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 73
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Roy R. Sams attended the public schools through his boyhood days and then began to learn the practical duties that make up the life of a farmer. His land is cultivated care-
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fully and intelligently and yields abundantly.
Mr. Sams was married September 29, 1910. to Goldie Sampson, a daughter of James and Ida (Tiff ) Sampson, the former of whom was born in Denmark, January 24, 1855, and is a sailor. The mother of MIrs. Sams died Feb- ruary 20, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Sams have two children but only one survives, Lawrence LeRoy, who was born July 1, 1911. Mr. Sams is a Democrat in politics.
WILLIAM T. CLOUSE .- One of the substantial farmers of Custer county is the reliable citizen whose name initiates this para- graph. He came to Custer county in an early day, and experienced all of the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life in the period of the '80s, when the conveniences of the pres- ent day were vague dreams of the future.
Mr. Clouse is a native of Pennsylvania, in which state he was born July 24, 1856. His parents were H. V. Clouse and Barbara ( Metz) Clouse, whose birth dates from 1811. In the family of H. V. Clouse were ten chil- dren : Susan, Herman, and Ella are de- ceased : Philip lives in Yale, Iowa : Floyd lives in Pennsylvania, the state of the family na- tivity ; William T. is the Custer county citizen around whose career the incidents of these paragraplis cluster ; Katy is deceased ; Theo- dore is in Iowa ; Davis still clings to Pennsyl- vania, where he has his home; and Samuel was living in Iowa when last heard from.
During the Civil war the family of H. V. Clouse, lived close to the historic Mason and Dixon Line, and one of the experiences that fell to their lot during those trying years was the burning of their home, an event which the younger members of the family will never forget.
William T. Clouse was married in his na- tive state in 1877, to Sarah Replogle, who is a daughter of David and Rosanna (Zook) Replogle, both of the Keystone state. Mr. and Mrs. Clouse became the parents of nine children, eight of whom are still living : David, resides at Squirrel, Idaho; Henry is located in Sumner, Nebraska ; Charles lives in Staple- ton, this state: Reuben resides in Eddyville, Dawson county ; Rosanna is deceased ; Alice is the wife of Horace Austin, a farmer in Cus- ter county ; Raymond answered the call of his country and is in the service of the govern- ment, as a member of a field-artillery com- pany : Nettie is the wife of Elmer Freeze, a prosperous farmer in Dawson county ; and George Washington is attending school in Sumner.
Mr. and Mrs. Clouse came to Nebraska in
1886. and he pre-empted eighty acres in Buf- falo county, but later homesteaded in Custer. At the present time the family lands consist of 240 acres well improved and in a high state of cultivation. Upon this land a general farming and stock-raising business is con- ducted. The home to-day stands in striking contrast with the sod house which was built in the early day and in which Mr. and Mrs. Clouse lived for twenty-one years. During the first years of their residence in Custer county they had to ford the river in order to reach either Ansley or Broken Bow, to which places their produce had to be hauled. At the time Mr. Clouse filed on his claim he made the entire trip to Grand Island and return with nothing to eat. These are only a few of the incidents through which he and his wife passed during the trying times of the early days. The blizzard of January 12, 1880, has left a lasting impression upon their memories. Mr. Clouse went to the schoolhouse that even- ing for his boys. He left one of the boys at the home of a neighbor, and he and the older son faced the blizzard. After a hard strug- gle and strenuous battling, they succeeded in reaching their home - a trip both will remem- ber as long as they live. The Clouse family are very excellent people, well rated by their neighbors, and they enjoy the confidence of all who know them. They are connected with the Brethren church.
HARRY WOODRUFF is distinctively a Nebraska product. Here he was born, here he was reared and educated, here he married, and here he has lived his life until the present time. He belongs to a family which is well known in the county and which is highly re- spected for its contribution to civic and ma- terial progress and prosperity.
Mr. Woodruff was born in Hamilton county, Nebraska, September 4, 1872, and in 1876, he came with his father into the pioneer section of Custer county. Here he was edu- cated in the common schools, and here he re- ceived the qualification which enables him at the present time to conduct successfully all matters of business pertaining to farm and stock transactions.
He married Miss Fannie Judge, a daughter of James Judge, who came to Nebraska from Illinois. As a result of this union four chil- dren were born, all of whom are still living and make up a family circle of which any home might be proud. The first, Mildred, is the wife of Otto Johnson, a farmer who makes his home in Sumner. The, second born, Leo, is still at home and assisting in farm opera-
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tions, Eugene is the contribution of the fam- ily's patriotic spirit to the services of the government. He is a member of the Forty- eighth Balloon Corps, stationed at Omaha, at the time of this writing. Frank, the young- est, is attending high school at Broken Bow and is a member of the senior class. When he entered the high school he was the young- est student in the school.
Mr. Woodruff owns 160 acres of well im- proved land, splendidly equipped for success- ful farming, and on this he maintains his pleasant farm home. In social circles he has been active and prominent. He is a member of the Royal Highlanders, a fraternal insurance organization very popular in the middle west. He is a member and generous supporter of the Catholic church. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, to the war-work of which organization he has always been a lib- eral contributor.
Speaking of early days, Mr. Woodruff re- calls that in the years gone by he hunted deer on the old home place and often stalked wild game in the immediate vicinity of his present home.
The Woodruffs are splendid people, and well merit the high esteem of their friends and neighbors. Custer county is the richer by the life efforts of this estimable family.
JOSEPH KAELIN, whose well improved farm is situated in section 13, township 17. with convenient market facilities at Berwyn, is not a native of the great state of Nebraska. but has been favorably known here for over a quarter of a century. He was born in Switzerland, November 15, 1868, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Kaelin) Kaelin, who passed their entire lives in Switzerland, and who were faithful members of the Roman Catholic church. The father followed the trade of shoemaker.
Joseph Kaelin was twenty-three years old when he came to the United States with the intention of making this country his future home. He was a well educated young man in his own language and very quickly acquired a working knowledge of the English tongue. He reached Pawnee county, Nebraska, in 1891, and remained there three years. He then came to the neighborhood of Ansley, in Custer county, and has followed farming ever since. In 1901 he bought his present well im- proved farm and here he is engaged in mixed farming and stock-raising, his persistent in- dustry and thorough methods making his farm enterprise very generally profitable.
Mr. Kaelin was married in January, 1899.
to Ida Spoerri, who was born in Switzerland. August 1, 1869, a daughter of Jacob and Annie B. ( Keller) Spoerri, neither of whom ever came to America. Mrs. Kaelin has two brothers still living in Switzerland - Carl J. and Jacob J. Her father was a watchmaker by trade, and both he and his wife belonged to the church at Zwingle. Of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Kaelin five are living, as fol- lows: Emma, born November 23, 1899; Joseph, born June 12, 1901 ; Frank, born Aug- ust 23, 1904; George, born October 27. 1908; and Doris, born August 27, 1911. Mr. Kae- lin and his family belong to the Catholic church at Ansley. He has never been very active in politics but gives his support to the Republican party.
U. S. HORN. - One of the respected citi- zens of the South Loup country, prominent throughout his community, is U. S. Horn, whose life achievement is an asset to the his- tory of the county.
Mr. Horn was born in Nemaha county, this state, August 20, 1868, and is a son of John and Harriet ( Ralston) Horn. His father. who is still living, was eighty-three years of age on the 4th day of July, 1918. The mother has passed to her reward. John Horn and his wife were the parents of eleven children, and concerning those now living, the follow- ing brief record is given : Mrs. Ann (Horn) Green lives in Montana ; Mrs. Alice Bran- stiter is a widow, and she resides at Lomax, Custer county : Charles is a farmer, and re- sides in the vicinity of his brother, U. S. Horn; U. S. Horn, the fourth of the family group, is the subject of this sketch ; John Mil- ton Horn is a Custer county farmer and citi- zen ; Mrs. Elsie ( Horn) Sapp lives in Ne- maha county ; and Orley likewise resides in Nemaha county.
The early years of U. S. Horn were spent in Nemaha county, where he passed through the common schools, and secured a good fun- damental education. He was married De- cember 24, 1889, to Miss Fannie Jewell, whose family was prominent in Nemaha county. Mrs. Horn is a native of that county, where her early years were spent and where she had the same opportunities for education as did her husband.
In the family circle of the Horns are six children, all of whom are at home, where they assist in farm work and enjoy the ad- vantages of splendid schools. They are. Claret, Melvin, Blanche, Leo, Floyd, and Clyde.
Mr. and Mrs. Horn came to Custer county
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too late for pioneer experiences, but not too late to contribute their sterling worth to the citizenship of the county at the present day. It was 1904 when they moved in, bought the place on which they now live and commenced practical farming operations. They had been farmers in Nemaha county and withal were very successful. They succeeded in securing a good foundation and what might be called a splendid start before they sold their Nemaha possessions and repurchased in Custer county. Accordingly they were better fixed when they came to the county than were most of the people who make their home in this central part of the state. But the greatest asset they brought with them was indomitable spirit, good judgment, and industry. With these they commenced their Custer county home. For a time Mr. Horn rented his father's land, and he made it profitable both to himself and his father. The home place to-day is one of the attractive farm properties on the South Loup, with a modern and comportable house and all else to constitute a well equipped stock and grain farm. All these improvements are the result of the labors of Mr. and Mrs. Horn.
In social affairs Mr. Horn is a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow. Both he and his wife are highly respected citizens and neigh- bors and have a large circle of friends who delight in the good fortune that has come to them in their western home Custer's county can well be proud of such citizens.
HARTFORD R. BRACHEAR, who, dur- ing a long and successful career, has followed various occupations in several parts of Ne- braska, is now a well known resident of Franklin county, although his operations are by no means confined to the borders of that county. During his residence in this state, he has been in turn. and together, blacksmith, farmer, stockman, and auctioneer, and in his several fields his versatility has assisted him to well deserved prosperity. He is a native of Illinois, and was born December 14, 1867. his parents being Aaron R. and Ellen E. (Kelso ) Brachear.
Aaron R. Brachear was born February 3. 1840, in Logan county, Illinois, and there grew to manhood and adopted the vocation of farming. With the formation of the Re- publican party he became an ardent supporter of its principles, and later was an advocate of the cause of freedom for the slaves. He enlisted in 1862, in Company B, One Hun- dred and Sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. and in November, 1863, at Jackson, Tennes- see, he was joined by his wife, who was un-
willing to be longer separated from him. She traveled with his regiment until the close of the war, acting in the capacity of nurse, and did not leave the service until he had re- ceived his honorable discharge, at the close of hostilities, at which time she returned with him to the farm in Illinois. Both had splen- did records for bravery and fidelity to duty. In 1870 Aaron R. Brachear decided to try his fortunes in the west, and November 15 of that vear, with his wife and two small sons, Montford H., and Hartford R., he started from Taylorville, Illinois, and came to Saline county, Nebraska, traveling overland by the prairie-schooner route and arriving at his des- tination four weeks later. The family settled on a homestead three miles north of the pres- ent site of Friend, Nebraska, where Mr. Bra- chear became a prominent hog and cattle dealer, following this vocation as a seller on the market for eighteen years. He was wide- ly and favorably known in business circles as a man of integrity, and he and his wife were devout members of the Christian church. Beside their sons they were the parents of a daughter, now Mrs. Laura M. Butcher. For the past twenty years Mrs. Brachear has made her home with her son Hartford R.
Ilartford R. Brachear was educated in the public schools and reared to agricultural pur- suits. He was brought up in a home which should have satisfied any boy of his years, but, like some other youths, he developed a roving disposition, and when sixteen years old he suddenly took the notion to earn his own living and spend his money as he pleased. With this end in view, he arrived in a rail- road camp, looking for employment, and three days later he was not only covered with glory but with various specimens of the insect world, the names of which are seldom mentioned in polite society, but a name for which has been coined by the fighting men in France, who re- fer to them as "cooties." Needless to say, young Brachear was glad to make his way home, a sadder but wiser young man, and cheerfully to take up the work of the farm, prosaic and lacking in adventure though it might be. In addition to general farming and raising stock, Mr. Brachear carried on a suc- cessful blacksmith business for a number of years. and eventually developed inherent pow- ers for the business of auctioneering, one of the difficult vocations which necessitates the possession of peculiar talents. He has fol- lowed these three vocations with good success. and at present is the owner of a valuable farm, under stages of development, which is located in the vicinity of Wauneta, Chase county, this state, on the Frenchman river.
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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Mr. Brachear was married September 7, 1898, at Hastings, Nebraska, to Miss Geneva H. McCartney, daughter of James McCartney. and to this union there have been born four children : Mon. D., who is assisting his father in the development of the farm; Olga B., who is a high school student ; Ora Ellen, who is a student in the graded schools ; and Opal Ruby, who is the baby of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Brachear are con- sistent members of the Christian church. He is fraternally identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, and his political sup- port is given to the Democratic party, al- though he is not a politician and has not cared for public office.
PAUL E. CAVENEE is one of the young farmers of Custer county who has the major part of his career yet before him, and he be- longs to that class of young men who are the sturdy and substantial scions of the pioneer generation. and upon whom the burdens of the present day are resting.
Mr. Cavenee was born May 22. 1891, in Custer county, and is in every sense of the word a Custer product. His parents. John E. and Alice (Smith) Cavenee, were pioneers of the late '70s, and the family name has long been familiar throughout the county, in con- nection with public affairs and general civic and industrial interests.
John E. and Alice ( Smith) Cavenee became the parents of two children, and the subject of this sketch is the one surviving. The father was a native of Ohio and he lived in the prairie district of the Buckeye state until the call of the west enticed him to move, and. when once started with his face towards the setting sun, he never stopped until he struck the South Loup country in Custer county. This was in 1878. Mr. Cavenee arrived with prac- tically nothing except energy and determina- tion. To-day the Cavenee holdings comprise 1,040 acres of splendid land, well improved and in a high state of cultivation.
Paul E. Cavenee ran the ordinary gamut of a Custer county youth, save that he had better opportunities for education than are accorded the majority. After finishing the country school he attended the Broken Bow high school and from there went to Kearney, where he took a normal and business course.
In December, 1917, Paul Cavence married Mrs. Elizabeth Stairs, of Oconto, she being of splendid parentage and being a very estim- able, and gracious lady. Mr. Cavenee con- ducts farming operations on a somewhat ex- tensive scale and is raising all kinds of stock.
with which he is making a decided success. His father's farm and also leased land, known as the Campbell place, constitute the ranch property he is operating.
Both Mr. Cavence and his father are prom- inent in fraternal circles, the father expend- ing most of his activities in the Knights of Pythias. Paul E. is a member of the Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in the time-honored Masonic fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree of the Scot- tish Rite. The family's religious affiliations are with the Presbyterian church.
Opportunity and years are before Mr. and Mrs. Cavenee, and their friends prophesy splendid things for them in the oncoming years
JOHN R. ALLEN. - Industry, self-reli- ance, and a capacity for painstaking labor have contributed to the present prosperity of John R. Allen, a well known Custer county farmer, and will doubtless have much to do with his future usefulness and permanent suc- cess. For many years a follower of the trade of carpenter, of more recent years he has turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and at present he is the owner of a fine farm and beautiful home, located two miles north- west of Oconto.
John R. Allen was born in Lincolnshire, England, January 15, 1861. a son of William and Martha (Swan) Allen. The family came to the United States in 1871 and settled in Mahaska county, Iowa, where the father continued to be engaged in farming during the remainder of his life. There were three sons and four daughters in the family, and of these children four still survive: John R., Mrs. Eliza Thompson, William, and Mrs. Mattie Shelby.
When he was a small lad in England. John R. Allen could not be kept in school, as his studies were distasteful to him, and his father. desiring to teach him a lesson, hired him out to a neighbor to do chores, at a wage of three shillings a week. His mother permitted him to keep this money the first week, and the eight-year-old lad immediately spent it for the first knife that he ever owned. It is to be re- corded that he lost the knife before sundown of the same day. He was ten years old when the family came to the United States, and grew up in Mahaska county, Iowa, where he completed his education in the public schools and where he worked for some years on his father's farm. He remained under the pa- rental roof until 1880. in which year his mother died, and he left home and began to
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learn the carpenter's trade, at which he spent two years, during which time he received his board and· seventy-five cents a day. He con- tinued to apply himself industriously to the carpenter trade, and in 1905 bought a farm of 240 acres, two miles northwest of Oconto, although he did not locate thereon until 1908. Since the latter year he has been engaged in farming, and he now has a beautiful home, of which he is justly proud, in section 25, township 60. He uses modern methods in his work and his property shows the beneficial results accruing from intelligent management.
On October 19, 1884, at David City, Ne- braska. Mr. Allen was united in marriage with Miss Nora Lamunyon, who was born in Michigan, a daughter of Whceler W. and Nettie (Snedaker) Lamunyon. Twelve chil- dren were born to this union: Mary is the wife of Clifford Howell, a railroad man of North Platte, Nebraska, and they have one son ; Edward, a farmer of Abbott, Colorado, married Bertha Kobo and has one daughter ; Carrie M .. the mother of a son by a former marriage, is now the wife of O. B. Dresback, an electrician in Lincoln, Nebraska ; Nellie is the wife of John Kolbo, a plumber of North Platte, and they have one daughter ; George W., who is at home and engaged in farming his father's property, was placed in Class 1 of the selective draft and made himself ready to respond to the call into the service of his country ; Ruth is the wife of Lee N. Bolton, a farmer of Lodi, Nebraska, and they have one son : Bessie is the wife of Thomas B. Wal- ler. freight agent of the Union Pacific Rail- road at Kearney : Joseph resides at home and assists his father: Ethel is an eighth-grade student ; Frederick W. and Clyde R., are at- tending school; and Doris is six years of age (1918).
Mr. Allen is independent in his political views, and takes no active part in politics. but is a loyal and public-spirited citizen whose support is never withheld from helpful enter- prises and good civic movements.
REV. BRENARD A. SHIVELY. - It is not often that an outsider understands or ap- preciates the work of the clergy of the United Evangelical church. Fortunately these learned and worthy ministers give but little thought to the criticism or lack of appreciation on the part of the world, resting content with the realization that they have carried out the ideas of their superiors, have done the work of their Master, and have accomplished un- told good for the benefit of humanity. One of these unselfish and venerated members of
the United Evangelical clergy is Rev. Brenard A. Shively, pastor of the church of this faith at Callaway.
Brenard A. Shively was born January 22, 188I, at Newport, on the Juniata river, in Perry county, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Charles and Catherine (Longacre) Shively, also natives of the Keystone state. The father, now deceased, was for many years a merchant in Pennsylvania, where he had stores at different points. There were five children in the family: Brenard A., Maurice C., Laura (who died single) ; Mrs. Alice Straup (also deceased) ; and Miss Mary E.
When still a boy, Brenard A. Shively came into the first money earned by himself, this being gained by picking slate in an anthracite coal-breaker at the mines at Kingston, Penn- sylvania. When he was a little older he at-' tended the public schools of Wilkes Barre. and when not engaged at his studies, he was employed in drawing wire in the establish- ment of the Hazard Manufacturing Company. Later he went to Albright College, at Myers- town, in his native state, where he received his higher education, in preparation for the ministry, and at Hazelton, Pennsylvania, in February, 1902, he was licensed to preach the Gospel, by the Eastern Pennsylvania confer- ence of the United Evangelical church. At that time he came to Humboldt, Nebraska, where he accepted a call to the Cottage church, and after there remaining two years he went to Shelton, Buffalo county, where he remained a like period.
On October 19, 1904, at Dawson, Nebraska. was solemnized the marriage of Rev. Brenard A. Shively, to Miss Bertha R. Heim, who was born at Dawson, daughter of Joseph G. and Rosa Heim, early settlers of Richardson county, where they still reside. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Shively and all rcside at the parental home - Mildred A., D. Ray. T. Ruth, Hilda M., Evelyn E., and Charles J.
From Shelton, Buffalo county, Mr. Shively went to Naponee, Franklin county, where he served three years as pastor. He then went to Eustis, Frontier county, where he spent a like period, and eventually he removed to Aurora, the county seat of Hamilton county. where he remained two and one-half years. In September. 1914, he was called to Callaway, where he has since acted as pastor of the Evangelical church, serving also the pulpits at Spring Creek and Brown Valley.
For seven years Mr. Shively held various offices in the State Christian Endeavor Union, and he was transportation manager for that organization to two international and one
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