USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 88
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. I > Part 88
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In the winter of 1871 the first school board was created, with R. Thompson, D. Fitch and R. S. Winters as members thereof. The building was ereeted in 1872, destroyed by a tornado in 1882 and rebuilt the same year. In 1903 a better and larger school ground was purchased and a four-room brick building erected, which is still used. The present school board consists of II. C. Kissinger, moderator ; W. J. Becker, director; August Heye, treasurer. Four teachers are employed and the course consists of ten grades.
On or about the year 1877 II. M. Oliver erected the first elevator and estab- lished a lumber and coal yard.
The first blacksmith shop was started by Ed Davis in 1878. He afterwards
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became the county sheriff and later was killed in an uprising at the state peni- tentiary, where he was deputy state warden.
G. Z. Fink established the first hotel in the year 1880.
The Glenville Cemetery Association was organized January 20, 1887, with N. Johnson, president : G. Z. Fink, secretary : and L. J. Brandt, treasurer. Previous to this time burials were made in cemeteries some distance from Glenville. At present H. C. Kissinger is president. A. B. Newell secretary, and J. J. Mohhan treasurer.
The village was incorporated May 1. 1899, the same day the first bank, the Bank of Glenville, opened its doors for business. The first chairman of the board of the village was G. Z. Fink, and H. Peters is the present chairman of said board.
From the most reliable information I could gather, it appears that the Presby- terians were the first denomination on the field, being soon followed by the Metho- dists and Evangelicals, but the Baptists were the first to erect a building which was done in 1881. Rev. I. D. Newell, a pioneer Baptist minister, organized the Baptist church and became its first pastor. He later on became the superintendent of public schools in Clay County for a six-year period. The first religious services were held in July, 1873, in the depot. A Sunday school was organized at this time, with J. W. Small as superintendent. Now there are two denominations rep- resented here, the Baptist and Lutheran, the latter having by far the larger mem- bership. During the years of 1820 to 1880 the inhabitants were largely Americans. but an immigration hy Germans soon began until now possibly seventy-five to eighty per cent are Germans or their descendants.
The Bank of Glenville was begun May 1, 1899, with L. J. Brandt, president ; Enno Uden, vice president; and L. L. Brandt, cashier. This bank is still doing business, and one other bank, the Farmers State Bank, has since been organized. Banks usually are an index to the wealth of the community and prosperity of the country. The two banks have a combined deposit of three-quarters of a million dollars. The reason for this lies in the fact that this is a rich, fine and level farming community. The soil is good. farmers industrious, energetic and econom- ical. Glenville may not be able to excel other Clay Center towns in many ways, but in bank deposits we think for the size of the town we excel.
Three or four lodges and fraternal orders have been organized here, but only one remains in existence at this time, the M. W. A.
We have now : One newspaper, the Glenville Globe, A. D. Scott, publisher ; one harness shop. R. C. Monismith ; two general stores, Luke Goldenstein and Mat Groenewold : two banks: two elevators: Farmers Union Co-operative Association and the Shannon Grain Co .. of Kansas City, Mo. : three garages, Thomas Fleshner, George Gielen, and Sipple Brothers: two barber shops, Verne Jennings and Elmer Frey ; two hardware stores, August Heye and Dick Heye: two stock buyers, John II. MeCune and Dick Heye : one doctor, R. D. Martin ; one butcher, H. Davis, Jr. : one lumber yard, Glenville Lumber Co., Charles Frisch, manager; one blacksmith shop, F. O. Schmidt : one soda fountain and soft drink parlor, J. R. Ockinga ; and no lawyer. What do you think of that? Try in the best state of the world, in the best county of the state, and in the best village of the county, and if Glen- ville and its surrounding country is as good to its future inhabitants as it has been to its pioneers and present people, we shall all be glad. To the future generations who may read this article. we send greetings, and although dead and
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forgotten we hope and trust that the old pioneers who blazed the way and endured the hardships of the pioneer life of the early days will never be forgotten.
The following has been selected as a typical history of a small town country church, space forbidding ns from taking each church in the county and bringing their growth down to date:
HISTORY OF GLENVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH
A paper written by Rev. I. D. Newell, read at the re-dedication Sunday, October 24th, of the remodeled building :
Rev. I. D. Newell and his brother-in-law, J. M. Bartlett, coming from Illinois to Nebraska in the year of 1872, first came into contact with the Baptists of the state in Exeter. Rev. J. E. Ingham was then Baptist pastor in that town, and it was through correspondence with him that Mr. Newell and Bartlett decided to come farther west.
From Exeter Mr. Newell and Mr. Bartlett pushed on westward, passing through Sutton to Harvard. At Harvard they learned of what was called "The Illinois Settlement," some miles southwest, and drove thither. A member of this settle- ment stated that Section 10, six miles due west of him on the section line im- mediately north of Charles Johnson's place, was vacant and the two brethren already mentioned went thither, running the section line by corner stakes then still standing, and Mr. Bartlett selected and later settled on the northeast quarter of said Seetion 10.
Seeing the section house and depot of the St. Joe & Grand Island Railroad and not knowing what they were, the two pushed on to a nameless town designated by railroad men as "Station G." There the section boss, Mr. George Carroll, showed Mr. Newell the northwest quarter of Section 6, and Mr. Newell took it as a homestead.
About this time the MeCunes, Borties, MeClures, Kinters, Chases, Holbrooks, Reeds, Lyons, Starrs, Holdermans, Finks, Epleys, Shiveleys, Frischs, Hunnicutts and other professing Christians secured and settled upon homesteads and pre- emptions in the vicinity of Glenville.
The first sermon in the newly laid out town was preached by Rev. Chas. Clutz, a Baptist minister, in the depot. His text was Gen. 3:15: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The people were seated on planks, wagon seats, ete. There was a good attendance and good interest. It is not remem- bered whether stated services were continued in this unoccupied depot or not, nor if so for how long a time.
In the spring or summer of 1873, as remembered, the first schoolhouse was built in Glenville, and the Methodists, then the strongest denomination represented in the town, organized a "('lass" and a Sunday school and made appointments for stated preaching.
This was, for some time, the only preaching service in the town. As prominent among the Methodists at this time are now remembered the Holbrooks, the Neigh- bors, the Kinters and the Chases.
Soon after this, just how soon is not remembered, the Evangelieals, by far the strongest body of Christians in or around Glenville, organized and held service
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for (mite a number of years; their services were held in what was known as the "Epley Schoolhouse," some three miles southeast of Glenville, this being about the center of their membership. The leaders among the Evangelieals were the Holdermans, the Finks, the Epleys, the Shiveleys, the Frischs, the Hunnientts and others not now recalled by name.
Later a Presbyterian Church was organized. Its membership was small, promi- nent among whom were the MeChures and the MeCunes. For some time after the Baptists built, the Presbyterians held, every two weeks, a service in the Baptist house, alternating with the Baptists. Subsequently they erected and occupied the house of worship now owned by the Evangelicals.
Because they were few in number-because the Methodist brethren had begun work on the field first and because the population was thin and widely scattered- Baptists did not deem it advisable just then to organize. In the meantime Glen- ville Baptists were incorporated as constituent members with the Hastings church, organized by Rev. I. D. Newell in the spring of 1873.
In the spring of 1879 Baptist members had so increased it came to be felt among them that an organization in Glenville was fully justified. Accordingly, on the 26th of April, 1829, subsequent to a call, Baptists convened in the Glenville schoolhouse for that purpose. The following is a record of that meeting:
"At a recent meeting of Baptists called in Glenville, Clay County, Nebraska, April 26, 1879, to consider the propriety of organizing a Baptist church at said place, after a season of prayer and conference, the following preamble and resolu- tions were adopted, viz .: 'Whereas, we profess to be disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ-having, as we trust, been united to Him in the ordinance of baptism ; thereby openly professing our death to sin and our resurrection to newness of life; and whereas God, by His Spirit, has of late moved upon our hearts, leading us to desire more intimate communion with Him, and a nearer relationship with each other, in order that we may aid and admonish one another. therefore : Resolved, that we will at once enter into the organization of a church, to be called the Baptist Church of Glenville, Nebraska.""
The Articles of Faith, known as the New Hampshire Article of Faith, having been read and unanimously adopted, the following persons presented letters of dis- mission from churches to which they had previously belonged, and by unanimous rote entered into the solemn covenant of church fellowship, viz .:
W. W. Lyon and wife, Atlantic Lyon, from the Baptist Church of Grinnell, Iowa; D. B. Randolph and his wife, M. A. Randolph, from the Baptist Church, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; R. W. Bayless and his wife, L. A. Bayless, from the First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and from the First Baptist Church of Hastings, Nebraska; I. D. Newell and his wife, Annie Grace Newell: Leutzen Brandt and his wife, Gretje Brandt; H. II. Starr and his wife, Chestina Starr; Miss Minnie Brandt ; Herman Brandt ; JJohn Brandt : and John Moore Bartlett.
Upon motion it was voted that Brother HL. If. Starr be elected to the office of deaeon, and J. M. Bartlett was elected clerk. By a vote of the church a committee consisting of Mrs. Newell, Mrs. Starr and J. M. Bartlett were authorized to cor- respond with Rev. J. J. Burch with reference to his becoming pastor of the church. It was resolved that a covenant and business meeting of the church be hell on the Saturday before the first Sabbath in each month, the hour for meeting to be 2 o'clock.
From this time on until the spring of 1882 the church continued to have public
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services once every two weeks in the Glenville schoolhouse, alternating with the Methodists. It will thus be seen that from the first the new church gave evidence of strength and vitality, and entered at once upon the work to which it accounted itself divinely appointed. In passing it should be stated that the church in whose interests we meet today is not the only Baptist Church which has had an existence in Glenville.
Some time after the organization of the present church, just how long after is not now definitely remembered, a German Baptist Church was organized. Among the members of this German church were Brother Kamm, now our beloved deacon, and his wife: Brother Pielstick, Nicholas Johnson and wife, Brother Onken and wife ; Brother Brandt and his family also withdrew from the English Baptist Church and united with this German Baptist Church.
It is an item of interest that Brother Brandt was converted in the old country under the labors of our Baptist Missionary Onken and passed through severe persecutions because of his new found faith. At the time this German church was organized, bright hopes were entertained of its future. These hopes, however, were never realized, and the church after several years of struggle expired.
During the year 1881 the question of building a house for worship was agitated. The townsite company donated a lot (the present site), the Home Mission Society pledged a gift, and April 23, 1882, at a cost of about $400 the Baptists dedicated the first house of worship erected in the town.
The services upon that occasion were as follows: Seripture reading by Rev. J. E. Rockwood ; opening prayer by the pastor, Rev. H. H. Wilson ; sermon by Rev. W. R. Connely, general missionary of Nebraska ; dedicatory prayer by Rev. I. D. Newell; benediction by the pastor.
The church record relating to this event says: "Upon this occasion some of our Edgar brethren and sisters were with us and added much to the interest of the occasion by their singing." It might have been further added, as the writer of this sketch well remembers, that these same Edgar brethren and sisters also assisted in the way of generous contributions towards the building fund.
Upon the dedication of its new house of worship, the church at once organized its own Sunday school with forty-five pupils, six classes and the following officers and teachers: Superintendent, I. D. Newell; assistant superintendent, Mrs. I. D. Newell ; secretary, Willie Pielstick ; librarian, Willie Randolph ; treasurer, Barney Johnson ; teachers, Mrs. I. D. Newell, Mrs. M. E. Randolph, W. W. Lyon, Mrs. Mary Carson, Miss Olive Campbell and Miss Kate Bowen.
In 1879, the year of its organization, the church united with the Grand Island Association, represented in that body by the following delegates : W. W. Lyon, I. D. Newell, J. M. Bartlett and Mrs. H. H. Starr.
Thirty years have elapsed since the organization of the Glenville Baptist Church. During that time (and we make this note in a spirit of sadness) three other churches organized in the town have ceased to exist, namely-the Methodist. Presbyterian and the Evangelical. God, through His wondrous grace to us as a people, has helped us to maintain an existence, and without any serious declension and with no long periods of inactivity to continue steadily the work He committed to our hands. As we today gratefully review the past, let us praise Ilis great and holy name for what he has done for us and through us.
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
ONG
(By Carl A. Sandberg)
The village of Ong is located in the southeast part of Clay County, on Section No. 13 of Logan Township. The southwest quarter of the section was owned at that time by Judge J. E. Ong, from whom the town derived its name. The plat of the town was made and dated April 22, 1886, and was filed during May, 1886. The Chicago, Burlington and Quiney Railroad Company, at that time the B. & M. R. in Nebraska, built their line through the town in the fall of 1886. The Chieago Lumber Company opened the first place of business, managed by L. E. Dewey, which was followed by various other lines of business, among which were the Thomas Cochrane Grain Company, managed by Bert Brown : a livery barn owned by Albert Herriek and John D. MeMillan; the hotel, owned and operated by S. J. Wagar. The first general store was opened by J. C. Paxton and the next general store by Ramsey Brothers, who also ran the postoffice in their building. The hard- ware and drug store combined was opened in the same building and managed by Merryfield and Robinson. The Paxton store was afterwards purchased by A. R. Rudd, who with Woodhead Brothers ran this business for the following fifteen years. The first church built was the Presbyterian Church, built in the spring of 1888, and Swedish building in the fall of the same year. The schoolhouse was built in 1888. Barnes and Bolton and J. F. Walker of Davenport transacted a banking business in the two general stores, and afterwards J. F. Walker put up the first bank building in 1880. This bank was named the Exchange Bank of Ong and is still in business. J. O. Walker was the first bank cashier. At this time the village had a population of about fifty. At the present time the town boasts a population of about four hundred, a number of good brick business bloeks, all lines of business being well represented : three churches, three modern parsonages and a good number of dwellings which have been constructed within the past few years. Ong is spoken of by the traveling publie as being one of the neatest and most well kept towns in this part of Nebraska. In early days Ong had a saloon. but this was abolished years before the state went dry. Among the old settlers still remaining here are Albert Herrick, C. A. Sandberg, Mrs. J. H. Lee, Fred Swanson, Frank Bottom and C. A. Bush.
Sweden is the name given to a village four and one-half miles northwest of the center. It also bears the more classical name-Verona. Here is a depot of the K. C. & O. R. R., a grain warehouse and a general store.
Eldon, on the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad, east of Harvard, dates back to 1888. In March, 1889, William Stockham opened a general store there.
Saronville, on the main line of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, west of Sutton, holds a commanding position on the prairie. The church building at this point is visible for a long distance in each direction. Here were established in early days the stores of J. Florine, O. Felis, the Israckon Brothers, the agrieul- tural warehouse of Lindberg & Olson, the drug store of L. Logerwell, the wagon shop of O. Thoren and the blacksmith shop of F. Wahlengren. The little village is about ten miles distant from the county seat.
Spring Ranche was settled by James Bainter, Robert Cargill, Lewis Thayer and D. W. Evans. The postoffice was established in 1870 with Lewis Thayer,
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master. A son of the first named, called Sheridan Bainter (in honor of the hero of Winchester), was the first child born here, the date being May 11, 1871. Edward Harper died here in August, 1864, being the first death among the settlers, and E. J. Jackson and Mary N. Cargill were married in 1874, being the first marriage. The first school was opened in April, 1872, within James Bainter's dwelling, by Annie Foster ; and the first schoolhouse was erected in July of that year. Elder War- wick, referred to in the history of Adams County, held the first religious services in 1821, and in 1881 the Presbyterians and Congregationalists erected churches. The mills were built in 1824 by Peck & Meston.
In August, 1873, an election was held at Cyrus Griffith's house, in Little Blue Precinet, to vote on the question of aiding Peck & Meston in building a mill near Spring Ranche. The vote was in favor of aid to the proposers in ten per cent bonds for $7,000. There were fifty-nine votes for the proposition and fifty-four against.
The Congregational Church at Spring Ranche was dedicated January 10, 1884, by Rev. C. W. Merrill of Lincoln. The cost of the building was $1,200, all of which was paid.
Notable business places here have been those of T. J. Kemp, postmaster and merchant ; D. Burnett also carried on a general store : Mrs. C. A. Brown, a millinery store ; J. Hutchinson, a wagon shop: A. Meston, the flouring mill; and D. D. Con- don a blacksmith shop.
LUMBER YARDS. Van Wickle Grain and Lumber Co., two years; Grosshans Grain Co., Spring Ranch Grain and Supply Co.
HARDWARE STORE. Paul K. Bennett, one year ; Hefti and Sarvis.
IMPLEMENTS. G. H. Paus, three years ; Pans and Hall, Stewart and Bennett, Hefti and Sarvis.
FURNITURE STORE. None.
ELEVATOR. Richard Heinen, fifteen years: Van Wickle Grain Co., Grosshans Grain Co., Spring Ranch Grain and Supply Co.
BLACKSMITH SHOP. Peter Hansen, two years; John Sprague. John McNeil, John Tilbury, J. B. Tilbury.
HOTEL. Mrs. Bertha Kemp, thirty years.
The Methodist Church started here about 1870. Those now living here who were here in the early days of the town are S. W. White, E. D. Harlan and Mr. and Mrs. James Kemp. Spring Ranche has been mentioned in earlier chapters as a stopping place for stage-coaches as early as 1850, being upon the Oregon Trail, before James Bainter laid it out as a town, built the first house and started the first store here.
The town now has one general store, the Blue Valley Bank and a few other business places.
Inland, a name transferred from the old town in Adams County, dates back to 1878. In June and July, 1879, N. L. Thatcher's elevator was erected. He sold his interests to J. D. Bain and W. J. Turner of Harvard, in 1880, and they employed J. R. McIntosh as their agent. In later years the business circle comprised G. Mc- Peak, postmaster and merchant; James Hansen, hardware dealer and blacksmith ; P. Egan, grain merchant and owner of elevator; Cortnance & Company, lumber and coal dealers; P. B. McFadden, blacksmith : and Doctor Blair, physician. S. R. Dillinger built the N. W. elevator in 1889. The Egan elevator was operated by
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HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
L. Butterfield & Company with S. W. Stephenson agent. The German church, two miles south of Inland, was dedicated in February, 1882. The first railroad agent at Inland was G. W. Van Horn : Frank Thompson succeeded him ; then came Charles Smith, who remained for two years, until succeeded by Joseph Neary, who was appointed in 1888. The depots of the St. Joseph & Grand Island and the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley railroads are at this point.
INLAND METHODIST REUNION
On Sunday, November 30, 1919, a homecoming service and dinner were held at the Inland church. Invitations were sent to former attendants and members in ('alifornia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Washington, D. C., and various points in Nebraska. Out of town guests were Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Lamp, Mrs. Holmes and (laughter Harriett, Mr. Roy J. Peterson and family. Miss Merle Peterson and Mrs. Mary Hollister, all of Hastings. Mrs. Lamp spoke for a few minutes of days when they were associated with the church. Many who could not be present responded with reminiscent letters that added to the enjoyment. Among these were Miss Edith Lathrop of Washington, D. C .; Mrs. Mary Cope of Fruita, Colorado: the Frank Ealer family of Orange, California ; Mr. and Mrs. D. L. Smith of Pasadena, California; Mr. Henry Carter of Lincoln, Nebraska. Four former pastors sent greetings : Rev. L. Morrison, Rev. J. E. Rippeteau, Rev. Raus Hansen and Rev. G. M. Jones. Mr. Jones was the first pastor of the church and it was during his ministry that the building was constructed in 1890. He wrote that he had since helped in builling other and larger churches, but considered that accomplishment during the crop failures of Nebraska the most noteworthy. He attributed the suc- cess to the vision and undaunted efforts of the men constituting the board of trustees.
Mr. G. W. Ablott, a member of that board, was present at the meeting and told how the money was raised for the building. The first effort was made on November 29, 1889, when a subscription was started. On April 9, 1890, the board of trustees was elected. In July of that year bonds were given and $400 was secured from the Board of Church Extension, $200 as a loan and $200 as a dona- tion. The contract for construction was let to Mr. Scott of Harvard for $1,080. In September the building was ready for use. Mr. Ablott also told how the site was chosen. Mr. Fedde Fixsen offered the lots owned by the Gallentine estate, but a deed could not be secured. The committee, knowing that the railroad com- pany owned most of the town lots, appealed to the officials. They replied that they were not permitted to give away any property, but would be willing to sell a lot to the church organization for $10.00. The one the church stands on today was selected. In recent years the adjoining lot has been purchased.
Mr. A. M. Lathrop, so long identified with the church and the first Sunday school superintendent, gave the principal address of the morning. He began by giving a picture of Inland Township as he found it forty-seven years ago, a naked prairie occupied by buffaloes and Indians. There was no Inland or Hastings. Harvard was a station at the end of the Burlington line. Settlers from New England, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin and other eastern states made homes here and brought with them their ideas and customs, and with these they brought the Sunday school. The first organization was in School District No. 33, now known
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as West Inland. It is remembered for its community spirit. It became the social eenter of Inland and surrounding townships. Later it was considered wise to organize in the eastern part of the township, so a beginning was made in District 45. Then with the removal of the Village of Inland to its present site and the organiza- tion of District 72, the two Sunday schools were merged at Inland. The society was housed in a building owned by Mr. G. W. Ablott and standing where the Morgan home now stands. Various denominations were holding services in the village so the school was made a Union Sunday school. Some names mentioned in connection with this early effort were James Hansen the blacksmith, Miss Spangler the teacher, Doctor Blair and Mrs. Olive Ramsey.
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