History of Gage County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religious, and civic development from the early days to the present time, Part 104

Author: Dobbs, Hugh Jackson, 1849-
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Publishing and Engraving Company
Number of Pages: 1120

USA > Nebraska > Gage County > History of Gage County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religious, and civic development from the early days to the present time > Part 104

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February 15, 1867, recorded the marriage of Mr. Steinmeyer to Miss Mary Frye, of Scioto county, Ohio, to which state he returned for achieving the gracious companionship which has continued for more than half a century. Mrs. Steinmeyer was born in Ohio, December 23, 1851, and is a daughter of Henry and Ali- nora (Schaffer) Frye, who likewise were born and reared in that state and who became the parents of ten children, Mrs. Steinmeyer hav- ing been the second in order of birth and her parents having come to Gage county in 1868, but finally having settled at Martel, Lancaster county, where they passed the remainder of their lives.

Of the seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Steinmeyer the first, Lena, died in infancy ; Sarah is the wife of Philip F. Wullschleger, of University Place, Nebraska; Martha con- ducts a millinery store at Clatonia and also has the active supervision of the parental home; John F. is individually mentioned on other pages; Agnes is the wife of Felix F. Noble, of Haxton, Colorado, their marriage having been solemnized on the golden-wedding anniversary of her parents, February 15, 1917 ; Frank is a prosperous farmer of Grant town- ship, as is also Wesley D., who likewise is mentioned individually in this publication.

Mr. Steinmeyer recalls that when he and other members of the family came to the fron-

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tier wilds of Gage county their financial re- sources were very limited, so that the brothers had to do work for others, including the saw- ing of wood, it having fallen to the subject of this review to solicit such work from the neighbors and his exactness in the use of Eng- lish having been so lacking at that time that his customary query was: "Have you any woods to saw?" He has had in his active career full fellowship with honest toil and en- deavor and well merits the gracious prosperity that attends the gentle evening of his life and that of his devoted wife, who has been his true helpmeet. They were the first bride and groom to establish a home in Clatonia town- ship and during the long intervening period of half a century they have here had a circle of friends limited only by that of their ac- quaintances.

SHERMAN TAYLOR, one of the substan- tial citizens of Gage county, was for many years successfully engaged in agricultural pur- suits, and for the past ten years he has been a resident of Wymore, where he has con- tributed in many ways toward the upbuilding of commercial and industrial enterprises.

Sherman Taylor was born in Stark county, Illinois, September 3, 1865, and is a son of Jacob Taylor, mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Reared on a farm in Illinois, he there attended the public schools, and in 1882 he came with his parents to Gage county. He attended the Nebraska State University, at Lincoln, and when twenty-one years of age he began his independent career as a farmer. For eighteen years he operated a large farm in Paddock and Sicily townships, where he was an extensive feeder of cattle-to the number of four or five hundred each year. His industry and his intelligently directed ef- forts were crowned with goodly success and in 1908 he removed to Wymore, where he oc- cupies a beautiful home which he erected for his family. Indolence and idleness being for- eign to his nature, he has from time to time identified himself with many enterprises that have benefited the city of Wymore.

Mr. Taylor organized the Farmers' & Mer-

chants' Bank of Wymore and became its first president. He has continued as a member of its board of directors, helping to shape its pol- icy, and it is one of the strong financial insti- tutions of Gage county. Of this banking cor- poration he is still serving as president. He built several business blocks, having faith in the community and being desirous of aid- ing its growth and development by judicious investment of his capital. He was a member of the building committee and had active charge of the erecting of the beautiful edifice of the Methodist Episcopal church of Wy- more, of which he and his family are mem- bers.

Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Lena Swik, and to them have been born five children : Martha is the wife of Paul F. Mose- ly, a prosperous young farmer of Paddock township, where he operates one of Mr. Tay- lor's farms; Sherman, who married Miss Gladys McMaken, is operating an ice plant at Blue Springs, this county ; Elsie and Edwin are still under the parental roof ; and Harold died at the age of two years.

Mr. Taylor exercises his right of franchise by voting for men he deems best fitted to serve the public, and in favor of all measures which he believes are for the good of the public. The city of Wymore was but one year old when Mr. Taylor first saw it, and he has been a witness of the changes which have taken place incidental to the development and upbuilding of this attractive little city, besides which he has been a prominent factor in help- ing to bring about present-day conditions. In his own affairs he has builded wisely and well, and he is held in unqualified esteem by all who know him.

HARVEY R. ESSAM. - The subject of this sketch is a native son of Gage county, who has elected to remain within its borders and who is here meeting with a good degree of prosperity.

Mr. Essam was born on the farm which is now his home, in Logan township, his natal day having been February 20, 1883. He is a son of James Essam, of whom extended men-

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

tion is made on other pages of this volume. Reared on the farm, he attended the public schools in the acquirement of an education, this being supplemented by attendance at the Northwestern Business College at Beatrice. 'As a young man he took up the occupation of farming and upon the settlement of his fath- er's estate, he came into possession of eighty acres of the old homestead.

Mr. Essam chose as his wife Miss May Higgins, who likewise is a native of Gage county. She is a daughter of C. K. Higgins, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this vol- ume.

Mr. and Mrs. Essam are loyal members of the Methodist church. Their entire lives thus far have been spent in the neighborhood where they now make their home, and both represent families who for many years have been active factors in the moral and material upbuilding of Gage county.

HENRY FISHER, who is giving his vig- orous energies to the management of his well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Section 25, Holt township, and who is a member of a sterling pioneer family of the county, was born on his father's old home- stead farm, in Section 36, Holt township, on the 4th of January, 1874. He is the eldest of six children born to Frederick and Mary E. (Boward) Fisher, and the second child, Re- becca, is now the wife of William Conklin, of Highland township; Lena is the wife of Lewis Cornelius, of Holt township; Lydia is the wife of Charles Lewis, of Billings, Mon- tana ; Bertha died in childhood; and Hattie is the wife of John Barnard, of Midland town- ship.

Frederick Fisher was born in Germany, in 1844, and was a youth of twenty years when he came to the United States and settled in Illinois, where he found employment at farm work. There his marriage was solemnized, his wife having been born in the state of Mary- land, in 1855, and in 1871 they became pioneer settlers in Gage county, where he purchased eighty acres of school land, in Section 36, Holt township. He developed one of the ex-

cellent farms of the township and there con- tinued to reside until his death, in 1907; his widow still remaining on the old home place.

Henry Fisher is indebted to the district schools of Holt township for his youthful edu- cation and has been actively concerned with farm enterprise from his boyhood to the pres- ent. His present farm, which he rents from his mother, is a part of the valuable landed estate accumulated by his father, and as a progressive agriculturist and stock-grower he is fully upholding the honors of the family name. He is independent in politics, is af- filiated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he served six years as road over- seer in Holt township.

February 8, 1894, recorded the marriage of Mr. Fisher to Miss Cora Langley, who was born at Nebraska City, this state, a daughter of George and Maria (Mason) Langley, who were natives of Illinois and who came to Ne- braska about 1879; in 1882 they came to Gage county and they passed the remainder of their lives on their farm in Holt township, north of Pickrell. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have four chil- dren; Laura is the wife of James Carbough, a farmer of Highland township ; Clarence is a prosperous young farmer of Holt township, on the farm of his paternal grandmother ; and Rena and Mary remain at the parental home.

ELI MILLER, a retired farmer residing at Wymore, has been a resident of Gage county since pioneer times. He assisted in the county's development and met with the success that enables him to spend the evening of his life in the enjoyment of a well earned rest.

Mr. Miller was born in Medina county, Ohio, August 2, 1842, a son of J. C. and Eliz- abetlı (Claus) Miller, natives of Pennsyl- vania. The paternal grandfather was Jonas Miller and the great-grandfather Miller was a native of Switzerland.

When Eli Miller was three years old his parents moved to Illinois, becoming early set- tlers in Stephenson county where they were farming people, their last days being spent in

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Gage county, Nebraska. Here they died at the home of their daughter Mrs. Boyd, in Paddock township, the father reaching the advanced age of ninety-three years, while the age of the mother was eighty-four years at the time of her death.

Eli Miller spent his boyhood days in Steph- enson county, Illinois, where he was reared on a farm and attended the public schools. At the age of twenty-one years he engaged in farming, and eventually he purchased land upon which he successfully carried on agricul- tural pursuits in that county until 1884, when he came to Gage county, Nebraska, and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Barnes- ton township. The improvements on this place were those to be found here in those pioneer days, but Mr. Miller industriously be- gan the further improvement of his place and brought the land to a high state of cultivation. He erected substantial buildings and con- tinued to reside on his farm until eleven years ago, when he removed to Wymore, where he has since lived in honorable retirement.

For a companion and helpmeet Mr. Miller wedded Miss Mary Elizabeth Sheetz, who was born in Stephenson county, Illinois, March 18, 1842, and of this union four children have been born: Elsie is the wife of George Shad, of Wymore; Charles A. is a farmer in Sicily township; Marshall M., owns and operates the old home farm; and Emma remains with her parents, at Wymore.

Mr. Miller exercises the right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democratic party but has never aspired to public office, as he has preferred to give his time and attention to his own affairs, in con- nection with which he has won a worthy suc- cess.

LOUIS RICHARDS has the distinction of being a native son of Gage county and a rep- resentative exponent of agricultural and live- stock industry in Sherman township, where he has conducted operations since 1906 on the Wilkinson farm, of one hundred and sixty acres, in Section 19. Pertinent to the history of the Richards family adequate data are given

on other pages, in the memoir dedicated to his father, the late George F. Richards.

On the old homestead farm, in Rockford township, where his parents established their residence in 1872, Louis Richards was born June 20, 1875, and thus he was ushered into the world under the conditions that marked this section of the state in the middle-pioneer era. He was afforded the advantages of the local schools and he was a vital and ambitious youth of eighteen years at the time of his father's death. Thereafter he remained with his widowed mother and gave his attention to the work of the home farm until his marriage, since which time he has been independently engaged in farm enterprise, with success that attests his energy and executive ability. He is always ready to give his support to those measures and agencies that tend to advance the communal welfare and is independent in politics.

In the year 1896 Mr. Richards married Miss Mary Winrick, who likewise is a native of this county and whose father, Joseph Winrick, now a resident of the state of Washington, conducted for many years a barber shop in the city of Beatrice. Mr. and Mrs. Richards have two children, - Orville and Ethel.

HERMAN H. PENTERMAN. - Among the many prosperous farmers and land-own- ers of Gage county mention should be made in this history of Herman H. Penterman, owner of three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in Nemaha township, besides other land holdings outside the state of Ne- braska. Mr. Penterman was born February 19, 1863, in the province of Hanover, Ger- many, and is a son of Herman H. Wilbrand Penterman and Anna Marie (Adelharit) Pen- terman, who became the parents of four chil- dren, and who passed their entire lives in Germany. The subject of this review left his native land in 1884 and soon after his arrival in the United States he found employment as a farm hand in Illinois. Eventually he en- gaged independently in farm enterprise in that state, where he continued operations until 1892. He then came to Gage county, Ne-

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HERMAN H. PENTERMAN

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braska, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Section 15, Nemaha town- ship. Later he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Section 22, and on this property he has made extensive improvements.

On the 4th of December, 1890, Mr. Penter- man was united in marriage to Miss Marie Sachtleben, who was born in Germany, Oc- tober 14, 1867, and who came to America with her parents when she was but one year old. She was a daughter of John Sachtleben, further record of the family being given in the sketch of Henry H. Sachtleben, else- where in this volume. Mrs. Penterman passed away on the 28th of February, 1907. To Mr. and Mrs. Penterman were born seven children : Dorothy is the wife of John Olson, of Lincoln, Nebraska; Edwin is at home; Adele is the wife of Emmit Damrow; and Louis, Ella, Emma, and Louisa are at the paternal home.

In politics Mr. Penterman is an indepen- dent voter, and he and his family are members of the German Lutheran church.

FRANK SHALLA is one of the early set- tlers of Glenwood township, and, though his financial condition was not very flattering when he arrived here, forty years ago, he has by industry and good management become one of the wealthy men and extensive land own- ers of Gage county.

Frank Shalla was born in the province of Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, May 22, 1853, a son of John and Catherine (Skala) Shalla, natives of Bohemia, who, in 1856, came to America and settled in Johnson county, Iowa. There John Shalla bought forty acres of land, and on this was maintained the family home until the removal to Washington county, Iowa, near the town of Richmond, where Mr. Shalla and his wife made their home on a farm of forty acres during the remainder of their lives.

Frank Shalla was reared on the pioneer farm in Iowa, and in Washington county, that state, he married Miss Mary Malisky, who was born in Bohemia, August 25, 1855, a daughter of Vancel and Wilma (Hraby) Mal-

isky. Her parents came from their native land to America in 1865 and spent the rest of their lives in Washington county, Iowa.

In 1879 Mr. and Mrs. Frank Shalla came to Gage county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of wild, unimproved land in Glenwood township, - on what had been the Otoe Indian reservation, which had been re- cently opened for settlement.

He filed entry on a quarter-section, and agreed to pay four and one-half dollars an acre for the land. His cash capital was three hundred dollars, and after purchasing lumber for a home, and a cow, some tools, and feed for his team, his money was all gone. Some time later, when a payment was to be made on the land and other persons were about to lay claim to the place, Mr. Shalla went to Beatrice and borrowed four hundred dollars from Mr. Hugh J. Dobbs, the author of this history, and thus he was able to protect his interests and save his farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Shalla were among the first settlers to locate in their present neighborhood, and neighbors were few and far between. It might be interesting to the present generation to know something concerning the conditions that existed then and something about the hardships of those early-day pioneers. The first home of Mr. and Mrs. Shalla was a rough board shanty, fourteen by eighteen feet in di- mension and ten feet high. The lath was split by hand from hickory and ask logs and was plastered with yellow clay, which was then whitewashed. A very comfortable home was thus provided, - one that was warm in win- ter and cool in summer. To get money to pro- vide food for his family Mr. Shalla would leave his wife and two children alone and go thirty-five miles to find work. But the thought of some day having a good home of their own helped him and his devoted wife to overcome all obstacles, and they have lived to see the country converted into beautiful farms with good homes, and dotted here and there with thriving villages and towns. In this work of transformation Frank Shalla and his family have contributed their full share. Mr. Shalla to-day is the owner of three hundred and

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twenty acres of splendid land, equipped with a good set of buildings, and he has also di- vided six quarter-sections of land among his children.

Mr. and Mrs. Shalla have become the par- ents of eleven children: John M. is a suc- cessful farmer of Paddock township, as is also Frank R .; Vancel was killed by a train. in 1906, leaving a widow and two children; Tony is in Glenwood township and Milton at Odell; Mary is the wife of Ed. Pribyl, of Marshall county, Kansas; William and Joe reside . in Glenwood township; and Charles and Christina are still at the parental home. One child, named Joe, died at the age of ten months.

In politics Mr. Shalla is a Democrat, and, though he has never aspired to or held public office in the generally accepted meaning of that term, he has not been remiss in the du- ties of a voter and citizen, and has given effic- ient service as moderator of the school district, treasurer of the same and as road overseer. The success that has come to Mr. Shalla is the result of his own industry and intelligently directed efforts, and his life has been so or- dered that he can look upon the past without regret and forward to the future without fear.

RICHARD WHITTON. - The subject of this memoir was one of the honored pioneers and public-spirited citizens of Barneston town- ship. He was born at Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, February 17, 1846, and was a son of William and Hannah Ann (Buckley) Whitton, who immigrated to America in 1848 and after a short stay in Philadelphia estab- lished their home in Watertown, Wisconsin. The father died when Richard was sixteen years old. The son remained with his wid- owed mother, helping her to care for a family of five children until he was 27 years old. He then left home and went to Illinois, where he worked on a farm. He told his mother that if she ever needed help to let him know. She called on him just once and he sent her fifteen dollars, the sum she asked for.

In 1878 Mr. Whitton came to Gage county, Nebraska, and purchased eighty acres of land

in Barneston township. This section of the county had but recently opened for settlement and was a part of the Otoe Indian reservation. He bought forty acres more when he was able, made good improvements on his land and con- tinued to be engaged in farming until his death, June 3, 1915. He was a charter member of the Protestant Episcopal church at Wymore, and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, with which he became affiliated when he was twenty-one years of age.

August 13, 1884, recorded the marriage, at Wymore, of Mr. Whitton to Miss Lucinda Mathews, who was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania, December 22, 1860, a daughter of Ansel K. and Barbara (Dias) Mathews, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and who, in 1868, became residents of Fremont county, Iowa: in 1882 they settled in Barneston town- ship, Gage county, Nebraska. They were residents of Wymore, this county, at the time of their death.

Mr. and Mrs. Whitton became the parents of six children: Richard Ansel Harrison married Sadie Bucy, and they reside in Colo- rado; Celia Etta, is the wife of Dell B. Col- grove, of Paddock township; Hannah Bar- bara, is the wife of Willard Fowler, of Atch- ison, Kansas; Misses Julia Fern, Ruth Eliza- beth and Laura Rose Estelle are with their mother on the old farm.

Richard Whitton was a very public-spirited citizen, always ready to serve his community when duty called him. He was school treas- urer for twenty-one years, and a moderator for over thirty-one years. He was township treasurer several years ,and active in the pub- lic affairs of the county.

GEORGE F. RICHARDS. - In the spring of the year 1872 it was no stately caravan that made its appearance in Gage county to herald the arrival of the late George F. Richards, for, with his wife and children, he had made the overland trip from Rock Island county, Illi- nois, with the then familiar transportation equipment of team and covered wagon, - virtually the old-time "prairie schooner" out- fit. Mr. Richards here purchased of his

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brother-in-law, Noyes Elliott, an embyonic farm of eighty acres, in Rockford township. After making plans for the reclamation and improvement of this property Mr. Richards returned with his family to Illinois, and the little itinerant group transported by the same team and wagon arrived at Oskaloosa, Iowa, in time to celebrate at that point the 4th of July. The journey was thence continued back to the old home in Illinois, and in the following autumn the journey to Gage county was again made and the home was established on the pioneer farm. Mr. Richards utilized characteristic energy and circumspection in the development of his farm, and the little one- room house which he erected as the family domicile is now an integral part of the com- modious and attractive house which marks his old homestead and which is still occupied by the venerable widow of Mr. Richards, she having here maintained her residence for the long period of more than forty-five years. Mr. Richards continued as one of the representa- tive farmers and valued citizens of Rockford township until his death, which occurred No- vember 27, 1893, and he is entitled to this tribute for the effective part which he played in connection with the civic and industrial ad- vancement of Gage county. His political al- legiance was given to the Democratic party and he was a man whose character and ability gained to him unqualified popular esteem.

In Rock Island county, Illinois, Mr. Rich- ards settled when he was a young man. He was born in Clermont county, Ohio, May 31, 1837, a son of James and Rachel (Disney) Richards, who were natives of Maryland and who became pioneers in the Buckeye state, where they passed the residue of their lives. In Rock Island county, Illinois, Mr. Richards continued his association with agricultural en- terprise until his removal to Nebraska, and there, on the 12th of August, 1858, he wedded Miss Hannah Elliott, who was born in Al- leghany county, New York, February 17, 1841, and who was but three years old when her parents removed to Illinois, in 1844, and set- tled on a farm in Rock Island county, near the Mercer county line. They made the long

overland trip with team and wagon and while en route over the Illinois prairies, when in the vicinity of La Salle, they gained news of the capture of the murderers of Colonel Dav- enport, who had been killed on July 4th of that year. Mrs. Richards was reared under the influences of the pioneer farm in Illinois and thus was the better fortified when, in later years, she was called upon to meet the trials and vicissitudes of pioneer life in Nebraska, where she bravely took up her duties as chate- laine of the modest little home and cared for her family with unceasing devotion. This venerable pioneer woman recalls many inter- esting incidents relative to the pioneer days in Gage county, and not the least of these was that the first crop which her husband raised on the new farm was entirely destroyed by grasshoppers. She has lived to enjoy the opulent prosperity that now marks this favored section of the state and in the tranquil evening of her life finds that her "lines are cast in pleasant places." In this concluding para- graph is given brief record concerning her children: Sarah, who became the wife of Frank W. Lillie, is deceased; Silas F. is a prosperous farmer in Sherman township. and is individually mentioned on other pages ; Clarence is a resident of the city of Omaha ; Nellie died at the age of sixteen years ; Jennie is the wife of John Leming, of Belgrade, Nebraska ; Louis is a representative farmer in Sherman township and is the subject of a per- sonal sketch elsewhere in this volume; and the seventh child died in infancy.

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History of Gage County, Nebraska; a narrative of the past, with special emphasis upon the pioneer period of the county's history, its social, commercial, educational, religious, and civic development from the early days to the present time, Part 104

Author: Dobbs, Hugh Jackson, 1849- Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Publishing and Engraving Company Number of Pages: 1120

Author: Dobbs, Hugh Jackson, 1849-
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Publishing and Engraving Company
Number of Pages: 1120