History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 119

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742

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William C. Margrave received his schooling in the old Indian school on the reservation, in the school in Lost Creek district, in the public school at Reserve and in Hiawatha Academy and early began his active connec- tion with his father's extensive and growing ranch activities, as the eldest son proving a valuable factor in the development of the great property of which he is now the general manager and with the development of which he has been actively identified since he was twenty years of age. In addition to his interest in the family corporation Mr. Margrave is a member of the board of directors of the Morrell & Jones Bank at Hiawatha, and is. the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of land in Kansas, eighty acres of which is an allotment from the government, through his mother's claim

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on the reservation lands. Mr. Margrave is a Republican and has ever given a good citizen's attention to local civic affairs, but has not been an office seeker. In 1916 he erected a fine new, modern residence of twelve rooms, with hot and cold running water in the same, the house being electrically lighted from a private power plant on the place, and he and his family are very comfortably situated.

Mr. Margrave has been twice married. In 1897. when twenty-one years of age, he was united in marriage to Mary Waller, who also was born in Brown county, Kansas, daughter of Cornelius and Martha Waller, natives of Kentucky, who settled in Kansas about 1857, and to this union three children were born, Howard, who is in high school at Hiawatha, and Julia and Martha, at home. The mother of these children died on April 28, 1908, at the age of thirty-one years, and on June 1, 1910, Mr. Mar- grave married Ida Pribbeno, who was born in this county on September 15. 1886, daughter of C. F. Pribbeno, a member of one of the old families of Richardson county and further and fitting mention of whom is made else- where in this volume, and to this union two children have been born, Helen and William A. Mr. and Mrs. Margrave are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Preston and Mr. Margrave is one of the trustees of the same.

JOSEPH W. CULLEN.

One of the well-known and loyal citizens of Richardson county is Joseph · W. Cullen, of Verdon, now living in retirement after a long and successful career as a general farmer. He was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, April 3, 1840, a son of George and Susan (Allen) Cullen. The father was of Scotch descent and probably was born in Scotland. He spent his earlier years in Pennsylvania, moving to White county, Indiana, in 1852, where he established his permanent home on a farm. He was born in 1804 and died in 1882. His wife died about 1848, at the age of forty-five years. To these parents nine children were born, all now deceased but the subject of this sketch, who was fourth in order of birth.

Joseph W. Cullen spent his childhood in Pennsylvania, being twelve years old when his parents moved to White county. Indiana. He attended the old-time district schools and worked on the farm when a boy. He re- mained in Indiana until the breaking out of the Civil War. On June 4. 1861, he enlisted in the Twentieth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

JOSEPH W. CULLEN.

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and saw considerable hard service in the South, taking part in numerous engagements in Virginia, North Carolina and other states, among them being Hatteras Island, North Carolina, his first engagement. After this battle he was encamped near Fortress Monroe. His regiment witnessed the great battle between the "Monitor" and the "Merrimac" at Newport News, fol- lowing the sinking of the "Cumberland," and the "Congress." His regi- ment then went to Norfolk and then joined McClellan's army at White House Landing on York river; thence to within six miles of Richmond, where they dug trenches and cut timber for barricades; took part in a skirmish on June 25, 1862; captured a fort, but being unsupported, retired again, the regiment losing very heavily. They then took part in the Seven Days Battle and Har- rison's Landing engagement ; next the Peninsular campaign; next to Man- assas Junction; from Rappahannock by forced march, thence to Centerville ; witnessed great disorganization of the army; retreated and fought at Chan- tilly. General Kearney was killed there, Gen. Robt. E. Lee sending the body of General Kearney to the Union lines under a flag of truce, and presented Kearney's horse to his widow. The regiment then retreated to Alexandria ; thence to Washington ; served in Virginia until marched through Maryland to Gettysburg, July 1, 1863. Engagements : Glendale, June 30, 1862; Mal- vern Hill, July 1, 1862; second Battle of Bull Run: Chantilly, Waterloo, Fredericksburg, Cedarville, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wapping Heights ; suppressed July riots in New York City in 1863; Orange Grove, Mine Run, November 29, 1863; Petersburg, Virginia, and the Battle of the Wilder- ness. Mr. Cullen was honorably discharged at Indianapolis, Indiana, July 24, 1864. After his career in the army he resumed farming in Indiana, where he remained until 1868, when he came to Nebraska and bought a farm where the town of Auburn now stands, in Nemaha county. In 1870 he came to Richardson county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of raw land in Muddy precinct, which he broke himself and made general im- provements. He set out five acres of orchard and a grove of cottonwood trees, which however, finally died, and he then planted two acres of walnut trees which are thriving. He erected a pleasant home and convenient out- buildings. The farm is well located, two miles north of Verdon. He sold it some time ago and is now living retired from active life. He is owner of a half block of city property in Verdon, and is a shareholder in the Farmers and Merchants Bank there. While on the farm he made a specialty of handling high-grade live stock, and was a well-known breeder.

Mr. Cullen has been twice married, first, in December, 1865, to Mary Jane Hickman, who was born in Ohio. Her death occurred in 1888. Eleven

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children. were born to that union, namely: Mrs. Rosa Belle Vanderventer, who lives in Long Mount, Colorado; Earl, deceased; Ferdinand, who lives in Holt.county, Nebraska; William T., who lives in Idaho; George M., who also .lives in Idaho; Ethel E., wife of T. Griffiths, of Greenleaf, Idaho; Ernest E:, deceased; Herbert L., who lives in western Nebraska; Oliver J., deceased ; Walter F., who lives at Page, in Holt county, Nebraska, and Bertha, deceased. On December 18, 1892, Mr. Cullen married Mrs. Ella Jane (Stephenson). McClain, a native of Missouri, and to their union one child was, born, Edith M., wife of Guy Schley, of Verdon.

Politically, Mr. Cullen is a Democrat. He was formerly a member of the Grand. Army of the Republic, and was commander of the local post until the charter was surrendered. It was known as the George Vanderventer Post. He: belongs, to the Ancient Order of United Workmen and to the Congregational church.

CLEON PECK.

Cleon Peck, assessor of the precinct of Ohio and one of the best-known and most progressive farmers of that part of Richardson county, is a native son of this county and has lived here all his life, having been born on the farm, a part of which he now owns, in Ohio precinct, October 2, 1881, son of George W. and Sarah (Maust) Peck, natives of Pennsylvania, who became pioneers of Richardson county and the latter of which is still living here one of the best-known and most highly esteemed pioneers of the precinct of Ohio.

George W. Peck was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, May 16. 1841, a son of Elias Peck, who also became a pioneer of Richardson county, and was reared in that county. He was united in marriage in Pennsylvania to Sarah Maust, who also was born in that state on August 4, 1844, and in the fall of 1869 he came out to Nebraska and bought a farm in the precinct of Ohio, in this county, made arrangements for the erection of a house on that tract and then returned to Pennsylvania for his family and came back here, establishing his home on his farm, where he continued to make his home until the spring of 1906, when he retired from the farm and moved to Falls City. His death occurred on September 13. of that same year. George W. Peck became a successful farmer and stockman and he and his wife gave their children every advantage in the way of schooling. both being ardent advocates of higher education. Mr. Peck was a Republi-

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can and for four years served as a member of the board of county com- missioners from his district. He was a member of the Church of the Brethren, and gave material assistance to the erection of the church of that denomination in his home precinct. His widow is still living in this county. They were the parents of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the ninth in order of birth, the others being as follow: Felicia, deceased; Mrs. Margaret Miller, of Waterloo, Iowa; Elias, a farmer, of Ohio precinct ; Milton, who died in infancy; Lloyd, now a resident of Reserve, Kansas; Mrs. Lorena Humbarger of Falls City; Charles, who died in infancy ; Elsie, wife of Judge John Wiltse, of Falls City, and Mrs. Edith Kindig, of Holmes- ville, this state.

Reared on the home farm, Cleon Peck received his early schooling in the district schools in the neighborhood of his home and supplemented the same by a course in McPherson College, in which institution practically all of the Peck children finished their schooling, all becoming school teachers with the exception of the subject of this sketch and his youngest sister. Cleon Peck passed the examination for teachers and received a certificate to teach, but never used it. A year after his return from college he became a partner of his father in the operation of the home farm and, in 1912, bought from his mother the eighty-acre tract of the old home place on which he is now living, at the same time farming one hundred and sixty acres of the home place. Mr. Peck is a progressive and up-to-date farmer and is doing very well in his operations. He is a member of the Farmers Union and of the C. P. A., in the affairs of which he takes an active interest. By political inheritance and on national issues Mr. Peck is a Republican, but on local issues reserves his right to an independent vote. In 1916 he was elected assessor of the precinct of Ohio and is now serving in that import- ant public capacity, giving to the duties of that office his most intelligent atten- tion.

On January 22, 1908, Cleon Peck was united in marriage to Ella Way, who was born in this county on November 12, 1883, but was reared in Thayer county, this state, a daughter of Henry and Clara (Daniels) Way, natives, respectively, of Ohio and Kansas, who are now living in Thayer county, this state, where Mr. Way is a large landowner. Henry Way came to Ne- braska from Illinois, and was here married to Clara Daniels, who was born in Kansas, but who lived in Illinois until she was thirteen years of age, when she returned to Kansas. After his marriage Henry Way made his home in this county until 1884, when he moved to Thayer county, where he has developed large farming interests. Mr. and Mrs. Peck have two

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children, Glenn, born on February 17, 1909, and Eugene, October 5, 1911. They have a very pleasant home and have ever given their interested atten- tion to the general social activities of their home community.

WILLIAM S. MARSH.

William S. Marsh, one of the best-known pioneer farmers of the pre- cinct of East Muddy, this county, an old plainsman and an honored veteran of the Civil War, now living practically retired, is a native of the Badger state, but has been a resident of Nebraska since territorial days, having come to this county with his parents in 1859, he then having been but a boy of fourteen years. He was born on a pioneer farm in Lafayette county, Wis- consin, February II, 1845, son of Elijah S. and Delilah (Horner) Marslı, natives of Ohio, the former horn in 1821 and the latter in 1825, who were married in that state and later became pioneers of Lafayette county, Wis- consin, living there until 1850, when they moved to Saline county, Missouri, living there eight years, and then settled near Rockport, Atchison county, Missouri, where they remained until in March, 1859, when they came over into the then Territory of Nebraska and settled on Long Branch, north of Humboldt, in this county. Six months later Elijah S. Marsh bought a farm adjoining the Stephens place in the precinct of Barada and there estab- lished his home and became a substantial farmer and stockman. When the Civil War broke out Elijah S. Marsh enlisted in behalf of the Union as a member of Company D, Fifth Missouri Cavalry, and with that command served for eighteen months. He lived to be past eighty years of age and died at Lincoln, this state, while on his way to Iowa on a visit, his death occurring on June 27, 1902. His wife had preceded him to the grave less than a year, her death having occurred at her home in this county on August 9, 1901. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being as follow: James S., who also was a veteran of the Civil War, having served as a member of Company K, Forty-eighth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry; John T., who is living with a son of W. S. Marsh on the old home farm in the pre- cinct of Barada; George W., now a resident of University Place, near Lin- coln, this state; Alcana, who married C. F. Peabody and is now living in the state of Washington; Hiram, whose last days were spent in Saline county, Missouri; Joseph, who died in 1876 and is buried in the Barada

MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM S. MARSH.

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cemetery ; Richard L., who is living on the farm adjoining that of his brother, William S., on the north; Mrs. Lucinda Davis, deceased; Mrs. Emma Boat- man, of Nemaha county, this state, and Mrs. Margaret Chamberlain, of Eugene, Oregon.

As noted above, William S. Marsh was but fourteen years of age when he came to Richardson county with his parents from Wisconsin and his youth was spent on the home farm in Barada precinct, growing up there thoroughly familiar with pioneer conditions. On March 7, 1862, he then being less than a month past seventeen years of age, he enlisted his services in behalf of the Union and went to the front as a member of Company D. Fifth Missouri Cavalry, with which command he served for eighteen months, being chiefly engaged in chasing "bushwhackers," his most important engage- ment during his cavalry service having been that of the battle of the Charitan river. He then on August 15, 1864, enlisted as a member of Company K, Forty-eighth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and with that com- mand served until the close of the war, the principal part of that service being rendered in Missouri and Tennessee. Upon the completion of his military service he returned home and in the fall of 1865 took service with .a freighting outfit and for two years was engaged as a freighter across the plains to Julesburg and Ft. Kearney, his brothers James and John also being thus engaged. Upon leaving the plains Mr. Marsh resumed his place on the home farm and in 1868 bought the farm of eighty acres on which he is now living, in the precinct of East Muddy, and proceeded to develop and improve the same, establishng his home there after his marriage in the fall of 1870, and has ever since continued to make that place his home. now living practically retired from the active labors of the farm. Mr. Marsh is an ardent Republican and has ever given his earnest attention to. local civic affairs, for twenty years serving as director of his home school district. He is an active member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Shubert, in the affairs of which patriotic organization he has for years taken a warm interest, and is also affiliated with the local lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen at that place.

On November 20, 1870, William S. Marsh was united in marriage to Lillie Calvert, who then lived on the farm adjoining the Marsh place in the precinct of Barada and who was born at Hiramsburg, Ohio, April 4. 1853, a daughter of Hiram and Rachel (Frazier) Calvert, natives of Penn- sylvania, the former born in 1804 and the latter in 1816, who became pioncers of Richardson county and here spent their last days. Hiram Calvert, after whom the town of Hiramsburg, Ohio, was named, was a descendant of the

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famous Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore), of Maryland. In 1864 lie came to this county with his family from Ohio and settled on a farm adjoining the Marsh place in Barada precinct, where his wife died three years later, in 1867. He survived until 1891. They were the parents of two children, Mrs. Marsh having a brother, William Calvert, now a resident of Gold Hill, Nevada. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh have four children, namely: Ora O. Marsh, present county clerk of Richardson county and a resident of Falls City; William Earl Marsh, who is farming the old Marsh homestead place in Barada precinct ; Mrs. Josephine Ray, whose husband, Elmer Ray, is now operating Mr. Marsh's farm, and who has four children, Gladys, Russell, Helen and Warren, and George Roy, now a resident of Lewistown, Mon- tana. The Marshs have a very pleasant Nome north of Verdon and have ever taken an interested part in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful in many ways in promoting causes having to do with the advancement of the common good thereabout.

LOUIS. M. SUESS.

Louis M. Suess, one of the substantial farmers and landowners of the precinct of Arago, this county, and former justice of the peace of that pre- cinct, was born on a pioneer farm in that precinct and has lived there all his life, his present home being not far from the place of his birth. He was born on June 8, 1866, son of August and Catherine (Werner) Suess, pioneers of Richardson county, and the former of whom is still living here, now a resident of Falls City.

August Suess was born in the village of Graben, near the city of Karlsruhe, capital of the grand duchy of Baden, and grew to manhood there, learning the trade of tailor. In 1857 he came to this country and after spending a short time at Chicago came West, in 1860, and for some time thereafter was engaged as a farm hand in Holt county, Missouri. presently coming across the river and buying a tract of land, a quarter of a section. in the precinct of Arago, in this county, for which he paid nine hundred dollars. In 1861 he married Katrina M. Werner, also a native of Baden. born in the village of Graben, and who was a daughter of one of the earliest settlers in this section, and after his marriage established his home in the old village of Arago, going across the river to Corning to work. A year later he moved onto his farm and proceeded to break the soil with

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an ox-team, presently getting the place under cultivation. It was about 1861 that August Suess bought that pioneer farm and he lived there until his retirement from the farm many years later and removal to Falls City, where he is now living at the age of eighty years. His wife died in 1907, she then being fifty-seven years of age. They were the parents of six chil- dren, of whom the subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth, the others being Philip E., born in 1862, now living at Centerville, Kansas; August, born in 1864, who died in that same year; Henry, born in 1868, died in that same year; Mrs. Louise K. Poitner, born in 1880, now deceased, and Mrs. Mary Daeschner, of Falls City, born in 1873. August Suess took an active part in the development of his section of the county in pioneer days and during and after the Civil War period served as a member of the local militia. He was a good farmer and became a substantial landowner.

Louis M. Suess was reared on the farm on which he was born, re- ceived his schooling in the neighborhood schools and became a practical farmer. Until his marriage, in the spring of 1890, Mr. Suess remained on the home farm and after his marriage he rented a farm and began farming on his own account, becoming quite successful in his operations. He later bought a bit of land, afterward inherited another piece of land and in 1916 bought from Ernest Smechel the farm on which he is now living in section 31 of Arago precinct and where he and his family are very comfortably situated. He is now the owner of two hundred and sixty acres, owning land also in sections 10 and 16 of that same precinct. Mr. Suess is a Republican and has, even from the days of his boyhood given his earnest attention to local political affairs. For two years he served as assessor for his home precinct, for three years was justice of the peace in and for that precinct and has also served as a member of the school board, to the duties of these several public offices ever giving his faithful and intelligent attention.

On April 8, 1890, Louis M. Suess was united in marriage to Julia Schindler, who was born in western Missouri in July, 1866, a daughter of John and Zelia (Velenia) Schindler, natives, respectively, of Germany and of Switzerland, who were the parents of five children, one son and four daughters. Years ago John Schindler left Missouri and went West, where he spent his last days. His widow is still living, now a resident of Omaha, this state. Her son, Conrad H. Schindler, is a farmer in Ohio precinct. this county. To Louis M. and Julia (Schindler) Suess have been born

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three sons, August, Paul and Ernest, who are helping in the direction of their father's farm lands. The family are members of the German Evan- gelical Lutheran church and have ever given proper attention to church work, as well as to other neighborhood good works and the general social activities of their home community.

LEROY T. PETERSEN, M. D.

One of the most successful of the younger physicians of Richardson county, is Dr. Leroy T. Petersen, of Humboldt, who, knowing at the outset that success in medicine, one of the most exacting of the professions, was to be gained only by close application and untiring perseverance, has left no stone unturned whereby he might become properly equipped for efficiency in his chosen life work. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. February 15. 1885. He is a son of Soren T. and Margaret Petersen, natives of Denmark and Germany, respectively. The father emigrated to the United States in 1868, establishing his home in the city of Omaha, where he dealt success- fully in real-estate business. His death occurred there in 1912. His widow is now living with her daughter in Portland, Oregon. The Petersen family moved to Oregon in 1894, and there they continued to reside until in 1907, when they moved back to Nebraska.

Leroy T. Petersen spent his early boyhood in Omaha, where he attended the public schools. After going to the Pacific coast he studied in the Uni- versity of Oregon, at Eugene. for two years. Then the family moved to McMinnville. Oregon, and there he continued his studies in the academy, also studied at the McMinnville College, from which institution he was graduated with the Degree of Bachelor of Science in 1906. Upon returning to Omaha, the following year, he began his medical course in Creighton University, where he made an excellent record and was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1912. After practicing his profession in Omaha a short time he decided to further equip himself for his professional duties before settling down to permanent practice; consequently he went to Europe in 1913, making a tour of the continent and studying at the medical clinics at Vienna and other cities, being under some of the most eminent medical authorities of the world. Returning to Nebraska in De- cember. 1913, he located at Humboldt, where he has since engaged in general practice. He succeeded from the start and now enjoys a large

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and lucrative patronage and stands high in the medical profession of south- eastern Nebraska. He has remained a close student of all that pertains to his profession and therefore keeps well abreast of the times.

Doctor Peterson was married in May, 1913, to Emma Kretzschmar, of Omaha, where she was reared and educated. To this union a son has been born, Leroy T., Jr., whose birth occurred on March 29, 1915. Doctor Petersen is a Republican. He belongs to the American Medical Association, the Nebraska State Medical Society and the Richardson County Medical Society and is also a member of the local lodge of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Knights and Ladies of Security.

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History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 119

Author: Edwards, Lewis C Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1742

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742