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 64

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 64

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East Table; Joseph is a merchant in Merna ; Mike and Robert operate land belonging to their father; Frank is the owner of a farm near the old home place; Ambrose is a mem- ber of the national army; Raymond is en- gaged in farming and is still a bachelor ; and Margaret is the wife of J. D. Christ, of An- selno.

Mr. and Mrs. McCarty are among the very early settlers of the county and recount many interesting incidents pertaining to the early days and the hardships with which they had to contend. One of the greatest obstacles to overcome was the matter of securing water. When the McCarty family and those who ac- companied them came to Nebraska they drove with teams. Just northwest of where Broken Bow now stands they stopped to inquire of some men where they might get water for their stock and for family use. J. D. Ream, who had located there that spring, pointed to a spot where he said was the well and said they could help themselves. On reaching the spot, they discovered a horse had fallen into the well and no water could be had. They continued their journey to the locality where they had filed on land, and the next day sent a hired man and one of the sons to get water on Victoria creek. They failed to find this stream and returned with water which they had scooped up out of a buffalo wallow, and which could be used only after a thorough process of boiling.

Not a sign of anyone ever having been here could be seen, not a wagon track in Dale val- ley, and their nearest neighbors on the north were in the Black Hills. Their first home, in which the family lived for several years, was constructed of sod, the bit of lumber used in it being hauled from Grand Island For several years after coming here Mr. McCarty followed railroading, while the wife and chil- dren held down the claim. The winter of 1881 was one of the worst ever seen in this country. Starting on the 11th of December it snowed continuously until the 25th, and it looked strange to the family to see a blizzard raging and the sun shining. The snow was nine feet deep on the level. The prairies in those days were covered with fleas, which gave considerable annoyance to the settlers, who would put the legs of their bedsteads in cans of water to keep the fleas from getting into the beds. But with all the trials and hardships, they were happy in the thought that they had a home they could call their own, and a place where they could rear their children. The satisfaction that comes to them now, more than repays for all the hardships they endured.

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The members of the family are communi- cants of the Catholic church, and in the work of development they have contributed their full share. To the courage and labors of such as the McCarty family the present gen- eration is indebted for the comforts and bless- ings of present-day conditions, and a history of Custer county would be incomplete without mention of what they have accomplished.

OLIVER G. SMITH. - One of the pros- perous exponents of the agriculture and stock- raising interests of Custer county is Oliver G. Smith, who has been a resident of the county since pioneer days.

Mr. Smith was born in West Virginia, Feb- ruary 7, 1868. His father, Cornelius D. Smith, was likewise a native of West Vir- ginia, in which state he married and became a land-owner and farmer. He resided there until 1879, when he came to Nebraska and took a homestead in Kearney county, near Minden. After one year's residence there he sold out and came to Custer county, in 1880, where he homesteaded on section 3, township IS, range 21, casting in his lot with the very carly settlers in this part of the county. The first home was a sod house with a dirt floor and dirt roof, and in this the family lived for several years. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Jane Pierpont and was a native of West Virginia. She came to Nebraska as a pioneer woman and is now making her home in Merna, her husband hav- ing passed away at the age of seventy-five years. She is a member of the United Breth- ren church, as was also her husband, and they became parents of seven children : Oliver G. is the eldest ; Mattie is the wife of D. W. Widaman, of Merna; Mrs. Charles Wachter likewise resides in Custer county ; David S. is a resident of Merna : Wirt lives in the Arnold vicinity of Custer county : Mary died at the age of sixteen years ; and John died in child- hood.

Oliver G. Smith was a boy of eleven years when the home was established in Nebraska. He was reared amid the scenes of pioneer days and on reaching manhood became a farmer. Ilis first purchase was 160 acres ad- joining the old place, and when it came into his possession it was wholly unimproved. To- day Mr. Smith is the owner of 775 acres, with a fine set of improvements, and general farm- ing and stock-raising are carried on with good success.

As a companion and helpmeet Mr. Smith chose Miss Luella Wheeler, who was born in New York, a daughter of Joseph and Eliza

Wheeler, who became residents of Custer county in ISSS and are both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have become parents of three children: Lena passed away at the age of twenty-one years ; and Alta and Edgar are still at home.

Mr. Smith is one of the substantial men of the community. He casts an independent ballot at the polls and has never aspired to nor held any public office. He belongs to the Mod- ern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World lodges in Merna and is held in un- qualified esteem by all who know him.

WILLIAM H. Mc KNIGHT. - A resident of Nebraska from the time when the only buildings known in the central part of the state were composed of sod, William H. Mc- Knight has watched with the eye of a pro- prietor the various changes that have been brought by the passage of the years and the sturdy and progressive work of the settlers, and has himself borne a full share of the labor of development. He is now one of the large landholders and successful agriculturists of the Berwyn community of Custer county. where his accomplishments entitle him to the respect and esteem in which he is uniformly held by his fellow citizens.

Mr. McKnight was born in Lafayette county, Wisconsin, May 20. 1850, a son of Miles and Joanna ( Dillehay) Mcknight. His father, the son of Scotch parents, was born in 1805, in eastern Tennessee, and was married in Virginia to Miss Joanna Dillehay, who was born in Virginia, August 11, 1811. The year following the close of the Black Hawk war they moved in covered wagons to Wis consin, and for a number of years Mr. Mc- Knight was employed in the lead mines at Mineral Point, because, although he had taken up land, he had no capital with which to de- velop his farm and was consequently com- pelled to take other work. He passed the re- mainder of his life in Wisconsin and before his death, May 15, 1865, had seen his financial affairs in excellent shape, and was known il. his community as a well-to-do citizen. Mrs. McKnight survived him until 1873 and died in the faith of the Baptist church, of which he also was a member. He was a Democrat in his political sympathies. Of the seventeen children born to this worthy couple, only three survive at this time: William H. : Belle, who is the widow of N. G. Dergin and resides at Monroe, Green county, Wisconsin ; and M. W., who is engaged in farming in the vicinity of Adams, Nebraska.

William II. MeKnight was educated in the

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

public schools of Wisconsin and was reared on the home farm, where he was living at the outbreak of the Civil war. He was much too young for service, but was constantly entreat- ing his parents to permit him to join the army, and toward the close of the war, when he was still only a lad, he ran away from home and joined the Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, with which he served six months. He then re- turned to his Wisconsin home and resumed his association with farm enterprise. In 1871 he there married Miss Etta Parsons, who was born in Wisconsin, a daughter of Monroe I. and Jane Parsons, now residents of Iowa There were five children born to this union, of whom four are now living, these being: Ira Derwood, who resides on a farm at Glenwood, Iowa, and is engaged in the real-estate busi- ness ; Lewis Winfield, who is a farmer of the same community ; Della Leora, who is the wife of Oscar Lee, principal of the State In- dustrial School at Waukesha, Wisconsin ; and Wilbur Harrison, who is a member of Com- pany I. One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Infan- try, arrived in France in December, 1917 : he was later wounded and. was in a hospital at the time this article was written. Mrs. McKnight died December 13, 1888, and February 28, 1889, Mr. McKnight was again married. Miss Belle Jones becoming his wife. She was born February 7. 1868, in Tippecanoe county. Indiana, and is a daughter of James Alfred and Louisa Elvira ( Joslin ) Jones, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Ken- tucky. The parents of Mrs. McKnight moved to Saunders county, Nebraska, in 1869, and after the father's death the mother came to the home of her daughter and son-in-law.

with whom she remained until her death. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McKnight: Jesse Floyd, who was in the base-hospital camp at Camp Cody, is now at home: Virgil Sidney is a farmer of Custer county : and Forrest Edward. George William. and James Theodore all remain at home.

Mr. McKnight first came to Nebraska in 1879, in which year he located in Butler county. He saw little to encourage him at that time. the country being practically unde- veloped, while the few settlers, living far apart. were doing without conveniences and living in primitive sod houses. After two years he returned to Wisconsin, but the west- ern country had made its impression and formed its attraction, and shortly thereafter he again located in Butler county, where he followed farming until 1903. That vear marked his arrival in Custer county, which has since been his home. Here he purchased 440 acres of land, put it under cultivation,

built a nice home and substantial outbuildings, and he has since established himself as a pro- gressive and skilled farmer who thoroughly knows his business and can make his labor pay him proportionately. He carries on gen- eral farming and raises all kinds of live-stock. the while the success which has attended his efforts is evidence of the consistency of his methods.

Mr. McKnight is fraternally affiliated with Ansley Lodge No. 176, Ancient Free & Ac- cepted Masons, and has received the thirty- second degree of Scottish Rite Masonry, at Omaha. In politics a Republican, he has wielded some influence in his community, and has rendered good service as a member of the school board.

CLARENCE MACKEY. - Instances are numerous in Custer county where men have arrived in this part of the country without ac- quaintances or friends and have worked their way to affluence and position, but there are few which equal the record of Clarence Mackey, president of the Ansley State Bank and one of his community's wealthiest and most prominent citizens. Mr. Mackey was handicapped at the outset of life by very little educational training. and before he came to Nebraska he had been unable to accumulate any sum even approaching a starting capital Yet his ability, given the opportunity, finally evidenced itself, and to-day Mr. Mackey is accounted one of Ansley's leading citizens.

Mr. Mackey was born at Minerva, Ohio. August 11, 1860, and is a son of Thomas and Caroline (Taylor ) Mackey, natives of Stark county, Ohio His father, who was the son of a lifelong resident of the Buckeye state. learned the cabinetmaker's trade in his youth, and was engaged in the work of his trade at the outbreak of the Civil war, when he en- listed for service in the Union army and be- came a first lieutenant in a regiment of Ohio volunteer infantry. He engaged in a number of hard-fought battles, but escaped wounds. although for some time he was confined to the hospital. because of sickness. AAfter the war he was engaged for a long period in agri- cultural pursuits and the later years of his life were passed at Minerva, Ohio, where he died in 1899, and where his widow, who sur- vives him in ripe old age, still makes her home. She is a devout member of the Chris- tian church and is a woman of many excel- lencies of mind and heart. Mr. Mackey was a Democrat in his political faith and was a member of the Masonic fraternity. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

whom four are living: Clarence is the im- mediate subject of this review: Harry, who resides at Chadron, Nebraska, is a locomotive engineer on the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- way: William met his death a number years ago, in a railway accident : Leona is the wife of E. W. Jobes, a manufacturing machinist at Minerva, Ohio: and John, who resides at the old home at Minerva, is retired from active pursuits. The maternal grandfather of Clar- ence Mackey was Pinn Taylor, who was born in Ohio and spent his entire life there, pa- tenting land under President Monroe, at a time when the Indians were to be found in large numbers.

The educational advantages of Clarence Mackey in his youth were decidedly limited in character, for he early began work at the coal mines of Pennsylvania, and continued thus employed for a number of years. He first came to Nebraska, in 1891, and following this was employed at various places. In 1892 he located near Westerville, where he first rented a farm of 160 acres. He later purchased land, and this he put under culti- vation and improved in various ways, in the meantime carrying on extensive operations in mixed farming and stock-raising. His suc- cess was marked in agriculture. and subse- quently he began to turn his attention to other affairs. About 1903 he entered the field of banking, and at the present time he is president of the Ansley State Bank, which. under his wise and capable direction and con- servative policies has become recognized as one of the safe and substantial institutions of the county. His success has been absolutely self-gained and his career can be profitably studied by aspiring youths who are commenc- ing their careers without friends or fortunes to assist them.

In 1892 Mr. Mackey married Miss Ella Campbell, who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of Richard and Elizabeth ( Fate) Campbell, who now live at Westerville, Cus- ter county, Nebraska. Mr. Campbell was a railroad man for many years. Mrs. Mackey died in April. 1906, the mother of four sons and one daughter: William, who is twenty- one years of age. entered the United States Navy. June 1. 1918, as a student at the Great Lakes Naval Training School : Thomas. eigli- teen years of age, has entered the United States Navy school at Lincoln, where he at - tends the State University: Richard, who is seventeen years of age. is attending school : Clarence, Jr., fifteen years old. is likewise a student : and Ella. thirteen years old, is at- tending school. Vir. Mackey was again mar- ried. in February, 1917, when Miss Elsie Sa .

ville became his wife. She was born in Cus- ter county, and is a daughter of Dana M. and Sarah L. Saville. Her father, who came to Custer county about 1883, and was a pio- neer homesteader, died on his farm, in 1916.

Fraternally Mr. Mackey is connected with the Masons, in which order he has reached the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite ; and he is affiliated also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Pythias. In each of these fraternities he is popular with his fellow members. He has long been prom- inent in civic and political affairs of a local order, and his well known business and finan- cial ability, as well as his integrity and per- sonal probity, have caused him to be selected by his fellow citizens for positions of marked trust. He has twice been a member of the state legislature and twice county treasurer, and his public record is a splendid one. char- acterized by conscientious and constructive service for the general welfare. He is a stanch Democrat.

DANIEL G. BOWLEY. - Practical indus- try, wisely and vigorously applied. seldon fails of attaining success, and the career of Daniel G. Bowley, now one of the progressive farmers of Custer county, is but another proof of this statement. When he started out in life he had but few advantages to assist him along the road to success, but his diligence and judicious management have brought him ample success as a reward for his labors.

Mr. Bowley was born in Alleghany county, Virginia, October 3, 1870, a son of William O. Bowley, who was one of Custer county's first settlers and of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Our sub- ject accompanied the family to the pioneer home in Nebraska and as a boy witnessed the hardships and struggles of the early-day set- tlers. As his age and strength increased he assisted more and more in the labor incident to developing and operating the homestead, and under the instructions of his father he learned the best methods of planting and harvesting. so that when he reached manhood he was well equipped with the practical experience to en- able him to become a farmer on his own ac- count. He started out for himself at the age of twenty-two years and operated land as a tenant for a few years, meeting with the suc- cess that justified him in making a purchase of land. It is fifteen years since he bought his present farm, which at that time was whol- ly unimproved but which has been brought to a high state of cultivation. and by the erec-

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IHISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

tion of suitable buildings Mr. Bowley has a valuable property. General farming and stock-raising form the basis of the enterprise carried on by the owner, though he has given considerable attention to horticulture and has a fine apple orchard of seven acres, the same having been bearing fruit for several years.

For a companion and helpmeet Mr. Bowley chose Miss Josephine Hennesey, a native of Virginia. They are members of the Method- ist church, South, and Mr. Bowley's political beliefs make him a Democrat. The Bowley family were among the first settlers of the county and members of that family have had to do with the upbuilding of the community for more than forty years, so that historic consistency is conserved when a place is given the subject of this biography in the annals of Custer county.

WARREN THOMAS HURST, M. D. - The medical profession of Custer county in- cludes among its members many men of emi- nent ability, whose training has been compre- hensive and whose fine talents have been de- veloped through broad experience, close appli- cation, constant study and the broadening in- fluence of intimate association with their fel- low men. In this category one of the fore- most, without doubt, is Dr. Warren T. Hurst, a general practitioner in medicine and surgery and a specialist in diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. He has been engaged in professional labors at Broken Bow since 1912. Dr. Hurst was born August 20, 1878, at Mar- ion, Linn county, Iowa, and is a son of Thomas and Martha ( Walker) Hurst.

The parents of Doctor Hurst were born, reared and educated in Canada, where their marriage was solemnized, and shortly after that event they came to the United States and settled in Illinois. After about ten years' resi- dence in that state, they changed their location to Iowa, where Mr. Hurst continued to work at railroading, which was his life vocation. In 1883 he came with his family to Nebraska, where he held various positions with railroad lines, and finally he took up his permanent abode at Omaha, where, although advanced in years, he continues to be identified with the big railway companies, at this time being con- nected with the flag service in the shops. He has been a Mason for many years, is a Re- publican in politics, and his wife is a member of the Baptist church. They are the parents of three children: Lydia, the wife of Ther- mon Brown, a railroad man of Omaha . Frances, the wife of James Leary, a mechanic of Denver, Colorado ; Dr. Warren T., of this

review. There are two deceased children : George E., formerly of Omaha, died in 1912, and Mrs. Alice Elizabeth Short, of Omaha, died in 1910.

Dr. Warren T. Hurst was five years of age when he accompanied his parents to Nebraska. and here his early education was secured in the public schools. He was graduated from the high school at Weeping Water, Cass county, with the class of 1895, and after some further preparation he entered the Creighton School of Medicine, at Omaha, where he took a four years' course. He spent another year at the Chicago College of Medicine and Sur- gery and then went to Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was graduated May 20, 1912, fol- lowing which he engaged in practice at Chi- cago. In this same year he changed his field of operation to Broken Bow, and since then he has built up a splendid practice, both in a general way and as a specialist in the treat- ment and cure of diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. Doctor Hurst belongs to the various organizations of his calling, and keeps fully abreast of the advancements being made in the sciences of medicine and surgery. He stands high in his calling, not alone among his fellow practitioners, but with the general pub- lic as well, and has served as county physician of Custer county and as health officer. His political tendencies cause him to support the principles and policies of the Democratic party. During his college career he joined the Phi Rho Sigma fraternity, and he belongs also to the Masonic fraternity, both York and Scottish Rite bodies and also the Mystic Shrine. Dr. Hurst has been a supporter of good movements, civic and educational, as well as those of the Presbyterian church, of which he is an attendant, Mrs. Hurst being a member thereof.

Prior to her marriage to Dr Hurst, Mrs. Hurst, who is a native of Copenhagen, Den- mark, was Miss 1,ola Beck. She and the Doc- tor are the parents of one child ; Juanita.

JAMES LANGE. - Since he is the owner of a fine tract of land on the second bench of the Buffalo Table, south of Callaway, and has around him everything necessary for com- fortanle living and thrifty farming, Mr. Lange should be rated as one of the foremost citi- zens of the south part of the county.

James Lange was born in Denmark, on the 13th day of December. 1865, and is a son of Theodore and Anna M. ( Sorrenson) Lange, both of whom were natives of Denmark. possessing all the characteristics of Scandi- navian thrift. For more complete record of

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Theodore Lange and the family, reference may be made to the sketch of Marius Lange, on other pages of this volume.

When James Lange reached the age of fourteen years he entered upon a four years' apprenticeship in a blacksmith shop. When nineteen years of age he came to the United States, and in the city of Chicago he and his older brother, Marius, worked about a year. Then coming farther west, he landed in Lex- ington, Nebraska, and worked for Anton Abel, a ranchman who seems to have had a ranch in both Dawson and Custer counties. A vear later he came into Custer county, where he continued work on the Abel ranch on the Cottonwood branch, for at least a year. He then filed on a homestead 20 miles south of Callaway, on Buffalo creek. This property he acquired by the relinquishment of Jacob Peterson. He and his brother bought a yoke of oxen and went back to Lexington to straighten up the land deal. On this trip they experienced one of the severest and most try- ing ordeals of their pioneer days. They were caught in a three-day blizzard, and when they started for home the snow was nearly three feet deep. They had to lead a couple of wild bronchos, which they had bought of Mr. Abel. Night overtook them, they lost their way, could find no trail and came near to freezing to death. Marius was not strong, and the task of plowing through the snow was more than he could stand. He became sick and exhausted, and James carried him miles on his back and led the ponies. Marius begged to be left on the prairie, but that would have meant his death, so they dragged on mile after mile, and reached home about one o'clock in the morning. Both men had their feet so badly frozen that their toes had to be ampu- tated.

On February 24, 1889, in Broken Bow, was solemnized the marriage of James Lange to Miss Hester Richardson, daughter of William T. and Jane ( Vinsen) Richardson, both Ken- tucky people. Since the establishment of their home the Lange family has had its circle increased by the birth of four children - Gertrude S. J., Julius T., Verna M. and Lor- etta 1., all of whom remain under the parental roof and contribute to the life and happiness of the place.

Mr. Lange's holdings comprise 720 acres. which he is now improving. A fine dwelling has just been erected, which makes a splendid modern domicile in which the family can en- jov farm life. A general farming and stock - raising business is carried on by Mr. Lange and the boys. The family are connected with the Lutheran church and in the matter of poli-

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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 64

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