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 82

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 82

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EDWIN E. SQUIRES. - Among the firms who have contributed to the prestige of Custer county as the home of able and learned repre- sentatives of the profession of law, one which is generally acknowledged to be a leader, and particularly in the field of criminal procedure, is that of Sullivan, Squires & Johnson. A member of this firm who has played a prom-

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

EDWIN E. SQUIRES

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

inent part in its success is Edwin E. Squires, who has taken advantage of his opportunities. fashioned his resources to his needs, and re- flected dignity, sincerity, and genuine worth upon a profession for which he is singularly and even admirably equipped.

Mr. Squires was born on a farm in Dela- ware county, lowa. August 29, 1867, and is a son of James HI. and Mary A. ( Eberhart ) Squires. His paternal grandfather. John .1. Squires, was a native of New York, and in his later years moved to lowa, where he met an accidental death, at a Fourth of July cele- bration. James H. Squires was born near Cortland. New York, in 1842, and was seven years of age when taken by his parents to Iowa. For a number of years he was engaged in farming in Delaware county, that state, and he also had some experience in selling insur- ance and in the drug business, finally locating at Lawrence, Kansas, where he lived while his children were being educated. His death oc- curred at Kearney. Nebraska, in 1893. Mr. Squires, who had been a successful farmer and business man, was a member of the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows and Ancient Order of United Workmen, was a Republican in politics, and belonged to the Congregational church. He married Mary A. Eberhart. who was born in 1848, in Mercer county, Pennsyl- vania, a daughter of Hiram B. Eberhart. Mr. Eberhart brought his family to the west some time during the Civil war period, and he died in Iowa. Mrs. Squires survives her husband, is a resident of Kearney, Nebraska, ard is the mother of two children : Edwin E., whose name initiates this review, and Mande, who was educated in the normal school at Law- rence. Kansas, and was a teacher until her marriage to Logan Sammons, a farmer of the neighborhood of Axtell, Nebraska.

Edwin E. Squires received his early edu- cational training in an academy at Manchester. lowa. and a high school at Monticello, that state, and he then entered the literary depart- ment of the Kansas State University, at Law- rence. from which he was graduated in 1889. At this time his finances were at a somewhat low ebb, but he was determined upon complet- ing his professional training, and by working during the summer months he was able to earn sufficient funds to carry him through a complete course in the legal department of the University of Nebraska, in which he was duly graduated in 1893, with his degree of Bachelor of Laws. He at once began practice at Kearney. where he was located until 1907. and within this time he served one term, of two years, as county attorney of Buffalo county. Likewise

he became known, somewhat more than local- ly, for his ability in criminal cases, a notorious manslaughter case, in particular. attracting at- tention and giving Mr. Squires recognition when he won a victory for his client. Thus it was that when he came to Broken Bow, in 1907, he found that his reputation had pre- ceded him, as he was almost immediately the recipient of professional business of the most desirable kind. Soon after his arrival he formed a partnership with Homer M. Sullivan, under the style of Sullivan & Squires, and since then Albert P. Johnson has joined the combination, which is now known as Sullivan. Squires & Johnson. This association of able legists now does the largest and most important business in Custer county, the two original members making a specialty of criminal law. Mr. Squires has been counsel in six murder cases, repre- senting the defendant in four, and has been the winner in all save one of the six. He has been successful in a material way and is the holder of much valuable land in Custer county. A Republican in politics, he has taken an active part in local affairs, and in 1913 he was elected mayor of Broken Bow, a capacity in which he gave his fellow townsmen an excellent ad- ministration.

In 1898 Mr. Squires wedded Miss Annie Finch, who was born at Dallas, Illinois. a daughter of John A. and Elizabeth Finch. Mr. Finch, a native of Pennsylvania, was a pioneer of Dallas, Illinois, where he settled in 1846, and where he was a merchant and ship- ped goods down the Mississippi river. The family moved to Kearney. Nebraska. about 1886, and there he and his wife passed away. Mrs. Squires died in 1907, having been the mother of one child. Mary Elizabeth, who is a senior at the Kearney high school. The mother was a devoted member of the Congre- gational church, to which Mr. Squires also belongs.

THOMAS J. GILLIGAN. - Anywhere within the fine Middle Loup region of Custer county can be found no better ranchman than the sterling citizen whose name initiates this paragraph and who is well entitled to recogni- tion in this history. Everybody calls Mr. Gil- ligan "Tom," and this fact offers indubitable testimony to his personal popularity. For many years he has held precedence as one of the extensive and successful stockmen of the northern part of Custer county, and a resi- dence or more than thirty years in the county marks his as entitled to pioneer honors.

Thomas J. Gilligan was born in Essex

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county, New York, on the 4th of March, 1860, and is a son of John and Eliza (O'Donnell) Gilligan, who were representative of fine old Irish stock and from whom the subject of this review received the inherent attributes that have made for strong manhood and the thrift that is born of energy and mature judgment. John Gilligan was born and reared in the fine old Emerald Isle and was a young man when he came to America, in company with one of his brothers who was a sailor by occupation. He landed in the city of Boston, and within a short time thereafter he made his way to Wisconsin, where he found employment as driver in the transportation of the United States mail. He gained pioneer experience in the Badger state, where he remained several years, and in 1854 he established his reasidence in Essex county, New York, where he turned his attention to agricultural enterprise. There, in 1865, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Eliza O'Donnell, who was born in Ireland and who was but ten years old when her parents immigrated to America and established their home in the state of New York. John Gilli- gan passed the remainder of his life in the Em- pire state, where his death occurred in 1880. and his venerable widow still maintains her home in that state. They became the parents of seven children, of whom five are living, two of the number becoming residents of Ne- braska - Thomas J., of this review, and Dr. J. P. Gilligan, who established himself in the practice of his profession at O'Neill, Holt county.

Thomas F. Gilligan was reared and educated in his native state. where also he gained his initial experience in connection with the basic industries of agriculture and stock-raising. In 1882 he came to Nebraska, as a sturdy and ambitious young man of about twenty-two years, and he passed the first two years in Gage county, where he was employed by the late Nathan Blakely, one of the most honored and influential pioneers of that county. In 1884 Mr. Gilligan came to Custer county, where he entered claim to a homestead in sec- tion 24, township 20, range 22, and where he girded himself for the responsibilities and ex- actions of pioneer life. By hard work and good management he forged forward toward the goal of success and prosperity, and he has long been numbered among the substantial and representative exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in this county. He has fol- lowed agricultural enterprise on an extensive scale, with large holdings of land, but his major success has been gained in connection with the raising of live stock.

Loyal and progressive as a citizen, Mr. Gil-

ligan has contributed his full quota to civic and material advancement in Custer county, and has taken lively interest in all things touch- ing the communal welfare. In politics he has been independent, and he now maintains a non-partisan attitude, in which connection he gives his support to men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. He is a com- municant and liberal supporter of the Catholic church.

In the year 1899 was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Gilligan to Miss Nora Calkins, a daughter of William Calkins, and of this union were born six children - Eleanor, Marie, Peter, Thomas, Jennie, and Nicholas. All of the children are living except Thomas, who died at the age of four years, the mother also having passed away. By careful providing of ways and means Mr. Gilligan kept his chil- dren well provided for, and all still remain with him except Jennie, who resides with an aunt in the state of New York, she being four- teen years of age at the time of this writing. In 1908, after the death of their mother, Elea- nor and Marie Gilligan went to the home of their uncle, Dr. J. P. Gilligan, where they re- mained five years and in the meanwhile at- tended an academy school. At the expiration of the period noted, they returned to the pa- ternal home, where they have since had charge of its domestic economics and have proved themselves most competent housekeepers, be- sides which they are popular factors in the so- cial activities of their home community.

WALTER A. BENCE, who is one of the prominent and thrifty farmers of Custer county, has been a continuous resident of the county for the past thirty-five years. He was born in Harrison county, Indiana, November 18, 1859, and is the eldest son of Socrates and Ambrosia (Nelson) Bence. Socrates Bence belonged to a pioneer family of Indiana and was born and died on a claim that his father had pre-empted. He was a man of public influence, a Democrat in politics, and for four years, 1884-1888, he served as sheriff of Har- rison county. Both he and his wife spent their lives in Indiana. They had six children and five survive, namely: Walter A. is the subject of this sketch; Mary is the wife of Charles Hurst and they live on the old home- stead ; Jennie is the wife of Benjamin Chick- ering, of Louisville, Kentucky ; Charles, who lives in California, married Mary Denbow, now deceased. The mother of the above children was a member of the Presbyterian church.

Walter A. Bence grew to manhood on the

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old family homestead in Harrison county and attended the public schools. He immigrated with his family to Nebraska and drove his team of horses, with his covered wagon, into York county, February 24, 1882. In March, 1883, he came on into Custer county, where he has lived ever since, engaging very success- fully in mixed farming and stock-raising. He owns a historic tract of land, known as the Lone Tree country, it being where the des- perate horse thieves who ravaged Brown county met just judicial punishment in the summer of 1884.

In August, 1880, Mr. Bence married Miss Catherine Walter, a daughter of John and Catherine ( Kiefer) Walter, who became the parents of fifteen children. Of these children the following survive: John, who lives in Harrison county. Indiana, married Ann Fleischman ; Caroline is the widow of George Dahl, of Louisville Kentucky; Mary is the wife of Casper Zeiler. of Louisville : Henry, who is a resident of Los Angeles, California, married Tena Hemple ; Margaret, who mar- ried, first, John Hart, and, second. George W. McRae. lives at Berwyn, Custer county ; Catherine is the wife of Walter A. Bence, of this review ; Sarah is the widow of William Hart, of Louisville; Louis, of Harrison county, Indiana, married Caroline Bruch ; Jacob, of Custer county, married Minnie Cud- more: Anna is the widow of John Steller, of Los Angeles ; and Barbara is the wife of Andrew Barber, of Brith, Iowa.

ALEXANDER PIRNIE, who is one of Custer county's representative citizens, resides on his well improved farm, in section 12, which he took up as a homestead claim thirty- nine years ago. He was born in Perthshire, Scotland, July 16, 1853. His parents were Alexander and Janet ( Morris) Pirnie, who came from Scotland to the United States in 1879. Their objective point was Nebraska and the father took up a homestead in Custer county, where he passed the remainder of his life. The death of the mother occurred at Buffalo, Kansas, but the burial of both was in Lone Tree cemetery, Custer county. They were strong and vigorous people and nine of their family of ten children are still living, as follows: Alexander, whose name introduces this paragraph; John, who is a farmer and dairyman, living at Merna, Custer county ; Jessie, whose home is in Buffalo, Kansas : Peter, who is a gravel contractor in Kansas City, Kansas ; James, who is a miner at Daw- son City, Alaska : Mrs. Elizabeth Stocker, who lives at Broken Bow : Mrs. Catherine Parson,

whose home is at Aspen, Colorado ; Mitchel, who is in business in Scotland ; and William, who is a farmer near Escondido, Califorma.

Alexander Pirnie had excellent school ad- vantages in his native land. With other mem- bers of his family he came to the United States in 1876 and located first in Poweshiek county, Iowa. Securing work with farmers, he remained in that section for three years and then came to Nebraska. For about a year he remained in York county but late in 1879 he come to Custer county and secured the home- stead on which he has lived ever since, follow- ing general farming and stock-raising. From the first Mr. Pirnie has been a prominent and useful citizen of his community and he has been identified with much of the wonderful progress made here in the last quarter of a century or more. He served as a juror in the first regular term of the district court ever held in Custer county and is one of only two surviving members of that body, the other be- ing Edwin McClure, of Broken Bow. The presiding judge, who came through by team from Kearney to hold court, was Judge Gaslin. In politics Mr. Pirnie is a Democrat. He served nine years on the town board, was a justice of the peace for the same length of time and for twelve years has been a director in his school district.

September 1, 1881, Mr. Pirnie married Miss Lucina Powell, of Custer county, a daughter of John and Maria Powell, formerly of Craw- ford county, Wisconsin. Ten of the twelve children of Mr. and Mrs. Pirnie vet survive, namely: Earl is a merchant and also post- master at Weissert: David M., who is a tarmer, lives at Weissert: John W., who is a minister of the Church of God, on the Berwyn circuit, lives at Broken Bow ; Mrs. Lucy Cooksley lives at Weissert : Mrs. Amy Leck lives five miles east of Weissert : Mrs. Mira Cooksley lives on a farm near Weissert ; Richard is a farmer near Comstock ; George and Otis both remain at the parental home : and Mrs. Elsie Spencer lives at Rose Valley postoffice, Broken Bow.

WILLIAM U. UHLMAN, whose well im- proved farm and comfortable surroundings indicate efficiency as a farmer and a mea- sure of personal pride in the home that he has acquired through his own industry, is well known in Custer county, where he is re- spected and esteemed. He was born in Switzerland, near the city of Zurich. Febru- ary 2, 1881. His parents were Ulrich and Lesetta (Schutz) Uhlman, who immigrated to the United States in 1883. They had four

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children, namely: Fritz, who is a farmer and carpenter residing near Broken Bow, Ne- braska, married Victoria Smets ; William Ul- rich Uhlman is the subject of this sketch ; Mary, who is the widow of Charles Myers, re- sides at Broken Bow : and Rosa is the wife of Wilbur Osborn, who follows the carpenter trade at Broken Bow.

William Ulrich Uhlman was two years old when the family came to the United States and located in Clermont county, lowa. The father engaged in farming there for one year and then came to Custer county, Nebraska. and homesteaded. Thus this has been the section in which all the children grew up. William U. obtained his education in the pub- lic schools of Custer county and had practical training on the farm in preparing for his chosen vocation. Every section of the coun- try presents disadvantages together with op- portunities, and there have been seasons in the past history of Custer county when agri- cultural operations failed because of natural causes, but in later times, since farming and stock-raising have come largely into the hands of well informed and experienced men like Mr. Uhlman, little complaint is ever heard of lack of fine crops in this beautiful section. Mr. Uhlman's experience has led him to adopt dry-farming methods and he has been very successful.

Mr. Uhlman was married March 8, 1905, to Miss Marie Smets, who is now deceased. She left three children - Avis, who was born March 29, 1906; Bernice, who was born Feb- ruary 22, 1909 ; and Inez, who was born April 19, 1912. Mr. Uhlman is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church. In politics he is a Republican and he belongs to the fraternal order of Modern Woodmen of America. His farm lies in section 9, township 18, range 19, - in Round valley, Custer county.

NELS A. HALL .- For forty-two busy years Nels A. Hall, one of Custer county's best known farmers and stock-raisers, had his home in this section of the great state of Ne- braska. He has seen wonderful changes of all kinds since he came to this section and has done his share in the development of the county's agricultural resources and in estab- lishing such necessities of civilization as good roads, schools, and churches. When a com- munity can claim a majority of such stable and dependable men as Mr. Hall its per- manence and progress are assured. It was a matter of genuine regret to the many Custer county friends of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson when, on the 24th of September, 1918, they left their

old home near Round Valley and removed to Marion county, Oregon, where Mr. Hall pur- chased an attractive place, two miles distant from Silverton, and where he and his wife intend to pass the remainder of their lives.

Nels A. Hall is a native of Norway and was born near Gjövik. November 15, 1854. His parents were Andreas and Annie (Nelson) Hall, who had four children, namely: Nels A., Peter, Halldora, and Bertha. 'The father was a carpenter by trade. In 1874 Nels A. Hall came to the United States. He was then twenty years old and had attended the com- mon schools and probably had, to some extent, learned his father's trade. At that time America called young men from many parts of the world, freely offering opportunities that older countries could no longer give. Owner- ship of land and a home of one's own at- tracted many to the western states, and in 1874, among the others who settled in Dane county, Wisconsin, many from Norway, was Nels . A. Hall. That was but a step on the way, but Mr. Hall remained there two years and he came to Nebraska in the year 1884. He pre-empted land in Custer county, and 0:1 this he continued to reside until his removal to Oregon, as noted above. His well improved Custer county farm is situated in section 34, township 19, in the vicinity of Round Valley. The years that followed settlement were years of hard work, but diligence and perseverance in time brought rewards in peace and plen- teousness. Mr. Hall followed methods which have been proved best in this climate and was exceedingly successful as a farmer and stock- raiser.

Mr. Hall was married, at Boscobel, Grant county, Wisconsin, April 9, 1879, to Miss Bell Olson, a daughter of Ingebret and Anna (Anderson) Olson, and the following named children have been born to them: Egbert, Anna, Helen, Peter, Lewis, and Andrew. All of the children have been given good educa- tional advantages. Mr. Hall and his family belong to the Lutheran church, to which his parents also belonged. He has long been a loyal and appreciative citizen of the United States and is a Republican in politics.

MARK O. AND WILL N. BOOTS. - One of the splendidly developed farming porperties lying in Custer county in the vi- cinity of Broken Bow is that which belongs to Mark O. and Will N. Boots - a tract of 320 acres, on which are to be found the latest improvements. These brothers are accounted among the self-made men of their locality, as they started out in life with only their am-

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bitions and abilities as their capital, and what they have achieved has been through their own unaided efforts.

Mark (). Boots was born August 19, 1870, and Will N. Boots March 17, 1872, their place of nativity having been a farm in Carroll county, lowa. They are sons of C. S. and Sarah _1. ( Prettyman ) Boots. Their pater- nal grandfather, John O. Boots, was an early settler of Miami county, Indiana, in which state he passed the greater part of his life in agricultural pursuits, and on the maternal side their grandfather was James Prettyman, a na- tive of Delaware, who early became a farmer of Indiana, but spent his last years in the state of Washington. C. S. Boots was born August 31, 1842, in Grant county, Indiana, and in 1865, in the Hoosier state, he married Miss Sarah A. Prettyman, who had been born in Starke county, Indiana, April 2, 1849. Not long after their marriage they removed to Iowa, where, in Carroll county, Mr. Boots was engaged in farming as a renter. In 1889 he came to Nebraska and located in Custer county, where he found the medium through which to gain success, as he is now one of the well-to-do and substantial men of his com- munity. Mr. Boots is a Democrat in politics and he and his wife belong to the Christian church. They became the parents of thirteen children, of whom nine survive: Mary, the wife of A. B. Miley, a Custer county farmer ; Mark O. and Will N., whose names introduce this review : Jenetta, the widow of J. F. Line : Bertha, the wife of Martin .A. Almandinger, a farmer of Lakeside, Washington ; Nellie, the wife of Fred E. Conley, who is working in a shipyard at Portland, Oregon ; T. A., engaged in farming in Grant county, Nebraska ; and Misses Kate and Alta, on the home place with their parents.

Mark O. and Will N. Boots received their education in the public schools of lowa and accompanied their parents to Nebraska in 1889. While the former remained on the home place, Will N. worked out among the neighboring agriculturists for several years, and the boys then rented land together. This they cultivated until they could get sufficient capital to set them up as proprietors. Even- tually they were able to purchase 160 acres, in the Broken Bow neighborhood, and to this they have since added a like acreage, and their land is now all under a high state of cultiva- tion, producing the standard crops in abund- ance, under their skilled management and treatment of the soil. In addition to general farming they have experimented successfully in raising all kinds of live stock, and in both

departments have shown themselves capable and resourceful.

Neither of the Boots brothers is married. but they keep "bachelors' hall" on their farm, where they have a pleasant home and commo- dious buildings for the housing of their stock, grain, and equipment. They are members of the Highlanders, and Mark O. Boots also be- longs to the Knights of Pythias.

JOHN M. KRAMER is one of the late homesteaders of Custer county, and he lives in the Anselmo region, in which locality gov- ernment land was last taken. The story that is about to be related proves, however, that the late-comers, if they possessed the same in- domitable traits, made good almost as readily as did those of early days, when the best of land was open for homestead entry.

John M. Kramer was born forty-five years ago and is a son of Adam and Margaret ( Kopp) Kramer, natives of Germany, who came to America when quite young, here pass- ing the remainder of their lives. The father died at the age of thirty-nine years, and the mother at the age of forty-seven years. In their family were four children: Mrs. Minnie Simmons lives in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where her husband is a railroad emplove : Mrs. Tillie Cathiro is the wife of an Omaha contractor : Mrs. Nellie Allen lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her husband is employed as a salesman ; the fourth is the subject of this sketch.

During his childhood and youth the educa- tional advantages of Mr. Kramer were limited, but he possessed that spirit which is determined to overcome all handicaps and to attain the object to which it aspires. Accord- ingly, while working in a candy kitchen in Omaha, he attended a night school, and thus he secured for himself a fundamental educa- tion which stands him well in hand as a busi- ness man and a qualified, progressive citizen.

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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 82

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