History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 107

Author: Buechler, A. F. (August F.), 1869- editor
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., Western Pub. and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 1011


USA > Nebraska > Hall County > History of Hall County, Nebraska > Part 107


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138


Mr. Clausen remembers many interesting events of those early days and in his own life and circumstances. There are sharp contrasts between then and now. He recalls the heavy losses the settlers encountered when the grass-


Digitized by ogle


757


HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA


hoppers destroyed entire crops of corn, oats, and potatoes, and the subsequent loss from the drouth of 1894, when cattle and stock suc- cumbed in great numbers. In this connection he mentions the Pawnee Indians, who were yet quite numerous in the neighborhood but had never been considered dangerous. They proved beneficial at this time as they were not fastid- ious about their food and willingly removed all the dead animals from the farmers' fields. The lack of bridges sometimes occasioned loss to the settlers and Mr. Clausen recalls an experience of his own that was dangerous and thrilling. His father's cattle had strayed in search of herbage, to the farther side of the Platte River, ordinarily fordable on horseback, but the river had risen rapidly and was at flood stage when he crossed and succeeded in get- ting the cattle home. He remembers when they lived in a log house, carried on their first farm. ing with oxen, and started their great herds with two cows. On many occasions he has gone to a neighbor for coals to start their morning fire, there being no matches. His first work away from home was done for John Oldman and his wages were $18 a month. At that time corn brought eights cents a bush- el, oats ten cents a bushel and hogs two cents a pound.


Since returning from Howard county, Mr. Clausen has remained on his father's home- stead. He owns five hundred and seventy acres of land in different farms, all fenced and highly improved. His residence has every modern comfort, the commodious brick house beng lighted by electricity, with motor installed that also operates a washing machine, tool grinder, churn and meat cutter, while a gaso- line engine is utilized for other machinery. Mr. Clausen and his family also enjoy a handsome automobile. His farms are well stocked and he raises Duroc-Jersey hogs and Hereford cattle, making a specialty of the latter.


On October 4, 1880, Mr. Clausen married Miss Anna Wiesner, a daughter of Juergen and Catherine (Fram) Wiesner, natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Clausen have four children: Christina, the wife of Rudolph Sass, of Alda township; Christopher, who lives in Alda township, married Ida Giese ; Claus, a farmer in Washington township, and Henry, recently welcomed home from France, to which country he went as a soldier with the American Expeditionary Forces. He is a sergeant in rank and served eighteen months in the Eighty-seventh division of the Three Hundred Thirty-fifth field artillery.


In politics Mr. Clausen is a Democrat. For twelve years he served as treasurer of School


District No. 4. He has been helpfully inter- ested in many local enterprises and at present is a director in the Holsatia Fire Insurance association, which is a local body confined to Hall County farmers. He has belonged to the Lutheran church since boyhood.


HENRY RIEF. - In well deserved enjoy- ment of material comforts which advancing years make particularly acceptable, Henry Rief, one of Hall County's early settlers, lives on his old homestead in Washington town- ship, which he secured over a half century ago. Mr. Rief is one of Hall County's best known and most respected citizens.


He was born in Schleswig-Holstein, October 8, 1846, away back when that province was a part of Denmark. His parents were Hans and Margaretta (Brammer) Rief, natives of Germany. The father was a weaver by trade and was able to take care of his family thereby until political disturbances with Prussia, prac- tically ruined the weaving business. Like many others of that time and condition, he turned his eyes toward that land of freedom, the United States, and in 1869 reached this country with wife and children, the son, Henry, having come to America five years previously. The Rief family settled permanent- ly in Hall County, Nebraska, where the father homesteaded and also bought land that has never been out of the family. He was a farmer and raised stock and lived quietly and industri- ously on his homestead until his death in 1892. Both he and the mother were members of the Lutheran church. She died in 1909. They had eight children, four of whom are living: Henry, who resides in Washington township; Mary, who lives at Boelus, Nebraska, is the widow of Peter Clausen; Juergen, who mar- ried Anna Bucholtz, lives in Washington town- ship, and Emma, who lives at Council Bluffs, Iowa, is the widow of Sivert Rief. The four children now deceased, were: Margaretta, the wife of Fred Langman, was accidentally drowned in the Platte River during a flood, leaving three children, the youngest but three months old; Anna, the wife of Henry Bock- man, died leaving eight children ; Charles, who married Anna Sick, died in California in 1915, and William, who died in 1909, married Catherine Bilfeld and was a farmer in Wash- ington township. The late Charles Rief was a man of prominence in Hall County and else- where. He had been an extensive traveler as a sea captain prior to coming to the United States in 1871, having been a student of navi- gation in Flensburg, Denmark, and London,


Digitized by Google


.


758


HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA


England. He served a number of years as county clerk in Hall County, was a member of the school board and the examining board for teachers, then was elected to the state legis- lature and during his service in the general assembly worked for and secured the location of the Soldiers' Home in Hall County. He was also an author and one of his books en- titled "Land and Light" has had wide circu- lation.


.


A well educated youth of observing mind, Henry Rief left Denmark at the age of eighteen years, reaching the United States in 1864, when this country was yet in the throes of civil war. He first made a home at Val- paraiso, Indiana, and within three months had taken out his first papers looking to Amer- ican citizenship. He enlisted for any service needed by the Federal government and cheer- fully performed every duty required of him until he was honorably discharged and mustered out April 5, 1865, having been mainly stationed at Chattanooga, Tennessee. He then started westward and on reaching Chicago, found employement as a clerk and made good use of his time by studying the English language in a night school. In the fall of 1865 he went to St. Louis, then to Hannibal and to St. Joseph on the Platte on his way to Omaha. On his trip up the Mis- sissippi he was a passenger on the same steamer that carried the fourth engine for the Union Pacific Railroad.


On the present site of the great commercial and railroad center, Kansas City, nothing was to be seen but swamp and prairie. Mr. Rief found work with the railroad construction gangs, helping to build the first two bridges for the Union Pacific Railroad over Papillon and Elk Horn rivers. He was one of a party of twenty-four that made plans to celebrate the completion of the first telegraph line be- tween Omaha and Fremont, on December 26, 1865. They started for Omaha on hand cars, in the face of a blizzard, spending the night on the way, and when they reached the city found great trouble in getting accommodations in a boarding house. Mr. Rief remembers the discomforts of that trip very vividly. During the rest of the winter he worked for the Union Pacific cutting wood and getting out railroad ties. The islands in the Platte River were heavily timbered and from these wood for burning and ties was secured. In those days there was little supervision of such work and large logs were left in the forests. There was a man by the name of Riddell, who took ad- vantage of this condition and no doubt profited greatly. He owned a portable sawmill and


sawed the logs into lumber, on shares with whoever cared to bring the logs to him.


In the spring of 1866 Mr. Rief engaged in another enterprise with Peter Stuem to bring goods from Omaha. This was a considerable undertaking as the merchandise had to be transported over the military road and as there were no bridges, every river and creek had to be forded. It required about eight days to make the trip from Omaha to Hall County. In the same year he worked for a Mr. Monroe who, when he left, owed him the sum of $180, which he obtained only through the good offices of friends, and upon receiving it loaned it to a Mr. Wiebe, who also seems to have miscalculated his ability to pay it back, but later turned over a team of oxen to Mr. Rief, who humorously says that he had to take up a homestead in order to use the oxen. He filed on a claim in 1867 and has since lived on this place, for many years carrying on gen- eral farming and stockraising. During the early days he oftentimes furnished hay and cord wood to Fort Kearney. His land lies near what was the famous California trail. a path about forty rods wide. The Pawnee Indians were numerous here when he home- steaded but he always maintained friendly re- lations with them and when they started for their government reservation they came by the hundred to bid him goodbye.


In November, 1869, Mr. Rief married Miss Lizzie Prahm, the ceremony taking place in Grand Island, her parents being early set- tlers in Hall County. Mr. and Mrs. Rief had five children : Henry, who lives at Seattle. Washington; Edwin, who lives . in Adams County, Nebraska, married Amelia Siegert : Matilda, the wife of William Sievers of Grand Island; Centennial, the wife of Joseph Wehr, of Doniphan, and Lillie, the wife of Wash- ington Sampson, of Seattle. The mother of these children died March 17, 1877. The second marriage of Mr. Rief took place June 15, 1879, to Miss Emma Fischer, a daughter of August and Louise (Hahn) Fischer, who spent their lives in Germany. Of the four children born to this marriage the following survive: Arthur, who lives on the home farm. married Gertrude Westerburg; Nellie. the wife of Charles Ericksen, of Grand Island: and Herbert, who was in the military training camp at Camp Dodge when this biography was written.


In early days in Hall County, school district No. 4 comprised territory in which there are now five schools. Mr. Rief has always been greatly interested in this district, for he taught school there and in District No. 28 for nine Digitized by Google


L


·


759


HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA


years, and for ten years was a director in the former district. In his political views he is a Republican and has taken part in many a committee meeting. For eight years he served on the county board of supervisors from Washington township and for one year was chairman of the board.


ARTHUR ROBY, a substantial farmer and highly respected citizen of Hall County, has always lived on the old homestead in Wash- ington township, where his birth took place June 5, 1878. His parents, Frederick and Johanna (Lillenthal) Roby, were born in Germany, from which country they came to the United States as young people, in 1848. They were married in Iowa and in April, 1864, came to Nebraska.


For about eight years Mr. and Mrs. Roby lived in Center township, where they kept a road house and saloon where a stage delivered mail every other day until the Sioux Indians frightened the settlers away and held up the stage service for two months at a time. Soldiers were sent from the nearest fort for the protection of the pioneers, when the frightened settlers returned to their home- steads. The people grew accustomed to the Pawnee Indians and tolerated them as they were never savage, but the mother of Mr. Roby can remember when neither life nor property was safe in this section of the county. In 1872 Mr. Roby homesteaded in section 8, township 10, range 9, and here Mrs. Roby has continued to live, one of the best known and highly esteemed residents of Washington township. In her interesting reminiscences of early days here she tells of the difficulty exper- ienced in securing even the commonest of household furniture and utensils. The nearest trading point was Omaha and it required four weeks to make the round trip and necessarily transportation charges were high. She la- mented when she could not get wash tubs, but showed her resourcefulness when no bedstead could be secured, by helping to construct one out of poles easily obtained in the surround- ing timber. She mentions also the lack of deep wells and the necessity of using surface water. Nevertheless, in spite of all these hardships, Mr. and Mrs. Roby prospered, and when he passed away, on June 3, 1903, he was not only one of the substantial men of the county but was one of influence and im- portance. He was prominent in Democratic politics, was one of the county commissioners for some years and also was on the township school board, and additionally, for many years


was a director of the Lincoln Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Mr. and Mrs. Roby had children as follows: Gustave, who lives in Center township; Ida, the wife of Conrad Lassen, died July 15, 1913; Dora, the wife of Henry Stoltenberg of Merrick County ; Nancy, born July 8, 1872, died February 6, 1873; Arthur, who lives in Washington township, and John, who married Helen Hagge.


Arthur Roby attended the country schools in boyhood and has made his home on the farm which he now owns. He has 240 acres of some of the best improved land in this section, his commodious and substantial build- ings comparing favorably with any farm structures in the county. He is a man of pro- gressive ideas, hence his stock is of standard grade, his farm machinery the best obtainable and his various farm activities are carried on according to methods approved by experts who have scientifically studied Nebraska climate and soil. Intelligent farming and stockraising like this is certain to be profitable.


On April 20, 1900, Mr. Roby married Miss Margaretha Thavenet, whose parents were George and Margaretha (Scheel) Thavenet, who, when living, owned a fine homestead located just south of Grand Island, where they reared their eight children. . All but two of the children live in Hall County. Mr. and Mrs. Roby have six children : Clara, who was born October 15, 1901; Nancy, who was born September 22, 1903; Olga, who was born March 3, 1905; Edna, who was born De- cember 23, 1910; Evelyn, who was born February 19, 1915; and Roy Arthur, who was born February 19, 1918. For the past six years Mr. Roby has been a member of the township school board. In national political campaigns he supports the Democratic candi- dates, but in local affairs he exercises his own good judgment. In every way he is a man of high standing in his county, a good farmer, a friendly neighbor, an honest public official and a solid citizen.


GEORGE M. BAKER .- Perhaps there are few residents of Hall County who have not heard of Woodland Park, which is situated in Washington township and which, in its whole history and its present state of modern de- velopment, is one of the most interesting homesteads of the county. It comprises one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land which its owner, George M. Baker, devotes largely to the breeding of Shorthorn cattle, Poland-China hogs and Rhode Island Red chickens. On this farm will be the "Wood-


Digitized by


.


760


HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA


land Park Association," with golf grounds, another evidence of the vast changes that have taken place since the days of the early settlers. This is but one of his valuable holdings. Among his properties are included two hand- some residences in Grand Island.


George M. Baker was born in La Salle County, Illinois, February 6, 1864, while his father was foreman in large coal mines there. His parents were Samuel and Elizabeth (Keegan) Baker, the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter in Ireland. Samuel Baker spent almost all of his life in the United States as he was only thirteen years old when he accompanied his parents here. Unusual responsibilities fell upon him almost immediately as his father died soon after landing, and the considerable amount of money and jewels he had brought with him were stolen by unknown robbers while his sorrowing relatives were attending his funeral. Samuel thus became the family breadwinner while yet a boy. He found work on boats plying on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers and finally became second officer on a large steamboat. His home was then es- tablished in the coal regions of La Salle County, Illinois, where he was soon given a position of authority by one of the big operat- ing companies. In politics he was a Dem- ocrat. His wife died in 1880 but he survived until June, 1915. Both were faithful mem- bers of the Roman Catholic church. Of their seven children six are living, but only two reside in Hall County, George M. and Hubert, the latter making his home in Grand Lsland.


After securing a good common school ed- ucation in La Salle County, George M. Baker started in life as a traveling salesman for a farm implement house, with which he re- mained three years, and then, in the same capacity, went out for the well known Omaha grocery firms of McCord & Brady and Allen Brothers, traveling continuously for these firms for twenty-five years and two days, re- tiring from a quarter century of service in this line with the record of never having lost a day. In the meanwhile he had been prudent in his expenditures and when he was ready to turn his attention into other channels of bus- iness, he found himself with abundant capital. He found a satisfactory investment in the First Bank of Cestos, Oklahoma, of which he was vice president for five years. He sold his interest and bought lands and livestock in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Idaho, much of which he still controls. He has two farms of one hundred and sixty acres each, in Oklahoma, which have been brought to the


highest possible state of cultivation. His present farm in Hall County is the old Win- dolph property, which he purchased from his father-in-law at the time of his marriage. It has pleased him to give it the beautiful name of Woodland Park, and here he and Mrs. Baker spend the greater part of the year, not- withstanding two comfortable residences await their occupancy in Grand Island. Mr. Baker intends to transform the farm into a dairy farm to be known as "Woodland Park Dairy." For some time he has not given personal at- tention to any of his land except a few acres, the cultivation of which gives him pleasant ex- ercise, but all its industries are carefully over- looked, for Mr. Baker has been a keen and discerning business man for many years.


On April 15, 1891, Mr. Baker married Miss Catherina Windolph, one of a family of eight children born to Adam and Margaretta (Stender) Windolph, both of whom were natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have three children: Lillian, the wife of Charles Thirifay, of Omaha; Margaretta Walburga, the wife of Joseph Power, of Grand Island; and Marie C., employed in the First National Bank, Grand Island.


In 1864 the parents of Mrs. Baker came to the United States, and after living in New York for one year, came, west as far as Kankakee, Illinois, a few months later moving to Belle Plaine in Benton County, Iowa. Six months later Adam Windolph bought a wagon and team of horses and started with his family on the long journey to Hall County. When they reached Columbus they discovered that there was no bridge and hence had to cross on the ice, also being delayed in many other ways they finally landed here, on April 1, 1866, having spent four weeks on the road. Mr. Windolph homesteaded in Washington township and Mrs. Baker still has the patent from the United States government for this farm. Adam Windolph was a practical, far- seeing man and when he built his log house he built for the future and so substantially that the present attractive residence still includes a portion of the old log house plastered with clay. Seemingly no one could have a better . right or reason to take pleasure in the beau- tiful surrounding grounds with luxuriant ·shade trees than Mrs. Baker, for it was with her own hands that many of these trees were set out and she and her sisters kept them alive with the water they had to carry a full half mile. She has one sister in the county, Mrs. Hubert Baker, of Grand Island.


Mrs. Baker's reminiscences of early days here are exceedingly interesting, as in vivid


Digitized by Sting, 251 1


761


HISTORY OF HALL COUNTY NEBRASKA


language she tells of the old California trail and of Indians, of social customs and of the lack of entertainment in her childhood days. To the latter she ascribes her sometimes fol- lowing the emigrant wagons as they passed by on the trail a few feet before her father's fence, on down to the fort, a few rods further, where they often stopped for provisions, and then about a mile still further to Mr. Michel- son's blacksmith shop, where she could not fail being interested in seeing Mrs. Michelson, a very small woman, help with the shoeing of the horses and oxen, leather pads being attached to the latter's feet. No doubt she often looked wonderingly after the gold- seeker's wagons as they passed into the mys- terious West, where hung the rainbow of hope, and probably saw many of the travelers go by again, no richer than before. Educa- tional advantages were very limited at this early day. Mrs. Baker recalls how they finally secured a teacher, and she was able to attend school a half day a week. In a rather lonely childhood, the semi-annual coming of the Indians with their furs and moccasins to exchange for eatables, was a great event and many times she joined the dark children in their play and helped them gather the leaves and bark of the kinnikinick (a kind of dog- wood) bushes, which the Indians dried and smoked. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are members of the Cattholic church. He is a Republican in politics but has never accepted any public office.


CHRIS CLAUSEN .- A visitor of a decade ago, if he were to make a second jounrey through Hall County, would discover many wonderful changes throughout the agricultural sections. The farmers in the meanwhile have not been asleep and many of them have been particularly wide awake, heeding the call of progress. In Washington township he might some time find himself a guest of Chris Clausen on the beautiful farm of two hundred and fifty-five acres that he and his brothers are so successfully operating. He could not long be in doubt of the value of the use of improved farm machinery and the adoption of scientific methods of agriculture. This model farm gives ample proof.


Chris Clausen belongs to one of the pioneer families of Hall County. He was born here August 27, 1883. His parents are Juergen and Anna (Wiesner) Clausen, who are highly esteemed residents of this section. The father of Mr. Clausen was born in Germany, Sep- tember 28, 1853. The subject of this sketch


was seventeen years old when he accompanied his parents, Claus and Christina (Wresener) Clausen, to the United States. They lived one year in Clinton, Iowa, and then came to Hall County. In addition to his homestead, the father of Chris Clausen asquired a number of farms, becoming a man of substance and also of neighborhood prominence. Chris Clausen has been engaged in farming and stockraising since boyhood. He obtained his education in the schools of Washington town- ship and when he started out for himself, rented the farm of two hundred and fifty-five acres of exceptionally well improved land belonging to his father which is situated on section 17, Washington township. Mr. Clausen gives much attention to raising high grade Durham cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. He is not only a clear-headed, progressive agri- culturist, but he is also a representative of the county's best citizenship.


On January 12, 1905, Mr. Clausen married Miss Ida Giese, a daughter of Henry and Mary (Obermiller) Giese, early settlers in Hall County. Mr. and Mrs. Clausen have two children : Anna M., who was born June 24, 1906, and Mildred R., who was born October 20, 1912. In politics Mr. Clausen prefers to vote an independent ticket. He has been treasurer of his school district for the last twelve years and in many other ways has proved useful and trustworthy.


PETER HERMAN, who owns a well im- proved farm of eighty acres, situated south of Grand Island, has spent the greater part of. his life in Hall County. He is known as an excellent farmer, good neighbor and worthy citizen, born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, March 2, 1868, the son of Peter and Margaret (Mahlsted) Herman, both natives of Germany. The father was a small farmer there but as he saw no opportunity to better his condition, decided to come to the United States with his family and endeavor to secure some of the government land that awaited settlers in the western country. In 1869 the family reached America, soon reach- ing Davenport, Iowa. In that vicinity the father engaged in farming until the fall of 1871, when he came to Hall County and lived on what was known as the Hooper place for two years, then homesteaded near Wood River. He remained on that place until 1890, when he removed to a location near Saint Libory, in Howard County, purchasing land which he cultivated four years. He returned to Grand Island, where his death occurred in




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.