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 95

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 95

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CHARLES N. AUSTIN, who is the effici- ent and valued foreman of a department in the important manufacturing establishment of

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the Dempster Company, at Beatrice, is a mem- ber of an honored pioneer family that was founded in Gage county nearly a decade be- fore the admission of Nebraska to statehood, and adequate data concerning the family are given in the article dedicated, on other pages of this work, to his father, the late Homer B. Austin, who was one of the very first settlers in what is now the city of Beatrice.

Charles N. Austin was born at Austinburg, Ashtabula county, Ohio, on the 21st of May, 1855, and his early education was received principally at Augusta and Galesburg, Illinois. He was about two years old, however, when his parents, Homer B. and Mary A. (Dunbar) Austin came to the Nebraska Territory, in 1857, the father erecting a small cabin on the homestead claim which he entered near the present village of Pickrell and then turning his attention to breaking his land and develop- ing a frontier farm, he having been one of the earliest settlers of the county. Later he re- turned with his family to Ohio and for a number of years prior to returning to the west the family home was maintained in Illinois.

Charles N. Austin has been continuously a resident of Gage county since 1890 and for six years he was here employed in a leading nursery. About 1895 he established his resi- dence in Beatrice, and for virtually a score of years he has here been in the employ of the Dempster Company, with which represen- tative industrial concern he now holds a re- sponsible department foremanship, as previous- ly intimated.

On the 7th of March, 1876, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Austin to Miss Stella Hall, who was born at Seneca, Missouri, near the Oklahoma line, and who is a daughter of William G. and Margaret R. (Roberts) Hall, the former of whom was born near the historic old city of Vincennes, Indiana, and the latter of whom was born in Missouri, from which state they came to Nebraska in 1887, here passing the remainder of their lives. John A. Hall, a brother of Mrs. Austin, now resides in the city of San Francisco and is in the civil service department of government service. He was a member of Company C.

First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, in the Spanish-American war, thereafter served two years in the regular army, in Alaska and Hawaii, and he has been a resident of San Francisco since the time of the great earth- quake in that city.

Concerning the children of Mr. and. Mrs. Austin the following brief record is consistent- ly entered : Harry A. is now a member of the American army preparing for service in the great world war and at the time of this writ- ing, in the spring of 1918, he is with his com- mand at Deming, New Mexico. He enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard on the 28th of July, 1910, and in his present company he holds the office of first lieutenant. He was married January 2, 1918, to Miss Selena Brown, of Crab Orchard, Johnson county. Louis is a member of the class of 1919 in the Beatrice high school; Mary R. likewise is attending the public schools of Beatrice.

In politics Mr. Austin is aligned staunchly in the ranks of the Republican party, and he has been actively affiliated with the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows since May 28, 1876. He has been specially active in the affairs of this admirable fraternal order and is past grand of his lodge. He is identified also with the Woodmen of the World. He has served twenty-two years as a member of the volunteer fire department of Beatrice and he and his wife are active members of the Metho- dist Episcopal church.

JOHN SHALLA .- One of the substantial agriculturists of Gage county is John Shalla, owner of an excellent farm of four hundred acres in Section 3, Paddock township. A native of Iowa, he was born in Johnson coun- ty, near Iowa City, on December 20, 1864. His parents, Vencil and Barbara (Yarosh) Shalla were born in Bohemia where their marriage was solemnized, and where they made their home until 1864, when they sought a home in the United States, settling in Iowa. Soon afterward Mr. Shalla bought forty acres of land near Richmond in Washington county and engaged in farming, where he remained until 1878, when he came to Gage county,

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Nebraska and took a homestead in Paddock township, south of the site of the present vil- lage of Odell. He also took one hundred and twenty acres as a homestead for his son John, who was then only fourteen years of age. Two years later Mr. Shalla sold his land and bought two hundred acres in Sections 3 and 10, Paddock township, the land being wholly unimproved. To the improvement and cul- tivation of this land Mr. Shalla gave his full time and attention until he retired from the farm to make his home in Odell, where he pased away in 1912 at the age of seventy- four years. His widow still resides in Odell and is now (1918) in her seventy-second year. They were among the first families on the Otoe Indian reservation and contributed their share toward transforming the wild land to the beautiful farms and homes we see to-day. Mr. and Mrs. Shalla were members of the Catholic church. They reared a family of eight children as follows: Anna, born in Bohemia, is the wife of Joseph Pecka, a farmer in Marshall county Kansas; John is the immediate subject of this record; Joseph is a farmer in Gage county ; Mary is the wife of Tony Hirmon, of Wymore, this county; Emma is the wife of Frank Hirmon, of Odell; Fannie is the wife of Charles Costel, of Odell ; Nettie is the wife of Henry Monsterman, of Gage county; Tena is the wife of Harry Meyer, residing near Lanham; and two chil- dren died in infancy, one in Washington coun- ty, Iowa, and one in Gage county.

John Shalla, the eldest son of this pioneer family, was a lad of fourteen when the home was established in Nebraska. Reared on the farm and under the pioneer conditions, he learned the lessons of industry, and when a young man of twenty-one years he began farming for himself. The first three years he spent in Kansas, and he then returned to Paddock township and purchased an improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres. Here he has been successful in his farm enterprise, as is attested by the fact that he is now. the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land in Section 3. He follows the best methods of planting and harvesting, and his is one of the

best improved tracts of land in the township. Mr. Shalla completed the preparations for a home of his own by his marriage to Miss Fannie Hirmon, a native of Washington county, Iowa. They have four children: Mary is the wife of John Cacek, a farmer of Paddock township; and John W., Emma and Edward remain at the parental home.

Mr. Shalla has been a member of the dis- trict school board for the past eight years. He is a very progressive, up-to-date farmer, and any worthy cause always has his hearty endorsement.

RICHARD ROSSITER. - In according recognition to the early pioneer settlers of Gage county mention should be made in this publication of Richard Rossiter, who came with his family to Nebraska in the early terri- torial days. Mr. Rossiter was born in Somer- setshire, England, where he married Mary Green and where two of their children were born. About 1856 he came with his family to America and settled in Illinois, where he ob- tained employment on a dairy farm. In the spring of 1862 he moved with his family to Nebraska and obtained a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres of virgin prairie land in Gage county, eight miles northwest of Beatrice, which city at that time was unmarked by a single building. On this land he built a log cabin of the true pioneer type, with a dirt floor, and then turned himself vigorously to reclaiming his land to cultivation. He was at the time one of the very few men in the county owning a team of horses, and he al- ways prided himself thereafter upon keeping good horses. A man of strong individuality, sterling character, and mature judgment, he made good use of the opportunities here pre- sented, and at the time of his death he was the owner of a valuable landed estate of more than seven hundred acres, comprising four well improved farms in Gage county. Mr. Rossiter had never attended school a day in his life, but his mental alertness enabled him in large measure to overcome this youthful handicap, and he was known as a man of superior business judgment and acumen. In

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MRS. RICHARD ROSSITER

RICHARD ROSSITER

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the early days he raised live stock, and his children assisted in herding the cattle on the · plains, there having been at the time no re- strictions on the use of government land. This strong and worthy pioneer continued his residence in Gage county until his death, which occurred January 7, 1902, and he was at the time eighty-three years of age. His widow, who remains on the old homestead, celebrated the ninety-third anniversary of her birth in October, 1917. She is not only one of the revered but undoubtedly also one of the most venerable pioneer women of this county, which she has seen developed from a frontier wild to its present state of prosperity.

Mr. and Mrs. Rossiter became the parents of seven children, of whom the following brief data are given: Charles is a prospector and miner in British Columbia ; Frances is the wife of F. E. Quackenbush, of Keota, Colo- rado; Anna is the wife of Prather Dolan, a farmer living near Hoag, Gage county ; Sarah is the widow of George M. Morey and resides at Pleasanton, Iowa; Edgar is a prosperous farmer in Gage county, and concerning him a record appears elsewhere in this volume; and Hattie and Sidney reside with their widowed mother on the old homestead in Gage county. Mrs. Rossiter's maiden name was Mary Green and she, like her husband, was born in Som- ersetshire, England.

JOHN W. EHMEN was born and reared on the farm which is now the stage of his successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower, and he is the fortunate owner of this valuable and well improved landed estate of two hundred acres, in Section 27, Hanover township. He was born February 10, 1882, and is a son of William and Emke (Johnson) Ehmen, of whom specific mention is made on other pages, in the sketch of their son Henry W. In the same connection are given portraits of the parents, the insertion of the same being made as a filial tribute on the part of John W. Ehmen.

John W. Ehmen has from his boyhood been associated with the activities of the farm of which he is now the owner and his early edu-

cation was acquired in the public schools of Hanover township. He takes loyal interest in all things pertaining to the communal welfare, has given effective service as road overseer, is a Republican in politics, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Lutheran church.

In 1905 Mr. Ehmen wedded Miss Emke Busboom, who was born in the state of Kansas and whose father, John Busboom, is now a prosperous farmer of Gage county, in Filley township. Mr. and Mrs. Ehmen have five children, - William, John, Emke, Tida and Henry.

EARL C. JEWELL .- True versatility, as well as progressive and well directed business policies, has been manifested by Mr. Jewell in his independent career as a representative of farm enterprise in his native county. In Sections 19 and 20, Grant township, he is now the owner of a well improved landed estate of two hundred acres. In 1902 he began raising pure-bred Duroc-Jersey swine, and his discrimination and good judgment have brought him to the front as one of the most successful exponents of this line of farm enterprise in this section of Nebraska. Fur- ther interest attaches to his career by reason of his being a scion of a family that has given honored and influential pioneers to Gage county and that was founded in America in the colonial period of our national history, the Jewell lineage tracing back to staunch English origin.

On his father's old homestead farm in Grant township, this county, Mr. Jewell was born July 29, 1886, and he is the youngest of the four children of George W. and Martha ( Carpenter) Jewell. William, firstborn of the children, died in infancy and the second, to whom was given the same name, William, now owns and resides upon the old home farm; Bertha is the wife of William McJunk- in, of Dewitt, Saline county.

George W. Jewell was born in Ohio and was sixty-three years of age at the time of his death, which occurred November 21, 1910. Staunchly patriotic, when the Civil war was precipitated upon the nation he went forth

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as a loyal young soldier of the Union, his service having been as a member of Com- pany E, Second Illinois Cavalry, with which gallant command he lived up to the full ten- sion of the conflict through which the integ- rity of the Union was preserved. After the war he continued his residence in Grundy county, Illinois, until 1870, when, accompanied' by his wife and their one child, he drove over- land with team and wagon to Gage county, Nebraska. He became one of the pioneer settlers of Grant township and developed one of the fine farms of that part of the county, his old homestead being eligibly situated near the village of Dewitt. He was a Republican in politics and was affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic. His cherished and devoted wife was likewise born in Ohio and she was about fifty-two years of age at the time of her death, in 1902, both having been earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Earl C. Jewell was reared on the old homestead farm and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the public schools of Grant township. He continued to be associated with his father in farm industry until the death of the latter and about two years later, in 1912, he purchased his present farm, from his uncle, Samuel V. Jewell, an- other of the sterling pioneers of the county. He has since made numerous improvements on the place, which is three-fourths of a mile east of Dewitt, Saline county, and here, in con- nection with diversified agriculture, he has become specially prominent and succesful in the raising of fine live stock and poultry. On his exhibits of Barred Rock poultry he has won ribbons at poultry shows held in the Ne- braska cities of Lincoln, Grand Island, Hast- ings, Omaha and Kearney, as well as at St. Joseph, Missouri, and in 1917 he made a splendid exhibit at the great poultry show in the city of Chicago. Among the prizes he has won on poultry and Duroc-Jersey swine may be noted five silver cups and a five-piece silver tea set. His interest in poultry-breed- ing has been unwavering since his boyhood days, he has made a close and careful study

of the same, uses the best of modern facilities and scientific methods in his poultry enter- prise, and his success in the same has been · of unequivocal order. As a progressive and liberal citizen he takes active interest in pub- lic affairs, especially those of a local order, and is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church at Dewitt and they are popular factors in the social activities of the community.

September 21, 1907, recorded the marriage of Mr. Jewell to Miss Clara Foster, who was born at Dewitt, Saline county, and is a daugh- ter of William H. and Margaret (Reinwald) Foster. Mr. Foster was born and reared in Illinois and in the pioneer days came with his widowed mother and her three other children to Saline county, Nebraska, where he has since maintained his home, he and his wife being now residents of Dewitt. Mrs. Foster was born in the Province of Ontario, Canada, and there her marriage was solemniz- ed May 24, 1882, Mrs. Jewell being the eldest of the three children. Mr. and Mrs. Jewell have two children,- Lucille, who was born June 25, 1908, and Vivian, who was born July 28, 1915.

JOHN LENERS has been a resident of Gage county since 1878 and though his finan- cial resources were most limited at the time of his immigration from Illinois to Nebraska he had the most generous measure of energy, ambition, and self-reliance, so that he has achieved large and worthy success through his association with farm enterprise in this coun- ty, where he is now the owner of a valuable farm estate of three hundred and twenty acres, in Logan and Filley township, his attractive homestead, improved with handsome build- ings erected by him, being situated in Section 1, Logan township.

Mr. Leners was born in the Province of Hanover, Germany, November 21, 1853, and is a son of Renken and Etta Leners, who came to America in 1858 and settled in Adams county, Illinois, where they passed the re- mainder of their lives and where the father

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became a prosperous farmer. Both were earn- est communicants of the Lutheran church.

John Leners was five years of age at the time of the family immigration to the United States and was reared and educated in Adams county, Illinois. There he continued to be as- sociated with farm industry until 1878, when, at the age of twenty-four years, he came to Gage county, in company with his brother Renken. For a few years he here carried on farm activities on rented land, and the splen- did advancement which he has made in the intervening years is shown significantly in his ownership of one of the model farm estates of the county. Here he gives his attention to diversified agriculture and to the raising of excellent types of live stock. In the early days Mr. Leners had his full quota of struggle in overcoming obstacles and adverse condi- tions, over which he has triumphed, and in contradistinction to the high prices paid for food products at the present period of world warfare, it is interesting to note that in the pioneer days Mr. Leners sold his corn for ten cents a bushel and hogs at less than two dol- lars per hundredweight. His political alle- giance is given to the Republican party and he and his wife are active members of the Lutheran church.

In Adams county, Illinois, in 1874, Mr. Leners wedded Miss Marie Schuster, who was born in Germany, a daughters of Mene Schuster, her parents having been pioneers in Gage county, where they settled in 1865, about two years prior to the admission of Nebraska to the Union. Mr. and Mrs. Leners became the parents of a fine family of twelve children, of whom the firstborn, Etta, met a tragic death, she having been killed by lighting when sixteen years of age; Grace is the wife of J. G. Carstens, of Hanover township; Renken J. is a farmer in Holt township; Menne died at the age of twenty-eight years; Henry is a farmer in Filley township; Amanda died at the age of eight ; Annie is the wife of Menne Zimmerman, of Hanover township; Etta (second of the name) is the wife of M. Ecker- ly, of Beatrice; Johanna is the wife of George Schmidt, of Hooker township; and Amanda,

Ortman and Marie remain at the parental home.

JOHN SINGLETON. - No man living in Gage county has the honor of being an earlier settler on what was once the Otoe Indian reservation than John Singleton, who is now living retired in the village of Odell. He also has the distinction of being a son of parents who were among the early families in a new country. He was the first white child born in Fremont county, Iowa, where his birth oc- curred October 25, 1842. He is the son of Andrew Jackson Singleton and Elizabeth (Hanna) Singleton, the former born in Ken- tucky and the latter in Tennessee.

Andrew J. Singleton married in Indiana and in 1841 he and his wife moved to Fre- mont county, Iowa, where they were among the first settlers. Mr. Singleton engaged in farming and followed that vocation through- out his life.

John Singleton spent his boyhood days on the Iowa farm and was married in that state. In 1873 he came to Nebraska and took squat- ter's claim to one hundred and sixty acres of land in the Otoe Indian reservation, this land being later included in what is now Glenwood township, Gage county. His first house was built of logs and was fourteen by sixteen feet in dimensions. Here he and his wife lived for more than three years. Mr. Singleton eventually built a good frame house, and he and his wife remained on the farm until 1892, when they moved to Odell. Up to about ten years ago Mr. Singleton continued his ac- tive association with farm enterprise but since that time he has lived a retired life. Mr. Sin- gleton and his brother-in-law were the first two settlers in Glenwood township, and at that time there were but three houses between Mr. Singleton's place and the town of Beatrice. Mrs. Singleton has also a very interesting pio- neer record. She was Miss Sarah F. Good and was born May 12, 1844, at Fort Coffey, on the Arkansas river, in the Indian Territory. Her father, Rev. W. H. Good, was a Meth- odist minister connected with the Indianapolis conference and was sent as missionary to the

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Indians: he located in Indian Territory in pert service in brick-laying and plastering 1843. Later he returned to Indiana, whence he was sent as a misionary to the Indians in Nebraska. His last days were spent in In- diana. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Pearson, was born in Indiana, and she was a resident of her native state at the time of her death.

Mr. and Mrs. Singleton were married in Fremont county, Iowa, and she accompanied her husband to Gage county, Nebraska, where she shared his pioneer experiences. They be- came the parents of five children : Maggie is the wife of E. T. Joy, of University Place, Ne- braska; Bessie is the wife of P. B. Laird, of Tabor, Iowa; Frances is the wife of T. H. Ellis, of Eugene, Oregon; William resides at Fairbury, Nebraska; and Eleanor is the wife of Anton Beza, a merchant at Odell, Gage county.

Mr. Singleton and his wife are enjoying the evening of life in a comfortable home in Odell. He is a man of distinguished bearing, typical of the southern reared gentleman. Mr. Singleton's grandfather was a slave-holder in Missouri in the early days. Mr. Singleton is a Democrat, and he and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church.

CHRIST J. MEINTS, whose well improved homestead farm is situated in Section 26, Han- over township, has by his own ability and energy achieved large success in connection with farm enterprise in this county and, now venerable in years, he is living virtually re- tired from the arduous labors which so long marked his career.

Mr. Meints was born in East Friesland, province of Hanover, Germany, on the 28th of December, 1834, and there he was reared and educated. In the same province was sol- emnized his marriage to Miss Rika Dorn, and they came to America in 1865, arriving at Golden, Illinois, two weeks prior to the assas- sination of President Lincoln. In his native land Mr. Meints had learned the carpenter's trade and this he followed after establishing his home in Illinois, besides which he did ex-

in that state until 1883, when he came to Gage county, Nebraska, which state he had previously visited, this action having been prompted by a request made to him by former residents of Illinois who wished him to do some building work for them. He final- ly became so favorably impressed that he decided to establish his home in the county - an action that he has never regreted. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of un- improved land in Section 26, Hanover town- ship, where he has since maintained his home, and his ability as a carpenter is shown in the substantial and attractive type of the buildings which he has erected on his home farm. He brought to bear marked energy and business sagacity in his activities as a farmer and even- tually accumulated a valuable estate of five hundred and sixty acres, a considerable por- tion of which he retains, the remainder hav- ing been sold to his sons. His devoted wife passed to eternal rest in 1907, a devout mem- ber of the Lutheran church, as is he also. Of their children the eldest is Henry, a prosper- ous farmer in Logan township; Maggie is the wife of Broer Gronewold, of Dawson county ; John was a resident of Holt township at the time of his death ; Bruno is a successful farm- er in Logan township; Christina is the wife of Ben Aden, of Dawson county; Heye is a substantial farmer in Holt township; Addie is the wife of Louis Stevens, of Hanover town- ship.

Though he has passed the age of four score years Mr. Meints is hale and active and con- tinues to find occasion for practical service about his farm, as may be inferred when it is noted that recently he used a trowel active- ly and effectively in the construction of a ce- ment floor in one of the buildings on his farm. His son-in-law, Louis Stevens, has the active management of the farm and is more specific- ally mentioned in appending paragraphs.

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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 95

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