USA > Nebraska > Seward County > History of Seward county, Nebraska, together with a chapter of reminiscenses of the early settlement of Lancaster county > Part 13
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David Barton moved to the neighborhood in the spring of 1864; was, and still is, a bachelor, but built a log house on his homestead; came with but a pittance, and has been remarkably successful; is now the owner of a large estate, and is at this time the heaviest taxpayer of "N" precinct. Mr. Barton came from England, in 1858, almost a penniless lad, and by his industry and careful management he has acquired a handsome fortune, although a generous man. Young men may take pattern of him. Mr. B. has no relative in this county.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Israel M. K. Johnson, son of Jesse R. Johnson, followed his pa- rents to the new home in July, 1865, and took a homestead. He had just returned from the army, where he had served three years; first in Company K, 138th Ills. Vol., and afterwards in Company E, 34th Ills. Israel was fond of hunting and trapping, and in company with the West boys he frequently made long trips to the Little Blue, in Kansas, and to the Platte, and once as far as the Dismal river, where he had a close call for his scalp. As he had been through the war, he had become somewhat reckless. He often guided trains to Denver, was a success as a buffalo hunter, and never returned from the chase empty-handed. At this time they were plentiful some distance west- ward, but only occasionally one would appear within fifteen or twenty miles. Thomas West, Jr., killed the last one ever killed in Seward county, in 1866. Elk, deer, antelope, and wild turkeys were plenti- ful, and were frequently killed. " Id," as they called him, was a great hunter; his rifle or revolver was never out of reach. He thought that a man that could not take horse, gun, and blanket, and rough it for three or four weeks at a time, had no business so far west as Sew- ard county. At one time he and Mr. McFadden had their wagon wheel and harness burned by prairie fire while a hundred miles from home on a hunt, south of Kearney, and they came home with a raw- hide harness and a pole under the wagon axle. It was a hard-looking outfit, but they were glad to reach home even in this sorry plight, as it was at the time of the Indian massacre on the Platte. They had a hard fight with the Sioux, and if it had not been for timely assistance from Buffalo Bill (Hon. Wm. Cody) and his Pawnees, the Indians would have taken their scalps. They helped to bury two men, a woman, and a child that the Indians had murdered, just below Mar- tin's ranch, on the Platte. Travel on the great roads was about sus- pended, on account of the Indian troubles.
Rev. L. Oliver, a Methodist minister, settled near West's mill in 1869. He had a large family. His wife died in 1871, and he in 1874. He was one of the pioneer ministers of the south part of the county. Mr. Oliver was a good man, and did much in moulding the moral and religious sentiment of the community. We are sorry that we can give so little of his history.
Abner M. Richardson came from Iowa in June, 1869, and made his home in the south part of the county. His wife (Maria) died
,
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
Sept. 19, 1885. They had lost their son Benjamin with small-pox in February, 1879. Mr. Richardson still lives on the old homestead with his children, John, Emeline, and Emarette. He is now eighty- three years old and very feeble. He has been a very industrious man. In his old age he suffers from rheumatism.
From 1867 to 1869 great numbers of homesteads were taken along the Blue. Alonzo Clark, with a large family, settled near Jesse R. Johnson ; also, a man by the name of Euland; and later, George Campbell and his brother Jacob, and Andrew Davenport, from Iowa. George Campbell was a blacksmith, and was of great help to the set- tlement, as before this we all had to go to Camden or to Louis Mor- gan's, on the North Blue, ten miles away. We usually went to Morgan's, as we could get the work the same day, and at Camden there were so many mules to shoe, and so many wagons to mend for travelers on the road, that we were compelled to remain over night or make the second [trip. Mr. Campbell was just the man we wanted. From that time our community has prospered. We boast of no large towns or cities, but we have as beautiful homes as any part of the state, and enjoy many luxuries. We had in early days to struggle for food and clothing, and were often severely pinched, and had it not been for Uncle Tommy West many of us would have been compelled to leave our homes. David Barton, W. J. Clark, Samuel Englehaupt, and my father did all that was possible to assist the people, and whether the settler had money or not, they were supplied so long as the supply lasted. Frequently corn meal was the principal diet.
Nearly all our first settlers were poor, and consequently times be- came very hard with them. We have known families to live a whole winter on corn meal and what rabbits they could kill with clubs. Salt was scarce, and'we had to make pilgrimages to the salt basins for our supplies. On one of these trips we first became acquainted with Mr. Cox, the author of this history, but in what year we have for- gotten. We do not know if he recollects or not. Our first doctor, in any reasonable distance, was Dr. Band, of Milford. The Otoes and Omahas frequently brought their whole village of tents and would camp for weeks at a time near the mill, and run all the game out of the county, so that we would not be able to kill any for our use. We then, as now, thought the only "good Indian was a dead one." But for all that, we believe they were no worse thieves than the same number of whites under no more restraints.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
What a change twenty-three years has brought! New-comers to Seward county can hardly realize the wonderful changes that have occurred in these years.
HAMPTON, NEB., Nov. 27, 1887. W'. W. Cox, Esq., Seward, Neb .:
DEAR FRIEND-Your kind letter asking me to write a history of "B" precinct, in Seward county, Neb., was received several days ago. First. I did not move into that precinct until April, 1869, and there was considerable settlement there before that time. Second. I have forgotten the dates of a great many interesting events of early times. Yet, being always ready to assist a friend in any laudable enterprise, I will try to give you a few points and incidents which may assist you in your undertaking.
The precinct, as first organized, comprised township 12 in ranges 1 and 2, and the west half of range 3 east of the 6th principal merid- ian, being six miles wide by fifteen long, and was known as "Lincoln creek, or Plum creek, precinct." The first settlement was made along the Blue river, about 1864 or 1865, John and Thomas Shields, Robert McCrosson, and George Read being among, if not the first settlers. A few settlers also went up Lincoln creek, among the first of whom were Charles Shaffer, the Hornburgs, Jackmans, Ragans, Reynolds, and Hartmans. In 1870 I assessed this whole territory (6x15 miles) in about five days, and by going up Lincoln creek on one side and down the other, got all the inhabitants west of the Blue river. In 1868 the Hickmans (J. D., William, Joseph, J. W., and H. W.), T. J. Poore, John and Thomas Quillen, John and Peter Varner, and William Moore settled on the "divide" between the Blue and Plum creek, in what is now B precinct proper, and in 1869 F. M. Timblin, H. G. Dawley, Elias McClure, Amos Colman, William and Jesse Knight, E. H. Noxon, J. T. Davis, and James Read completed the settlement of government land on this divide (Shoestring prairie), while the Bates brothers, Amos Donaldson, Mike Dunigan, Esquire Batchelder, S. D. Love, Sabin Stanwood, and others settled the divide between Plum creek and Oak Grove.
The first school-house built in the precinct was a small sod house in the north-east corner of section 32, in the fall of 1869, and was built by the settlers, who, having no money, each did his share of breaking, hauling, and laying the sod, while some furnished poles
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
and brush for the roof, others a door or window frame, or door or window, and each furnished seats and desks for the scholars he had to send to school. The house was built and seated in this way, but as yet there was no way provided to warm it. A stove must be had, but how ? It was decided that those having timber should cut a load of cordwood, and those who had no timber of their own should go out onto section "37" and cut a load, and they would take it to Lin- coln, sell it, and buy a stove. This plan was carried out, and in the latter part of November nine wagons loaded with cordwood wended their way to Lincoln through about eight inches of snow, and re- turned with a second-hand wood stove, and the first school-house in the precinct was ready for occupancy.
The first term of school was taught by F. M. Timblin, and was paid for by subscription. The house was small, poorly furnished and lighted, but I doubt very much if the people ever enjoyed themselves any better, spent their evenings more profitably, or formed ties of friendship which will be more true or lasting than when they met in the little old sod school-house.
The election which decided the county seat contest was held for this precinct in a house on the hill just east of the Blue river. The river happened to be very high at that time, and the only bridges were one at Seward and one at Ulysses. In order, therefore, to get the voters out, it was necessary to have a crossing near the place of voting. For this purpose ropes were procured and logs floated to a narrow place in the river, and a "drift" or "gorge" formed on each side of the stream, and connected by boards or poles laid from one to the other; and men stayed there all day to help the timid across, while wagons ran regularly between this "crossing " and the place of voting, thus taking voters to the polls and returning them to their own conveyances on the other side of the river. Elections in those days were fully as interesting and exciting as at present. At the election to vote bonds in aid of the Midland Pacific railroad every vote in B precinct was polled except five, and these five men were not in the precinct on that day. Men drove over the precinct with two or three men in a wagon, and when they found a man who was in favor of the bonds (and they all were, but had not time to go to elec- tion), some one of the party stayed and worked in his place while the balance took him to the polls, let him vote, and returned with him.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
They called this "working for the railroad," but they never got any pay for it, except the benefits derived from the building of the road.
The foregoing may assist you some in your work, and I might have added that it was in the sod school-house that the Hon. T. Y. Darnell made his maiden speech. If there is anything further, please let me know, and I will do what I can to accommodate you.
Yours respectfully, F. M. TIMBLIN.
HISTORIC LETTER FROM THE PEN OF MRS. SARAH F. ANDERSON.
At the time of the great Indian scare of 1864, my father's family was one of the families which the Nebraska City people heard were killed. It had been rumored throughout the little settlement that there were bands of hostile Indians approaching, that they were committing great depredations wherever they went.
On Sunday morning my uncle and Thomas Shields started down the river on a scouting expedition. After an all-day search, just at night-fall they came suddenly upon an Indian camp. The men thought their time had come, but the red-skins were equally scared. There was no chance to back out, and they resolved to know whether the Indians were friendly or hostile. As they bravely approached the camp, the Indians began to halloo, " Heap good Omaha." The men then concluded to camp over night with them, and they partook of a square Indian supper. The next morning they went home sat- isfied that there were no hostiles in the country.
A day or two after this my father (Mr. Wm. Imlay) and his- brothers were on upper Plum creek, haying, when Grandfather Imlay became frightened and hastened over to our house and said the Indi- ans were coming upon the settlement. He then hastened home to protect his family. About 3 P.M. we saw a drove of them approach- ing. They were about where the B. & M. depot now stands. We were living about eighty rods above the present iron bridge. My mother, thinking to escape them, locked the cabin door, and took all the children across the creek to the spring where she kept her milk. To kill time she commenced churning. Very soon four Indians (great, big, ugly creatures) came riding up to the spring, and told mother that she was wanted over at the house. She said, "No, I
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
can't go. I am at work;" but they insisted in such a menacing man- ner that she felt obliged to yield and go. They said "Come, come," in a most determined manner. The children all clinging to her, she started, and those great, sneaking braves guarded her by one riding on each side, one before, and one behind. Poor mother and we four children had a slim show to escape. They watched our every move- ment, step by step. When we reached the cabin, there sat sixteen burly Indians in a circle around the door. When we came up, they all arose and saluted mother, then sat down again. They had a young Indian interpreter. As they thought they had the family all thoroughly frightened, the young Indian began in good shape to tell just what they wanted. They would like to have two cows, two sacks of flour, and some meat. Mother saw that she must guard the pro- visions with desperation, as they had cost such great effort, having hauled our provisions from the Missouri river. The Indians said " the Sioux are coming and will take all anyway, and we want some." "No," said mother, " we will take our cattle and provisions and go to Plattsmouth." " But," said the Indian, "they will be here to-night and you can't get away." Mother at this point began to get as much angry as frightened. "I will not give you anything. You are lying to me. If the Sioux were so close, you would all be running your- selves." At this point another brave, who had been pacing the yard, seeing mother grow so warm, picked up our axe and marched straight up to her, and threw it down at her feet. She picked it up and stood it beside her. Mother said afterward that her every hair stood on end, but knowing that Indians respect bravery, she resolved to show no cowardice. We could all see that the whole river bend was swarming with Indians. Mother said, with emphasis, "I now want you to take your Indians and begone at once." Then they said, " You are a brave squaw," and the old chief motioned to his braves and they all marched off to camp. The next day our family all went over to Plum creek and remained until things became settled.
The following winter father was at Omaha attending the legisla- ture; and I am sure that over a thousand Indians passed our place during the winter. It required pluck to withstand the thievish beg- gars. Sometimes they would sneak up and peep in at the window. Then others would beg for hours to get into the house.
A great amount of snow had fallen, and shortly after father's re- 10
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
turn home a heavy winter rain inundated all the bottom lands. We all came pretty near being drowned, but succeeded in crawling out of the cabin at the rear window, at midnight, and our only refuge was a haystack, where we remained several days entirely surrounded by water, with no possible means of escape. Mr. Cox made several at- tempts to rescue us. First he tried to cross the river in a molasses pan, and narrowly escaped being drowned, as the wind was high and the stream was filled with floating ice. The next day he made a raft and tried to cross, but the current was so rapid that he could not manage it. It drifted against a tree where the water was ten feet deep, and the jar threw him off his balance, and the upper edge of the raft sank so that the rapid current caught it and turned the raft on its edge up against the tree. Mr. Cox caught hold of a limb of the tree and saved himself from drowning. A desperate struggle en- sued, but he finally kicked and stamped until he got the raft on top of the water again, but it was wrong side up. . We all then gave up hopes of getting help till the water subsided. The fourth day tall trees were chopped by father on one side and Mr. Cox on the other, and their branches interlocked, and we made our escape to his friendly cabin, where we found a kindly greeting, rest, food, and fire.
.
The anthor of the above sketch was born in Wabash county, Indi- ana, August 20, 1854. In 1856 her father moved to Harrison county, Iowa, and in 1858 to Cass county, Neb., and in the spring of 1863 to Salt Basin, and to his present home in April, 1864; and there on the frontier Miss Sarah grew to womanhood. She taught two terms of school in 1872, in her home district. At nineteen was married to Allen S. Anderson, one of the soldier boys that made Seward county his home after the war. Mr. Anderson enlisted in company D, 205th Penn. volunteers, and served during the war. To Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have been born four children, all girls, viz .: Jessie, Nellie, Adie M., and a young babe, Mary J. The family now have a beautiful home, only about a mile from the scenes of her childhood which she has so ably depicted.
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
CHAPTER VII.
SEWARD CITY-EARLY HISTORY-FIRST BUILDINGS-FIRST STORE-THE GROWTH THE FIRST SUMMER-CONDITION OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY-THE PUB- LIC WELL AND WINDMILL-SAW-MILL-SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. NINE ORGAN- IZED-GRIST-MILL BUILT-PEDDLER'S DILEMMA-LOTS GIVEN AWAY-NEWS- PAPER ESTABLISHED-CHURCHES BUILT-CLOYD'S ADDITION-HARRIS, THE BENEFACTOR-THE B. & M. IGNORES SEWARD AND THE COUNTY, BUT LEAVES US HARRIS-MIDLAND PACIFIC R. R .- THE BOTTOM OF THE MILL FELL OUT- THE GROWTH OF 1873-SOUTH SEWARD AND ITS EFFORT TO SUPPLANT THE ORIGINAL TOWN-INCORPORATION AS A VILLAGE-INCORPORATION AS A CITY-LIST OF TOWN AND CITY OFFICIALS-FINANCIAL STANDING OF THE CITY-POST-OFFICE AND MAIL ROUTES-FIRST SABBATH-SCHOOL-TEMPER- ANCE WORK-POSSIBILITIES AS A MANUFACTURING CITY-SCHOOLS-SEW- ARD AS WE SEE IT JANUARY 1, 1888.
SEWARD,
The county seat and principal city of Seward county, was founded by Lewis Moffitt, and surveyed as a town site in the spring of 1868, by Hon. Thomas Graham. At this time one hewed log cabin graced this beautiful plateau, which was the home of its founder, Mr. Mof- fitt. Lots were freely offered to those who desired to make improve- ments. John Roberts, Sr., built the first building for the new town. We well remember passing over the "site" one morning in June and seeing the pile of lumber lying just where Joel Tishue's store now stands, and how our heart swelled with emotion as we witnessed the signs of the coming birth of a new city; and well do we remem- ber standing in our cabin door and watching frame after frame arise, as they appeared week after week, and rejoicing to see what we long had waited for; and how exhilarating it seemed as we would leave the field for dinner, and on approaching the house and casting our eyes toward the embryo city, we would exclaim, "Mother, just see, there is another house going up in town." We remember that David Figard helped do the carpenter work on that little store. Beaty & Davis (J. N. Beaty and W. R. Davis) were the pioneer merchants. They sold groceries and dry goods, and were right clever fellows, too;
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
they used to credit us, and then take their pay in butter, eggs, cotton- wood lumber, fire wood, and promises, and the promises were the most plenty of any article produced in those days. I shouldn't won- der if they have some of those same promises yet.
J. N. Beaty built the first residence, and if you desire to see it just call at our house some day at dinner time and you will see the same old residence (our dining room). W. R. Davis erected the second where his house now stands, but in the march of progress it has given way for a better one. (Orlando Pierce claims his to be the third house.) Then Dr. Walker and W. H. Tuttle each commenced building about the same time. The Doctor's old house now stands on 4th street, just east of the opera house, and Mr. Tuttle's house was the beginning of what is now the Commercial House, but it was named the Blue Valley House. A public well was dug by E. L. Ellis and paid for by subscription. This old well stood in the cen- ter of the square. Some subscribed work, turning windlass, others cottonwood lumber for curbing. The well was a prime necessity to all the people, but the residents of the town were not able to pay all the cost of the well, and the farmers were invited to chip in, which they did freely. At first a bucket and windlass were used, but A. L. Strang, now of Omaha, had settled on section 9, just north of town, and he had secured an agency for the famous Halliday windmill, and he began to talk windmill for the public well. Mr. Strang had already put up one on his farm, which the people were invited to go and examine, and it being the first windmill whose sails were un- furled in all this great region, people were not slow to go and exam- ine its work. The windmill was bargained for, by Mr. Strang being the principal subscriber to the fund. It proved to be "a thing of beauty and a joy for years."
Will the reader just imagine how things looked around here, with only eight or nine small buildings on the town site, and all the great prairie to the north and west yet almost an unbroken wilderness, with only one low water bridge on Blue river within ten miles (the one where the iron bridge now spans the river); not a grove of planted timber or a shrub, except along the water-courses ; not a single legal road yet leading to the town ; with but about five hundred inhabit- ants in the county, and nearly all of them in the southern half; no church spire yet pointing toward heaven ; only a log school-house,
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
with turf-covered roof-and this was the situation when we went into winter quarters in December, 1868.
The spring of 1869 brought recruits. School district No. 9 was organized, and L. G. Johns built a little shanty where Butler block now stands, and the district rented it, and Mr. Johns opened a school in it. Mr. Manley built three small houses, one for a drug store, one for a hardware store, and one to live in. He painted them red, and that was the first attempt at "painting the town red." About this time H. L. Boyes & Son got their little mill to grinding grain, after a long and tedious struggle. Their saw-mill had been running the previous season, and had been of great value to the settlement. The grist-mill was a God-send to the village and country, as previous to this we had depended largely on the Camden mill, although it was five miles further from us than Milford mill. Our reasons were that the Camden folks were our fast friends, and Milford folks were our rivals, and our prejudice could easily carry us five miles through a blizzard.
We must give an incident of one of our trips to mill. In the sum- mer of 1868 we were on the way to Camden with a load of wheat, and when nearing Clark's branch, two miles below Seward, a peddler came rushing past in a tremendous hurry, fearing, we suppose, that we would get stuck in the mud at the ford, and that he would be hindered. There was a short turn in the road just where it went down the bank, and his ponies gave a sudden spring, and over went the wagon, and Mr. Peddler went sprawling into the soft mud ; his wagon-box burst, and his fine jewelry, dry goods, laces, etc., were in like fix with himself, hopelessly imbedded in the mud. We rushed to his assistance, secured the team, and helped to pick his jewelry, combs, brushes, silks, and linen out of the horrible pit and spread them on the grass, and lamented with him the sad loss, when he finally gave way to grief in the following strain: "Mine Gott ! Vat shall I do? Vat shall I do? I is in debt for dese goots. Mine Gott ! Mine Gott! I goes and gets a rope and hangs mineself. Mine Gott! Mine Gott!" He refused to be comforted, and when we finally left him he was still giving vent to his feelings in loud lamentations. We would like to know whether he found a rope while he was yet in the notion of hanging himself.
When the town was first platted it comprised eighty acres, the
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
north half of the south-west quarter of section 21, town 11, range 3 east, and was made into thirty-two blocks, including the public square, which was dedicated to public uses. Great numbers of the more valuable lots were given away in order to get improvements started. John Roberts received several valuable lots. J. N. Beaty received block 22 entire, for his residence; W. R. Davis, E. } block 23, and the firm also received other valuable lots for business purposes ; Tuttle received the quarter block now occupied by the Commercial House, and many others received lots, and perhaps it is not out of place to mention that W. W. Cox was presented with the lot upon which stands the Butler block, for services rendered in getting Seward started. We wish we had kept that present. Liberality and energy were manifested on every hand, and were more than anything else the cause of the success of the infant city.
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