History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 133

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

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lectual attainment and a graduate of Hastings College. She is instructor in mathematics and. languages in the public schools of Shelton, Ne- braska, and is active in church circles. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford are members of the Pres- byterian church, Mr. Crawford being one of the elders in the church in Wood River. The family is one held in very high esteem.

JOHN E. ROUNDS, a representative bus- iness man of Wood River and secretary of the Wood River Commercial Club, . has had an unusually full and interesting life since he was brought to Nebraska by his parents, in 1879. He was born at Manchester, Illinois, December 28, 1872, one of a family of two children born to his parents, William and Angeline (Boon) Rounds. He has one' sister, Edna M. Rounds, who belongs to that noble body of war workers connected with the Y. M. C. A. organization in Paris, France.

Mr. Rounds still owns the old family home- stead situated two and a half miles southeast of Wood River, on which his parents settled after their long "prairie schooner" journey from Illinois was completed. There was much to contend with in those early days but every member of the family possessed his own por- tion of Scotch-English thrift and energy and the hardships of other days have long since passed away. Mr. Rounds attended the public schools until he finished work in the tenth grade. He found himself possessed of a nat- ural inclination toward mechanics and there- fore, in 1902-3 he took a preparatory course in Highland Park College, Des Moines, Iowa, where he studied electrical engineering, later continuing in the same line of study in Montana College, Deer Lodge, Montana. It required considerable self denial and a large amount of persistence for Mr. Rounds had no wealthy backer, in fact paid part of his ex- penses himself by teaching forge work in the shop for two years and by operating the steam power plant at Deer Lodge. From there he went to Bozeman, Montana, and after taking a special course in electrical testing in the agricultural college there, secured a posi- tion with the Westinghouse Electrical Man- ufacturing Company of East Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania. When he landed in Pittsburg, Mr. Rounds relates, he had just $26 and payday was almost a month away, but he had been well drilled in frugal ways and by strict econ- omy he made his meager capital carry him over the interval and even had $2 to spare. He worked hard in this position and took night shift hours as it was possible then to get

pay for over time, and in a period of eighteen months he succeeded in saving $200. He was then transferred to Denver, where for one year he had charge of the company's stock department. For the responsibility he had to incur Mr. Rounds felt that his wages were toò low and that caused him to resign and he then came back to Hall County. Six months later, however, the company called him by telegraph to return to them at increased salary and take charge of the company's interests at Butte, Montana. He remained in Montana for ten years and during that time filed on a homestead and rented other land and became an extensive wheat farmer, operating four hundred acres. When he returned to Hall County he retained his land but sold all his personal property. He has invested at Wood River and has built a fine garage here of cement construction, with dimensions of one hundred by fifty feet which he finds too limited for his rapidly increasing business and plans are under way to add space so that the building will be'a hundred feet square. He is sales agent for the Overland and Buick cars.

Many successful business men get so ac- customed to large financial transactions that they lose sight of their first efforts in the money line, but Mr. Rounds says that his first attempt brought him such personal anguish for a time that he can remember it well. After a little boy works faithfully over a patch of pop corn and harvests a heavy bag of the grain and carries it to the grocer along about Christmas time when boys need quite a little bit of cash, and finds that all of ninety-five cents is coming to him, he naturally feels that it will be a serious but delightful matter to invest the same in gifts for others. When Grocer James T. Britt announced that it was his regular business policy to pay for pop corn only in trade, there was a broken- hearted little lad at the counter. Through one of the mysterious ways that mothers have, this little business was finally adjusted and everything turned out in a satisfactory way. This little story may recall to many another reader one of the little tragedies of boy life.

On Christmas Day, 1910, Mr. Rounds mar- ried at Arriba, Colorado, Miss Ida J. Jensen, who was born at Albert Lea, Minnesota, and is a daughter of Edward Jensen. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rounds : William S., aged seven years ; Ellen L., is five years old; Edward C., deceased; Beth E., whose years number two; Jane M., aged eighteen months, and an infant son. Mr. Rounds is a sound Republican in his political sentiments but he has never been willing to Digitized by

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accept public office although ever ready to help bear the general responsibilities that fall upon a community's best citizens.

DAVID D. O'KANE, postmaster and one of the substantial business men of Wood River, Nebraska, has been identified with affairs in Hall County since 1883 and has lived in the state since he was six years of age. From that time to the present seems a comparatively short period in the actual pas- sage of time, but seemingly a century many have gone by when the progress and sub- stantial development made in this part of the country is considered. In all this change Mr. O'Kane has been vitally interested and has borne a leading part.

David D. O'Kane was born at Polo, Illinois, December 8, 1868. His parents were Joseph and Mary (Davie) O'Kane, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Ire- land. David D. was the youngest born of their family of eight children, the others being: Mary, deceased; James, deceased; John H., postmaster at Gothenburg, Ne- braska ; Daniel, employed in the postoffice at Wood River; Mrs. Elizabeth Sanders, who lives at Norfolk, Nebraska ; Mrs. Josie Kelley, who resides in Omaha, and Mrs. Anna Worth- ing, who lives at Lost Angeles, California.

In 1874 the parents of Mr. O'Kane moved to Dawson County, Nebraska, locating two and a half miles northwest of Willow Island. His father was a ranchman and had work for all his boys to do and it was not long before little David claimed recompense for herding his father's cattle. When the family reached their new home in Dawson County, they found no provision for comfortable family life like that they had enjoyed in Illinois. They had shipped lumber to this point from Clinton, but transportation was slow and delayed and they were forced to live in the school house as it was the sole building in the neighborhood until their own house could be put up. It was in this same building that Mr. O'Kane later attended school. He was about twelve years old when he was able to qualify as a sportsman. Game was plentiful and he kept the larder well supplied with deer meat, ducks and wild geese. He relates that droves of wild horses would gallop across the country and that it was great sport to chase them but it was difficult to catch any of the old ones and when the young colts were captured it was almost impossible to raise or break them for use on the farm.

When Mr. O'Kane was fifteen yars old he

left the home ranch and went to Alda, Ne- braska, where he learned the art of telegraphy, and in the fall of 1883 he came to Wood River as night operator. This pleasant little city has since been his settled home, although for some time he worked up and down the railroad line as telegrapher for short periods. A man of energy and enterprise, Mr. O'Kane was one of the early promoters of the now necessary tel- ephone service. In 1902 he organized the Ne- braska Telephone Company, with country lines working out of Wood River and has been its able manager ever since. He has given encouragement to many other laudable enter- prises in the county and his fellow citizens know that they may safely invest if he gives support. He owns valuable real estate at Wood River which includes his comfortable residence and the brick building in which the post office is located. .

On November 27, 1905, Mr. O'Kane mar- ried Miss Agnes Whalen, who was born in Illinois, a daughter of Thomas and Anna Whalen, who were the parents of four sons and three daughters: John, William, Frank, James, Mrs. Elizabeth L. Hoye, Mrs. Anna Dunn, and Mrs. Agnes O'Kane. Mr. and Mrs. O'Kane have the following children: Mary, a student in the Wood River high school; Leo David, a pupil in the fifth grade at school; Robert Harold, also doing well at school; Gretchen, has reached her fifth year, and Charlotte, at the charming age of two years. In politics Mr. O'Kane is a Democrat and in addition to serving for the past four years as postmaster, he has served several terms as village clerk. He has conducted an insurance business in connection with real estate handling for some time, for the past fifteen years having been active along many lines. He and family belong to the Roman Catholic church and he is a leading member of the Knights of Columbus. He was one of the founders and is a prominent factor in the Wood River Commercial Club.

CHARLES HEUBNER. - Among the general farmers of Hall County who have been successful in their operations during recent years, one who has passed his entire life in this community is Charles Heubner, of Alda township. It has been his fortune to have been connected with agricultural matters all of his life and his privilege to have found in his employment both profit and content- ment. Mr. Heubner was born in Hall County in 1874, a son of Fritz and Nancy (Kay) Heubner, natives of Germany who came to the

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United States as young people and were early settlers of Hall. County, where they rounded out useful and honorable lives. After secur- ing a public school education, Charles Heub- ner adopted farming as his life work, and with the passage of the years through good man- agement and the use of modern methods he has made a successful showing and accumu- lated a tract of two hundred and forty acres. This is under a high state of cultivation and has been improved with the erection of good buildings and the installation of up-to-date improvements. As a general farmer, Mr. Heubner is alive to the possibilities of his vo- cation, and makes his land pay him well for the labor which he exepnds in its cultivation.

In 1898 Mr. Heubner married Miss Nancy Kay. To this union there have been born seven children : Fred, who is employed on a Hall County farm; Harry and Henry, twins, who are engaged in assisting their father in the work of the home place; Eddie, Donal and Lilly, who all live with their parents, and Ella, who is deceased. Mr. Heubner maintains an independent stand upon political questions, prferring to use his own judgment in the choice of candidates instead of being confined by strict party lines. He has been content with the work of his farm and the pleasures of his home, and has formed no lodge con- nections.

EMIL BOLTZ is one of the native sons of Hall County who is making a success of his farming operations. He was born on the place which is now his home, June 3, 1881. His parents, Claus and Johannah (Kay) Boltz, were born, reared and married in Holstein, Germany. They had two children when they came to America and soon after landing in this country established their home in Alda township, Hall County, Nebraska. The father bought forty acres of land which he later traded for the place where Emil now lives. This was also a forty acre tract to which he added eighty acres and here he passed away more than thirty years ago. The mother sur- vived until about five years ago when she too was called to her final rest.

Of the children in the family Edward, Gus- tave, Herman, Emil, Minnie and Henry are living. Charles and Emma are deceased.

Emil was reared in the neighborhood and received an excellent education in the public schools of his district, making the most of his opportunities. Upon completing his stud- ies he determined upon an agricultural career, having been reared in the country he decided

farm life appealed to him. For some years he remained at home assisting in the operation of the land which gave him an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. Some time before his mother died the estate was divided and Emil purchased the home place. Here his mother lived until her death. He is the owner of two hundred and twenty-two acres and does general farming.

Emil Boltz married Miss Hahn, who. was also born in Hall County, and she has become the mother of four children: Arthur, Dora, Daniel and Hazel.

Mr. Boltz is one of the honest and upright citizens of Hall County and hightly respected wherever known.

PETER F. MCCULLOUGH. - A resident of Hall County for thirty-seven years, Mr. Mccullough passed the first quarter of a century of his residence here in agricultural work, but during more recent years has been the representative of the Omaha-Moline Plow Company, although he is still the owner of a valuable farm in Center township. His career has been an illustration of typical self-made success, and today he stands as one of the substantial men of his community.

Mr. Mccullough was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1859. He acquired his education in the public schools of the City of Brotherly Love and grew to manhood there, but his opportunities for success were restricted and, seeking a broader field in a new country, in 1882 he made his way to Nebraska and purchased eighty acres of land in Center township, which has since been his home. From practically its virgin state he developed his property into a productive and valuable farm, upon which he devoted himself to general operations with a generous measure of success, and continued to follow the pursuits of the soil with unremit- ting energy until 1909, when he accepted an attractive offer from the Omaha-Moline Plow Company, the traveling representative of which concern he has since been. During his extensive travels during the past decade, he has become widely and favorably known among the farmers of Hall County, and wherever his acquaintance has extended he has the confidence and esteem of the people.

Mr. Mccullough married Miss Ellen Sear- son, and to them there have been born seven children: Thomas, married and resides at Alda, he being the manager and operator of his father's farm; Albert, married and resides in Idaho; Mary, married and resides at Grand

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Island; John and Bryan, the former married and the latter single, who reside in Florida ; Charlie, who lives at home and assists in the work of the farm, and Floyd, attending the high school at Grand Island.

In his political views, Mr. Mccullough is a Democrat. His religious faith is that of the Friends Church, which he attends at Alda. He holds membership in the United Com- mercial Travelers.

EARL E. DAVISON is among the younger generation of successful men of Hall County. He was born in Center township, May 22, 1896, the son of Henry Davison who is living retired in Grand Island, a record of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume.

Earl E. was reared on the farm and at- tended the public schools and when not busy with his text books assisted in the operation of the home farm. On reaching man's estate he chose the occupation to which he had been reared and is now successfully operating one hundred twenty acres belonging to his father.

May 3, 1919, occured the marriage of Earl E. Davison and Miss Grace Howell, 'also a native of Hall County, a daughter of E. J. and Betty (Kelly) Howell, who reside in Grand Island. Mr. and Mrs. Davison are members of the Methodist Church in Alda, and are held in the highest esteem by all who know them.

FLOYD J. MECHAM. - Among the younger element of agriculturists carrying on operations in Hall County, one who has al- ready made a success of his chosen vocation and is working one hundred and twenty acres of land is Floyd J. Mecham of Center town- ship. Mr. Mecham is a man who brings to his work a knowledge of general principles of agriculture and modern, scientific methods, and through their application in his daily round of duties has found the medium through which he has attained prosperity.

Mr. Mecham was born in Adams County, Nebraska, November 13, 1885, and belongs to a family which has resided in Hall County for a number of years, founded here by his father, Clinton P. Mecham, a sketch of whose career will be found on another page of the work. His education was acquired in the public schools, following which he settled down to a life as a tiller of the soil, and, as before noted, his success has been of a definite and gratifying character. The one hundred and twenty acre property, well cultivated and very

productive, has been made increasingly val- uable by the erection of good buildings and the making of various other improvements, and through intelligent study of the problems con- cerning his vocation and industrious work in the matter of cultivation of the soil, Mr. Mecham has become known as one of those to whom Hall County looks for its continued development and progress in an agricultural way in the years to come.

Mr. Mecham married Lena Forburger, of Lincoln, a daughter of a retired contractor of that city, and to this union there have been born two children: Dale and Floyd J., Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Mecham belong to the Meth- odist church. He is a Democrat in his political allegiance, although his only activity in poli- tics is the casting of his vote for good men and beneficial measures. He has no lodge connections.

HARVEY L. STARKEY, M. D. - The medical profession in Hall County has no more able or experienced physician and sur- geon than Dr. Harvey L. Starkey, who has been established at Wood River for the past decade. In addition to his professional en- dowment, Dr. Starkey has other claims de- serving recognition by his fellow citizens be- cause of his loyal attitude and patriotic and unselfish .services during the World War, from which he was honorably released De- cember 16, 1918.

Harvey L. Starkey was born March 16, 1865, in Ritchie County, West Virginia, one of a family of nine sons and four daughters born to Enoch A. and Jane (Cunningham) Starkey. The father of Dr. Starkey was born in June, 1828, at Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia, and the mother was born in 1830. All of their thirteen children survived to maturity with the exception of one son, who died at the age of nine months. Enoch A. Starkey was a carpenter by trade. He lived at Clarksburg during his earlier life, moved then to Burning Springs, where he lived for ten years, in 1852 was married, ten years later served as a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, afterward locating in Roane County, where his death occurred at the age of eighty-six years.

In the public schools of Roane County, Dr. Starkey received the educational training that made him an acceptable teacher and for twelve years he remained in the schoolroom, in the meanwhile doing preparatory medical reading in preparation for a course in Barnes Medical College, St. Louis, Missouri, from which insti-

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DR. HARVEY L. STARKEY

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tution he was graduated with his coveted dergree in 1899. He immediately entered into medical practice at Junction City and Harris- burg, Illinois, until May, 1909, when he came to Hall County, purchasing the practice of Dr. W. J. Redfield of Wood River. He speedily won the confidence and personal esteem of the Wood River people and in no case has this early estimate been changed. Always deeply interested in public affairs as an enlightened and earnest citizen, and with the memory of a patriotic father, Dr. Starkey, when his country became involved in war, began to make preparations to do his part. When the government called on his profession for help, he made a personal matter of it and immediately offered his services. Unexpected business complications, however, prevented his taking the first examination, but he was ready for the second, on June 19, 1918, and on July 9th following he received a commission as captain, being assigned to the officers' trainig came at Fort Riley, Kansas. After completing training there, on September 25th he was ap- pointed to the base hospital at Fort Riley, but telegraphic instructions from Washington, D. C., changed the assignment. and he was ordered to Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, where he became a member of the . brigade on duty in the infirmaries. When the influenza epidemic broke out he was made assistant sanitary inspector of the camp. After strenuous work in this office for one month, he was assigned to section F of the hospital

annex, where he became ward surgeon, with responsibility over four wards and two hun- dred and eighty beds, few of which were vacant at any time. Dr. Starkey is very modest concerning the work he did in getting the sick soldiers on their feet again and speed- ing them back to their companies, but in many sections of the country his name is gratefully remembered by brave youths who came under his medical ministrations and cheering influ- ence at that time .. Dr. Starkey was again transferred and given command of infirmary No. 3, and was discharging his duties there at the time of the signing of the armistice, his honorable discharge following as mentioned above. He immediately returned to Wood River and resumed practice, with broadened outlook taking up again the problems of health and sanitation that civil as well as military life present to the conscientious physician.

On June 19, 1892, Dr. Starkey married Miss Dorcas Stewart, the youngest in a family of two sons and five daughters born to William P. and Anna (Straley) Stewart, of Reedy, West Virginia. The father of Mrs. Starkey

had large timber interests and was in the hotel business. For twelve years before her mar- riage, Mrs. Starkey taught shcool. She is a woman of education and social charm, and an admirable mother of four adopted children, she and Dr. Starkey having opened their home and hearts and have given through adoption, their honorable name to Florence, Evelyn, William and John, their ages ranging from two to eleven years. Mrs. Starkey is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. She has been one of the most enthusiastic workers in the Red Cross ranks in Wood River, gives attention to many social obliga- tions, and enjoys membership in the order of the Eastern Star, the order of Rebekah, and the Royal Highlanders. Dr. Starkey is a Thirty-Second degree Mason and an Odd Fellow and is identified with other organiza- tions both fraternal and professional.

ISAAC K. WATSON, well and favorably known in Hall County for many years, was one of the substantial farmers and worthy citizens of Jackson township. His memory 'is not only preserved because of his high per- sonal character and useful citizenship, but also by his descendants who reflect credit on his honorable name.

Isaac K. Watson was born at West Liberty, Iowa, August 30, 1860. His parents were Albert and Speedy Watson, who had six chil- dren: Lewis, Albert, Isaac K., Anna, Maria and Cora. His father was in easy enough cir- cumstances to permit his attending college after completing the high school course at West Liberty, and he remained in Iowa City until he was graduated from the University of Iowa. Although prepared in this way for a profession, he chose the vocation of farming, and prior to 1885, when he removed to Ne- braska, he followed agricultural pursuits in Iowa. In 1885 he came to Hall County and purchased two hundred and forty acres, situ- ated in section 21, Jackson township. To the cultivation and improvement of this land, in conjunction with such citizenship duties as he thought best to assume for the general wel- fare, he devoted the rest of his life. His death resulted from an attack of pneumonia, Jan- uary 8, 1889.

Mr. Watson's first marriage took place Feb- ruary 22, 1882, to Miss Mary A. Gundlach, of Fayette County, Iowa, daughter of John and Mary Gundlach. They had four children : Clark A., John K., and Harry H. The last named died in infancy. The others reside in Iowa. The mother of these children died dur-

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ing an epidemic of measles, on July 12, 1890. On June 9, 1891, Mr. Watson married Mrs. Almeda L. (Gardner) Burbank, of Loup City, Nebraska, for his second wife. She was the widow of Don C. Burbank, and a daughter of Louis D. and Mary A. (Warren) Gardner. Mrs. Watson's father was born in Medina County, Ohio, and her mother in Rock Island, Illinois. She had seven sisters and one brother: Clara, Minnie, Hattie, Abbie E., Etta, Mary and Marta, twins, and Harry, the three eldest dying in infancy.

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History of Hall County, Nebraska, Part 133

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

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