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 88
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In November, 1897, Mr. Williams married
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Miss Eva Roberts, who was born in Illinois, a daughter of Timothy Roberts, a farmer near New Helena, Nebraska. To this union there have been born six children: Rollie, who is his father's assistant in the milk business ; and Charles, Lester, Mabel, Mary, and Ruth, all of whom are at home. Mr. Williams is a member of the Odd Fellows' lodge, in which he is very popular, and is a Democrat in poli- tics. He has served efficiently as assessor of Victoria precinct, and in other ways has dem- onstrated his good citizenship and willingness to bear his share of the responsibilities of com- munity life.
FRANK KULHANEK. - Custer county can well be proud of her younger sons, proud of those young farmers who were born within her borders and who are devoting to her in- dustries the strength of their manhood years. A man of that kind is named in the title line above. He was born in the county and this has been his home until the present time. He comes of fine Bohemian extraction and be- longs to a family widely known throughout the south and east regions of the county. He dates his nativity August 12, 1885, and belongs to the family of John Kulhanek, whose life sketch is recorded elsewhere in this volume. It was in the Custer county public schools that Frank Kulhanek received his early education - an education which, augmented by wide reading, has made him a well informed and competent citizen. It was here he began his agricultural pursuits and developed that facility in soil culture that makes him one of the pros- perous farmers of the section in which he re- sides.
In 1910 Mr. Kulhanek was united in mar- riage to Miss Gladys Jones, who, like her hus- band, descends from a well known and reputa- ble family. Two children have blessed their home and union, the first, Violet, adds much of life and energy to the household ; the second, Dorothy, is deceased. Mr. Kulhanek bought his home farm about nine years ago and began operations in the farming line for himself. He owns 320 acres of well improved land and aside from being a careful, painstaking farmer he is an excellent judge of stock and is to be rated as one of the American food producers upon whom much has depended in the recent strenuous days of war activities and in mak- ing further provision now that the great war has terminated.
The Kulhaneks appreciate the advantages of this country. have a patriotic disposition, are loyal to the cause for which the country has
been at war and have been promoters of and contributors to all the various war drives so far inaugurated. Mr. Kulhanek belongs to the Knights of l'ythias, in which order he main- tains good standing.
WILLIAM R. TENNANT. - When he first came to Custer county, in 1888, the world- ly possessions of William R. Tennant were represented by the span of mules which he had driven through from Missouri. He had the world before him, a cheerful outlook on life that goes with the individual just passing from youth into manhood, and inherent faith in his own ability to accomplish something, a faith that no discouragement could dim. This self- confidence has been more than justified, for to-day Mr. Tennant is one of the leading busi- ness citizens of Berwyn, the owner of a suc- cessful creamery and light-hardware business, and the possessor of a valuable farm which pays substantial dividends.
Mr. Tennant was born in Columbia county, Wisconsin, February 10, 1867, a son of John and Jennette (Tennant) Tennant, the former born in Canada in 1844 and the latter in 1846. The parents were married in Wisconsin, whence they moved to Missouri, and during the seven years that they lived in the latter state John Tennant prospered in his affairs. In 1874 he decided to try his fortune in Kan- sas, whose opportunities he had heard loudly praised, and accordingly he settled in that state, on a school section. This proved to be an ill starred move. for he almost immediately met with reverses which swept away his small fortunes, and his death occurred there in 1879. his wife having passed away the previous year. They were members of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Tennant was a Republican in his political views. Of the six children in the family, but two are now living: William R., and Almeda. the wife of James Maddox, a farmer of Hanson, Nebraska.
William R. Tennant received a somewhat limited education in the country schools of Missouri and Kansas, and after the death of his parents, he and his sisters returned to the former state, where he was variously employed until he was twenty-one years okl. At that time he struck out for himself, driving his greatly valued span of mules across the country until he arrived in Custer county, where he secured a homestead and in due time proved up on the same. For a number of years he was engaged in farming. and his success may be noted in the fact that he is to-day the owner of the old Evans farm, of 154 acres, located
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one-half mile east of Berwyn, on which are car- ried on general farming operations, although Mr. Tennant supervises the operations rather than taking any active part in them. He has been successful in the raising of thoroughbred Jersey cattle, of which he ships a large num- ber to the market each year, and he has been successful also in raising hogs. He is thor- oughly informed in every branch of farming and stock-raising, and his long residence in Custer county has given him a reputation that makes him akin to an authority. In 1914 Mr. Tennant turned his attention to mercantile lines. For a time he was engaged in the im- plement business at Berwyn, but after his store and stock had been destroyed by fire he changed his line and is now conducting a creamery and light-hardware business, a field in which he has displayed marked ability for the affairs of trade and commerce. Just as his farm is beautifully improved with fine buildings and modern machinery, so is his store made attractive by a full line of superior stock of the latest manufacture. He has built up a good trade, in the development of which his pleas- ing personality has played a large part.
Mr. Tennant was married first to Miss Viola McRae, who was born in Indiana, and she died in 1894, leaving three chiklren: Effie, the wife of Dr. 11. C. Nichols, a practicing physi- cian and surgeon of Carson, Iowa : Charles W .. a member of the United States Regular Army and now stationed at New Orleans ; and John Leonard, engaged in farming in Custer coun- ty. Mr. Tennant was again married in 1898. when he was united with Miss Maggie E. Mc- Cullongh, who was born in lowa. and who is a daughter of John W. and Nancy MeCullough. The parents are now residents of Custer coun- ty. Mr. and Mrs. Tennant have three chil- dren - Eva, who works for her father; and Gracie and Howard W., at home. The family belongs to the Baptist church. Mr. Tennant is a Republican in politics, and his fraternal connections are with the local lodges of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in the latter of which he has passed through the various official chairs.
JOHN A. JENNINGS. - The name in this title line belongs to a man who has been emin- ently successful in the accumulation of this world's goods and who, as a soldier in the Civil war, rendered to his country the highest possible service that can either be demanded or rendered.
John .A. Jennings was born in Warren conn-
ty, Illinois, in 1840. He was the first-born son of Zachariah and Mary ( Morris) Jennings. In the immediate family of his father and mother were ten children, of whom only six are living at the present time. The second born was Jo- seph, who was a minister in the United Breth- ren church and who pursued his calling in the state of lowa; Jane Gage is deceased; David is living in lowa: Edward is a retired farmer in the Hawkeye state: Sarah Fitzsimmons is the widow of an lowa farmer and maintains her home at Arlington, Iowa; George lives in Wadena, lowa.
Reverting to the military record of John . 1. Jennings as a valiant young soldier in the Civil war. it is to be recorded that his name appeared on the roster of Company A. Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He served through the entire war and was in the last charge at Blakely. He was also in the Vicksburg cam- paign and earned a record of being a splendid soldier.
The first marriage of Mr. Jennings occurred in 1861, at which time he led to the marriage altar Lucinda Newton, who thus became the wife of his youth, the home-maker of his active years and the mother of his eight children. concerning whom a brief record is here en- tered: Lydia is the widow of the late Joc Cherry: Mary married Fred Durvain and is living at Milton, Nebraska, in a good farm home : Anna and Emma died in infancy : Ben- jamin B. is the subject of an individual sketch on other pages of this work: Sadie married Ed Robinson and they reside in Milton, Ne- braska : John is deceased.
Mr. Jennings retired from active life about ten years ago and has a very comfortable home at Sumner, Nebraska. He is an active mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. About fifteen years ago, the wife of his youth was called to the life eternal. In 1905 Mr. Jen- nings contracted a second marriage, when he wedded Rachel Wheeler, who is now the com- panion of his declining years and who enjoys with him the home and reputation they have acquired. They have a large circle of friends, who are delighted to see them surrounded by comfort and plenty in the days of their retire- ment. Their accumulations have been the re- sult of hard work and careful planning. When Mr. Jennings came to Custer county, in 1883, and pre-empted a quarter-section of land. he had three ponies, which constituted the bulk of his worldly possessions, and with these he commenced his farming operations. The first home was a dugout, the second a sod house, and in each of these the family lived for sev- eral years. The present landed possessions of
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Mr. Jennings are of a valuable order and represent the splendid reward of tireless effort. What better praise does a county need than such an achievement on the part of one of its prominent citizens ?
BENJAMIN B. JENNINGS. - This name belongs to a young farmer who was born in Custer county and who is here operating in the region of Cumro, where he has already demonstrated his farming ability and estab- lished a home. He is following in a very pro- fitable way the occupation of his choosing and is forcing the soil to pay him lucrative tribute.
Mr. Jennings was born May 12, 1885, on the home place of his father. John A. Jen- nings, of whom individual mention is made on other pages of this volume. His entire career to the present time has run its course within the confines of Custer county. Here he passed his boyhood years and searched for knowledge in the common schools - a search which was rewarded in such a way as to make him a good business man and an intelligent citizen.
In 1905, two days after Christmas, Mr. Jen- nings led to the marriage altar Miss Matie Overton, who was born March 18, 1888, and who presides over his home and who has been unto him a companionable wife and valuable assistant. Domestic in her inclination, Mrs. Jennings has been a good homemaker and is the fond and careful mother of their two sons. Everett A., born June 22. 1908. and Raymond R., born January 14, 1911. These energetic lads. full of romp and life, are contributing to the happiness of the home.
Mr. Jennings is farming 160 acres of land which belongs to his father and on which is maintained a splendid set of buildings ample to meet the requirements of all the operations of a farm of this size. General farming, in which crops are rotated and cereals of all kinds featured, is energetically conducted.
Mr. and Mrs. Jennings are highly respected, have the confidence of a large circle of friends and neighbors and, as the years go by, their toil and effort will bring the reward and the emoluments which shall bless the years of their retirement.
GORDON THOMAS. - Another young farmer living in the vicinity of Ansley, from which place the rural route brings his mail, is Gordon Thomas, who was but two years old when he came with his parents to Custer county.
He was born November 19, 1883, in Pike
county, Missouri, and is a son of George Thomas, whose life sketch is a matter of rec- ord in this volume. Since he was but two years of age when he came to Custer, it goes without saying that here Mr. Thomas ran the gamut of his boyhood years and received his education in the public schools. On May 29, 1907, he and Nella Miller plighted their for- tunes and joined their lives at the marriage altar. The bride, who came to Custer county when one year of age, is a daughter of J. C. Miller, a Custer county citizen who came with his family from Greene County, Iowa. in 1885. He has been a resident of this county since that times and still lives on his homestead near Ansley.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have had but one child, which died in infancy. The splendid home Mr. Thomas maintains is the direct re- sult of his own energy. He commenced oper- ations when young, and by good judgment and exceeding diligence now owns a well im- proved farm of 334 acres, on which he does a profitable farming business. The main feature of the stock-raising part of his operation is hogs. He specializes in fat, blocky porkers and they have been in the last few years a source of great profit.
To-day Mr. Thomas would be rated as well- to-do and prosperous, but he has seen pioneer days and remembers the hard times of 1894, at which time his people moved back to Pike county, Missouri, in a covered wagon. Those days, however, are past and gone; they will never come again : the development of the land and its resources have provided for the present generation and secured them against any repe- tition of former calamities.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are members of the Grange and in the matter of politics Mr. Thomas exercises his own judgment. They are a very excellent couple, held in high respect and esteem throughout their community.
GEORGE H. HART. -. The mercantile in- terests of the prosperous little city of Berwyn are well represented by George H. Hart, who has here been the proprietor of a thriving es- tablishment since 1906. Mr. Hart belongs to the energetic, enthusiastic class of business men, and has a wide acquaintance in Custer county, where he has been a resident for thirty years.
Mr. Hart was born in Harrison county. In- diana. January 19, 1876, and is a son of John W. and Maggie ( Walter) Hart, both born in Indiana. His father was for many years a merchant in the southern part of the state, and
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was well along the highway toward success when death overtook him. He was a Catholic in his religious view, and was a man uniformly esteemed and respected in business and social circles. While he never held public office, he was a staunch Democrat. He and bis wife became the parents of three children: Katie T. is the wife of J. M. DeVolt, of Custer county : George H., of this review : and John, a farmer of the Berwyn community. After her first husband's death Mrs. Hart married George W. McRae. now a successful retired farmer of Berwyn, a sketch of whose career will be found elsewhere in this work.
George H. Hart received his education in the public schools of Indiana and Custer county, having been brought to the west by his mother in 1888. Upon attaining years of maturity he engaged in farming, and continued to be so occupied until 1906, when he turned his attention to commercial affairs, and since then bas been busily engaged in building up a lucrative and representative patronage among the people of Berwyn and the surrounding country. Mr. Hart carries an attractive and well arranged stock, selected in accordance with the needs of the people of the locality, and his good business management has en- abled him to make a decided success of his undertaking. Hle is a Republican in politics and takes some interest in local government affairs, but his only public office has been that of member of the school board, he having been on that body for ten years. Fraternally he is a well known Woodman and Odd Fellow. and has passed through the chairs in both lodges. His public-spirited citizenship is well known among his fellow citizens.
Mr. Hart was married in 1900 to Miss An- drea Christensen, who was born in Denmark, a daughter of Jens Christensen, an early set- tler of Custer county. Mrs. Hart died June 3. 1918, in the faith of the Lutheran church, leaving three children: Vera, Howard, and Harold.
WILLIAM O. BOWLEY was one of the first settlers of Custer county, arriving here but one year after the first permanent settle- ment was made, and it is fitting that in this publication be entered a tribute to his memory. A native of West Virginia. he was born in Monroe county. December 18, 1838. His parents were Presley and Naney ( Fair) Bow- ley, who were natives of the Old Dominion, and who there moved in an early day to what is now West Virginia, where they spent the remainder of their lives in Monroe county.
Williame O. Bowley was reared on a farm in his native county and December 26, 1867. he was united in marriage to Miss Ena Calla- way Minerva Jane Huddleston, who was born in the state of West Virginia, her natal day being March 22, 1847. Her parents, Abra- ham and Leah (Bowyer) Huddleston, were natives of Virginia. the Huddleston family having been founded in that historic common- wealth more than 300 years ago.
In the spring of 1875 Mr. and Mrs. William O. Bowley started for the far west. coming by rail to Kearney, Nebraska, and there paying forty dollars for transportation to Loup City, where they remained from May until Septem- ber. They then purchased an ox team and wagon and came on to Custer county, where they secured a homestead in section 20, town- ship 19, range 21. On this embryonic farm they erected a log house with a dirt roof and dirt floor and became permanent settlers of the county - neighbors of Charles R. Mathews, who was the first to locate here, only one year before. Pioneer conditions were on every hand, hardships and privations were to be endured, but these early settlers were people of determination, and obstacles were met and overcome with that fortitude which is possessed by no people in greater measure than the pioneers of a new country. The nearest trading point was Loup City, but when anything worth while was needed the Bowleys had to go to Kearney, and it was not till 1880 that they secured the lumber for a floor in their house. There was an abundance of cedar trees growing in the canyons and from these they hewed the logs for the house which was the home of the family until was built the frame house which still stands on the old farm. A tree claim was added to the old home- stead, and here was the scene of activities of this pioneer couple until 1909, when Mr. and Mrs. Bowley left the farm and retired to .\n- selmo. Here on the 6th of April. 1913, Mr. Bowley was called to his final rest, and in his passing his family lost a loving husband and father and the county a loyal citizen and hon- ored pioneer.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowley were the parents of six children. as follows: James R. resides at Taylor. Loup county. Nebraska: D. G. is a farmer north of Merna, Custer county : Oscar resides at Taylor. Nebraska : Annie is the wife of Burt Garrison and they reside in Custer county; John is operating the home farm : and De Witt is a business man of Broken Bow.
Mrs. Bowley still owns the old farm but resides in Merna. Many are the interesting stories and incidents related by her. and some
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of these have a place in the general history of Custer county. A few of the personal experi- ences of this pioneer family will not be out of place in a sketch of this kind.
In the fall of 1880 Mr. Bowley made a trip to Kearney for provisions, and he had started with a load when an awful blizzard came on, and for ten miles he stopped at every house and asked for accommodations in the way of shelter from the storm. At last he stopped at a house where some little children were at home, but the parents, who had gone on a visit or were absent for some other reason, were not at home. The oldest of these chil- dren, a girl of about fourteen years, realized how bad the storm was and let Mr. Bowley come in. He was there five days before the storm abated enough for him to continue his journey. The family who played the good Samaritan were Norwegians or Swedes and impressed their guest as being very pious. Whenever they sat down to a meal all would how their heads and each child would say a few words of thanks. At night before retir- ing the oldest girl would read a chapter from the Bible and each child would repeat a prayer, all in a language foreign to the stranger. Though not a member of any religious organ- ization, Mr. Bowley was much impressed with the religious fervor of the family and often told the story. It was fortunate that enough of the real early settlers are still with us and can tell of the hardships and experiences of those pioneer days, as they will in years to come be a source of real inspiration to future generations.
Mr. Bowley accepted religion before his death and Mrs. Bowley has been a Methodist for twenty years. Though past the psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten, Mrs. Bowley still manages her own household duties and finds time to assist in Red Cross work. by knitting for the soldiers. The historian would be remiss in his duties did he not enter on the pages of this Custer county history the life record of such sterling pioneers as Mr. and Mrs. Bowley.
CHARLES RICHARD MATHEWS. - One of the unique characters of the present day is the venerable citizen whose full name is paraded in the title line, but who is widely known throughout the county as Judge Mathews, a title which he earned in his off- cial capacity as county judge in an early day. The honor of being the first settler of the county lies between Judge Mathews and Lewis R. Dowse, of Comstock, and Judge Boblits, of
the South Loup. These three, and perhaps a few more, constituted the advance guard and are deserving of all the honors to which their early-day sacrifices entitle them.
The Judge is a native of Pocahontas county, Virginia, now West Virginia, at which place he was born March HI, 1838. His father was Samuel G. and his mother Neoma ( Hudson) Mathews, both natives of Virginia and the father a direct descendant of Governor Mathews who was the colonial governor of Virginia, in 1660, and for whom Mathews county, Kentucky, was named. Scotch-Irish blood flows in the Judge's veins and imparts to him the characteristics of that ratio com- bination.
His boyhood days were spent in his native state, where he attended the public schools and later finished his education in Washington Col- lege, an institution which was burned during the Civil war. His people were well-to-do when the war broke out, but the region in which they lived was a sort of "no man's land" or a buffer strip of territory between the con- tending forces.
The Judge was one of a family of seven chil- (lren. One brother entered the Confederate army and served with distinction, being promoted to the rank of captain. This broth- er is now a resident of Greenbrier, Virginia, where he has accumulated a small fortune. The Judge himself was exempt from military duty because of physical disability - a white swelling in one of his limbs made him a life cripple and has handicapped his activities dur- ing all his residence in Custer county.
In May. 1874, the Judge landed in Custer county. He was carried across the Loup river on the back of Harve Andrews, and with a party of friends made his way into the New Helena district, where he located his present homestead and built on it the house he occu- pies at the present day. At that time the county was unorganized, had no schools, no postoffices, and none of the present-day or- ganized conveniences. The Judge, however. was young and ambitious and, having received a liberal education, was looked upon as a leader. He probably wrote the first petition that ever requested the organization of a school district. This was presented to the Val- ley county superintendent of public instruction and secured the organization of the New Hel- ena school district. But for a protest on the part of a man named Merchant, this would have been the first district organized in the county. As it turned out, however, it became school district No. 2. The Judge also wrote the first petition presented to the supervisors
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of the new county after its organization, in which he and his neighbors joined in asking for a voting precinct in the vicinity of New Helena, which was granted them. The Judge also holds a commission as postmaster, signed by the postmaster-general under President Grant and designating him as postmaster at New Helena in Kountz county, Nebraska, by which name the county was known before it was organized and christened Custer. The Judge took a hand in early-day politics and in those early days when political affiliations were little heeded he was one of the leading spirits in all public affairs. He was the third county judge elected to serve in Custer county and held the office for two terms, with credit to himself and with valuable service to the county. His homestead, on Victoria creek, was one of the best in the county. Low ground and fertile soil made it especially prolific in the production of trees and, consequently, one of the largest groves in the county flanks either bank of the little stream and surrounds his picturesque log cabin. He has retained but eighty acres of his homestead, which has al- ways been rented, owing to the fact that he was not able to work it himself. His habita- tion is unique. Two cedar cabins, made of solid cedar logs, are, perhaps, twelve by four- teen feet, and stand close together, with doors facing each other in genuine southern style. The only thing lacking to complete the south- ern architecture is the providing of a roof over the passage-way between them. Here for for- ty-four years, like King David. the Judge has lived in a house of cedar and here, no doubt. he will end his days. Every pioneer of Custer county will attend his obsequies and bury with honors the Custer county pioneer.
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