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 86

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 86

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Anton P. Dobesh accompanied his parents to America when he was ten years old and as a youth helped with the work on the farm in Saunders county, where he received a common-school education. In the spring of 1879 he came to Custer county for the pur- pose of looking the county over, thinking to locate here. In due time he took a homestead

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

and a timber claim in sections 18 and 19, town- ship 14, range 18. His nearest neighbor was four miles distant and the nearest trading point was Kearney. He is one of the home- steaders to retain possession of his original farm throughout the years to the present time and has been closely identified with the pro- gress and development of the region. He has made a specialty of stock-raising and ships several car-loads of cattle to market each year. He is a self-made man and has passed through the various periods of hardship and privations that have been the lot of the old settlers in Custer county. He has made a specialty of Durham cattle and during later years has raised a large amount of grain. He owns 1,600 acres of rich farming land and is one of the successful farmers of central Nebraska. In Saunders county, on March 19, 1882, Mr. Dobesh was united in marriage to Mary Tom- sicek, daughter of Joseph and Mary (No- vacek) Tomsicek, who came to America in the spring of 1875, sailing from Bremen to Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Dobesh have five living children : Anton K. is married, lives in Custer county and has five children ; Frank is farming ; Josephine is at home : Thomas is farming and is individually mentioned on other pages ; and Mary is at home. These children were all born on the homestead and attended the public schools.

Anton P. Dobesh was reared in the Cath- olic faith and is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In politics he has been a staunch Republican and at one time was one of the only two members of his party in his precinct.

The hard times of the carly '90s bore severely on the settlers, several years of drouth and hail succeeding each other with little in- termission. In 1894 Mr. Dobesh harvested but little fodder and two years later lost everything by hail. As before stated, Kearney was their nearest market in the early years of settlement here, the trip requiring three or four days of travel. Deer and antelope were to be seen on the prairies in great numbers. but soon disappeared. Mr. Debosh has now retired and is living in Ansley.

FRANK JELINEK is another young farmer in whose veins courses foreign blood of fine extraction and who is living in the vicinity of Mason City. He was born on July 8, 1883. llis father, Joseph Jelinek, was a native of Bohemia and died, in Nebraska, at the age of forty-five years. The mother. Mary ( Hiak ) Jelinek, was also Bohemian by birth and lived just half a century, ending her

days in this country. In the family were nine children. Aside from Frank, the family roster reads as follows: Josie Howell, Mary 1 .. Davis, both of whom are married to Custer county farmers ; Fannie Fries, who lives in the vicinity of Elm creek ; Hannabel, who is deceased ; Barbara Smith, who lives in Al- liance : Clara Senate, who lives on the old homestead; and Joseph and Fred, who are at the old home. The father first located in Wahoo, Saunders county, Nebraska, from which place he came to Custer county when twenty-one years of age and located home- stead and timber claims. The place now con- tains 520 acres, on which are good buildings, and the farm land is developed into a high state of cultivation.

Frank Jelinek was married November 8. 1914, to Elvina Wagner, who is a member of a fine family and is a very estimable lady who is doing everything in her power to make a happy home and to contribute to the material advantages of farm life.

Mr. Jelinek has splendid live stock, owns his farm implements and is laying the founda- tion of a very successful career, when he shall have reaped the full benefit of the work he is now doing. He began life in a sod house, but for prosperous farmers the sod house only served the day of beginning, and something better soon came to take its place. This fam- ily was no exception.

Mr. Jelinek is a Republican in politics, is affiliated with the Knights of the Maccabees and he and his wife are members of the Evan- gelical church. Mrs. Jelinek carries insur- ance in the Woman's Accident Company. The energy they are displaying will insure a com- petency for the years of retirement and win them a reputation as industrious and desirable citizens.

JOSEPH H. CHERRY, JR. - Down in the Cumro section, by the winding South Loup, where the river valleys of fertile soil make corn and alfalfa prolific, and where the outlying hills graze fine herds of cattle, lives Joseph H. Cherry, Jr., a young farmer who was born in the old commonwealth of Wiscon- sin, thirty-five years ago. Ile is a son of Jo- seph and Mary ( Williams) Cherry, both of whom are deceased. The father died December 6, 1917, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. The mother died in the forty-second year of her age, in Nuckolls .county, Nebraska. In the family of Joseph Cherry were eleven children, five of whom are living at the present time - Mrs. Elizabeth J. Watts, who is living in Cus- ter county ; Joseph H., Jr., who is the subject

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

of this review ; Hester Ann, who lives with her brother Joseph H .; and Mrs. Mary A. Morgan and John W., both of whom live in this county.

The migrations of Mr. Cherry have been rather extensive, and he has shifted about in seeking the land of promise, but found noth- ing to his liking until he struck Custer county. Born in Wisconsin, in the public schools of which state he received his early education, he moved from there to Iowa, then to Brown county, Nebraska ; from there to Box Butte county, where he located a homestead; from Box Butte county to Custer county ; then to Nuckolls county, whence, after a residence of five years, he returned to Custer county, and finally made up his mind that this was the best place he had found in his travels.

Mr. Cherry owns 240 acres of land, which he purchased, and upon which are good im- provements and a fruit orchard. The house is of frame construction, is cozy and com- fortable within, and will answer the purpose of the home domicle until such time as a larger and more pretentious building shall take its place, which time cannot be long, when we reckon with the thrift and energy dis- played by Mr. Cherry.

Mr. Cherry is independent in politics, claims affiliation with no party, votes for the man whom he considers the best suited for the position, and thus discharges his obligation to his country. The family are connected with the Presbyterian church, and, withal, are good people of a substantial character, respected by the wide circle of friends and neighbors in their community.

LUCIAN MCCANDLESS. - A resident of the same homestead property in Custer county for a period of thirty-six years, Lucian NcCandless during this time has established himself firmly as one of the substantial and dependable men of the Broken Bow com- munity. At the time of his arrival his capital was largely bounded up in self-faith, deter-

mination and a willingness to work sturdily and perseveringly ; so well did he invest this capital that to-day he is possessed of 295 acres of some of the best and most productive land in the county, and of a recognized place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens.

Mr. McCandless was born June 25, 1854, in McDonough county, Illinois, and is a son of Samuel Harper McCandless and Delia (Reed ) McCandless. The family is of Scotch origin. but has lived in the United States for many years, William McCandless, the paternal

grandfather of the subject of this review, having been a Pennsylvanian by birth. In that state also, in 1816, was born Samuel Har- per McCandless, a man of superior education and fine intellectual attainments, who in young manhood went to Illinois. He followed farming as a vocation, but also took a prom- inent part in public and political affairs, and in 1860 he was sent to the Illinois state legis- lature, where he made a splendid record for accomplishment and legislative ability. His death occurred on his Illinois farm, in 1861, when he was at the height of his career. In the Prairie state Mr. McCandless met and married a young school-teacher, Delia Reed. who was born in New York, in the year 1821, and who had lived for several years in Ohio. They became the parents of four children, of whom two are living: William Reed, of York, Nebraska ; and Lucian, of this review. Mrs. McCandless died in 1900, in the faith of the Presbyterian church, of which her husband was a member. He was a Re- publican in his political views.

Lucian McCandless was reared and edu- cated in Illinois and his youth was not one in which he was given numerous advantages, for his father had died when he was but seven years of age and it was necessary that he do his share in the support of the family. He left the home community in 1882 and came di- rect to Custer county, where he settled on the homestead that has since been the stage of his agricultural operations. Mr. McCandless is now the owner of 295 acres of productive land, situated within one mile of Broken Bow, and here he makes a specialty of dairying. with a good grade of Holstein and Durham cattle and some Swiss Jerseys. He is doing well also in hog-raising and in general farm- ing, and his operations are all carried on along modern, progressive lines. Mr. McCandless has erected a handsome set of buildings, in- cluding a commodious, comfortable and well furnished residence, and the other improve- ments on the property are fully in keeping with these structures.

In 1878 Mr. McCandless was married, in Illinois, to Miss Emmeline Gandy, daughter of Amos W. Gandy, who came to Custer county in 1882 and farmed here until his death, his widow being now a resident of Broken Bow. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless became the parents of eight children, of whom five are living : William L. is cashier of the Berwyn State Bank, and in November, 1918, was elected treasurer of Custer county ; Raymond B., who, in August, 1917, became a lieutenant of Con- pany B, One Hundredth and Twenty-seventh Machine Gun Battery, was stationed at Camp

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Deming, New Mexico, at the time this sketch was written. Harrison P., Mary Belle, and Charles W., remain at the parental home. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless and their children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is fraternally affiliated with the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. As a rule he is a Republican in his political views, although inclined to be inde- pendent, and he has served acceptably in the capacities of justice of the peace and member of the board of county commissioners. As an agriculturist, business man and public official, as well as personally, his record is an excel- lent one, fully entitling him to the marked respect and esteem in which he is uniformly held by his fellow citizens.

ROBERT FARLEY .- One of the big men in the Milburn district, physically and in- fluentially, is Robert Farley, a retired farmer and Custer county pioneer, who is known throughout the entire north region of the county, and who is a man of blameless char- acter - one who by long residence and public activity has proven his worth.

Mr. Farley is a retired farmer, and has well earned the rest he enjoys in his declining years. He was born in Platte county, Mis- souri, February 14, 1844, and is a son of Josiah and Nancy ( Mason) Farley. His father was a native of Tennessee, and was born in 1812. His mother was a native of Kentucky. When still a young man the father moved to Missouri, where he was mar- ried in the spring of 1841. In the home of Josiah Farley were born eight children, only two of whom now survive, -the subject of this sketch, and his brother, James E. Farley, of Milburn, this county. Josiah Farley died in Kansas, in 1857, having removed to that state with his family in the spring of the same year. His wife survived until 1872.

Robert Farley was educated in the common schools of Missouri, and from boyhood on he followed farming until he was eighteen years of age. In 1862 the call of the west over- whelmed every other youthful inclination, and an opportunity which came to him to wield the bull whip over the backs of freight oxen could not be resisted. Accordingly, he drove ox teams in hauling freight from Leaven- worth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado, the trip each way taking three months. Later. in 1883, he freighted with oxen between Leaven- worth and Fort Union, New Mexico, hauling government supplies. He seemed to like the trail, and the camp had for him a peculiar

fascination. In 1864 he made a trip with oxen in an ox train from Fort Leavenworth to Salt Lake City. The caravan started from Leavenworth about the middle of August, 1864, and reached Fort Laramie, Wyoming. where they remained during the winter, and in the spring of 1865, they proceeded to Salt Lake City, which destination they reached July 24th. From Utah Mr. Farley drifted back into Missouri, where he farmed until 1868. Then the call of the trail came again, and he went to Texas, in quest of cattle which he and other cattle men were to drive to Abi- lene. In the spring of 1869 he helped take a herd of 2,000 cattle from Abilene to Spot Trail Agency, in South Dakota, and in 1871 he made that trip again with cattle. This outdoor, in-the-saddle and in-the-tent life had its fascinations, and the cattle business es- pecially appealed to him, so he continued in the same occupation until 1880, when he came to Custer county, Nebraska, and homesteaded in section 10, township 20, range 21. He had been in Custer county on a previous trip, two years before this, which makes his advent into the county date from 1878. It was the same year, 1880, that he married Miss Ellen Car- penter, of West Union, a very estimable lady who became a faithful, companionable wife, and the mother of his six children. Concern- ing the children the following brief record is available : Nina, who was born May 13, 1881, is now the wife of F. R. Dryden, of Bed Rock, Colorado ; Mary, who was born September 16, 1882, is the wife of John T. Huffman, a Custer county farmer; Gertrude, who was born March 28, 1884, is the wife of M. S. Daily, a prominent Custer county farmer who resides in the vicinity of Milburn ; Ellen Frances, who was born December 14, 1885, is the wife of John Barton, of Dunning, Nebraska : Arthur, who was born July 20, 1887, is married and resides on the father's home place, and with him and his family Robert Farley makes his home ; and Ruby, the youngest of the children, was born May 24, 1898.

To the homestead holding the Farleys added other land adjoining, until they had a considerable section of very valuable river- valley land. Recently some of this land has been sold, but the home is maintained on the old homestead.

Mr. Farley is one of Custer county's su- pervisors at the present time, and is a man somewhat advanced in years, - one who en- joys the confidence and respect of all his friends. His wife passed away April 4, 1901. Since that time his active labor has not been of the strenuous character that marked his

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

earlier manhood years. In politics Mr. Far- ley is a Democrat. He is a member of the Christian church.

HARRY F. BURNHAM .- Among the widely known residents of Custer county few are more highly considered than Harry Burn- ham, who has extensive farm and stock in- terests in the county and is prominent and trustworthy in public affairs. He has been a resident of Custer county for almost forty years and has been identified with its remark- able development along many lines.

Harry F. Burnham was born October 9. 1875, at Norway, in Oxford county, Maine. His parents were Horace and Lizzie (Frost ) Burnhan, of well known old New England families, the father having been born at Augusta, Maine, and the mother at Norway. that state. Harry F. Burnham has four brothers: Frank, Eugene, Sumner, and Silas, and two half-sisters, Lizzie and Addie. Dur- ing all of his active career the father of Mr. Burnham carried on farming and dealing in live stock. He was a staunch Republican in his political opinions, and after coming to Nebraska, in 1877, he became affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. His death occurred in Custer county, March 7, 1902. The mother of Harry Burnham died February 21, 1889.

When the parents of Harry F. Burnham moved from Maine to Nebraska he was only two years old ; hence he has no recollection of what was then a journey of some magnitude. The family located in Lancaster county and lived there four years. Removal was then made to Custer county, where the father home- steaded, and since then the Burnhams have all belonged to this section. Harry Burnham attended the public schools, including the high school, and subsequently he completed a course in the Lincoln 'Business College, in the capital city of Nebraska. Mr. Burnham was brought up with the idea that educational training never comes amiss, and to his other acquirements, in the course of time, he added knowledge of the scientific methods that have made modern farming and stock-raising so much more profitable than ever before in this country, and this knowledge has been success- fully applied in his extensive agricultural op- erations. It has been to intelligent farmers and stock-raisers that the country has looked for relief in time of war stress. Mr. Burn- ham's farm lies in section 28, township 35, Custer county, and because of his excellent methods of land treatment, his acres are grow- ing more valuable day by day.

At Westerville, Nebraska, January 13, 1901, Mr. Burnham married Miss Maggie Copsey, who is a daughter of Alonzo and Annie ( Wal- lin) Copsey, and they have two sons, Frank and Harry. Mr. Burnham has been a prom- inent factor in Republican political circles for a number of years and has served frequently in local offices of marked responsibility. He was supervisor of District No. 1 during the construction of the new court house, and was chairman of the county board during 1913 and 1914. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which latter organization he is very con- spicuous and has held high offices.

ANSON T. MASON. - The man whose life's sketch is here appended belongs to a well known family of progressive, enterprising Cumro people - a family that in every pos- sible way has made good in every undertak- ing, and has been an asset and a credit to Cus- ter county.

Anson T. Mason is a native of Illinois, where he was born in the county that bears his name, in the year 1863. He is a son of Elias and Mary (Kane) Mason, of whose six children, five are still living, and have rendered valuable services to the localities in which they have their homes: Warren was born in Cumber- land county, New Jersey ; Isaac died in Cus- ter county ; Ella is the wife of Casper Thomp- son, a farmer living in New Jersey ; Benajah is a Custer county farmer; the fifth born is Anson T., the man of whom we write; Mehet- able married Charles Griffin and lives on a farm in Colorado.

The Mason family of which Anson T. is a representative came to Custer county in 1885 and homesteaded here. The boys took home- steads of their own, and all began operations in the new country with practically no capital. They were thrifty and industrious, and have at different times had extensive land holdings, equalling at least four sections at different times. In the family holdings are now one half-section of well improved land.

In 1911 Anson T. Mason married Mary (Rumbaugh) Mason, his brother's widow. Alrs. Mason's father came from Ohio and her inother from Pennsylvania, though she her- self is a native of Michigan. At the time of her second marriage she had five children by Isaac Mason, her former husband: Ida is the wife of Nelson True, who has a home in Cus- ter county ; Delbert is deceased ; Charles is a farmer and resides in this county: Lucy is the wife of John Cherry ; and Harris Mason lives at Cumro, Custer county.

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HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY, NEBRASKA

In the early days the Mason home was a dug-out. Later a sod house was built, in which they lived until sixteen years ago. When through with his first building opera - tion, the young proprietor had besides his landed possessions, just fifty cents with which to face the world. In 1878 he moved into Saline county, where his father bought a quarter-section of land, and where the family lived for seven years, then moving to Custer county, where they now reside.

The Masons are among the best people of the community, and are devoted communicants of the Baptist church. Mr. Mason is inde- pendent in politics, selecting the candidate ac- cording to his standing and reputation.

FRANK H. DOBESH is a young, progres- sive and respected farmer, and is a member of a large family, all of whom have honored the family name. He is hard-working and ener- getic and has developed a farm which ranks well with the Custer county farms, the while he maintains a home that for the years of its existence equals the record of any. He is a son of Anton P. and Mary (Tomsicek) Do- besh, both natives of Bohemia, a definite men- tion of them appearing on other pages of this volume.

Frank H. is essentially and in fact a Custer county product, all his life having been spent in the county. He was married January 10. 1912, to Miss Cleo Knapp, who is a daughter of John Knapp, an implement dealer in Ans- ley. Into the Frank Dobesh home the passing vears have brought four children - John, Marius, Valaire, and Gwenivere. all at home and constituting a happy quartet of promis- ing children.

The land operated by Mr. Dobesh consists of 320 acres - a result of his purchase - and on the property are good improvements and a splendid home. He has fine horses, a good grade of cattle, and hogs of high breeding. He conducts general farming, raises all kinds of grain, depends upon corn and alfalfa and by practical application of good judgment and shrewd management makes every department of the farm pay profit. His wife, a very ex- cellent lady, co-operates with him in every activity and does her part to maintain the high standards of the home. Aside from the im- mediate circle of his own family domiciled under his own farm roof, Mr. Dobesh has four brothers and sisters. Anton K. and Thomas both reside in this county, and both are indi- vidually represented elsewhere in this work ; Josie is a bookkeeper in Omaha; Mary is at home in Ansley.

Mr. and Mrs. Dobesh are very agreeable, kindly neighbors, obliging under all conditions, and have high rating among their acquaint- ances and the large circle with whom they have dealings. In politics Mr. Dobesh subscribes to the principles of the Republican party and is one of the leaders and counselors in the local ranks of the party.

JAMES J. LEE has been prominent among the citizens of Berwyn for a number of years, in various capacities. He has been suc- cessful in the stock business, has been man- ager of a grain elevator, and has served as a public official. At the present time he is here one of the most progressive of the exponents of agricultural industry. Mr. Lee was born in Hall county, Nebraska, November 11, 1880, and is a son of John and Margaret ( Con- cannon ) Lee.

On both sides of the family Mr. Lee comes . of Irish ancestors, both his paternal and ma- ternal grandparents having died in the Emer- ald Isle. . The parents of Mr. Lee were born in Ireland and their marriage was solemnized in Louisville, Kentucky. They came to Ne- braska after several years of residence else- where. In 1886 John Lee secured a position in the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and two years later he was made a section foreman, a position which he has held at Berwyn during a period of thirty years, and in which he has established an ex- cellent record for fidelity and capable discharge of duty. His life has been a successful one. as he has not only taken care of his responsi- bilities in a manly and efficient manner, but has also been prosperous in a material way. He is now the owner of a good farm and other property. He is a staunch Democrat in his political allegiance, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, of which Mlrs. Lee also is a devout member. Of their six children, three are living: James J., of this review, and John W. and Mary, who reside with their parents.

James J. Lee was given good educational advantages in his youth, attending first the common schools and later Grand Island Col- lege. After leaving the latter institution he was for a time engaged in the stock business, but disposed of his interests therein to take charge, as manager, of the Central Granaries elevator. He handled this enterprise in a cap- able way, but eventually turned his attention to farming, and he has since been successful in the accumulation of a good property and the building up a reputation for capability in a section that does not lack skilled men. He has

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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 86

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