USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 45
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 45
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In 1895 Mr. Burt was married to Miss Ida Bell Wood, a daughter of Professor H. C. Wood, who was one of the professors of Dartmouth College. Mrs. Burt is a high school graduate and is a lady of innate culture and refinement. By her marriage she has become the mother of two children: Clara Belle, now a stenographer in the Fidelity National Bank of Aurora and a graduate of the McCormick Business College of Chicago; and Ethel, who is employed in Crossetts Jewelry Store. In his political views Mr. Burt has always been a prohibitionist since age conferred upon him the right of franchise and he supports all progressive public measures but has never sought office as a reward for party fealty. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and for a number of years he has acted as choir leader. He has been a member of the Wood brothers quartette for nearly thirty years, singing all over the county and state. Mr. and Mrs. Burt take a helpful interest in the various branches of the church work and occupy an enviable social position, having many warm friends in Aurora and throughout the country.
W. L. GADDIS
The spirit of modern-day enterprise and progressiveness finds expression in the record of W. L. Gaddis, who is now conducting a grocery business in Harvard. He was born in Clinton county, Ohio, August 11, 1852, a son of Allen S. and Sarah Jane (Yeo) Gaddis, the former a native of Union county, Pennsylvania, and the latter of Virginia. Their marriage was celebrated in Clinton county, Ohio, where their parents settled when they were children and for many years they made that state their home. In 1864 they removed to Macon county, Illinois, where the father's death occurred a year later, in 1865. He owned two hundred acres of well improved land in Macon county and was recognized as a leading agriculturist.
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Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis, three of whom are living. Mrs. Andrew Murphy and W. L. both live in Harvard. Mrs. Gaddis died in 1890. Throughout their lives Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis were members of the Baptist church and he was a stanch supporter of the republican party.
In the acquirement of an education W. L. Gaddis attended the schools of Ohio and Illinois and his first occupation after putting his textbooks aside was farming. In 1879 he located in Harvard, engaged in farming in that vicinity for five years and then for thirty-two years conducted a dray line. Mr. Gaddis has owned several farms throughout the community and he is now in possession of fine land in North Dakota and Texas. For some time he has conducted a grocery business at Harvard, building up a good patronage and he also has a rooming house. He derives a sub- stantial income from his business and from the property he owns in Harvard, and the success that he enjoys is indeed well merited.
On the 28th of February, 1882, occurred the marriage of Mr. Gaddis and Rella Burdick, a native of Juneau county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of J. Burdick. Her father settled in Clay county in 1873 and homesteaded. He later in life removed to Harvard and there both he and his wife passed away. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis, one son, Earl B., has been born, his birth having occurred in Harvard on the 22d of March, 1884. He received his education in the Harvard schools and later took courses at the State University and Doane College. For three years he was private secretary to Senator Hitchcock and is now assistant manager of the World Herald of Omaha.
Mr. Gaddis has always given his political allegiance to the democratic party and he is an Ancient Free and Accepted Mason. For several years he served as deputy sheriff of Clay county under Ed Davis and Guy Secord. Mrs. Gaddis is a consistent member of the Christian church. Mr. Gaddis has concentrated his efforts and attention upon his business interests and as a result has won a sub- stantial amount of success. He is indeed a self-made man and is readily conceded to be a representative citizen of Harvard.
WILLIAM H. EBERT
William H. Ebert, a retired farmer living in Sutton, was born in Du Page county, Illinois, November 22, 1850, his parents being Benjamin and Loretta (Wise) Ebert, both of whom were natives of Germany, where they were reared and married, coming to the United States in 1848, at which time they settled in Illinois. The father there took up farming and remained a resident of that state for three decades, after which he came to Clay county, Nebraska, in 1878. Here he purchased land but lived in Sutton, where he afterward passed away. His wife died while on a visit in the home of her daughter in Illinois. They were members of the Evangelical church and Mr. Ebert voted with the republican party. While he started out in the business world in Nebraska with very limited means, he was successful as the years passed and at the time of his death owned a half section of excellent farm land and twenty acres in the edge of Sutton where he lived. To hun and his wife were born five children, three of whom survive: Charles, now a
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retired farmer of Sutton; William H .; and Amelia, the widow of Fred Troester, living in Illinois.
William H. Ebert pursued his education in the schools of Illinois and started out in the business world as a farmer. In fact he gave his entire attention to agricultural pursuits up to the time of his retirement and year after year as a result of his careful cultivation of his crops and the results achieved thereby he added annually to his income. As his financial resources increased he extended the boundaries of his farm and became the owner of an entire section of land in Clay county. This he divided among his four sons. In the meantime he had put many modern improvements on his farm until it was a highly developed property, con- stituting one of the attractive features in the landscape in this section of the state. He first purchased a half section when he came to Clay county, obtaining this from the railroad company and on this he lived for six years. When he had completed payment thereon he bought other land, but all days in his career were not equally bright. At times difficulties and obstacles confronted him. While he was paying for the land he twice had his crops destroyed by hail, but he persevered and as the years passed snccess rewarded his efforts. In 1911 he retired from the farm and removed to Sutton, where he built a nice modern home and is now taking life easy.
It was in 1875 that Mr. Ebert was married to Miss Minnie Faucht, who was born in Germany and with her parents settled in Illinois in her girlhood days. Mr. and Mrs. Ebert have become parents of seven children : Rosa, the wife of Will Baass, a retired farmer, who worked along different lines in Sutton; George, living on the farm in Clay county; Ella, at home; Emma, the wife of John Ostrom, a railroad man of Lincoln, Nebraska; Will H., residing on the farm in Clay county ; Edward, also on the old homestead farm; and Fred S., who like his brothers, is devoting his attention to farming on the land that was once a part of his father's section. The wife and mother passed away in 1909 in the faith of the Evangelical church, of which she was a consistent member. Mr. Ebert belongs to the same church and his political endorsement is given to the republican party. He has now long lived in Nebraska and while promoting his own interests, his labors have also constituted an important element in advancing the agricultural development of the state.
CHARLES J. McKEE
Charles J. McKee has passed the Psalmist's allotted span of threescore years and ten, for he has now reached the age of seventy-two years. He was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, July 5, 1849, and for many years was prominently connected with the business interests of Aurora as a druggist but is now living retired. His father, Alfred McKee, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, January 25, 1821, and after arriving at years of maturity was married to Hannah Gibbons, whose birth occurred in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1825. They resided in Pennsylvania for a number of year and then removed to Illinois, where they spent their remaining days, the father devoting his attention to the occupa- tion of farming. They were members of the Presbyterian church, loyal to its teach- ings and Mr. McKee was also a faithful follower of the Independent order of Odd
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Fellows, while his political support was given to the democratic party. His wife died in 1866, while he survived until 1898. They were the parents of five children, three of whom are living: C. J .; Alfred, a lumberman residing in Chicago; and Herbert, who is located at Princeton, Illinois.
Charles J. McKee completed his education with a high school course in Prince- ton and when quite young became familiar with all the work of the home farm, assisting with its cultivation from the time of early spring planting until crops were harvested in the late autumn. In 1879 he became a resident of Aurora, then a new town upon the western frontier. Here he engaged in the grocery business for six years and then established a drug store which he conducted suc- cessfully until 1916. He then sold the business to Mr. Hartquest and the large two-story brick business block which he had erected he now rents to Mr. Hartquest. His business affairs have been most wisely, carefully and successfully conducted. He carried an extensive and well selected line of drugs and his straightforward dealings and earnest efforts to please his customers had brought to him an extensive patronage.
In 1890 Mr. McKee was married to Miss Mary Stiles, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of John D. and Mary Amanda (Gibbons) Stiles, who were also natives of the Keystone state. Her father was a very prominent and influential citizen there and for six years represented his district in congress. He was like- wise an able attorney, numbered among the leading members of the bar of that state. Both he and his wife died in Pennsylvania. They were the parents of six children, of whom two are living: Mrs. McKee, and C. Frederick Stiles, now a broker of Allentown, Pennsylvania. His parents were members of the Episcopal church and Mr. Stiles belonged to the Masonic fraternity, while in politics he gave his support to the democratic party.
Mr. and Mrs. McKee have a family of three children : Clarence, a physician and surgeon of Geneva, Nebraska, who was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, after studying for two years at Lincoln. He became a Red Cross surgeon and was in Servia soon after his graduation. Later he was royally enter- tained in different places of Europe in recognition of the splendid work which he had done. Especially pleasing was his entertainment by the United States Minister, Magcuitial in Constantinople. Returning to the United States he entered Bellevue Hospital of New York, where he continued for two years and then joined the navy as a surgeon. He made fifteen trips across the ocean, thirteen of these trips being made on the steamer Wilhelmena. He received an honorable discharge from the navy in 1920 and then settled in Geneva, Nebraska, where he is now engaged in private practice. The daughters of the family are: Marie, who is a graduate of the State University and is now at home; and Blanche, who is attend- ing the State University at Lincoln.
Mr. McKee is both a York and Scottish Rite Mason and member of the Mystic Shrine, while he and his wife are members of the order of the Eastern Star and Mrs. McKee is also a member of the Congregational church. Mr. McKee has served as secretary of both the Masonic lodge and chapter and he is also connected with the Knights of Pythias. He votes for the republican party, but has never been an office seeker, preferring to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs and perform his public duties as a private citizen. He
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had but seventy-five dollars when he arrived in Aurora, but as the years passed won a most creditable measure of success and while he has retired from active business management he is still the owner of considerable property, including two business blocks and residence property, from which he derives a gratifying annual income. He enjoys the warm esteem of all who know him for he was ever accounted a progressive and thoroughly reliable merchant and his sterling traits of character have everywhere gained for him respect and confidence.
HENRY SMITH
A substantial and honored citizen of Hamilton county is Henry Smith, who has played well his part in connection with the civic and material development and upbuilding of this now opulent section of Nebraska, here has his share of pioneer distinction and here has prospered greatly through his long and resourceful association with farm industry. He is the owner of a large and valuable landed estate in the county, was one of the organizers and is a director of the Farmers State Bank of Marquette and is also a director of the Farmers Elevator Company of this village, where he has lived virtually retired since 1917.
Mr. Smith was born in that part of the German province of Schleswig, Ger- many, which was formerly a grand duchy of Denmark and the year of his nativity was 1853. He is a son of Paul J. and Augusta (Lund) Smith, who passed their entire lives in Schleswig. There Henry Smith was afforded the advantages of the common schools and there he continued his association with farm enterprise until 1873, when as an ambitious young man of twenty years he came to the United States, relying entirely upon his own resources in making his way to the plane of independence and economic prosperity. In Livingston county, Illinois, he found employment at farm work and received twenty-two dollars a month for his services, this having been considered high wages at that time. Later he was employed in coal mines in Illinois and in that state continued his residence until 1879, when he came to Hamilton county, Nebraska. He shipped two horses and one cow by rail to York, this state. For the first year he rented land, equipped with a sod house and straw barn and on this land harvested a corn crop from twenty acres. In 1880 he purchased for six dollars an acre a farm of eighty acres of railroad land, in Otis township. No improvements had been made on the land and here his first habitation was a sod house, with dirt roof and dirt floor. In addition to prosecuting vigorously the work of bringing his land under cultivation he also showed good judgment in setting out a fine orchard and planting a goodly number of forest trees in the early days. He has had his full share of hardships and trials, especially those cousequent upon dronghts, but with the passing years his earnest and determined efforts were crowned with success and his appreciation of the state of his adoption was shown in his gradual accumulation of more of the excellent land of Hamilton county, where he is now the owner of a well im- proved farm of three hundred and eighty acres, all available for cultivation. Two sets of excellent buildings are on this property and all other improvements are of high standard. In the disastrons year of 1894 Mr. Smith, like other settlers, was
MR. AND MRS. HENRY SMITH
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compelled to resort to corn and cornstalks for fuel during the winter season and in the pioneer period took his wheat to a mill on the Platte river for grinding, similar trips also being made to Grand Island. He has been distinctly one of the progressive and representative agriculturists and stock raisers of Hamilton county, loyal and liberal in his civic attitude, and has so ordered his course as to merit and hold the unqualified esteem of his fellowmen. In politics he supports men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment, irrespective of strict partisan lines and while he has had no predilection for political activity or public office he served a number of years as director and moderator of his school district, while still residing on his farm. He and his wife are communicants of the Danish Lutheran church.
The Centennial year, 1876, witnessed the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Christena Peterson, who was born in Denmark and who was a resident of Illinois at the time of her marriage. Of this union have been born six children : Paul J. is a Lutheran missionary in Africa; Anna is the wife of Otto Ericson, who operates a fertilizing plant in the city of Omaha; Edward C. has active charge of one of his father's farms in Hamilton county ; the next younger son, Harl, has charge of another of his father's farms; Carl is a farmer in Sheridan county; and Mena is the wife of Jorgen Anderson, likewise a farmer in Sheridan county.
CHARLES M. BROWN
Since 1886 Charles M. Brown has been connected with the newspaper business in Sutton, his father having purchased the Sutton Register in that year. He began as an office boy, then learned the printer's trade and gradually worked himself up from one position to another until he is now owner and editor of the Sutton Register, one of the best papers in Clay county.
A native of Sutton, Charles M. Brown was born in a sod house there May 20, 1874, a son of Francis Marion and Mary C. (Culver) Brown, both natives of Illinois. The father was born in Clark county, Illinois, December 20, 1840, a son of Samuel R. Brown, a native of Virginia. His mother was born in Kentucky. Francis Marion Brown was brought up on a farm and received a common school education in the country schools of the vicinity. In 1861 when President Lincoln called for volunteers he enlisted in Company B, Fourteenth Indiana, known in the history of the Civil war as one of the "three hundred fighting regiments," and participated in all the great campaigns and battles of the army of the Potomac under McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, Meade and Grant, never being absent a day from his regiment, from its organization to its final muster out at Indianapolis. At the close of the war he returned to Illinois, being one of eight out of the one hundred and twenty men in Company B who came back, and he engaged in farming and teaching school. In the spring of 1871 he came to Nebraska and located a homestead on the southeast quarter of section 10-8-5, four miles north of Sutton, and there engaged in farming. At that time Clay county was unorganized terri- tory but in October, 1871, the county was organized and at the first election held Sutton was selected as the county seat and Francis Marion Brown was elected its
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first county clerk and clerk of the district court. He served four years in these offices. He then resumed his farming, in addition raising stock and feeding and shipping until 1886, when he bought the Sutton Register which he owned and published until his death in 1919. Mr. Brown was prominent in the civic affairs of Sutton, having been that town's first mayor, serving three terms, and for nine terms he held the office of police judge. He cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln but became a democrat at the time Bryan was running for the presidency. The death of Mr. Brown occurred in 1919 and was an occasion of deep grief to his many friends throughout the community. His widow is still living and makes her home in Lincoln.
Charles M. Brown received his education in the Sutton public schools and after putting his textbooks aside went into the printing office of his father's paper, the Sutton Register. Mr. Brown has always followed the newspaper business, with every phase of which he is thoroughly familiar and upon the death of his father in 1919 he became owner and editor of the paper. It may be said of Mr. Brown that he is "to the manner born" and under his careful management the paper has steadily increased its already large circulation and has become an instrument of influence and importance to the community.
In 1901 Mr. Brown was married to Miss Marian E. Bishop, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter of A. T. Bishop, a retired merchant. For many years Mr. Bishop was successfully engaged in conducting a general mercantile business in Wisconsin and Sutton.
Since age conferred upon Mr. Brown the right of franchise he has been a stanch supporter of the democratic party, being a firm believer in the principles of that party as factors in good government. For twelve years he served in the office of city clerk. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and Highlanders and his wife is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His entire time is devoted to his newspaper, which is conducted upon the highest and most honorable of principles and is one of the representative business interests of Clay county.
JACOB BARRICK
In the spring of 1873 there arrived in Hamilton county, Nebraska, an ambi- tious pioneer who had made the overland journey from Illinois with a team and covered wagon of the true "prairie schooner" type and en route this outfit was increased by the addition of two cows, which Jacob Barrick there purchased to add to the equipment of his new home. It was thus that Hamilton county gained Jacob Barrick as a citizen and well he played his part in the development of the resources of the county as a pioneer farmer. He is still the owner of one of the excellent farms of the county and has witnessed and taken part in the trans- formation of the virgin prairies into one of the garden spots of Nebraska. In coming to the new home Mr. Barrick made the trip in five weeks, a ferry-boat having conveyed his outfit across the Missouri river at Plattsmouth. Upon his arrival he took up a tree claim in Hamilton township, but later refiled on the land and perfected title to the same as a homestead. On this tract of unturned
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prairie land he, constructed a sod house of one room, with board roof and floor, the lumber having been hauled from Harvard, Clay county, and the first barn on the place likewise was of the sod type. Mr. Barrick broke most of the one hundred and sixty acres and in addition to preparing the soil for cultivation he also planted many trees, including an orchard, the fruit trees having largely died out in the passing years.
In the early days he did most of his freighting from Hastings, Grand Island and Harvard and five days were required to make the trip with grist to a mill at Milford. After having made good improvements on his original homestead Mr. Bar- rick sold the property to advantage and is now the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred and forty acres, in Hamilton precinct. He suffered destruc- tion of his crops by grasshoppers on three different occasions, met with almost equal loss during the droughts of 1893 and 1894 and had to resort to the various expedients that enabled other pioneers to overcome the difficulties and hardships which confronted them. He continued to give his personal supervision to the activities of his farm until 1910, when he removed to Aurora, the county seat, where he now owns and occupies an attractive residence on Thirteenth street and where he is living virtually retired. He is independent in politics and casts his vote in support of men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment, irre- spective of strict partisan lines. He is affiliated with the Royal Highlanders and his wife, whose death occurred on February 28, 1909, was an earnest member of the Presbyterian church.
Jacob Barrick was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, April 9, 1846, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Schwartz) Barrick, who removed from the old Key- stone state to Illinois when he was a lad of six years and who passed the remainder of their lives in the latter state, where the father became a farmer. The subject of this review attended school in a little log schoolhouse in Illinois, but his studies were pursued principally during the winter terms, when his services were not in requisition on the home farm. He remained at the parental home until he initiated his independent career as a farmer in Ogle county, Illinois, and there he remained until the spring of 1873, when he came to Nebraska. His wife, whose maiden name was Ella Steffa, was born and reared in Illinois and she is survived by three chil- dren : David E. remains at the paternal home; Robert E. is a prosperous farmer in Sherman county ; and Gertrude M. is the wife of Orville H. Stouffer of Aurora.
GEORGE F. WASHBURN
Since 1918 George F. Washburn has been cashier of the Citizens State Bank at Giltner, Hamilton county. In this connection he has become widely known in the financial circles of the county and has won the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes into contact. Like many other prominent citizens of Hamilton county, he is this state's son by adoption, his birth having occurred in Grant county, Wisconsin, April 27, 1866, his parents being George H. and Rachel A. Washburn. The father received a very good education for that day, attending school in Grant county, Wisconsin, and in due time entering a seminary. For' Vol. II-29
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