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 63

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 63

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November 7. 1916. Judge Dean was elected judge of the supreme court for a term of six years. At that election there were six candi- dates for the supreme bench. three of whom were elected. They were not the candidates of any political party but appeared as individ- nals on a separate ballot, without party desig- nation. The total vote for supreme judge in Custer county that year was 5,163, and of these

Judge Dean received 4,024 votes. His decisions and written opinions are said to have the merit of such brevity as is consistent with clearness. Those written by him during his appointive term are in volumes 83, 84, and 85 of the Ne- braska Supreme Court Reports and volumes 120 to 124 of the Northwestern Reporter. His opinions for his present elective term begin in volume 100 of the Nebraska Reports, and the current Northwestern Reporters beginning with volume 161. Some of his opinions ap- pear in "Lawyers Reports Annotated" and in other legal publications.

Northeast of Broken Bow Judge Dean has some land where he successfully grows alfalfa. In 1910 he become interested in this plant, and now he has almost 100 acres that yield from two to three crops yearly.

GEORGE I. SELLON, M. D., city physi- cian of Broken Bow, has been one of the prominent members of his profession here since 1912, and his splendid acquirements have served to attract to him a large profes- sional following, while his standing among his fellow practitioners has led to his being the recipient of various honors in the Custer County Medical Society. Doctor Sellon was born at Murray, Jowa, July 24, 1882, and is a son of Henry and Alice (Swickard) Sellon.

Henry Sellon was born in Illinois, the son of a Methodist Episcopal minister who came to the United States from England. For a time Henry Sellon was engaged in farming in his native state, but after his marriage to Miss Swickard, who was a native of Pennsyl- vania, he went to Iowa and purchased a farm in the vicinity of Murray. Clarke county. About 1895 the family home was changed to Wyoming, in which state the mother's death occurred. and Mr. Sellon subsequently went to Harding, Arkansas, where he is living on his own farm. There were four children in the family, of whom three are living: Stella. who is the wife of C. P. Budd, a stockman of Marbletown, Wyoming: Edward L .. who served as a soldier during the Spanish- American war and died soon after the close of that struggle: George I., who is the sub- ject of this sketch: and Mabel. the wife of Dr. C. D. Stafford, a practicing physician of Kemmerer, Wyoming. Mr. Sellon is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church and in polities is a Republican.

George I. Sellon attended the public schools of Murray, lowa, and the high school at Evanston, Wyoming, following which he pur- sued a course in the Wyoming State Univer-

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

sity, at Laramie. There he was graduated in 1905, with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Philosophy. After his gradu - ation he engaged in educational work, and for three years he was superintendent of schools at Cumberland, Wyoming, but his preferred profession was that of medicine, and he accordingly entered the medical col- lege of the Nebraska State University, being graduated in 1912, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. During his final year at college he worked as an interne in the Swedish Hos- pital at Omaha, and following his graduation, fully prepared, he came to Broken Bow and established himself in practice. He has been very successful in the building up of a large professional business and while his practice is of a general character, he has made some- what of a specialty of diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat, of which he has made a particular and thorough study, and a field in which he has gained some reputation. Dr. Sellon is serving as city physician of Broken Bow. He belongs to the Custer County Medi- cal Society, of which he was secretary in 1915 and president in 1917, and he holds membership also in the Nebraska State Medi- cal Society and the American Medical Asso- ciation. He enjoys an excellent reputation as a physician who closely observes the highest professional ethics. Politically he supports the Republican party. In Masonry he has risen to high rank, belonging to the Scottish Rite bodies and also the Mystic Shrine.

In 1912 Dr. Sellon married Miss Myrtle L. Leffler, who was born at Exeter, Nebraska, a daughter of F. J. Leffler, who served through the Civil war and was an early settler of Ne- braska. To this union has been born one son : Dale 1., now three years old. Mrs. Sellon is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

WILLIAM E. HEAPS, who is a fine ex- ample of the thrifty, enterprising farming class of Custer county, was born on his father's farm seven miles northeast of Broken Bow, March 8, 1888. His parents are Charles G. and Elzina (Wheeler ) Heaps, both of whom were born in Indiana, from which state they came to Custer county, Ne- braska; in its early days of permanent settle- ment. They are highly respected farming people and are members of the Baptist church. They have the following children : Oliver, Frank, William E., Charles, Rex, Ada, Margaret, and Leone. The father belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and in politics votes with the Populist party.

William E. Ileaps obtained his education

by attending the public schools in the winter time, and he remained at home assisting his father until he was twenty years of age. The first money he earned for himself was fifty cents a day, paid him by Joseph Holcomb. He has been frugal and industrious and he owns what is known as the Peter Mohat place, situated six miles north of Broken Bow, and consisting of 600 acres of valuable Nebraska soil.

Mr. Heaps was married June 11, 1913, to Miss Velma Smith, who is a daughter of Charles and Rose (McGraw) Smith, and a granddaughter of James McGraw. Mr. and Mrs. Heaps have three children : Marie H., Clarence G., and Lois M. He belongs to the Baptist church.

LON DAVIS, a substantial retired farmer now residing in Custer county, owns a large amount of valuable property in the vicinity of Broken Bow - forty acres adjoining the city and 420 acres situated two miles to the east. He came first to Nebraska in the spring of 1882, and although farming and cattle- raising have been his main industries since then, there is one interval which he recalls with a great deal of interest, that being sev- eral years during which he rode the range as a cowboy. Mr. Davis was born in the village of McCarthy, Ohio, July 2, 1850. His par- ents were David A. and Louisa ( Davis) Davis, his paternal grandparents coming from Wales and his maternal ancestors from Eng- land. By trade his father was a stonecutter. He belonged to the order of Odd Fellows and he and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They had seven children, namely: Lon, Charles, Ellsworth, William M., Benjamin F., Hannah, and Clara B. Al! of these children are living except Hannah.

Lon Davis lived at home in Jackson county, Ohio, until he was eight years old and after that made his home for some years with Hon. H. S. Bunday, then a member of congress. who was the father-in-law of Senator For- aker. In the spring of 1882 Mr. Davis came from Ohio to Dawson county, Nebraska, and for the two succeeding years he lived near Trapper's Grove, two miles east of Sumner, moving then to the vicinity of Georgetown, on the South Loup river. In the spring of 1886 he rode the range and trailed cattle down the South Loup river from the Streeter Woods ranch to Glendive, Montana. With his cow- boy comrades he assisted in ferrying the cattle across the Yellowstone river and then drove the cattle 150 miles northwest, to the new ranch. During this trip they went through

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Rapid City and the Black Hills and had se- rious times in their efforts to get water while passing through the 100-mile strip known as the Bad Lands, in South Dakota. Mr. Davis has many entertaining stories to relate con- cerning cowboy life as he experienced it while with the H-3 ranch on Running Water, and his description of the method of a round- up is very interesting. When a roundup is started different camps are located where water and feed are plentiful. A large terri- tory is worked and the cattle are driven in and "night-herded" until many miles of terri- tory have been included, when the bunches of cattle are all thrown together and each outfit cuts out its own brand and then works them back to their own range. The roundup was often the scene of much sport, and sometimes remarkable horsemanship was displayed in cutting out and branding the calves. Fre- quently also the "boys" engaged in riding contests after their business was completed, and their equestrian skill has long been the theme of verse and story, besides which, it may be added, it frequently has been a main feature in motion-picture work, in recent years.

Mr. Davis was married at Broken Bow. September 3. 1890, to Miss Emma Sander- son, who is a daughter of John and Hannah S. (Chapman) Sanderson, and a grand- daughter of John and Hannah ( Watson ) Sanderson. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have five children . Mrs. Clara B. Taylor, Mrs. Ruth A. Copsey, Ina M., Alon E., and Elbert D. Miss Ina M. Davis is a popular teacher. The family belongs to the Presbyterian church. Mr. Davis is a good citizen but not a seeker for office. In politics he is a Republican.

W. H. PENN, who is now numbered among the substantial business men of Broken Bow, has been the architect of his own fortune, and, having based his life's structure on substantial foundations, has builded sound - ly and well. When he entered upon his ca- reer he was possessed of little save inherent ability and a determination to succeed, and these have been sufficient, through their de- velopment, to enable him to become a well- to-do merchant in a community that does not lack for able men.

Mr. Penn was born in Linn county, Iowa. December 18, 1866, a son of Charles and Emily (Swecker) Penn, a sketch of whose career will be found in the review of Charles Penn elsewhere in this work. He attended the public schools of York, Nebraska, and was sixteen years of age when he accompanied his

parents to Broken Bow, where his first work was in the official capacity of deputy sheriff under his father, who was at that time sheriff of Custer county. His strict attention to duty in that position gained him public confidence. and he was subsequently made city marshal, an office which he held for one year, but eventually he turned his attention to mercan- tile pursuits, accepting a position as clerk in one of Broken Bow's stores. After twelve years of experience in this direction, he engaged in the clothing business on his own account, and subsequently he added dry goods, shoes and men's furnishing goods. The firm name is now Penn & Rodgers Company, and the establishment carries a large and up-to- date line of attractive goods, its trade having grown and developed from a small beginning to a point where four clerks are given regular employment and extra help is needed for Sat- urday night's business. Mr. Penn is ac- counted an energetic, thoroughly capable and strictly honorable man of business, and his standing and reputation are high in commer- cial circles and with the general public.

In 1895 Mr. Penn was united in marriage to Miss Maude Hurless, who was born in Iowa, a daughter of John and Mary E. Hur- less. The Hurless family resided for a few years in Iowa, but in the '80s came to Ne- braska, where Mr. Hurless and his wife passed away. For many years Mr. Hurless was a railroad man, principally employed in bridge construction work, as a foreman To. Mr. and Mrs. Penn there have been born five children: Charles, who is identified with the Bell Telephone Company, at Bridgeport, Ne- braska ; Louise, who resides with her parents ; Harry, who is attending a school of wireless telegraphy at Minneapolis: and John and Winifred, also students, at home. Mrs. Penn is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Penn is fraternally identified with the blue lodge and chapter of the Ma- sonic order. A Republican in politics, he is influential in his party, and has taken a keen interest and helpful part in civic affairs, being at this time a member of the Broken Bow city council. It has been his fortune to have attained many of his ideals and ambitions, and to have so directed his affairs in life that he has won success without the aid of outside in- fluences - he is an excellent example of the self-made man.

GEORGE E. PENNINGTON, M. D. - Dr. Pennington, who is familiarly known in Broken Bow and throughout Custer county, was born March 28, 1875, in Stewartsville,

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Missouri. His father, Robert T. Pennington, was a man of sterling worth and came of a fine line of Kentucky ancestors, he himself be- ing a native of Kentucky. The Doctor's mother's maiden name was Martha M. Kerns. The immediate family circle of which Dr. Pen- nington is a representative, was a large one, - there were fourteen children, seven of whom are living at the present time. Record- ing their names we have the following: John, William R., George E., James L., Margaret E. Duncan, Eliza Sweitzer, and Emma Gauntt.

The Doctor's father served three years in the Home Guards of his native state. He has a record of having lived fifty-three years on his Missouri homestead, where he reared his children. When the Doctor was a small boy he worked on the farm, doing such work and chores as generally fall to the lot of a farmer boy. His first money was earned by dropping corn by hand in the cut-over stump land of Missouri. This was a hard job, and there is small doubt but that the boy earned the twenty-five cents per diem. After finish- ing the common schools he attended the Wes- ley University at Cameron, Missouri, from 1894 to 1896, inclusive. After this he en- tered Emsworth Medical School, at St. Joseph, Missouri, where he completed a four years' course, graduating in 1902. In addi- tion to this medical preparation, the Doctor was a student at St. Louis for several months. rounding out and completing his medical course. In 1902 he was married, at Bolivar, Missouri, to Miss Julia E. Egbert, who since that time has been his companion and help- meet, sharing with him all the vicissitudes of a rising young physician bent on establishing a lucrative practice in a western country. Mrs. Pennington, like her husband. is a native of Missouri, and is a daughter of Caldon G. Egbert, who was a native of Illinois. Her mother, whose maiden name was Sarah M. Gardner, was a native of Tennessee. In the Egbert family of which Mrs. Pennington was a member were five children - Emma Rollins, Julia E. Pennington. William T. Egbert, Charles L. Egbert, and John A. Egbert.

Dr. and Mrs. Pennington have three chil- dren. The oldest, Marie E., is in the high school ; Pauline is finishing the eighth grade ; and Georgia is in the fifth grade.

After his graduation and marriage, Dr. Pennington came to Custer county and lo- cated at Anselmo, where he engaged in the drug business, which he handled in connection with his medical practice He remained at this place until 1908, when he moved to Broken Bow and commenced the building of the lucrative practice he now enjoys. This

city has been his home since that time. The Doctor is well and favorably known, not only in Anselmo and Broken Bow, which have been his home towns, but throughout the en- tire county. In the early days of his prac- tice, trips were long, and consequently he was called long distances into the country for con- sultation purposes and often met the people of other towns in the county. His official position has tended to widen his acquaintance. He has served the county as health officer for eight years, and for seven years prior to the abolition of the office of coroner he served as county coroner. In fraternal circles the Doctor has been an ambitious climber and is to-day 'one of the few thirty-second degree Masons in the county. He is also an Odd Fellow and ranks high in the councils of that fraternity. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party. He and his family are connected with the Christian church, where

they are faithful and constant attendants. Whenever the Doctor's professional duties will permit, he is found attending the church services held on the Sabbath day. Dr. and Mrs. Pennington are estimable people and held in high esteem by all their neighbors, fellow townsmen, and a wide circle of friends

COMMODORE C. BIGGERSTAFF. - One of the members of the retired colony of .Broken Bow, Mr. Biggerstaff, during a long and active career, has been successful in his operations as agriculturist and business man. and the extent and importance of his various holdings at this time serve to give him a position of prominence among his city's capi- talists. He was born in Athens county. Ohio, October 27, 1852, a son of John J. and Nancy (Sickles) Biggerstaff, who passed their lives in Knox county, Illinois, having moved there from their Ohio home in the fall of 1853. There the senior Biggerstaff was a farmer and stock raiscr. They were men- bers of the United Brethren church, and the father was a Democrat and a member of the Masonic fraternity. Seven children were born to John J. and Nancy Biggerstaff : Com- modore C. is the subject of this sketch : Alonzo died in infancy; Julia E. is the wife of Richard Williams, of Kansas City, Mis- souri : Josephine is the wife of Henry Wes- ner; Margaret, is deceased ; Mary A., is the wife of James W. Pamp: John C., is a re- tired capitalist of Oakland, California.

Mr. Biggerstaff was given a public school education in Knox county, Illinois, and also spent the winter of 1875-6 at Knox College. Galesburg, Illinois, following which he re

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turned to the home farm. He and his family remained in Illinois until 1880.

Mr. Biggerstaff was married July 7, 1878, in Knox county, Illinois, to Miss Jennie Cook. a daughter of John W. and Elizabeth ( Ramp ) Cook, the ceremony taking place at the home of the bride's grandfather, Benjamin Ramp, a wealthy farmer and stock-raiser To this union one son was born, Chauncey C., born July 26, 1904. John W. Cook came from York, Nebraska, to Broken Bow in 1890 and embarked in the grocery business, which he followed continually here until his death, Feb- ruary 7, 1908. He was a Republican, a sub- stantial citizen, and a member of the Odd Fellows lodge. He and Mrs. Cook were the parents of four children : Lauretta L., who is the wife of Thomas L. Sharp: Jennie, who is the wife of Commodore C. Biggerstaff ; Mary Elizabeth, who died in infancy; and Wilson Gaster, formerly a physician and min- ister of the Methodist church, a graduate of the osteopathic school at Kirksville, Missouri, who died in March, 1908.

In the spring of 1880 Mr. and Mrs. Bigger- staff came to Nebraska and located at York, where he was engaged in the mercantile and cattle business until May, 1884, when he moved. to Broken Bow, Custer county. In that year he engaged in the lumber business, under the firm name of Biggerstaff & Her- shey, and in this enterprise he continued about four years. In the meantime, in 1886, he took up land two miles northwest of Broken Bow, and during the next twenty- three years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. He then retired and took up his residence at Broken Bow, where he is accounted one of the city's most substantial citizens, being the owner of large tracts of land as well as stock in valuable oil wells and paying coal mines. Mr. Bigger- staff is a Democrat, but is not in any sense a politician. He belongs to the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Biggerstaff is a prom- inent attendant, having been one of the seven . land. charter members of the Broken Bow congre- gation, in 1885. She has always been prom- inent in church work, and was likewise in- strumental in the formation of Broken Bow's library association

SAMUEL VAN BUSKIRK. a resident of Custer county. since 1888, has been variously identified with the interests of this region since the time of his arrival and, principally as an agriculturist, has accumulated a compe- tence that permits him to pass the evening of life in comfortable circumstances, in his

pleasant home at Merna. A native of the Keystone state, Mr. Van Buskirk was born in Monroe county, Pennsylvania, May 6, 1848. His father, Samuel Van Buskirk, also was a native of Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1808, and he died at Alta, Iowa, in 1891. He was a successful farmer and in 1856 he became a pioneer settler in Iowa, in which state he resided for different intervals in Dela- ware. Dubuque, and Buena Vista counties. The mother of our subject was in her maiden- hood, Mary Ann Me Neal. She was a native of Pennsylvania, in which state she married. and her last days were spent in Alta, Iowa. She and her husband were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Samuel Van Buskirk was a lad of eight years when the family settled in lowa and in that state he was reared on a farm. When he reached his majority he chose the occu- pation with which he was familiar, and in Buena Vista county, Iowa, he followed agri- cultural pursuits until 1888. He then became a resident of Custer county, Nebraska, where he pre-empted 120 acres, north of Broken Bow. His first home was a sod house, and pioneer conditions were still in evidence on every hand. Five years later he purchased land north of Merna, and there he conducted! farming and stock-raising operations with good success for many years. While a resi- went of Iowa he learned the value and su- perior quality of the Aberdeen Angus cattle and he brought to Custer county a fine male of that breed. While he was engaged in di- versified farming, his pastures were well stocked with that type of cattle, for which he found a ready demand on the market, such stock having a reputation for generally com- manding top prices. Industry and good judgment have marked the career of this pro gressive exponent of the agricultural and live- stock interests of his adopted county, and Mr. V'an Buskirk has been able to retire with a competence, being the owner of 600 acres of

In Iowa Mr. Van Buskirk was united in marriage to Miss Ann Elizabeth Van Buskirk. a native of New Jersey, and she presides with grace and dignity over their beautiful new home in Merna. Four children came to bless the home: Bessie is an accomplished and popular teacher in the Merna schools . Jesse is a merchant at Merna . Lura is the wife of David Ward and they reside at Marcus, Ne- braska ; and Della is deceased.

The family are members of the United Brethren church and Mr. Van Buskirk is a Republican in politics. Fraternally he be- longs to the Merna lodge of the Independent

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Order of Odd Fellows and also the Masonic lodge of Merna. Though seventy years of age, Mr. Van Buskirk is a man who might pass for one twenty years younger, and he is still active in affairs, looking after his landed interests and being a director in the Bank of Merna. He is recognized as one of Custer county's public-spirited citizens and in every relation of life measures up the full standard of American citizenship.

ROBERT D. MCCARTY is one of Custer county's pioneer citizens and is now living retired in a beautiful home in Merna. Rob- ert D. McCarty is a native of New York state, and was born near Syracuse, March 9, 1840 His parents, Dennis and Hanora ( Clifford ) McCarty, were natives respectively of County Cork and County Tipperary, Ireland. They inmigrated to the United States when young people and were married in New York. Den- nis McCarty became a farmer, and about the close of the Civil war located on a farm in Webster county, Iowa, near Fort Dodge, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their days.

Robert D. McCarty was reared on a farm in New York and accompanied his parents to Iowa. About this time he engaged in rail- road-construction work, which he followed for many years.

In the spring of 1880 he and his family, in company with the Downey and Corcoran families, came to Custer county, and he se- cured as a homestead the southwest quarter of section 14, township IS, range 22. He also took a tree claim of 160 acres, but as the trees did not make a very good growth he pre-empted this land, and this half-section was the scene of his activities until he retired. He has been successful as a farmer and to- day is the owner of 800 acres of land.

On September 10, 1870, at Fort Dodge. Iowa, was solemnized the marriage of Rob- ert D. McCarty and Anna Downey, a native of Scranton, Luzern county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of John and Ellen ( Sweeney) Dow- ney, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. The home of Mr. and Mrs. MeCarty has been blessed with the birth of eleven children, all of whom have grown to maturity, and as the hand of death has not vet entered this household they have every reason to be thankful. The record of the children is as follows: James owns and op- erates a farm in Custer county ; Lizzie is the wife of Ambrose Sweeney, of Merna; Ella became the wife of Edward Snell, residing in Seattle, Washington; John is a farmer on

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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 63

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