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 60

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 60

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iam A., a farmer of near Eagle, Nebraska, and a Republican, married Amy Roberts ; Polly is the wife of William Sharp, for years a farmer at Eagle, and now at Trenton, a Re- publican and a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church; Mary is the widow of J. D. Freeman, who died at Mercedes, California, in the spring of 1917, he having been a Demo- crat, a Modern Woodman, and a member of the Congregational church, to which Mrs. Freeman belongs; Fred J. is the subject of this review ; Orson K., a Mason and Republi- can, and farmer in Montana, married Lucy Allen, a daughter of Charles Allen ; and Thomas J., a Mason Republican and member of the Methodist Episcopal church, was for- merly a farmer and is now a resident of the San Luis Valley of Colorado: he married Maude Jackson, daughter of John O. Jackson of Custer county. The maiden name of Mrs. Fred J. Bahr was Lucy Timmerman, and she was born in Jefferson county, New York, a daughter of Henry Timmerman, and a direct descendant of a hero of the Revolutionary war. Her father was born March 8, 1796, and on November 19, 1820, married Polly Conley, who was born May 27, 1801, and who died May 6, 1876, Mr. Timmerman dying October 6, 1883. Her grandfather, Henry Timmer- man, was born in Montgomery county, New York, January 1, 1750, and in 1775 enlisted for service in the patriot army, for service in the war of the Revolution, under Captain Stuttel Yates. This command went on a cam- paign of eleven months into Canada, under General Montgomery, and its members were then discharged, at Quebec, Mr. Timmerman making his way back to his home, at Little Falls, on the Mohawk river. Drafted in 1776, he was sent to Ticonderoga and was out one month, and in the same year he was sent to assist in blockading Wood Creek; to Fort Stanwick, where there was a general engage- ment : and at the mouth of the Unadilla river. where he was stationed for about two weeks, under Major General Sylsen. In a campaign under Brigadier-General James Clinton, he fought against the western Indians and was then called into the militia service, which oc- cupied about one-quarter of his time until the year 1780. He then enlisted in the batteau service, under Captain Samuel Gray, and re- mained therein for two seasons, during which time he was supposed to be out from six to seven months. His wife bore the maiden name of Polly Kellas.

Fred J. Bahr was educated in the schools of Iowa and Nebraska, was reared as a farmer. a vocation which he adopted upon attaining his majority. When he disposed of his interests

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

MRS. JOHN J. DOUGLASS

JOHN J. DOUGLASS

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

in his native state, he came to Nebraska and secured a ranch of 400 acres, six miles north of Broken Bow, where he is making a success- ful specialty of raising the large type of Ches- ter-White hogs. In 1909 Mr. Bahr came to Broken Bow, where he established himself in the grain and coal business, and this line he has followed to the present time, his splendid business abilities having enabled him to build up a large and important industry.

Mr. Bahr married Miss Minnie Morris, and to this union there have been born three chil- dren: H. Morris, who is in the eleventh grade of the Broken Bow high school; Vivian M .. a teacher in the high school at Broken Bow, Nebraska ; and Frederick J., six years of age, who has just started to attend the Broken Bow public school.

DR. Q. HOWARD STEVENS. - While he is comparatively a newcomer in the city of Broken Bow, where he took up his residence and began practice in September, 1916, Dr. Q. Howard Stevens has succeeded in estab- Jishing himself firmly in a position of promin- ence in professional circles, as well as in the confidence of the public. He is a native of the state of Nebraska, having been born at Mil- lard, Douglas county, February 11. 1870, a son of George F. and Mary C. Stevens.

George F. Stevens was born in Maine and was a young man when he moved to Nebraska, in 1856, Mrs. Stevens immigrating to the United States from Denmark in the year fol- lowing and taking up her home in this state also. They were married at Omaha, being residents of that place when it was but a small village, with little promise of its coming great- ness, but later they took up land at the pres- ent site of Millard, the town being located on their old pre-emption claim.

Quincy Howard Stevens passed his boyhood and youth in eastern Nebraska. He received his preliminary educational training in the pub- lic schools, and subsequently attended Fre- mont College, where he had a creditable career and graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and Graduate in Pharmacy. On leaving college he found him- self equipped for educational work, and there- after he served as superintendent of public schools in several communities. While en- gaged in these labors he prepared himself as an optical refractionist. He attended the Needles Institute of Optometry, in Kansas City, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Optometry, and following this he was for a time engaged in practice at Omaha, in the meantime teaching

in the Omaha Optical School. He located at Broken Bow September 1, 1916, and has since had a successful practice. He possesses a natural love for his profession and an earnest desire to assist his ailing fellow humans. His slogan: "See Stevens and See Better" is ex- . pressive and characteristic. His office is lo- cated in the Bow, where he has a complete optical equipment for testing eyes and making and fitting glasses that give comfort and good vision.

Mrs. Stevens was formerly Miss Elvira Morris, and she was an instructor in the publc schools of Columbus City prior to her mar- riage. There is one son, Howard B., aged ten years.

JOHN J. DOUGLASS, who is now one of the highly esteemed retired citizens of Call- away, has the distinction of being one of the three surviving organizers of Custer county. For forty-three years he has resided within the borders of this county, during which time he has seen the country grow and has assisted it in its development, his experiences having included the various conditions, incidents, and eras of life here from the rough and rugged happenings of the frontier days to the refine- ments and conveniences of modern civilized existence.

Mr. Douglass was born March 17. 1845, at Sabina, Ohio, and is a son of Thompson and Ann (Coulter) Douglass, the former a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, and the latter of Ireland. His paternal grandparents, James and Mary (Taylor ) Douglass were born in Scotland and were early settlers in Ohio. There were three sons and three daughters in the family: Albert, Sarah J .. John J., Flora A., George, and Arminda, of whom Sarah J. and Albert are deceased. The common schools, which he attended during the winter terms. furnished John J. Douglass with his educational training, and until he was sixteen years of age he remained under the parental roof and assisted his father. At that time, however, he became restless, and, desir- ing to do something on his own account, ac- cepted a position as clerk in a dry-goods and grocery store. He started at a wage of eight dollars a month, and during the four years that he was thus employed he was gradually given advancement, but he finally decided that mercantile life was not his forte, and he re- turned to farming, in which he was engaged for two years. About this time - not long aft- er the close of the Civil war - he contracted the western fever, and in 1868 he came to Ne-

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

braska, settling at Falls City. Richardson county, in the extreme southeast corner of the state. It is worthy of note that he made the entire journey of 1.100 miles, from Sabina to Falls City, on horseback - a big job for one horse and quite an undertaking for a young man who did not know the country. All- northern Missouri at that early date was thinly settled, and hundreds of stone and brick chim- neys, known as "Lincoln monuments" at that time, were all left to show what had been pros- perous homes before the ravages of war der- astated the country. Arriving at Falls City in 1868, he secured employment as clerk with the mercantile firm of Reavis & Cameron. It was his desire at this time to venture further out on the frontier, and his plans for such a move had been practically completed when an incident occurred that dissuaded him from his desire at that time to get into the big-game country. A party of United States surveyors went out on the Republican river to survey government land, and the entire party was ambushed by hostile Indians and massacred to a man. Mr. Douglass' friends persuaded him to abandon his trip, and he eventually returned to Ohio, where he remained several years, until the Indians were quieted.

In January, 1875, Mr. Douglass again left his Ohio home to return to the country which had gained such a hold upon him during his first trip, and he arrived here on the 6th day of that month. From Missouri he drove in a bunch of cattle, which he held on the Platte river during the summer, and during that time came to Custer county and located a ranch for the Rankin Live Stock Company. about a mile west of the present site of Call- away. Subsequently he went down into the Indian Nation and brought this concern's cattle, about 800 head, to the ranch, as well as about 150 head of his own, which he had been holding on the Platte river. He was hired as foreman for this company and worked for them in that capacity about two years, or from 1876 to 1878, following which he put in about five years riding the range as a cowboy. Eventually he secured a large bunch of cattle of his own, and as the years passed he secured larger and larger business interests, so that finally he became one of the leading business men of the community, as well as an influen- tial factor in financial circles. At the present time he is retired from active business pur- suits and lives in his handsome and comfort- able modern house at Callaway.

Mr. Douglass was married January 19. 1892, to Miss May Taylor, who was born in Marion county, Iowa, a daughter of Edgar

and Sarah Margaret (Williams) Taylor. Mrs. Douglass' maternal grandparents had been res- idents of Missouri, but when the Civil war came on they were sympathizers with the Union cause and were compelled to abandon their home and move to lowa, where they lived until after the days of secession, of conflict. and of reconstruction. Mrs. Douglass received her education in the public schools of Iowa, attending the high school at Missouri Valley and later completing a normal course at the Woodbine Normal school, at Woodbine, that state. She taught several terms of school in Harrison and Monroe counties and then came, in July. 1888, to visit a friend at Broken Bow. As teachers were not plentiful, she was asked by Charles Randall, then county superinten- dent, to accept a school at Berwyn, a few miles east of Broken Bow. She accepted the school. and completed the term with much credit to herself as well as the district. About that time this school closed, and she was offered a position in the office of her future husband. who was clerk of the district court. She ac- cepted this position and held the same for four years, or until the expiration of Mr. Douglass' term of office, soon after which they were married and went to live on Mr. Douglass' farm, just west of Callaway.

The country, however, was swept over by drouths, which left desolation in their wake. and great hardships were thus endured by those who could not turn to some other work than farming. Mrs. Douglass again took up school work, teaching for ten months the first year, with only a few days between terms, and she had begun on the third term when she received an appointment to a position in the state land commissioner's office, at Lin- coln, which she accepted and held until she resigned to come home and work in the post- office, her husband having been appointed postmaster during her absence. She held the position of assistant postmaster for seven years. In March, 1906. Mrs. Douglass took a post in the Seven Valleys Bank, which she held for over a year, when she again engaged in school work, and she has taught continu- ously since that time, with the sole exception of one year. during which she attended the Kearney State Normal School She spent the summer of 1915 in the office of State Super- intendent A. O. Thomas; thus her entire time has been devoted to some phase of school work for the last fifteen years. She has assisted several of the county superintendents of Cus- ter county in giving teachers' examinations. and in many other ways she has aided those interested in educational work.

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

During all the years in which Mrs. Douglass has taught in the rural schools of Nebraska, it has been her boast that she has never missed a day from school on account of the weather, although she has faced many a snow storm and even severe blizzards in making her trips to and from school. She has been blessed with exceptionally good health and possesses an en- ergy that equals and exceeds that of almost any other woman in the state. By attending teachers' institutes and also the summer ses- sions of the State Normal School, she has kept pace with the times in the progress made in the various departments of school work. Be- sides her school work, Mrs. Douglass is an active member of several lodges, the church. with its various organization, and a number of clubs. She is one woman who is happy at having cast her lot in Nebraska and she often declares that she would not exchange her little cottage at Callaway for a mansion in the far east.

Mr. Douglass is one of the thirteen men who organized Custer county, and of the number only three are living in the summer of 1918- A. L. Wise, Milo F. Young, and Mr. Douglass. He has always been prominent and active in the affairs of the county, having been elected clerk of the first district court of Custer county. in 1887, an office which he held for four years. His election came ten years after the organiza- tion of the county, the work in the meantime having been done by the county clerk. He also served as postmaster during a long period, besides holding various other offices, and his public record is an excellent one. While now living in retirement, he is still interested in county affairs, and his latch-string is always out to his many friends of the olden and later days. Mr. Douglass is fraternally identified with the Mystic Legion. He is a Republican, is an advocate of woman suffrage, and his re- ligious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church.

THOMAS H. BROWN has been identified with railroading ever since he entered upon his career as a lad of seventeen years, and his experiences therein have brought him into con- nection with the systems of both the United States and England. Mr. Brown, who is now cashier of the Burlington Route at Broken Bow, was born in Yorkshire, England, January 29, 1880, and is a son of Edward and Eleanor (Mudd) Brown.

The vocation now followed by Thomas H. Brown is.one which has had the services of the family during a long period, for his

father was a depot agent in England. his native land, for more than forty years, and there he died when still in the service of one of the big railways. He was a well known man in his calling, as he was also in the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he was a member for many years. Mrs. Brown, also a native of England, survives her hus- band and still resides in that country. There were two sons and four daughters in the fam- ily, and of the five children now living only two are in the United States: Elizabeth, the wife of George Thompson, a farmer near Edgemont, South Dakota ; and Thomas H., the subject of this sketch. The family be- longs to the Church of England.

Thomas H. Brown was given a public- school education in England, and when he was seventeen years old an opportunity presented itself for him to take up railroading. Having a natural inclination in that direction, he ac- cepted his chance and thus gained much ex- perience and won promotion before coming to the United States, January 31, 1911. Going direct to Edgemont, South Dakota, he secured employment in the office of the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railroad, where his work im- pressed the officials favorably, and in Decem- ber, 1912, he was transferred to the office at Broken Bow and placed in the position of cashier. He has since retained this post and has concentrated all his energies in the dis- charge of his official duties. During his resi- dence here, Mr. Brown has become widely ac- quainted, both with railroad men and others, and has succeeded in establishing a number of warm and sincere friendships.

In February, 1912, at Hot Springs, South Dakota, Mr. Brown married Miss Annie Veronica Stockdale, who was born in Eng- land, and to this union there has come one son, John Edward, who is now attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are members of the Protestant Episcopal church. He is a Democrat in his political views, and is fra- ternally identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America.

CHARLES F. BRAMER. - Classed with the well-to-do and highly esteemed citizens of Custer county, Charles F. Bramer has won well merited success in the field of farming and stock-raising, and since his advent in this locality, in 1907, has steadily advanced in po- sition and prominence. He is a native of Ger- many. born at Labes, Pomerania, in 1863. a son of Fred and Amelia (Aldrich) Bramer.

Fred Bramer, a farmer by vocation, immi-

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grated to the United States with his family in 1885 and settled in Saline county, Nebraska, where he followed agricultural pursuits dur- ing the remainder of his life, achieved a mod- erate degree of success, and died at the age of seventy years. He and his wife were the parents of the following children: Albert, who is engaged in farming in the neighbor- hood of Stamford, Nebraska ; Ricka, who still resides in Germany ; Mrs. Amelia Myers, of Shickley, Nebraska; Mrs. Ida Schmidt, who is deceased : Mrs. Lena Bielke, whose husband is a farmer at St. Michel; Charles F., who is the subject of this notice; Fred, who is a ranchman of this state; and Herman, who is identified with a lumber company in the state of Washington.

Charles F. Bramer received his education in the public schools of Germany and had just passed into his majority when he left his na- tive land and immigrated to the United States. He first located in Saline county, Nebraska, in 1884, but fourteen years later he removed to Buffalo county, where he continued agricul- tural pursuits until coming to Custer county, in 1907. His operations here have all been along the line of general farming and stock-raising. and in each field he has achieved an enviable success. At this time he is the owner of a well cultivated farm located in section 16. township 71, where he has good buildings and other improvements, and his standing in his community is that of a capable farmer, an honorable business man, and a citizen of in- tegrity. Mr. Bramer belongs to the Royal Highlanders, and he and the members of his family are members of the Evangelical church

Mr. Bramer was married in 1889 to Bertha Schroeder, and they have the following chil- dren : Clara Mitchell; Gertrude Boyd, of Ansley: Minnie Porath, of Wyoming; and Ben, Clarence, Edwin, John, Elsie, Bertha, and Mabel, all residing with their parents.

RIIINEHART PORATH .- One of the fine farms of the southeastern part of Custer county is the property of Rhinehart Porath. It comprises 720 acres of rich and arable land, and the well tilled fields surround substantial buildings - a pleasant residence, commodious barns, and excellent ontbuildings. Mr. Po- rath, the proprietor, has been a resident of Custer county since 1891, and during the period of his residence here he has advanced himself, through industry and careful and in- telligent management, to a position among the leading agriculturists of the locality. He was born in Pommern, Germany, in 1860, and is a son of William and Fredericka Porath.

The parents of Mr. Porath, who passed their entire lives in Germany, were farming people in moderate circumstances, and devoted themselves to the making of a comfortable home. They were faithful members of the Lutheran Reformed church, and died in that faith, the father when sixty-four years of age, and the mother at the age of sixty-three years. They were the parents of the following chil- dren: Rhinehart, the only one in America, and Mrs. Amelia Kreoger, Gustav, Emma, and Heinrich, all of whom live on farms in Ger- many. Rhinehart Porath received his educa- tion in the schools of his native land and was variously employed, principally at farming, until he came to the United States, in 1883. First settling in Wisconsin, he spent one year there, and he then came to Nebraska, where for two years he was employed in Saline county. In 1886 he entered the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, dur- ing the construction of that company's line from Mason City to Litchfield, and he worked also for several contractors. He has memories of the latter connection still, for there are still three weeks of unpaid wages due him by a contractor named Reynolds. He also worked at Miller during the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad, but finally returned to farm- ing, when, in 1891, he bought a relinquishment in Custer county. To his original purchase he has added from time to time, as his finances have allowed, and at the present day he has 720 acres in his property. A large amount of this land is under cultivation and devoted to general farming, and Mr. Porath also has met with much success as a raiser of horses, cattle. and hogs. He is a man of sound business ability, and is one of the most practical and progressive agriculturists of the community. He uses the most improved machinery in the development and other operations of his farm, owning his own implements and doing his own repair work, and he finds an automobile of great value to him in the daily course of his business duties. He has been content to keep absorbed in his agricultural affairs and has not aspired to prominence in public life, but as a citizen has been strong in his support of con- structive legislation.

In 1898 Mr. Porath was united in marriage to Amelia Miller. of Swanton, Nebraska, and they became the parents of the following chil- dren : Benjamin, who is married and resides on a homestead in Wyoming; Ludwig, who is married and resides on a claim in the same state ; Margaret, who is married and lives in Buffalo county, Nebraska; Hilda, who is the wife of a Custer county farmer ; and Paul, Lena, John, Eunice, Edmond, and Wilma, all

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of whom remain at the parental home. Mr. and Mrs. Porath are members of the Evan- gelical church, and they attend the church of this denomination at Mason City. The plea- sant Porath residence is located in section 27, township 71.

HARRY C. KIMBALL, one of the sub- stantial business men of Broken Bow, has been engaged in the undertaking business here since 1904 and holds the oldest state license in Custer county. He was born January 29, 1878, at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a son of Ken- drick W. Kimball, and a grandson of Kendrick Kimball, a native of Ireland and an early set- tler of Wisconsin, where he was engaged in farming.

Kendrick W. Kimball was born in Wiscon- sin, and is one of the few old settlers of Cus- ter county who still own their old home- steads. He came to this county in 1882, in the spring of which year he located in Clear Creek valley, east of Westerville, and for many years he actively followed farming in- dustry. He is now in retirement and makes his home at Ansley, where he is surrounded by every comfort. He is a member of the Christian church, belongs to the Modern Woodmen, and is a Republican in his politi- cal view. In 1876, at Stockbridge, Wiscon- sin, he married Miss Myra Bourne, a daugh- ter of Frank Bourne, of English descent, who was for twenty-eight years a sailor on whaling vessels and who visited many of the ports of the world. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kimball : Harry C. is the sub- ject of this review ; Mary Alice, is the wife of Arthur Anderson, a farmer living eight miles northeast of Ansley, Nebraska; Jessie M. is the wife of John Hall, a farmer near Ansley ; Bert F., a farmer living northeast of Berwyn, this county, and a Woodman and Odd Fellow, married Mabel House ; Kendrick C. is an electrical engineer of Trident, Mon- tana, and is a Mason and Woodman ; Ruth is the wife of Uriah S. Lowden, a farmer on the old Kimball homestead, near Westerville ; and Theo George, a high-school graduate and member of the Woodmen, is working as an electrical engineer, with his brother at Tri- dent, Montana.

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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 60

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