMES R. LANG. - Many causes contrib- ute to the almost invariable interest surround- ing the first actual settler in any community. As the years add distance and romance to his arrival, the honor becomes a coveted one, es- pecially if the settlement has utilized its most enlightening opportunities and has become the ahode of peaceful and prosperous humanity. So it is that more than passing mention is due to James R. Lang, who was the first to file on a homestead in Custer county, the date being June 8, 1874, although he had settled thereon several weeks previously. To-day Mr. Lang, living in comfortable retirement at Litchfield, is the personification of a life well lived. of energies well directed, of a mind tuned to the harmony of his surroundings, and of a heart which has lost nothing of its warmth and sympathy in its journey from the rude dugout of pioneer times to the affluence of the twentieth century. This vigorous personality, outlined against the background of events in Custer county since 1874, commands the con- fidence and respect of his fellow citizens. He has built up character as well as fortune, and has supported the substantial and fundamental processes of civilization.

James R. Lang was born in Harrison county, Indiana, February 27, 1852, a son of Isaac and Amy (Laymon ) Lang, and a grand- son of Francis Lang and Emanuel Laymon. His father was born in Indiana, and was mar- ried in that state, his wife having been born in Virginia but having been brought to the Hoosier state as a chikl. Isaac Lang was an industrious and enterprising farmer and had made a position for himself in life prior to the outbreak of the Civil war. A staunch Re- publican, he was a strong Union man, and luring the struggle between the north and the south he enlisted in the Home Guards, in con- nection with which he met his death during the famous Morgan Raid. Like Mrs. Lang, he belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church. There were eight children in their family, of whom but three survive: James R., of this notice: Howard, engaged in farming and stock-raising near Litchfield, Sherman county ; and Mrs. Elmira Weaver, residing at Mason City.

The education of James R. Lang was se- cured in the public schools of Harrison county, Indiana, and as a youth he was called upon to start early to contribute his support to the family, the father having died. Shortly after he passed his majority, he decided that better opportunities for advancement awaited him in the west, and April 12, 1874. he left home, ar- riving at Grand Island, Nebraska, three days

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

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JAMES R. LANG AND FAMILY

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

JOEL F. LANUM AND FAMILY

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later. On the 20th of the following May he made settlement on a homestead in Cuister county, filing on this June 8th of the same year. Mr. Lang tramped out his first crop of wheat in 1876, and in the following year pur- chased a small sorghum mill and began mak- ing sorghum. In 1878, in partnership with two neighbors, he bought the first threshing machine to be found in Custer county, this machine having two-horse power. In 1881, in line with his spirit of progress, Mr. Lang made a donation of ten acres of land for the loca- tion of a gristmill, and in the same year he became the owner of his first mower. Also in that year he opened a small general store on his old homestead, and this was largely patronized by the early settlers of the locality.

In 1888 Mr. Lang had the distinction of sowing the first alfalfa in Custer county, the seed coming from California, and this was plowed up in the spring of 1918, having stood for thirty years. During the early days, when money was scarce, Mr. Lang engaged in vari- ous employments in order to make a living, and for several years he hauled wood, which he sold at Kearney. The first barn which was built on his farm was used not only for agri- cultural purposes, but also for the holding of religious services and for the dances of the early settlers. He also assisted in the settle- ment of the county by locating claims for various newcomers, from 1879 to 1882, during which time there was a large influx of pio- neers. Gradually. as the years passed, he pros- pered in his affairs, to such an extent that he became possessed of 960 acres of land, and in 1910 he retired from active pursuits and moved to Litchfield. Here he became one of the organizers of the Farmers Lumber Com- pany, of which he is at present one of the interested members. Mr. Lang voted the Re- publican ticket for the first time in Custer county, at Georgetown, and he still continues to support the party catise as a general rule, although inclined to be independent. He is well known fraternally, having passed the chairs of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, belonging to the Modern Woodmen of America, and being a thirty-second-degree Mason. He is very popular with his fellow members in these orders.

In 1873, while still a resident of Indiana, Mr. Lang was united in marriage with Miss Rovilla Jane Foster, who was born in Indi- ana, a daughter of Samuel Foster, who died in that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Lang there have been born nine children: George W., who is the proprietor of an automobile garage at Litchfield ; Cortez, who is engaged in farming

in Sherman county; Albert, who is a member of the police force of Richmond, California ; Robert, who is a brakeman of Alliance, Ne- braska ; Eunice, who died in infancy ; Harvey, who is a clerk in the Bank of Litchfield : Blanche, who is the wife of Charles Mills, of Custer county ; James R., who resides on the old homestead in Custer county; and Frank, who also is on this Custer county farm.

CHARLES HICKEY. - This paragraph introduces a young farmer and stock-raiser who belongs to a prominent family, several members of whom have special mention on other pages of this volume. His residence and farm operations are staged in Eureka Valley, noted as a semi-agricultural and stock-raising region. Charles was born in Saline county, this state, in 1881, but most of his life has been spent in Custer county, he having come to the county when ten years of age. Here he re- ceived a common school education and was initiated into the ways of western pioneer life. As to the family history of his father, see sketch of Jerry Hickey. Charles formed his life partnership with Agnes Foran, whose brother, James Foran, is written extendedly in this history and which sketch contains mention of the father and family.

Into the home established by Mr. and Mrs. Hickey have been born five children: Clar- ence, the second child, is deceased; Alice, Viola is deceased; and LeRoy. All the chil- dren are at home and are energetic, promising Custer county youngsters in whom the par- ents can feel a justifiable pride. This aggres- sive young farmer owns three hundred and sixty acres, of which two hundred and sixty is under cultivation. Here he follows di- versified farming and has embarked in stock- raising on a scale that will insure profitable accumulation as the years go by. The place carries fifty head of cattle. These are of high grade, inclining to blooded types. He is also a breeder of good horses and keeps on the place a splendid Percheron stallion. In the local activities of the community, Mr. Hickey is road overseer, a promoter of all public enterprises, is an independent voter and the family are connected with the Catholic church. Eureka Valley is a good neighbor- hood and the family of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hickey have helped to establish its reputation.

JOEL F. LANUM. - For thirty-seven years Joel F. Lanum has been helping to make his- tory in Custer county, and so well has he di- rected his energies that he is now spending

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the evening of life in gracious retirement, free from all business and financial cares. He has led a simple, active, and methodical life, and his busy hands and mind have worked together in gaining him success along agricultural and commercial lines, while his admirable qualities of character have served to win to him re- spect and esteem in the communities in which he has made his home.

Mr. Lanum was born March 20, 1851, in Morrow county, Ohio, and is a son of Dennis and Phoebe (Brown) Lanum. His father, a native of Virginia, moved to Ohio when eigh- teen years of age and was there married, Mrs. Lanum being a native of the Buckeye state. In 1866, after spending some years in farm- ing in Morrow county, Dennis Lanum re- moved with his family to Indiana, where he purchased a farm, in DeKalb county, that community continuing to be his home until his death. He was a Mason and a Democrat and was a man of industry and honorable conduct. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wife, who died in Ohio, also belonged. They had six children, of whom two are living: Joel F., and Mary, the latter being a resident of Edison, Ohio, and being the widow of Caul Bell.

Joel F. Lanum was given the advantages accruing from only a limited education in the district schools, as he was early called upon to do his share in supporting the family, and both in Ohio and Indiana he not only labored on the farm, but also, in the winter months, went into the humber woods and plied his axe with the timbermen. After his marriage he moved to Macon county, Illinois, where he resided several years, without adding mate- rially to his fortune, and in 1881 he came to Nebraska, where he took up a claim in Custer county. In the following year he brought his family to Nebraska, having made some prep- arations for receiving them, and when they were all settled he found that his financial re- sources were reduced to about $100. How- ever, he possessed strength of mind and body, self-reliance and determination, and with these he set about to work his way to success. How well he succeeded in his aims and ambitions can be seen in the fact that he not only trans- formed his homestead and tree claims into fertile and valuable farms, but also increased his acreage until he is now the owner of a half-section. In 1898 Mr. Lanum transferred the hard work of the farm to younger shoul- ders and moved to Ansley, where he purchased lots and erected a feed and livery stable. His good business ability enabled him to also make a success of this venture, and he continued as

proprietor of the business until his retirement from all activities, in March, 1918.

In 1871 Mr. Lanum married Miss Esther Ann Davis, who was born in Pennsylvania, and of this union were born nine children : Mary Belle, who is the wife of Albert Arnold, a retired farmer of Ansley; Rufus, who is engaged in farming in Minnesota ; Dennis, who is a member of the police force of San Fran- cisco, California; Frank and John, who are associated in the ownership of the livery barn at Ansley ; Perry, who is engaged in the meat- market business at Ansley; Kem, who is a railroad man at Ravenna, Nebraska ; Lula, who is the wife of William Gooch. engaged in the automobile business at Grand Island ; and Judson, who carries on operations on his father's Custer county farm. Mr. and Mrs. Lanum and their children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a Demo- crat in politics and while not an office-seeker is a man who willingly and generously sup- ports all worthy and beneficial movements and discharges the duties of citizenship in an hon- orable manner.

EDWARD F. SKOLIL, who is a prominent citizen of Custer county, is mayor of Com- stock, and also cashier of the Citizens Bank of that thriving town. Notwithstanding his connection with affairs of so much importance, Mayor Skolil is yet a young man. He was born July 1, 1891, in Valley county, Nebraska, one of a family of seven children born to Jo- seph and Magdalena (Bedlivy) Skolil, both of whom were born in Bohemia, Austria-Hun- gary. The parents came to the United States in 1873, the father stopping first in Michigan, and the mother coming directly to Saline county, Nebraska.

In spite of the many hard, practical facts connected with the life of Joseph Skolil, father of Mayor Skolil, it reads almost like a ro- mance. Coming to America a poor laborer from the Austrian mines, with no knowledge of the English language and no influential friends, within a period of less than forty years, through industry and good judgment, he built up a substantial fortune ; through per- sonal integrity won confidence and esteem ; and. dying, left an honorable name and rec- ord behind him. After his marriage he secured a homestead near Comstock, but across the line in Valley county, Nebraska, and set about de- veloping his own property, besides working for others at farm labor, although prior to this he had had no agricultural experience. He was determined to succeed, and the time

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MR. AND MRS. EDWARD F. SKOLIL AND THEIR ELDER SON

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

came when he was able to give each of his sons a farm. Besides this, he still owned 480 acres of additional land at the time of his death, March 11. 1911. As indicated above, he started with nothing, and he left an estate worth $40.000. His children were as follows : Frank, who is a farmer and dealer in agricul- tural implements at Comstock, married An- tonia Tvrdik; Emil, who is a farmer near Ar- cadia, Nebraska, married Ida Radil; James, who is operating his farm of 340 acres, north of Comstock, married Emma Kokes; Joseph lives on the homestead with his mother : Anna is the wife of John Vodehnal, who is a farmer north of Comstock; Mary is the wife of John Novotny, who operates a farm of 160 acres, north of Comstock; and Edward F. is the im- mediate subject of this review.

Edward F. Skolil had no educational ad- vantages beyond those afforded by the public schools, but that he appreciated and profited by these may be inferred from the fact that he was graduated from the high school before he was eighteen years old. The Citizens State Bank of Comstock is now one of the substantial financial institutions of Custer county. It be- gan business with a capital of $5,000, which has been increased to $30,000, with resources now over $50,000, and Mr. Skolil has been cashier since he was nineteen years old - a fair testi- monial to his business acumen.

Edward F. Skolil was married at Comstock, Nebraska, December 2, 1913, to Miss Beulah Dunbar, who belongs to one of the pioneer families of Otoe county, Nebraska, her father, W. E. Dunbar, being one of the very early and prominent men of that section, and in his honor the name Dunbar having been given to the present town of that name. Mayor and Mrs. Skolil have two sons - Edward F., who was born July 1, 1916, and Eldon Dunbar, who was born April 7. 1919.

In addition to his business activities, Mr. Skolil from earliest manhood has taken a deep and earnest interest in civic matters and has worked for the advancement of Comstock with commendable energy. In politics he is a Re- publican. Ile has been chairman of the town board for the past year and is at the head of municipal affairs, being elected to the inay- oralty in 1918. Fraternal life has also engaged the attention of this active. vigorous, wide- awake young man, and he is a member of a number of the leading organizations, including the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, Z. C. B. J., and the Mod- ern Woodmen of America. In the last named order he passed through all the offices, and served four years as clerk.

WATT W. PERRIN. - Custer county is well represented in the agricultural industry by energetic men of the younger generation, upon whom the county is depending for its development and progress as a producing cen- ter in the future. Among these is found Watt W. Perrin, who has passed his entire life in the vicinity of Sargent, a worthy rep- resentative of a pioneer agricultural family of central Nebraska. Mr. Perrin was born on the farm which he now occupies, in section 16, township 17, a son of Similien L. and Sophia (Tobias) Perrin.

The father of Mr. Perrin was born at New Orleans, Louisiana, and was a young man when he came to Custer county and took up a homestead. He continued to be engaged in farming and raising stock until 1899, in which year he moved to Sargent to become pro- prietor of the Beatrice Cream Station, which he conducted for nine years. He was then appointed postmaster and discharged the du- ties of that office capably for seven years, since which time he has lived in honorable re- tirement at Sargent. He married Sophia To- bias, a daughter of Isaac C. Tobias, and they became the parents of three sons: Harold I., a jeweler of Sargent, who married Allona Wood and has two children ; Louis E., man- ager of the Arnold Lumber Yard of the Dierks Lumber Company, who married Lorene Rus- misell, and has one child ; and Watt W.

Watt W. Perrin received his early educa- tion in the public schools of Sargent, follow- ing which he spent two years in the State University at Lincoln. When he adopted a vocation it was that of farming, and while still classed among the younger agriculturists of his locality he has already demonstrated the possession of qualities that should lead to his success, and his property bears every indi- cation of being handled by one thoroughly familiar with his business, and progressive by habit and nature. Mr. Perrin maintains an independent stand in regard to political matters, and his only fraternal connection is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was married November 4, 1917, at the home of the bride, to Miss Gladys Ruse, a daughter of Charles W. and Mary (Cooper) Ruse, pioneers of Custer county. Mr. and Mrs. Perrin are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, which they attend at Sar- gent.

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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 164

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