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 119

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 119

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overland trip to Iowa with team and wagon and on his arrival his available capital was represented in the sum of sixty-five cents. By energy and good management as a pioneer farmer he achieved independence and well merited prosperity, and his political support was given to the Democratic party, his wife having been a member of the Christian church. Mr. Braddock was a son of William Braddock, who was born in New England, of sterling colonial ancestry, his father having come to America from England. William Braddock became a pioneer in Ohio, where he and his wife passed the residue of their lives. John Lepley, maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania and was a resident of Ohio for many years prior to his death.

John Braddock acquired his early education in the public schools of his native county and there continued his association with agricul- tural pursuits until 1883, when he came to Gage county, Nebraska, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, of which sixty-five acres had been broken, a small house having been erected on the place. Since that time he has erected excellent farm build- ings and made many other improvements, be- sides which he has added to the area of his farm estate until he now has a valuable prop- erty of two hundred and forty acres, devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of good live stock, including white-face cattle that are bred largely from registered stock. He is liberal and progressive as a citizen and in politics gives his allegiance to the Democratic party.

In 1890 Mr. Braddock wedded Miss Sarah Woods, who was born in Johnson county, Iowa, and whose death occurred in February, 1893. She is survived by two sons, Ray and Frank, both active young exponents of farm enterprise in Gage county. In 1900 was re- corded the marriage of Mr. Braddock to Miss Edna May Hogle, who was, like himself, born in Marshall county, Iowa, and they have three daughters - Bessie, Blanche, and Marjorie - all members of the United Brethren church. Mrs. Braddock is a birthright member of the

HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

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MR. AND MRS. JOHN BRADDOCK

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Society of Friends, and Mr. Braddock is af- filiated with the lodge of Ancient Free & Ac- cepted Masons in the village of Filley.

AMESBURY LEE, M. D. - Gage county claims as one of its representative physicians and surgeons Dr. Lee, who is a young man of excellent professional attainments and whose success is attested by his substantial and im- · portant general practice, as well as his un- equivocal personal popularity. He maintains his residence and professional headquarters in the attractive village of Pickrell, in Holt township.

Dr. Lee was born in Jefferson county, New York, November 6, 1886, and is a son of George A. and Mary (Jackson) Lee, of whose three children he was the second in order of birth; Chlevera is the wife of G. Bowles, of Theresa, Jefferson county, New York; and Irving died in infancy.

George A. Lee was born in England and was a marble-cutter by trade. He followed his trade in Jefferson county, New York, where both he and his wife died, Dr. Lee hav- ing been doubly orphaned when he was a lad of seven years and thus having little definite knowledge concerning the family history of either of his parents. He was reared in the home of kinsfolk and at the age of thirteen years he began to assist in the general mer- chandise store of his uncle, John Lee, at Triumph, La Salle county, Illinois. His rudimentary education was acquired in the public schools of his native state and there- after he continued his studies in those of Illi- nois until he had completed the curriculum of the high school. In consonance with his ambition and well formulated plans he en- tered, in 1902, the pharmacy department of Valparaiso Univeristy, at Valparaiso, Indiana, where he continued his technical studies one year. Thereafter he was employed in a drug store in the city of Chicago, and in 1905, he came to Gage county and assumed a similar position in the establishment of the M. E. Schultz Drug Company, at Beatrice. In the following year he took a position in a drug store in the city of Omaha, and there, in 1906,

he was matriculated in Creighton Medical Col- lege, in which he completed his professional education and was graduated as a member of the class of 1910. The Doctor depended en- tirely upon his own resources in defraying the expenses of his professional education and thus he applied himself with all of earnestness and assiduousness until he had won his coveted degree of Doctor of Medicine. Shortly after his graduation Dr. Lee returned to Gage county, and he has since been engaged in the active and successful practice of his profession at Pickrell. He is an appreciative and popu- lar member of the Gage County Medical So- ciety and holds membership also in the Ne- braska State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, he has re- ceived the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry, his maxi- mum York Rite affiliation being with the com- mandery of Knights Templars at Lincoln and his ancient-craft affiliation with Lodge No. 2, at Lincoln. He and his wife are popular fig- ures in the social life of their community and their attractive home, a modern bungalow erected by the Doctor, is a center of gracious hospility.

May 27, 1912, Dr. Dee wedded Miss Cecil Mayer, who was born at Beatrice, this county, where her parents, Joseph and Julia (Meyers) Mayer, still reside, Mr. Mayer being a prominent and influential citizen and having served at one time as mayor of the city. Dr. and Mrs. Lee have one child, Amesbury, Jr., who was born October 6, 1914.

CHARLES A. JACKSON .- The late Charles A. Jackson was one of the early set- tlers of Beatrice, Nebraska, where for many years he was engaged in the drug business. He came to Gage county, in 1874, from Cur- ran, Illinois. Mr. Jackson was actively iden- tified with the civic and business development of Beatrice and contributed his share to the advancement and upbuilding of the little rural hamlet until it became the beautiful and pros- perous little western city of the present day.

Mr. Jackson was born in Canandaigua, New

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York, March 2, 1841, and he was reared as the youngest child of a widowed mother. Al- though he had no father's hand to guide him, his mother gave him good educational ad- vantages and in the old Empire state he grew to adult age. Some time during his early man- hood he went to Curran, Illinois, where he held various positions of trust. There, in turn, he taught school, was connected with the general merchandise business, was a rail- road station agent, and served as the post- master of Curran.

After the Civil war there was a great immi- gation movement trending to the west. In this general emigration from Illinois, Mr. Jackson came to Beatrice, Nebraska, where he and George W. Hinkle formed a partner- ship and engaged in the drug business. This partnership was dissolved a few years later, and Mr. Jackson continued the enterprise. For more than thirty years he devoted his en- tire time to the conducting of his prosperous business. After he and his young bride came to Beatrice he built a spacious house, and in this attractive old home Mrs. Jackson still re- sides. It has withstood effectually the disin- tegrating influences of the passing of years and, after several remodelings, is now a sub- stantial and essentially modern dwelling. When it was first built it was pointed out as the nicest home in Beatrice. In this home the death of Mr. Jackson occurred September 3, 1907.

At Curran, Illinois, on the 10th of October, 1872, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Jackson to Miss Ann Kelly, who was born on a farm near that place and who is a daugh- ter of Jonathan and Sarah (Cook) Kelly. Her parents were children at the time when the respective families became numberd among the pioneers of Illinois, the Kellys having come from North Carolina and the Cooks from Tennessee. John Kelly, grandfather of Mrs. Jackson, settled in Illinois in 1819, when that now great and prosperous state was still on the very frontier, and there he bore the full heat and burden of the day as a sterling pioneer who did well his part in the forward- ing of the march of civilization and progress.

He hewed from the forest the logs with which to build his pioneer cabin, and this was the first log cabin to be erected in what is now the fair capital of Illinois, - the city of Springfield. In May, 1821, was held in this cabin the first session of court in Sangamon county, and the building has consequently been definitely memorialized in the recorded history of Illinois.

In addition to holding for many years a se- cure place as one of the representative business men and influential citizens of Beatrice, Charles A. Jackson further aided in the ad- vancement of the interests of Gage county, for he became the owner of a valuable landed estate of three hundred and twenty acres, in Filley township. He was a thorough consci- entious and successful business man, gave close attention to his business but was always ready to give his influence and co-operation in' the support of measures advanced for the general good of his home city and county. He commanded unqualified popular esteem and was one of the honored pioneer citizens of the county at the time of his death. Mrs. Jackson is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mr. and Mrs. Jackson became the parents of two children, but both died in infancy. They adopted three children, and of these the only survivor is Mrs. Alice Park, of Ash- grove, Missouri. Mrs. Park was born near Diller, Gage county, and she became the wife of William Jamison, whose death occurred in 1916. The one child of this union is John Jamison, who now resides in the home of Mrs. Jackson. In October, 1917, Mrs. Alice Jami- son became the wife of Walter Park, and they now reside at Ashgrove, Missouri.

WILLIAM KRAMER. - Within the fifty- two years of William Kramer's residence in America he has attained through indefatigable industry a substantial fortune. In these years of earnest endeavor he endured many depri- vations and hardships of which the younger generation can have but slight comprehension. Like many other German immigrants to the United States, Mr. Kramer was a poor man

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financially when he landed on our hospitable shores, but he was blessed with robust health and strength and was imbued with an ambition to win success in the land of his adoption. He has accomplished his purpose and is now one of the wealthy farmers in Nemaha town- ship, Gage county.

Hanover, Germany, has given many of its industrious, ambitious men to people the United States and dot its fertile lands with houses, barns, silos and herds of cattle. It was in Hanover, Germany, on the 24th day of June, 1848, that William Kramer first saw the light of day. He is a son of Herman and Mary (Tellkamp) Kramer, who were the par- ents of seven children, - six sons and one daughter. William was the sixth son born and the daughter was the youngest child. Mr. and Mrs. Herman Kramer remained in their home country until their death.

In 1866, William Kramer, when only eigh- teen years of age, heard of the vast oppor- tunities offered in the United States for men of energy and a knowledge of farming, so he left the paternal fireside and took passage on a sailing vessel bound for the New World. The voyage took nearly two months on the slow cumbersome ship of that day, - a voyage that can now be made within six days' time. Mr. Kramer first located in Washington county, Illinois, where he labored as a farm hand. He remained there some time and then went to Menard county, Illinois, where he rented land for nearly eleven years. It was in this county that he married, and there his children were born.

At this time in the world's history Nebraska was fast being settled by men coming from the eastern states, and the men were coming from Illinois in great numbers. Mr. Kramer heard of the vast, fertile lands and decided to come and purchase some of this land. In 1886 he arrived with his family in Nemaha township, Gage county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, in Section 3. He inade all of the improvements on the farm and has set out two or three acres of grove trees. From time to time as he was able, he has added to this original one hundred and sixty

acres until he now (1918) owns nine hundred and seventy acres of land in Nemaha town- ship.

When Mr. Kramer chose Wilhelmina Sachtleben as his wife, he chose a woman who has been truly a helpmeet to him. She has worked steadily and faithfully by his side, helping him in all of his plans for the acquiring and improving of their broad acres. Their marriage was solemnized March 18, 1875, in Menard county, Illinois. Mrs. Kranier was born in Germany and upon com- ing to this country she settled in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Kramer have two sons and three daughters: Anna is the wife of Rev. M. Lehnenger, living near Plymouth, Nebraska ; John is at home and assists his father in the work and management of the farm; Henry is operating a grain elevator at Firth, Lancaster county ; Maggie is the wife of James Ikerd, of Lancaster county ; and Minnie is the wife of Fred Hochheim, a farmer in Highland township, Gage county. All of the children have received good educational advantages and are doing well their part in the world's work. They were reared in the Lutheran faith and in their youth the parental home was always open to their friends.

While Mr. Kramer has always been a busy man, he has had time to devote to the inter- ests of the community at large. He was a member of the school board from 1887 to 1914, devoting his energies to the furtherance of the educational advantages of his district. He served as road overseer for some time, and did his work faithfully and well. His political views are in harmony with the prin- ciples of the Democratic party and it receives his support. The Kramer farm is known for its fine breed of Short-horn cattle, in which their owner takes a great deal of pride. On his good Nebraska corn he has always fed a great many cattle for market.

WILLIAM R. McKINLEY, who is now living virtually retired, in the city of Beatrice, was a young man of twenty-one years when he came to Gage county, fully forty years ago, and he was long and successfully identi-

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

fied with farm industry in this section of the state, his experience covering fully the ex- igencies and labors incidental to reclaiming a pioneer farm. Mr. Mckinley is a bachelor and it is a matter of supreme satisfaction and pride to him that he has remained constantly with his loved mother, to whom he has accord- ed the utmost filial devotion and solicitude and whose gentle presence, after she was ven- erable in years and in impaired health, rested as a gracious benediction upon him and upon their pleasant home, at 1208 Ella street, Be- atrice, until she passed to the life eternal, her death having occurred May 6, 1918.

Mr. Mckinley was born at Farmer City, Illinois, on the 20th of July, 1856, and is a son of John Wesley Mckinley and Julia (Hays) McKinley, the former of whom like- wise was a native of Farmer City, where he was born June 3, 1831, a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of that part of Illinois. John W. Mckinley was reared and educated in Illinois and there learned the trade of harnessmaker, but fol- lowed farming in that state until his death, he having passed away April 26, 1865. His wife was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, was reared and educated at Bellefontaine, Ohio, and in the winter of 1854-1855 she became a resident of Dewitt county, Illinois, where, July 4, 1855, was solemnized her marriage to John Wesley Mckinley, who was in the very prime of his useful manhood at the time of his death. The children of this union were four in number, William R., of this review, being the eldest; the other surviving son, Charles S., who was born October 1, 1858, was taken into the home of his maternal grandparents after the untimely death of his father, and was by them reared and educated, in Illinois : he is now a resident of Fowler, Colorado; and Lincoln and Joseph died in infancy. On the 30th of April, 1868, Mrs. Julia (Hays) Mckinley became the wife of Alba C. Turner, of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and there they continued to reside until the spring of 1878, when they numbered them- selves among the pioneers of Gage county, Nebraska. For three years they maintained

their residence in Sicily township, near the village of Blue Springs, and they then pur- chased eighty acres of land in Section 20, that township. This land, which was unre- claimed and entirely without improvements, challenged their energy and resourcefulness to the fullest extent in the early days, and their original dwelling was a primitive dug- out, built in a bank of earth and then boarded up, the domicile having been fourteen by twenty feet in dimensions. Later a tract of forty acres was added to the pioneer farm, and on this old home place the death of Mr. Turner occurred September 11, 1885. The widow and children remained on the farm until 1909, when they removed to the village of Wymore, and four years later removal was made to the city of Beatrice, where the home has since been maintained. After the death of Mr. Turner his widow and her eldest son, William R. McKinley, purchased an adjoin- ing tract of one hundred and sixty acres, and thus the farm was made one of the well im- proved and valuable places of Sicily township, the property being still in possession of the family and being now under the efficient man- agement of Fred H. Turner, a son of the second marriage, he being the elder of the two children of his mother's second marriage and the younger, Lucy, being now the wife of James M. Skinner, of Beatrice. Lucy Turner's first husband was Frank L. Gray and they became the parents of two children - William L. and Nettie, the latter having from infancy been in the home of her maternal grandmother and her devoted "Uncle Will," by whom she was reared to maturity: she was afforded the advantages of the Gage county schools and is now a successful and popular teacher in the public schools of Be- atrice. Mr. McKinley, as before stated, con- stantly remained with his loved mother, who cared for him with the utmost devotion dur- ing his childhood and to whom he found it a matter of great satisfaction to pay the tribute of filial love and attention which was so emi- nently her due in the gracious evening of her long and earnest life. She was born Jannary 19, 1837, and thus was eighty-one years of

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age at the time of her death. This gentle and revered pioneer woman had been in impaired health for several years, but her alert men- tality enabled her to enjoy the peace and pros- perity that attended her and to appreciate the fact that her lines were "cast in pleasant places" in the county in which she endured her full quota of the hardships and trials in- cidental to pioneer life, her circle of friends having been limited only by that of her ac- quaintances and she having been tenderly cared for by her devoted son.

JOHN W. CAMPBELL is the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Sec- tion 33, Adams township, and is successfully engaged in farm enterprise, in which he makes a specialty of raising thoroughbred Polled Durham cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs.

Mr. Campbell is a native of Rockford, Illi- nois, where he was born July 7, 1866, son of George W. Campbell, whose record appears elsewhere in this volume. John W. Campbell was two years old when his parents came to Nebraska and established the family home in Gage county. On his father's farm, which has been the home of the family for almost fifty years, he grew to young manhood. Re- ceiving a good education in the schools of Adams, he taught school for two years, read- ily imparting to others the knowledge he had acquired. As his years and strength increased he assumed more largely the arduous duties and tasks incident to the work on the home farm, and in 1900 he purchased the old home place. Since that time he has directed, with marked progressiveness and success, the varied operations of his excellent farm. On the place substantial improvements have been made by him, and to-day it is one of the most valuable farm properties in Adams township.

On September 18, 1890, was solemnized the marriage of John W. Campbell and Miss Eliza E. Key. Mrs. Campbell was born in Illinois and was a girl of ten years of age when she accompanied her parents to Iowa, where she was reared and educated, and where her marriage occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell became the parents of six children :

Darwin H., a machinist and motorcycle in- structor, is doing valiant service for his coun- try "somewhere in France"; Edna is de- ceased; and Otto, Vera, Raymond, and El- vessa remain at the parental home.

Mr. Campbell and his family are members of the Methodist church. In politics he gives his support to the Republican party. He capably served as assessor of his township and for fourteen years.he has been secretary of the Adams school, which is the only A- grade normal training high school in the county, outside of Beatrice .. Fraternally Mr. Campbell is a Mason and member of the Royal Highlanders. In all things pertaining to the moral, social, and material uplift of his community he is always ready to give his influence and co-operation.

GUY S. ATKINS. - Near the village of Adams, Nebraska, in Section 34, Adams town- ship, may be found Guy S. Atkins, a vigorous young farmer who operates one hundred and sixty acres of land belonging to David F. Bryson. Mr. Atkins was born at Sterling, Johnson county, Nebraska, on the 3d of January, 1893, and is a son of Ulysses Alden Atkins and Harriet C. (McClung) Atkins. Ulysses A. Atkins was born at Minonk, Illi- nois, May 9, 1862, and he was about nine years old when he came with his parents to Johnson county, Nebraska, where they arrived April 20, 1871. He attended the public schools of Johnson county and assisted his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years of age, when he rented land and began farming on his own account, in Johnson county. In 1889 Mr. Atkins came to Gage county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Hooker township. There he remained until 1913, when he sold out and bought eighty acres in Section 1, Hanover township - a property which he still owns. In 1908 Mr. Atkins retired, and he now makes his home in the town of Adams, where he owns a comfortable residence property. On December 25, 1882, Ulysses A. Atkins was united in marriage to Miss Harriet C. Mc- Clung, a daughter of Alexander and Jane

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(Matthews) McClung, and of this union were born six children : Cora is the wife of Harry Hillman, of Adams, this county; Viva is de- ceased ; Ruth is an art teacher at Vancouver, Washington; Guy S. is the subject of this review; and Harold and Alden J. reside at Adams.

Guy S. Atkins was educated in the public schools of Adams, and he followed farming with his father until 1909. In 1910 he rented land on Section 34, Adams township, where he now lives. On June 13th, 1911, Mr. At- kins was united in marriage to Miss Velma L. Bryson, eldest daughter of David F. and Mar- tha Bryson, of whom record will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. At- kins are the parents of four children, Rome Belmont, Polly Madge, Valeria Juanita, and Arline Genevieve.

Mr. and Mrs. Atkins are members of the Methodist church of Adams, and in politics Mr. Atkins is an independent voter who casts his ballot for the man rather than for the party.

ALBERT O. ULRICH. - This successful and representative farmer of Gage county may well consider that his "lines are cast in pleasant places," for independence and pros- perity have crowned his energetic endeavors and he is the owner of a model farm estate of two hundred and forty acres in Section 18, Grant township, as well as three hundred and twenty acres in Deuel county, this state.

Mr. Ulrich was born in Livingston county, Illinois, on the 12th of March, 1870, and is a son of Charles G. and Johannah (Graff) Ul- rich, who came to Gage county, Nebraska, when the subject of this review was a lad of twelve years, more specific mention of the parents being incidentally given on other pages of this work, as the family has been one closely and worthily identified with civic en- terprise and industrial activities in this county. Albert O. Ulrich acquired his early educa- tion in the schools of his native state and later continued his studies in the district schools of Gage county, where he was reared on the home farm of his father, in Grant township.

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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 119

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