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 135
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
primitive frontier conditions. Many nights while en route he sat up with his gun at hand, to guard his horses from attack by wolves, es- pecially in Indian Territory. His first eighty acres of land in Gage county was purchased from the railroad company, at the rate of six dollars an acre, and of the great changes that have since been wrought an idea is conveyed in the fact that in later years he has paid as much as one hundred and thirty-seven and one-half dollars an acre for some of the land now owned by him in Highland township. His political allegiance is given to the Repub- lican party, he has served as clerk and assessor of Highland township and was for twenty- five years a member of the school board of District No. 55. At Cortland he is affiliated with the lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, in which he has passed the various official chairs, and in the city of Beatrice he is affiliated with Rawlings Post, No. 36, Grand Army of the Republic.
October 28, 1874, recorded the marriage of Mr. Grieser to Miss Kate Kerr, who has proved his devoted companion and helpmeet during the intervening period of nearly half a century. Mrs. Grieser was born in Christian county, Illinois, April 7, 1859, her parents, John and Elizabeth (Hopper) Kerr, natives of Kentucky, having been pioneers of Illinois, where they remained until their death, Mrs. Greiser being the younger of their two chil- dren and the elder, Cassius, having been a resident of Pana, Illinois, at the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Grieser have a fine fam- ily of six sons : Albert is one of the success- ful farmers of Highland township, where he owns eighty acres in Section 24; Oscar like- wise is a progressive farmer of the same town- ship, as are also Ernest and Harry, the former of whom has active charge of the old home farm; Ralph is identified with farm enterprise in Lancaster county ; and Frank is similarly engaged in Highland township. All of the sons received good educational advantages and all but two are farming land owned by their father.
Mr. Grieser is a substantial stockholder of the Bank of Cortland, of which he is vice-
president and in the same village he is a stock- holder of the Farmers Elevator & Grain Com- pany. In a reminiscent way it may be stated that Mr. Grieser's first house on his Gage county farm was a little frame building only ten by fourteen feet in dimensions, and for some time no floor was provided except the earth. In the passing years he has made ex- cellent improvements on all of his farms and has been progressive and energetic in his ac- tivities as an agriculturist and stock-grower. In the early days he hauled his farm produce to Firth, Lancaster county, a distance of eight miles, and at one time he had no available money, so that he was compelled to become in- debted to the owner of one of the mercantile establishments at Firth in the sum of sixteen dollars, which covered the purchase of food supplies that lasted the family during an en- tire summer, within which only twenty-five cents' worth of sugar was used in the home. Meat for the larder was supplied principally by the shooting of prairie chickens, which were plentiful along the roads and in the fields. Mr. Grieser frequently staked out his cows on the site of the present village of Cortland and at daylight he often stood with gun in hand before his pioneer house to protect the cows and calves from attack by wolves. He and his wife, in short, lived up to the full tension of pioneer life and it has been theirs to receive in later years gracious rewards for their earnest and honorable labors in the past.
LEWIS H. LAFLIN. - There are few men living in our midst to-day who were on Gage county earlier than was Lewis H. Laflin. He has remained for sixty-one years on the farm upon which he now resides, in Johnson county. He came to this part of the country in May, 1857, -- a full decade before Nebraska was admitted to statehood. These were the days when the Indian and the buffalo was still supreme upon the prairies, and when few white men dared to push the frontier line farther west.
One of the resolute and valiant pioneers of Gage and Johnson counties, Nebraska, was the mother of Lewis H. Laflin. This noble woman
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
came to this county in 1857. She was the widow of Parley Laflin, who was born near Rochester, New York, in 1799. Parley Laflin followed contracting and the lumber and mill business in the state of New York for many years. At one time he was employed on the construction of the old Erie canal. Finally he removed with his family to Illinois, and as a pioneer of that state he built his log cabin in the clearing made for the purpose, after which he turned his attention to tilling the soil. Mr. Laflin bought and sold cattle on a large scale. He frequently walked the distance of one hundred and fifty miles from his home in Rock Island county, Illinois, to Chicago, driv- ing his cattle ahead of him to the market. This was before Chicago had any stock yards to accommodate the incoming cattle. Mr. Laflin's death occurred in 1849. He and his devoted wife became the parents of four chil- dren, - Catherine E., George P., Lewis H., and Joseph K. George P. was a resident of Oklahoma at the time of his death, in 1905.
In 1857, several years after her husband's death, Mrs. Laflin came with her children to Nebraska Territory. Here she entered a pre- emption claim, and the same now lies within the borders of Johnson county. ' She also owned land in Gage county, and the same is now a portion of the city of Beatrice, known as Croppey's Addition. For nearly twenty years this plucky woman labored to win her livelihood from the wild and unbroken prairies, and year by year she brought more of the land to productiveness. Her death occurred in 1886, in Johnson county.
Lewis H. Laflin was born in Rock Island county, Illinois, August 21, 1842. He received the educational advantages, the locality and period afforded, and these were meagre, as there were very few schools established. He was fifteen years old upon his arrival in Ne- braska and was just the right age to help his brave and determined mother. In 1860 he was freighting across the plains with an ox team, his route being from Brownville, Ne- braska, to Julesburg, Colorado. He was in- terrupted in his work by his responding to the call of patriotism when the Civil war menaced
the integrity of the nation. In 1862 he en- listed in Company I, First Nebraska Volun- teers, under Colonel Robert R. Livingston. This company was engaged in a number of battles. In August, 1864, Mr. Laflin was cap- tured by the Confederate General Shelby, at Grand Prairie, Arkansas. He was held as a prisoner of war for five months, and then, with other Union soldiers, was exchanged. Thereafter he continued in his country's ser- vice until the close of the war. He was hon- orably discharged October 24, 1865, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after having served three years and eighteen days. After the sur- render of Generals Lee and Johnston, Mr. Laflin was in a number of skirmishes with the Indians. He returned to his home in John- son county, where he farmed, besides which he continued his work of freighting across the plains. Oxen were used in the summer work and horses in the winter.
November 1, 1866, Mr. Laflin married Miss America K. Scott, who was born August 10, 1846 in Anderson county, Kentucky. Her parents were Charles and Elizabeth Jane Scott, and they were the parents of six other children, - John R, and James G. are de- ceased; Elmer H., resides at Bruce, Wiscon- sin; Catherine E., the wife of E. S. Carnes, is deceased ; Margaret E. is deceased ; and Eliza- beth is the wife of Riley Antle, of Nebraska City, Nebraska. Mrs. Laflin spent many happy years with her husband and family, devoting all of her time to their care and comfort. Her death occurred on the 5th day of July, 1905. She was the mother of ten children, five of whom survive her: Edith is the wife of D. M. Lovett, of Johnson county ; Catherine re- mains at home with her father ; Guy F. resides in Johnson county ; Clay lives in Gage county ; and E. B., lives at Crab Orchard, Johnson county.
Lewis H. Laflin bore his full share of the hardships and labors incidental to pioneer life in southeastern Nebraska and pressed steadily forward toward the goal of worthy prosperity. To the original farm he added gradually, as his resources and opportunities justified, and he is to-day the owner of a valuable landed
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estate, - one hundred and sixty acres in Gage county and four hundred and eighty acres in Johnson county.
Mr. Laflin has at all times shown himself loyal and public-spirited as a citizen and he gives his allegiance to the Republican party. He has been influential in community affairs, served six years as a member of the official administrative board of Johnson county, and in 1873 he was elected representative of his constitutency in the lower house of the Ne- braska legislature, in which he made a char- acteristically excellent record of service. He is affiliated with Lodge No. 175, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, at Filley, and he has been for years an earnest and faithful mem- ber of the Baptist church.
JOHN T. DORN has effectively proved his energy and resourcefulness in connection with farm industry in Gage county and is the owner of a well improved farm of two hun- dred and forty acres, in Section 13, Logan township. Mr. Dorn was born in Adams county, Illinois, September 16, 1864, and is a son of Thomas H. and Ock Johanna (Heren) Dorn, both natives of Friesland, province of Hanover, Germany, where their marriage was solemnized. Upon coming to America the parents remained for a time in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and they then removed to Illinois, where the father engaged in farm en- terprise and threshing for a number of years. For a time thereafter he conducted a small general store in a rural district and also de- voted his attention to the reclaiming of a farm in Brown county, Illinois. He eventually be- came the owner of a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in the county mentioned, and in 1882 he came to Nebraska and purchased two hundred and forty acres of land in Gage county, the only improvements on the place having been a little log house and a straw barn. He developed the farm and his success was such that he and his devoted wife passed the closing years of their lives in well earned peace and prosperity. Of their ten children six are living: Herman is a resident of Franklin county, this state; John T., of this
review, was the next in order of birth ; Thomas is a farmer in Logan township, Gage county ; Jerusha is the wife of William Frerichs, of Franklin county; George is engaged in farm enterprise in Filley township; Henry is a farmer in Franklin county. The parents were zealous members of the Lutheran church and the father was a Republican in his political adherency.
John T. Dorn acquired his early educa- tion in the public schools of Illinois and Ne- braska and has been from his youth continu- ously associated with farm industry. For three years he farmed on land which he rented near Sterling, Johnson county, and he next rented a farm owned by Claus Zimmerman, in Logan township, Gage county. With but lim- ited capital he showed his self-reliance by buy- ing, largely on credit, a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, of Julius Barnard, and after seeing his way clear toward the goal of inde- pendence he. added to his farm property by purchasing of Charles Hughes a tract of eighty acres. He has made excellent improvements on his farm, including the erection of a mod- ern house, barn and other buildings, and he has shown marked discrimination in the di- recting of the various departments of his farm enterprise. He raises good grades of cattle and swine and in the season of 1917 he de- voted two hundred acres of his land to corn. His political support is given to the Republi- can party and he and his wife are active com- municants of the Hanover Lutheran church.
In the year 1888 was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Dorn to Miss Tena Agena, who was born in the state of Illinois and who is a daughter of Gade and Margaret (Ackerman) Agena, natives of Germany. Mr. Agena was a child of nine years when he accompanied his parents on their immigration to America and he was reared and educated in Illinois. His wife was five years old when her parents came to the United States. In 1876 Mr. Agena came to Nebraska and numbered himself among the pioneers of Gage county, where he rented a small farm the first year. Later he removed to Sterling, Johnson county, where he passed the remainder of his life. Mr. and
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Mrs. Dorn have eight children : Hanna is the wife of Ufka Harms, of Filley township; Margaret is the wife of Jerry Wallman, of Filley township; Thomas, who married Miss Etta Heits, is a farmer in Logan township; and Gade J., Lena, Frances Emma, Grace Lottie, and John remain at the parental home.
JOHN L. BURGER - This venerable and honored pioneer citizen is now living virtually retired on the old homestead farm which has been his place of abode for forty years and which is one of the fine farm properties of Clatonia township. He reclaimed his land from the virgin prairie brought to bear daunt- less energy and determination and in further- ing his own advancement and prosperity he contributed his full share to the social and material development and upbuilding of the county. A sterling citizen who can look back upon many years of earnest and productive industry, he is specially entitled to recognition in this history.
John L. Burger was born in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, on the 24th of Septem- ber, 1836, was reared and educated in his native land, where his marriage was solemn- ized and where was born the first of his five children.
In 1865 Mr. Burger immigrated with his family to the United States and for the ensu- ing twelve years he was engaged in farming in the state of Illinois. In 1877 he came with his family to Gage county, Nebraska, where, at the rate of ten dollars an acre, he purchased the farm now owned and operated by his son Leonard. No improvements had been made on the place and he erected as the family domicile a frame house of one story, twenty- six feet square. He broke the prairie soil and with the successive years made each count in achievement and increasing prosperity. He made good improvements of a permanent order, including the erection of the present commodious house in which he remains with his son Leonard and the latter's family, and he had the satisfaction of reclaiming and de- veloping one of the valuable farm properties of Clatonia township. In 1897 he abated his
more strenuous activities and in the gracious evening of a long and worthy life he is living virtually retired on his old homestead place. He assisted in the organization of the German Lutheran church at Clatonia, and is still one of the revered and active communicants of the same, his wife likewise having been zeal- ous in church work.
In Bavaria, Germany, was solemnized the marriage of Mr Burger to Miss Barbara Reuter, who was there born on the 24th of October, 1837, and their devoted companion- ship was sundered only when the loved wife and mother passed to eternal rest, her death having occurred September 8, 1907. Of the five children the eldest is Frederick, who is one of the substantial farmers of Clatonia township and who is the only one of the chil- dren born prior to the family immigration to the United States; George S. is individually mentioned on other pages of this volume; John and Leonard are prosperous farmers of Clatonia township; and Margaret is the wife of H. Luetkemier, a retired farmer of that township.
WESLEY D. STEINMEYER. - One of the progressive farmers of the younger gen- eration in his native county, Mr. Steinmeyer is giving his attention most vigorously to the operation of a farm of one hundred acres, in Grant township, and of the tract he rents eighty acres from his father, Frederick Stein- meyer, who is an honored pioneer citizen of the county, and who is individually mentioned in this publication, so that further review of the family history is not demanded in this article.
On the old homestead farm of his father, one mile south of Clatonia and in the town- ship of the same name, Wesley D. Steinmeyer was born November 19, 1889, and after liav- ing profited by the advantages of the district schools he furthered his intellectual discipline by attending the high school in the village of Clatonia. He has from his boyhood been asso- ciated with the farm industry of his father and after his marriage he rented from his father eighty acres in Section 3 Grant town-
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ship, besides which he utilizes an additional twenty acres which he rents from other per- sons. He keeps in conformity with the best modern and scientific policies in the various departments of farm enterprise and in this connection and as a loyal citizen he is fully upholding the prestige of a name that has been signally prominent and honored in the annals of Gage county history. His political alle- giance is given to the Republican party and he and his wife hold membership in the Ger- man Methodist church.
October 2, 1912, recorded the marriage of Mr. Steinmeyer to Miss Mary Anna Oltmans, the fourth in order of birth of the seven chil- dren of Lubbo and Mary (Cieglowsky) Olt- mans, who now reside in the state of Colorado. Mrs. Steinmeyer was born at Hartsburg, Illi- nois, and in 1900 accompanied her parents, who are natives of Germany, on their removal to Nebraska, the family home being estab- lished on a farm in Lancaster county. Later Mr. Oltmans removed with his family to Wal- lace, Lincoln county, and in 1906 the family established a home in Colorado, where the parents have since resided. Mr. and Mrs. Steinmeyer have one child, Glenn Wesley, who was born June 20. 1917.
WILLIAM E. ROBBINS, who is now sec- retary of the Farmers' Grain, Lumber & Coal Company, which operates the large and well equipped grain elevator at Cortland and con- trols a substantial and important business in the handling of grain, coal, and lumber, is con- sistently to be designated as one of the most progressive exponents of agricultural and live- stock enterprise in Gage county as well as one of the influential and public-spirited citizens of this favored section of the state, he having represented Gage county as a member of the Nebraska legislature. He is the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of valuable land in Highland township, this fine estate comprising the west half of Section 27 and being eligibly situated fourteen miles north of Beatrice ; four and one-half miles southwest of Cortland ; and six and one-half miles east of Clatonia.
Mr. Robbins was born near Hastings, Mills county, Iowa, November 18, 1869, and is a son of Henry C. and Mary J. (Barrett) Robbins, of whose four children he is the eldest; Jo- seph H., who now resides in Los Angeles. California, is the owner of the remaining half of Section 27, Highland township, Gage county, this entire section having been pur- chased by the honored father about thirty years ago; and Ralph E. and Frank A. still reside at Hastings, Iowa, as do also the ven- erable parents, who are numbered among the honored pioneer citizens of that section of the Hawkeye state.
Henry C. Robbins, a scion of a sterling Scotch family that sent representatives to America many generations ago, was born at Nelsonville, Ohio, November 9, 1845, and he there became a prosperous miller and mer- chant. When the Civil war was precipitated he responded to President Lincoln's first call, by enlisting, in 1861, in Company A, Ninety- second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served during virtually the entire course of the war, took part in many important battles, besides innumerable engagements of minor order, and was with Sherman on the historic march from Atlanta to the sea. After the close of the war he numbered himself among the pioneers of Mills county, Iowa, and he achieved remark- able success in connection with his well or- dered industrial and business activities in that state, where he accumulated a large amount of valuable land. His mature judgment led him also to make investments in land in Colo- rado and Nebraska, and at the present time he is still the owner of one thousand acres - in Iowa and Colorado. He has been one of the most progressive, liberal, and influential citi- zens of Mills county, Iowa, where he and his wife still reside on their fine old homestead farm, though he is now living virtually retired. Mrs. Robbins was born June 1, 1852, in Iowa, where her parents were very early settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are zealous members of the Presbyterian church and his political alle- giance is given to the Republican party.
On the old homestead farm which was the place of his nativity William E. Robbins was
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reared to adult age, and after completing the curriculum of the public schools he attended the Western Normal College at Shenandoah, Iowa, and also Tabor College, at Tabor, that state. In 1891 he came to Gage county, Ne- braska, where, as previously intimated, his father had become the owner of the entire area of Section 27, Highland township. Lo- cating on this land Mr. Robbins eventually received through inheritance the west half of the section, and it may consistently be said that this he has developed into one of the finest farm estates in this section of Nebraska. In 1908 he erected on his farm a thoroughly modern house and barn, the house being of attractive architectural design and having nine rooms, the same being equipped with a system which supplies hot and cold running water throughout the building and also with its in- dependent gas-lighting plant. On the place Mr. Robbins has made many other noteworthy improvements of permanent order, including the setting out of both fruit and ornamental trees, and the farm is given over to scientific agriculture of diversified order and to the raising of the best types of live stock, includ- ing short-horn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. Mr. Robbins is a director of the Bank of Cortland, besides being one of the principal stockholders of the Farmers' Grain, Lumber & Coal Company, of Cortland, of which he is secretary.
On the 22d of December, 1891, was sol- emnized the marriage of Mr. Robbins to Miss Nannie Norton, who was born on a farm near Malvern, Mills county, Iowa, a daughter of Horace A. and Delilah (Tubbs) Norton, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of Ohio. Mrs. Robbins and her twin brother, William, were born March 6, 1868, the fifth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, of whom eight are living. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins have reared two chil- dren - a son and daughter - William Jean, and Lena.
In a generic way Mr. Robbins is a staunch advocate of the principles of the Republican party, but in local affairs, where no specific issues are involved, he is not constrained by
strict partisan lines. He served three terms as clerk of Highland township and in the ses- sions of 1903 and 1905 he represented Gage county in the state legislature. He proved an active and discriminating legislator, introduced and championed a number of important bills, one of which, as enacted, has proved of great benefit to the citizens of Gage county, through the reducing of the expense of administering the various departments of county and town- ship government and thus bringing a reduc- tion also in the general taxes. It was largely through his determined and able efforts that the legislature enacted what is known as the Ramsey bill, which compels the railroad com- panies traversing Nebraska to give on their lines sites for grain elevators wherever there is a legitimate demand for the same. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are active members of the Congregational church of Highland and he is a member of its board of trustees. They are popular leaders in the best social activities of the community and delight in extending the hospitality of their beautiful home to their host of friends.
DANIEL NICEWONGER, a retired far- mer and merchant residing in the village of Pickrell, is one of the substantial and honored citizens well worthy of special recognition in this history, besides which he has the dis- tinction of being a member of one of the well known pioneer families of Gage county. He was born in Ogle county, Illinois, October 27, 1866, a son of Jacob and Susannah (Mock) Nicewonger, and is the youngest in a family of five children ; Alexander was a resident of Nebraska at the time of his death and is sur- vived by five children ; Mary is the widow of Zachariah French and remains in Ogle county, Illinois, she having become the mother of six children, of whom four are living; Jennie re- sides in the city of Omaha, is the wife of Theodore Wakenight and of her nine children seven are living; William H. and his family reside in Buffalo county, Nebraska, where he is a prosperous farmer, and he has two chil- dren.
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