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 139
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The marriage of Joseph Leggett to Eliza C. Magee was solemnized at Springfield, Illi- nois, February 3, 1870. They settled on a farm, and they continued to pursue agricul- tural activities in Illinois until their coming to Gage county, Nebraska. Upon their arrival here, October 9, 1883, they purchased eighty acres of land in Glenwood township, three miles northwest of Odell. This was wild prairie land, and here they made their home for a number of years, reclaiming the wild prairies to fruitfulness and improving their farm with a good house, barn, and other build- ings. When Mr. Leggett sold this farm he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Sec- tion 4 of the same township, and here he con- tinued his farm operations until his retirement to Odell, in 1908. In this village his death oc- curred the 26th day of August, 1910.
Mrs. Eliza C. Leggett, the widow of Joseph Leggett, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, Au- gust 23, 1853. Her parents, Ezekiel and Elizabeth (Grey) Magee, were born and reared in Ohio and thence removed to Illinois in 1856. Mrs. Leggett was a small child at the time of this removal and she was reared and educated in Illinois, where she remained until she came with her husband to Gage county, Nebraska.
Mrs. Leggett is spending many hours a day knitting for our soldiers boys "somewhere in France." In this connection it is interesting to note that she did knitting for the "boys in blue" during the Civil war. Her half-brother and an uncle, James Grey, fought in defense of the Union. Her uncle was captured by the enemy and was incarcerated in Andersonville Prison, where so many soldiers were starved to death. He finally succeeded in making his escape from the prison by swimming for five miles up a stream. When his escape was
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
him, but they went down stream instead of up, noted, posses of men were sent to recapture and thus he was enabled to get a good start of his captors.
Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Leggett : George H., who was born Novem- ber 26, 1872, is living at Diller, Jefferson county ; Joseph L., who was born February 1, 1874, resides at Odell, Gage county ; James W., born May 1, 1877, is living at Elk City, Kansas; Ida M., born May 3, 1879, is the wife of F. Novotny, of Elmi township; Nina O., born August 23, 1881, if the wife of Edward Novotny, of Elm township; Truda A., born October 7, 1883, is the wife of George Saffell, of Elm township; Emma, born March 25, 1885, became the wife of William Novotny, and is now deceased; and Everett, born Jan- uary 14, 1890, lives at Fairbury, Jefferson county.
Mr. Leggett was a Democrat in politics and was always a loyal and public-spirited citizen. Mrs. Leggett is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
HENRY E. HARMS. - Agriculture is the foundation of all prosperity, and among the men of Adams township who are following every requirement as tillers of the soil, men- tion should be made of Henry E. Harms, who owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres of land in Section 14. He was four years old when brought to Gage county, and his boyhood days were spent on a farm in Hanover township. After he became a man he worked as a laborer in Adams for six years. He then became a farmer on Bear creek and successfully tilled the soil as a renter, carefully saving his earnings until he was able to purchase his present farm, in 1909. This is one of the well improved farms in this section of the county, and the modern house and other substantial buildings have all been put here by the present owner.
Henry E. Harms was born in Holt county, Missouri, May 24, 1877, and is a son of Weike and Mary (Thieman) Harms, natives of Illi- nois. The mother died in Missouri. The father came to Gage county in 1881, and was
a farmer in Hanover township until his death, in 1884, at the age of forty-two years. Weike Harms was married three times and became the father of seven children - John, de- ceased; Henry E., of this sketch; Herman, a resident of Johnson county, Nebraska ; Eilert, of Oklahoma; John, of Chase county, Ne- braska ; Louise, deceased ; and a daughter who died in infancy.
Henry E. Harms completed his arrange- ments for a home of his own by his marriage, on October 14, 1897, to Miss Johanna Rapp, who was born in Iowa, a daughter of Garret and Dina (Klein) Rapp, the former a native of Holland, the latter of the state of Iowa: they were early settlers in Gage county, where they still make their home. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. Harms has been made happy by the birth of four children, as fol- lows: Weike, Garret, Fred, and Henry.
Mr. Harms is a good farmer and a good neighbor. His prosperity has come to him through his own efforts and, with a good wife and fine children, he has every reason to be a happy man.
WILLIAM HAMM. - The business inter- ests of Beatrice have a worthy representative in the gentleman whose name introduces this review and who is senior member of the J. G. Wiebe Lumber Company. A native of Ger- many, he was born April 11, 1859. His par- ents were Peter and Emily (Siemens) Hamm, who came from their native land in 1880 and were making their home in Beatrice at the time of their death, which occurred Novem- ber 26, 1882, both being suffocated by coal gas. The father was born in 1820, and was a merchant in Germany. The date of the mother's birth was July 30, 1832. They were parents of five children: Agatha, William, and John, all unmarried, reside in Beatrice ; Emily is the wife of Dr. S. K. Mosiman, president of Bluffton College, at Bluffton, Ohio; and Helen is the wife of William Pen- ner, of Gage county.
The paternal grandparents of William Hamm were William and Catherine (Goosen) Hamm, who lived and died in Germany. The
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maternal grandparents were C. W. and Amalie (Thiessen) Siemens, and they too died in Germany.
The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in his native land, where also he gained experience in the general merchandise business. In 1879 he came to America and in 1880 he entered the employ of J. G. Wiebe. After seven years of faithful service he was made a member of the firm. In 1900 J. G. Wiebe retired from business and his son, Henry Wiebe, succeeded him as a member of the firm, William Hamm and Henry Wiebe being now sole proprietors. Out of deference and respect to the founder of the business the firm name remains the same as it has been for over forty years. Mr. Hamm is familiar with all phases of the lumber business and is a valued member of commercial life of his adopted city. His religious belief is that of the Mennonite church, which was the church of his fathers. In politics he is a Republican.
CHARLES C. SONDEREGGER, of ยท Be- atrice, was born in Jefferson county, Ne- braska, April 15, 1877, and is a son of Carl Sonderegger, of whom mention is made on other pages of this history. The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of Jefferson county, and after leaving school he engaged in the nursery business with his father, in Beatrice, where they now have a large nursery known as the Sonderegger Nursery and Seed House. This nursery is one of the largest in the state, and they enjoy a very prosperous business.
November 8, 1904, Mr. Sonderegger was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Jones, who was born in Winterset, Iowa. She is a daughter of Morris Jones, who came with his family to Nebraska a number of years ago and settled in Saline county. Mr. and Mrs. Sonderegger are the parents of two children : Carl, born April 4, 1909, and Morris, born February 21, 1912. Mrs. Sonderegger is a member of the Methodist church and her hus- band of the Christian church. He is a mem- ber of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks and of the Beatrice Commercial Club,
having served on the official board of the last named organization for four years. In poli- tics Mr. Sonderegger is a Republican, but he has no desire for political office, preferring to devote his entire time to the nursery and seed business.
JOHN HEETLAGE, who owns and oper- ates a splendid farm of eighty acres in Sec- tion 17, Adams township, is in every respect a self-made man. A native of Germany, he was born November 30, 1861. His parents were Meinert and Fannie (Beurkmeyer) Heetlage, and both passed their entire lives in Germany. Of their five children three are still living. John was the only one of the family to come to America. He left his na- tive land in 1883 and after two years spent in Michigan he came to Nebraska and worked as a farm hand, later renting land and engag- ing in farming. In 1901 he bought his present farm. A nice house and other farm buildings which he has erected make this a desirable place to live.
On the 16th of March, 1890, Mr. Heetlage was united in marriage to Miss Dena Van Engen, who was born in Holland, a daughter of Garret and Gertrude (Shoemaker) Van Engen. To this union have been born three children, Marion, Grace, and Frederick, the son being deceased. The family are members of the Dutch Reformed church at Pella, Ne- braska, the teachings of which are the guiding motives of their daily life.
Mr. Heetlage casts his vote for the Repub- lican party. A stranger in a strange land, with willing hands and determination to suc- cced, he has every reason to be proud of his own accomplishment as well as of the land where such achievements are possible. By industry and good management he has arrived at a position in the affairs of his adopted country which commands for him the respect and esteem of all who know him.
HARRY T. F. DAVIS. - The late Harry Davis was a successful and representative farmer of Elm township, where from his youth he gave himself vigorously and loyally
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
MR. AND MRS. HARRY T. F. DAVIS
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
to the basic industries of agriculture and stock- growing. In 1889 Mr. Davis first rented from his father the farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Section 6, Elm township, and in 1893 he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Section 7. He continued to farm these two tracts of land until 1905, when he sold the land in Section 7 and purchased the land which he had previously rented and which had been owned by his father. In connection with ag- ricultural enterprise Mr. Davis was an ex- tensive buyer and feeder of cattle, which he sent by the carload to the city markets. He remained actively in charge of his farm until his death, which occurred August 14, 1907.
Mr. Davis was born March 5, 1867, in Utica, New York, and was a son of Edward F. and Helen (Ferguson) Davis. (See sketch in this volume for complete history of this family.) Harry Davis was nine years old when his parents moved to Beatrice, Nebras- ka. In the public schools of Beatrice he re- ceived his early education, and he was well known to the older settlers. In his youth he built a sand boat - said to be the first one launched upon the Blue river at Beatrice.
The marriage of Mr. Davis and Gladys Lillie was solemnized October 20, 1894, and concerning their children the following record is given: Hazel is the wife of W. Patton, a farmer living at Diller, Jefferson county ; Ruth, who is a graduate of the Diller high school, is teaching school near Odell, Gage county, at the time of this writing; Elizabeth, a graduate of the Diller high school, remains at home ; and Fay is attending school at Steele City, Jefferson county.
Mrs. Gladys (Lillie) Davis was born June 8, 1873, in Ogle county, Illinois, and is a daughter of Jacob and Maria (Harleman) Lillie. Jacob Lillie was born in 1836, in Penn- sylvania. He was a cabinetmaker and after locating at Rochelle, Illinois, he built a shop for his headquarters in making furniture, cof- fins, and wagons. He was an expert painter and found use for his talent outside of the shop. In 1878 there came to Mr. Lillie the lure of nature and a desire to go back to the soil. Accordingly he and his family started
across the prairies with team and a covered wagon, to locate in Gage county. His farm was in Section 1, Elm township, but he lived only one year after his arrival. He was a well known member of the Masonic fraternity. Upon his death his widow, Mrs. Maria Lillie, was left with her children in a strange coun- try and among strangers, but she remained to see them all grown to maturity and established in homes of their own. She was born in Pennsylvania, in 1832, and died in 1898, aged sixty-five years. Three of her four children are living: Dexter Lillie, of McDonald, Kan- sas, owns in that locality an entire section of land and is well known as a breeder and grower of thoroughbred live stock; Stella is the wife of Fred Reynolds, who is employed in machine shops at Steele City, Nebraska ; and Gladys is the widow of the subject of this memoir.
Mr. Davis took loyal interest in community affairs and was a Republican in politics. Mrs. Davis holds to the Lutheran faith and is a communicant of Trinity Lutheran church in the city of Beatrice.
FERNANDO HOYLE, a successful farm- er of Logan township, was born in Dupage county, Illinois, September 15, 1872. His parents, William and Sarah (Mommart) Hoyle, were natives of Pennsylvania. His father was born in 1827 and died in Gage county, Nebraska, in 1891. His mother was born in 1831 and died in Gage county, Ne- braska, in 1911. William Hoyle moved from Pennsylvania to Illinois many years ago and in 1876 came to Gage county, Nebraska, with his family, in a covered wagon. He settled in Midland township, where he bought one hun- dred and sixty acres of land and later eighty acres additional, all of which he owned at the time of his death.
Mr. and Mrs. Hoyle were the parents of ten children, six of whom are now living: Mary, wife of S. T. Turner, of South Dakota ; Ezra, of Beatrice; Fannie, wife of Isaac Stewart, of Alvin, Texas; Fernando, of Be- atrice; Ira, of Oklahoma; and Emory, of Sioux City, Iowa.
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Fernando Hoyle was educated in the pub- lic schools of Gage county. He has always followed farming, renting land for several years. Some years ago he purchased eighty acres of land in Midland township, but this he later sold, and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Section 32, Logan township. This farm he has improved, building a good house, barn and other farm buildings.
In 1898 Mr. Hoyle was united in marriage to Miss Grance Hileman, a native of Tecum- seh, Johnson county, Nebraska. Mrs. Hoyle was born February 24, 1876, and is the daugh- ter of Milton and Delphine (Hudson) Hile- man.
Milton Hileman was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Indiana many years ago and from there to Illinois, whence he later came to Ne- braska. Mr. and Mrs. Hileman now make their home in Colorado.
Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Hoyle became the parents of five children, three of whom are living: Theodore, born March 4, 1904: Vivian, born February 13, 1908; and Evelyn, born March 19, 1914. Roland and Eunice are deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Hoyle are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Hoyle is a Republican. He served as clerk of Logan township two years and has been a member of the school board for the past nine years. He is a very successful farmer-one who by honesty, economy, and hard work has pros- pered.
HENRY ESSAM, a farmer of Riverside township, was born in Fulton county, Illinois, April 13, 1861, and is a son of James Essam, a sketch of whom is to be found elsewhere in this volume.
Henry Essam attended school in Fulton and Schuyler counties, Illinois, and later in Gage county, Nebraska. He came to Ne- braska with his parents when a youth of nine- teen years and remained at home until 1887, when he went to Colorado, where he took a pre-emption claim. After proving up on this land he returned to Gage county, Nebraska, and farmed his father's land. In 1902 Mr.
Essam bought eighty acres on Section 1, Riverside township. This land was at one time owned by Rev. A. L. Tinkham, a pioneer Methodist preacher who came to the county at a very early date. On this farm Mr. Tink- ham built a small house of hand-hewed timber and native lumber, and the building is still standing. Mr. Essam has greatly improved the farm, has built a new house and other buildings and now owns one hundred and ninety-eight acres of land.
Henry Essam married Miss Josie Curry, of Schuyler county, Illinois, and to them was born one daughter, Susan, who is the wife of Roy Barnard, a prosperous farmer in Mid- land township.
Mr. and Mrs. Essam are members of the Christian church. In politics Mr. Essam is a Democrat, and he has been a member of the school board for several years. He is one of Gage county's good, substantial farmers, and through his own efforts and the assistance of a good wife he has been blessed with pros- perity.
JAMES R. C. FIELD. - The history of the city of Beatrice would be incomplete with- out due recognition of the men who have been its public servants. The man who is specially fitted by temperament and education to fill a position of public trust, creditably and ap- proved by all, is a rare one, but when he does fill his office with a high degree of efficiency the public shows its appreciation by re-electing him to the same position. This efficiency has been demonstrated by James Field, as he has been a familiar figure in the city hall of Be- atrice for many years.
Mr. Field is a descendant of the staunch and sturdy men who came over in the May- flower and gave to the world their ideas of freedom, both religiously and economically, and who fought that democracy might live. He was born in Branford, Connecticut, July 12, 1844, and is a son of Danford and Lu- cretia (Griswold) Field. Danford Field was born in Killingworth, Connecticut, in 1805. In his youth he learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed until he took up farming.
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
His death, in 1891, in Connecticut, was the end of a long, useful life of eighty-six years. His wife died in 1876, at the age of sixty-six years. They were the parents of thirteen children, three of whom are living, namely: Virginia, of Clifton Springs, New York ; Har- riet, widow of Elmer Hurst, at one time a very prominent lawyer of Rock Island, Illi- nois ; and James R. C., with whom this sketch directly deals.
James R. C. Field received his early educa- tion in Branford, Connecticut, and as a boy helped his father on the farm. For two years previously to 1866, when he came west to Rock Island, Illinois, he clerked in a store. Upon his arrival in Rock Island he drove a notion wagon and he was so successful in his work that for nine years he continued in this enterprise. At the end of that time he was employed in his uncle's store, where he re- mained until his coming to Gage county, Ne- braska, in 1883. He purchased land in Glen- wood township but lived at Odell, Nebraska, from which place he was able to conduct his farming operations. In 1890 he removed to Beatrice, and since then has continuously made his home here and been intimately asso- ciated with civic affairs.
In October, 1874, Mr. Field was united in marriage to Jennie E. Campbell, who was born January 21, 1853, and is a daughter of W. L. and Martha A. Campbell. Of this union five children were born: Bert C. is a traveling salesman, living at Sterling, Colorado; Charles A. is engaged in the manufacture of gasoline engines, at Jackson, Michigan ; Martha is the wife of Ellsworth Jones, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ; Harry C. died April 28, 1897 ; and Jennie M. died in infancy.
Mr. Field is a Republican voter and he is noted for his integrity and upright conduct in every official capacity in which he has served his fellow men. He has been a mem- ber of the city council and the school board, and he was the city water commissioner from 1904 to 1911. He faithfully served in this ca- pacity and then was elected city commissioner. He is affiliated with the Ancient Free & Ac- cepted Masons and the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. In the latter organization he has held every office in his local lodge.
HARVEY M. SMETHERS, of Beatrice, was born in Lee county, Illinois, March 15, 1863. The sketch of his brother, P. J. Smethers, elsewhere in this volume, gives due data concerning the family.
Harvey M. Smethers received his education in Illinois and after coming to Nebraska he attended the public schools of Gage county. In 1885 he located in Beatrice, this county, where he clerked in a store for one year. He engaged in the general merchandise business with W. J. Dunnick, under the firm name of Smethers & Dunnick. After a short time Mr. Dunnick sold his interest in the business to A. H. Brubaker, and the business continued in the name of Smethers & Brubaker for one year, when Mr. Smethers sold his interest in the enterprise and engaged in farming. He continued farming operations only a short time and then returned to Beatrice and en- tered the hardware and implement business. Later he engaged in the pump and wind-mill business, which he later sold, and thereafter he was employed by the Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company for many years, as traveling salesman. Upon severing his con- nection with the Dempster Mill Manufactur- ing Company, Mr. Smethers went to Wyoming, where he was engaged in drilling for oil, for about two years. He then returned to Be- atrice and became manager of the Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company's retail depart- ment, which position he has occupied for the past twelve years.
In December, 1887, Mr. Smethers was united in marriage to Margaret Rosella Dun- nick, daughter of George F. Dunnick, a far- iner in Kansas, where Mrs. Smethers was horn. Mr. Dunnick later came to Nebraska and resided in Beatrice. Mr. and Mrs. Smethers became the parents of three chil- dren: Lillian Eunice is the wife of Clyde A. Scott, of Omaha, Nebraska; Bertha Grace died in childhood; and Harvey Donald died at the age of ten years. The wife and mother passed away in 1891. In 1893 Mr. Smethers
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM WOLLENBURG
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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA
wedded Alda Millie Randall, daughter of Charles Randall, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and who came to the west and settled in Kansas many years ago: there he engaged in farming and later he came to Ne- braska, where he now makes his home in Be- atrice. Mr. and Mrs. Smethers have no chil- dren. They are members of the Christian church and Mr. Smethers is a Democrat in his political allegiance.
J. M. BURNHAM. - For thirty-four years the subject of this record has been editor and publisher of The Wymorean, at Wymore, Gage county.
He is a native of Ogdensburg, New York, and is a son of C. A. and Mary J. (Ellison) Burnham, also natives of the Empire state. The father loyally defended the Stars and Stripes as a soldier for three years in the Civil war, and was promoted to the rank of captain. After the war he became a resident of Monona county, Iowa, where he became an extensive dealer in cattle. His last days were spent in Wymore, Gage county, Nebraska, where he had lived retired after 1882. His wife is still living and is making her home with her son J. M., of this review.
J. M. Burnham received his education in the schools of Iowa. In 1882 he came to Wy- more and began his newspaper career, being employed first on the Leader, and later on the Wymore Reporter. He associated himself with The Wymorean when that paper started and, as above stated, has edited and published it for the past thirty-four years.
The Wymorean is published weekly and its owner enjoys a liberal patronage from the people of Wymore and surrounding territory. The office of The Wymorean is equipped with a full complement of printing material for a general job-printing business and the ordi- nary modern inventions connected with the "art preservative."
Mr. Burnham married Miss Luella R. Ake, of Muscatine, Iowa, and they are the parents of one son, E. M.
Mr. Burnham is a Republican in politics, and however much he may differ in views
with the readers of his paper in political senti- ment, all are compelled to acknowledge and respect and sincerity of its principles.
WILLIAM WOLLENBURG. - The late William Wollenburg, whose death occurred on the 22d of December, 1915, was a young man when he came with his wife from Wisconsin to Gage county, more than forty years ago, and here his sterling character and productive ability made him a valued factor in the fur- therance of social and industrial progress. He became one of the successful agriculturists and stock-growers of Blakely township, was influential in the communal life, commanded unqualified popular esteem, and achieved large and worthy success, his widow and two of his children now maintaining their resi- dence on his old homestead farm in the town- ship mentioned.
Mr. Wollenburg was born in Brandenburg, Germany, June 14, 1850, a son of Christian and Ricka (Holmichal) Wollenburg, of whose nine children he was the fifth in order of birth : of the children three daughters and one son are now living. Mr. Wollenburg acquired . his early education in the schools of his native land and was a youth of seventeen years when he came with his parents to America, the fam- ily home being established in Wisconsin, where his father and mother pased the remainder of their lives. After his marriage William Wol- lenburg continued his activities as a farmer in Wisconsin until 1877, when he came with his wife to Gage county, Nebraska, and estab- lished his residence on the farm where his widow now lives -the northeast quarter of Section 4, Blakely township. This now well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres he purchased at the rate of ten dollars an acre, and in a conservative way the valuation at the present time is fully one hundred and fifty dollars an acre. The land was raw prairie at the time when he acquired the same and with the passing years he made the best of improvements on the property, in- cluding the erection of the substantial build- ings and the setting out of many fine trees that are now of goodly size. As a citizen Mr. Wol-
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