USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 43
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 43
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Mr. Fisher gave his political allegiance to the republican party, having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good government. Fraterually he was a member of the Modern Woodmen. In all that he undertook Mr. Fisher was actuated by a spirit of unfaltering enterprise and indefatigable energy and he never stopped short of the successful accomplishment of his purpose. He was indeed a representative citizen and was recognized as one of the prominent and influential residents of Clay county.
FRANK E. QUINN
Frank E. Quinn, who is conducting a bakery and restaurant business in Aurora, was born in Macomb, Illinois, August 22, 1864, his parents being John and Mary (Savage) Quinn, both of whom were natives of Ireland. They come to the United States when children, settling first in Peoria, Illinois, and their marriage was celebrated in La Salle, that state. The father was a railroad man and became
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the first train master at Peoria. In 1860 he removed to Macomb, Illinois, where he spent his remaining days and his wife still occupies the old home farm in that locality. They were members of the Catholic church and Mr. Quinn gave his political allegiance to the democratic party. Their family numbered eight children, seven of whom are living.
Frank E. Quinn, the fourth in order of birth, was educated in the schools of Macomb, which he attended for three or four years and in the district schools fol- lowing the establishment of the family home upon a farm in McDonough county. He took up farming as a life work, being employed by others for about two years and then leaving Illinois made his way to Aurora, where he visited for a time in 1884 and then went west. He spent about four years in the west and on the expiration of that period returned to Aurora. In 1892 he established a bakery and restaurant and through the intervening period has carried on this business, covering almost three decades. His establishment has always been one of the leading business houses of the city and his patronage has been gratifying.
In 1892 Mr. Quinn was married to Miss Minnie R. Sauls, who was born in Illinois, and they became the parents of five children: John, who is in business with his father; and Helen, Harold, Margaret and Edwin, all at home. The wife and mother passed away in 1906. She was a consistent member of the Catholic church and Mr. Quinn also belongs to the church and to the Knights of Columbus at Hastings. He is likewise identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Highlanders. His political endorsement is given to the democratic party and in 1918 he was elected to the office of mayor, following four years' service as a member of the city council. He made an excellent record by the prompt and efficient manner in which he discharged his duties, looking ever to the civic develop- ment and civic honor of the city. He is a charter member of the Rotary Club and is widely known and highly esteemed as a business man and as a citizen. He is now giving his attention to his business affairs, in which his family are closely associated with him. His sons, Harold and John, were in the service in the World war, John spending a year overseas, while Harold enlisted in the regular army and was transferred to the Students Army Training Corps, being stationed at Manhattan, Kansas. They are now assisting their father, who is regarded as one of the successful business men of Aurora who through his persistency of purpose, his capable management and sound business judgment has won success. He is well liked, being a man of strong personality, and has gained many friends during the long period of his residence in Aurora.
ERNST BERGGREN
A resident of Hamilton county since 1884 Ernst Berggren here faced the trials and hardships which were the portion of the early settlers in general and he and his wife were fortunate in that they did not demand things that could not be obtained but proved themselves masters of expedients and calmly continued their earnest endeavors, assured in the confidence that eventually success would crown their efforts. This confidence has been fully justified by results and their beautiful
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rural home on one of the fine farms of Monroe township gives tangible evidence of the prosperity that is theirs.
Mr. Berggren was born in Sweden in the year 1857, the schools of his native land having afforded him his early education and his experience having been ex- panded by six years of service in the Swedish army. In his native land he mar- ried Miss Sarah Odell, and in 1884 they came to the United States, with Hamilton county, Nebraska, as their destination. In that year Mr. Berggren purchased a partly improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in section 2, Monroe township. For this property he paid at the rate of about twenty-five dollars an acre and around this nucleus has evolved his present finely improved and valuable farm estate of two hundred and forty acres. When he purchased his original farm its improvements were represented mainly in a small frame house, a windmill and a sod stable. In earlier years Mr. Berggren and his wife would at times go an entire year without having a dollar of currency in their possession, but they contrived to provide for themselves through the medium of their farm and did not sacrifice their independence. They met losses through drought and grasshopper and chinch bugs worked havoc with crops when Mr. Berggren first began to raise spring wheat. He has realized the splendid fertility of the soil of this section of Nebraska and has profited by the work which he has here performed, a visit to his native land having but enhanced his appreciation of the advantages and attractions of his Nebraska home. In 1900 he perfected the remodeling and modernizing of his present farm house, which is one of the attractive rural domiciles of the county, and all other improvements on his farm property give patent evidence of thrift and prosperity of no insignificant order. Mr. Berggren is a republican in politics, served two years as assessor of Monroe township and five years as a member of the school board of his district and he and his wife are consistent members of the Swedish Free church. They have four children : Knute E. has a homestead and is engaged in farming in the state of Montana; Erick remains at home and has the active management of the farm; Judith is the wife of Vern Miller of Hamilton county ; and Frances, who resides at home, is a successful teacher in the district schools.
M. R. WORTHINGTON
M. R. Worthington, numbered among the retired farmers living in Aurora, was born in Morgan county, Ohio, August 30, 1847, and has therefore passed the seventy-third milestone on life's journey. His parents were Thomas and Annie (Kane) Worthington, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of the Buckeye state. They were married in Ohio and in the year 1856 became residents of Iowa, where the father followed the occupation of farming. The year 1872 wit- nessed his removal to Hamilton county and here he took up a homestead, living in a dugout the first year and later building a sod house which in time was replaced by a more commodious frame dwelling. Year after year he carefully tilled the soil and developed his crops and both he and his wife continued on the old homestead until they were called to their final rest, Mr. Worthington had served his country as a soldier of the Civil war, enlisting in 1862 as a member of the Thirty-sixth
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Iowa Infantry with which he was on duty for three years and two months, valiantly defending the stars and stripes. He was a republican in his political views and both were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which Mrs. Worthington took a very active and helpful part. In the course of an active life Mr. Worthington accumulated one hundred and sixty acres of land but was always a liberal man, generous with his means and constantly extending a helping hand to others. His last days were spent in honorable retirement on his homestead. To him and his wife were born three children, two of whom are living, the younger being L. B. Worthington, a retired farmer residing in Aurora, and the other M. R. Worthington of this review. The daughter Mary, who is deceased, was the wife of William Boyer.
M. R. Worthington of this review obtained a limited education in the schools of Iowa, for he was the eldest son in the family and had to assist his mother during the period of the Civil war when his father was on the battle fields of the south. At length he started out on his own account, renting land in Iowa before his removal to Nebraska and his early training and experience stood him in good stead in the successful conduct of his farming interests. In 1867 he was married and for five years longer continued to make his home in Iowa, coming to Hamilton county in 1872. Here he homesteaded eighty acres and purchased from his brother an additional tract of eighty acres, while from his father he secured forty, then added more and still later bought land making three hundred and twenty acres. Thus from time to time he added to his property until it became a valuable and extensive tract of land. His experiences were such as usually fell to the lot of the pioneer. A dugout was his first home and afterward he lived in a sod house. He went through all of the hardships of real pioneer life but in the course of years was able to add to his farm all modern improvements and equipments and he trans- formed his land into rich and fertile fields which he brought under a high state of cultivation. In March, 1910, he removed to Aurora, where he purchased a residence which he has since occupied. Great, indeed, have been the changes which have occurred during his connection with Hamilton county, for when he came here game of all kinds was plentiful and it was no unusual thing to see Indians passing through on hunting trips. Mr. Worthington was living here during the memorable Easter storm and during the year of the grasshopper scourge when the insects de- stroyed all crops. He had journeyed from Ohio to Iowa in a covered wagon and in the same manner traveled from Iowa to Nebraska, reaching here with practically no possessions save his team and wagon, for he had only five dollars when he had paid for his homestead right. He expended two and a half dollars for a pair of shoes for his wife and thus had left only an equal sum. One of his horses was killed by lightning in 1874, so that he had but one remaining. In that same year he had planted thirteen acres to wheat and other fields to corn, which was destroyed by the grasshoppers. In the fall of that year he returned to Iowa, where he engaged in trading horses during the winter and in the following spring he again came to Hamilton county and followed teaming and come back with a good team, also bringing with him a good cow and sixty dollars in money as the result of the winter devoted to working in Iowa.
Mr. Worthington was married in 1867 to Hulda Jane Kaster, who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of Robert and Mary (McDaniel) Kaster, who were
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also natives of the Keystone state, whence they removed to Ripley county, Indiana. After living there for six years they became residents of Iowa, where they resided throughout their remaining days, the father devoting his life to the occupation of farming. To Mr. and Mrs. Worthington have been born four children: Mary is the wife of W. A. Eggert, a retired farmer of Aurora, and they have four children : Russell, Leo, Rissie and Thelma; Hattie Jane, the second of the family, is the wife of C. L. Rurup, who is engaged in the implement business at Utica, Nebraska, and they also have four children: Leland, Ernest, May and Esther; William, the third of the family, is upon a farm in Hamilton county. He is married and has six children : Harold, Mazel, Ivan, Garl, Margaret and Eldred; James R., living upon a farm in Hamilton county, is married and has two children, Vera and Lila.
Mr. and Mrs. Worthington belong to the Methodist Episcopal church and both are members of the Degree of Honor, while politically he supports the republican party. He is interested in everything that pertains to general progress and im- provement and his entire life has been actuated by a spirit of advancement that has brought him success in business and has made him a contributing factor to the development and interests of his adopted state.
GEORGE L. CAULKINS
ยท An active and useful life was brought to a close when on the 10th of May, 1920, George L. Canlkins was called to his final rest. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, September 23, 1859, and had spent the last thirteen years of his life in Aurora, He obtained a common school education in his native state and started out in the business world as a farmer. He went with the family to Kansas in 1886 and there worked by the month as a farm hand, having only fifty dollars when he reached the Sunflower state. He was employed at farm labor for twenty- five dollars per month and afterward purchased a team and wagon and drove across the country from Kansas to Hamilton county, sleeping under the wagon at night. This was in 1888 and it required four days to accomplish the trip. Mr. Caulkins was accompanied by his little family, for on the 29th of October, 1882, he had married Miss Lenora Davenport, who was born in Delaware county, Ohio, a daughter of Atwood and Avis (Dunham) Davenport, who were pioneer residents of the Buckeye state. The father was a farmer who also engaged in threshing and acted as mail carricr. He died in 1919, at the venerable age of eighty-five years. In his family were eight children, of whom seven are living, Mrs. Caulkins having been the third in order of birth.
When Mr. and Mrs. Caulkins reached Nebraska they had but two dollars and fifty-five cents in money, their team and wagon. They had started from their Kansas home with that sum of money and had expended not a cent while en route. The strictest economy and industry characterized their lives during the early period of their residence in Nebraska. Mr. Caulkins hired out by the month to Joshua Cox of Hampton at a wage of thirty-three and a third dollars per month and thus worked for a year. He then rented land for cash rent, but it was a dry year and they raised nothing. He continued to carry on farming for six years and
MR. AND MRS. GEORGE L. CAULKINS
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then went onto the Jim Cox place and engaged in feeding stock and farming on shares. He was eight hundred dollars in debt at that time, but he possessed a resolute will and unfaltering courage and these qualities at length enabled him to overcome the trials and obstacles that beset him. Later he bought a half section of land for ten thousand dollars, making a cash payment of two thousand dollars and eventually he cleared the place of all indebtedness, living thereon for about six years. He bought and sold other tracts of land from time to time, making good' success by reason of his careful investment and his sound judgment in busi- ness matters. At length he became the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of valuable land in Hamilton county, together with a nice home in Aurora. It was in December, 1907, that he took up his abode in the city and purchased a pleasant residence at No. 417 M street, at which time he retired from farming, spending his remaining days in the enjoyment of a rest which he had truly earned and richly deserved. To Mr. and Mrs. Caulkins were born three children, two of whom are living. The record is as follows: George Atwood, who died in Hamilton county in 1910; Lester J., who is living on his mother's farm; and Avis Roberts, who resides on a farm near Phillips, Nebraska.
Mr. Caulkins voted with the republican party but was never desirous of office as a reward for party fealty. He felt that his business affairs made full demand upon his time and energies and it was by reason of his close application, his thor- oughness and sound judgment that he gained a place among the prosperous men of this section of the state.
PETER A. BREHM
For many years Peter A. Brehm engaged in farming in Clay county and for eight years conducted a dairy business. His energy, progressiveness and activities were so wisely and carefully directed that they brought him a gratifying amount of success, with the result that he is now living retired in Harvard. He was born in Russia on the 29th of July, 1869, a son of William and Elizabeth (Brehm) Brehm, both natives of that country, where they were married. They emigrated to the United States in later life and settled in Clay county in 1878, where the father rented a farm for four years and then purchased one hundred and sixty acres of railroad land, for which he paid ten dollars per acre. There were no improvements on the farm but Mr. Brehm, with the aid of his sons, soon had the land in a high state of cultivation and after paying off all debts on the land retired to Sutton. There his death occurred in October, 1916, and his widow passed away in August, 1918. Six children were born to them; Henry, a retired butcher of Lincoln; Maggie, who is the wife of Adam Cook, a retired farmer of Kearney; C. W., a farmer of Lynn precinct, Clay county ; Peter A., whose name initiates this review ; W. H., a grocer of Lincoln; and Eliazbeth, who married Peter Cemerla and resides on a farm near Stratton. Throughout his life William Brehm was a stanch repub- lican and both he and his wife were members of the Evangelical church.
Peter A. Brehm received his education in Russia, up to nine years of age, attended schools after coming to America. He came with his parents to this
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country and engaged in farming in Clay county, where at one time he was in pos- session of a half section of land. He sold an eighty acre tract in 1920 for twenty thousand eight hundred dollars, on which he realized a fine profit for he had paid twenty-five hundred and fifty dollars for the eighty acres of land when he pur- chased it. For eight years Mr. Brehm ran a dairy farm, specializing in Holstein cows and in addition he raised the finest breeds of cattle. The place was well improved, having a large silo, barns and sheds of all kinds. He also raised and shipped some full-blooded buff Orpington chickens and became well known in that connection throughout the United States. In the winter of 1919 he shipped over one thousand dollars' worth of chickens. He resided on the farm until October, 1919, when he retired and removed to Harvard, where he built a nice home.
In 1890 occurred the marriage of Mr. Brehm and Miss Elizabeth Glantz, also a native of Russia, and a daughter of Conrad and Anna Vatrine Glantz, who came to the United States and located in Clay county in the '80s. Five children have been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Brehm: William, a stockman of this state; Harry, farming in Clay county ; Joseph, engaged in the lumber business at Kearney; Josie, who married Roy Slater, a farmer of Clay county ; and Leslie, who is attending school. Joseph enlisted in the United States army on the 22d of September, 1917, and received his training at Camp Funston, where he remained for eight months. On the 22d of May, 1918, he sailed for France, and there participated in some of the important battles of the war, among them St. Mihiel and the Argonne forest. He was supply sergeant and on the 9th of June, 1919, received his discharge. Previous to his entrance into the war he was connected with a lumber-yard at Seward and after returning home worked on a farm for some time before entering his present line of work.
The political allegiance of Mr. Brehm is given to the republican party, in the interests of which he takes an active part. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Brehm was farsighted and sagacious in his business transactions, readily recognizing and utiliizing opportunities. He is not remiss in the duties of citizenship and although the greater part of his time has been devoted to his agricultural interests any plan or project for the general welfare of the community has always been assured his stanch support.
JONAS NODLAND
Jonas Nodland, whose efforts have ever been guided by sound judgment and who in his farming operations has won a measure of success that now enables him to live retired in a most attractive home at Harvard, was born April 27, 1843, in Norway, near Halgerson. His parents were Salve and Martha Nodland, both natives of Norway, where the father engaged in farming and where both passed away. Nine children were born to that union, of whom Jonas Nodland was the youngest and is the only one living. Mr. and Mrs. Nodland were stanch supporters of the Lutheran church.
Jonas Nodland received his education in the schools of his native country and Jater came to the United States, making the trip on an old sailing vessel and
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spending six weeks on the sea. He landed at Quebec, Canada, in 1871, and later removed to Winneshiek county, Iowa, where he resided until 1874 when he came to Clay county and took a homestead of eighty acres. He brought that land to a highly cultivated state and was active in its conduct until 1919 when he removed to Harvard and retired. For the first six years of his residence in Clay county Mr. Nodland "bached" in a sod house but he later married and erected a fine frame residence.
In 1880 occurred the marriage of Mr. Nodland and Miss Christina Taelle, a native of Norway, who settled with her parents in Winneshiek county, Iowa, in 1865, where they passed away. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Taelle: Mrs. Nodland; and Lars, a farmer in Iowa. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Nod- land one boy and two girls have been born: Sam, who is residing at Hastings; Anna Matilda, the wife of Albert Ruebsaman, a farmer residing six and one-half miles northwest of Harvard; and Ella Josephine, who married Peter Schnell, a farmer residing eight miles northwest of Harvard.
Mr. Nodland has always given his political allegiance to the republican party, having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good government. The religious faith of both Mr. and Mrs. Nodland is that of the Lutheran church. Mr. Nodland has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to America, for here he found the opportunities for which he sought and in their utilization has made steady progress, reaching a successful goal. He has made many friends in the community who appreciate his sterling traits of character and true personal worth.
OSCAR BERGGREN
A sterling citizen who manifests deep satisfaction in the fact that he participated in the activities of pioneer life on the frontier and proved himself helpful in con- nection with the civic and material progress and development of Hamilton county, is Oscar Berggren, who has found ample compensation in the results of his earnest efforts in past years and is now the owner of one of the valuable farm properties of Monroe township, this county, where his attractive homestead is situated in section 11. A skilled artisan along varied lines, Mr. Berggren contributed much to the early upbuilding of this section of the state in a most literal sense and he was frequently called from the work of his pioneer farm to assume charge of the erection of some building for a neighbor or for a settler in a distant part of the county. He has kept pace with the march of progress and is today numbered among the substantial and honored pioneer citizens of Hamilton county.
Oscar Berggren was born in Sweden, in the year 1855, was there reared and educated and there learned the trade of carpenter, besides becoming skilled in other departments of mechanical work. In 1880 he came to the United States and passed the first two years in Chicago, where he found employment as pattern- maker in railroad shops. In 1882 he came to Hamilton county, Nebraska, and purchased forty acres of land in Monroe township, about ten acres of the tract having been broken but no house had been built on the place. In 1884 he erected a good frame house on this farm and also built a little shop in which he and a
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partner, Carl Scokesberg, engaged in the manufacturing of wagons and buggies, besides doing blacksmith work and all manner of repairing of vehicles and farm implements and machinery. This enterprise engrossed the attention of Mr. Berg- gren during the greater part of his first two years of residence in the county, but he then instituted the development and cultivation of his farm. As the only car- penter in the immediate section he was called upon to supervise the erection of most of the houses in his neighborhood and while thus engaged in helpful service to others he frequently had to hire help for the necessary work on his farm. His skill as an artisan has come into specially effective play in connection with the improving of his farm, which now comprises two hundred acres, for his buildings are of most excellent type and indicate alike his mechanical ability and his thrift and prosperity as an exponent of agricultural and live stock industry. His farm house is one of the attractive places of the county and its hospitality and good cheer are noteworthy. He has given effective service as a member of the school board for fifteen years, this school having been specially favored in its record of obtaining good teachers and doing excellent school work. In the early days he did most of his trading at Aurora, which was then a mere frontier hamlet, and like other pioneers has seen antelopes and deer in this section, as well as Indians, who hunted and trapped along the river courses.
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