USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 39
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 39
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
386
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
parents and all remain residents of Hamilton county, namely : William, Alfred, Charles, Lydia, Oscar and Peter. William, eldest of the sons, married Miss Tillie Norsen, whose father is a clergyman of the Lutheran church; Alfred, the second son, is still a bachelor; Charles married Miss Emma Swedburg; Lydia is the wife of Carl Lorentz; Oscar married Miss Cora Taylor ; and Peter married Miss Hazel Lonsberry, whose paternal grandfather was the pioneer shoemaker at Aurora, Hamilton county.
Mr. Hanson was a native of Sweden and was an ambitious young man when he came to the United States and became identified with farm work near Princeton, Illinois, in which state was solemnized his marriage to his first wife, who shared with him in the trials and hardships of pioneer life in Nebraska. After her death Mr. Hanson married Miss Bettie Pearson, of Omaha, in 1904, and she now maintains her home at Aurora, the county seat of Hamilton county. No children were born of this second marriage.
FRANK C. MILLER
Frank C. Miller, who since 1919 has been manager for the Farmers Truck & Tractor Company at Aurora, was born in Blackhawk county, Iowa, November 21, 1880, his parents being W. A. and Nora A. (Will) Miller, both of whom are natives of Pennsylvania but in early life became residents of Iowa, where the father eventually took up and followed the occupation of farming. In 1888 he left that state to become a resident of York county, Nebraska, where he purchased land which he cultivated for a time and then sold, removing to Hamilton county. Here he again made investment in land, upon which he resided until 1919, when he removed to Aurora and retired from active business. He is still a resident of this city and he and his wife are highly esteemed in the community in which they make their home. They hold membership in the Christian church and Mr. Miller also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being loyal to the teachings and purposes of both organizations. His political endorsement is given to the repub- lican party, but honors and emoluments of office have never had attraction for him. To him and his wife have been born two children, the younger being a daughter, Mabel, who is now the wife of O. C. Wingard, a resident farmer of Hamilton county.
Frank C. Miller was educated in the country schools of York county and in his youthful days had thorough experience in farm work but afterward learned the machinist's trade in York and for a number of years was a traction engineer. His broad experience in that direction well qualified him for the work which he un- dertook when in 1919 he accepted the management of the Farmers Truck & Tractor Company. He has thoroughly studied the question of tractors and their practical value to the farmer and is now devoting his entire attention to the business.
In 1900 Mr. Miller was married to Miss Maggie Keller, who was born near Council Bluffs, Iowa, and they have become parents of three children: Gladys, the wife of L. M. Brown, a railroad man of Aurora; Glenn, at home; and Fern, who is in school. Mrs. Miller and her children are members of the Christian church and Mr. Miller is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
387
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He casts his ballot without regard to party ties but is never remiss in the duties of citizenship, supporting all those projects and measures which he deems of value in the public welfare.
WILLIAM T. RONAN
Business ability and energy have brought William T. Ronan to the place which he now occupies as one of the substantial citizens and men of affluence in Aurora. Through the steps of an orderly progression he has worked his way steadily upward and for many years was actively engaged in farming, thereby winning the pros- perity that now enables him to rest from further labor. Born in Sutton, Canada, November 2, 1859, he is a son of Thomas and Mary (Perry) Ronan, both of whom were natives of Ireland but in early life crossed the Atlantic to Canada, where they were married. The father was a shoemaker by trade and after his removal to Chicago in 1867 there followed his trade for a number of years. Later he went to De Kalb, Illinois, where both he and his wife passed away. Of their family the following children are living: Richard, who works for the American Steel Company at De Kalb, Illinois; William T .; John J., a resident of Dean, Nebraska; Frank, a Chicago painting and decorating contractor; James, of Elgin, Illinois, who is a painting contractor; Theodore, who is engaged in the same line of business at Elgin, Illinois; Mary, the wife of Francis Lyon, residing in Montana ; Maggie, the wife of Robert C. Davy, of De Kalb, Illinois; and Rachel, the widow of Charles Weston and a resident of De Kalb. The father was a member of the Catholic church, while the mother was of the Presbyterian faith. His political endorse- ment was given to the democratic party but he was never an aspirant for office. The success which he achieved caused him to be ranked with the self-made men, for he started out empty-handed and ere his demise had accumulated a considerable competence.
William T. Ronan was educated in the schools of Chicago and De Kalb and when quite young began to earn his living by work as a farm hand. He was also employed for eight or nine years in the barbed wire factory of De Kalb, Illinois, now the American Steel Company, and during the last two years of his residence in that state he engaged in the cultivation of a rented farm. In the spring of 1887 he arrived in Hamilton county and purchased two hundred and forty aeres at twenty-five dollars per acre, after which he gave his attention to general agri- cultural pursuits for more than a quarter of a century or until 1913 when he sold eighty acres of his land, retaining the balance. He then took up his abode in Aurora, where he purchased a house and some lots and is now occupying a new and attractive home at Eleventh and J streets.
On Christmas day of 1883 Mr. Ronan wedded Emma Lyon, a native of De Kalb, Illinois, and a sister of Mrs. Ella Lysinger. She passed away in June, 1916, leaving four children: Ethel, the wife of George H. Houser, a music teacher in the public schools of Aurora; William E., a resident of Aurora; Ross I., who is employed by the Burlington Railroad Company at Aurora; and Percy R., of Kearney, who works for the Electric Light and Power Company. The wife and
388
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
mother was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church and was highly es- teemed by all who knew her. On the 22d of January, 1918, Mr. Ronan was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Mary E. Cain, widow of J. B. Cain, who was born in Pike county, Illinois, a daughter of John and Isabelle (Douglas) Potter, the former born in Pike county, while the latter was born in Scotland. Her father was a farmer of Illinois for a number of years and in 1882 came to Nebraska, at which time he purchased land in Hamilton county where he made his home until his death. Mr. Potter passed away November 19, 1920, at the venerable age of seventy-nine. He was a democrat in his political views and both he and his wife were members of the United Brethren church. They had two children : William D., who is upon a farm near Aurora; and Mrs. Ronan. The latter was first married to John D. C'ain, who was a prominent citizen of Aurora and who was born in Morgan county, Ohio, where his parents resided until he was ten years of age. His father served in the One Hundred and Sixty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war and lost his eyesight as the result of his military experience. John B. Cain, by reason of his father's affliction, had to assume the entire support of the family. He came to Hamilton county in 1882 and took charge of his father's homestead claim, whereon his father passed away. Mr. Cain served as county commissioner of Hamilton county and was also a member of the state legislature. He was interested in everything that pertained to the progress and prosperity of the community and the commonwealth and his aid was given to many measures for the general good. To him and his wife was born a daughter, Marietta, who is now living with Mr. and Mrs. Rouan. Mr. Ronan's sons, Ross I. and William E., joined Company H, the first company of Nebraska troops, and were trained at Deming, New Mexico, where they remained for a year and then went overseas, continuing in France from October until the spring of 1919.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Ronan are consistent Christian people, the former belonging to the Presbyterian church and the latter to the United Brethren church. He is also a Mason, having membership in lodge, chapter and council, and has filled all of the chairs in the lodge save that of master. Politically he is a democrat and has filled the office of chief of police in Aurora. He is now retired from all kinds of business, his success being made possible through his former industry and perseverance, his persistent labor and sound judgment bringing him a very gratify- ing measure of success.
MARTIN W. JAMES
Martin W. James, living in Aurora, las in recent years put aside the active duties of farm life and he and his wife now occupy an attractive home at 1219 Sixth street, where they are most pleasantly situated. Mr. James is one of the substantial citizens Ohio has furnished to Hamilton county. His birth occurred in Columbiana county, Ohio, January 5, 1845, his parents being John and Elizabeth Ann (Queen) James, who were also natives of the Buckeye state, where they resided until removing to Knox county, Illinois, where they settled at an early period
MR. AND MRS. MARTIN W. JAMES
Vol. II-25
391
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
in the development of that section of the country. The father followed farming there during the greater part of his life but worked as a switchman on the railroad during his last year on earth. He gave his early political support to the whig party but upon its dissolution joined the ranks of the new republican party and both he and his wife were members of the Christian church.
Martin W. James is the only surviving member in their family of five children. His educational opportunities were those afforded by the public school system of Knox county, Illinois, and in the spring of 1865, when about twenty years of age, he entered military service and remained with the Union army until honorably discharged the following fall. He was on duty in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama. After the war he supplemented his early education by a term's study in Abingdon, Illinois.
The following year, or on the 22d of February, 1866, Mr. James was married to Miss Martha A. Brown, who was born in Franklin county, Indiana, a daughter of Henry and Amariah (Springsteel) Brown, both of whom were natives of Hamilton county, Ohio, and in early life became residents of Indiana, where they were reared and married. They afterward removed to Illinois and in that state the mother passed away in 1858. The father long survived her, his death occurring in Nebraska in 1901. Mr. and Mrs. James have become the parents of three children, but only one is living, Charles D., who is a farmer residing near Ericson, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. James have a grandson, Leslie James Alter, who was in the World war, serving as sergeant of Company M, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Infantry, Thirty-second Division. He was in France for one year and seven months and was badly wounded in the battle of Chateau Thierry, that important engagement which first turned the tide of battle and caused the German hordes to turn their faces toward their own country, toward which they were forced to continue their march until driven across the Rhine. Leslie James Alter was also at the peace commission from December until July, 1919, attending to military messenger service. His grandparents reared the boy, his mother having died when he was but thirteen months old.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. James continued residents of Knox county, Illinois, then moved to Iowa where they lived for fourteen years and in 1884 they came to Hamilton county and Mr. James purchased two hundred acres of land on which was a sod house, a granary and a stable. With characteristic energy he began the further development and improvement of the property and soon brought his fields under a high state of cultivation. He continued to reside upon that farm for nineteen years and annually gathered good crops as the reward of the care and labor which he bestowed upon the fields. He then sold his original . place and purchased two hundred and sixty acres of land near Marquette, on which he lived for three years. At the end of that time he disposed of his second farm and in 1906 removed to Aurora. For a few years he continued to trade in land to some extent but has now retired altogether from business and he and his wife occupy a pleasant home at 1219 Sixth street. He was the possessor of four thousand dollars when he came to the county and was considered well off for those days. During his first season in Hamilton county he lost his crop by reason of a hail storm, but though at times difficulties and obstacles barred his path he nevertheless persevered and in the course of years won a substantial competence and desirable
392
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
success. Both Mr. and Mrs. James are members of the Christian church and he belongs also to the Grand Army of the Republic, having served as commander of the local post, while his wife is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps. Mr. James is a republican in his political views, having always stood loyally by that party which was the defense of the Union in the dark days of the Civil war and has always been the party of reform and progress. Mr. James and his wife celebrated their golden wedding on February 22, 1916.
D. W. DULAIGH, D. D. S.
Since 1903 Dr. D. W. Dulaigh has been prominent in dental circles of Sutton and Clay county. A native son of Nebraska, he was born in Dorchester, October ?, 1875, his parents being B. F. and Sarah (Denton) Dulaigh, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Illinois. Their marriage was celebrated in Illinois, where both had come as young people and there the father engaged in teaching school for a number of years. In 1874, however, they came to Nebraska and bought a homestead right. The father set about to improve the farm and as a result of his diligence and grim determination brought the land up to a high state of cultivation. For some time Mr. and Mrs. Dulaigh resided on the homestead and then retired from active farm life and removed to Dorchester, where they are still residing. Five children have been born to them, four of whom are living: Nora, who is the wife of William Baker, a farmer of Elm Creek; Cora, who is now Mrs. A. J. Britton and resides in Loveland, Colorado, where her husband is prominent in hardware circles : Ella, who is a widow and makes her home in Lincoln; and Dr. D. W., whose name initiates this review. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dulaigh are members of the United Brethren church and they are strong prohibitionists. Upon the outbreak of the Civil war Mr. Dulaigh was too young to enter active service but he drove a team throughout the period of the conflict, hauling supplies and other materials. He has been a very successful man and is still in possession of his original homestead.
Dr. D. W. Dulaigh received his education in the Dorchester schools and after teaching school for three years and deciding upon the dental profession as his life work, entered the dental department of the State University at Omaha, from which institution he was graduated with his degree in 1903. In that year he opened an office in Sutton and now has the distinction of being the oldest practicing dentist in Clay county. Every minute of his time is taken up by the demands of his pro- fession and he has all the patronage he can ably manage.
In 1908 Dr. Dulaigh was united in marriage to Miss Frances Kleinschmidt, a native of Sutton and a daughter of August Kleinschmidt, a pioncer of Clay county. Dr. and Mrs. Dulaigh became parents of one child: Dwight Francis, four years of age. The death of Mrs. Dulaigh occurred on the 24th of December, 1920, and was an occasion of deep grief to her family and many friends.
In his political views Dr. Dulaigh is a stanch republican and is now serving on the city council. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church and fraternally he is a Mason. He is a Royal Arch Mason, a Shriner and has obtained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He is master of Evening
.
393
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
Star Lodge, No. 49. Dr. Dulaigh also holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is past noble grand of that lodge. Although the greater part of his time is devoted to his dental practice he buys and sells real estate as a side line and is in the possession of a splendid farm in Wyoming.
ALBERT J. MOGER
Albert .J. Moger, now deceased, was for many years engaged in the implement business at Harvard. He was born in La Grange county, Indiana, April 3, 1851, and died on the 29th of July, 1920. His parents were Edward J. and Emaline A. (Buck) Moger, both natives of New York state. The grandfather of our subject was Jordan Moger and his wife was Phoebe Lyon, both of them being natives of Westchester county, New York. After their marriage the grandparents removed to New York city, where the grandfather became a member of the police force. He died there in 1829. Edward J. Moger was left an orphan at the age of twelve years and inherited forty aeres of land in La Grange county, Indiana, which he com- menced farming on his own account when reaching man's estate. He also became efficient in harness making and worked at that trade for a number of years. In 1848 Edward Moger was married and soon afterward left Indiana and located in Illinois, near Princeton, where he engaged in farming and worked at his trade. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in 1862 in the Union army, as a member of Company B, Ninety-third Illinois Infantry. He was taken ill at Camp Douglas, returned home and there remained until the 12th of December, when he again joined his regiment at Memphis, Tennessee. He was first in the quarter- master's department and later in the post office department, his sickness having incapacitated him for active military duty. On the 5th of July, 1865, he received his discharge at Detroit, Michigan, and returned to Illinois, where he accepted a clerkship in a general store, remaining in that connection until 1871. In the spring of that year Mr. Moger came to Clay county and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Harvard township. During his first years on the homestead he passed through many hardships but being a man of strong determina- tion and energy he allowed no obstacles to remain long in his path and as a result soon had his land in a high state of cultivation. He erected many outbuildings on the land, the improvements being above the average, and he became one of the leading and representative agriculturists of the county. From 1877 to 1890 he engaged in the practice of law with Judge John D. Hays, having offices at Harvard, but at the end of that time resumed his farming. He was one of the organizers of Clay county in 1871 and obtained the charter from the governor. In 1848 Edward Moger was united in marriage to Miss Emaline A. Buck, a daughter of Enoch and Betsy (Pittgrove) Buck, natives of New York state. They became the parents of six children : Albert J., whose name initiates this review ; Phoebe E., who was born on the 31st of July, 1853; Walter E., born May 14, 1858; W. II., whose birth occurred on the 1st of March, 1860, and who died on the 1st of December, that same year; Mary O., whose natal day was November 17, 1861; and Edward, born April 15, 1866. After the death of his first wife Mr. Moger wedded Mrs. McCor-
394
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
mick, a widow. As a veteran of the Civil war Mr. Moger belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic and was active in the affairs of his local post. Both he and his wife were consistent members of the Congregational church. His death, which occurred May 7, 1896, came as a severe shock to the community in which he had so long resided and his passing took from Clay county another pioneer and repre- sentative citizen. A few years prior to his death Edward Moger had lived retired in Inland.
Albert Jordan Moger received his education in the schools of Dover, Illinois, and in 1871 came to Clay county with his parents. For many years he engaged in the implement business at Harvard and demonstrated his ability along that line by achieving more than a substantial amount of success.
In 1881 Mr. Moger was married to Miss Luella Kennedy, a native of McHenry county, Illinois, and a daughter of Andrew and Laura (Bostwick) Kennedy, both natives of Buffalo, who removed to Illinois at an early day. They both passed away in that state. Her father had resided in Harland county, Nebraska, for some years on a homestead, but subsequently disposed of it and returned to Illinois. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Moger four children were born: Emily Viola, who married Louis Mark and lives at Ravenna, where her husband is a railroad engineer and they have two sons, Edward and Dorr; Florence Olive, who is the wife of Harley Warner, a farmer of Clay county, and they have four children: Clayton, Edgar, Mary Lou Olive, and Wayne; Charles Jordan, farmer and the father of two daughters : Mildred May and Wilma; and Samuel Wayne, district county court clerk. Wayne served in the World war, having enlisted in the navy and serving throughout the entire conflict. He was the first Harvard boy to enter the navy and was presented with a handsome wrist watch by his fellow citizens of Harvard.
Throughout his life Mr. Moger was a stanch supporter of the republican party and of the principles for which it stands. At the time of his death he was clerk of the district court and his son, Samuel Wayne, succeeded him. His religious faith was that of the Congregational church, which organization he served as deacon for many years and his fraternal affiliations were with the Woodmen. He was always active in the development and improvement of the community and any movement for the furtherance of the general welfare was assured his undivided support. He was a stanch advocate of education and to that end served as presi- " dent of the school board for five years. Mr. Moger was a man of great intellect and spent the greater part of his spare time in reading good books. His course was in accord with that of an honored and honorable ancestry and during his active and useful life he made wise use of his time, talents and opportunities.
ORSON SHAW
In section 29, Hamilton township, is the excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres which belongs to Orson Shaw, who is known as a successful agriculturist and sheep raiser and who has been a resident of Hamilton county since he was fourteen years of age. He is associated with his brother, Albert, in the ownership
395
HAMILTON AND CLAY COUNTIES
of the farm which is his place of residence and is the old homestead obtained by his father in the autumn of 1886.
Orson Shaw was born in Lake county, Indiana, on the 3d of April, 1872, and is a son of Lemiah and Emeline (Davis) Shaw, who left the old Hoosier state and became pioneer settlers in Hamilton county, Nebraska, in the fall of 1886. Here the father purchased the farm of one hundred and sixty acres that is now the home of the subject of this sketch, and with the aid of the sons the place was reclaimed and developed into one of the valuable farms of Hamilton township, its buildings and other permanent improvements being of modern type. The father passed the closing period of his life in the village of Giltner, this county, where he died on the 15th of January, 1909, and where his widow passed away in November, 1918.
In the public schools of Indiana Orson Shaw gained his earlier education, which was supplemented by his attendance at the district schools after the family home had been established on the pioneer farm in Hamilton county, Nebraska. Here he gained at first hand a full experience in connection with development work and other activities on the home farm, and he was well qualified to assume, in 1893, the general management of the place which has continued to be the scene of his well ordered and successful enterprise as an agriculturist and stock raiser.
The year 1893 recorded the marriage of Mr. Shaw to Miss Ethel M. Salter, and they have five children : Nettie E., Hazel M., George C., Elton L. and Max. Mr. Shaw is independent in politics and supports men and measures rather than party and he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. He has prospered with Hamilton county and is one of its loyal and appreciative citizens. Mr. Shaw had the distinction of being a passenger on the first passenger train to enter the present village of Giltner.
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.