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 127
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
success as a vigorous exponent of farm in- dustry. He is the owner of a valuable landed estate of four hundred acres, in Section 21, Highland township, and is now living virtu- ally retired, his sons having the active man- agement of his farms.
Mr. Balderson was born in Morgan county, Ohio, April 1, 1850, a son of George and Sarah (Davis) Balderson, of whose family of fourteen children eleven attained to maturity, as here noted: Mary, who became the wife of Alvin White, was a resident of Fairbury, Nebraska, at the time of her death; Rhoda is the wife of A. B. McNickle, of Ashland, Kan- sas; Alexander was a resident of Highland township, Gage county, at the time of his de- mise ; James E., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Scott resides in the city of Beatrice, this county ; Frank is employed in a hospital at Hastings, this state; George re- sides at Pickrell, Holt township; Mrs. Anna Groff was a resident of Fairbury at the time of her death ; Jacob is an influential citizen of Wilber, Saline county, where he is serving as mayor, in 1917-1918; Mrs. Alice Clark is a res- ident of Austin, Minnesota : and Mrs. Martha Snoker resides in the city of Lincoln, Neb- raska.
George Balderson was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, September 5, 1819, and in the old Buckeye state his marriage to Miss Saralı Davis was solemnized in 1841, his wife having been born in Maine, in 1821. Mr. Balder- son engaged in farming in Morgan county, Ohio, and in 1864 he removed with his fam- ily to Whiteside county, Illinois, where he re- mained similarly engaged until 1872, when he came with his family to Nebraska and num- bered himself among the pioneer settlers of Gage county. In Highland township he pur- chased eighty acres of wild land, in Section 6, and here he planted trees and made other sub- stantial improvements, the while he soon brought his land under effective cultivation. It is generally conceded that he was the first settler to erect a frame house between Neb- raska City and Gage county, and in the early days his home was the stopping place of so- journers who required accommodations for a
night or more, few of the pioneer homes hav- ing facilities adequate to extend such hospital- ity. From Nebraska City he transported by team and wagon his household effects, which had been shipped from the old home in Illinois. Mr. Balderson was a man whose character and mentality well equipped him for leader- ship in community affairs and, as a stalwart Republican, he always took deep interest in political and governmental matters. He gave able assistance in the establishing of schools and churches and in laying out the township of Highland. In coming to Gage county he transported his family by means of three cov- ered wagons, and he was one of the sterling pioneers who aided greatly in furthering the development and progress of Gage county. He passed the closing years of his life in the home of his daughter Mary, Mrs. Alvin White, at Fairbury, Jefferson county, where his death occurred January 15, 1899. His loved and devoted wife passed to eternal rest April 8, 1897, she having been a member of the Baptist church and he having been a birth- right member of the Society of Friends, com- monly designated as Quakers. The lineage of the Balderson family is traced back to staunch Scottish origin and the founders of the American branch were two brothers who came to this country in the colonial days, both becoming citizens of prominence and influence.
James E. Balderson acquired his rudimen- tary education in the schools of Ohio and was about fourteen years of age at the time of the family removal to Illinois, where he was reared to adult age. Within a few weeks after he had attained his legal majority he came with his parents to Gage county, and about one year later, at the age of twenty-two years, he here obtained a homestead claim of eighty acres, in Section 8, Highland town- ship. He reclaimed and improved this farm under the conditions that obtained in the pio- neer days and had his full share of hardships and trials. His energy and thrift were shown in the excellent improvements which he made on his original homestead and increasing prosperity in the passing years enabled him to add gradually to his landed estate until he be-
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
came the owner of his present large and val- uable farm property in Highland township. In his years of active farm enterprise he be- came specially prominent and successful as a breeder and grower of fine Hereford cattle, and his herds attracted much attention. He customarily shipped about two car loads of cattle annually, after bringing the same into the best of condition by judicious methods of feeding. He has not been circumscribed by mere individual advancement but has given his support to movements and enterprises pro- jected for the general good of the community, though never a seeker of public office. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party.
January 18, 1883, recorded the marriage of Mr. Balderson to Miss Rebecca Johnson, who likewise is a native of Morgan county, Ohio, where she was born June 30, 1861, a daughter of Paten and Isabel (Blake) Johnson, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania, in June, 1803, and the latter of whom was born the state of Maine. Mr. Johnson, whose father, William, was a native of Ireland, was a resident of Pennsylvania at the time of his death, June 28, 1871, and his widow passed away April 4, 1889, she having been his sec- ond wife and Mrs. Balderson having been the ninth of their twelve children. Mr. and Mrs Balderson have three children: James F. is a progressive farmer of Colorado; Pearl L. is also in Colorado; and Lester B., who re- mains at the parental home, has the active management of the old homestead farm.
GEORGE G. DOUGLAS, M. D., was en- gaged in the successful general practice of his profession at Cortland, this county, from 1904 until the spring of 1918, and was essentially one of the representative physicians and sur- geons of Gage county, even as he was one of the most liberal and progressive citizens of the vital little city in which he maintained his residence. He is now established in practice at Elmwood, Cass county.
Dr. Douglas was born in Adams county, Illinois, on the 30th of June, 1863, and is a son of William and Emma (McMurray)
Douglas, the former of whom was born in Washington county, Kentucky, and the latter in Adams county, Illinois, where his parents settled in the pioneer days. William Douglas was a child at the time when his parents im- migrated from Kentucky and became pioneer settlers in Adams county, Illinois, in 1832, and there he was reared to manhood. . In Illinois he continued his activities as a farmer until 1869, when he removed with his family to Nodaway county, Missouri, where he became a substantial farmer and where he passed the remainder of his life. He was born January 16, 1831, and his death occurred December 29, 1888. His parents, Joseph and Jeanette (Mc- Murray) Douglas, were born and reared in Virginia, the former having been a son of Joseph Douglas, Sr., whose father, Hugh, was born and reared in Scotland and established his residence in Rockingham county, Virginia, in 1740. Thus it appears that Dr. Douglas is not only a scion of one of the fine colonial families of the historic Old Dominion but also traces his ancestry back to staunch Scotch origin on both the paternal and maternal sides. His mother was born December 23, 1838, and passed to the life eternal August 14, 1899. She was born at Upper Alton, Illinois, and was a daughter of Rev. Wilson McMurray and Georgia Ann (Parrish) McMurray, both natives of Kentucky, Mr. McMurray having been a pioneer clergyman of the Methodist church in Illinois. It is worthy of historic note in this context that the first turnpike road in Kentucky was constructed in 1837 by a paternal great-uncle of Dr. Douglas. Wil- liam and Emma (McMurray) Douglas be- came the parents of six children: William S. is a farmer in Canadian county, Oklahoma ; Joseph E. is engaged in the practice of law at Plattsmouth, Nebraska; Rev. Fletcher D., a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church, is, in 1918, pastor of a church at Mound City, Missouri; Mrs. Evelyn Murray is deceased, and left two children, Muriel and Alma, the latter making her home with Dr. Douglas of this review ; Dr. Douglas was the next in order of birth; and Frederick E. died when about thirty-five years of age.
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Dr. Douglas was a lad of about six years at the time of the family removal to Nodaway county, Missouri, where he was reared to adult age on the home farm and where he made good use of the advantages of the schools of the locality and period, as shown by the fact that as a youth he gave three years to successful service as a teacher in the dis- trict schools. Thereafter he supplemented his academic education by attending Amity Col- lege, at College Springs, Iowa, and in prep- aration for his chosen profession he entered, in 1888, the Missouri Medical College, in the city of St. Louis. In this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1891, and after thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine, he engaged in practice at Ra- venswood, Missouri, where he remained until 1904, when he came to Gage county, Neb- raska, and established his residence at Cort- land. Here he built up a large and represent- ative practice and in the meanwhile he has kept in close touch with the advances made in medical and surgical science, with full ap- preciation of his professional stewardship and responsibilities. He removed to Elmwood, Cass county, in the spring of 1918 and is there continuing his successful professional activ- ities.
In 1917 Dr. Douglas became associated with Paul Schultz and A. J. Goodban in organ- izing a company that installed a thoroughly modern electric-lighting system in Cortland, and he became secretary and treasurer of this company. Mr. Schultz is president of the corporation and Mr. Goodban its general man- ager. In other ways Dr. Douglas showed his civic loyalty and progressiveness and took a lively interest in community affairs in general. His political allegiance is given to the Repub- lican party, he holds membership in the Amer- ican Medical Association and the Nebraska State Medical Society and, while a resident of Cortland, was prominently identified with the Gage County Medical Society. He is affili- ated with the Masonic fraternity, and he and his wife hold membership in the Congrega- tional church.
On the 20th of June, 1894, Dr. Douglas
wedded Miss Martha Hilton, who was born and reared in Cass county, Nebraska, a daugh- ter of George and Letta (Irwin) Hilton, pi- oneers of that county, where they have resided at Elmwood since their retirement from their old home farm. Dr. and Mrs. Douglas be- came the parents of three children, of whom only the second, Ellen, is living. Leland died at the age of twelve years and James at the age of one year.
SAMUEL R. SMITH properly gains rec- ognition in this history by reason of his secure standing as a representative farmer and citi- zen of Filley township, where his pleasant rural home is established in Section 21. He was born at Peoria, Illinois, September 26, 1857, and is a son of John R. and Sarah (Bateman) Smith, the former of whom was born in Switzerland, in 1816, and the latter of whom was born in the state of Ohio, in 1823. The death of the father occured December 4, 1888, and that of the mother in December, 1890. The marriage of the parents was sol- emnized in Ohio and after their removal to Illinois the father was for a number of years engaged in the boot and shoe business at Peoria, he having been one of the sterling pi- oneer merchants of that now vigorous city, where he and his wife settled at the early peri- od when the chief transportation facilities of Illinois were those of lake and river naviga- tion. John R. and Sarah (Bateman) Smith continued to maintain their home at Peoria until their death and were venerable and hon- ored pioneer citizens of that place. Mr. Smith was a Democrat in politics and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, his wife having been an active member of the Presbyterian church. They became the parents of five children, of whom four are living: Fannie J. is a widow and resides in the city of Peoria, Illinois ; Samuel R., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth; Mrs. Nellie M. Lee resides in the city of Chicago, where her hus- band is engaged in mercantile business; and Effie D. is the wife of William Burt, a pros- perous farmer near Decatur, Illinois.
S. R. Smith is indebted to the public schools
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
JOHN C. BOYD AND FAMILY
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
of his native city for his early educational advantages, and after leaving school he was there employed eight years in a grain ware- house. In December, 1886, he came to Gage county, Nebraska, and in Filley township he purchased an unimproved farm of one hun- dred and sixty acres. He vigorously insti- tuted the reclamation and development of his land, erected a good house and other farm buildings, and on his farm he gained his initial experience in harnessing a horse, so that it may be readily seen that he was a novice in farm enterprise, this slight initial handicap having, however, been effectually counter- balanced by his initiative and administrative ability and determined purpose. He now has a valuable farm estate of four hundred acres and his generous success has been won entire- ly through his own ability and well directed endeavors. His farm property is well im- proved and he gives his attention to diversi- fied agriculture and the raising of good live- stock.
November 18, 1880, recorded the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Ella M. Yates, who was born in Illinois, August 12, 1863, a daughter of John C. and Jane (Hargadine) Yates, the former a native of West Virginia and the lat- ter of Ohio, their marriage having been sol- emnized in Illinois, where they passed the re- mainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Smith became the parents of two children, the first- born, Willard, having died at the age of twenty years, and Verna M. being the wife of L. C. Roberts, their one child being a winsome little daughter, Helen Elizabeth.
In a fraternal way Mr. Smith is affiliated with the Highlanders and the Royal Arcanum, and in politics he gives his allegiance to the Republican party.
JOHN C. BOYD is a representative of one of the well known families of Gage county and has here achieved distinctive success as an exponent of farm enterprise, his well im- proved farm, comprising one hundred and twenty acres, being situated in Section 15, Sherman township. He has been a resident of this county since his boyhood and is a son
of Otho Boyd, of whom individual mention is made on other pages, so that further review of the family history is not here demanded.
John C. Boyd was born in Linn county, Iowa, December 8, 1873, and was about nine years old at the time of the family removal to Gage county. Here he was reared on the old homestead farm of his father, in Sherman township, and in the meanwhile he made good use of the advantages afforded in the local schools. He has never wavered in his alle- giance to the basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing and in his independent op- erations as a farmer he has for more than twenty years utilized land which he has rented from Ford Lewis, besides having ac- cumulated and made the best of improve- ments upon his home farm, his ownership of which gives concrete evidence of the success that has attended his well ordered activities in diversified agricultural enterprise and in the raising of good grades of live stock, in which latter department he makes a specialty of raising pure-bred Duroc-Jersey swine.
In politics Mr. Boyd is aligned with the Re- publican party, and his interest in community affairs has been shown by his effective ser- vice as a member of the school board of his district. On one occasion he was elected to the office of constable, but he refused to qualify for and assume the duties of this po- sition. He and his wife hold membership in the Brethren church.
In 1900 Mr. Boyd wedded Miss Daisy Swarts, who was born in Champaign county, Illinois, and whose death occurred in 1909. She is survived by three children,-Clarence Raymond, and Thelma and Inez, who are twins. In 1913 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Boyd to Miss Almira Shaw, who was born and reared in Gage county and is a representative of one of the earliest territorial pioneer families of this now favored section of Nebraska, her paternal grandparents, Stephen P. and Hannah (Hicks) Shaw having settled in Gage county in 1857 and having here passed the remainder of their lives. Stephen V. Shaw, father of Mrs. Boyd, was born in Dutchess county, New York, January 4, 1844, and when
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
he was six years old the family removed to Wisconsin, from which state they came to Ne- braska Territory and settled in Gage county when he was thirteen years of age. In 1864 he went to Colorado, where he was associated with prospecting and mining operations about one year. He then returned to Gage county and, in 1866, he married Miss Minerva Hand, daughter of William and Annie (Scott) Hand, who likewise came to Nebraska Ter- ritory in 1857 and who settled near Nebraska City. After his marriage Mr. Shaw engaged in farm enterprise in Adams township, where he reclaimed and developed one of the valuable farm properties of the county and became one of the honored and influential citizens of his community. Of the nine children of the Shaw family the following brief data are available. (See also Shaw family history.) Louis V. is a prosperous farmer near Berwyn, Custer county, Nebraska; Katie is a successful and popular teacher in the schools of Gage county and at the time of this writing, in the spring of 1918, is teaching in the public schools near Liberty ; Almira, wife of Mr. Boyd, was the next in order of birth; Ada M. is the wife of Miles W. McKnight, of Adams township; Alice H. is the wife of Truman Bert Kauff- man, of Havelock, Lancaster county ; Edna is the wife of Clarence Von. Palmer, of Chap- pell, Deuel county ; May remains at the paren- tal home; Charles is a successful farmer in Adams township; and Rae is employed as a stenographer in the offices of the board of edu- cation of the city of Lincoln. Of the second marriage of Mr. Boyd no children have been born. For the past twenty years Mrs. Almira Boyd has been an active worker in the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She was state secretary of the Nebraska organiza- tion for two years, and for the past thirteen years she has been recorder and secretary of the Gage county organization of this splendid body.
JAMES A. THOM has shown distinctive progressiveness and executive ability in con- nection with his well ordered activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower in his native
county, and his fine farm estate of four hun- dred and sixty five acres, in Sherman town- ship, is given to diversified agruculture and to the raising of live stock, including Hereford cattle and Poland-China swine. Of the Thom family history specific data are given on other pages, in the memoir dedicated to his honored father, the late Peter C. Thom.
Mr. Thom was born in Sherman township, this county, on the 18th of January, 1872, and in addition to receiving in his youth the ad- vantages of the local schools he completed a course of higher study in the normal school at Peru, Nemaha county. At the age of eighteen years Mr. Thom began a practical apprenticeship to the trade of telegraphy, and thereafter he served nine years as telegraph operator and station agent in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Com- pany. He then resumed his active alliance with farm enterprise and brought to bear the specific knowledge which he had earlier gained in connection with the work of the old home farm on which he was reared. He has made each successive year count in worthy achieve- ment as a farmer and has made excellent im- provements on his fine rural estate, his home- stead being in Section 20, Sherman township.
November 1, 1894, recorded the marriage of Mr. Thom to Miss Emma H. Gramenz, daughter of William and Minnie (Menchau) Gramenz. Mr. Gramenz was born and reared in Germany and as a young man he was a soldier in the German army, with which he participated in the Franco-Prussian war and was with the victorious forces that entered the city of Paris, he having been a lieutenant of his command. In 1872 he came to the United States and settled at Rock Island, Illinois. He worked as a brickmaker, accumulated a com- petency, and he and his wife now maintain their home in California, Mrs. Gramenz hav- ing been born at Coal Valley, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Thom have two children - Harold, who was born February 10, 1900, and Minnie, who was born November 1. 1905. The son was graduated in the Beatrice high school, as a member of the class of 1918.
In the village of Fliley Mr. Thom is af-
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
filiated with the lodge of Ancient Free & Ac- cepted Masons, and in politics he gives his al- legiance to the Republican party.
JAMES W. GISH is numbered among thie representative exponents of farm industry in Rockford township, where his fine homestead farm of two hundred and forty acres is sit- uated in Section 33, besides which he is the owner of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres located about two miles east of his home place. Mr. Gish was born in Roanoke, Wood- ford county, Illinois, July 2, 1860, and is a son of William A. and Sarah E. (Statler) Gish, both natives of Roanoke, Virginia, their marriage having been solemnized at Salem, that state. William A. Gish became a pioneer farmer in Woodford county, Illinois, where he continued his activities until 1892, when he came to Nebraska and purchased a large farm in Gage county. Upon retiring from active labors he established his residence at Juniata, Adams county, and he and his wife died in 1904; they were killed in a terrific storm, at Bloomington, Franklin county, Ne- braska. They became the parents of a fine family of eighteen children, and of the num- ber nine are living. Mr. Gish was a Demo- crat in politics and he and his wife held mem- bership in the Brethren church. Both were representatives of sterling families early found- ed in Virginia, and their parents passed their entire lives in the historic Old Dominion.
James W. Gish gained his initial experience of practical order in connection with the work of the old home farm in Illinois, was afforded the advantages of the public schools and in later years he has not faltered in his allegiance to the basic industries of agriculture and stock- growing, through the medium of which he has achieved unequivocal success. He has been a resident of Gage county since 1883 and is a progressive farmer and valued citizen of Rock- ford township. He is independent in politics and he is an active member of the Brethren church.
In 1884 Mr. Gish wedded Miss Mary J. Reiff, who died in 1905, at the age of thirty- nine years. She was a daughter of Joseph
and Mary Reiff, concerning whom specific mention is made on other pages, in the sketch of the career of John B. Reiff. Mr. and Mrs. Gish became the parents of seven children : Frank is engaged in farming in Rockford township; Mabel is the wife of Robert H. Steinmeyer, cashier of the Holmesville State Bank; Flora is the wife of Oscar Frantz, an- other of the prosperous farmers of Rockford township; Ethel is the wife of Arthur M. Mil- ler, residing one-half mile west of Holmes- ville; Clayton W. is employed in farming the home place; Ray and Maude remain at the paternal home.
WILLIAM H. PARDE is vigorously and successfully carrying forward his operations as an agriculturist and stock-grower on his excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Section 34, Hooker township, and his status as a citizen is such as to entitle him to special recognition in this history. He was born in Adams county, Illinois, in 1873, and is a son of Heye and Tuter (Bowman) Parde, who were born in Germany and who became resi- dents of Illinois upon coming to America. In 1887 Heye Parde came with his family to Gage county and settled in Hanover township, where he eventually became the owner of four hun- dred and fifty acres of land and developed one of the valuable farm properties of the county, his political allegiance having been given to the Democratic party and he and his wife having been zealous members of the Luther- an church. Of their eight children five are living: Peter is a farmer in Hooker town- ship; William H., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Edward is a farmer in Hooker township; Herman lives on his father's old homestead farm; Kate is the wife of John Stevens, likewise a prosperous farmer of this county ; Anna is the wife of John Deitz- man, a farmer in Hooker township.
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