USA > Nebraska > Richardson County > History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions > Part 140
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 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140
In 1915 Mr. Atkins began handling gas and oil from the refineries at Tulsa, Oklahoma, and other oil fields, under the firm name of A. B. C. Independent Oil and Gas Company, the company being composed of him- self, his son, Arthur E., and his son-in-law, O. A. Barber, the firm oper- ating gas and oil plants at Sidney, Gurley, Kearney and Raymond, Nebraska. Mr. Atkins understands every phase of the oil and gas business and is one of the best-known men in this field in Nebraska. He is also owner of valuable city property in Lincoln, as well as fine farming land in South
1413
RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Dakota and Dudley county, Nebraska, his holdings totaling an entire sec- tion. He has been very successful in a business way, being a man of sound judgment, executive ability and foresight.
Mr. Atkins was married at the old Union Hotel in Falls City, Nebraska, .April 24, 1873, to Lucy Barnhart, a native of Lee county, Illinois, and a daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Kuntz) Barnhardt, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Ohio, who were early settlers of Linn county, Iowa. Mrs. Atkins came to Richardson county, Nebraska, Novem- ber 25. 1872, and lived with her sister and brother-in-law, Henry Stewart. a farmer of Franklin precinct. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. .Atkins, namely : Arthur E., who is engaged in the oil and gas business at Kearney, Nebraska; and Iva, wife of O. A. Barber, of Lincoln, who is associated with the subject of this sketch in the oil and gas business.
Mr. Atkins is a member of the Presbyterian church. Besides winning the confidence and esteem of those with whom he has come in contact in a business and social way. he is regarded as a man of public spirit, having the best interests of his city and state at heart.
PAUL B. WEAVER.
In this progressive twentieth century, which we often refer to as an age of specialists, it is a somewhat rare thing to find a man who has the talent to succeed at a variety of callings. One of the most conspicuous examples of this class of men in Richardson county is Paul B. Weaver, attorney, horticulturist, fruit grower and farmer of Falls City, a man who has succeeded at whatever he has seriously turned his attention to. He was born in the above named city on November 19, 1878, in the old Weaver homestead. He is a scion of one of the influential early families of this locality, being a son of Judge A. J. and Martha (Weaver) Weaver, both now deceased. The reader is referred to a full sketch of these parents which appears on another page of this volume.
Paul B. Weaver grew to manhood in Falls City, where he attended the public and high schools, graduating from the latter with the class of 1896. He then entered the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he made an excellent record in the academic and law departments, graduating in 1902. and receiving the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. Soon after leaving the university he began the active practice of his profession at
1.114
RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKAA.
Cordell, Oklahoma, where he remained three years, enjoying a good busi- ness. In 1905 he returned to Falls City, where he continued in his pro- fession for three years, during which he took a high rank at the local bar and was known as an energetic, painstaking and trustworthy lawyer, well versed in the various phases of jurisprudence and he was successful in the general practice of the law. But finding the science of agriculture more attractive than a professional career he gave up active practice and engaged in farming and fruit growing, in partnership with his brother, A. J. Weaver. He has made a close and careful study of modern methods of scientific agriculture and horticulture and has succeeded from the start, being now regarded as one of the best intensive farmers in Richardson county, owning a valuable and highly improved fruit farm of eighty acres adjoining Falls City on the east. He also owns a productive farm of two hundred acres southwest of town, a part of which is also in fruit. He is farming twelve hundred acres in all. and thus is carrying on general farming operations on a vast scale. Mr. Weaver has the specific care of the orchards, in which he employs the most approved methods of spraying, pruning and general orchard culture. He secures large annual yields and the exceptionally fine apples from his orchards find a ready market over a large territory. Besides his fruit growing he farms eight hundred acres in Richardson county and raises large herds of cattle and hogs, about one thousand head of the lat- ter annually, and one hundred head of fine cattle are grown on the place each year. He buys stockers and feeders and ships one hundred head to market annually. He employs from forty to fifty men continually on his farms, his farm buildings are up-to-date in arrangement and equipment. and everything is managed under a superb system, showing that Mr. Weaver is a man of rare executive ability as well as of industry.
On August 30, 1900, Mr. Weaver was married to Anna L. Cook, a daughter of G. A. Cook, a native of Tennessee and an early settler in Mis- souri, who came to Nebraska in 1855 and became well known to the pio- neer element of Richardson county and was prominent in the affairs of his locality. Mr. Cook was for some time clerk of the district court and also served as postmaster at Falls City. Mrs. Weaver grew to womanhood at Falls City and received good educational advantages. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, namely: Paul Bennett, Archi- bald Jackson, Martha Katherine, Mary Anne. Lawrence Madison, Chris- tobel and Doris.
Politically, Mr. Weaver is a Republican, but while he is deeply inter- ested in public affairs in general, especially as pertaining to his city and
J415
RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
county, he has never sought political leadership, preferring to devote his attention to his large business interests. Fraternally he belongs to the Mod- ern Woodmen of America and to the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Personally, he is a pleasant gentleman to meet, genial, companionable and obliging, and his reputation has always been that of a man with a high sense of honor in all the relations of life.
GUST. ZIMMERMANN.
Gust. Zimmermann, proprietor of a well-improved farm of forty acres in section 28 of the precinct of Arago, this county, was born on a pioneer farin adjoining that tract and has lived there all his life. He was born 011 March 19, 1882, son of Louis and Mollie Almira (Reschke) Zimmermann, pioneers of that community and the former of whom is still living, now a resident of Falls City, this county. Louis Zimmermann is of European birth, a native of the grand duchy of Baden, born in February, 1852, who came to this country as a young man and became a pioneer of Richardson county. After renting land in Arago precinct for some time he bought a farm of eighty acres there and made his home there until his retirement from the farm and removed to Falls City, where he is now living and where his wife died in September, 1916, at the age of seventy-two years. They were the parents of eight children, of whom four are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch being Godfrey, who is farming with his brother Gust .; Ernest, also a farmer of Arago precinct and a biographical sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume, and Emma, wife of P. Baker, also a farmer of the precinct of Arago.
Reared on the home farm in Arago precinct, Gust. Zimmermann received his schooling in the schools of that neighborhood and from the days of his boyhood was a valued assistant in the labors of the farm. When twenty-one years of age he began farming on his own account, renting land from his father and in time bought the "eighty" on which he is now living. adjoining the home place on the west, and where he and his family are very comfortably situated. Mr. Zimmermann has made substantial improvements on his place and is carrying on his farming operations in up-to-date fashion. He is a Republican and gives a good citizen's attention to local political affairs, but has not been particularly active as a party worker.
On October 6, 1910, Gust. Zimmerman was united in marriage to Ella
1416
RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Zimmermann, who was born in Atchison county, Missouri, and to this union has been born one child, a daughter, Rosella. Mr. and Mrs. Zimmermann are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church and take a proper interest in church work and in other neighborhood good works.
FRED BRECHT.
Fred Brecht, manager of the extensive plant of the Heacock Milling Company of Falls City, former member of the city council and present sec- retary of the school board of that city, is a native son of Richardson county, a member of one of the real "old-time" families, and has lived here all his life. He was born on a pioneer farm three and one-half miles northeast of Falls City on October 30, 1869, son of Carl and Susan (Hadley) Brecht, natives of Germany, who were married in Buffalo, New York, later lived in Canada and came thence to Nebraska in 1867, settling in this county. where their last days were spent, honored and useful pioneers.
Carl Brecht was born in 1826 and grew to manhood in his native Germany, coming thence to the United States and locating at Buffalo, New York, where he became employed and where he presently married Susan Hadley, who also was born in Germany, in 1836, and who had come to America with her parents in the days of her girlhood. After his marriage Mr. Brecht established his home in Canada and there continued to reside until 1867, when he came to Nebraska with his family and in the fall of that year bought a tract of one hundred and thirty acres of land three and one-half miles northeast of the then small village of Falls City, where he established his home and where he spent the remainder of his life. Mr. Brecht was a good farmer and as he prospered in his undertaking added an adjoining "eighty" to his homestead place and soon had one of the best- improved and most profitably cultivated farms in that neighborhood. For his original tract he paid three dollars and fifty cents an acre and before his (leath ten years later the place had increased many fold in value. Carl Brecht died on December 23, 1877, at the age of fifty-one years. His widow survived him until January, 1904, she being sixty-eight years of age at the time of her death. They were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fifth in order of birth, the others being as follow: Charles, who died in 1912; Con- rad, of Falls City: Mrs. Caroline Fenskae, who is living in northern
1417
RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Nebraska; Henry, a farmer, living a mile and a half east of Falls City; Mrs. Katie Kruse, of Falls City; Peter, also of Falls City, and Mrs. Eliza- beth Schmechel, who is living in northern Nebraska.
Fred Brecht was reared on the old home farm where he was born, and upon completing the course in the common schools entered a business college at St. Louis and there became thoroughly grounded in business forms. In 1896 he was made assistant manager in the office of the Hea- cock Milling Company and has since occupied that position, manager of the plant in the absence of Mr. Heacock, and is therefore one of the best- known millers in this part of the state. Besides his milling interests, Mr. Brecht is the owner of a quarter of a section of land in central Kansas and also has valuable real estate in Falls City. He is a Bryan Democrat and has long given his thoughtful attention to local civic affairs. For one term he rendered valuable service to his home city as a member of the city council and for the past ten years has been secretary of the school board, in which latter capacity he has done much to advance the interests of the city schools. In other ways Mr. Brecht has done his part in the promotion of the city's best interests and has long been regarded as one of Falls City's most energetic and public-spirited citizens.
On April 28, 1898, Fred Brecht was united in marriage to Marie Fuss- ner, of Atchison, Kansas, who was born in Germany and who had lived in Paris with an annt, who was the wife of a French army officer, and also in the city of London, before coming to the United States, and who therefore has a fluent use of the French, German and English languages. To this union two daughters have been born, Susanie, who was born on February 18, 1899, and who was graduated from the Falls City high school with the class of 1917, and Nellie Lee, February 25, 1908. The Brechts are members of the Presbyterian church and take a proper interest in church work, as well as in the general good works of their home town and in the social and cultural activities of the same. Mr. Brecht is a member of the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Royal Highlanders and in the affairs of these organizations takes a warm interest. Having been born in this county he has been a witness to the development of this region from pioneer days and has done his part in advancing that development, ever interested in movements designed to promote the general welfare of the community.
1362
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.