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 165

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 165

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

W. R. SYNDER. - Prominent among the native sons of Nebraska who have won success in the field of agricultural effort, one who has won his own way to position and stands

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

1109

MR. AND MRS. W. R. SYNDER

1110

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

high in the regard of his fellow citizens is W. R. Synder. While not a native of Custer county, during the twelve or more years that he has made his home within its borders he has become so thoroughly inoculated with the spirit of energy and progressiveness that char- acterizes this thriving and fertile community that he has adopted its customs without ex- ception, and is uniformly accepted by the older residents as a sterling citizen whose presence is beneficial to the community.

Mr. Synder was born on a farm in Seward county, Nebraska, January 6, 1877, and is a son of Carl and Louise (Templen) Synder. Through years of industry and honorable deal- ing his father, who was a successful agricul- turist in that county, had won the esteem of his neighbors and associates. In his youth W. R. Synder was given good educational ad- vantages in the public schools, while his lei- sure time was passed in assimilating the prin- ciples of modern agriculture. He remained in the county of Seward until 1884, when he moved to Nance county. There he remained until 1906, when he came to Custer county, having received assurance of the fertility of the land and of other advantages and oppor- tunities here. He has had no chance to regret his move, for his ventures in this locality have been uniformly satisfactory and successful. At the present time Mr. Synder is the owner of a farm of 160 acres, which is in a high state of cultivation, and on which he has modern improvements and handsome and substantial buildings, this attractive farmstead being located in section 26, township 71. Here he carries on farming in an up-to-date way, and makes a specialty of growing corn and raising hogs, in both of which fields of endeavor he has been markedly successful. Mr. Synder takes a good citizen's interest in matters pertaining to the welfare of his com- munity, but has not been attracted by politics or public life. He and his wife hold member- ship in the Evangelical church.

Mr. Synder first married Miss Martha Ro- der, who is now deceased. Prior to her mar- riage, the present Mrs. Synder was Miss Esther Wischmeier.

EMIL C. OHME. - This name belongs on the roster of pioneers. It belongs to a man who is a native of Nebraska and practically all of his life has been spent in Custer county. There are few if any who have lived here longer than he. He was less than one year of age when his parents brought him here and has been a constant resident of the county

for forty-four years. He was born in Omaha, August 26, 1873, and is a son of Frank and Caroline (Smith) Ohme, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume.

It was here in the early days of the county that Emil spent his boyhood and here he grew to manhood. It was in the first school of the county that he acquired his early education, and here he began life for himself. February 21, 1896, he married Luella Thomas, a daugh- ter of Isaac and Rachel (Connor) Thomas, both of whom were early settlers in Valley county. Her father is deceased and her mother is still living, making her home with Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Ohme.

Mr. and Mrs. Emil Ohme have eight child- ren : Frank is serving in the United States navy and is captain of a gun crew on the cruiser "Seattle"; Sylvia married Frank Spear and lives west of Comstock; Ernest, Bernice, Caroline, Harold, Rachel, and Emil, Jr., are still at home.

Emil Ohme is the owner of 560 acres, with good improvements, $5,000 having been spent the last year in improvements. The stock on the place are of a good grade and show that good care is given them. The family are in- terested in community development and im- provement. They have a host of friends who agree that they are entitled to the prosperity that has come to them.

CLARK J. STEVENS. - From the time of his arrival in Custer county, Clark J. Stevens has been continuously identified with prominent interests at Ansley - connected with the rising mercantile, industrial, financial, and civic interests of the community - and there is probably no other man who has con- tributed in greater degree or in more diversi- fied ways to the development of this section. Merchant, banker, miller, farmer, and promo- ter of public-spirited undertakings, he has at all times wielded a beneficial influence, and his work has been constructive and helpful.

Mr. Stevens was born May 10, 1861, at Salem, New York, and is a son of Clark A. and Julia A. (Rice) Stevens. His paternal grandfather was Franklin Stevens, who spent his life in his native state of New York, and his maternal grandfather, Roswell Rice, also a life-long resident of: the Empire state, was a wealthy business man, and virtual founder of the Jerome B. Rice Seed Company. Clark A. Stevens was born in Washington county, New York, but passed the greater part of his ca- reer at North Adams, Massachusetts, where he was a successful shoe merchant, his death

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

1111

CLARK J. STEVENS

1112

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASK.1

occurring at Salem, New York. He was a Republican, and his religious faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is that of his widow, who now resides at Kingston, New York. They had two children: Clark J., of this review, and Harriett O., the wife of J. E. Browning, a capitalist of New York city.

Clark J. Stevens was educated at Salem, New York, where he was graduated in the high school and also a business college. He received his first banking experience with the First National Bank of Hoosick Falls, New York, an institution of which he was teller for seven years. In 1886 he came to Ansley and became the first banker of this community, continuing in the banking business until 1902, when he sold his interests to Clarence Mackey. He had large holdings also in the Bank of Commerce, the Bank of Broken Bow, and the Bank of Mason City, and was and is still ac- counted one of the best informed banking men in this part of the state. When he left the banking business, in 1902, he engaged in mer- cantile pursuits, and in this direction has achieved a like success, his store now being the largest in the town, with an extended sup- porting patronage on the part of the represen- tative people of this section. Mr. Stevens' splendid business abilities were also directed for fifteen years to the ownership and manage- ment of a mill, but after his milling property was destroyed by fire he retired from that field of endeavor. His progressive spirit led him to establish the first telephone company here, of which he has been president for a number of years; and he was likewise the builder of the first electric-light plant west of Grand Island, of which he was the operator and president of the company for fifteen years. In each of these directions his business trans- actions have been handled in a manner that has left his record without a blemish, and his associates and those who have known him in business dealings have found him a man of the strictest integrity. His faith in the future of his adopted community has been expressed by his investment in realty, and at present he is the owner of two well improved and highly cultivated Custer county farms.

Mr. Stevens was married ( first) to Miss Carrie McNaughton, by whom he had four children, of whom two are living: Florence E., the wife of Dr. Richard Harvey, a practic- ing physician of San Francisco, California; and J. Eugene. employed as engineer of the State Harbor Commission, of San Francisco. In 1903 Mr. Stevens married Miss Anna Green, of Seward, Nebraska. Mr. Stevens has long been prominent in Masonry. He has filled

all the offices of the blue lodge, has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, is a Knight Templar, and is also a noble of the Mystic Shrine. A Republican in politics, he has been interested in civic affairs, and has rendered his community helpful service as a member of the town board for a long period and as a member of the school board for fifteen years.

CHARLES D. LAMB, who is a prosper- ous business man of Mason City, to which place he came in 1918, is well known in Cus- ter county, where he has followed agricul- tural pursuits for many years. Mr. Lamb was born in Fremont county, Iowa, in 1871, and first came to Nebraska in 1894.

The parents of Mr. Lamb were Silas O. and Martha (Meeks) Lamb, the former of whom was born in Indiana, 1837, and the lat- ter in Indiana, in 1838. They had children as follows: Julian, who lives at Shenandoah, Page county, Iowa ; M. L., who owns a mov- ing-picture theater at Mason City ; Mrs. Ellen Mayer, who lives at Riverton, Iowa; James Elwood, who is employed by an elevator com- pany at Riverton ; Mrs. Marilla Carroll, who lives at Mason City; Mrs. Mattie Roberts, who lives at Riverton, Iowa; Charles D., of this sketch, who is in the garage business at Mason City ; Chester, who is a farmer in Cus- ter county ; and Ida, who is deceased. The mother of the above family died when fifty- four years of age, she having been a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also her husband, Silas O., who is one of the most venerable of the Methodist con- gregation in the community in which he yet lives. He moved from Indiana to Iowa and in 1867 bought what was known as the Riv- erton mill, which he operated for twenty years, in the meanwhile acquiring land in Fremont county. He is a Republican voter.

Charles D. Lamb attended the public schools in Fremont county, Iowa. In 1894 he first came to Nebraska but was called back to Iowa by the death of his mother, in 1895. He then came back to Nebraska and for three years worked as a railroad man. He spent four years in Cherry county, where he had success as a cattle and sheep man. In 1900 he bought 160 acres in Custer county, and here he lived until 1918, with the exception of two years in the lumber business in Ore- gon. In June, 1918, Mr. Lamb established himself in business at Mason City, erecting a fine garage there, its dimensions being 50 by 100 feet It is a modern structure in every particular. Mr. Lamb carries a complete line

1113

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

of automobile assessories, has expert me- chanicians in his employ, and does all kinds of car repairing.

Charles D. Lamb was united in marriage to Miss Cora M. Jenks, who was born in Vir- ginia, in 1876, and they have the following children : Leonard, Leah, Carrie, Mabel, Ed- ward, Lester, and Wilma, all attending school except Leonard, who is associated with his father in business. In his political views Mr. Lamb is a Socialist. Since coming to Mason City he was accorded evidence of popular confidence through election to the school board, but his business affairs engage his at- tention at the present time and he failed to qualify for office, although not failing in ap- preciation of the honor. He has not accepted many public offices but the county does not forget the excellent service he rendered it for nine years as road overseer.

ASMUS JESSEN chose Custer county for the operations of his lifetime. He was born at Kaffan, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, No- vember 27, 1849. He lived the major portion of his life in this county and here ended his days. He departed this life, in Custer county, on the 23d of December, 1915, aged sixty-six years and twenty-seven days. He came to Custer county twenty-eight years ago and got his start in land possessions by homesteading, he having immigrated to America in 1879. He met the conditions of the time, worked hard and made a fair success. In all his un- dertakings he was ably assisted by his wife whose maiden name was Lena C. Michels, and who is a native of Iowa, she being a daughter of Christopher and Gertrude Michels. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Jessen occurred April 27. 1905. The name of Mrs. Jessen's first husband was Hickey, and she has seven children, as here noted: Anna McClure, who lives in this county ; Christopher, who lives in Lincoln, where he conducts a real-estate busi- ness; Charles Hickey, who lives on a Custer farm: Jerry Hickey, who also is a Custer county farmer : Elizabeth Foran, who lives on a farm in this county; James, who also farms in this county; and Rosella Tobey, who lives on the home place. Mrs. Jessen continues to reside on the home place, has 600 acres in all, with good improvements and a fine grade of stock. Her father was a pioneer Nebraskan who homesteaded in Sa- line county. He was the first stone-mason in that section of the country, although the first house he himself occupied was made of hay. The second was made of logs. He was the first of any of the relations to come to Custer

county, at which time he possessed but a team and wagon. He was a man of intelligence and public spirit and served as justice of the peace both in Saline county and Custer county. He also was a school officer. He belonged to the Catholic church. There were eleven children in this family, three of whom are dead. Joe lives in Michigan; John and Henry and Katie Bass lived near Merna; August lives near Arnold; Elizabeth Mona- han lives in Colorado; Charles lives in Colo- rado, and his son lives with Mrs. Jessen.

Mr. Jessen was a progressive citizen, was a member of the German Lutheran church, and was affiliated with the American Brother- hood. Since his death Mrs. Jessen has been conducting the general farming operations so long carried on under the direction of her late husband, and she has made a decided suc- cess. She has also continued his interest and service in local or community affairs. For the last seven years she has been a member of the school board, in which capacity she has rendered splendid servivce. She is a woman of force and ability and has brought her farm into the list of paying, profitable Custer county ranches.

Mr. Jessen is survived by one sister, who remains in Germany, and by two brothers, John and William, who are residents of the state of Pennsylvania.

ARTHUR C. SHAW, who proudly claims Custer county as his birthplace, is one of the substantial men of this section and is prosper- ing in all his farm undertakings. He belongs to one of the early pioneer families of the county and the name of Shaw is well known not only in agricultural life but also in the cement industry, in which the father of Mr. Shaw has been financially interested since 1907, and which he has developed into a large business.

Arthur C. Shaw was born August 4, 1883, near Sargent, Nebraska. He is a son of D. M. and Mary (Courtney) Shaw, the second of a family of four children, namely: Earl L., who is employed as a bookkeeper in a business house at Roundup, Montana, mar- ried Ruth Pickle; Arthur C .; Jessie, who died at the age of nineteen years ; and Ethel, who is the wife of Lee Cooledge, of Central City, Nebraska, a commercial traveler for the Mu- tual Oil Company.

When the parents of Mr. Shaw came to Custer county, in 1878, they homesteaded two miles east of Sargent, and this land is yet owned by Mr. Shaw and is occupied and op- erated by Arthur C. Shaw. Through the

1114

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

HARVEY STOCKHAM AND FAMILY

1115

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

hard times that followed, many of the earliest settlers became so thoroughly discouraged that they gave up their land and returned to eastern states, but Mr. Shaw and his family were never willing to do that and the time came when they were well rewarded for their courage and determination. In those early days it sometimes seemed as if the elements were in league to drive the ill-prepared set- tlers from this neighborhood, and there is tradition that no winter was ever quite so se- vere as was the winter of 1889. It has often been demonstrated that people grow some- what indifferent when continually under the shadow of danger, hence in Custer county neighborhood social activities were not neg- lected and when Mrs. Shaw, mother of Arthur C., was invited to a party some little distance from home, she accepted, as did all the members of the Sager family near by, ex- cept Mrs. Sager herself. Mr. Shaw for- tunately had not given himself the treat of a little social intercourse but remained at home to take care of the children and keep the fires going, as the weather was bitterly cold and soon a blizzardly snow storm was sweeping over the prairie. As it grew worse, Mr. Shaw remembered their neighbor, Mrs. Sager, who had been left entirely alone by the merry- makers. With that feeling of neighborly re- sponsibility that even yet is sometimes appar- ent among these worthy people who have weathered hard times together, he struggled through the snow to her home, probably a sod house, and found her greatly in need of help, and he remained to attend to her fires and cook her some food. Then he started back home and probably would never have reached there except for being blown against a wire fence, which gave him something to hold to, and he finally reached home almost dead with the cold. The storm kept Mrs. Shaw at the home of her entertainers for three days. In 1911 Mr. Shaw retired from the farm and moved to Sargent. He has been interested in the cement business since 1907 and expanded its scope at Sargent and still carries on this enterprise.

Arthur C. Shaw obtained his education in the public schools of Sargent. He has always lived on his father's farm and has the entire management of the same, carrying on its in- dustries very successfully. He raises fine crops that reflect credit on his farm knowl- edge and methods, and raises also some of the best standard stock in the county - Aber- deen-Angus cattle and Poland China hogs in particular. Mr. Shaw is unmarried. In politics he is a Democrat. He has always taken a great deal of interest in all movements

that have promised substantial development and feels justified in asserting that the pres- ent generation should never forget how help- ful in bringing about present conditions were that sturdy band, their pioneer fathers and mothers, who sometimes stood, as in military parlance, "with their backs to the wall," and still overcame drouth, storm, insect pests, disease, poverty and hunger. Some of these have passed on, but others yet remain and have been priviledged to enjoy a measure of recompense for their labors.

HARVEY STOCKHAM, who is one of Custer county's successful agriculturists and representative citizens, came here thirty-five years ago and still owns, with much other val- uable property, his original homestead. Mr. Stockham was born in Scioto county, Ohio, April 18, 1863, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Bennett) Stockham.

When Harvey Stockham was a boy, on ev- ery convenient location on various farms in many states, might at some time or another, be seen the lazily rising smoke from the char- coal pits, for then the burning of charcoal was a profitable industry, carried on, as it was, after primitive methods. His father's occupa- tion in Scioto county was the burning of char- coal, but as a charcoal collier William Stock- ham did not find himself able to lay aside much for the future, as he had nine children to pro- vide for, and thus came about his resolution to move to Nebraska, secure a homestead, and through agricultural industry, find a compe- tency. In 1864, three years before Nebraska became a state, he visited the territory and bought a farm in Cass county, and in the fall of 1865, with his family and household goods, he started with team and wagon to make the long journey across the country. The travelers reached Clarke county, Iowa, when the father was stricken with typhoid fever, and he died at Osceola, that state. Three days later, the baby daughter, Mary, succumbed also and her ashes rest at Albia, Iowa. There was nothing for the desolated wife and mother to do but to continue on the way, and finally the new home in Cass county was reached. There the mother and children all lived until the latter were grown. In 1875 the mother married E. H. Russell.

Harvey Stockham recalls very distinctly many of the hardships of pioneer life, in both Cass and in Custer counties, to which latter county he came in 1883. Of his parents' fam- ily the following reached maturity: James, Samuel, William, Joseph, Ilarvey, and David.

1116

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

JOHN YOHN

MIRS. JOHN YOHN

1117

HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Eliza. Hannah, and Mary all died in infancy. Mr. Stockham homesteaded the 160 acres on which he lives, and took a tree claim of 160 acres - a total of 320 acres. His homestead is situated on Red Fern Table, ten miles west of Oconto, and he has gradually added to his estate until he now has 480 acres of land- -- all of high value. He has devoted himself diligently to his farm industries for these many years and has met with entirely satisfactory results, his enterprise and good judgment, his courage and perseverance, all having been called upon largely within the many years Mr. Stockham has lived here.

Mr. Stockham was married January 4, 1893, near Lodi, Nebraska, to Miss Anna Thurman, who was born in Seward county, this state, and who died in Custer county, January 17, 1916. She was a daughter of Joseph and Re- becca (Schlonaker) Thurman. Mr. and Mrs. Stockham had one son and one daughter - Emery, who is a farmer in the county, con- ducts operations on both his own and his fa- ther's land, and Esther is the wife of Ray Walker, who is a farmer fifteen miles north- west of Oconto. Emery and Esther are twins. Einery was looking forward to donning a sol- dier's uniform and his friends, of whom there are many, know the uniform would have been creditably worn by him in the world war for universal freedom.

Mr. Stockham is a Democrat in politics, and he and his children belong to the Evangelical church. He is preparing to take things a little easier in the future, after practically retiring, and expects to purchase a winter home in the south.

FRANK OHME. - This is the name of a man who has been a resident of this county since the beginning of white man's occupation. He was among the very first of the early settlers and by reference to the historical part of this work you will find that he was the first man to file on land in Custer county, the land office being at Grand Island.

Mr. Ohme was born in Germany, February 13, 1844. His parents were Charles and Mary (Menike) Ohme, both of whom were natives of Germany and spent their entire lives in that country. Frank is the only sur- vivor of the family and the only one to come to America. Mr. Ohme came to America in 1869 and spent one year in Wisconsin, and then came to Nebraska and spent four years in Douglas and Sarpy counties. He came to Custer county in 1874 and located in the northeastern portion of the county. Here he

built a sod house and with the same plow turned the sod of the second, if not the first, field in Custer county. In 1873 he was mar- ried to Miss Caroline Smith a native of Ger- many, whose parents died in the fatherland. In that pioneer home privations and hardships were endured and here their four children were born, all of whom have now grown to manhood and womanhood. Emil is a farmer in this county; Emma is the wife of Frank Thomas, of Mitchell, Nebraska ; Otto is mar- ried and lives at Mitchell, Nebraska ; Oscar is married and lives near Sargent.

The achievements that Mr. and Mrs. Ohme have accomplished during these years is indi- cated in the fact that the homestead of 160 acres and a tree claim of forty acres have grown to a farm of over 1,000 acres and it is one of the best stock farms in this part of the country. In speaking of hardships Mr. Ohme recalls the grasshopper years of 1874-5-6. These were followed by years of plenty and from 1880 to 1890 Mr. Ohme raised an average of sixty bushels of corn to the acre. They well remember the Indian scare of the early days and one one occasion Mrs. Ohme and the children were sent to Loup City. In those years the country abounded with wild game and though Mr. Ohme was no hunter they always had plenty of. fresh meat. He exchanged potatoes, etc. for game. He is in- dependent in politics, so far as the home ticket is concerned, but in state and national affairs votes the Republican ticket. The name is one of the first in the county and they have always taken a leading part in the affairs of their community.

ROBERT YOHN. - Still rated among the younger generation of agriculturists in Custer county, Robert Yohn is one of the progressive and energetic tillers of the soil upon whoni much depends for the future prosperity of this section of Nebraska. He has spent his entire life within the county's borders and has an intimate knowledge of conditions pre- vailing here as pertaining to agricultural mat- ters - a knowledge gained through experience and one which is assisting him materially in his individual advancement.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 165

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