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 88

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 88

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Mr. Mayborn is a staunch advocate of the principles of the Republican party and while residing on his farm he served several years as treasurer of the school board, in Glenwood township.

ISAAC B. MITTAN. - The frontier line has been pushed farther and farther west until to-day we have no frontier line, and this progress of civilization has been accomplished so slowly and imperceptibly by the pioneer men and women who braved the hardships of their crude surroundings to make homes for themselves and to win the wild wastes of fer- tility that ere we knew it there was no fron- tier line. For fifty years Isaac B. Mittan has lived on Gage county soil and has experienced the revelation of wild unbroken prairies being replaced by fertile farms and modern cities and industries. Instead of the slow, deliberate oxen wending their way across the plains, there now dashes through the night the fast midnight express, and it has all come so im- perceptibly that it seems to be a revelation.

Isaac B. Mittan was born in Lee county, Illinois, March 4, 1851, a son of Daniel C. and Martha (Fuller) Mittan, who were married in Pennsylvania and were among the earliest settlers of Lee county, Illinois, where they were active in farm enterprise from 1849 to 1868, in which latter year they started across the prairies with slow driven horse teams for the land of Nebraska. They crossed the Mis-

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

MR. AND MRS. ISAAC B. MITTAN

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

souri river May 1st, at Brownville, and of whom are deceased. Mrs. Mittan passed reached their destination in Gage county May away in 1911, there being only ten days' lapse between the death of the wife and the mother of Mr. Mittan. Following is brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Mit- tan: Elmer resides in Loup county, Nebras- ka; Nelson resides in Virginia, Gage county ; Chartes married Bertha Mckinney and they have five children ; Clyde, unmarried, lives in Virginia, this county; Ada is the wife of Le- Roy Ayre, living in Dickinson county, Kan- sas; Adra and Lester died in infancy. 3d. For two weeks they camped on Cedar creek, while the father and sons walked over the plains to select the best homestead. Their selection was one hundred and sixty acres in Section 28, Rockford township - the present fine home farm of the subject of this review. A small frame building was erected and this was the home of the parents until their death. Daniel C. Mittan was seventy-eight years old at the time of his demise and his widow passed away at the venerable age of eighty-seven Isaac B. Mittan has retired from active farming and makes his home with his son Chartes, who is operating the farm. Mr. Mit- tan is a Republican in politics, and is one of the well known pioneer settlers of Gage county. years. Mr. Mittan was a Civil war veteran, enlisting for the one hundred days' service, but he followed the flag and continued in active service for one year. He was a staunch Republican and both he and his good wife were devoted members of the Methodist church. The following children were born to them: Elvira, deceased, was the wife of Harvey Howard, who was a homesteader of Gage county ; Phoebe, deceased, was the wife of James S. Pease and lived in Rockford town- ship; Isaac B. is the immediate subject of this sketch; Horace was a resident of Cedar county, Nebraska, at the time of his death ; William, unmarried, resides in Sherman town- ship; Jacob is deceased; Asa lives in Dawes county, Nebraska ; and Samuel died in child- hood ..

Isaac B. Mittan attended the schools of Illinois and also of. Gage county. Among his schoolmates in this county was. Hugh J. Dobbs, the author of this history of the county.

Mr. Mittan has farmed in Gage county all of the years of his residence with the excep- tion of four years spent in Missouri. By purchasing the interests of the other members of the family he has become in possession of the original homestead. He has improved the first frame house and has erected on the place the attractive house which is now the place of his abode.

Mr. Mittan was married, in Gage county, to Miss Elizabeth Meyers, born in Wisconsin March 24, 1854. She is a daughter of Valen- tine and Roxana Meyers, who settled in Rock- ford township, Gage county, in 1870, and both

GEORGE L. MUMFORD .- The family of which this successful and popular citizen of Beatrice is a scion is one that has in its various generations gained marked pioneer distinction in connection with the march of development and progress in the great Amer- ican republic. He whose name initiates this review has been a resident of Gage county from the time of his birth, is a representative of an influential pioneer family that was founded in the county in the early territorial period, and the name which he bears has been one of significant prominence in connection with the annals of advancement in Gage county. Further data attesting to this fact may be found not only in the department of this work specifically devoted to the history of the county but also in connection with the personal mention of other contemporary re- presentatives of the family, three brothers of the name having established homes in this favored section of the state within the decade of the '60s.

On the old homestead farm of his father, in Logan township, this county, George L. Mumford was born April 19, 1878, and he is a son of Jacob and Annie (Newton) Mumford, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Pennsylvania. The first wife of Jacob Mumford bore the family name of Lin-

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

sey, and of the children of this union two are living,- William B., a resident of Pickrell, Gage county, and Mrs. Emma Dearborn, of Los Angeles, California. To Jacob and Annie (Newton) Mumford were born four children, and of the three surviving the subject of this review is the eldest; John is one of the pros- perous farmers of this county; Estella died at the age of twelve years; and Oliver likewise is numbered among the representative farm- ers of Gage county.

Jacob Mumford was a son of William Mum- ford and was a youth at the time of the family immigration from Maryland to Ohio, his father having died while en route to the new home and his remains having been laid to rest in the state of Pennsylvania. In Ohio Jacob Mumford continued his associa- tion with agricultural industry until he num- bered himself among the pioneer farmers of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, and in that state was solemnized his marriage to Miss Annie Newton, a daughter of John Newton, who was born in England and who became one of the early settlers of Wisconsin, where he passed the remainder of his life. Jacob Mumford continued his residence in the Badger state until 1865, when he came with his family to Nebraska and established his residence on a pioneer farm in Gage county, his eldest broth- er, Ismay Mumford, having settled here in 1860, and having been elected the first treas- urer of Gage county, his son Dawson having been the first white child born in the county. Jacob Mumford entered claim to government land and eventually became the owner of a fine landed estate of six hundred acres. He reclaimed and developed one of the fine farm properties of the county, was a citizen of worth and influence, did much to further civic and industrial advancement and served in various local positions of public trust, including that of member of the board of county commis- sioners, an office of which he was the incum- bent for several terms. His political alle- giance was given to the Democratic party, his religious faith was that of the Methodist Epis- copal church and his second wife was a devot- ed member of the Christian church.

George L. Mumford passed the period of his childhood and early youth on the home farm, and in this connection gained lasting appreciation of the dignity and value of honest toil and endeavor. In the public schools he continued his studies until he had been gra- duated in the high school in the city of Beatrice, as a member of the class of 1897, and that he made good use of the advantages thus afforded is demonstrated by the effective service which he gave as a popular teacher in the district schools, his pedagogic endeavors having continued for two years. Thereafter he was actively concerned in farm enterprise in his native county for six years, at the ex- piration of which he was associated for eight years in the conducting of a general store at Pickrell, Nebraska. In 1915 Mr. Mumford engaged in the retail grocery business in the city of Beatrice, where he has a well equipped and thoroughly modern establishment and has developed a substantial and representative en - terprise, so that he has status as one of the progressive merchants of the city and as one of the vigorously loyal and public-spirited citizens of his native county, where his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. His political proclivities are indicated in the staunch support which he gives the cause of the Republican party, he and his wife hold membership in the Christian church, and he is affiliated with the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks.

The year 1900 recorded the marriage of Mr. Mumford to Miss Alice Smith, who like- wise was born and reared in this county, and they have three children,- Hermina, Gertrude and Helen. The eldest daughter was a mem- ber of the class of 1918 in the Beatrice high school and the younger daughters are still students in the public schools of their home city.

GEORGE B. HILTON, who is now living retired in the city of Beatrice, his attractive home being at 923 Grant street, has been a resident of Nebraska for more than thirty years and of Gage county since 1890. Until

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his removal to the county seat he was a pro- gressive farmer in Riverside township, and in the city of Beatrice he served about two years as street commissioner, from which of- fice he retired in 1911.

Mr. Hilton claims the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity and is a scion of one of the early pioneer families of that common- wealth. He was born at Brummersburg, De- fiance county, Ohio, on the 20th of November, 1847, and is a son of Benjamin and Catherine (Bruner) Hilton. Benjamin Hilton was born in Adams county, Ohio, September 20, 1820, his parents having immigrated to Ohio from Somerset county, Maine, and having first settled in Hamilton county. They made the greater part of the journey from New Eng- land to the pioneer west by water route, passed down the Ohio river and up the St. Mary's river in boats hewed out of logs,- primative vehicles of transporation commonly designated as pirogues. Later removal was made to the vicinity of Defiance, Ohio, and here the family occupied a little shanty for the first year, the meals having been cooked out of doors, over a fire set burning near a large log. Benjamin Hilton utilized the primitive shanty only till such time as he could complete the manufacturing of sufficient brick to erect a more pretentious domicile, both he and his wife having been sterling and resourceful pioneers of Ohio, as were also the maternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch - Daniel and Catherine Bruner, who established their residence in Defiance county, where the village of Brunersburg was named in honor of the family and where the mother of George B. Hilton was born and reared. Benjamin Hilton received the advantages of the common schools of the pioneer days in Ohio and as a lad he assisted in the general store conducted by one of his older brothers. Later he en- gaged in the general merchandise business at Brunersburg, besides being identified with farm enterprise, and he continued thus engaged until the time of his death, which occurred November 5, 1865, his widow having survived him by about seven years. The eldest of their eight children was Thomas, who was a resi-

dent of Beatrice at the time of his death, in March, 1916; George, of this review, was the second son ; Ora died in childhood; Mary Etta was a resident of Brunersburg, Ohio, at the time of her death; Clara is the widow of Dr. A. L. Elder and resides at Hebron, Thayer county, Nebraska; Dora is the wife of Ira Payne, of Reynolds, Jefferson county ; Flor- ence died when about eight years of age; and Alice is the wife of Wiley D. Fisher, of Litch- field, Sherman county, Nebraska.

George B. Hilton is indebted to the com- mon schools of the old Buckeye state for his early educational discipline and from his boy- hood until he became a young man he assisted in the work of a farm of forty-seven acres that was owned by his father. He then went to the city of Defiance, Ohio, where he was employed in a flour mill until 1867, the ensu- ing period of about two years having found him engaged as clerk in a mercantile estab- lishment in that place. He then returned to the farm previously mentioned and he there continued his activities as an agriculturist until 1885, when he came to Nebraska and purchas- ed a tract of railroad land in Thayer county. There he continued his farm operations until 1890, when he sold the property, upon which he had made good improvements, and came to Gage county. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Section 26, Riverside township, and this property he developed into one of the fine farms of that part of the county. On the homestead he continued his successful enterprise as an agriculturist and stock-raiser until 1907, since which time he has lived retired in the city of Beatrice, save that, as before stated, he gave about two years to effective service in the of- fice of street commissioner. He is found arrayed as a loyal supporter of the cause of the Republican party and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.

At Defiance, Ohio, on the 18th of November, 1867, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hilton to Miss Elizabeth Lorah, who was born and reared in Noble county, that state, a daughter of Samuel and Charlotte Loralı.

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In conclusion is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Hilton : Ella M. died at the age of thirty-eight years and Curtis at the age of nineteen years; Lottie is at home; LeRoy died in early childhood; Mildred is the widow of the late Hugo H. Lueblen : she resides at Beatrice and she has one son, Elwood, eight years of age in 1918. The eldest daughter, Ella, became the wife of Frederick A. Riddell, of Columbus, Platte county, and she is survived by three children, -John and Frederick (Ted), who were students in the University of Nebraska, the latter having been one of the star members of the university football team, known as the "Cornhuskers," and both he and his brother, John, are now serving loyally in the United States Navy department, in connection with the nation's participation in the great Euro- pean war.

ANTON BERAN .- Among the first set- tlers on what was formerly the Otoe Indian reservation was Anton Beran, who has resided on his present farm, in Glenwood township, since the spring of 1878.

Anton Beran is a native of the province of Bohemia, in the dual monarchy of Austria- Hungary, where he was born March 14, 1843. His parents, John and Anna Beran passed their entire lives in Bohemia and both died prior to the time when their son Anton start- ed for America.

In 1868 Anton Beran came to the United States and settled in Washington county, Iowa, where he continued to reside until the Otoe Indian reservation was opened for set- tlement in Gage county, Nebraska, and in the spring of 1878 he here purchased eighty acres of government land, in section 35, Glenwood township. Not a tree or a wagon track in sight, nothing but prairie grass as far as the eye could see. Here he built a little frame house, and some years later his brother-in- law, who was also an early settler, wanted to sell out, so Mr. Beran bought eighty acres from him, in section 36, so that to-day he owns a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres. His success has come to him

as the result of his own efforts and those of his boys, who began to give valuable aid as soon as they were old enough to work.

Mr. Beran owned some small lots in the old town of Richmond, Washington county, Iowa, and when he decided to locate in Nebraska he sold these. The modest sum of money he thus obtained was all he had when he located in Gage county. After locating his land here he was making the trip back to Iowa, and as he had no money he was obliged to set forth on foot. However, through the kindness of a trainman running east out of Omaha, he was given a free ride. Mr. Beran has always felt grateful for that kindness and delights in tell -. ing of it when talking about the experiences of those early days, when he was poor.

Mr. Beran has been twice married. His first wife was Pauline Shalla, who died in Gage county the year after he located here. His present wife was Josephine Beran. Of the first union were born three children, Joseph, Frank, and a baby girl who died in Iowa. Of the second union were born three children, Van, Tony and Margaret.

Mr. Beran is a Republican in politics and has served as school director, but he has held no other public office. Though he has passed his seventy-fifth birthday he is still hale and hearty and can be found any day doing work about the farm. This place has been his home for forty years and he well deserves this recognition in the history of Gage county.

WILLIAM F. ROSZELL, who now lives retired in the city of Beatrice, came to Gage county nearly forty years ago and his career has been marked by productive activity during the intervening period, the while he is known and honored as a man of sterling character and as a loyal and progressive citizen.

William Franklin Roszell was born in Miami county, Ohio, in the year 1857, and is a son of David and Sarah (Howell) Roszell, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Ohio, the closing years of their lives having been passed at Fletcher, Ohio. David Roszell was a son of David and Elizabeth (Brown) Roszell, and his wife was a daughter

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of Stephen B. and Polly ( Hopkins) Howell. The subject of this review was reared and educated in the old Buckeye state and there learned in his youth the trade of harnessmaker. As a skilled artisan at his trade he continued to follow the same in Ohio until 1882, when he came to Nebraska and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land, in Paddock township, Gage county. He initiated the reclamation and improvement of this farm and there continued his activities four years, at the expiration of which he sold the property and established himself in the harness and saddlery business in the village Lanham, this county. Later he conducted for a number of years a hotel in that village, besides which he served as postmaster at Lanham during the four years of President Cleveland's second term. Finally he disposed of his property and business at Lanham and purchased improved realty in the city of Lincoln, but within a short time thereafter he returned to Gage county and established his residence in Beatrice, where he has since main- tained his home, the family residence being at 1510 Ella street. In politics Mr. Roszell is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Demo- cratic party and for many years he and his wife have been active members of the Christian church.

In Shelby county, Ohio, the year 1873 recorded the marriage of Mr. Roszell to Miss Olive Hageman, who was born and reared in that county, and of the six children of this union only two are living,- Ralph R., who owns and conducts a leading photographic art store and studio in the city of Beatrice, and Hazel B., who is the wife of Harry Irvine, of this city.

SAMUEL F. NICHOLS, a prosperous farmer and stock-grower of Riverside town- ship, was born at Osage, Iowa, November 9, 1874, and is a son of Martin Van Buren Nichols, of whom individual mention is made on other pages. In the prosecution of his ex- tensive operations as a farmer and stock raiser Mr. Nichols utilizes one thousand acres of land, an appreciable proportion of which is

owned by him. He is one of the leading breeders of Holstein cattle in Gage county and now ships an average of eight carloads of cat- tle and swine each year, his activities in pre- vious years having involved the shipment of an average of forty carloads of cattle.

Mr. Nichols was reared and educated in his native place and in the public schools of San Diego, California, where the family home was maintained for some time. In 1891 his parents established their home at Beatrice, Ne- braska, and here Samuel F. was graduated in the high school, in 1895, after which he com- pleted a preparatory course in Columbia Uni- versity, in New York city. In 1896 he was matriculated in the law department of the great University of Michigan, in which in- stitution he was graduated as a member of the ciass of 1898 and with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. In the same year he manifested his patriotism by enlisting for service in the Spanish-American war, in which he served six month, as a member of Company A, Thirty-first Michigan Volunteer Infantry. In 1900 Mr. Nichols associated himself with the Albany Linen Mills, at Albany, Wisconsin, and for two years he held the position of man- ager of the business. In 1902 he returned to Gage county, Nebraska, where he has since been actively identified with farm enterprise. In 1906 he purchased his present fine home- stead ranch, and upon the place he has made the best of modern improvements, including the erection of an attractive bungalow, which is lighted by electricity and provided with hot and cold water system.

On the 12th of November, 1907, was sol- emnized the marriage of Mr. Nichols to Miss Marie Roe, who was born at Odell, this coun- ty, and is a daughter of Dr. George L. and Ida L. (Thompson) Roe, natives respectively of Kentucky and Wisconsin, Dr. Roe having for many years been one of the leading physi- cians and surgeons of Beatrice and having tendered, in May, 1918, his professional service to the government in connection with war ac- tivities. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have four children, whose names and dates of nativity are here indicated: Ruth, October 20, 1908;

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Martin Van Buren, September 21, 1910; Dorothy, August 16, 1914; and Margaret, June 13, 1917.

Though he has found his technical training of great value in connection with his business activities Mr. Nichols has never engaged in the practice of law. He is a Republican in his political allegiance and is essentially vital and public-spirited in his civic attitude. He is actively affiliated with the Masonic fratern- ity, including Beatrice Commandery of Knights Templars, and he and his wife are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church.

ABIJAH S. SHERWOOD, who is now living retired in the city of Beatrice, with a pleasant home at 1522 High street, is the owner of a well improved farm estate of two hundred acres, in Section 19, Filley township, and has been a successful exponent of agri- cultural and live-stock enterprise in Gage county, his removal from the farm to Beatrice having taken place in October, 1910.

Mr. Sherwood was born in Marshall coun- ty, Illinois, March 17, 1856, and is the fourth in a family of five sons and two daughters born to Abijah S. and Elizabeth (McCune) Sherwood. For his second wife the father married Margaret McCord, and they became the parents of three daughters. After the death of his second wife he married Mary Correll, and of this union was born one son.

Abijah S. Sherwood, Sr., was born in the state of New York, April 23, 1822, and his death occurred June 30, 1894. He became a substantial farmer and extensive landholder, and it is to be noted that in 1876 he purchased land in Gage county, Nebraska, besides which he accumulated land also in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois, the closing years of his life having been passed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

attended school in several different localities. At the opening of Oklahoma to settlement Mr. Sherwood's father was one of those who made the historic "run," and he aided in the initial development of Oklahoma City, where he as- sisted also in the organization of the first Presbyterian church. In 1876 he whose name introduces this review returned to Illinois, where he continued to operate one of his father's farms until the autumn of 1883. when he came to Gage county, Nebraska. In the following year he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, and this constituted the nucleus around which he has developed his present valuable landed estate in this county.

In politics Mr. Sherwood is a staunch Re- publican and while on his farm he represented for one term Filley township on the board of county supervisors. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as a trustee. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Royal Highlanders.

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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 88

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