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 96

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 96

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Louis Stevens was born in the province of Hanover, Germany, January 29, 1878, and has been a resident of Gage county since 1895. In 1901 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Addie Meints, and they have seven children -

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Grace, Mabel, Christ, Elmer, John, Henry, and Emma.

Mr. Stevens is a progressive exponent of farm enterprise, is a Republican in politics and he and his wife are active communicants of the Lutheran church.

JOHN H. ZIMMERMAN. - Eligibly situated in Section 22, Blakely township, is the excellent farm which is being successfully operated by Mr. Zimmerman and that is a part of the estate of his honored father, the late John A. Zimmerman, who was one of the ster- ling pioneers of Gage county.

John H. Zimmerman was born on the old homestead farm of his father, in Blakely town- ship, this county, April 3, 1883, and is the eldest of the children of John A. and Helen (Riesen) Zimmerman, brief record concern- ing the other children being here given: Mary is the wife of Henry vonSteen, of Blakely township; Anna is the wife of Dr. H. G. Pen- ner, a representative physician and surgeon of Plymouth, Jefferson county; John H. is farming the old homestead place, where also remain the widowed mother and the daugh- ters, Helen and Alice ; Louis E., the youngest of the number, died in infancy.

John A. Zimmerman was born near the city of Dantzic, western Prussia, on the 6th of September, 1857, and he came to the United States in the summer of 1876. He first lo- cated at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, but in the fol- lowing year, in company with his parents, he became a member of the staunch Mennonite colony that established residence in Gage coun- ty, Nebraska. He and his father obtained land in Sections 29 and 30, Blakely township, and with the passing years he gained place as one of the substantial agriculturists and stock-growers of the county. He was a citi- zen of upright character and splendid energy, so that he achieved large and worthy success, the while he commanded the confidence of all who knew him. He was the owner of a val- uable landed estate of four hundred and twen- ty-five acres at the time of his death, which occurred July 10, 1914, and was an earnest member of the Mennonite church, as is also

his widow, she likewise having been born near Dantzic, Germany, and the date of her na- tivity having been August 24, 1861.

John H. Zimmerman acquired his earlier education in the district schools and supple- mented this by attending the public schools in the city of Beatrice. He has traveled through various states of the west and south but his observations have only caused him to be the more appreciative of his native county and its attractions and advantages, so that after his marriage, in 1907, he here initiated his independent career as a farmer and stock- grower, in which field of industrial enterprise he is fully upholding the high prestige of the family name. He is a member of the school board of his district, is a Republican in poli- tics, and is an alert and progressive citizen and farmer of the younger generation in his native county.

November 21, 1907, recorded the marriage of Mr. Zimmerman to Miss Marie Penner, who was born and reared in this county and is a daughter of Gerhard and Anna (Froese) Penner, sterling pioneer citizens who now maintain their home in the city of Beatrice. Mrs. Zimmerman was graduated in the Be- atrice high school and prior to her marriage had been a successful and popular teacher in the district schools of her native county. Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman have three children - Carl H., Robert G., and Hugo J.

ALBERT C. PFEFFERMANN, a farmer of Lincoln township, was born January 7, 1873, in Livingston county, Illinois, and he is a son of Stormeus and Sarah T. (Thomas) Pfeffermann.

Stormeus Pfeffermann was born in Ger- many, in December, 1833. He was a tailor by trade and before coming to America worked at his trade in Germany. In 1862 Mr. Pfef- fermann came to the United States and settled in Livingston county, Illinois, but within a short time thereafter he enlisted in the de- fense of the Union in the Civil war. He continued in service until the close of the war, and upon his return to Illinois he engaged in farming. He there continued his farm enter-

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

prise until 1892, when he came with his family to Gage county, Nebraska, and bought three hundred and twenty acres of land in Lincoln township, besides which he became the owner of an additional tract of land near Diller, Jefferson county. For this land Mr. Pfeffer- mann paid from ten to fourteen dollars an acre. During the intervening years, between 1892 and 1918, this land has increased in value more than ten times its cost at time of pur- chase, and Mr. Pfeffermann is still the owner of about six hundred and forty acres.

Albert C. Pfeffermann was educated in the public schools of Illinois. As a young man he applied himself to farm work in that state until 1892, when he came with his parents to Nebraska. In 1894 Albert C. and his brother, Edward, began farming on the home place, in Lincoln township. They were thus associated one year and Albert C. Pfeffermann then re- turned to Illinois. In his native state he re- mained only a short time, however, and he then came again to Nebraska and to the home place upon which he now resides.

On March 9, 1898, Albert C. Pfeffermann was united in marriage to Ada Seabert, of Livingston county, Illinois, and to them have been born five children - Elma, Floyd, Dor- othy, Sadie, and Bernetta.

· Mr. Pfeffermann is a Republican in politics and at one time he was assessor of Lincoln township. He was one of the organizers of the Ellis State Bank, in 1907, and is now vice- president of that institution. He is also a stockholder and director of the Farmers' Ele- vator Company of Ellis.

THOMAS C. HAGERMAN came to Gage county forty years ago and has here won sub- stantial success through his long and energetic association with agricultural and live-stock in- dustry, of which he has been a representative exponent in Filley township, where he owns a well improved and valuable landed estate of eleven hundred and twenty-five acres - one of the best farm properties in this part of the county. Since 1910 he has lived retired in the village of Filley, where he owns an attrac- tive and modern residence property, the fine

modern house having been erected by him at the time when he left the farm.

Mr. Hagerman was born in Washington county, Maryland, January 7, 1851, and is a son of William A. and Hettie (Mickley) Ha- german, both natives of Pennsylvania, the lat- ter having been born in Adams county, near the city of Gettysburg. The father was a brickmaker by vocation in earlier years but eventually became one of the substantial farm- ers of Maryland, where both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives. Thom- as C. Hagerman was reared on the old home farm in Maryland and is indebted to the public schools of his native county for his early edu- cational discipline. In 1878, as a young man of twenty-seven years, he came to Gage coun- ty, Nebraska, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie land in Filley town- ship. Within a short time thereafter he re- turned to Maryland, but in 1883 he came again to Gage county, where he began the develop- ment and improvement of his farm. A few years later he purchased an adjoining tract of three hundred and twenty acres, and after living on this place a few years he returned to his original farm, in order to be in the Fil- ley school district and permit his children to attend the village schools. He continued his vigorous and successful operations as an agri- culturist and stock-grower until his retirement to the village of Filley, as previously noted, and he gave special attention to the raising of high-grade swine, in which department of farm enterprise he was particularly successful.

In the year 1872 was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Hagerman to Miss Mary Hutzell, who likewise was born and reared in Mary- land, and concerning the children of this un- ion the following record is given. Nannie is the wife of J. J. Williamson and they reside near Merriman, South Dakota; Alice became the wife of E. W. Starlin, and is now de- ceased; Ada is the wife of Earl Norcross, of Filley ; Luther resides upon and has charge of the old home farm, the maiden name of his wife having been Eva Clark; and W. C., who married Joyce Clark, resides on one of his father's farms.

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Mr. Hagerman, a man of sterling character and marked ability, has shown distinctive loy- alty and public spirit as a citizen, is a Repub- lican in politics and is serving, in 1917-1918, as mayor of the village of Filley, besides which he held for twelve years the position of member of the school board. Both he and his wife are earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

JOHN G. CARSTENS, whose excellent farm, of one hundred and sixty acres, is in Section 14, Hanover township, is a progres- sive exponent of agricultural and live-stock industry and is one of the representative citi- zens of his community. He was born in Adams county, Illinois, September 12, 1873, and is a son of George and Juliana (Bauer) Carstens, both of whom were born in Ger- many - the former in the year 1828 and the latter on the 22d of December, 1841. Both passed the closing years of their lives in Gage county, Nebraska, where the father's death oc- curred in October, 1909, and that of the moth- er on the 9th of February, 1917. . George Carstens came to the United States in the year 1857 and settled in Illinois. After hav- ing there been employed for a time as a farm hand he purchased a small farm in Adams county, and he continued his residence in Illi- nois until 1890, when he came with his family to Nebraska and purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land in Gage county. He made this one of the fine farm properties of Hanover township and continued to be asso- ciated with its management until the time of his death. He was a Democrat in his politi- cal adherency and both he and his wife were communicants of the Lutheran church. Of their eight children all are living except one: Minnie is the wife of George Ortgiesen, a farmer in Franklin county, this state; Richard is now a resident of Madison county ; Herman is engaged in farming three and one-half miles east of Beatrice; John G., of this review, was the next in order of birth ; Christopher resides on his farm in Saline county; Paul lives on his father's old homestead farm and his sister Mary remains with him.

John G. Carstens acquired his youthful edu- cation in the public schools of Illinois and was sixteen years of age at the time of the family removal to Nebraska. On the old home place in Hanover township he continued to assist his father in the operation of the farm until he was twenty-four years of age, when he be- gan his independent operations as an agricul- turist and stock-grower, a field of industrial enterprise in which his success has been on a parity with the energy and progressiveness that have marked his course.

In the year 1899 Mr. Carstens wedded Miss. Maggie Leners, who was born and reared in this county and whose parents still reside on their old home farm, in Logan township. Mrs. Carstens is a daughter of John Leners, who was born in Germany and who came to Gage county in the '70s, becoming one of the pio- neer settlers in Logan township. Mr. and Mrs. Carstens have seven children, all of whom still remain members of the gracious home cir- cle, namely: Juliana, Marie, George, John, William, Ranken, and Anna.

A loyal supporter of measures and move- ments advanced for the general good of the community, Mr. Carstens maintains an inde- pendent attitude in politics, and he has been called upon to serve as township assessor, as. well as a member of the school board of his. district. He has made many excellent im- provements on his farm, including the erection of an attractive house of modern design and appointments, and also a barn that meets the- requirements of an up-to-date farm, this lat- ter building having been erected in 1915.

HARM M. DEBUHR. - From East Fries -. land, a picturesque district in the extreme- northwestern angle of the province of Han -- over, Germany, have come an appreciable num- ber of well known and representative citizens. of Gage county, both in the present and ear- lier generations. In that district of Germany Harm M. DeBuhr was born June 12, 1865, and he was ten years of age at the time of the family immigration to America. The gener- ous measure of his achievement is demonstrat- ed in his ownership of a fine landed estate of

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four hundred and twenty acres in Gage coun- ty, and his attractive homestead farm is situat- ed in Section 22, Hanover township. He is a son of Menne J. and Jennie (Harms) De- Buhr, both natives of Germany, where the latter passed her entire life. Menne DeBuhr was born December 30, 1822, and was a resi- dent of the state of Illinois at the time of his death, in 1887. After the death of his wife he continued to be identified with business enterprise in East Friesland until 1875, when he came with his children to the United States and established a home in Champaign county, Illinois, in which state he passed the remainder of his life, he having been a wagonmaker by trade. Of the five children three are living, the subject of this sketch being the youngest ; Rixty is the wife of George E. Zimmerman, of Hanover township, who is individually men- tioned on other pages; and Antye is the wife of Martin Hendricks, a farmer in Illinois. The parents were lifelong members of the Lutheran church.

Harm M. DeBuhr gained his rudimentary education in his native land and was ten years old when he accompanied his father to Amer- ica, his educational training having been com- pleted in the public schools of Illinois. In that state he continued his association with farm enterprise until 1885, when he came to Nebraska and established his home in Gage county. Here he farmed on rented land for nine years, and he then purchased eighty acres in Hanover township, after having accum- ulated sufficient money to partially pay for the same. Later he sold this property and purchased his present homestead place, which then comprised one hundred and sixty acres and to which he has gradually added until he now owns a valuable farm estate of four hun- dred and twenty acres in Hanover township. Mr. DeBuhr has erected good farm buildings on his homestead, the small house that was on the place when he purchased the property having been supplanted by a commodious and attractive modern residence, and scrupulous care having been given to keeping the farm property up to the best standard throughout. While thus furthering through well directed

industry and enterprise his personal advance- ment, Mr. DeBuhn has at all times been mind- ful of his civic responsibilities and has given his cooperation in the furtherance of those things that have tended to conserve the gen- eral wellbeing and progress of the commun- ity. He is independent in politics, is now serving as a member of the school board of his district, has been road overseer in his pre- cinct and his high place in popular confidence and esteem is indicated by his being the in- cumbent, in 1917-1918, of the office of town- ship treasurer. He is a vigorous and success- ful exponent of agricultural and live-stock in- dustry and is essentially one of the represen- tative citizens of Hanover township. He and his wife are zealous communicants of the Lutheran church.

In 1889 Mr. DeBuhr wedded Miss Minnie Ehman, whose father, the late William Eh- man, was numbered among the honored pio- neers of Gage county, adequate data concern- ing the family being given on other pages, in the record concerning Henry W. Ehman, a brother of Mrs. DeBuhr. In the concluding paragraph of this article is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. De- Buhr :

Menne, who is a prosperous farmer in Han- over township, married Miss Katie Walken, and they have two children, Harm and Trinty ; William, a representative farmer of the young- er generation in Hanover township, wedded Johannah Zimmerman; John is a farmer in Hanover township and the maiden name of his wife was Bena Huls; Henry, Amka, Jergen, Bernhard, Trinty, and Martin remain at the parental home.

FRANK W. MUMFORD was born and reared on the fine old homestead farm to the management of which he is now giving his ef- fective attention, the same comprising three hundred and twenty acres, in Section 4, Logan township, in which township he individually owns also eighty acres aside from the undivid- ed family estate. He is a scion of a sterling pioneer family that was founded in Gage coun- ty prior to the admission of Nebraska to state-

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HISTORY OF GAGE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

hood, and to his father, John B. Mumford, a merited tribute is paid in a review on other pages of this work.

Frank W. Mumford was born August 17, 1868, and was reared under the conditions that marked the early pioneer era in Gage county history. He profited by the advantages of the district schools of the locality and pe- riod, and he has become one of the represen- tative exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in his native township, besides which he has been for a score of years successfully identified with the buying and shipping of live stock, the specific executive management of this enterprise being vested in his partner, who maintains headquarters in the village of Pickrell. In the early days Mr. Mumford herded cattle on the open prairies, his activi- ties in this line having been initiated when he was a boy and having continued about six years, during which he moved the cattle about over a radius of many miles. He has re- tained the deepest interest in fine live stock in the varied lines and he and his cousin, George L., are associated in the ownership of the fine pacing stallion, "Budweiser," nine years old (1918), sired by Roy Norval and the dam by Dr. Vincent. Mr. Mumford purchased this animal in 1913, from a man named Bud Weiser, at Pickrell, the stallion having at the time been in service on a rural mail route. The new owners put the stallion into training and in the first year, in turf competitions, he won eight out of the twelve races in which he was entered. In the season of 1917, at Spring- field, Illinois, he made a record of 2:071/4.

Mr. Mumford is a progressive and up-to- date farmer, is a Democrat in politics, served four years as assessor of Logan township, and for twenty years as school director of his dis- trict.

December 18, 1895, Mr. Mumford wedded Miss Bertha Hansbearry, who was born in Nemaha county, this state, and they have three children - Luther Warren, Frank Morris, and John William Walter. The sons are attend- ing, in 1918, the public schools in the city of Beatrice.

FRED D. VAN LIEW, who owns and operates a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Section 13, Rockford township, was born in Jerseyville, Illinois, July 17, 1871. He is a son of Fred and Elizabeth (Stout) Van Liew. His paternal grandparents were Jeremiah and Becky Van Liew, who became residents of Jerseyville, Illinois, when the father of our subject was about seventeen years of age. There he grew to manhood and there he was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1879, when he came to Gage county, Nebraska, and purchased two hundred acres of land one mile south of Beatrice, in River- side township. Nine years later he moved to Beatrice, where he resided until his death, at the age of seventy-two years. His wife al- so passed away in Beatrice, when about the same age as was her husband at the time of his death. They became the parents of seven children, three of whom died in childhood. The four surviving children are John, of Pawnee county, Nebraska; Mrs. J. B. Smith, of Platte City, Missouri; Fred D., subject of this review ; and Frank, of Beatrice, this coun- ty.

Fred D. Van Liew came to Gage' county when a lad of seven years. Pioneer condi- tions were still in evidence on every hand. Beatrice, the county seat, was only a small village. He attended school in Beatrice and when a young man worked by the month on a. farm. Then for four years he was employed in the mechanical department of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. Five years ago he purchased his present farm, to the improve- ment and cultivation of which he is devoting his energies with good success.

Mr. Van Liew chose as a wife and helpmeet Miss Jennie Nemec, a native of Pawnee coun- ty, Nebraska, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Nemec, who still reside in that county. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Van Liem has been blessed with two children whose names are Frances and William. The parents are mem- bers of the Baptist church.

Mr. Van Liew has witnessed many changes ir Gage county since he came here as a boy. Though he was elsewhere for a few years, he

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has returned to devote his time to farming and to rear his children in the county where his own boyhood days were passed.

JOHN L. WILSON is an honored and rep- resentative citizen whose memory and ex- perience touch the pioneer conditions and ex- periences of Gage county history, and he re- sides on his fine homestead farm, in Section 33, Hanover township

John Leander Wilson was born in Lawrence county, Ohio, December 24, 1846, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Pethoud) Wilson, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. As a young man John Wil- son followed the trade of moulder but eventu- ally he became associated with agricultural industry in Ohio, where he remained until 1858, when he came with his family to Ne- braska Territory and settled in Gage county, as one of the earliest pioneers of what is now Logan township. In Section 4, that township, he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he obtained by buying a land warrant issued by the government to a soldier who had served in the Mexican war. John Wilson and his family lived up to the full tension of frontier life and eventually he effected the reclamation and improvement of his pioneer farm, which is now owned by the subject of this review. The original family domicile was a primitive log house, and this was utilized several years, a more pretentious dwelling being then provided. John Wilson here continued to reside until his death, Oc- tober 26, 1867, the year that marked the ad- mission of Nebraska to statehood, and his widow attained to venerable age, her death having occurred June 22, 1892, both having been earnest members of the Methodist Epis- copal church. This revered pioneer couple became the parents of twelve children: Mary, who became the wife of Frederick Hansen, died in 1916, her home having been in the state of Iowa; Eliza is the widow of Louis Graves and lives in Colorado; John L., im- mediate subject of this sketch, was the next in order of birth; Alexander is a resident of Colorado and Thomas of Oregon; Sarah,

whose death occurred in 1907, in Missouri, was the wife of Oliver Hansen; Maria, the wife of George Gates, died in 1876; Francis M. was a resident of Brown, Nemaha county, Nebraska, at the time of his death ; Andrew J. is a resident of Clay Center, Kansas; James I. maintains his home at Goldfield, Colorado ; Joseph died in Gage county, in June, 1917, aged fifty-two years; Rebecca is the wife of James William Pell and they reside in the state of Iowa.

John L. Wilson was a youth of eleven years at the time of the family removal to the wilds of Nebraska Territory and was reared under the conditions and influences of the pioneer farm in Gage county, the while he attended the primitive schools of Gage county when op- portunity offered. The years 1877 and 1878 he passed in freighting operations in localities farther to the west, and upon his return to Gage county he purchased eighty acres of land in Section 33, Hanover township, where he has since maintained his residence and where he has developed one of the well improved farm estates of the county, as a successful agriculturist and stock-grower. His home farm comprises one hundred and sixty acres and he owns also the old homestead farm of his father, in Logan township, this place, like- wise having an area of one hundred and sixty acres.

In the year 1883 Mr. Wilson married Miss Lucy Wilson, who was born in Ohio and is a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Steine) Wilson, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Virginia. From Ohio the par- ents of Mrs. John L. Wilson removed to Iowa, as pioneers of that state, and in 1881 they came to Gage county and settled in Rock- ford township, where they passed the remain- der of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson be- came the parents of five children, of whom two died in early childhood, the surviving children, Lee, Glenn, and Neola, remaining at the parental home and being representatives of the third generation of the Wilson family in this county.

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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 96

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