USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 25
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 25
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NELS W. PETERSON
Another of that fine element of Scandinavian citizenship that has played a large and important part in the eivie and industrial progress of Hamilton county is Nels W. Peterson, who is one of the substantial exponents of farm enterprise in the township where his well improved farm is situated.
Mr. Peterson was born in Sweden, April 6, 1850, and in his native land he was reared and edneated. At the age of twenty years, moved by the urge of ambi- tion and resolute purpose, he came to the United States and it is entirely through his own ability and well ordered efforts that he has made his way upward to the plane of substantial prosperity. He passed the first four years in the state of Mississippi, where he found employment in the cotton fields. Later he went to · Tennessee and other parts of the country and within a short time after the great Chicago fire established his residence at Princeton, Illinois, where he worked on a farm for two years and here his marriage occurred. He gave nine years of ef- feetive serviee in connection with the nursery business conducted in Illinois by a nephew of William Cullen Bryant, the distinguished American poet, and in 1885 numbered himself among the pioneer settlers of Hamilton county, Nebraska. Here
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he rented land for five years. He recalls with somewhat grim humor that when the assessor made his first official visit to the Peterson home he found the pos- sessions of Mr. Peterson to be chiefly summed up in a good wife and three vigorous children. He continued his residence for five years on the farm of John J. Nord- gren, who aided him in buying horses and otherwise getting a start on the road to independence. Mr. Peterson recalls with most appreciative memory this old and loyal friend of the early days.
Upon leaving the Nordgren farm Mr. Peterson purchased his present fine home- stead place of one hundred and sixty acres, the farm having at that time virtually no buildings except a small and crude shanty, which served as the temporary habi- tation of the family. The land of this locality was then without fences and it required hoth courage and vision to develop a farm from the virgin soil. The homestead is now equipped with good buildings, including a commodious and modern house which was erected by Mr. Peterson in 1902 and a fine orchard adds to the attraction and value of the place. Mr. Peterson's former nursery experience proved of great service to him in his development of this orchard and his technical skill is shown in his growing three kinds of fruit on one tree. He has been one of the energetic and progressive agriculturists and stock raisers of the county and gives special attention to the raising of hogs of excellent grade. So noteworthy have been his activities in the supplying of the best of seed corn that he has locally gained the title of "Seed-corn Peterson." He has raised and sold more seed corn than any other man in Hamilton county, his annual sales aggregating hundreds of bushels of the wonderful "Golden Superior" corn, in the propagation of which he has been remarkably successful and in which fact he takes much pride. Knowing well the needs and limitations of farmers he always sells his seed corn at reasonable prices. He takes loyal interest in all that touches the well being of the community, is a democrat in politics, has served twenty years as a member of the school board of his district and he and his wife are active members of the Swedish Mission church.
The maiden name of Mrs. Peterson was Annie Swanson. She was born in Sweden and was thirteen years old when she accompanied her parents, John and Christina (Erickson) Swanson on their immigration to the United States, where the parents passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have a fine family of seven children: Albert, Oscar, Meda, Nancy, Della, Esther and Hiram. Meda, who passed away in March, 1921, was the wife of Nels Peterson, who is engaged in farming not far distant from the home of his wife's father. All of the other children are at home with their parents.
LOUIS F. FRYAR
Louis F. Fryar, engaged in the abstract and insurance business at Clay . Center, was born in Darke county, Ohio, November 1, 1842, a son of Hezekiah and Delilah (Spencer) Fryar, the former a native of Virginia, while the latter was born in Maryland. The parents spent the greater part of their lives in Darke county, Ohio, and were there residing when called to the home beyond.
Louis F. Fryar spent his boyhood days in his native county and pursued his
LOUIS F. FRYAR
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education in the district schools, remaining in Ohio until 1860, when he removed to Rock Island county, Illinois. There in 1861 he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company A, Thirty-seventh Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, with which he served for four years and nine months during the Civil war. He participated in several important battles and at all times loyally defended the interests of the Union until victory perched upon the starry banner of the nation.
Returning to Illinois after the war Mr. Fryar there resided until 1869, when he came to Nebraska, taking up his abode in Thayer county. In the fall of 1870, he came to Clay county, settling at Liberty Farm, and when the town of Fair- field was established a year and a half later, he removed to that place and opened an implement business. In 1882 he removed to Clay Center, where he has since resided, and as one of the pioneer settlers and progressive citizens, he has contrib- uted in large measure to the progress and development of this section of the state. His fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth and ability, elected him county clerk in 1882, and he filled that position most acceptably for eight years. He was also county supervisor for some time and his public duties have ever been discharged with conscientious fidelity. Taking up the real estate business a num- ber of years ago, he has since been active in that line. He has given his atten- tion almost exclusively to this business since ahout 1892, previous to which time he served as private secretary under Benjamin R. Cowdery, secretary of state, from 1889 until 1891.
In the year 1873 Mr. Fryar was married to Miss Laura A. Bancroft a native of New Hampshire, who taught school for a number of years in Clay county prior to her marriage. They became the parents of five children : Louis C., who has charge of the books for the Johnson Incubator Company of Clay Center, and has been secretary and treasurer of the company for a number of years; Mabel, the wife of C. J. Keith, living on a farm near Bladen, Nebraska ; Myrtle, who is a twin sister of Mabel and is the wife of A. B. Jones of Mitchell, Nebraska; Earl, living at Clay Center, Nebraska, where he is filling the position of chief clerk in the postoffice ; and Stanley, who is in the office of the Incubator Company at Clay Center.
Mr. Fryar is well known in Masonic circles and has attained the thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite aud is also a Knight Templar. He likewise belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and has served as commander of his post. In politics he has always been a stalwart republican. After his service in the Civil war, he became a member of the state militia and so continued from June, 1869, until November as a member of Company A, First Regiment of Mili- tary Cavalry. He has always been interested in the military conditions and questions before the country and his influence has always been on the side of prog- ress and improvement. IIe is indeed one of the pioneer settlers of Clay county, and one who has contributed in large measure to its welfare and progress. On coming to Nebraska, he homesteaded in Jones county, now Thayer county, in 1869 and lived on the land for a short time but afterward sold it and became identified with the interests of Clay county, where he has taken part in many measures and projects that have been of direct value to this section of the state. He now devotes his entire time to his abstract and insurance business and has gained
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a good clientage in this connection. Enterprise and ability have brought him to the front and at all times he has faithfully discharged the duties of citizenship, making a splendid public official and doing everything in his power to advance the welfare and progress of the community, commonwealth and country, his loyalty in days of peace being of the same character as that which prompted his enlistment in active service in defense of the Union during the Civil war.
JOHN GEORGE
John George, a retired farmer living in Aurora, was born in Russia, December 11, 1854. He is a son of Christ and Frede (Myer) George, who were also of Russian birth. The father came to Hamilton county, Nebraska, in 1876, secured a homestead elaim and spent his remaining days here, his attention being. devoted to the occupation of farming. He was the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land at the time of his demise. When he began he had a small sod house and little money with which to carry on the work of improving his farm, but as the years passed his labors wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of his land which in the course of years yielded him a good harvest. To him and his wife were born nine children, of whom eight are living: Henry, a farmer residing near Loup City, Nebraska ; Christ, a retired farmer of Aurora; Jacob, who has also retired from agricultural pursuits and lives in Aurora; John, of this review ; Fred, owner of a fruit ranch in California; Gus, a stockman, residing at Erieson, Nebraska; Adam, who is engaged in general farming in this county; and Josephine, the wife of August Holdgraf, a retired farmer of Aurora. The parents were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and politically Mr. George was a republican.
In the schools of his native country John George obtained his education and on coming to the United States in 1874, when a young man of nineteen years, settled in Hamilton county. He first worked by the month as a farm hand, re- ceiving a wage of sixteen dollars per month for two and a half years. He was ambitious to engage in business on his own account, however, and contracted for land from the railroad company. On his purchase he made a cash payment of fifty-seven dollars down and paid the remainder in ten years, acquiring one hundred and sixty acres for which he paid five dollars per aere. He still owns this land which is situated in Beaver precinct and is valuable farm property. He subse- quently purchased one hundred and twenty acres more which is also still in his possession. Year after year he carefully tilled the soil and to his farm added many modern equipments and improvements. In 1917, however, he left the farm and removed to Aurora, where he erected a nice home at No. 1016 Sixteenth street. While he is living practically retired he makes frequent visits to his farm to give general supervision thereto and it is regarded as one of the splendidly improved properties of the district.
In 1881 Mr. George was married to Miss Amelia Holdgraf, who was born in Missouri, a daughter of S. H. and C. M. (Osthoff) Holdgraf, who were natives of Germany and came to the United States about 1848. They settled in Missouri
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and the father there followed the profession of teaching. He afterward removed to Freeport, Illinois, where he taught for a number of years and in November, 1872, became a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, and was teacher of German in the public schools there. To him and his wife were born ten children, of whom three are living, Mrs. George being the seventh child. The parents were members of the Evangelical church in which her father was a minister, acting at one time as minister of the church at Aurora.
Mr. and Mrs. George have become parents of three children: R. G., who was educated in Aurora and is now on his father's farm; Clara, who is employed in the Farmer's State Bank at Aurora; and Mata, at home. The parents are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. George votes with the republican party. He has served on the school board and the cause of education has found in him a warm friend. He stands loyally by all those projects which promise progress and improvement in public affairs and is interested in all that pertains to the welfare and upbuilding of the community. His own life illustrates what could be accomplished through individual effort and determined purpose, for he started out in the business world empty handed and all he has won and enjoyed is at- tributable entirely to his own labors.
ALBERT HULTINE
Albert Hultine, owner of the Gray Gable stock farm in Eldorado township and one of the leading stock raisers of Clay county, was born in that county on the 2d of January, 1877, a son of John and Emma (Nelson) Hultine. The father came to Clay county in 1872 and for some time worked for the Burlington Railroad at Hastings and other places farther west. Later he acquired a homestead, section 12 of Lewis precinct, and there built his first house of sod and a barn. In later years he built a more modern dwelling of frame with a sod kitchen and bedroom. Mr. Hultine broke some of his land himself and hired the rest of it done. He put out many shade trees on the place and an orchard. Indians were frequent visitors to the homestead, where they begged for food and warmth and the hospitality of John Hultine was known far and wide. There was plenty of game in the vicinity of the farm, a few buffaloes but many antelopes, and hunting in those days was more a necessity than a pleasure. During the severe blizzard of 1873, which lasted several days, Mr. Hultine lost his hat and the following spring found it in a creek one mile from the house. In order to secure provisions trips had to be made to Sutton and Grafton and fuel was obtained from along the creek banks. Although Mr. Hultine met with many overwhelming discouragements he had determined to succeed, and as a result of his grim determination and intelligently directed efforts was in possession of four hundred acres of fine land at the time of his death. His demise occurred in 1892 and in his passing Clay county lost another of her pioneer citizens. In religious circles of the county John Hultine was most prominent, having been one of the organizers of the Swedish Lutheran church, which he served as deacon for many years. He also assisted in the organization of the first school district and served as school treasurer.
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Albert Hultine received his education in the public schools of his native county and after putting his textbooks aside engaged with his father in farming for some time. He then decided to enter that line of work on his own account and now owns nine hundred and sixty acres of land. He started a shorthorn cattle ranch in 1899. For seven years he engaged in breeding this grade of cattle and then began to raise the polled (now known as shorthorn) cattle, in which line he is still specializ- ing. He has one of the finest cattle ranches in the county and is widely known throughout the state and country as a stockman of much ability. At all important stock shows Mr. Hultine has had some of his cattle on display and has carried off many prizes. For three years in succession he took the grand champion prize on females at the International Stock Show in Chicago, and took eight first prizes there also. At the same place in 1920 he won the senior and junior awards and had a grand champion female. For eight years he has had entries in the Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas State fairs and in 1920 had a grand champion male and female at the Iowa state fair, a female grand champion in Nebraska, and in Kansas received the awards for both male and female grand champion. In the stock show at Denver in January, 1921, in the competition of shorthorn cattle Mr. Hultine took first prize on a female two-year-old ; a two-year-old bull won third prize, a cow won fourth place and Mr. Hultine took fourth prize on his aged herd.
In 1901 Mr. Hultine was united in marriage to Hulda England and they have two children: Lloyd and Cleo, both at home.
Politically Mr. Hultine is an independent voter, giving his support to the man he thinks most suited for the office, regardless of party. The religious faith of the family is that of the Swedish Lutheran church. The success of Mr. Hultine as a stock raiser is widely known, not only throughout this country but in foreign countries as well. Last year he shipped a bull to Australia and three heifers to Uruguay, South America, and this year will ship two bulls and two heifers to Uruguay. Although Mr. Hultine devotes the greater part of his time to his stock raising he is interested in the improvement and development of the community and also has an interest in the elevators at Saronville.
BEN PABEN
Ben Paben has become specially well known as one of the progressive and suc- cessful exponents of live stock industry in Hamilton county, where his well improved agricultural and stock farm is eligibly situated in Otis township, his attractive farm being in section 24 of that township. He was born in Menard county, Illinois, in the year 1862, but was only six years of age when his parents came to the new state of Nebraska, which had just emerged from the territorial régime, and numbered themselves among the pioneer settlers in Otoe county, where he was reared to manhood and where he received the advantages of the common schools of the period. Mr. Paben continued his active association with farm enter- prise in that county until 1892, when he came to Hamilton county and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 24, Otis township, where he has since maintained his home. Only forty acres of this tract had been broken when he
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assumed possession, but all is now available for effective cultivation, while he has made the best of improvements on the place, including the erection of modern buildings. With increasing prosperity he has added gradually to his land holdings until he is now the owner of a valuable property of four hundred and eighty acres. While showing discrimination and progressiveness in the agricultural department of his farm enterprise Mr. Paben has given much study and attention to the raising and feeding of live stock, has for a number of years maintained on his farm the best types of full-blooded cattle and hogs and he attributes much of his success as an agriculturist and stock raiser to his insistent policy of keeping in touch with modern and scientific methods and policies. He encountered his quota of losses through seasons of drought and through grasshopper visitations, but he has looked upon these reverses as far from the normal trend of affairs in the county and state and his substantial success has fully justified his confidence and persistent applica- tion. He takes loyal interest in community affairs but has had no desire for political activity nor public office.
At the age of twenty-seven years Mr. Paben was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Neubauer, who was born and reared in Nebraska, and of this union have been born ten children, all of whom are living, namely: William, Matilda, Katie, Archie, Lulu, Clarence, Hazel, Mabel, Pearl, and Irvin. In the attractive home circle is found also an adopted daughter, Floyd. William, the eldest son, is now a prosperous farmer in Valley county, and the eldest daughter, Matilda, is the wife of John Wesley, likewise a farmer in York county.
EMIL ANDERSON
Emil Anderson is progressive in his activities as one of the representative agri- culturists and stock raisers of Hamilton county, his farm being in section 9, Monroe and Phillips township. He was born in Sweden in the year 1873, the date of his nativity having been August 27, and he was but a boy when his parents numbered themselves among the sturdy pioneer settlers of Hamilton county, Nebraska. He is a son of Carl and Anna Anderson, who immigrated to America in 1878 and who, after remaining about four months in the city of Chicago, came to Nebraska. The father obtained wild land in Hamilton county and instituted the development of the fine farm now owned and occupied by his son Emil, the immediate subject of this review. On this old homestead Carl Anderson passed the remainder of his life, and here he died at the age of seventy years. On first coming to the county he rented land, but in 1888 purchased a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, this being the farm which he brought to productiveness and which represented his home at the time of his death, his widow being now a resident of Tacoma, Washington.
Emil Anderson was reared and educated in Hamilton county and he recalls that in his boyhood days Indians were still in evidence in this section of the state, while herds of antelopes were frequently to be seen. He was reared under the conditions and influences of the pioneer farm which is the present stage of his activities and which he rents from his widowed mother. He recalls the little sod house of two rooms which was the first home of the family and realizes fully the burdens and
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responsibilities borne by his honored parents in connection with the hardships that marked the pioneer period in the history of this section of Nebraska. He has literally grown up with the country and has continuously been associated with farm enterprise, having assumed control of the old home farm in the year 1900, and his success has been on a par with his energy and good judgment in his agricultural and live stock enterprise. The family name is one that has long been honored in connection with the civic and industrial history of Hamilton county, and he is fully upholding its prestige.
In 1900 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Anderson to Miss Emma Berg- mark, daughter of John Bergmark, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this work, and the two children of this union are Myrtle and Irving.
Mr. Anderson's political allegiance is given to the republican party ; he served as township assessor in 1919-20 and has given effective service also as moderator of the school board of his district. He and his wife hold membership in the Swedish Mission church of their community.
LEVI E. OTTO
For twenty-eight years Levi E. Otto was a resident of the state of Nebraska and his death occurred at Aurora on the 12th of January, 1916. He had been living retired in Aurora since 1911 and his death caused a deep feeling of bereave- ment to sweep the community in which he had made so many friends.
Levi E. Otto was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, on the 26th of April, 1861, and when four years of age removed with his parents to McLean county, Illinois, where he was reared on a farm. He received his education in the country schools of the county and after putting his textbooks aside engaged in farming with his father until twenty-one years of age. In 1884 he came to Hamilton county, but later returned to Illinois, where he was married in 1885. In 1888 Mr. Otto came to Nebraska and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of fine land in Deepwell township, for twenty-five dollars per acre. He brought this land to a state of high cultivation and continued to add to it until he was finally in possession of fourteen hundred acres of well improved land. He engaged in stock feeding on quite an extensive scale and put most of his land in grain. It was not long before he became a very well known member of the community in which he resided and was widely recognized as a successful and progressive agri- culturist. Not only was Mr. Otto prominent in agricultural circles but he was one of the organizers and president of the Phillips Bank for many years and was also largely interested in the elevator and lumber yards at that place.
On the 8th of March, 1885, occurred the marriage of Mr. Otto and Miss Louella Barbee, a native of McLean county, Illinois, and to them the following children were born: Edgar, who is residing on the home farm; Homer, who is farming in Hamilton county ; Gertrude, now the wife of Frank Wright, a Hamilton county farmer; Harvey, who is residing in Deepwell township; Lester and Clarence, both farmers of Hamilton county ; and Dorothy, at home. Homer and Clarence run a
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MR. AND MRS. LEVI E. OTTO
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dairy near Aurora. One child, Clara, died at the age of six months. All the children with the exception of Clara, were born in Nebraska.
The life of Mr. Otto was one of diligence and industry and as a result his last years were spent in retirement. He was one of the foremost agriculturists and stock feeders in the community and in both business and financial circles of Phillips he was also prominent. He was the second largest taxpayer in Hamil- ton county in personal property. Their first property of one hundred and sixty acres had few small improvements when he bought. He developed this all. Mr. Otto was always active in any movement for the development and improvement of the community and for many years was a member of the school board. His death left a void in the community that will be hard to fill for in his passing Aurora and Hamilton county lost a representative citizen.
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